Luxury Cruising Editorial

Carnival Cruise Line added the 27th cruise ship to their fleet today when Carnival Firenze officially joined the fleet. Carnival is now tied with Royal Caribbean for the most cruise ships in their fleet out of all the cruise lines in the world.

Now that Carnival Firenze has officially joined Carnival’s fleet, the ship will undergo a two month dry dock as the ship gets converted over from sister cruise line, Costa Cruises.

“The beauty of Florence, Italy is about to meet the FUN of Carnival Cruise Line! We are elated to welcome Carnival Firenze to the Carnival fleet, joining her sister Carnival Venezia to showcase ‘Carnival Fun Italian Style,’” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Firenze will homeport in Long Beach, California and her sail her maiden cruise with Carnival on April 25, 2024. The cruise ship will sail five, six, and seven night cruises to the Mexican Riviera.

Carnival Firenze is a sister ship to Carnival Venezia, another Italian themed ship that came over from Costa Cruises.

The cruise ship will feature many food and beverage venues currently popular on Carnival Venezia, including La Strada Grill, with classic Italian street food, a Mexitalian fusion restaurant, Tomodoro and Il Viaggio, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest specialty Italian restaurant, showcasing distinct culinary regions of Italy.

Bars Amari and Frizzante will serve up a variety of Italian specialties, with Amari offering craft cocktails, authentic Italian coffee and biscotti and Frizzante delivering bubbly libations.

Guests will also enjoy activities like Festa Italiana, a deck party where Little Italy meets Lido, the Captain’s Venetian Toast and Italian-inspired youth programming for kids and teens.

Carnival Cruise Line favorites will also be on the ship like Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Carnival WaterWorks, Heroes Tribute Lounge, and the Serenity Adults Only Retreat.

Celebrity Cruises has added in a few extra perks that make their Semi-Annual Sale an even better deal than it was before.

Celebrity Cruises, a premium cruise line from Royal Caribbean Group, has improved their biggest sale of the year. While the sale still includes 75% off the second guest in a cabin on non-refundable rates, 50% off the second guest for refundable fares, and up to $200 in additional savings on select cruises, the cruise line has added in even more extras.

From now through February 19, the 3rd and 4th guests in a cabin are free on new bookings.

In addition, Celebrity Cruises is offering free ocean view to balcony upgrades on select short cruises to the Caribbean on Celebrity Reflection.  This perk will be available through February 15, 2024.

This offer by Celebrity Cruises is good on most cruises through April 30, 2026.  View Best Prices on Celebrity

BOGO 50% Off 2nd Guest Offer is for Refundable Fares only, applies to new, individual bookings at standard rates during the Offer Period and provides 50% off refundable cruise fares on the 2nd guest only in the same stateroom as the first full fare guest on an Offer Cruise, excluding Galapagos and Alaska Cruisetours.

BOGO 75% Off 2nd Guest Offer is for Non-Refundable Fares only, applies to new, individual bookings at standard rates during the Offer Period and provides 75% off nonrefundable cruise fares on the 2nd guest only in the same stateroom as the first full fare guest on an Offer Cruise, excluding Galapagos and Alaska Cruisetours.

Up to $200 Onboard Credit (OBC) offer applies to new, individual bookings at standard and prevailing or closed group standard or GroupX rates on an Offer Cruise, excluding Galapagos, and provides cruise fare OBC per stateroom varying by stateroom category: $100 for inside and ocean view; $200 for verandas, Concierge Class, AquaClass and the Retreat.

Later next year, a cruise ship will visit 34 countries on six continents on one voyage that will last for over four months. The ship will overnight in eight ports along the way with late night departures in Casablanca and other cities.

Costa Cruises, one of Carnival Corporation’s nine cruise lines, is offering a 128 day cruise that will depart on November 21, 2025 from Trieste, Italy. The cruise will offer immersive shore excursions across 48 ports in 34 countries.

The cruise will start off in the Mediterranean and cross both the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In addition to a transit of the Panama Canal, the ship will sail by the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Fares of this unique cruise start at just $19,089 per person, based on double occupancy.

After departing from Italy, Costa Deliziosa will cross the Mediterranean to Marseilles, France, and Barcelona, Spain, then on to the Canary Islands by way of Casablanca, Morocco.

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean to visit the Caribbean, the ship transits the Panama Canal before sailing down the west coast of South America and making way to Easter Island.

Costa Deliziosa will then head to the Pitcairn Islands and French Polynesia en route to Sydney, Australia. The cruise ship continues up the east coast of Australia to Papua New Guinea and on to Japan, before heading to South Korea and Taiwan. The ship then traverses the South China Sea to China, Vietnam and Singapore, heading east to Sri Lanka and India.

Costa Deliziosa then sails across the Arabian Sea, through the Suez Canal to Greece, before heading north to Croatia and Italy, ending the cruise on March 28, 2026.

“Costa’s world cruise is unique in that it begins before the holidays so guests get to usher in the new year and continue on their travels around the world in one seamless voyage,” said Ruben Perez, general manager for Costa Cruises North America. “This itinerary is designed so that guests can experience dozens of extraordinary destinations — from major cities to ports very few people ever visit — making it a truly international experience both ashore and on board with our Italian-style hospitality.”

Carnival Cruise Line has revealed new details on their new private port that is opening in The Bahamas, Celebration Key. This new port built specifically for Carnival cruise ships will open in July 2025. The port will have everything from the largest swimming pools in the Caribbean to floating cabanas.

Carnival Cruise Line also released a new video giving a first glimpse at many of the features the port will have. You can view the video here.

18 Carnival cruise ships will visit Celebration Key on more than 500 itineraries. These cruises are currently open for bookings. The pier at the port will be able to accommodate two of Carnival’s largest ships on the same day.

“No one does FUN like Carnival and we are designing Celebration Key, and its five portals, with endless ways for our guests to unlock their own kind of fun in this incredible paradise that also celebrates the beauty of Grand Bahama,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Celebration Key is uniquely positioned to bring an island experience to our diverse range of guests, in a way that lets them choose their slice of ‘paradise.’”

The five portals that will be on Celebration Key are:

The Welcome Portal will have live music and a larger than life sandcastle that will welcome cruisers to the port.

The Family-Friendly Portal is a spot just for families that has a large freshwater lagoon, two racing waterslides, splash pad with shallow pool, and sports courts. It will also have a beach with loungers, cabana rentals, and villas with personal slides into the lagoon.

The Adult-Friendly Portal is just for adults. It will have a swim-up bar, cabana rentals, and a DJ to create a high energy vibe. It will have several dining venues including a full-service restaurant.

The Private Club Portal is an adults-only retreat that has an infinity pool and elevated dining experiences.

The fifth portal will be the Retail Portal. It will be an authentic Bahamian shopping experience with local retailers and Duty-Free stores.

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Carnival Cruise Line also has plans to expand the port even more in the future. Future expansion of Celebration Key includes a waterpark and zipline course.

Celebration Key is located on Grand Bahama Island and is being built specifically for Carnival cruise ships.

The cruise line stated that they will have even more details on this private port as it gets closer to opening.

Holland America Line, a premium cruise line from Carnival Corporation, has announced four epic new cruises including a roundtrip cruise to Europe from New York in 2025.

This epic cruise will depart from New York City on October 7, 2025 and return to New York 45 days later. The cruise will visit 20 ports in Europe including overnights in Rome, Istanbul, and Alexandria. The cruise will take place on Volendam and visit ports in Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Tunisia, U.K., and Egypt.

“Based on the popularity of our 2024 Ultimate Mediterranean cruise, it’s clear that guests are eager for more in-depth exploration of the region,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for Holland America Line. “Being able to offer this cruise roundtrip from New York City in 2025 creates a rare opportunity for people in North America to enjoy the Med and our award-winning service without a long flight.”

Other epic cruises announced by Holland America Line include a 28 day “Islands of the South Pacific” itinerary that will visit Fiji, Papua New Guinea, The Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand, and the Solomon Islands.

“The South Pacific is home to some of the most popular ports for cruisers. We worked to create an itinerary like no other in this region, with multiple calls to islands that are less traveled and a must-see for anyone looking to experience all that the region has to offer at an unhurried pace,” said Paul Grigsby, Holland America Line’s vice president for deployment and itinerary planning.

The other two new cruises added are a 27 day South Pacific Crossing Legendary Voyage aboard Noordam that departs October 12, 2025 and a 36 day South Pacific Crossing Legendary Voyage aboard the same ship that departs March 15, 2026.

The longer 36 day cruise will visit Tahiti, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu, and Hawaii.

The cruise line’s Legendary Voyages are longer cruises that range from 25 to 59 days in length that offer guests extended exploration opportunities.