The Carnival Miracle has marked 20 years in service.
Closing out Carnival Cruise Line’s Spirit Class, the vessel was delivered by the Kvaerner Masa-Yards shipyard on Jan. 17, 2004.
After crossing the Atlantic with no guests onboard, the Miracle officially launched service from Jacksonville on Feb. 27, 2004.
Before kicking off a spring program from North Florida, the 2,124-guest vessel was welcomed to the fleet during a special ceremony that paid homage to the U.S. Armed Forces.
After returning from the Iraq War, the former United States Army soldier Jessica Lynch served as the ship’s godmother during the event, which culminated with a donation to a charity organization that assisted children of soldiers.
The Carnival Miracle started its inaugural cruise soon after the ceremony, departing from Jacksonville for a three-night itinerary to the Bahamas that featured a visit to Freeport.
The cruise marked the first time Carnival Cruise Line sailed from the North Florida homeport and also the first time a new cruise ship was launched there.
Following its initial sailings from Jacksonville, the Carnival Miracle offered seven-day cruises from New York City and Baltimore before kicking off a year-round program in Tampa in November 2004.
Having sailed in most of Carnival’s traditional cruise markets and destinations, the Miracle was also scheduled to mark the company’s debut in China.
According to a press release shared in late 2015, the ship was set to kick off a year-round schedule in Shanghai in spring 2017.
The operation was initially postponed to 2018 before being dropped altogether just a few months later.
Currently based on the West Coast, the Carnival Miracle is offering four- to 15-night cruises to Hawaii, Baja and the Mexican Riviera departing from Carnival’s exclusive cruise terminal in Long Beach.
Following a summer program that includes ten- and 11-night itineraries to Alaska departing from San Francisco, the 88,500-guest vessel is set to reposition to Galveston ahead of the 2024-25 winter season.
