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Carnival Firenze is a Vista-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Originally commissioned for the Chinese market, she debuted as Costa Firenze for sister brand Costa Cruises, but was never deployed to Asia following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cruise travel in China. Named after Florence, the 135,156 gross tonnage (GT)-vessel was constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in Marghera and delivered in December 2020.

In 2023, amid a corporate fleet reshuffling in the wake of the pandemic, Carnival Corporation announced Costa Firenze would be transferred to Carnival under a new sub-brand named "Costa as Carnival" operating as "Carnival Fun Italian Style". The new concept was designed to integrate Costa Firenze and sister ship Costa Venezia into Carnival in a bid to boost domestic American capacity after the cruise line had sold numerous older vessels while Costa contended with operational challenges in its core markets. In February 2024, she was officially renamed Carnival Firenze during her pre-delivery renovation and will debut for Carnival in April 2024 in the new sub-fleet of Venice-class ships.

Planning and construction (2015–2020)

Carnival Corporation entered into a strategic agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in March 2015 for five cruise ships to be delivered between 2019 and 2022.[2] On 30 December 2015, Carnival Corporation and Fincantieri signed a memorandum of agreement for four cruise ships, with two then-unnamed ships for Costa Asia among the four.[3] The announcement coincided with Carnival Corporation's unveiling of its plans for the expansion of the Costa Asia fleet, which would consist of two vessels at 135,500 GT each, with a guest capacity of approximately 4,200 passengers per vessel.[4] The contracts for the two newbuild vessels were finalized in April 2016.[5] The two ships, comprising a new class of vessels in Costa's fleet, were designed to be sister ships and be outfitted with Costa's Italian-inspired decor.[4]

In June 2018, it was revealed that construction on the ship had begun with the steel cutting that was performed earlier that year.[6] On 6 May 2019, Costa Cruises announced that the second of the two vessels built specifically for the Chinese market would be named Costa Firenze, after the Italian city of Florence, and have interior features inspired by Florentine history and culture.[7] The ship was floated out from the shipyard in Marghera on 6 November 2019.[8]

Delivery for Costa Firenze was originally scheduled for 30 September 2020,[8] but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it was later postponed to 22 December 2020.[9][10][11]

Design

Carnival Firenze measures 135,156 gross tonnage (GT), has a length of 323.63 metres (1,061 ft 9 in), a draught of 8.25 metres (27 ft 1 in), and a beam of 37.2 metres (122 ft 1 in). She is powered by a diesel-electric genset system, with two MAN 14V48 engines and three MAN 8L48 generator sets, all of which run on a common rail system and produce a total output of 62,400 kilowatts (83,700 hp).[12][13][14] The propulsion system produces a total of 33,000 kilowatts (44,000 hp).[12] The combination gives the vessel a service speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) and a maximum speed of 22.6 knots (41.9 km/h; 26.0 mph).[12] The ship houses 2,136 passenger cabins and 701 crew cabins and has a maximum capacity of 6,538 passengers and crew.[12]

People eating at tables and chairs in the right foreground are flanked by patterned and designed walls of a cathedral.
Decor in the dining spaces onboard the ship was inspired by Florentine influences, such as the Piazza del Duomo.

Costa commissioned design firm YSA Design for the vessel's Florentine-inspired interior decor. The firm centered the history of Florence on the ship's dining spaces, with influences including the Piazza del Duomo, Florence Cathedral, Palazzo Vecchio, and Palazzo Pitti, in addition to the use of velvet, marble flooring, and gilding work for further emphasis. Lounges were inspired by the Tuscan countryside setting and styles of Italian fashion.[13][15]

Costa Cruises (2020–2024)

Costa Firenze had her debut postponed from 2020 to 2021 after Costa was forced to revise the ship's inaugural plans on numerous occasions as a result of the pandemic-induced delivery delay and operational challenges. Costa first announced on 6 May 2019 that the ship would initially spend her first month sailing in the Mediterranean and call at ports in Italy, Spain, and France. Her original maiden voyage was scheduled for 1 October 2020, departing from Trieste and calling at Bari, Barcelona, and Marseille, before arriving in Savona. Then, she was to depart from Savona on 2 November to begin a 51-day cruise to Hong Kong, arriving on 22 December.[16] But in August 2019, Costa cancelled her maiden voyage and first month of sailings in lieu of repositioning the vessel to Singapore immediately following her delivery, after which she would debut in the Chinese market on 20 October 2020.[17][18] In July 2020, it was reported that Costa had considered reverting her Asia deployment plans to reschedule her for weekly Mediterranean sailings previously arranged for Costa Toscana due to the latter's delayed delivery.[19] In September 2020, Costa announced a new seven-day maiden voyage set in the Mediterranean for 27 December 2020.[20] In October 2020, Costa further delayed the ship's debut in the Mediterranean with a new maiden voyage for 28 February 2021,[11][21][22] which was later annulled by cancellations announced in January 2021.[23][24]

The port-side and aft of a cruise ship with white paint, many decks of balconies, and a yellow vertical cylindrical funnel with a blue 'C' painted on it, is shown from a distance.
Costa Firenze was deployed in the Mediterranean during her maiden season in summer 2021 and visited ports including Ibiza.

After repeated delays, Costa Firenze sailed on her inaugural voyage on 4 July 2021 on an all-Italian itinerary that called at Savona, Civitavecchia, Palermo, Naples, Messina, and Cagliari; she also began calling at ports in Spain and France in September 2021.[25][26][27] She then followed her summer debut season with her maiden circuit in the Persian Gulf, where she operated week-long voyages from Dubai between December 2021 and March 2022.[28][29] She returned to the Mediterranean in April 2022, where she operated week-long sailings through to November 2022,[30][31] which were followed by a repositioning to Brazil for her maiden South America season, where she operated until April 2023.[32][33] Costa Firenze operated her last summer with Costa through a maiden Northern Europe deployment between May and September 2023[34][35] and sailed her final winter season for the cruise line, calling at ports in the Mediterranean, Atlantic Europe, and Macaronesia prior to her exit from the fleet in February 2024.[36][34][37]

Carnival Cruise Line (2024–present)

On 22 June 2022, Carnival Corporation announced that sister ship Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze would be transferred to Costa's sister brand, Carnival Cruise Line, in 2023 and 2024, respectively, under a new sub-brand, "Costa by Carnival" operating as "Carnival Fun Italian Style". Both ships would be renamed with the Carnival prefix, painted in a hybrid Costa and Carnival livery, and staffed and operated by Carnival.[38] It was a project aimed at boosting Carnival's capacity in the American market during its recovery following the pandemic and came after Carnival had sold numerous older vessels in its fleet while Costa faced operational challenges in its core markets, including Europe and China.[39]

In December 2022, Carnival revealed that Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze would be slotted into its fleet as a sub-class of its existing Vista-class, known as the Venice-class. It also revealed that the two ships would combine many of the staples found on existing Carnival ships with new features and amenities inspired by Italian design and tastes, including new menu items across their bars and restaurants.[40]

In January 2024, the ship began her 42-day refit and rebranding effort at the Navantia shipyard in Cádiz, where she was officially transferred into the Carnival fleet on 2 February 2024 and renamed Carnival Firenze.[41][42] The ship left the shipyard on 22 March 2024 and sailed to her new homeport of Long Beach, California, after which she was christened by her godfather, American actor Jonathan Bennett, on 24 April 2024.[43][44][45] Originally scheduled to sail her inaugural voyage on 2 May 2024,[46] Carnival Firenze will commence operations one week earlier, on 25 April 2024 to the Mexican Riviera, a region to which she will sail on a year-round basis.[42][43]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Costa Firenze (9801691)". LeonardoInfo. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Fincantieri: Five Next-Generation Ships for Carnival Corporation" (Press release). Fincantieri. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Fincantieri: 4 Cruise Ships for Carnival" (Press release). Fincantieri. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b Leppert, Jason (4 January 2016). "Carnival Corp. Announces Four New Cruise Ships for Three Brands". TravelPulse.
  5. ^ Leppert, Jason (4 April 2016). "Carnival Corp. Celebrates Koningsdam and Finalizes New Ship Orders for Costa, P&O and Princess". TravelPulse.
  6. ^ "Costa Cruises Celebrates Float-out of Costa Venezia -- Its First Ship Being Built for China Market" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Costa Names 2020 Newbuild for China Costa Firenze". Cruise Industry News. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Costa Firenze Floats Out at Fincantieri". Cruise Industry News. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Carnival to Delay New Ship Introductions". Cruise Industry News. 11 July 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. ^ Dolven, Taylor (8 July 2020). "COVID-19 construction delays push cruise ship deliveries into 2021". Miami Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  11. ^ a b Jainchill, Johanna (22 December 2020). "Costa takes delivery of the Firenze". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d "Costa Firenze" (PDF). Fincantieri.
  13. ^ a b "Costa Firenze - Massive 5,200-Guest Ship to Serve Chinese Cruise Market". Baird Maritime. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  14. ^ Bond, Mary (9 November 2016). "MAN Diesel & Turbo signs engine deal with Fincantieri for three Carnival newbuilds". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  15. ^ Payne, Holly (29 June 2021). "YSA Design's vision for Costa Firenze captures Tuscan culture and heritage". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Costa Cruises Presents Costa Firenze, the New Ship Arriving October 2020" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  17. ^ Kalosh, Anne (27 August 2019). "Costa ship shuffle strengthens Mediterranean presence". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Costa Cruises Celebrates Float Out of Costa Firenze" (Press release). Fincantieri. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Costa Firenze Set to Stay in Europe 2021 Before Heading to China". Cruise Industry News. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  20. ^ Young, Susan J. (10 September 2020). "Costa Cruises Outlines Fall-Winter Schedules, Cancels Some Cruises". Travel Agent Central. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  21. ^ Hines, Morgan (29 October 2020). "Carnival's AIDA, Costa cruise lines cancel sailings amid COVID-19 surge in Europe". USA Today. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Handover of Costa Firenze, the Ship Inspired by the Beauty of the Renaissance" (Press release). Fincantieri. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Costa Resumes Its Cruise Program In Italy From March 13 With Costa Smeralda" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Costa Restarts Cruises With New Program From March 27 With Costa Smeralda And From May 2 With Costa Luminosa" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  25. ^ Payne, Holly (22 April 2021). "Costa Cruises launches summer 2021 Mediterranean itineraries". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Costa Cruises Celebrates Restart Of Cruises In Mediterranean" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Costa Firenze, the Italian Ship Inspired by the Beauty of the Renaissance, Departs For Her First Cruise" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  28. ^ Bond, Mary (28 May 2021). "Costa Firenze to sail Arabian Gulf winter 2021/22; Costa sponsors Italy pavilion at Dubai Expo". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Costa Firenze Debuts in Dubai with Double Event: Inauguration of New Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal and Start of Tours to Discover Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  30. ^ Bond, Mary (14 February 2022). "Costa Cruises' entire fleet sailing by summer 2022". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Costa Cruises Restart From Genoa With Costa Firenze" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Costa Set For Biggest Brazilian Season in Ten Years". Cruise Industry News. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  33. ^ "Costa Firenze Debuts in Brazil". Cruise Industry News. 26 December 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Costa Firenze Wraps Up First Season in South America". Cruise Industry News. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  35. ^ "Costa Easter Cruises 2023: Spring-Summer Season Kicks Off" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  36. ^ "Costa Cruises Launches Costa Voyages: A New Way to Experience Long-Term Cruises" (Press release). Carnival Corporation & plc. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Costa Firenze Sets Sail on Farewell Cruise Ahead of Carnival Transfer". Cruise Industry News. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  38. ^ Jainchill, Johanna (22 June 2022). "Two Costa ships will sail for Carnival from the U.S." Travel Weekly. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  39. ^ Zelinski, Andrea (5 July 2022). "Costa by Carnival: New ships and a dose of dolce vita in the U.S." Travel Weekly. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  40. ^ "Carnival Reveals Details Ahead of Venezia Debut". Cruise Industry News. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  41. ^ Benitez, Joaquin (31 January 2024). "El 'Costa Firenze' adelantó su entrada en el astillero de Cádiz". Diario de Cádiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  42. ^ a b Kalosh, Anne (2 February 2024). "Costa Firenze handed over for more 'Carnival Fun Italian Style'". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  43. ^ a b Benitez, Joaquin (21 March 2024). "El crucero 'Carnival Firenze' se irá de Cádiz con nuevo nombre y nueva bandera". Diario de Cádiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  44. ^ Zelinski, Andrea (5 April 2024). "So Fetch! 'Mean Girls' actor Jonathan Bennett named godfather of Carnival Firenze". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  45. ^ Kalosh, Anne (24 April 2024). "'Honorary Italian' Jonathan Bennett names Carnival Firenze in Long Beach". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  46. ^ Limone, Jerry (23 March 2023). "Carnival Cruise Line opens reservations for the Firenze". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Firenze