Dave Berman

FLORIDA TODAY

Carnival Cruise Line plans to move one of its newest ships, the Carnival Breeze, to Port Canaveral next year.

The Breeze will replace the Carnival Magic at Port Canaveral in September 2018, the port and the cruise line jointly announced Thursday. The Magic will move to Miami.

Both ships are among Carnival Cruise Line's largest, with a double-occupancy capacity of 3,690 and a full capacity of 4,724. But the Breeze is newer, entering service in June 2012, 13 months later than the Magic.

In a statement issued Thursday, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said: “We continue to invest in Port Canaveral" by deploying one of the cruise line's newest and largest ships, "which speaks volumes to the incredible growth that region represents and the popularity of Carnival Cruise Line from the Space Coast.”

Carnival Magic joins Port Canaveral ship lineup

The Breeze will be the newest and largest of three Carnival ships based at Port Canaveral year-round. It will join:

• The Carnival Sunshine, which re-entered service in May 2013 after a $155 million refurbishment and a name change from Carnival Destiny. It has a double-occupancy capacity of 3,006 and a full capacity of 3,758. The ship was built in 1996.

• The Carnival Liberty, which entered service in July 2005. It has a double-occupancy capacity of 2,974 and a full capacity of 3,700.

Carnival estimates that the three ships combined will carry a total of about 650,000 passengers a year from Port Canaveral.

"Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand its stellar record of offering great itineraries and vacations from Central Florida,” Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray said in a statement. “When their cruise guests arrive, they will find we have new and updated facilities from which to begin and end their vacations from Port Canaveral.”

Carnival Breeze will start its new Port Canaveral-based service on Sept. 30, 2018, with a one-time, six-day cruise to Nassau, Amber Cove (Dominican Republic) and Grand Turk.

That cruise will be followed by the start of year-round alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises beginning Oct. 6, 2018. Those cruise will leave every Saturday.

• The Eastern Caribbean itineraries will stop at Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk.

• The Western Caribbean voyages will stop at Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya, and will be part of Carnival’s "Cozumel Plus" itineraries, offering extended stays in Cozumel and various shore excursions on the island and on the Mexican mainland.

The Breeze also will offer two longer "Carnival Journeys" cruises:

• On Sept. 16, 2018, as the ship repositions from Galveston, Texas, to Port Canaveral, it will operate a 14-day cruise calling at Grand Cayman, Aruba, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, Dominica and St. Maarten.

• From Nov. 3-17, 2018, it will have a 14-day cruise from Port Canaveral, with stops at eight Caribbean destinations, including St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, St. Maarten, Tortola and San Juan.

Port Canaveral named top cruise port by major website

In her statement, Duffy said Carnival is "delighted to continue our expansion at Port Canaveral, with the spectacular Carnival Breeze, which is a wonderful addition to the Space Coast and offers our guests a truly unique seagoing vacation experience."

The only newer and larger Carnival-branded ship is the Carnival Vista, which joined the fleet last year.

Carnival said the Vista is moving to Galveston in September 2018, joining the Carnival Freedom and Carnival Valor there. The Vista will offer two seven-day Western Caribbean itineraries from Galveston.

The Carnival Magic will be one of four Carnival ships based in Miami, joining the Glory, Sensation and Victory. The Magic will offer seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami.

In all, Carnival Cruise Line operates 25 ships, with three others scheduled to join the fleet in 2018, 2020 and 2022.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByDaveBerman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54

Special features

The Carnival Breeze features:

• Thrill Theater, a multidimensional special-effects experience that makes viewers feel as if they’re part of the movie.

• The WaterWorks aqua park, offering water slides and a 300-gallon PowerDrencher tipping bucket

• SportSquare, an expansive recreation area, with a suspended ropes course, mini golf and an outdoor fitness area.