Carnival Ship to Debut Earlier With New West Coast Sailings

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Carnival Cruise Line has opened sales on more 2025-26 voyages from Long Beach, California, and announced an earlier debut of Carnival Firenze, the second ship that will offer its new Fun Italian Style onboard experience. This will bring amazing new vacation opportunities to the West Coast even sooner than expected.

New 5-Day Itinerary Unveiled on Carnival Radiance

New sailings aboard two Carnival ships, Carnival Radiance and Carnival Firenze, have opened for bookings from Long Beach, California. Available from November 8, 2023, Carnival Cruise Line has added more 2025-26 sailings on Carnival Radiance, offering 3-, 4-, and 5-day itineraries to the Mexican Riviera and Baja Mexico.

Some cruises from Long Beach aboard Carnival Radiance, along with Carnival Panorama, had previously opened for sale in early October 2023, when the line revealed that the 3,000-guest Carnival Radiance will operate alternating 3- and 4-night cruises visiting Ensenada. The 4-night sailings add a call at Catalina Island. Now, the ship will also offer a 5-night option visiting Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Carnival Cruise Line also announced that the 4,100-guest Carnival Firenze will debut earlier than previously scheduled. The shipโ€™s inaugural sailing from Long Beach is now set for April 25, 2024, roughly a week earlier than her original launch date under the Carnival brand. The shipโ€™s maiden voyage will be a 7-day sailing with calls at the Mexican Riviera ports of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlรกn, and Cabo San Lucas.

Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas (Photo Credit: Frederick Millett / Shutterstock)

Carnival Firenze formerly operated as Costa Firenze for Italian line Costa Cruises before she transferred to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. Costa Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line are both brands of Carnival Corporation.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Unveils Specialty Restaurant for New Ship

The third Carnival Cruise Line ship sailing from Long Beach, Carnival Panorama, currently sails 7-night cruises. The 4,000-guest ship will switch to 6- and 8-night voyages in spring 2025, including overnights in Cabo San Lucas. No new sailings have opened for sale on this vessel.

Carnival Firenze to Bring Italian Vibe to West Coast

Carnival Firenze will sail 4-night cruises to Catalina Island and Ensenada and 5-night cruises calling at Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas. With a themed design meant to evoke the city of Florence, the ship will have a distinctly Italian vibe, similar to Carnival Venezia, another transfer from the Costa Cruises fleet that debuted as a Carnival Cruise Line ship on June 15, 2023.

Like Carnival Venezia, which is home-ported in New York, Carnival Firenze will sport Italian-themed restaurants such as Il Viaggio, and offer Italy-inspired venues and activities.

Carnival Venezia Cruise Ship
Carnival Venezia Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Mariusz Lopusiewicz / Shutterstock)

Carnival Firenze is a newer ship, having launched in 2021 as a Vista-class ship operated by Costa Cruises. Constructed at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy, Carnival Firenze is a sister ship to Carnival Venezia.

A third former Costa Cruises ship, Costa Luminosa, also transferred to Carnival Cruise Line in 2022 and was renamed Carnival Luminosa. The 2,260-ship is not part of the lineโ€™s new Fun Italian Style concept; rather, it was renovated to include several Carnival Fun Ship venues such as the Alchemy Bar, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and the popular RedFrog Rum Bar, among others.

New Carnival Journeys Voyages Sail to Hawaii

Carnival Cruise Line also opened for sale six Carnival Journeys voyages that will operate aboard Carnival Radiance and sail from Long Beach to Hawaii in 2025 and 2026.

Carnival Radiance Cruise Ship
Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Line

These 14-day cruises will offer guests the opportunity to explore the Hawaiian Islands, with port calls to Maui; Honolulu, Oahu; Kauai; and Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii. A port call also will be made in Ensenada.

Carnival Journeys sailings are particularly special because of exclusive destination-oriented programming and activities onboard that make these longer sailings even more immersive and memorable.

In 2025, the dates for these special cruises are October 18 and November 29. In 2026, the Hawaii departures are set for January 10, February 7, March 7, and April 4.

The ship offers the signature Carnival Fun Ship venues such as BlueIguana Cantina, Guyโ€™s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, and Shaqโ€™s Big Chicken, ensuring everyone great signature Carnival fun as well as an amazing opportunity to explore and enjoy Hawaii.

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Donna Tunney
Donna Tunney
Donna Tunney is a travel news/feature writer and editor with 20-plus years covering cruise news, luxury travel, and Europe and UK destinations. A former staffer at Travel Weekly and at the USAToday Network, she also was a luxury travel columnist at Travel Market Report, and a cruise columnist at Sherman's Travel.

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