Carnival has signed a new five-year contract with the Port of Baltimore and the company’s year-round cruises from this destination will continue unchanged. This move has been welcomed by Martin O’Malley, the Governor of Baltimore.

The current two-year contract expires at the end of this month and the new agreement has been reached just in time to ensure it will be business as usual from the 1st September. Before the agreement was reached, Carnival planned to terminate sailing from Baltimore at the end of March 2012.

Carnival Pride will be based in Baltimore and offer a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean and Bahamas every week.

O’Malley added “The decision by Carnival to make a commitment like this and to continue offering year-round cruises from Maryland further illustrates the growth of the Baltimore/Washington region as a strong cruise market.”

He also said that three years ago Baltimore only acted as host for 27 cruises per year. This has now increased to 112 per year. According to him the port has access to a huge population and it is also easily accessible from major highways.

Two years ago Carnival Cruises was the first cruise line that started using Baltimore as a base for year-round cruises. Since then Royal Caribbean followed in their footsteps and now offer a year-round programme of their own.

Carnival Pride is a 88,500 ton ship with a length of 900 feet. It has 16 lounges and bars, four swimming pools, a 14,500 square foot spa, a 1,200-seat theatre and a wide variety of dining options.