The Carnival Venezia, formerly owned by Costa, officially joined the Carnival Cruise Line fleet when captain Tihomir Muzic handed over the ship to captain Claudio Cupisti on March 22, 2023. 

“We are so pleased to welcome Carnival Venezia to the fleet, which following a dry dock, will debut as our first ‘Fun Italian Style’ ship this May,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

“A big thank you to everyone from our sister line Costa and all those within the Carnival family who will work to add the Carnival touches to this ship over the next two months.”

The Carnival Venezia will set sail on a 15-day transatlantic Carnival Journeys voyage from Barcelona on May 29, 2023. The ship will offer year-round sailings from New York’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal on June 15, 2023. The Carnival Venezia will sail 22 unique itineraries ranging in length.

The ship was built in 2019 and accommodates up to 5,145 guests and 1,393 crew members.

It features an Italian architectural design with its atrium modeled after Venice’s main public square, the Piazza San Marco.

The Carnival Venezia will introduce a variety of new food and beverage offerings featuring the flavors of Italy, including La Strada Grill with classic Italian street food, a Mexitalian fusion restaurant Tomodoro, a similar-to-Alchemy-Bar Amari, and Frizzante, among other venues.

Guests will also have a variety of entertainment options at their disposal with spaces such as the Gondola Lounge, the Carnevale Bar and Lounge, as well as new activities like the Italian Street Party.