The first of three ships being transferred from Costa Cruises to sister brand Carnival Cruise Line has docked in Brisbane ahead of a debut season of Australia sailings.
Carnival Luminosa will be joined by Carnival Venezia next spring sailing year-round from New York City and Carnival Firenze in 2024 from Long Beach in California.
Two new Excel-class ships are also joining the fleet, with Carnival Celebration due into Southampton on Sunday (November 6) for a UK trade preview before repositioning to enter service from Miami later in the month.
Carnival Jubilee will then join the fleet, sailing from Galveston in Texas next year.
Carnival Luminosa joined the fleet on September 8 for almost two months of enhancements.
The revamped ship, part of a new ‘Carnival Fun, Italian Style’ concept, will start sailing from Brisbane on November 6, operating 28 cruises until April 13, 2023, before repositioning to Seattle for a summer season in Alaska and returning to Queensland later in the year.
The new Brisbane departures will support Carnival Australia’s projected $165 million contribution to the Queensland economy this year.
The line’s president t Christine Duffy said: “Carnival Luminosa is a testament to our ongoing commitment to Australia, and the start of a period of growth unlike any other in Carnival’s 50-year history.
“Having a Brisbane-based ship has been a goal of ours for quite some time, so we are so happy that they are the first market globally to experience the big, bright, fun that this ship has to offer and so excited to give our guests more Carnival ships and itinerary options to sail over the next two years.”