This week, a giant cruise ship outfitted to emulate Italy’s splendor, anchored in the Hudson River—its new homeport for the next few years.
Docked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, the ship, Carnival Venezia the newest Carnival Cruise line, has a Venice-inspired atrium “Piazza San Marco;” restaurants, Marco Polo and Canal Grande Restaurants, La Strada Grill and its Italian street food, Tomodoro (Mexican-Italian), Guy’s Burger Joint and Il Viaggio; venues Teatro Rosso and the Gondola Lounge; and Terrazza staterooms and private terrace decks.
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Additionally, the cruiser will have Bonsai Teppanyaki and Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Piano Bar 88 and Serenity Bar, as well as Cloud 9 Spa and the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat. Kids can enjoy Camp Ocean, Circle “C” and Club O2, while everyone can have fun at WaterWorks and SportSquare, featuring a ropes course, jogging track, mini golf and outdoor fitness center.
It can accommodate over 4,000 people.
The ship’s first cruise from New York was a four-day cruise to Bermuda that launched yesterday. This summer, the ship will alternate between sailing four-, five- six- and eight-day sailings to the Caribbean, Bermuda and ports in Canada and New England, including Saint John’s and Halifax.
It will have a total of 10 different cruise trips with 22 unique itineraries featuring visits to 25 ports across 14 countries, according to its website.
Beyond the summer season, the ship will begin a new series on September 29, 2023, that will alternate between eight- to 12-day cruises to the Eastern Caribbean, Southern Caribbean and The Bahamas, with stops in Saint Thomas, San Juan and Aruba, along with four of Carnival’s private destinations: Half Moon Cay, Princess Cays, Amber Cove and Grand Turk.
In the winter of 2024, Carnival Venezia will cast off for a 12-day Southern Caribbean Carnival Journeys Cruise that will end in Port Canaveral. After a series of departures from there, the ship will return to New York in the spring of 2025.
On Wednesday, comedian Jay Leno actually helped christen the ship by pulling the ribbon on a massive bottle of Aperol, according to Travel Weekly. Apparently, Leno is of Italian descent and was named the boat’s “godfather…”
Leno’s grandfather immigrated from Italy through Ellis Island in 1886. “I think he would get a big kick out of seeing my name on the ship,” he said at the ceremony. Carnival celebrated Leno’s participation by making a large bottle of “Lenocello.”
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