The cruise industry is almost back to normal.
Well, give or take having to get a negative covid test before boarding a cruise, a safety procedure that some people find necessary and some find stress inducing.
Last month, the three big players in the cruise industry, Carnival Cruise (CCL), Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), all of which spent millions refurbishing its ships to make them as safe as possible, have all reactivated their entire fleets.
But for one cruise leader, back to normal isn’t good enough, as Carnival Cruise is looking to expand even further.
What Does Carnival Cruise Have Planned?
Carnival Cruise has announced that it has acquired the cruise ship Costa Luminosa from the Italian company Costa Crociere.
Originally, Carnival was going to acquire the ship Costa Magica, which will now remain with Costa Cruises.
The Costa Crociere began sailing in 2009, and accommodates up to 2,826 guests and 1,050 crew at 92,720 gross tons.
The ship will undergo what the company is terming “modest updates” to get ready for a November launch under the Carnival banner.
Once the ship is ready, it will be staffed by the Carnival Cruise Line crew, and will specialize in visits to Australian attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef and Airlie Beach. There’s also plans afoot for the ship to visit locations such as Lifou Isle in New Caledonia, Port Vila and Mystery Island in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
And next year, you can scratch two items off of your bucket list, as the Costa Luminosa will sail Alaska itineraries from May through September, before returning to Brisbane.
“With our full fleet back to guest operations and the pent-up demand for Carnival we are seeing every week aboard our ships, the chance to expand with Luminosa and then the arrival of Carnival Celebration in November provides our guests with more choices and new ways to enjoy a Carnival vacation,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“Our Spirit class ships are very popular with our guests and Luminosa will be a great addition given the large number of balcony cabins which make her an ideal ship for this deployment. And equally important, this will allow Carnival to finally start our highly anticipated itineraries from Brisbane, so we’ll have two ships operating in Australia for the high season Down Under,” Duffy said.
Image source:Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Is Going All Out
Carnival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and it has a lot planned for its biggest fan.
This November will see the debut of the Carnival Celebration, the company’s other newest ship. The ship is meant to be a celebration of the company’s history, complete with the retro cocktail lounge The Golden Jubilee, which will be decorated with items from throughout the company’s history.
The lounge will come with a gallery installation that will depict Carnival's evolution through six decorative porthole windows featuring three-dimensional dioramas, one for each decade of the company’s history and one telling its future.
This week Carnival shed a little bit more light on what fans can expect from Celebration.
It will include a grand atrium spanning several decks, complete with 3,000-square-foot floor-to-ceiling windows on the side of the ship that will change into 16 individually controlled, six-by 14-foot LED screens. The atrium will also offer the second-ever rollercoaster at sea.
