Since 2011, Carnival Cruise Line has not deployed a ship to regularly sail from Mobile, Alabama. After the Carnival Elation left in 2011 for New Orleans, Mobile lost its year round Carnival cruise ship. However, that is about to change once again for the benefit of Mobile cruisers and the Mobile economy. Yesterday, September 23, 2015, Carnival announced plans to redeploy the Carnival Fantasy to Mobile. The Carnival Fantasy is currently scheduled to sail November 2016 - November 2017 from Mobile. During this time the ship will offer 4 day cruises to Cozumel and 5 day cruises to either Cozumel & Progreso or Cozumel & Costa Maya. 
          Prior to sailing to Mobile, the Carnival Fantasy will be renovated and upgraded. Carnival's Guy's Burger Joint, Blue Iguana Cantina, Red Frog Rum Bar, and Blue Iguana Tequila Bar will be added. In addition, the Carnival Fantasy was upgraded several years ago to have Carnival's WaterWorks, tropical themed lido pool, and the Serenity Adults Only Retreat. Carnival's travel agent website, GoCCL, currently shows this dry-dock is scheduled for 2/06/16 - 2/17/16. If these dates remain the same, this means the ship will be upgraded a few months before repositioning to Mobile, Alabama. However, this time frame, is subject to change because dry-dock schedules often shift.

For Carnival's Official Press Release:   Click Here To View

Updated Information (June 2016):  Click Here To View

We would like to thank one of our website visitors for alerting us about the Fantasy's dry-dock. RyG's Cruise Guide is always thankful to visitors who graciously send us a friendly reminder that new information is available. My goal is to have more dry-dock details available as soon as I can. 

UPDATE 9/11/2015:
            On the evening on September 10, 2015, Carnival announced the Liberty would be departing St. Thomas for San Juan. This ship was scheduled to arrive this morning (9/11/2015) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. About 1,500 guests remained onboard and will disembark in San Juan. Carnival reported the Carnival Liberty has recieved all proper clearance to sail and the ship will begin its next voyage on September 13 as previously scheduled.
              RyG's Cruise Guide is thankful this problem did not occur while the ship was at sea. We are also thankful no guests or crew were injured or killed as a result of the fire. For our previous updates on this developing story, please continue reading below.

UPDATE 9/9/2015: 
           Carnival has announced all guests will be flown home via aircraft from St. Thomas. This was announced in a press release as well as Carnival's Facebook page. There are no other updates to announce at this time. 

 Original Article Post From 9/8/2015:
      Yesterday morning, September 7, 2015, the Carnival Liberty experienced an onboard fire while docked in St. Thomas. The ship was on the second day of its voyage after departing San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Thankfully, no injuries to the guests or crew members were reported. Carnival stated the fire occurred in the ship's engine room and was extinguished by the automatic fire suppression system. The guests onboard were sent ashore until after the fire was extinguished and the ship's systems were checked by crew. Carnival was pleased to report all onboard systems (including air-conditioning, elevators, & toilets) have remained functioning and normal programs are able to be offered onboard the ship.
         In Carnival's public relations statement from September 7, 2015 at 9pm EST crew members reboarded the ship at 5:30pm EST. The United States Coast Guard gave guests clearance to reboard around 8:00PM EST. Carnival hoped the ship would be able to sail by Monday evening after 8PM, but new press releases from today (September 8) indicate the ship remained in St. Thomas overnight. 
            Carnival's September 8, 2015, public relations statement from 5:00PM EST shared more details about Carnival's future plan of action and compensation for these affected guests. As of this 5:00PM EST, Carnival is waiting on permission from authorities to sail. The ship will leave St. Thomas and return to Puerto Rico. Carnival is allowing the guests to stay onboard for the remainder of the cruise or fly home early. However, all guests are receiving a full refund, 50% off their next Carnival Cruise, and a $175.00 onboard credit. Sounds like a fun cruise!

All press releases issued by Carnival that were used in this brief news article were found on Carnival's Facebook page. Carnival's News website only displays the most recent statement, but on Facebook all releases can be found.