With the pandemic likely having sailed into the sunset, the cruise industry is ringing in 2023 loudly and proudly with an armada’s worth of christenings, milestone anniversaries and the most itineraries we’ve seen since before the 15-month shutdown in March 2020. Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, alone, are scheduled to have 28 different cruise ships of 10 major lines raise anchor more than 450 times during the coming year.
“Guests are super excited and happy to see the crew smile again,” said Alina Chefneux, hotel director on the Carnival Panorama, which is scheduled to make 53 trips to the Mexican Riviera out of Long Beach this year. “Our team loves to smile, even when wearing a mask, and now that passengers can see how happy we are, there is noticeably stronger guest-crew connection and engagement. You hear more laughter around the ship, too.
Carnival Panorama takes sun worshippers on seven-night Mexican Riviera roundtrips year-round from Long Beach. became the fleet’s flagship when she first arrived in Long Beach in December 2019, and on a just-taken cruise that coincided with the ship’s third birthday, the 4,008-passenger, Vista-class vessel looked the same as she did on her inaugural seven-night sail.
The premium-class cruise line gets a new flagship in the late fall with the debut of Celebrity Ascent, the fourth and final 3,260-passenger Edge-class ship that will call Fort Lauderdale home for her first season.makes her royal return to Los Angeles in August, and although it’s just for a single cruise, what a voyage it will be. Countries visited on the 34-night sail include Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama , Bermuda, Portugal, Spain, Italy and France.