After months remaining on hold and being transformed in Spain, Carnival Radiance has finally arrived in the U.S. as part of the ship’s journey to her new homeport in Long Beach on the West Coast.
Carnival Radiance Arrives in Miami, Florida
It has been a long wait to see the newly transformed Carnival cruise ship as she finally arrived on the morning of October 28 at the cruise capital of the world, PortMiami. The vessel has just completed a transatlantic crossing as reported by Cruise Hive, and some time off the coast in Freeport, Bahamas, for crew transfers between nearby Carnival vessels.
PTZtv has captured the ship under a stunning pink sunrise in Miami, Florida. While the ship is docked there, it will take on stores and possibly even more crew member transfers. Carnival Radiance won’t stay there long, as the seven-week journey, which first started from Cadiz Spain on October 18, will continue.
Carnival Radiance will transit the Panama Canal soon and eventually arrive at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal in California. The ship will begin operating year-round three- and four-day Mexican Riviera cruises on December 13, 2021.
The three-day itinerary will include a call to Ensenada in Mexico, and the four-day option will also visit Ensenada along with Catalina Island. The vessel joins Carnival Panorama and Carnival Miracle, and both have already restarted operations from the port.
Also Read: Which Carnival Cruise Ships Have Resumed Operations?
Carnival Radiance was previously named Carnival Victory as the ship name was changed due to a massive 200 million makeover at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain. For the majority of the time, the ship was just on hold, rusting away at the shipyard, but in recent months the upgrade went full speed with many new features and venues added.
In addition to all the FUN 2.0 enhancements, Carnival Radiance is also the second in the fleet to have the Big Chicken dining venue, created by Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal. There’s also the new Cucina del Capitano, the multi-purpose Liquid Lounge, and one of the most expensive Cloud 9 Spas at sea.
The ship originally entered service as Carnival Victory in 2000, but will soon be christened as the Carnival Radiance, those details are yet to be released by Carnival Cruise Line. The ship is now 101,509 gross tons with a guest capacity of 2,984 at double occupancy along with 1,108 international crew members.
