Cruise ships are passing through the Port of Baltimore again. It’s amazing. Cindy Loving and Shelley Lovick were among the passengers on the Carnival Pride, which docked Sunday morning. It departed Norfolk, Virginia, and was returning to the Port of Baltimore after a week-long cruise. We passed right by the bridge as the cleanup continues after the Key Bridge collapse. It was really eerie. It really was. We were crew members, I was in the dining room, and even the crew were taking pictures. I think they were in awe, in a way. This happened after Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Vision of the Seas left Baltimore on Saturday. Officials say cruise ships returning to Baltimore have a big impact on the port and the city. Every ship that calls at the port has an economic impact of about $1 million. Last year, we handled 109 ships, with an economic impact worth $109 million, and about 500 jobs depend on it every turn every day that they’re here. So this has a very significant impact on the port and the community. What makes Baltimore special is the hospitality and tourism sector. Carnival temporarily moved its Baltimore operations to Norfolk, Virginia, after the bridge collapse, and we’re proud to be back. We’re very grateful to the city of Baltimore and the port, and the emergency workers who helped with all the work. And we’re very happy to be back here on a beautiful sunny day. According to Moises Clarinha, Carnival’s regional manager, Carnival provided bus service from the Port of Baltimore to Norfolk. We had 600 guests initially, but within the first week, we had nearly 1,000 people wanting to use our service bus to go to Norfolk and back. It was very complicated logistics. But it worked out very well. “At the beginning, we didn’t know how long it would take, but with the cooperation of everyone involved, it happened quickly. Cynthia Berman is the Associate Director of Business Development and Cruises for the Port of Baltimore. She says a lot of people are looking forward to a cruise, a cruise to Charm City. For us, it’s a great day. It’s been a great weekend. I can’t thank everyone enough for making this happen.”
Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises return to Baltimore
Cruise ship diverted from Baltimore to Norfolk after Key Bridge collapse
Cruise travelers who have been waiting for months for a vacation were excited to see the ships return to Baltimore over Memorial Day weekend. The ride marks the first cruise ship to depart Baltimore since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, which closed the main waterway. “It’s a great day for us. It’s been a great weekend. We can’t thank everyone enough for all the hard work they’ve put into getting cruises back in Baltimore,” said Cynthia Berman, vice president of business development and cruise for the Port of Baltimore. “We’re so pleased and it’s probably one of the most visible signs that everyone sees. Cruises are back. Baltimore is back. Royal and Carnival look forward to launching itineraries departing from Baltimore, not just this weekend but into the future,” Maryland Port Authority Executive Director Jonathan Daniels told 11News on Saturday. The collapse of the Key Bridge forced the cruise lines to temporarily move their ships to Norfolk, Virginia. The Carnival Legend was scheduled to return to Baltimore in April but was rerouted to Norfolk, and Carnival provided buses to return to Baltimore. On Saturday, Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas returned to Baltimore to depart for a five-day Bahamas cruise. “It’s a great day for Baltimore. It’s a great day for the community here and for Royal Caribbean. We look forward to continuing our cruises from Baltimore,” Vision of the Seas’ captain, Mrs. Tebcik, told 11News on Saturday. Cruise passengers were excited to be back on the cruises they had been planning for months. “It’s a relief. We’ve been wondering for weeks what it was going to be like for us and feeling a little guilty because we all knew what they were doing (to allow the Dali container ship into port), so it’s a relief that the port is back and everybody’s back to work,” Royal Caribbean cruise passenger John Carney told 11News on Saturday.Carnival Pride sailed from Norfolk and returned to Baltimore on Sunday. The Pride then departed Baltimore for a 14-day cruise to Greenland. “We’re very grateful to the city of Baltimore and the port and the emergency crews who helped with all the activities. It’s so nice to be back here on a beautiful sunny day,” said Moises Clarena, Carnival’s regional manager. “At first we didn’t know how long it would take, but with the cooperation of everyone involved, it was made possible very quickly.” Carnival said the Pride will continue its originally scheduled voyages through the spring of 2026. “Every ship that calls at this port has an economic impact of $1 million. Last year, we handled 109 ships and had an economic impact of $109 million. So it’s a huge impact for the port and the region. It’s a vital part of the hospitality and tourism that makes Baltimore so special,” Daniels said. Video below: Carnival Legend rerouted from Baltimore and arrived in Norfolk
Cruise travelers who had been waiting for months for a vacation were looking forward to the ship returning to Baltimore over Memorial Day weekend.
The cruise ship’s embarkation will be the first to depart Baltimore since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, closing the main waterway.
“This is a great day for us. We’ve had a great weekend. We’re so grateful to everyone who’s worked so hard to get cruises back in Baltimore,” said Cynthia Berman, vice president of business development and cruise at the Port of Baltimore.
“We’re very happy. This is probably one of the most visible signs that everybody sees: Cruises are back. Baltimore is back. Royal and Carnival look forward to launching itineraries from Baltimore not only this weekend but into the future,” Maryland Port Authority Executive Director Jonathan Daniels told 11 News on Saturday.
The collapse of the Key Bridge forced cruise lines to temporarily move their ships to Norfolk, Virginia. The Carnival Legend, which had been scheduled to return to Baltimore in April, was rerouted to Norfolk, and Carnival operated buses to Baltimore.
On Saturday, Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas returned to Baltimore before departing on a five-day cruise to the Bahamas.
“We’re excited. This is a great day for Baltimore, this region and this is a great day for Royal Caribbean. We look forward to continuing to have cruises sailing from Baltimore,” Vision of the Seas captain Mrs. Tebsick told 11 News on Saturday.
Cruise passengers were excited to board the ship for a trip they had been planning for months.
“I’m relieved. I’ve been wondering for weeks and feeling a little guilty and I knew all the things they were doing (to allow the Dali container ship to dock) and I was worried about what it would mean for us so I’m relieved the port is open and everyone’s back to work,” John Carney, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship crew member, told 11 News on Saturday.
The Carnival Pride returned to Baltimore on Sunday after departing Norfolk, where it will then depart for a 14-day cruise to Greenland.
“We’re so grateful to the city of Baltimore and the port and the emergency crews who helped with all the work, and we’re so happy to be back here on this beautiful sunny day,” Carnival regional manager Moises Clarena said. “At the beginning we didn’t know how long it would take, but with the cooperation of everyone involved we were able to get the job done quickly.”
Carnival said the Pride will continue its originally scheduled sailings through spring 2026.
“Every ship that calls at our port has an economic impact of $1 million. Last year we handled 109 ships which had an economic impact worth $109 million. It’s a huge impact for the port and the local community and is a key part of the hospitality and tourism that makes Baltimore special,” Daniels said.
Video below: Carnival Legend reroutes from Baltimore to arrive in Norfolk
