Carnival is teaming up with Costa Cruises for something special.
The cruise industry has bounced back from covid-19, and now it’s making up for lost time.
Last month, Carnival Cruise (CCL) – Get Carnival Corporation Report became the first company to get its entire full fleet back onto the water following the departure of Carnival Splendor from the Port of Seattle, and the other two major companies, Norwegian (NCLH) – Get Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Report and Royal Caribbean (RCL) – Get Royal Caribbean Group Report, have followed suit.
But Carnival Cruise isn’t just getting its ships back out onto the water. It’s also actively trying to expand its fleet. The company recently announced it was acquiring the cruise ship Costa Luminosa from the Italian company Costa Crociere.
It’s currently being renovated and will relaunch in November under the Carnival banner, and will specialize in visits to Australian attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef and Airlie Beach.
But now Carnival has also announced plans to acquire two more ships from Costa Cruises and will roll them out in the next two years.
What Ships Has Carnival Cruise Acquired From Costa Cruises?
Carnival has teamed up with Costa Cruises for a new concept dubbed COSTA® by CARNIVAL®, which will kick off in the Spring of 2023 when the Costa Venezia will set sail from New York.
Carnival will operate the ships, which will maintain Costa’s Italian design features. The plan is for them to stay on their current itineraries until they are assigned to Carnival for dry dock work and deployment, plans which are still being finalized.
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What Is The Other Ship That Has Been Acquired From Costa Cruises?
In the Spring of 2023, the Costa Venezia will be joined by Costa Firenze, which will set sail from Long Beach. Both ships weigh 135,500 gross tons and can accommodate up to 5,260 guests.
While the Costa Luminosa will be completely rebranded and renamed Carnival Luminosa, the Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will be retaining their Costa Cruises identities and Italian aesthetic.
“Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will bring Carnival’s guests the ambiance and beauty of Italy,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line in a statement. “We’re going to invite our guests to Choose Fun with Carnival, Italian Style!”
Duffy added that “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. 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.”
Deployment and itinerary plans are being finalized, with the Venezia announcement coming soon given the spring 2023 launch date. Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze are sister ships to Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, and Carnival Panorama, weighing 135,500 gross tons and accommodating up to 5,260 guests.
