The Covid pandemic forced Carnival cruise lines (CCL) to make some tough decisions about her fleet. Ships including Carnival Sensation and Carnival Ecstasy — its two oldest, built in the early 1990s — were retired.
This made sense because older cruise ships cost more to run than more modern ones.
The cruise line has a number of additions coming to its fleet to make up for the losses.
First, Carnival will soon commission its newest ship, Carnival Celebration, giving it a sister ship to its current standard bearer, Mardi Gras. This ship will rival newer offerings from rival Royal Caribbean (RCL) . And it won’t be the only addition to the company’s fleet.
Carnival has a bold plan to add three more ships to its fleet from its own-and-operate Costa Cruise Line. Two of those ships will retain their current designs, while the third will be renovated to more fully reflect the Carnival aesthetic.
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Carnival adding three Costa ships
Carnival plans to move three ships – Costa Luminosa, Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze – to its fleet.
Luminosa will be completely rebranded and renamed Carnival Luminosa, while Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will retain their Costa Cruises identity and Italian aesthetic.
“Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will bring the ambiance and beauty of Italy to Carnival guests,” Carnival President Christine Duffy said in a statement. “We will invite our guests to choose carnival fun, Italian style!”
Keeping Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze as they are gives the cruise line a different offering to compete with Royal Caribbean.
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“This is an exciting opportunity for us to operate two more beautiful Vista-class ships in the US and bring a unique experience to those who love the culture, food and atmosphere of Italy,” added Duffy.
“There are many ways we plan to create an immersive entertainment experience for our guests who choose to sail on these ships, which feature beautiful Italian design elements, dining and retail that will provide carnival-like entertainment while tapping into the spirit of Italy.” from our sister line Costa Cruises.”
Luminosa, which just sailed its last voyage under the Costa flag, will be transformed before joining Carnival.
Luminosa becomes a ‘fun ship’
After drydocking, Luminosa will sail from Brisbane, Australia, on November 6, 2022, before repositioning for seasonal service from Seattle to Alaska next May.
Before that happens, however, the ship will receive an exterior makeover to add the new color that was introduced at Mardi Gras in 2021 and has been added to half of the Carnival fleet, with shades of red, white and blue. long associated with the Carnival cruise line.
The ship will also boast a vintage funnel design reminiscent of the funnels on original Carnival ships such as the Mardi Gras, Carnivale and Festivale.
And the changes to the ship will not only include its exterior. The ship will also add a number of carnival-style entertainment and dining venues.
“Featuring guest favorites from entertainment, youth and spa, to casino, bars and dining, offerings will include Playlist Productions, Punchliner Comedy Club, Limelight Lounge, Piano Bar 88, Alchemy Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Chef’s Table , Bonsai Sushi Express, Seaday Brunch, Serenity Adult-Only Retreat and Cloud 9 Spa, among others,” the cruise line said in a press release.
“To really make Luminosa feel like part of the Carnival Cruise Line family, we’re adding our beautiful new livery to her hull, of course, and keeping her funnel design that once graced some of our most iconic ships.” previous iconic,” said Duffy.
“We’ll be adding some Carnival features to the upcoming dry dock and tweaking some existing features to fit Carnival’s casual style, but at the end of the day, our crew will make everyone feel at home as soon as they join the ship.”
