Carnival Spirit will be home based in Sydney, Australia beginning October 2112.

Carnival is about to speed its growth as a worldwide cruise line when it places one of its ships year-round in Australia, beginning in 2012.

In an article by USATODAY.com’s Gene Sloan, the cruise giant says Carnival Spirit will reposition to Sydney, Australia in late 2012 and offer 8- to 12-night voyages to the Pacific Islands and 13-night sailing to New Zealand.

Alan Whitt

Carnival traditionally stays pretty close to home with the majority of its 22 ships. But Australia has been growing as a cruise destination recently, and it makes sense for the world’s largest cruise line to join in on the growth. In fact, Carnival Spirit – one of my favorite ships – will be the largest cruise ship ever to be based full-time Down Under.

While I was on a cruise aboard Carnival Destiny this past weekend some in my group had expressed a desire to travel to Australia. In fact, I’m finding more people have an interest in exploring this region of the world, which is a natural base for trips to Pacific Islands in the region.