Italy and Mexico are separated by an ocean and a gulf, yet the 2 countries have many similarities. They each speak a Romance language, fly an analogous green-white-red national flag, and with regards to football – or soccer, because it's called in these birthplaces of pasta and tostadas – their mutual obsession is at its peak.
Leave it to California's leading cruise line to make the list of similarities between Italy and Mexico even longer – 1,061 feet to be exact. The longest and newest ship currently based in California, the 4,960-passenger Carnival Firenze brings “Italian-style fun” to the Pacific.
Offering three- to seven-day cruises from Long Beach to Mexico – with a stop at Catalina Island on shorter routes – Carnival Firenze is an exciting disruptor within the highly competitive Southern California cruise market. Firenze is different out of your usual “fun ship” inside and outside. Where is the characteristic whale tail funnel? Does the “C” on the stack stand for “Carnival”? Where is the red, white and blue livery (cruise ship jargon for the precise design and livery)?
As sure because the “C” doesn't stand for “Carnival,” when Firenze left Carnival's busy berth next to the Queen Mary on her maiden voyage in April with a capability of 86%, a brand new style of cruise to Mexico was ushered in.
“Italian-style fun.” That’s what Carnival Cruise Line (www.carnival.com) calls the mix of its characteristic fun with the Italian ambience that characterizes its sister brand Costa Cruises. Carnival's need for more guest capability coincided with Costa's unlucky timing – the pandemic impacted the early entry into service of two ships originally designed for the Chinese market. Completed in February 2019, Costa Venezia sailed from Shanghai for the Genoa-based cruise line until the pandemic caused an industry shutdown. In December 2020, the Costa Firenze was, so to talk, a ship and not using a land, stationed at sea not in Asia as planned, but in Europe and the Middle East.
Even in favorable weather conditions, the seas were definitely rough for these twin ships. To the rescue got here Carnival, which took over, refitted, renamed and repurposed the Vista-class ships, showing the industry – and potential vacationers – that whenever you get lemons from Costa, you make limoncello.
Not that the Venetian-veneered Venezia, the OG steward of “Fun, Italian Style,” and the Florence-adorned Firenze were poorly built when Carnival brought them over to the parent company's fun side; Quite the other, and imagine someone who has even seen Firenze's state-of-the-art, advanced wastewater treatment system. It's just that these ships got off to an undeservedly bad start and now live a stupendous life that sends sun seekers on adventures. Venezia is scheduled to sail from New York City or Port Canaveral (Orlando area) to the Caribbean and Bermuda in the following few years; Firenze will operate trips south of the border from Long Beach until at the very least May 2026.
Back to that limoncello. On the inaugural seven-day cruise from Firenze, the 20 guest and repair bars reportedly served around 2,700 glasses of the Italian-rooted spirit. The first adult cruise ships could have been motivated by the immersive Italian architecture that begins where the gangway ends – at the doorway to a three-deck, fall-in-at-first-sight atrium, modeled on Florence's magnificent most important public square. If the gorgeous Piazza del Duomo catches your eye like a giant pizza, then that's Amore.
Even more love and Italian style may be found on the Lido deck, inspired by the Italian Riviera. Ice carving, early morning stretching, and various carnival fun happen on one of the beautiful pool decks on any ship. On every Festa Italiana cruise, the place transforms right into a street party atmosphere. Watching the motion from a balcony may not put you at the middle of a game or audience-participation dance party, however the people-watching is superb and also you're on the identical platform because the delicious meatballs and sausages served at Il Mercato be served.
One level down is Guy's Burger Joint, which offers a killer pepperoni pizza burger with fried mozzarella, pepperoni marinara, melted provolone, aged parmesan and Guy Fieri's secret mayo topping called Donkey Sauce on the 2 Italian-accented Fun Ships . It's a winner, as are the frozen concoctions that help some at Rococo across the pool hold on. The $13 slushy pistachio, Bellini and margarita cocktails particularly fit the ship's theme and spicy itinerary.
Just steps away is Tomodoro, described by Carnival as a “Mexican fusion restaurant.” It's principally Carnival's popular BlueIguana Cantina, only higher, because the ingredients for the assembly-line burritos and tacos gave the impression to be of a better quality than usual. And Bravissimo to the Bambino menu: an Italian meatball hero and a Sicilian chicken wrap.
Three of the 4 specialty restaurants in Florence are familiar to previous Carnival guests; The teppanyaki, sushi and steakhouse venues stood out particularly well on a primary cruise, including the really friendly and well-trained staff. The only latest concept, Il Viaggio, offers a brand new twist on superb Italian cuisine by showcasing different culinary regions of Italy “one plate at a time.” For the extra charge of $42 per adult, there's an antipasto plate (try the spicy meatballs, skip the soggy and oily fritto misto); Zuppa or Insalate (the barley soup with smoked ham is great); a secondi (the meat fillet or the pappardelle with pork ragout are good starters) and a dolce to finish the meal (leave the tart, take the cannoli).
The Carnival WaterWorks park in Firenze is wetter and wilder than what was on the ship in its earlier Costa days. The multi-level slides are a lot fun and enjoyable. During the rebrand, Carnival added two hot tubs to the premium areas for Terrazza guests, matching what's offered within the exclusive (read: dearer) Havana district on most other Vista-class ships. Chlorine-free recreation features a ropes course, jogging track, cornhole, mini-golf course, basketball court and a well-equipped fitness center adjoining to a full-service spa.
Onboard entertainment and activities are diverse, with options for all ages and a few for specific age groups – from kid-friendly Dr. Seuss programs to adults-only late-night comedy shows to the wild R-rated Carnival Quest scavenger hunt . The grand Theatro Rosso hosts singing and dancing shows featuring music from the – shocking – last decade (there are only as many homages to Motown, the '60s and power ballads as you may handle).
Carnival's latest Fun Ship on the dock joins two others that provide year-round cruises from Long Beach to Mexico. The cruise line expects the greater than 200 sailings planned on the port next yr to draw a complete of greater than 750,000 passengers to Florence, including the 5,146-passenger Panorama and the three,873-seat Radiance. That's over 100,000 greater than in 2019, years before Florence and Venice were even a spark in the attention of Carnival.
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