While the focus has very much been on what Carnival Cruise Line is doing to resume cruises, there is one ship that’s about to go through a massive transformation. Things are gradually starting to happen with the Carnival Victory and we’ve got some exclusive photos to show you.
Work Begins on Carnival Victory
Carnival Victory is currently in a rusty state at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain. However, she won’t remain this way for much longer as she’s going through a major multi-million dollar transformation into the Carnival Radiance.
Cruise Hive has the very latest photos of the vessel as work seems to be commencing. It’s mainly early preparations but the interior could be a different story. Cruise Hive has been given special permission from Barcos Por Cadiz to use these very latest photos of the Carnival Victory:
The Carnival cruise ship was originally scheduled to begin a 38-day upgrade starting on March 19, 2020. The ship departed on her final journey across the Atlantic in early March 2020 but what came next, no one could have predicted.
The cruise line suspensions and the global pandemic have delayed the transformation. The ship has remained in the port since arriving earlier in the year and as you can see, she’s not in the best of shape.
There are some more photos that show preparations to remove the ship name on the starboard and port side. The dry dock is costing the cruise line a huge $200 million but it’s not known if some aspects of the transformation will be changed to save some money.
Hopefully, we’ll start to see work increase as it’s never easy to see such a popular Carnival cruise ship in this state. Carnival already announced that some ships with scheduled dry docks would already be delayed in 2021.
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Even though these are the first signs of working being done to the ship, there is no doubt more has been done on the interior. When sister ship Carnival Triumph was transformed in 2019 to the Carnival Sunrise, work was already being made to the cabins during the transatlantic crossing to the shipyard.
When Will Carnival Radiance Begin Sailing?
So the big question is when will the newly transformed Carnival Radiance begin cruises? We’ve still got just under a year until her arrival but no doubt Carnival will keep us all teased with updates on the ship.
Carnival’s booking engine is currently showing the first sailings for the Carnival Radiance on November 1, 2021. However, that could be because the earlier sailings are already sold out, especially with the limited capacity to keep guests and crew safe.
The ship is set to depart on her inaugural cruise on April 23, 2021, with the work starting around now, that should be a good time for completion. She’ll be based from the Port of Long Beach, California and the first 4-day cruise will make calls at the Catalina Islands and Ensenada, Mexico.
What’s Being Added to the Carnival Radiance?
The Carnival Radiance will become a totally new cruise ship, that’s one of the reasons she’s been included as a new vessel to debut in Spring 2021. The ship will no longer be named Carnival Victory as she will have totally new features and a fresh new look.
The bow to stern makeover will include new venues such as the much anticipated Shaq O’Neal Big Chicken restaurant, the first in the fleet. There will also be 110 new staterooms and suites that guests can choose from. Here’s the full list:
- 110 new guest suites and staterooms
- Liquid Lounge
- Java Blue Café
- Limelight Lounge
- Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse
- RedFrog Pub
- Piano Bar 88
- Chef’s Table dining room
- Bonsai Sushi
- Big Chicken Restaurant
- Pizzeria del Capitano
- Carnival WaterWorks
- Cucina del Capitano
- Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse
- SportSquare (SkyCourse, basketball court, jogging track, ping pong, foosball, pool tables and nine-hole miniature golf course)
- Cloud 9 Spa and Cloud 9 Spa Staterooms
- Expanded Retail Spaces
Also Read: Photos of Former Carnival Cruise Ship That’s Heading to Asia
The new-look Carnival cruise ship will be one of the highlights of the year, which is will help make up a dismal 2020. With cruises set to resume from March 2021 and Mardi Gras starting sailings from Florida in April 2021, it will be an exciting time for Carnival and the entire cruise industry.
