Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed its intention to operate cruises in the Mediterranean in 2018, following the success of new ship Carnival Vista’s inaugural season.
In 2013, the line announced that it would be deploying ships away from Europe for the 2014 summer season citing “market conditions”, but returned to Europe when Vista launched earlier this month.
While no Carnival ship will sail in Europe next year, the line has confirmed plans to return again in 2018 when its next new ship is due to launch.
Speaking at a press conference on board Carnival Vista, Christine Duffy, chief executive of the line, said: “People have looked forward to a new ship, but not only that they’ve looked forward to us being back in Europe which we will do again in 2018.
“What we have focused on is leaning into the legacy of what Carnival does best and this ship marks the start of a new chapter for our brand.”