Carnival Cruise Line’s newly transformed ship Carnival Radiance has officially arrived in the United States.
Last week we reported that the vessel had departed the shipyard in Cadiz, Spain and embarked on a transatlantic crossing bound for the Bahamas.
She arrived in Freeport early on Wednesday morning, October 27. While in the Bahamas, the ship took on fuel and started the staffing process. Each returning crew member is tested and required to undergo a two-week quarantine after joining the ship.
This morning, Carnival Radiance officially arrived in the United States when she made her way into PortMiami for provisioning and to take on more crew.
Soon, the vessel will head towards the west coast to her new homeport of Long Beach, California.
Carnival Radiance is not a new ship, rather the former Carnival Victory with a shiny new name.
The renaming reflects a massive $200 million renovation project that transforms the vessel into one of Carnival’s Sunshine-class ships — all vessels that have been overhauled and renamed.
The first Sunshine-class ship to debut was Carnival Sunshine, formerly Carnival Destiny. Carnival Sunrise came next, formerly Carnival Triumph. Radiance is the third to join the group.
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Carnival Radiance was originally supposed to debut last year, but pandemic-related delays pushed the renovation process back significantly.
Features and amenities on the ship include the RedFrog Pub, SportSquare deck, Shaq’s casual chicken restaurant Big Chicken, Seuss at Sea programming, the Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, Italian restaurant Cucina del Capitano, Seafood Shack, the adults-only Serenity Retreat, the Alchemy Bar, Cloud 9 Spa, and Guy’s Burger Joint.
From Long Beach, Radiance will operate three and four-night Baja Mexico sailings starting December 13.
There, the vessel will be joining Carnival Panorama — a new build that debuted in 2019, and Carnival Miracle which was introduced in 2004.
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