Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) has built its namesake brand around the idea of having a good time. The company calls its ships "Fun Ships" to emphasize that the idea is to relax and enjoy.
And, the fleet's current lineup offers no shortage of opportunities to do that. Every ship is packed with entertainment options including shows, musicians, comedians, movies, trivia, and more. You also have pools, water slides on many ships, movies, casinos, and an awful lot of ways to have a good time.
Most of the cruise line's ships, however, -- with Mardi Gras, Luminosa, and the upcoming Celebration being exceptions -- don't compare favorably with rival Royal Caribbean's (RCL) offerings sailing similar itineraries. That's a bit subjective, of course, but the Freedom, Oasis, and sometimes Quantum class ships Royal Caribbean sails from Florida and New York are a clear upgrade over what Carnival offers for similar sailings.
That's not to say you won't have fun on a Carnival Conquest-Class ship (I've sailed the Carnival Conquest twice and enjoyed it) but it's smaller and offers a bit less than Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, and Mariner of the Seas which sail the same 3-4-day itineraries to the Bahamas.
When it comes to Oasis-class ships, Carnival can only compete with Mardi Gras and Celebration, its newest ships. But now, the cruise line has the plan to go different rather than go bigger to compete with its chief rival.
Image source: Carnival
Carnival Brings Italian Ships to the U.S.
Carnival also owns Costa, Cruises a cruise line that's very popular in Italy. The company shared in June that it plans to bring two Costa ships, the Venezia and the Firenze, to its fleets. These ships will be getting some new additions when they join the company's namesake line, but they won't be losing their unique features entirely.
"Carnival will operate the ships, which will marry the great service, food, and entertainment that Carnival's guests enjoy with Costa's Italian design features," the company shared in a press release.
The ships will sort of mix Carnival's two brands.
"This is an exciting opportunity for us to operate two additional beautiful Vista-class ships in the U.S. and bring a unique experience to those who love the culture, food, and vibe of Italy," said Carnival President Christine Duffy. "There are lots of ways we plan to create an immersive fun experience for our guests who choose to sail on these ships, which have beautiful Italian-design elements, dining, and retail that will deliver Carnival fun leveraging the spirit of Italy from our sister line Costa Cruises."
Costa Venezia Becomes Carnival Venezia
After a drydock to add some signature Carnival venues, Venezia will sail full-time from New York beginning June 15. The cruise line has begun taking reservations for those sailings.
“Our summer season in New York has been extremely popular, so increasing our offerings with a larger, newer ship that sails year-round provides the opportunity for more guests in the tri-state area and beyond to enjoy the convenience of sailing right from Manhattan,” said Duffy. “Carnival Venezia will give guests our signature fun, combined with Italian theming, to beautiful destinations from The Bahamas and the Caribbean to Bermuda, and Canada.”
After a 15-day transatlantic Carnival Journeys cruise from Barcelona that departs on May 29, 2023, Carnival Venezia will sail a variety of cruises from New York’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Over the summer it will alternate between sailing four-, five- six- and eight-day sailings to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and ports in Canada and New England, including Halifax and Saint John.
"Beginning Sept. 29, 2023, the ship will alternate between operating eight- to 12-day cruises to the Eastern Caribbean, Southern Caribbean, and The Bahamas, visiting popular destinations like St. Thomas, San Juan, and Aruba, along with four of Carnival’s private destinations: Half Moon Cay, Princess Cays, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk. In addition, Carnival Venezia’s nine-day cruises will feature Miami as a port of call," the company shared in a press release.
