Tag Archives: MONFALCONE

Ambassador’s Ambience Celebrates 35 Years

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Ambassador’s Ambience Celebrates 35 Years

Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience recently completed 35 years of service, having been delivered as the Regal Princess on July 20, 1991.

First ordered for Sitmar Cruises, the 70,000-ton vessel was acquired by the P&O Group while still under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

Along with a sister ship, the Crown Princess, the vessel was transferred to the Princess Cruises brand, undergoing project changes before being completed.

After leaving Italy, the Regal Princess was christened by former United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The naming ceremony was held in New York City and took place on August 8, 1991.

The 1,578-passenger ship continued to sail for Princess on worldwide itineraries through 2000, when it was transferred to the company’s resident Australia fleet.

In 2007, the Regal Princess was withdrawn from Princess’ fleet and transferred to P&O Cruises Australia.

Renamed the Pacific Dawn, the ship continued to sail for the Carnival Corporation-owned Australian brand through early 2020.

After spending a few months laid up, the vessel was acquired by Ambassador Cruise Line in early 2021.

Then a startup brand, the company invested in a major modernisation project for the ship before welcoming its first guests in early 2022.

In 2026, the Ambience is offering a series of cruises from ports in the United Kingdom, including itineraries to Northern Europe, the British Isles, Iceland, Scandinavia, the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.

The vessel will also offer a special 45-night cruise to the Caribbean in early 2027, sailing round-trip from Tilbury.

The itinerary is highlighted by overnight visits to a series of destinations, including Puerto Limón in Costa Rica, Cartagena in Colombia and Belize City in Belize.

Before kicking off its 2026 season, the Ambience underwent a three-week drydock refurbishment at a shipyard in the United Kingdom.

The multimillion-pound refurbishment included technical updates, as well as enhancements to public areas and staterooms.

Carnival to Reveal More Details on Destiny in November

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Carnival to Reveal More Details on Destiny in November

After revealing the name and initial details of the new Carnival Destiny, Carnival Cruise Line will announce more about the new ship later this year.

According to the company’s President Christine Duffy, a further announcement is scheduled for this November.

As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the first Ace-class vessel will carry the name previously used by the 1996-built Destiny.

“It’s back (to the future) but it’s looking forward because we are very excited to cut the steel on our beautiful Carnival Destiny,” Duffy said in an interview with Carnival’s Brand Ambassador John Heald.

“The next big update will probably come in November and then we’ll be talking more about it and putting out a link for people to learn more as we go forward,” she continued.

Carnival announced the name and first details of the new ship during an event at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, on July 10, 2026.

In addition to introducing the first details of the first Ace-class ship, the gathering celebrated the partnership between the company and the shipbuilder.

According to John Heald, the event also marked the 30th anniversary of the delivery of the original Carnival Destiny.

Captain Giovanni Gallo, who brought the ship out of the shipyard for its inaugural season, was also present in Monfalcone.

“Thirty years ago, I was a young cruise director onboard… and a lot of the crew members and I will have memories of a pretty rough crossing across the Atlantic but mostly of the pride and the extraordinary pomp and circumstance that came with delivering the ship,” Heald said.

Then the world’s largest cruise ship, the 101,000-ton vessel, was the first built for Carnival by the Italian shipyard.

Fincantieri later built over 15 vessels for the U.S.-based brand, including the Carnival Panorama, which was the latest Carnival newbuild delivered by Fincantieri in 2019.

Carnival and the shipyard are now working together again for the three Ace-class vessels that are set to be delivered between 2029 and 2031.

Carnival Magic: 15 Years of Service for Carnival Cruise Line

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Carnival Magic: 15 Years of Service for Carnival Cruise Line

The Carnival Magic recently celebrated 15 years of service for Carnival Cruise Line after being delivered on April 27, 2011.

As a sister to the 2009-built Carnival Dream, the 3,650-passenger ship was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

At the time of its delivery, the Carnival Magic became the 100th ship across Carnival Corporation’s then 10 cruise brands.

Following a traditional handover ceremony, the vessel sailed for Venice to kick off its maiden voyage, which departed on May 1, 2011.

Sailing to Barcelona, the open-jaw itinerary included visits to destinations in Croatia, Italy, Spain and Monaco, such as Dubrovnik, Messina, Livorno and Monte Carlo.

The ship continued to offer itineraries in the Mediterranean through most of its inaugural season, operating itineraries to additional destinations in the region.

Ahead of its first sailing, the Carnival Magic was also officially named during a ceremony at the Venice Cruise Terminal.

Lindsey Wilkerson, a former St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patient who served as ambassador for the organization, was chosen as the ship’s godmother.

Soon after its first season in Europe, the Carnival Magic repositioned to Galveston for seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean.

According to Carnival, the 130,000-ton vessel was the largest cruise ship sailing year-round from the Texas homeport at the time.

The Carnival Magic later sailed from other U.S. homeports, including Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Norfolk and New York City.

In 2023, the ship returned to Miami to kick off a year-round schedule of six- to eight-night cruises to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.

Still being offered in 2026, the deployment features itineraries that visit destinations like Grand Turk, Curaçao, Puerto Plata and Celebration Key.

The Carnival Magic also became the second ship in the company’s fleet to introduce the new “From Sea to Shining Sea” crest.

Created in homage to the United States’ 250th anniversary, the patriotic feature was revealed in May and will be added to all of the company’s U.S.-based vessels.