Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line took delivery of its newest and largest ship, the 133,500-ton Carnival Vista at a handover ceremony held at the Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in Italy on April 28.
Capable of carrying 6,400 people, including the staff, the new cruise ship will reposition to Trieste, Italy, where it will depart on its maiden voyage on May 1, kicking off a summer schedule in Europe that runs through October 2016.
Following a 13-day trans-Atlantic crossing, the 323 meters long Carnival Vista will operate a pair of 11-day cruises from New York in November 2016, and later that month it will launch a year-round Caribbean service from Miami.
“Carnival Vista is a spectacular addition to our fleet and we can’t wait for our guests to experience all of the ship’s exciting new features,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
The Panama-flagged Carnival Vista is one of four new cruise ships to be delivered to Carnival Corporation & plc’s four global cruise brands during 2016.
Two of these, ms Koningsdam and AIDAprima , already joined their owners Holland America Line and AIDA Cruises in March.
The final vessel from the batch, the 40,350-gross ton Seabourn Encore, is scheduled for delivery to Seabourn in December 2016.