CruiseAdict218

Having also returned from the July 18th cruise, we really didn't witness too much of what went on, but we heard stories from other cruisers, even seeing them posted in the Facebook group. I think the most I witnessed were kids hanging out in the hallways late at night but they were just being loud. If anything saw more rude adults then kids. Definitely saw an increase of security scattered around the ship as well. 

Outside of that, food was hit or miss; buffet was just so so, breakfast seemed more limited and the food was just bland. Sea Day Brunch was a big miss, food wasn't the greatest either and most was actually quite greasy. Guy's Burgers was good as always, Blue Iguana was okay (my first time trying it), Mongolian Wok was great but not worth the hour wait to get the food. MDR was probably the best of all of it, however portions did seem smaller as another poster pointed out. Room Service chicken tenders are a must!

Second time in an ocean suite, much bigger than on Horizon, only complaint is the closet is awkward to get to when the beds are split. TV stopped working but our room stewart was quick to get this resolved, he was probably one of the best we ever had as well. Also surprised there weren't more USB outlets.

Embarkation/Disembarkation were both quick and easy. Ship overall is nice but lido did get crowded during the sea days. Cruise Director and his team were excellent, he's probably one of my favorites now.

Parents go again on the Magic in a few weeks, and then some family have a cruise next year as well. But now I'm curious and excited to see Costa Venezia come to NYC and how Carnival/Costa will handle that.

31 minutes ago, rs45thompson said:

I thought this was temporary and it was going to go back to costa after a while.  Why invest a lot of money into it if it is not going to stay in their service.  That would be a waste of money and would not make great business sense.  Or did I misunderstand and the ship will stay with Carnival?

 

Luminosa is staying with Carnival and is not joining the joint brand, whereas Costa Venezia/Firenze are and will be keeping their Costa names. 

11 hours ago, JP350 said:

Bc it’s their brand and a company’s brand is their entire business. What’s the Luminosa going to look like next to the miracle and splendor in Alaska it’s an embarrassment to be honest.

She will look just fine compared to Miracle and Splendor. 

11 hours ago, JP350 said:

I’m just saying that why is carnival constantly taking the cheap way out all the time. Carnival is cheaping out this old ship while other cruise lines are constantly bringing on new ships after Covid even though they are struggling too.

13 hours ago, JP350 said:

Yep their brand reputation is tanking fast. The Lumonisa compared to their carnival ships will be an embarrassment, and the conversion is so rushed it kinda makes me think that they are gonna send the ship back to costa but still not an excuse.

They said from the start it wasn’t going to be a full conversion, if her interiors look great then there should be no complaints. 

14 hours ago, JP350 said:

Carnival has lost its edge so to speak. They have 2 new builds for the whole corporation scheduled (22 and 23) but after that nothing. On top of that they’re taking the cheap way out with ships. If you look at their competitors Royal, NCL, Virgin, MSC, and Disney they have new builds scheduled to last them years while carnival isn’t keeping up

While they have nothing on the books for the Carnival brand, they have stuff on the books for Princess, P&O, Seabourn, etc, they have more brands to look after where as the competition only has 3-4 brands. 
 

Bottom line, if they can save time of her being out of service with a wet dock vs. a dry dock they will take it. It also makes sense why they are taking Luminosa over Magica which is more older and probably more out dated and would need an more lengthy and costly dry dock conversion. 
 

She will probably receive some Fun 2.0 upgrades but not all of them and we don’t know the full details just yet, still have 2 months to go. 

38 minutes ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

Rendering of Carnival Luminosa and news sign up:

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-luminosa.aspx?icid=icp_explr_shp_luminosa_07062022

 

Interesting they just repainted the funnel and will not have blue hull livery yet. I guess that is what not getting all the fun ship stuff means.

Seems more of just a wet dock verse a dry dock, which would explain the missing blue hull, and keeping the lifeboats yellow. Anyone know when she has a scheduled dry dock or when her last was?

4 hours ago, sthrnbll said:

Oh geez. I was getting the names wrong. I guess I should have clarified that this is next Sept also. So scratch Freedom. I have a few saved. So, Sunrise and Sunshine. Miami and Charleston

I would still go with Sunshine, and I would agree with jsglow she is certainly the most unique with the three deck serenity. I would try Sunrise again in the future though, I sailed when it first came out of the transformation and see how things settled in. 

11 minutes ago, sthrnbll said:

Thanks! Luckily, I am within driving distance of Charleston and would fly to Miami. Charleston is 3 hours and Miami is 6. I could drive to Miami but I'm going solo and I hate being in the car. I'm leaning toward Charleston.

Freedom is out of Port Canaveral, Sunrise is out of Miami and Sunshine out of Charleston. 
 

So if you do choose Charleston you’d be on Sunshine which I personally would pick above Freedom and Sunrise. 

1 hour ago, ChC said:

Originally Carnival was to position 2 ships in Australia market before Covid. So I would not be surprised to see the 2 Costa ships coming in, and one Carnival ship moved to Australia.

Costa Luminosa will be rebranded into Carnival Luminosa and will sail seasonally from Australia (along with Splendor) and Alaska. 

18 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

 

The Venezia has slightly more capacity than the Panorama.  I can't imagine Carnival putting either ship on the 3/4-day Ensenada cruises.  Status quo, the Radiance and RCL's Navigator (which re-entered the market in the COVID era) have 3x the capacity that the Inspiration (which performed the route for nearly a decade) did, and 33% more than the Inspiration and Imagination combined (the latter operated the same itinerary but Th-Sun, which attracted a lot of non-locals).  Both Radiance and Navigator have struggled with occupancy this year...

 

The Miracle?  Maybe, but Carnival would be doubling the capacity... 

 

I wouldn't be shocked if the plan is to move the Panorama and use the Veneiz, as Carnival believes LA would be the best fit for its product.  I also wouldn't be surprised if Carnival's hoping the Asian markets rebound by 2024 and they can cancel these movements ... 🙂

 

 

Firenze is going to Long Beach (2024), Venezia to New York (2023). I wouldn't expect this pair back in the region, until the joint venture takes off I would assume, as their first Vista is due to be complete in 2023, market would be slow at first anyway no?

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

I'm not sure if anyone has suggested the obvious - Radiance and/or Panorama are redeployed somewhere else.

1 hour ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

Radiance would make more sense to move because Panorama would have to go back around Cape horn. That is assuming that it would be redeployed to the east coast but Panorama could just go to another West coast port.

 

I'll be finished thinking of my 2024 fleet homeport plans soon

 

Edit: I didn't see the above post before writing this, sorry for saying the same thing

The move would only be temporary so I would think another West Coast port, there is no clear time table yet as to how long Venezia/Firenze stay in the fleet (should it not get cancelled).

Figured it was a menu change or a new concept altogether but opening more BBQ restaurants is good too. 

1 hour ago, tidecat said:

I don't think Charleston will be an option for a port of call long term. There is a capacity limit (3,500 passengers) that would preclude the Vista/Venice class ships from calling there. Charleston is also limiting itself to 104 calls annually.

 

No you’re right, I was thinking at least for the maiden season before they kick Carnival out completely in 2024 but I didn’t know there was also a capacity limit, oh well. 

3 hours ago, ew101 said:

There are some pretty strong hints from the recent CCL Earnings Call.  Carnival Corporation & plc (CCL) Q2 2022 Earnings Call Transcript | AlphaStreet   

 

So the magic number is occupancy.  In 2019 the breakeven was around 70% and you had the ships at 103% or more and there were excellent profits.

 

These days, breakeven is closer to 80%, and the lines are struggling to hit that.  Every ship that is still parked, and every cruise that is 54% full counts as a loss.  But they say the US voyages are over 100% full.  You don't see Carnival seven day and up voyages on sale much.   

 

A guess is some of the Carnival brands are struggling.  Calling HQ and asking for money in June, 2022 is bad form.  And the Med is not a gold mine at the moment and the season is short.   

 

It is too bad NY and Boston are unpopular year round ports.  I am personally happy to be at sea, but many wish to be in a lounger by the pool, which is not a thing in January.  

I don’t really understand how it’s not more popular if Royal Caribbean and NCL have no problem sailing year round, just need to have better itineraries than Port Canaveral/Nassau/Freeport. 
 

1 hour ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

Carnival is putting Costa Venezia in NY next year

Traditionally though Carnival has struggled with NY, seasonally they do well but their year round service never paid off, but like I said above if they offer something better than Bahamas it could work.

and we also don’t know if this will be year round or seasonal, my assumption is year round but let’s see if they cook up some exciting itineraries, throwing in a stop to Charleston or Newport/Boston would go a long way or even some 9-10 day cruises. If MSC thinks they can do it, so can Carnival. 

1 hour ago, Z0nker said:

Would be nice if they kept Miracle in SF year round, as Princess does with the Ruby

That could be possible, no sense in having Miracle in Long Beach with Panorama, Radiance and now Firenze so something will have to give (again unless they predict record demand). 

1 minute ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

I didn't think about Elation + Paradise gone......

Granted they are only slightly older than Atlantica/Mediterranea but I’m not sure if they can handle that much added capacity so.
 

I would hate to see them go but if it comes down to it, that would probably be the decision but it really depends on how much say they have with the joint venture as those are the final ships not in service and I don’t think that market will be open any time soon. 

16 hours ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

I would too. Where could you see them homeporting if it was to happen?

If Carnival (Corp) ends up buying back Atlantica/Mediterranea and are sent to Carnival, Elation/Paradise would be out unless the demand is that strong. 
 

There is also the two Chinese Vistas as well, but I’m not sure how much say Carnival has being the minority partner. 

3 hours ago, toad455 said:

I don't see the Paradise and Elation at risk of getting scrapped soon with these three additional ships from Costa. Probably one of these ends up in Mobile by 2024 when CCL goes back there. The other likely sticks in Jacksonville. I see both ships staying for another 4-6 years.

They will return in Oct 2023 with Spirit sailing seasonally from Mobile, and Mobile will probably stay seasonal as well. 
 

Plus they are more modern than the other 6 anyway. 
 

The other thing to consider, is if the China brand goes bust, they could buy back Costa Atlantica/Mediterranea plus the two Vistas being built. But if this concept pays off then we may see more ships shared between the brands, guess we shall see. 

1 hour ago, jasong38501 said:

Not terribly surprised to see Carnival Corp make a move with some of their capacity they had dedicated to China pre-covid. Pretty excited about some new options. Do we know if the sailings on this brand within a brand will count toward Carnival's loyalty program? They have been so resistant to expanding it to other brands such as Princess or HAL, hopefully they will allow these nights to count.

They count towards Carnival's loyalty program only, not Costa's. They basically will act and function as Carnival ships just in Costa livery. 

18 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

I agree but NCL and Royal have had ships of 4500 passengers in the winter for many years. If MSC brings one all year as well then its time to try again. Unless the brand doesn't want it or they feel maybe the cliental that cruises carnival from NY is seasonal. 

Couldn't agree more! 

29 minutes ago, da_v said:

I also wonder if Carnival have made a move for the defunct Global ships from Genting? 1 large ship just sitting in Asia and 1 being built both designed for the Asian Market. Why cater an existing ship when there is 1 1/2 already in place which can probably be picked up at a discounted rate. 

 

That then leaves the option of 2 vista class ships which can be made for the American/Europe market which allows for retirement/re-deploying of some of the older Triumph/Conquest class?

They have not, the last rumors I heard were either the former owner's family (who just restarted Resorts World Cruises, to replace Dream) or MSC was the other in the running for the one that is about 80% complete, and the other being scrapped (as said above)

Plus they still have the joint venture with China, which holds the two Costa Spirit Class, and two Vista new builds. Should cruising not resume they could buy them outright but that could be tricky but they will have to make a decision on those 4 sooner rather than later.

13 minutes ago, da_v said:

I feel like this is a way of making the Costa Brand a worldwide brand while also having a way of taking some of that market from NCL and Royal Caribbean. The Costa ships while the same style of ships currently in the fleet offer a different on board experience. If this can bring people over who may not necessarily be interested in the family and fun that Carnival ships offer but at a lower price point than RCL and NCL then its a new demographic opened up. 

 

As the Brand familiarity becomes bigger in the US it also allows for easier marketing of European cruises. The European market is not going to be hurt with P&O and Aida being under the umbrella. 

Agreed, if they want to compete with MSC, it's a smart move. MSC is also expected to start year round NYC service in April 2023. 

10 minutes ago, ch09 said:

Those ships are currently being built in China for CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping aka Carnival China. These ships when completed will be China flagged and are meant for China only. This and that this project is part of a partnership makes it very unlikely that these ships will be moved to a sister cruise line.  These ships will likely be the ships that Carnival China will use whenever China decides to open back up. The Venezia and Firenze are Italian built ships, which is the big difference with the two currently undergoing construction.

Venezia and Firenze were also built and designed originally for the China market as well, I believe Venezia made it over there briefly and Firenze did not and both were then added back to the main fleet. 

17 minutes ago, mattcj89 said:

Aren’t there two more Vista class ships being built for the Carnival China division? I’d be willing to bet if those are still under construction, they end up being transferred to Carnival before they get too far with the construction. 
 

I think Carnival could take delivery of the two additional Vista class ships and at that point, either send Venezia and Firenze back to Costa with very little conversions depending on European demand, or keep Venezia and Firenze with Carnival long-term and renovate them to bring them in line with Carnival standards at that time. 
 

I don’t see this as a long-term solution either way. I believe Carnival is just buying time and filling current demands as they see profitable, with minimal investment involved. 

Those are owned by the joint venture, along with Costa Atlantica & Mediterranea so that may not be an option, but I guess we will hear about that soon enough.

This also gives Costa an unique opportunity to come back to the North American market again, they haven't sailed from a US homeport in several years and would be able to keep a ship on this side and have it turned back over to Costa if they choose to do so. MSC is quickly growing business on this side and recently announced sailing year round from NYC, pushing Venezia in NYC may swing people away from MSC. 

1 hour ago, InspireLiberty said:

I wonder what this means for Panorama out of Long Beach - but seeing as Firenze is the same ship (essentially) I am not too worried.

Firenze would sail along side Panorama and Venezia along side Magic from NYC; though I wonder if they would tweak Panorama or Magic's sailings to make room. 

1 hour ago, Indytraveler83 said:

Wow... So Carnival is adding 2 Vista class ships to North America without even needing to refurb then?

 

1)Makes me wonder if Carnival Corp is working toward making Carnival and Costa operate under the same umbrella, instead of as two separate brands?  This is 3 Costa ships pulled from Europe and now operating under Carnival.

 

2) Wonder if this will impact any of the other older ships in the Carnival fleet? 

Should also note, this pair was originally destined for China and sailing from that region doesn't seem to be on the books for the immediate future. 

With the pair remaining in Costa livery, I wouldn't expect any other ships to exit the fleet; one is a nice boost for NYC which really had its season cut down mixing it with Norfolk but I'm curious if they will move out Miracle or Radiance from the West side.

“Carnival Cruise Line announced today that it is teaming up with Costa Cruises and creating a new concept for Carnival’s North American guests when COSTA by CARNIVAL debuts in the spring of 2023 and Costa Venezia  joins the Carnival fleet sailing from New York. Both brands are owned by Carnival Corporation. 

The Costa Venezia will be followed by Costa Firenze arriving in the spring of 2024 to sail from Long Beach.

The moves add approximately 8,500 berths to the North American market, according to Cruise Industry News estimates. 

Both ships are presently sailing in Europe but were originally intended to operate in the Chinese cruise market.

Carnival will operate the ships, which will marry the great service, food and entertainment that Carnival’s guests enjoy with Costa’s Italian design features.

“Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze will bring Carnival’s guests the ambiance and beauty of Italy,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. 

“We’re going to invite our guests to Choose Fun with Carnival, Italian Style!”

“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,” said Duffy. 

“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.”

Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises, said, “We are excited to see these iconic ships make their debut in the U.S. under the leadership and operation of our sister brand. Costa providing the beautiful ship with its Italian design and Carnival delivering FUN, Italian Style!” 

Zanetti said that Costa will be informing clients impacted by this news.

Duffy said that the ships will continue operating their regular Costa itineraries until they are assigned to Carnival for drydock work and deployment. 
 

Deployment and itinerary plans are being finalized, with the Venezia announcement coming soon given the spring 2023 launch date, according to a statement. 

The Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze are sister ships to the Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama.”

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27731-carnival-cruise-line-to-bring-costa-venezia-to-the-u-s-in-2023-costa-firenze-in-2024.html

1 minute ago, mz-s said:

What I don't understand is why they kept Ecstasy but scrapped Sensation. Sensation was drydocked just before COVID and is newer than Ecstasy to begin with. 

A few of them were dry docked pre-Covid but it probably didn’t matter at that point the decisions were made because either way both are leaving. 

At the age of 31, she probably will be scrapped. Pretty sure there is a website out there that can confirmed it too, same site lists Sensation and as recent includes the ex-Star Cruises fleet. 
 

For Margaritaville, Grand Classica was a good start but they need something more modern as well or I suppose one of the cousins owned by Seajets, time will tell. 

Glad you had a good overall experience, had a grand time on her back in December. Very beautifully decorated.

46 minutes ago, toad455 said:

Wasn't there supposed to be an announcement regarding the Magica and it's new name at least by now?

John posted on the 18th, that in the following days he would announce Europe/Alaska protocols and that her new FUN name would be announced. It’s been about two weeks; protocol announcement came out but not the new name.
 

In roughly the same two week period was approximately how long the ship was on dry dock but that must have been for technical stuff. 
 

So I don’t really understand what the hold up is; she’s still missing from Costas site; I thought maybe a placeholder name would start to pop up on port pages but I haven’t found anything (specifically Brisbane).