NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk's cruise terminal kicked off its busiest season ever with Sunday's arrival and departure of the 4,000 passenger Carnival cruise ship Magic.
The massive ship, which dominates the city's skyline while docked at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center downtown, will be a familiar sight over the next few months as it docks every few days to disembark passengers and take on a new group of cruisers heading to the Bahamas and elsewhere.
The Captain of Carnival Magic, Bruno Palomba, said: "It's wonderful to be back in Norfolk, our home for this extended season over the next five months. All of our Carnival Magic team members are looking forward to welcoming guests on board and ensuring they have a great vacation."
“Sunday marks the beginning of a pinnacle year for our cruise program, but it’s also a real opportunity for our entire region,” Nauticus executive director, Stephen Kirkland said. “An expanded cruise ship season means many guests will be arriving from throughout the Mid-Atlantic and beyond, and that’s an opportunity for us to showcase all Hampton Roads has to offer.This really is a regional tourism win.”
And this is just the warm-up act as Carnival prepares to begin offering cruises year-round from Norfolk beginning in 2025.
The ship will operate a series of 26 cruises this year, ranging in length from four to 10 days, through Oct. 27, 2023. The cruise departing this week is a seven-day itinerary visiting Nassau, Bimini and Freeport in The Bahamas.
In addition to Carnival's cruises, other cruise companies will be sailing from Nauticus. All told, cruisers will be able to sail from Norfolk to destinations including the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, and New England.
We're told that Carnival’s five-month season is the largest passenger commitment in program history, and will account for more than 200,000 unique visits - 100,000 each year over the next two seasons - to Norfolk from vacationers beginning and ending their cruise from Nauticus.
To learn more, go to: https://nauticus.org/explore/cruise-virginia
