Carnival Cruise Line started its first cruise after almost 16 months from PortMiami, with the departure of Carnival Horizon on July 4. Carnival Horizon set sail at 4 p.m. from the cruise capital of the world for a six-day cruise with stops in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay.

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy, Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald and Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald kicked off the festivities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially welcoming guests on board.  Prior to Duffy's remarks, a moment of silence was held to honor those affected by the tragedy in Surfside.

"PortMiami is our number one homeport in terms of ships and passenger embarkations and today's return to cruising with Carnival Horizon represents an important first step in getting our company back to business while infusing much-needed capital to the thousands of workers who rely on the cruise industry for their livelihood," said Duffy.  "The past year has been challenging to say the least and I wish to thank our state and local officials, PortMiami, and our business partners and suppliers for their incredible support and patience during this time."

 "The restart of cruise ships from Miami is an exciting day for Miami's longshoremen.  We have approximately 800 members at PortMiami and their wages dropped as much as 80% during the nearly 16-month cruise suspension.  Today with Carnival Horizon's first sailing, we get back to work and look forward to supporting our families again," said Torin Ragin, president, International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) Local 1416.

In addition to Carnival Horizon's departure this afternoon, Carnival Vista departed Galveston yesterday, with Carnival Breeze departing from Galveston July 15 and Carnival Miracle kicking off the line's Alaska season from Seattle July 27. Mardi Gras, the line's newest ship, sets sail from Port Canaveral July 31.  Other ships in the Carnival fleet will begin service in August.