Tag Archives: Costa Luminosa

Costa Cruises May Be Getting Further Fleet Changes

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Carnival Corporation has been making strategic changes to its Italian brand, Costa Cruises, as a result of the pandemic and now more fleet moves may be coming.

In Carnival’s third-quarter earnings release, the company said it was evaluating further moves for Costa.

“Given Costa Cruises’ significant presence in Asia, particularly China, which remains closed to cruising, the brand continues to evaluate deployment options and fleet optimization alternatives beyond the previously announced transfers of Costa Luminosa to Carnival Cruise Line as well as Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze to the COSTA by CARNIVAL concept,” the company said.

The Costa Luminosa recently transferred to Carnival Cruise Line, while the Venezia will move to the Costa by Carnival concept and sail from New York in 2023, followed by the Firenze moving to Costa by Carnival to sail from the U.S. West Coast in 2024.

The Costa Magica remains out of service, as does the Costa Serena, which had been positioned in Asia year-round.

Two other Costa ships, the Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea transferred prior to the pandemic to Carnival’s joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation and remain out of service with Costa branding. 

Carnival Luminosa Sets Sail with New Livery

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The Carnival Luminosa set sail today for the first time with her new livery and funnel.

Under the command of Captain Adriano Binacchi, Carnival Luminosa departed her Palermo, Italy, dry ock to head to Dubai where the ship’s crew will soon join and get to know their new home before heading to their final Australian destination.

“We’ve been anticipating the day where we could see Carnival Luminosa sail the open seas with our new hull design and updated funnel, and it’s even more special than we imagined,” said Captain Binacchi. “Now, she’s on her way to what truly makes a Carnival cruise vacation special – getting our crew on board! With Luminosa’s uniqueness and our team members who make everyone feel at home, this ship is truly going to deliver a new level of fun that our guests have not experienced before.”

Today also marks the first time Carnival Luminosa is sailing with its new Bahamian flag. The ship was officially registered last week with the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA).
Carnival Luminosa will sail from Brisbane to a variety of seasonal itineraries from Nov. 6, 2022, to April 13, 2023, offering something for everyone, before repositioning for seasonal service from Seattle to Alaska next May, including some exotic, first-time-for-Carnival destinations.

Carnival Launches Special Website and Updates for Carnival Luminosa

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Carnival Cruise Line fans can now register to be the “first to know” about Carnival Luminosa’s itineraries and special sale promotions at www.carnival.com/carnivalluminosa.

The Costa Luminosa will join the Carnival fleet in September and will start guest operations as Carnival Luminosa in November 2022 from Brisbane, Australia.

The Carnival Luminosa will operate seasonally from October through April from Brisbane, then reposition to Seattle, where it will sail Alaska itineraries from May through September, before returning to Brisbane, according to a press release.

Cruises out of Brisbane will be announced shortly, and Carnival will sail a variety of itineraries that will initially include visits to Australian favourites such as the Great Barrier Reef and Airlie Beach, and, as destinations open over time, ports of call such as Noumea and Lifou Isle in New Caledonia, Port Vila and Mystery Island in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

The Luminosa is a sister ship to the four other Spirit-class ships that already sail for Carnival. Given the short timeline to get the Carnival Luminosa ready for service, the ship will go through some modest updates to change over from Costa to Carnival over the next few months ahead of the November service start-up.