A brand new ship will quickly sail for cruise big Carnival — the twenty fifth in its fleet. But it surely’s a brand new ship with an asterisk.
Dubbed Carnival Venezia, the 4,090-passenger vessel, which departs late Monday on its first crusing for the model, has sailed earlier than for an additional cruise line.
The 14-deck-high, 1,061-foot-long ship initially was constructed for Italy-based Costa Cruises, a sister model to Carnival.
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Initially known as Costa Venezia, the vessel sailed its maiden voyage for Costa in 2019, making it three years previous.
Carnival Venezia is only one of a number of Costa vessels that Carnival Company, the father or mother firm of Costa and Carnival, has transferred from Costa to Carnival because the begin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic and its aftermath damage the Costa model way more than the Carnival model, partially as a result of the Costa model had massive operations in China, the place cruising shut down throughout the pandemic for a lot longer than it did in North America.
Carnival operates most of its ships out of U.S. ports and attracts a number of the purchasers for these ships from the states close by these ports — a phase of “close-to-home cruising” that has been booming since cruising started resuming in 2021.
The end result has been stronger demand for Carnival ships than Costa ships.
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Carnival Venezia’s first crusing for Carnival can be a 15-night transatlantic cruise departing Monday from Barcelona to New York. The ship then can be primarily based in New York by December 2024, when it’s going to reposition to Port Canaveral, Florida.
Carnival cruising with an Italian Twist
Carnival Venezia can be one thing of an outlier within the Carnival fleet, because the three-year-old vessel was transferred to Carnival with out across-the-board alterations to its Costa-aligned, Italian-themed design.
Most of the inside venues on the ship stay comparatively unchanged from when the vessel sailed for Costa. The ship additionally retains its unique, distinctive gold-and-blue funnel that may be a trademark of Costa vessels.
That stated, Carnival Venezia will not be devoid of Carnival’s signature shipboard venues. In latest months, the ship has undergone a big overhaul in a dry dock in Spain that included the re-theming of some inside eateries and bars in addition to decktop points of interest to make them extra according to the Carnival model.
The ship could have a Carnival Waterworks waterplay space, as an example, and a steakhouse known as Fahrenheit 555 — a signature Carnival venue.
Associated: The 8 forms of Carnival cruise ships, defined
Different venues now on the ship that can be acquainted to Carnival followers embody a Man Fieri-inspired Man’s Burger Joint, Bonsai Sushi eatery, Chef’s Desk, Lido Market, Seafood Shack, Pizzeria del Capitano pizza outlet, Piano Bar 88 and Heroes Tribute Lounge.
The ship additionally could have a brand new crew made up of Carnival staffers.
Briefly, Carnival Venezia will mix components of each Costa and Carnival ships.
Carnival initially deliberate to name the ship a “Costa by Carnival” product, to distinguish it from the remainder of the Carnival fleet. However it will definitely switched to advertising Carnival Venezia as a vessel that provides “Carnival Enjoyable Italian Type.”
Carnival Venezia, notably, was initially purpose-built to sail out of China with Chinese language vacationers, however with Italian theming that performed up Costa’s Italian roots. Its theming is particularly tied to Venice, Italy — Venezia is what Italians name Venice.
The Carnival and Costa manufacturers have lengthy had similarities that make a switch of ships between the 2 strains much less advanced than one may assume. Ships for each Costa and Carnival usually are constructed on the identical platforms — that’s, they share the identical fundamental structural design and tough inside areas. In such circumstances, the principle variations being between ships of the 2 manufacturers is the theming of particular areas.
New Carnival itineraries from New York
At 135,225 tons, Carnival Venezia can be a more recent and bigger ship that Carnival has just lately primarily based in New York. It additionally will provide an unusually big range of itineraries for a Carnival ship, with 22 totally different routings from New York that vary from 4 to fifteen nights.
Locations for the sailings from New York will embody the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England and Canada.
As of this week, fares begin at $394 for a four-night Canada and New England crusing from New York.
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