Mobile officials announced that the city is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement with Carnival Cruise Line to bring a vessel back to the Port City, ending a years-long gap since the company pulled out of the market.
Mobile’s mayor told reporters at a news conference at Mobile Regional Airport that the Miami-based cruise line was expected to visit the city within the month to announce specifics of the arrangement. Any resulting contract would still need approval from the Mobile City Council, a vote also expected before the month was out.
“It’s imperative when we welcome a cruise ship back to Mobile, we welcome back the passengers with enthusiasm and an enhanced experience,” the mayor said, while declining to share details about the contract terms or the type of ship under discussion. He said Carnival representatives would lay out specifics themselves once the visit takes place, adding that he did not expect residents to be disappointed with the eventual agreement.
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed in a statement that company representatives met with Mobile’s mayor in Miami and that the two sides were in the final stages of contract negotiations for future cruises departing from the port, with the process expected to wrap up by the end of the month.
A source familiar with the discussions indicated Carnival was more likely to schedule seasonal cruise excursions, typically spanning four to six months out of the year, rather than committing to year-round sailings from Mobile. City officials declined to confirm that detail or say whether the council would need to approve economic incentives as part of the deal.
The announcement marks the first public sign of progress toward returning cruise service to Mobile since Carnival ended its operations at the port in October 2011. That departure left the city’s cruise terminal largely empty, costing taxpayers roughly $1.8 million a year in debt service with little revenue to offset it. In the years since, only two Carnival ships have docked at the terminal, and both visits were the result of unplanned emergency situations rather than scheduled service.
City leaders and terminal officials have long viewed the return of regular cruise service as a key economic opportunity for downtown Mobile, and the announcement was seen locally as a significant step toward putting the terminal back into active use.