Costa Luminosa has completed her final voyage as a Costa Cruises ship and is now one step closer to joining Carnival Cruise Line as Bright carnival. What’s next for the soon-to-be hybrid cruise ship?
Costa Luminosa Completes the last trip
When she arrived in Trieste, Italy on Sunday, September 4, 2022, Costa Luminosa officially completed her last cruise with Costa Cruises.
That latest itinerary was a fitting tribute to the ship’s Mediterranean heritage, as a 7-night round-trip voyage calling in stunning ports throughout the Adriatic Sea, including Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Kefalonia Island and Corfu Island, Greece; and Brindisi, Italy.
The 92,720 gross ton vessel was built at Fincantieri Marghera near Venice, Italy and entered service for the first time in 2009.
Costa Luminosa served guests well during her 13 years with Costa Cruises, regularly offering a variety of Mediterranean cruises to popular destinations including the Greek Islands, Italy, the Norwegian Fjords, the Persian Gulf and more.
Now, the ship will be refitted as a Carnival cruise line ship to continue to delight up to 2,826 cruise guests with a new personality, new features and new destinations to explore.
Transforming into Bright carnival
The transfer of Costa Luminosa in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet was first announced on June 14, 2022. While a Costa Cruises ship was expected to be transferred to Carnival, rumors abounded that Costa Magica would be the ship to make that switch.
A hybrid of the Vista and Spirit class ships, Costa Luminosa it has features of both of those popular models. Now that her service to Costa Cruises has ended, the ship will undergo an extensive dry dock to refit several spaces featuring Carnival Cruise Line’s flagship brands and experiences.
Among the additions to Costa Luminosa will be Punchliner Comedy Club, RedFrog Rum Bar, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Bonsai Sushi Express and the adults-only Serenity retreat.
The ship will also feature Carnival Playlist Productions’ signature performances, as well as Exclusive dining experience at the kitchen table.
During the dry dock, the ship will also receive new red-white-blue paint on her hull that was first introduced with the cruise line’s new ship Mardi Gras in 2021, and has gradually been rolled out to other Carnival ships.
“To really make Luminosa feel part of the Carnival Cruise Line family, we’re adding our beautiful new livery to her hull, of course, and keeping her throwback hull design that once graced some of the ships our most iconic previous.” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Linewhen the reconstruction was announced.
Bright is a sister ship to the four other popular Spirit-class ships already sailing for Carnival: Spirit of Carnival, The legend of carnivals, Carnival prideAND The miracle of carnivals. These updates will bring familiar Carnival cruise line experiences to the ship, providing that distinct entertainment cruise experience for all who sail the renovated ship.
Sailing on board Bright carnival
The new ship will debuting with an inaugural sailing from Brisbane, Australia, on November 6, 2022, with a 7-night Great Barrier Reef itinerary, visiting Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas and Willis Island. Multiple days at sea will give guests the opportunity to explore all the new features on board.
Throughout her first season Down Under, Bright carnival will offer 3-11 night cruises, visiting popular ports in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand.
The ship will then reposition for the summer season in Alaska on a 22-night transpacific itinerary, departing Brisbane on 13 April 2023 and visiting ports in New Caledonia, Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii before arriving in Seattle on 4 May 2023.
“We couldn’t be more proud to welcome Carnival Luminosa to our fleet and begin our highly anticipated cruises from Brisbane followed by unique Alaska bucket list itineraries.” Duffy said.
In Alaska – one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world – Bright carnival will offer a season of 6, 7 and 8 night sailings to major Last Frontier ports of call such as Juneau, Sitka, Skagway and Ketchikan.
The ship will then return to Brisbane via an epic 30-night cruise departing Seattle on 14 September 2023, traveling south through Asia with port calls to Kushiro, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Bitung and more, before the season begins her second Australian.
