Carnival Pride Returns to Baltimore After Major 22‑Day Dry Dock Upgrade
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Carnival Pride returned to service on April 9, 2026, after a 22-day dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas.
Refurbishments included updates to the casino, retail areas, and new carpets and upholstery.
The ship resumed year-round sailings from Baltimore with a 10-night Eastern Caribbean cruise.
After more than three weeks out of service for maintenance and upgrades, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Pride returned to sailing on April 9, 2026, from Port of Baltimore, marking the end of a 22-day dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas.
The ship had been in dry dock from March 15 through April 5, where routine technical work and cosmetic improvements were completed before the vessel resumed its year-round deployment from Maryland.
The work included visible updates across several public spaces. These included the onboard casino, which received refreshed décor to update the gaming venue, and to retail spaces, including upgrades to the ship’s Effy Jewelry boutique.
Select areas of the ship also received new carpeting and upholstery.
Much of the dry dock was dedicated to routine maintenance of the ship’s operating systems and propulsion equipment, which typically requires a mandatory dry dock inspection and overhaul every three years under international maritime safety regulations.
The refurbishment took place at Grand Bahama Shipyard, where the ship remained out of service for just over three weeks before returning to Baltimore to begin a new sailing schedule.
The first cruise to welcome guests after dry dock is a 10-night Eastern Caribbean voyage, departing on April 9, 2026. The sailing will bring passengers to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; and Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos.
Carnival Pride will return to Baltimore on April 19 and resume a year-round schedule of 7-night journeys to the Bahamas or Bermuda.
The Bahamas voyages include Nassau and the cruise line’s private destinations of Half Moon Cay or Princess Cays, depending on the sailings, along with the new Celebration Key, which debuted in July 2025.
Its Bermuda offerings will feature overnight calls in Kings Wharf and multiple sea days.
Carnival Pride in Baltimore
Carnival Pride is part of Carnival’s Spirit-class ships and entered service in 2002. Her last significant dry dock was in 2023, when the 88,500-gross-ton vessel underwent a major renovation in Cadiz, Spain.
That refurbishment included extensive upgrades to the interior with restaurant enhancements, the relocation of the ship’s Arcade, new carpeting and tiling, and updates to the lounge.
The 2,124-guest ship has been sailing regularly from Baltimore since April 2009, briefly leaving the port in 2014 and again in 2021.
Beginning in fall 2027, Carnival Cruise Line will begin homeporting two ships in Baltimore, with Carnival Miracle joining Carnival Pride. It will be the first time the port houses two ships from the same cruise line year-round.
Baltimore has been a key fixture in the cruise line’s lineup for more than 20 years, with President Christine Duffy promising to build on that partnership.
Carnival Cruise Line, which operates 29 ships in its fleet, has a busy dry dock schedule, recently completing services for Carnival Elation and Carnival Conquest in February 2026, and Carnival Encounter and Carnival Dream in March.
Carnival Magic and Carnival Legend will each undergo dry dock later this month and return to service in May.
Carnival Pride Returns to Baltimore After Major 22‑Day Dry Dock Upgrade