The Carnival Spirit, the newest and largest cruise ship that Mobile has ever had, docked at the Mobile Cruise Terminal for its first voyage from the city Friday.

The ship will sail to Bimini Island, Freeport Island and Nassau in the Bahamas before heading back to Mobile, city spokesperson Jason Johnson says. The cruise is eight days. The Spirit will sail from Mobile to various locations around the Caribbean Sea for six months—from October to March.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson was on hand to celebrate the ship’s maiden voyage – at least its first from Mobile. The Mobile City Council recently signed a five-year agreement with Carnival for use of the Mobile Cruise Terminal.

“If you can’t be excited about this, I don’t know what it’s going to take to get you excited,” Stimpson said Friday. “When you think about ‘born to celebrate,’ just look at all the smiling faces and everybody that’s here. This is awesome.”

Even though the ship is seasonal, both Stimpson and Carnival Cruise Lines leadership emphasized that more cruising could be coming to Mobile soon.