Carnival is offering twice as many cruises out of Norfolk this year

What's happening: The Florida-based cruise line announced in November that it's doubling the cruises it offers out of Norfolk this year and lengthening its season from two to six months a year.

• The expansion is the first step toward year-round cruises.

What they're saying: "[Year-round service out of Norfolk] is a big deal. Every travel agent was ecstatic about that," Louisa-based travel agent Rhonda Reinhardt tells Axios.

Cruises are extremely popular right now, Reinhardt said.

• Travelers see value in the all-inclusive price, especially when it means not paying for airfare — or dealing with flight delays and cancellations that plagued the industry last year.
• Skipping the flight doesn't necessarily mean a trip is cheaper, but airfare is expensive right now, she added.

Carnival has been running cruises out of Norfolk since 2002, but usually only offering around eight trips a year in May and October.

Zoom in: For 2023, Carnival is offering 16 trips from May through October, including:

• Five or six days to the Bahamas and back starting at $449 per person.
• Four to six days to Bermuda and back, starting at $549.
• Eight days to the Eastern Caribbean, with options including stops in Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic, starting at $639.

An October cruise to New England and Canada was available but is now full.

Worth noting: Carnival will pause Norfolk operations next year to upgrade the port for its 2025 year-round operations, per the Virginian-Pilot.

• And tickets are on sale now for winter 2025.

The bottom line: Caribbean vacations from Richmond are about to be a lot easier.