Downtown Charleston

Unless you live in Hawaii and haven’t experienced winter to its fullest this year, then you’re probably tired of snow storms, black ice and work and school delays. For goodness sake, people were making snowmen on southeast beaches last weekend during yet another snow storm that affected most of the east coast.

With Groundhog and Valentine’s Day out of the way, it’s time to start beating the winter blues by preparing for spring and summer vacations. If you’re tired of making the drive or flight down to Miami to embark on your Carribbean cruise vacation, then your life is about to get a little easier.

In May, Carnival Cruise Line will begin embarkation of year-round cruise vacations from Charleston, South Carolina. You may already know that for years Carnival has been cruising from Charleston during the winter months, but this marks the first time the cruise line will be embarking year-round. The 2,000+ passenger Carnival Fantasy will be sailing 5, 6 and 7-day voyages to the Caribbean. Cruises will be going to Nassau, Freeport, Key West and the Bahamas.

The announcement of Carnival extending its service in Charleston can mean nothing but good news for Charleston tourism. In recent years, the port city has continued to be a popular tourist spot with its historic allure and luxurious resorts near Charleston. The historic waterfront is just blocks from Charleston’s popular shopping and restaurant district, making it the perfect location for embarking on a cruise. South Carolina has also recently announced plans to open up an additional half-mile of the historic Charleston waterfront for the public, in order to accommodate a new cruise terminal.

First impressions are that the addition of year-round cruising in Charleston with Carnival could bring up to 200,000 visitors to Charleston this summer to cruise. As summers are usually warm and sometimes unbearable for walking around Charleston, a summer cruise might be your best bet.

Photo from Spencer.