NORFOLK, Va. — Nearly two months after Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International had to re-route their ships to Norfolk following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, the cruise lines announced plans to return to the Port of Baltimore.
Both cruise lines told 13News Now that the first ships resuming operations in Baltimore are set for this coming weekend.
In a statement, Royal Caribbean International said it "looks forward to returning to the Port of Baltimore once again" where its Vision of the Seas is slated to depart on Saturday, May 25 for a 5-night excursion to The Bahamas.
Carnival Cruise Line shared similar sentiments about returning to the Baltimore port, saying the Carnival Pride will resume operations at the Baltimore port on Sunday, May 26.
“We are extremely grateful to the officials and incredible first responders in Baltimore, who’ve shown great leadership and resolve in this difficult time, as well as our supportive partners in Norfolk, whose rapid response allowed us to continue to deliver our scheduled sailings for our guests,” said Christine Duffy, the company's president. “It’s been our goal to resume operations in Baltimore as soon as possible, and after working closely with local, state and federal agencies, we look forward to a successful return.”
In the wake of the Baltimore bridge collapse on March 26, Baltimore-based operations were temporarily moved to Norfolk. Passengers were then bussed in and out of Norfolk to Baltimore.
Additionally, last week, crews demolished the largest remaining steel span of the bridge using explosives. The 21-member crew of the Dali cargo ship were aboard during the controlled demolition.