It takes a village to launch a new cruise ship. Last week, 1,000 travel advisors, reporters, financiers and cruise-industry executives were joined by Jay Leno, Emeril Lagassi and Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy to welcome the new Carnival Venezia to its homeport at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
Italy is the number one destination for US travelers, year after year. There’s something about the food and the wine, the canals and the sea, the history and the drama that draws us in and offers an experience that’s both foreign and familiar. Add a few waves and a few million dollars in refurbishments, and you’ve got Carnival’s newest product: the beautiful Carnival Venezia. It sailed last week for the first time from New York, a top US destination and home to only slightly fewer Italians than live in Rome (almost three million in each).
At the launch party last week, set against the backdrop of the Verrazzano Bridge, travel advisors mingled and took selfies with Jay Leno, the ship’s godfather. While some on Facebook said they don’t sell mainstream value-oriented ships like Venezia, those onboard called Carnival a valued partner in their business—and its guests welcome clients who tend to return.
Laurie and Paul Bahna, for example, have spent the past year or so researching and traveling on Carnival ships, sailing Mardi Gras three times and Legend twice. “We have sold it, though not a lot, but we think ‘to go is to know.’ So we wanted to see for ourselves. The Carnival stereotype is out there, but we were so impressed with the staff. We were amazed at the comedy and entertainment, and thought the lunchtime menus with Shaq Chicken and Guy Fieri burgers were amazing for the price point,” Laurie told TRO. “The ship is beautiful, and with airfare being high, I think if someone gives Carnival a chance they will love it and come back again and again. I am going to promote Carnival a lot more now that we have two great ships coming out of New York.”
Fellow travel advisor John Ramos got the Bahnas hooked on Carnival “because he sells so much of it and he loves it,” she says.
One client whom she met onboard a Carnival ship has come back and booked four cabins to Alaska on Norwegian. “It’s about helping people make memories and finding their vacation that fits their budget. It’s about building relationships,” Bahna says.
Carnival this month announced that it is cracking down on the onboard partying that hurts its image with more upscale travelers, and improving its main dining room menus fleetwide. And travel advisors onboard Venezia agreed the ship has met its goal of taking the brand a step or two higher.
“It’s so upscale. I think it will change the image of Carnival,” said travel advisor Michael Duffy.
“This is the nicest Carnival ship I’ve ever seen,” said Cindy Ehrlich of Accelerated Performance Group.
“I’m excited. I have clients on this ship and they weren’t sure what to expect—but I think they will love it,” said Ellen Overcast of Dream Vacations in Kutztown, PA.
Even Jay Leno, taking the stage at the launch party, was impressed. As a guy who loves fast cars and engines of all kinds (and looks great following an accident that left him badly burned), he said “everyone should tour the engine room, it’s amazing. I was stunned by it. My grandfather came to America by ship in the 1880s, just a poor Italian kid. He’d be stunned to see his grandson here, on a ship like this, with all the different races mingling and everyone having fun. It’s wonderful.”
Carnival’s Duffy, meanwhile, noted that the ship entered service in Shanghai in 2019. When the Chinese market closed, “we decided this ship should move from one sister brand to the next, and we are introducing her here as our adopted daughter.” Venezia is one of five ships joining the fleet over a five-month period, along with Luminosa, also a Costa ship; Celebration, a second Excel-class ship; Jubilee, a third Excel class, expected to launch in December from Galveston; and Firenze, a sister to Venezia, sailing from Long Beach, CA, in May 2024.
Onboard, guests can find touches of Italian in the décor of the Piazza San Marco atrium, the street food at the La Strada Grill, the Mexican-Italian fusion at Tomodoro, the Italian-flavored burgers at Guy’s Burger joint, and the private terrace decks of the Terrazza staterooms. A new specialty restaurant for Carnival, Il Viaggio, will serve Italian cuisine.
Venezia holds 4,090 guests. It will sail four- to eight-day cruises to Bermuda, the Caribbean, New England and Canada from New York through the summer, then beginning September 29 will sail 8- to 12-day itineraries to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.