Carnival Cruise Line is set to expand its fleet significantly this year, making it the fastest-growing fleet of the year, outpacing rivals Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Costa Venezia will be renamed Carnival Venezia. She will sail under the unique “Carnival Fun Italian Style,” celebrating Italian culture and cuisine with traditional Carnival cruise line hospitality and fun. Carnival Jubilee will join the fleet as the third Excel-class cruise ship in December of this year, powering Carnival’s environmental goals.
Carnival’s Growth A Welcome Sign
While the competition is not releasing many new ships this year, Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its fleet with the acquisition of two ships, Costa Venezia, which will be renamed Carnival Venezia, and the cruise line is launching a brand new vessel, Carnival Jubilee.
This move will make Carnival Cruise Line the fastest-growing fleet of the year, offering guests even more exciting and diverse itineraries.
Read Also: All Carnival Cruise Ships By Age: Newest to Oldest
Royal Caribbean has no ships scheduled to commence sailings this year, MSC Cruises has MSC Euribia, and Norwegian Cruise Line has just Norwegian Viva. Making Carnival a significant mover with the increase in berths.
Only a Few Months Until Carnival Venezia Sails from Manhattan
Carnival Venezia will be homeported year-round from the Manhattan Terminal in New York City. The inaugural US sailing for the 135,225 gross tons cruise ship departs on June 15, 2023. However, before that, Carnival Venezia will sail a 15-Day Transatlantic voyage from Barcelona, Spain ending in New York on May 29, 2023.
Carnival Cruise Line announced in December 2022 that the company would transform Carnival Venezia in the new Carnival Fun Italian Style livery during a dry dock before that first sailing.
The cruise ship is a Vista-class vessel that will offer 22 unique sailing itineraries ranging from 4-15 nights, visiting popular ports of call in The Bahamas, Canada, New England, and the Caribbean from New York City’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
Glenn Aprile, director of new build product development for Carnival, stated that the general layout of the ships is similar to Carnival’s Vista class.
Glenn Aprile: “Carnival Venezia feels very much like the Vista class in terms of the general arrangements. So if you know your way around the Carnival Vista, Horizon, or Panorama, you’re gonna feel right at home here, but with a very, very different look and feel and ver. Still, Carnivalan styling.”
Carnival Venezia will provide a maximum of 4,232 guests with the “Carnival Fun Italian Style” experience, including Italian favorites and popular Fun Ship features.
Render Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line
The ship’s stunning Italian architecture is modeled after Venice’s Piazza San Marco. Still, Carnival Venezia will also offer popular Carnival features such as the Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, Pizzeria del Capitano, and the Lido Marketplace.
Carnival Venezia is joining Carnival Cruise Line as the vessel was scheduled to operate in China. However, as the cruise market in China collapsed following a three-year cruise ship ban, Carnival Corporation decided to place the vessel with Carnival Cruise Line, one of the most successful parts of the Miami-based cruise giant.
Carnival Jubilee Out of Galveston
Once Carnival Jubilee starts cruising in December, Carnival Cruise Line will own three Excel-class cruise ships, including Jubilee‘s sister ships, Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration.
The new ship will run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) like her sisters, considered a cleaner alternative to traditional marine fuels. This is a positive development for the Carnival, which has faced criticism regarding its environmental protection policies but has made amends of late.
Carnival Jubilee
The construction of the 182,800-gross-ton Carnival Jubilee began in March 2022, and the ship is set to be completed later this year.
Like her sisters, she will also feature the BOLT rollercoaster, six distinct neighborhoods. What all those neighborhoods will be is still to be announced by Carnival Cruise Line. So far, the only known area is Summer Landing. The five others will be detailed soon, but they are likely similar to her sister ships, with almost identical features.
After she completes sea trials and is officially handed over by the Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, the ship will be based year-round in Galveston. Carnival Jubilee will operate seven-day cruises to the Western Caribbean from her Texas homeport, departing every Saturday.
The ports of call include Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico and Mahogany Bay on Isla Roatan, Honduras. Carnival Jubilee will be able to welcome 5,347 guests at double occupancy and as many as 6,631 guests when fully booked.
Source: Cruisehive.com
