Industry giant Carnival Cruise Line is back to expansion mode in California.
The 24-ship line this week added a third vessel — the 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination — to its base in the Los Angeles area.
The Imagination is sailing a series of three- and four-night cruises out of the Port of Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico for the winter. The four-night sailings also stop at Catalina Island.
Carnival Imagination is joining sister ship Carnival Inspiration, which already offers a similar short cruise program year-round from Long Beach. The Inspiration sailings begin on Fridays and Mondays; the Imagination sailings will be on Thursdays and Sundays.
Carnival’s 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle also is based in Long Beach seasonally during winters for seven-night Mexican Riviera and 15-night Hawaii cruises.
The arrival of the Carnival Imagination solidifies Carnival’s position as the top cruise operator in Southern California. With the addition, the line expects to carry 550,000 passengers a year from Long Beach.
