Carnival Spirit Offers 5 and 9 Sailings to the Mexican Rivieria

[The Cruiser]

Carnival Cruise Lines will introduce a new one-of-a-kind schedule from San Diego encompassing five- and nine-day Mexican Riviera voyages aboard the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit beginning Dec. 10, 2010.

On this unique program, five-day cruises will visit the popular resort town of Cabo San Lucas for two full days, while nine-day cruises will also feature a two-day call in Cabo San Lucas in addition to visits to the stunning seaside destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and La Paz, the first time this port has been featured as a regular stop on a Carnival itinerary.

The two-day visits to Cabo San Lucas were selected based on guest feedback requesting more time to enjoy this popular destination which is highlighted by its distinctive rock formations, lush landscape and aqua-blue waters teeming with tropical fish.
Nine-day cruises depart Friday and return Sunday so guests can enjoy a longer cruise with more time in the spectacular ports of call, all within a typical weekend-to-weekend vacation period. Five-day cruises depart Sunday and return Friday, offering the ideal short cruise vacation at an attractive price.

Nine-day cruises will also call at Puerto Vallarta, a charming city where guests can relax on gorgeous white-sand beaches or stroll along the famed Malecon, a seaside walkway lined with restaurants, art galleries, and shops. Also featured is Mazatlan, known as the Pearl of the Pacific for its beautiful beaches, abundant marine life, and myriad fishing and diving opportunities. Rounding out the itinerary is La Paz, a sun worshippers’ paradise famous for its excellent sportfishing, snorkeling and scuba diving, with white-sand beaches stretching the length of its magnificent waterfront.

Carnival Spirit will operate its new five- and nine-day Mexican Riviera schedule through April 1, 2011. The Carnival Spirit will then offer its previously scheduled 12-day Hawaii cruises (April 10 and 22, 2011) and a full season of seven-day Alaska cruises departing from Seattle (beginning May 10, 2011).

The new five- and nine-day cruises replace the Carnival Spirit’s previous eight-day Mexican Riviera program. Guests scheduled to sail on the eight-day voyages have the following options: switch to a new nine-day Mexican Riviera cruise with their eight-day cruise fare protected; re-book an alternate Carnival sailing and receive a $50 per person on-board credit; or cancel and receive a full refund. Travel agent commissions will be protected.

Source:

http://carnival-news.com/2010/04/26...nine-day-sailings-from-san-diego-in-december/

 

[Cruizer]

Well, based on my research, the Carnival Spirit is offering four, five, six, seven, eight and nine night cruises to the northern Mexican Riviera beginning December 6, 2010. Prior to that the Carnival Spirit is doing eight night cruises to the southern Mexican Riviera.

So, with the new itineraries Carnival will save some fuel (by not going all the way down to Acapulco) and will allow passengers to pick any cruise length between four and nine nights.

Four nights - two days at sea and one day in Cabo
Five nights - two days at sea and two days in Cabo
Six nights - two days at sea, two days in Cabo and one day in Ensenada
Seven nights - three days at sea, one day each in Cabo, La Paz and Mazatlan
Eight nights - three days at sea, one day each in La Paz and Mazatlan and two days in Cabo
Nine nights - three days at sea and either one day each in La Paz, Mazatlan, PV, Cabo & Ensenada OR one day each in La Paz, Mazatlan, PV & two days in Cabo

Looks like Cabo comes out the big winner with these new itineraries. I guess I'll be on one of the last cruises to Acapulco in November. But I'll likely come back for one of those itineraries going to La Paz.

 

[Gayle V]

There's not a lot of those other length cruises offered. It's mostly just the 5 and 9 days itineraries. Here's the letter we just got canceling our January 31, 2011 booking on the Spirit.

We were thinking of canceling anyway, so the cabin credit on a new cruise would be a plus, if we want to book another Carnival cruise for our next one.. But now we need to decide soon . It give us three weeks to make up our minds, or the full refund is automatic.

April 26, 2010

Dear Carnival Guest:
We know you must be looking forward to your cruise, which is why we are sorry to inform you that the above referenced sailings of the Carnival Spirit have been canceled.
Vacations are more important than ever and in order to provide you with a better cruise experience, we have opened a wide variety of new sail dates and exciting itineraries. We apologize for this change of plans; however, we have plenty of new cruise options for you to consider, as follows:

• 4-DAY Baja Mexico (Cabo San Lucas) - 12/06/10
• 5-DAY Baja Mexico (Cabo San Lucas) - 01/09/11, 01/23/11, 02/06/11, 02/20/11, 03/06/11, 03/27/11
• 6-DAY Baja Mexico (Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada) - 01/03/11
• 7-DAY Mexican Riviera - 12/19/10, 03/20/11
• 8-DAY Mexican Riviera - 12/26/10
• 9-DAY Mexican Riviera - 12/10/10, 01/14/11, 01/28/11, 02/11/11, 02/25/11, 03/11/11, 04/01/11

Here are your options:

• Rebook on any other Carnival Spirit 8 or 9 day sailing (excluding 11/20/10 and 12/26/10) and current rate will be protected.
• Rebook on any other sailing prior to 12/31/2011 at prevailing rates and receive a $50 per person on board credit.
• Receive a full refund. No further action required on your part since bookings will be automatically canceled.

If you purchased independent air and need to make changes to accommodate a new departure, we will reimburse up to $200 per person for change fees (via a refundable on board credit) with proper documentation (proof to be submitted to our Guest Admin Department, fax# 305-406-6477).
Here's what you do next:

• Review these options - we will hold funds for three weeks while you decide.
• When ready to reschedule, go on line, call 1-800 CARNIVAL (press 3) or call your Personal Vacation Planner at 1-800-819-3902 to book your new reservation.

Thank you for your understanding. We would love to have the opportunity of welcoming you on another Carnival sailing.
Sincerely,
Vicky Rey, CTC
Vice President - Guest Services