blog post

Carnival Cruise Lines said it will operate its first voyages to South America in January 2009.

The Miami-based cruise line said it plans 14- to 18-day departures with extended visits to destinations in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile and Peru.

The cruises are to be aboard the new 113,300-ton Carnival Splendor. The 3,006-passenger ship is to operate three special South America departures:

* a 17-day, six-port cruise from Fort Lauderdale, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jan. 31-Feb. 17. The voyage is to include visits to Dominica and Barbados, as well as day-long calls at the Brazilian ports of Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro.

* a 14-day, six-port voyage from Buenos Aires to Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile, Feb. 17-March 3. The voyage includes stops in Montevideo, Uruguay; Puerto Madryn, Argentina; Ushuaia, Argentina; Punta Arenas, Chile; and Puerto Montt, Chile.

* an 18-day, six-port South America/Mexican Riviera cruise from Santiago (Valparaiso) to San Francisco, March 3-21. Stops include Arica, Chile; Lima (Callao), Peru; Manta (Quito), Ecuador; Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and Long Beach, Calif.

Before its new South America program, Carnival Splendor is to launch the line's first-ever Northern Europe cruise program from London (Dover), July 13, 2008, followed by a series of voyages to the Mediterranean and Greek Isles through Oct. 17, 2008. The ship is then to sail a transatlantic voyage from Rome (Civitavecchia) to Fort Lauderdale, positioning the vessel for a series of seven-day Caribbean cruises from that port beginning Nov. 22, 2008.