City of Mobile welcomes Carnival Sensation, crewmembers
May 14th, 2021
Posted in: Mayor
For Immediate Release:
City of Mobile welcomes Carnival Sensation, crewmembers
Mobile, Ala. – Carnival Sensation made its first visit to the Port of Mobile today so essential crew members could be vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Mobile Cruise Terminal.
Cruise lines have been working toward resuming operations out of U.S. ports, and the City wanted to assist with vaccinating Carnival Sensation’s essential team members. Through our partnership with USA Health, we arranged for 110 crew members to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today.
“Today’s events represent the strong partnership we have forged with Carnival Cruise Line and their commitment to the City of Mobile,” said Mayor Sandy Stimpson. “We are excited to be a part of this first step towards bringing cruising back to Mobile and look forward to the near future when we can welcome thousands of people to our City as they embark on a great cruise aboard Carnival Sensation.”
“We appreciate the support of Mobile officials in our efforts to vaccinate Carnival Sensation crew members. We value the partnership of the port and city of Mobile and look forward to resuming sailing from the Alabama Cruise Terminal as soon as we can,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Carnival crew members coming to Mobile for their COVID-19 vaccinations is a major step toward resuming cruising operations from the Port of Mobile. The influx of visitors that regularly come to board these ships have a significant impact on Mobile’s economy and its local businesses.
“Cruising from Mobile has a huge economic impact for our city with 35,000 hotel room nights and immense support of our restaurants, attractions, and local retail,” David Clark, President & CEO of Visit Mobile said. “Carnival has been a tremendous partner to our city and region for over a decade and we are super excited about this first step, and subsequent next steps, to begin cruising from Mobile once again.”
When cruises resume from U.S. ports, Carnival Sensation will homeport in Mobile. Compared to Carnival Fantasy, which used to sail from Mobile but was recently retired, the Sensation will have 98 additional balcony staterooms, the cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar, a Bonsai Sushi Express venue and the Cherry on Top sweets shop.
Though the crew will on be in Port for day, we couldn’t let leave without enjoying a taste of Mobile. Thankfully, our friends at Wintzell's Oyster House agreed to provide some of their “award-winning” gumbo to the Sensation’s crewmembers before their departure this afternoon.
Jason Johnson
Media Relations Manager
Department of Communications and External Affairs
Phone: (251) 323-0044
Cell: (334) 701-9145