Come November 2022, Carnival Cruise Line will add another ship to its fleet. Instead of the previously announced plan for Carnival to take Costa Magica from Costa Cruises, Spirit-class Costa Luminosa will make the transition and be renamed Carnival Luminosa. The ship will begin operations in Australia in November 2022 before heading to Alaska the following summer, alternating between the two destinations seasonally.
“With our full fleet back to guest operations and the pent-up demand for Carnival we are seeing every week onboard our ships, the chance to expand with Luminosa and then the arrival of Carnival Celebration in November provide 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.”
The 2009-launched, 92,720-gross-ton Luminosa will join Carnival’s other four Spirit-class ships, accommodating up to 2,826 passengers and 1,050 crew. The acquisition will take place in September, when the ship will undergo preliminary brand updates with extensive Funship 2.0-branded enhancements to follow at a later date. That said, Luminosa will be fully staffed by Carnival crew.
Exact itineraries out of Australia have yet to be announced, but highlights will include the Great Barrier Reef and Airlie Beach in Australia, as well as stops in Noumea and Lifou Isle in New Caledonia, Port Vila and Mystery Island in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Fiji as more ports reopen.
"The opportunity to deliver these bucket-list itineraries will be exciting for our guests, and we are thrilled to see the growing number of guests from the U.S. sailing on Carnival in Australia,” Duffy said.
Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze Kick Off “Costa by Carnival” Concept
In addition to Carnival’s Luminosa news, the line has announced that Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will join the Carnival fleet under a new “Costa by Carnival” concept, coming onboard in spring 2023 and spring 2024, respectively. Without a name change, Costa Venezia will sail from New York, while Costa Firenze will embark in Long Beach, Calif.
"Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will bring Carnival’s guests the ambiance and beauty of Italy,” Duffy said. “We’re going to invite our guests to choose fun with Carnival, Italian style!”
The 135,500-gross-ton Firenze and Venezia are sister ships to Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama, carrying up to 5,260 passengers each. They will head to dry dock to be refurbished prior to their Carnival deployments, which will be detailed later.
“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 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.”
