Carnival Venezia is the latest ship to join Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet, sailing her first cruise under Carnival in June. Carnival Cruise Line invited me to sail on the inaugural sailing from New York City to experience everything that the cruise ship offers.
After sailing four fun filled days on the ship, here are 10 reasons why you should take a cruise on Carnival Venezia.
Ship
Carnival Venezia is one of, if not my favorite ship I’ve ever sailed on. I had previously taken a cruise on the ship last summer when the vessel was with sister cruise line, Costa Cruises. I love the Italian theming throughout the ship and it’s very different than the typical Carnival Funship.
Carnival Venezia is a Vista class ship so anyone who’s sailed on Carnival Vista, Horizon, or Panorama will already know the layout.
The cruise ship has a nice upscale feel since the it was originally built to sail in the premium China market.
Itineraries
Carnival Venezia is offering the widest variety of itineraries of any Carnival cruise ships. In fact, there are over 20 different options to choose from.
Our cruise was a four night sailing to Bermuda but the ship will also sail to the Caribbean, Bahamas, New England, and Canada from New York City. There’s an itinerary for everyone on Carnival Venezia. View Top Itineraries on Carnival Venezia
Cabins
Just like the rest of the ship, the staterooms on Carnival Venezia have an upscale feeling to them. The showers have a glass door instead of a curtain, something that only two other Carnival ships have (Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration).
The cabins are comfortable, clean, and have little touches that set them apart from normal Carnival staterooms. There was a nice photo of Venice on the wall and the drapes had rope holdbacks that added a touch of luxury. While many of these things are little, they provided for a much more upscale experience.
Indoor/Outdoor Pool
This is one feature that I really wish every single cruise ship had. The main pool has a retractable roof so it can be used 100% of the time.
It rained most of the day when we were in Bermuda so they closed the roof so this area could still be used. This really helps spread out passengers on the ship on days that it rains, or when the weather is colder.
Il Viaggio
Carnival Venezia has a brand new specialty restaurant concept called Il Viaggio. I had the opportunity to eat at this new Italian eatery and it is so much better than Cucina del Capitano that is available on other Carnival cruise ships.
The food was great and the portion sizes are big so come hungry.
Sails from New York City
Carnival Venezia will spend the next 17 months homeporting in New York City. This gives everyone living in the Northeast a convenient ship to hop on without needing to purchase flights or driving 20 hours to Florida.
Best Sailaway Views
Since the ship leaves from the west side of midtown Manhattan, you get the best sailaway views out of any U.S. port. While you sail down the Hudson, you have the iconic skyline of New York City on one side and the Statue of Liberty on other. There’s nothing else like it.
That sailaway feeling on @CarnivalCruise Venezia. pic.twitter.com/xnz7W6k4E9
— Cruise Fever (@CruiseFever) June 15, 2023
Main Dining Room
The Grand Canal Restaurant is for those who have My Time Dining. This is also where anyone can have breakfast and lunch (no lunch here on port days).
The restaurant is themed after the Grand Canal in Venice and has one of only 500 Venice gondolas in the center.
View Prices on Cruises on Carnival Venezia
Great Themed Areas
As I stated earlier, the entire ship is themed after the City of Venice. This creates unique spots on the ship that are unlike anything else you’ll experience at sea. The photo below is an area just off the of the main indoor/outdoor pool.
We love this area on the Lido Deck on Carnival Venezia. pic.twitter.com/1y3RaqwGVk
— Cruise Fever (@CruiseFever) June 18, 2023
There were also these awesome balconies overlooking the mail pool deck.
Unique Eateries
Carnival Cruise Line took Blue Iguana and turned it into Tomodoro on Carnival Venezia. Tomodoro is a Mexican/Italian eatery that has everything from Italian meatballs to Mexican tacos and burritos. It was open for breakfast and lunch and is complimentary.
Guy’s Burger Joint also has some Italian additions that aren’t available on other Carnival ships.
Tips
If you have a cruise booked on Carnival Venezia, here are a few tips that I learned that will hopefully help you have a better cruise.
The main coffee shop (Java Blue Cafe) is located at the main pool and often had a very long line, especially in the morning. Since this is an Italian ship, all bars have espresso machines so you can get a coffee at any one of them, not just the coffee shop. Anytime I wanted a latte or cappuccino, I went to one of these bars so I didn’t have to wait in line.
The WiFi on the ship was excellent (for a cruise ship) on our sailing. I purchased the top package and had 41 Mbps download and 8.7 Mbps upload while at sea on one of our sea days.
One side of the casino is non-smoking while the other half you’re allowed to smoke in. However, smoke doesn’t respect that imaginary line down the center. There is another separate non-smoking casino that is located around the corner where Carnival Kitchen is located on sister ships.
Comedy shows were extremely popular on our sailing and if you wanted to go to one, you had to get in line early. This is something to consider if you enjoy going to these shows.
