Next Carnival Cruise Ship Starts Major Overhaul

It’s a busy month for one cruise ship dry dock in Europe. Work has started on converting the former Costa Firenze to a Carnival Cruise Line ship, ending an era with Costa Cruises.

The former Costa vessel arrived at Navantia shipyard in Spain over the weekend, marking the third Costa ship to join the Carnival fleet since 2022.

Is Carnival Firenze a new ship?

Costa Firenze began service in 2021 and sailed in the Mediterranean for over two years. In 2022, Carnival announced that two Costa ships would be reassigned to Carnival Cruise Line.

Firenze is the final of three ship transfers from Costa Cruises to Carnival Cruise Line, which began in 2022 with Costa Luminosa.

Carnival Firenze Quick Facts
Total guest capacity:	4126
Length:	1,059 feet
Gross Tonnage:	135,225 GRT
Decks:	18
Staterooms	2,063
Builder	Fincantieri

Carnival says the move responds to the growing demand for Carnival Cruise Line voyages from North American homeports.

Costa Firenze, a Vista-class ship, joins its sister ship, the Carnival Vista, in Cadiz. The Carnival Vista is also undergoing routine maintenance in the dry dock until early February. Once the maintenance is completed and the Carnival Vista departs for Florida, Costa Firenze will take its place in the yard.

Carnival’s only new ship in 2024

While in dry dock, the ship will undergo conversions such as updating livery to reflect the Carnival Cruise Line brand, adding new concepts, and incorporating Carnival elements. The only Costa signature feature that will remain is the smokestack.

Carnival favorites that guests will recognize include the WaterWorks aqua park, Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, Cloud 9 Spa, Seafood Shack, Guy’s Burger Joint, and the Serenity adults-only sundeck.

This will be the fifth Vista/Venice class ship sailing for Carnival Cruise Line.

Ship	Entered Service
Vista	2016
Horizon	2018
Panorama	2019
Venezia	2019 (Costa)
Firenze	2021 (Costa)

Building on the success of the Carnival Venezia, the Carnival Fun Italian Style theme continues with the Carnival Firenze, featuring a Mediterranean-inspired design that nods to the aesthetic of Florence, Italy.

After being renamed in late April 2024 to Carnival Firenze, the cruise ship will be homeport in Long Beach, primarily offering four- to five-day trips along the Mexican coastline.

Its first voyage will be a seven-night trip along the Mexican Riviera.

Carnival Venezia Ship Tour (Vista-class)