The Venice Class, in one read
Carnival calls it Fun Italian Style: two ships — Carnival Venezia (transferred 2023) and Carnival Firenze (transferred 2024) — that Carnival didn't build, but inherited. Both started life as Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze, purpose-built for a Chinese-market push that COVID cancelled outright. When Costa's Asia strategy collapsed, Carnival Corporation moved both ships to the Carnival brand, kept their original Italian design and dining, and bolted on the standard Carnival additions. The result is the most visually distinct class in the fleet — and, per the reviews below, also the most divisive.
Fit scores, not review scores — these measure who the ship suits, not how good it is.
Couples and travelers who want a genuinely different look and feel — real marble, Italian piazza-style atriums, and two Italian dining concepts — without leaving the Carnival brand or its price point.
You want the classic, familiar Fun Ship look and feel; these ships lean Italian by design, and some longtime Carnival cruisers find the mismatch jarring rather than charming.
Why this class exists
This is Carnival's only class built entirely for someone else first.
Built for a market that vanished
Costa Venezia (2019) and Costa Firenze (2021) were purpose-built for Costa's push into China — the first Costa ship designed specifically for the Chinese market. COVID shut Asia cruising down before either ship could really operate there, and China's cruise market never recovered.
Redirected, not retired
Rather than sell them off, Carnival Corporation reorganized Costa's fleet and moved three ships to the Carnival Cruise Line brand — Costa Luminosa (to Carnival Luminosa, sailing Australia) and these two. Carnival's own sales leadership has said publicly that strong Carnival demand, not a design decision, is why these ships ended up here.
Transferred, refitted, rebranded
Venezia changed hands in Cádiz, March 2023; Firenze followed in February 2024. Each got a roughly two-month refit before entering Carnival service as "Fun Italian Style" — new livery, standard Carnival venues added, but the Italian design left intact.
One visible tell: the funnel
Both ships still carry a Costa-style yellow-and-black funnel, faintly marked with the Costa logo, under otherwise Carnival branding. If you know what to look for, it's the giveaway that these two didn't start life as Carnival ships.
Zone explorer
The two Italian-themed cities are what's unique to each ship. Everything else — the standard Carnival additions — came aboard during the transfer refit. Tap a zone to see what's in it and which ship (or ships) have it.
The two ships, and the one reason to pick each
Close sisters, not identical twins — different shipyards, different city themes, and (for now) different coasts. Tap between them.
Full ship guides: Carnival Venezia · Carnival Firenze.
Which Venice Class ship fits you?
Four quick questions. With only two ships and a shared design language, the honest answer usually comes down to theme, dining room, and which coast you're sailing from.
Food: two Italian concepts, plus the standard Carnival lineup
This is the class's real point of difference — Italian heritage dining layered onto Carnival's usual free-food core.
Italian & included
Tomodoro (a free Mexican-Italian fusion taco and burrito bar) and Pizzeria del Capitano are aboard both ships at no charge — a genuinely different free-dining option than you'll find on any other Carnival class.
Italian & specialty (for a fee)
Il Viaggio is the class's signature splurge — a four-course Italian regional tasting menu, on both ships. Firenze adds Captain's Pasta Bar, a build-your-own-pasta concept not found on Venezia.
Standard Carnival, bolted on
Both ships carry the usual Carnival lineup too: Guy's Burger Joint, Lido Marketplace, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Bonsai Sushi & Teppanyaki, the Chef's Table, and (on Venezia specifically) a consolidated Rococo Bar that combines what's normally two separate Carnival bars into one venue.
Each ship's main dining rooms carry different names that match its city theme — Canal Grande and Marco Polo on Venezia, Michelangelo and Medici on Firenze. Same concept (one flexible, one traditional), different names. Some third-party "ship comparison" sites list conflicting claims about which bars are exclusive to which ship — we've kept this guide to what Carnival and Cruise Critic both confirm.
Where they sail — and what's changing
This is the most fluid deployment picture of any Carnival class, so treat it as a snapshot rather than a fixed schedule. As of mid-2026, Carnival Venezia splits her year between Port Canaveral (winter and spring, 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean and Bahamas runs) and New York (summer, sailing to Canada, the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda). Carnival Firenze sails 3- to 7-night Mexican Riviera and Baja itineraries from Long Beach, California.
Carnival has already announced a swap: Firenze is set to leave the West Coast for good, repositioning through the Panama Canal in early 2027 before taking over Venezia's New York homeport that summer, while Venezia shifts elsewhere on the East Coast. If you're booking more than a few months out, confirm the specific ship and homeport for your sail date directly with Carnival before you commit — this pairing changes hands more than any other class in the fleet.
How the Venice Class is actually received
We'll give you both sides, because this is the one Carnival class where reviewers genuinely disagree about whether the concept works. Carnival Venezia won Cruise Critic's 2023 "Best Ship Refurbishment" editors' pick — a slightly odd category name, since Venezia wasn't refurbished so much as reflagged, but it's a real, citable award for a ship reviewers clearly liked.
The recurring criticism is the style mismatch itself. Cruise Critic's own editorial coverage notes the Italian theming is so dominant that guests "might be confused as to what cruise line they're sailing" — and at least one aggregated fan-blog ranking of the Carnival fleet places both ships near the bottom (25th and 26th of 29), explicitly citing that clash of styles as the reason. Treat that ranking as one outlet's opinion, not an official Cruise Critic score — but it echoes a real sentiment in member reviews.
Two more specific, verifiable complaints: the main pool deck's retractable roof, inherited from the ships' original Chinese-market design, limits open sunbathing space more than most Carnival ships; and neither ship offers a dedicated solo cabin category. Reviewers also flag inconsistent bar and dining service at peak times. None of this makes these bad ships — Cruise Critic's own award says otherwise — but if the mismatch between "Carnival energy" and "Italian design" doesn't appeal to you specifically, you'll likely notice it.
Book Venice Class
For a genuinely different design and two Italian dining concepts you won't find anywhere else in the fleet, at a standard Carnival fare and standard Carnival crowd.
Book classic Carnival
If the familiar Fun Ship look matters to you, or you want zero chance of a style mismatch — Vista or Dream class deliver the standard look at a similar price.
Ask Seabound about the Venice Class
Tell us about your trip.
Coast, group size, kids' ages, budget and length — and we'll tell you honestly whether Venezia, Firenze, or a classic Carnival ship fits you best.
Instant answers from our guides · always verified against current Carnival information before you book.
Quick answers
What is Carnival's Venice Class?
It's the two ships Carnival calls 'Fun Italian Style' — Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze. Both were built for Costa Cruises (Carnival Corporation's Italian brand) for a Chinese-market push that COVID derailed, then transferred to the Carnival Cruise Line brand in 2023 and 2024 with Italian design and dining kept intact.
Are Carnival Venezia and Firenze identical sister ships?
They're close sisters, not identical twins. Both came from Fincantieri (built at different Italian yards) and share the same size and Italian-heritage dining concepts, but each has its own city theme — Venezia is Venice-themed with a gondola under a replica Rialto Bridge in its main dining room; Firenze is Florence-themed, with dining rooms named Michelangelo and Medici.
Where do Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze sail from?
As of mid-2026, Venezia splits her year between Port Canaveral and New York, and Firenze sails from Long Beach, California. Carnival has announced plans to swap these roles by 2027, moving Firenze to New York and shifting Venezia elsewhere — deployment on these two ships is unusually fluid, so confirm your specific sailing's homeport before booking.
Do Venezia and Firenze still feel like Costa ships?
Visually, yes, more than any other Carnival ship — both keep a Costa-style funnel, and the marble, gilding and Italian piazza-style atriums are original Costa design. But the standard Carnival additions are all aboard too: Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, WaterWorks, Cloud 9 Spa, the casino and Camp Ocean, bolted on during each ship's transfer refit.
Should I book Venice Class instead of a regular Carnival ship?
Book it for the atmosphere — this is the most distinct design in the Carnival fleet, with two Italian dining concepts you won't find fleet-wide. Don't expect a fundamentally different (quieter or more upscale) cruise experience underneath the theming: it's the standard Carnival product and crowd, dressed in marble and gondolas.