For the first time in the 20 years of cruising from Mobile, there will be two cruise lines from different companies docked at the Alabama Cruise Terminal at the same time.

The occasion will take place in late March 2026. It will bring together cruising giant Carnival Cruise Line with the nation’s largest river and small ship cruise line, American Cruise Lines.

At the same time, the Carnival Spirit will be docked in Mobile for its ongoing seasonal excursions that run from October through March. That vessel will remain in Mobile for another year ahead of Carnival Cruise Line’s plans to bring a new ship to the Alabama Port city in 2027 for year-round excursions.

“It will be the first time in the history of the city,” said Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, referring to having two cruise ships from separate companies docked in Mobile with passengers at the same time.

“American Cruise Lines is taking people to ports where there are cultural experiences,” Stimpson said during the announcement Tuesday inside the Alabama Cruise Terminal. “Mobile, being as old of a city as we are, there will be a lot of things we have here for people to see that are of interest to their cruisers.”

The cruises will be aboard American Symphony and will last around eight days and seven nights. The luxury cruises will cost between $4,800 to $9,000 per person. The ship carries approximately 180 passengers.

David Clark, president & CEO with Visit Mobile, said the passengers will have approximately a full day in Mobile to explore, which he said will be a boon for downtown businesses. The American Symphony is planned to make four stops in Mobile next March.

“We’ll develop excursions and tours with our partners,” Clark said. “They will be all over the city with the attractions we have and food tours, museums, art, and all of that. We are lining up with our partners with American Cruise Lines to do some cool itineraries when they pull up here in March.”

Future cruising

The media event also provided an opportunity for Clark and Stimpson to discuss the future of year-round sailings aboard a new, yet-to-be-announced Carnival Cruise Lines ship. The company announced the sailings earlier this month, but no ship has been identified for Mobile.

It also gave the city an opportunity to show off its new $4.9 million gangway, a structure that takes passengers from the terminal on board the cruise ship.

The return of year-round cruising will represent the first time since before the pandemic that Carnival Cruise Lines operated a vessel in Mobile for a full year. The Carnival Spirit began sailing out of the terminal in 2023, but sailing only occurs during the fall, winter and early spring months.

Clark said he anticipates Carnival Cruise Lines announcing which ship is coming to Mobile sometime early next year.

Larger ships, expansion

He is optimistic about getting a larger ship. Carnival Spirit has a capacity of 3,700 passengers and crew members, but Clark said there is potential to get a vessel that can handle around 5,000 people. He cited the Vista-class ships, which were first operational in 2016, and have a capacity that exceeds 5,000 passengers and crew members.

The increasing ship sizes represent a reversal of fortunes for Mobile, which for years hosted some of the cruise line’s smallest and oldest ships. When Carnival Cruise Lines resumed regular sailings from Mobile in 2016 – following a five-year hiatus from cruising from Alabama – worries existed over the profitability of operating regular cruising out of Mobile.

Clark said that Mobile has benefitted from its best-ever Itinerary Gross Profit (IGP) in the past year. IGP refers to the total revenue from a specific cruise route (including ticket sales and onboard spending) minus the direct costs of operating that route (like fuel, port fees, and onboard services).

The measure also suggests operating costs for cruise lines are lower in Mobile compared to other seaports, Clark said. In addition, Mobile has an advantage of sailing a shorter distance to reach international waters and popular vacation ports in Mexico and the Bahamas, he added.

“It’s a straight shot to the Gulf, about 3-1/2 hours to get there and into international waters,” Clark said. “New Orleans is 12 hours. Our agency fees, tugboats, and pilot costs are lower than the other ports. It’s a more profitable model for a cruise company.”

Year-round cruising out of Mobile is an economic boon for the Port City. According to Clark, having a cruise ship in Mobile operating on an annual basis has an economic impact of approximately 30,000 hotel room nights, and $20 million in value.

Clark said there could be a need in a couple of years to expand the cruise terminal. The existing terminal’s bond, originally financed in 2004, will be paid off by 2030.

“We can expand our cruising footprint,” Clark said. “We’re having discussions with other cruise lines. The biggest thing we need with multiple cruise lines is another parking garage, and that can pay for itself quickly. A parking garage can be built within a year.”