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It's A Breeze; Carnival To Base New Ship In Miami

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) - It's the newest ship in the Carnival fleet, and it will be based here in the line's home port. The Port of Miami will be getting a fresh Breeze when the ship starts making 6 and 8 day Caribbean cruises from Miami beginning in November 2012.

The 3,690-passenger, 130 thousand ton Carnival Breeze will be the sixth Carnival Cruise Lines ship to be based at the Port of Miami, which is in a tug of war with Port Everglades for the title of the busiest cruise ship port in the world.

Carnival is already the port's largest cruise line, carrying about 1 million passengers a year.

Port Director Bill Johnson noted that Carnival is the Port of Miami's largest cruise line. "The Carnival Breeze adds to an already distinguished fleet that includes some of the most modern and exciting ships on the seas today."

The Breeze, now being built at an Italian shipyard, is expected to enter service in 2012.It is is of the same class as the Carnival Dream, already sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Miracle, which just started sailing in Europe.

The Breeze will WaterWorks, an aqua park with exhilarating water slides and other attractions; SportSquare, an open-air recreation complex with a ropes course, mini-golf, and outdoor fitness area; The Lanai, a wraparound promenade with whirlpools extending over the ship's sides, and a 270-square-foot poolside LED screen displaying movies

"The Port of Miami is a long-standing and valued partner and we're pleased to build upon that relationship by basing the Carnival Breeze in Miami year-round," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO. "Our company has been based in Miami since it was founded nearly 40 years ago and we can't wait to welcome this exciting and innovative new ship to our hometown."

When sailings begin, the line will 6 day cruises to Grand Turk, Nassau, and Ocho Rios, alternating with longer 8 day cruises.

The first cruise from Miami will take place November 24th, 2012.

The schedule includes an eight-day southern Caribbean itinerary that will feature Grand Turk, La Romana (Dominican Republic), Curacao, and Aruba, along with an eight-day eastern Caribbean route visiting St. Thomas/St. John, Antigua, Tortola and Nassau.

Before coming to Miami, the sh1p will spend the summer of 2012 doing 12 day European cruises.

Carnival Cruise Lines is part of the Carnival cruise family based in Doral. Carnival is the world's largest cruise company, and includes Princess, Seabourn,

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