Yet another big new Carnival cruise ship debuts today — but there's a twist
A new ship will soon sail for cruise giant Carnival — the 25th in its fleet. But it's a new ship with an asterisk.
Dubbed Carnival Venezia, the 4,090-passenger vessel, which departs late Monday on its first sailing for the brand, has sailed before for another cruise line.
The 14-deck-high, 1,061-foot-long ship originally was built for Italy-based Costa Cruises, a sister brand to Carnival.
Originally called Costa Venezia, the vessel sailed its maiden voyage for Costa in 2019, making it three years old.
Carnival Venezia is just one of several Costa vessels that Carnival Corporation, the parent company of Costa and Carnival, has transferred from Costa to Carnival since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic and its aftermath hurt the Costa brand much more than the Carnival brand, in part because the Costa brand had big operations in China, where cruising shut down during the pandemic for far longer than it did in North America.
Carnival operates most of its ships out of U.S. ports and draws a lot of the customers for these ships from the states nearby these ports — a segment of "close-to-home cruising" that has been booming since cruising began resuming in 2021.
The result has been stronger demand for Carnival ships than Costa ships.
Carnival Venezia's first sailing for Carnival will be a 15-night transatlantic cruise departing Monday from Barcelona to New York. The ship then will be based in New York through December 2024, when it will reposition to Port Canaveral, Florida.
Carnival cruising with an Italian Twist
Carnival Venezia will be something of an outlier in the Carnival fleet, as the three-year-old vessel was transferred to Carnival without across-the-board alterations to its Costa-aligned, Italian-themed design.
Many of the interior venues on the ship remain relatively unchanged from when the vessel sailed for Costa. The ship also retains its original, distinctive gold-and-blue funnel that is a trademark of Costa vessels.
That said, Carnival Venezia won't be devoid of Carnival's signature shipboard venues. In recent months, the ship has undergone a significant overhaul in a dry dock in Spain that included the re-theming of some interior eateries and bars as well as decktop attractions to make them more consistent with the Carnival brand.
The ship will have a Carnival Waterworks waterplay area, for instance, and a steakhouse called Fahrenheit 555 — a signature Carnival venue.
Related: The 8 types of Carnival cruise ships, explained
Other venues now on the ship that will be familiar to Carnival fans include a Guy Fieri-inspired Guy’s Burger Joint, Bonsai Sushi eatery, Chef’s Table, Lido Marketplace, Seafood Shack, Pizzeria del Capitano pizza outlet, Piano Bar 88 and Heroes Tribute Lounge.
The ship also will have a new crew made up of Carnival staffers.
In short, Carnival Venezia will combine elements of both Costa and Carnival ships.
Carnival originally planned to call the ship a "Costa by Carnival" product, to differentiate it from the rest of the Carnival fleet. But it eventually switched to marketing Carnival Venezia as a vessel that offers “Carnival Fun Italian Style."
Carnival Venezia, notably, was originally purpose-built to sail out of China with Chinese travelers, but with Italian theming that played up Costa's Italian roots. Its theming is specifically tied to Venice, Italy — Venezia is what Italians call Venice.
The Carnival and Costa brands have long had similarities that make a transfer of ships between the two lines less complex than one might think. Ships for both Costa and Carnival often are built on the same platforms — that is, they share the same basic structural design and rough interior spaces. In such cases, the main differences being between ships of the two brands is the theming of specific spaces.
New Carnival itineraries from New York
At 135,225 tons, Carnival Venezia will be a newer and larger ship that Carnival has recently based in New York. It also will offer an unusually wide array of itineraries for a Carnival ship, with 22 different routings from New York that range from four to 15 nights.
Destinations for the sailings from New York will include the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England and Canada.
As of this week, fares start at $394 for a four-night Canada and New England sailing from New York.
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.