Carnival Cruise Line is set to totally revamp Carnival Victory and give it new life and amazing new itineraries as Carnival Radiance.
Once the ship undergoes an overhaul in 2020, it will emerge to sail including 9- to 13-day European voyages, as well as Carnival's first trips to Cuba from New York and Norfolk, Virginia.
Carnival Radiance also will sail four- to nine-day voyages to the Caribbean and Canada/New England from New York and a winter season of cruising to the Caribbean and Cuba from Port Canaveral, Fla.
These are the details of Carnival Radiance's planned 2020 inaugural season:
Following a $200 million dry dock in Cadiz, Spain, for its refurbishment, Carnival Radiance is due to debut April 29, 2020, with a 10-day Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona followed by nine- and 12-day cruises visiting top destinations, including Italy, France, Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain. The ship will then embark on a 13-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York June 11 to June 24, positioning the cruise ship for its inaugural season in Manhattan.
Once in New York, Carnival Radiance will offer a series of four- and six-day Bermuda cruises, as well as a four-day cruise to Saint John, New Brunswick, eight-day eastern Caribbean voyages and the line's first Cuba cruises from New York -- nine-day sailings that include a full-day and overnight stay in Havana and two Bahamian ports of call. The New York season concludes with a series of Canada/New England voyages featuring stops in Boston, Portland, Saint John and Halifax.
The ship will also offer four five- to seven-day voyages from Norfolk in October and November 2020, including the line's first Cuba cruises from that port. The week-long Cuba cruises will feature an extended stop in the capital of Havana along with visits to two tropical Bahamian ports. There will also be a five-day Bahamas cruise and a six-day cruise visiting three of the country's most popular destinations, including the private island of Half Moon Cay.
Following the cruises from the Northeast, Carnival Radiance will reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., to operate a winter schedule of six- to eight-day voyages to the Caribbean and Cuba beginning November 8. The program includes six-day voyages featuring a day-long visit and overnight call in Havana and two Bahamian ports; a six-day sailing to Grand Turk, Amber Cove, the Dominican Republic and Nassau; and seven- and eight-day Caribbean voyages visiting some of the region's most popular and beautiful islands, including Aruba, Curacao, St. Kitts and Grand Turk.
As part of the transformation to Carnival Radiance from Carnival Victory, the ship will get a slew of staples now found on many other ships throughout the fleet. This means Carnival Radiance will get new restaurants: Pizzeria del Capitano, Seafood Shack, Guy's Pig and Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, Cucina Del Capitano, Bonsai Sushi, The Chef's Table and Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse.
It also adds lounges and bars: RedFrog Pub, Piano Bar 88, Limelight Lounge and Liquid Lounge. Other new features: Cloud 9 Spa, SportSquare with a ropes course, and additions to the WaterWorks water park, which adds the 203-foot-long AquaTunnel water slide.
Thanks for reading,
JR