Carnival Cruise Line took delivery of its newest and largest ship, Carnival Vista, yesterday ahead of its debut summer in the Mediterranean.
The 3,954-passenger vessel is to reposition from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy to Trieste, where it will depart on its maiden voyage on Sunday (May 1).
The vessel will sail in Europe until October when it will run a 13-day transatlantic crossing before running two 11-day cruises from New York in November.
Carnival Vista, which features a SkyRide suspended cycling circuit and the first IMAX Theatre at sea and 455ft-long water slide, will then re-position to operate year-round Caribbean cruises from Miami later that month.
An as-yet-unnamed 133,500-ton sister ship is under construction and due to enter service in 2018.
Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said: “Carnival Vista is a spectacular addition to our fleet and we can’t wait for our guests to experience all of the ship’s exciting new features.
“Carnival Vista will provide our guests an opportunity to create a lifetime of wonderful vacation memories while offering our valued travel agent partners another exciting vacation option to market to their clients.”