Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Carnival Firenze, was christened at its new home, the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on Wednesday, April 24.
Actor Jonathan Bennett served as the ship’s godfather and was made an honorary Italian during the event, which included a performance of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” by Carnival’s Playlist Productions cast, an Italian blessing by Father Charbel Grbavac of the Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church in San Pedro and a performance by Leslie Kritzer, Bennett’s co-star from the recent Broadway revival of “Spamalot.”
“We carry more guests than any other cruise line from California, and now this ship is giving us the opportunity to offer more fun to more people sailing from Long Beach,” said Carnival Cruise Line’s President Christine Duffy. “The recipe combining this ship’s beautiful Italian theming with the familiarity of our friendly team’s hospitality is, in a word, perfecto!”
The 5,000-guest ship operates year-round itineraries departing from Carnival’s private cruise terminal in Long Beach.
