Carnival Cruise Line to Launch COSTA by Carnival
by Dori Saltzman
Costa Venezia will be the first Costa ship to join the Carnival Cruise Line fleet, creating the COSTA by Carnival concept. Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line is teaming up with Costa Cruises to deliver a new concept for North American cruisers. COSTA by Carnival debuts in the spring of 2023 when Costa Venezia joins the Carnival fleet sailing from New York City, followed by Costa Firenze arriving in spring 2024 to sail from Long Beach.
Carnival will operate the ships, but they will not be redesigned to match Carnival’s U.S.-style atmosphere. Both ships are sister ships to Carnival Vista, Horizon and Panorama.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to operate two additional beautiful Vista class ships in the U.S. and bring a unique experience to those who love the culture, food and vibe of Italy,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “There are lots of ways we plan to create an immersive fun experience for our guests who choose to sail on these ships, which have beautiful Italian-design elements, dining and retail that will deliver Carnival fun leveraging the spirit of Italy from our sister line Costa Cruises.”
The ships will continue to operate their regular Costa itineraries until they are assigned to Carnival for dry dock work and redeployment. Itinerary plans for the two ships are still being finalized.
