Costa Cruises’ ship Costa Venezia is moving onto the next stage of her life as she has arrived at the Navantia shipyard in Cádiz, Spain for her transformation into a Carnival Cruise Line vessel.
Venezia‘s arrival to the shipyard comes nearly four months after her final sailing with Costa Cruises, which — along with Carnival Cruise Line — is owned by Carnival Corporation. The vessel’s final Costa sailing was an eastern Mediterranean voyage in late November.
Costa Venezia was built in 2019, and was originally intended for the Chinese market. However, the ship only sailed in Asia for a short time prior to the pandemic before the cruise line decided to move it to Istanbul.
The vessel’s design is similar to Carnival Cruise Line’s Vista-class ships, which includes Carnival Vista, Horizon, and Panorama. The ship’s theme centers around Venice, with many features reminiscent of the architectural style of the Italian city.
The atrium has been designed to reflect Venice’s Piazza di San Marco square, and the main theater is modeled after the Venetian La Fenice theatre. The main dining rooms are among the coolest spaces on the entire ship, featuring life-sized gondolas atop a lit “floor” that looks like water.
After being renamed Carnival Venezia, the ship will be part of Carnival’s new “Carnival Fun, Italian Style” offering, combining some of Carnival Cruise Line’s signature elements with the vessel’s Italian theme. Carnival favorites that guests will recognize include the WaterWorks aqua park, Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, Cloud 9 Spa, Seafood Shack, and the Serenity adults-only sundeck.
In dry dock, Venezia is also receiving a new livery that mixes Carnival and Costa’s colors, highlighted by Costa’s bright yellow funnel.
Carnival Venezia will operate a 15-night transatlantic cruise in late May as she sets off for the U.S. In June, she’s scheduled to begin sailing a variety of voyages from New York City including those to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Canada/New England.
Next year, Carnival Cruise Line will begin operating another ship under its “Carnival Fun, Italian Style” concept as Costa Firenze is renamed Carnival Firenze and begins operating west coast cruises from Long Beach, California.
Here’s a photo of Costa Venezia at the shipyard:
COSTA VENEZIA, INIZIA LA TRASFORMAZIONE IN FUN SHIP
Costa Venezia è recentemente arrivata al cantiere navale Navantia di #Cadiz per la sua trasformazione in nave Carnival Cruise Line#pazzoperilmare #costavenezia #carnivalvenezia #funship #refit #t#carnivalcruiseline #cruiseship pic.twitter.com/Sf2nxkxyPT— Pazzo per il Mare (@pazzoperilmare) March 20, 2023
READ NEXT: Big Boss at Norwegian Cruise Steps Down
