A Multi-Cultural Carnival

(To the tune of Dean Martin’s famed Italian song “That’s Amore”):

Watch the stars in the sky as you stroll the Lanai — on Firenze.

You can drink lots of wine and get lost on Deck Nine — on Firenze.

There is so much to eat; try Nonna’s bowls of meat — on Firenze.

So, now come take a trip on this beautiful ship — on Firenze!

Those were just some of the playfully parodied lyrics sung by the Carnival Firenze cruise director — as first introduced by Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald — when I sailed on the new ship’s maiden voyage. And they perfectly set the international scene as the red, white, and blue met the red, white, and green, as it were.

Of course, you may be wondering just how a Carnival ship, still sporting a corporate-cousin Costa Cruises funnel, got to this point — because it’s quite an interesting story, one where American, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican cultures all happen to meet.

An Italian Origin

Prior to the pandemic, Costa had the fresh, 2019-built Costa Venezia and 2020-built Costa Firenze ready to go. They were meant to bring Italian-style cruising to the Chinese market, but both were redeployed to the Mediterranean. Following the global crisis and the scrapping of several older Carnival ships, it was deemed prudent to add capacity back to the “Fun Ship” brand with newer, already-available hardware, so these ships later became the New York-based Carnival Venezia and now Los Angeles-based Carnival Firenze.

Venezia first sailed under its new livery in 2023, and the only lightly used Firenze was rechristened in 2024 to navigate the Mexican Riviera from its year-round California homeport. As a Vista-class vessel, she most closely resembles her sister ship Carnival Panorama, also sailing from the port of Long Beach, but she sports many differences as well.

Ship With a Difference

Firenze is missing Carnival’s signature “whale tail” funnel, maintaining its original Costa “C” stack, but her hull design displays the line’s usual blue flourish, this time with a matching yellow stripe. The Carnival logo further adorns the aft sides while “Fun Italian Style” is inscribed to follow each.

As curb appeal — or rather pier appeal — goes, it’s a bit of a branding hodgepodge, but in the end, it works.

In fact, private accommodations and several public spaces are actually elevated by Carnival standards. Balcony staterooms, for instance, share a common footprint with other Vista-class ships, but on Firenze, dark, natural wood paneling is classier, framing Italian photography at headboards. And pedestal lavs and cultured marble counters and shelving give bathrooms a glow-up.

Replacing the Havana ship-within-a-ship concept found on other vessels in the series are Terrazza (“terrace” in Italian) staterooms and suites, where guests get exclusive access to the Terrazza Moda sun deck overlooking the stern with lots of loungers, a pair of inviting whirlpools, and dedicated bar.

Firenze is named after Florence, and its Piazza Del Duomo atrium architecturally channels the Italian city with a golden lion statue perched on a central pillar. If anything, the flashier aesthetic is a partial return to the style of Carnival’s former interior designer Joe Farcus and his.… 

By  Jason Leppert

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