Carnival Cruise Line continues its domination of the seas with its newest fleet for West Coast travelers, Carnival Firenze.

Introduced on Thursday, April 25, at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, the Carnival Firenze brings the vacation fun Italian style. The new ship accommodates 5,000 guests for a year-round adventure from the Port of Long Beach. 

Just in time for the bustling summer travel season and reflecting the growing popularity of cruise vacations, the Carnival Firenze integrates new technology with artificial intelligence for charting the optimal, energy-efficient routes for each journey. Amenities highlight the vessel’s Carnival Fun Italian Style with the specialty restaurant Il Viaggio, translating to “The Voyage” in Italian. The eatery aptly reflects its menu’s promise to take diners on a culinary journey through Italy’s diverse cuisine. 

Enhancing the Italian theme, special programming like Festa Italiana, a lively top-deck “street party,” adds to the onboard experience. Like sister Carnival Venezia, the ship features new concepts and experiences that put an Italian Style twist on Carnival staples for guests to enjoy.

“We carry more guests than any other cruise line from California, and now this ship is giving us the opportunity to offer more fun to more people sailing from Long Beach,”  Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said.

“The recipe combining this ship’s beautiful Italian theming with the familiarity of our friendly team’s hospitality is, in a word, perfecto!” 

The Carnival Firenze joins two other year-round Carnival ships, the Carnival Panorama, with a capacity of 5,100 passengers, and the nearly 4,000-passenger Carnival Radiance. Timed just before the bustling summer travel season and amidst the ongoing surge in cruise vacation demand, the launch of Carnival Firenze marks a significant expansion that has seen five new ships join the Carnival fleet in the past 18 months. It’s part of Carnival’s expansion plan to host over 750,000 guests from Long Beach on more than 200 sailings next year, marking a notable increase of 100,000 guests compared to 2019.

One week after its unveiling, the Carnival Firenze set sail on a seven-day cruise to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas. A range of itinerary lengths are offered, including three to seven days, guests can now book cruises to Baja Mexico, and the Mexican Riviera through the spring of 2026.