Tag Archives: Izmir

Venezia Completes Final Cruise for Costa Ahead of Joining Carnival’s Fleet

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Set to debut for Carnival Cruise Line in 2023, the Costa Venezia is wrapping up its last sailing for Costa Cruises today.

Marking the end of a program in the Eastern Mediterranean, the 2019-built vessel returned to Istanbul to disembark passengers of its final cruise in the region.

After departing from the same port on Nov. 20, the 11-night voyage sailed to Turkey, Egypt and Israel, visiting Izmir, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Alexandria and Haifa.

The Vista-class cruise ship will now enter an operational pause before being officially added to the Carnival fleet.

During the period, it will be adapted to showcase what the U.S.-based company calls “Carnival Fun Italian Style.”

According to the brand, the new concept combines Carnival’s signature experience with the Italian theming of the ship.

Originally built for the Chinese market, the Venezia features public areas, facilities and décor inspired by the Italian city of Venice.

For instance, the ship’s main theatre was inspired by the Venetian La Fenice theatre, while the main atrium recalls the famous Piazza di San Marco.

Other themed areas include the main restaurants, which were dedicated to the typical architecture of Venetian alleys and feature original, life-sized gondolas made by local artisans.

While being prepared to launch service for its new operators, the ship will also receive some of Carnival’s signature activities and experiences, such as Carnival Waterworks, Piano Bar 88 and the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse.

Other additions include Bonsai Sushi, Seafood Shack, Cloud 9 Salon & Spa and the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat.

The Venezia also receives a new livery that mixes Costa and Carnival colours, highlighted by the Italian brand’s yellow funnel.

Renamed Carnival Venezia, the 135,500-ton ship is set to launch a year-round program of cruises departing from New York City in June.

A second ship is being added to the “Carnival Fun Italian Style” lineup in 2024, with the debut of the Carnival Firenze.

Carnival ships Fantasy and Imagination depart fleet

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The Carnival Fantasy in Mobile, Alabama, in 2017. Photo Credit: Alabama Cruise Terminal

Carnival Cruise Line has sold two Fantasy-class ships and will put two others in a layup.

Carnival also will bolster deployment throughout its network of homeports in mainland U.S. drive markets.

The Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold and are headed to Turkey. The ships were sold to undisclosed buyers, but they are en route to Izmir, home of one of the world’s largest shipbreaking yards.

The Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move into a long-term layup with no timeline identified for their return to service.

The line also made changes to its ship deployment in order to leverage its U.S. homeports.

The Carnival Sensation will move from Miami to Mobile, Alabama, and assume the itineraries that the Fantasy and Fascination had been sailing. Passengers on those ships are being rebooked on the Sensation.

The Carnival Sunrise will move from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, assuming the Sensation’s itineraries. The change puts a larger, upgraded ship (the Sunrise received a $200 million upgrade in 2019) on short itineraries out of Miami. Passengers booked on the Sunrise’s four- and five-day itineraries from Fort Lauderdale will be automatically moved to sailings from Miami.

Itineraries for the Imagination and Inspiration from Long Beach, Calif., were cancelled through April. The Carnival Panorama will continue to operate seven-day cruises from Long Beach while the Carnival Miracle will operate shorter itineraries from San Diego to Baja, Mexico.

The Carnival Radiance will go directly from Europe, where it is scheduled to undergo a $200 million upgrade, to Long Beach in April, to assume the short Baja Mexico itineraries previously served by the Imagination and Inspiration. Passengers will be rebooked on the Radiance, which will have new features including Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant and an expanded waterpark.

Carnival cancelled the Fascination’s sailings from San Juan and Barbados this year and next and will not replace them.

Carnival president Christine Duffy said that the line will continue to invest in its four remaining Fantasy-class ships.

“[They] work so well for shorter itineraries from smaller ports that cannot accommodate our larger ships,” Duffy said. “With our future fleet plan resolved, we are focused on ensuring we are ready to return to operations once it is determined that the time is right to resume cruising in the U.S.”

A rendering of Carnival's second Excel-class ship, sister to the Mardi Gras.

Carnival also confirmed that the sister ship to the Mardi Gras will arrive in November 2022. Under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard, the ship will sail out of Miami as previously announced. It will be the Carnival’s second ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas.

Carnival Cruise Line to return to Europe

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Carnival Cruise Line will make a return to Europe in 2016 when it launches new ship Carnival Vista.

The news comes after the line announced in May 2013 that it would have no ships sailing in Europe during 2014 and 2015, citing increasing airfares as the reason behind the decision.

New itineraries for summer 2016 on Carnival Vista include Athens, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Izmir, Corfu, Livorno, Marseille, Messina (Sicily), Naples, Rome, Trieste and Valetta.

The ship will have its first European sailing on May 1 and will then have 18 sailings in Europe before moving on to New York in October. The ship’s official homeport has yet to be revealed.

The ship will have the first IMAX cinema at sea, as well as new dining options, more alfresco dining and the biggest Waterworks of any Carnival ship. The ship will also have a new Havana pool at the back of the ship, with Havana cabana staterooms available to book.

Mark Tamis (pictured), senior vice president of guest operations, said: “I really feel and we do [at Carnival] that this is the greatest ship to date and certainly the best ship to come from Carnival Cruise Line.

“This is about building on past success. This is built of the success of Carnival Breeze and what is rolling out across the whole Carnival fleet.

“We set out to make this our most innovative ship to date. This is about creating connects and a connection to the sea. This ship, like no other ship, brings that all together.“

When the line announced it was pulling away from Europe in last year, the company said it didn’t believe Americans, who make up the vast majority of its passengers, would pay increased airfares to cross the Atlantic.

In May last year, agents were praised for switch-selling customers to book a Caribbean cruise with Carnival rather than a European one.

During a VIP agent trip on Carnival Breeze last year, Lynn Torrent, executive vice-president os sales and guest services, said the line’s bosses were watching the moves being made by other international brands. She said Carnival was sitting back and seeing what other lines were doing in the UK market before making a decision.