Year-round cruising out of Norfolk to the Caribbean is here

Driving the news: On Feb. 11, Carnival Cruise Line launched the first of its year-round trips departing from the Norfolk port, taking passengers on a 6-day tour to the Bahamas.

• It's one of 13 Carnival cruises, all of which head to somewhere in or near the Caribbean, scheduled to leave Norfolk this year.
• Cruise packages start at $664 per person, about $150 higher than a similar cruise out of Florida, per an Axios review.

Zoom out: Cruising's growing popularity is why Carnival expanded its season out of Norfolk, going from a two-month season in 2022 to a year-round one this year.

• 19 million Americans are expected to take a cruise in 2025, which is set to be the biggest year on record for cruise travel, according to AAA's first-ever cruise travel forecast.
• That's a nearly 5% increase from last year's cruise volume and a 34% increase over 2019, a AAA spokesperson tells Axios.

Fun facts: The Caribbean is America's top cruise destination, with 72% of all U.S. cruise passengers heading there this year, per AAA.

• 6% will take an Alaskan cruise
• 5% percent will cruise the Mediterranean
• 17% will cruise somewhere else in the world

The bottom line: Between the year-round cruises and RIC's new Bermuda flights, it's easier than ever to get out of Richmond and to somewhere warmer.