Fun Italian Style

[Tootie]

When will Galveston get a Fun Italian Style ship? It seems unfair to have them available on the east and west coasts but not the gulf coast.                                      Dateci una nave, per favore

Edited November 8, 2023 by Tootie
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[Kendall James-Vargas]

@TootieI hope Galveston does get a Fun Italian Style ship, and I do foresee this happening soon. Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze are the two Fun Italian Style ships as of late, and their Italian-style decor is over the top stunning! There is no way that Long Beach, Port Canaveral, and New York will be the only homeports for these beauties. Have you been on either of these ships before? 

https://www.cruisehive.com/additional-ship-joins-the-carnival-cruise-line-fleet/96896

[RoadTravelled]

@Kendall James-Vargas We were on the Venezia in September out of NYC.  She is an incredible ship — really feels like an upgraded experience to her sister Vista-class ships.  The interiors are beautiful with the use of lots of "wood" looks, marble-looking vanity tops in the bathrooms, glass shower doors, and great Venetian Carnival artwork throughout the ship.  We also really enjoyed the new Il Viagio specialty restaurant featuring Italian food from the various regions and cultures of Italy.  The MDR menu changes that featured Italian food mixed in with the standards was also a really welcome change.  All-in-all, I highly recommend.

[Tootie]

On 11/9/2023 at 1:13 PM, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@TootieI hope Galveston does get a Fun Italian Style ship, and I do foresee this happening soon. Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze are the two Fun Italian Style ships as of late, and their Italian-style decor is over the top stunning! There is no way that Long Beach, Port Canaveral, and New York will be the only homeports for these beauties. Have you been on either of these ships before? 

https://www.cruisehive.com/additional-ship-joins-the-carnival-cruise-line-fleet/96896

Sadly, no, I haven't had that experience yet. I eagerly await that opportunity and I hope you'll be aboard in your new position. We always enjoy your presence, You're the premiere host across the Carnival fleet!

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@RoadTravelled I haven't cruised out of NYC before. The whole process of flying into the city and shuttling to the port just seems too daunting due to the large amount of traffic. I usually opt for a more low-key/ familiar cruise port. How was your experience cruising out of NYC? Did you fly into the city? 

I love how you described the Venezia. It sounds so stunning. Even the bathrooms are lovely! Thanks for your recommendation. I will keep an eye out for upcoming itineraries that may be of interest to me. The Italian dining menu would be something worth cruising for!

@Tootie Thanks for the compliment! I would love to cruise onboard Carnival Venezia soon. If you had the choice, which ship would you cruise on first, Carnival Venezia or Carnival Firenze?

 

[RoadTravelled]

@Kendall James-Vargas  You are correct, it's a bit of a trick to get from LGA airport to the cruise terminal on the Hudson River.  That's just one reason we decided to arrive a couple of days earlier to make sure we didn't miss the ship.  We typically take a taxi from LGA (which is very easy and the new airport is quite impressive).  It's about $50 + tip to get to mid-Manhattan and is a fairly easy ride.  From mid-Manhattan it is not hard to catch either a taxi or ride-share to the terminal (Pier 88).  Yes, it's a bit more complicated that say us driving from Dallas to the Galveston port.  But, it's really not that bad and worth all of the effort to sail out of NYC harbor by the Statue of Liberty and the view of lower Manhattan!

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@RoadTravelled That's a great tip for someone's first time cruising out of NYC. It's a bright idea to fly in a day or two ahead of time to ensure you get onboard the ship with time to spare. I haven't flown into the new airport yet. When was it rebuilt? I flew into LGA about 10 years ago, and it didn't feel new to me then. From what I recall, the airport was hectic and chaotic then, but I did fly during the holidays. It's true, that the shuttling to and fro takes more effort, but it can be well worth it. The NYC harbor is a beauty. With enough planning and time to taxi, I believe cruising out of NYC could be doable for us. A whole other issue my family faces is shuffling all five of us together, including three car seats and three to four suitcases.

[RoadTravelled]

@Kendall James-Vargas Terminal B (where we fly into) was completed at the beginning of 2022.  It really is quite a well-designed and beautiful airport now — a far cry from the really bad predecessor.  Here's a link to more info including a video.

[euroguy]

@RoadTravelled I will be on the fun Italian ship Firenze in Sept out of Long Beach California. Ireally am looking forward to it. Ive seen a couple of youtube video walk throughs and it created more excitement.  The video showed multiple decks and different areas and my impression was it felt so much more refined than a standard carnival ship. Yes I'm going to same old stops which I've been to many times but I'm really excited to be going on one of the Italian fun ships. I will say I'm a little confused as to why CCL site isn't really saying what restaurants are on it and can't book any specialty dinning. I'm guessing it might have a quick refit before it arrives to the west coast.

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas i too have thought about NY as from California we do have direct flights which makes it nicer but I won't do that in February-April and october (my normal cruise dates) due to weather concerns. 

[RoadTravelled]

1 hour ago, euroguy said:

@RoadTravelled I will be on the fun Italian ship Firenze in Sept out of Long Beach California. Ireally am looking forward to it. Ive seen a couple of youtube video walk throughs and it created more excitement.  The video showed multiple decks and different areas and my impression was it felt so much more refined than a standard carnival ship. Yes I'm going to same old stops which I've been to many times but I'm really excited to be going on one of the Italian fun ships. I will say I'm a little confused as to why CCL site isn't really saying what restaurants are on it and can't book any specialty dinning. I'm guessing it might have a quick refit before it arrives to the west coast.

@euroguy You are correct.  John Heald mentioned the other day that the Firenze is still sailing under the Costa brand.  During the dry dock conversion to CCL it will be adding the Fun Italian Style features including the specialty dining, etc.  I would assume they would recreate the Il Viagio like on the Venezia.  But, I'm guessing until the plans are more finalized and confirmed more, they wouldn't open bookings yet.  It's still a long way out for you so you still have plenty of time.  😉

Interestingly enough, the official CCL deck plan looks identical to the Venezia, but note where the specialty restaurant Il Viagio is on the Venezia at deck 5 mid-ship, is labeled as "Fun to be Revealed" so maybe they will do something different there?  Stay tuned.

[euroguy]

@RoadTravelled that's good to know, glad I'm not going crazy. It looks like thwy have updated the deck plans.

Im really eclxcited for to be on the Firenze. Ive watched a few more videos and it really looks upscale.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Tootie Galveston would be the perfect homeport for a CCL Fun Italian-style ship! Since these ships are relatively "new" to the fleet, I anticipate many changes and moves over the course of the next couple of years. I also expect many itineraries to become more intricate and unique. It would be so fun to take a World Cruise on one of these ships. They are built for elongated itineraries in my opinion. The style and culture of the Fun Italian-style ships are made to stay and enjoy. Do you feel the same? 

@euroguy I'm excited about your Firenze itinerary too. It's going to be such a different experience than the traditional CCL ships you have cruised on. I'm pretty sure the Fun Italian-style ships have a different type of MDR menu as well. Have you heard the same? Is that true?