Carnival Venezia
Carnival Venezia: A fun ship with flourishes of Venice
Snapshot
The 4,090-passenger Carnival Venezia debuted for Carnival in 2023 with a generous dose of Italian flair. The ship, which launched under the Costa Cruises banner in 2019, is a heady blend of signature Carnival ship attractions plus a dollop of Italiana meant to evoke the experience of visiting the ship's namesake, Venice.
The ship sails out of New York with a wide variety of itineraries to Bermuda and the Caribbean, followed by Caribbean wanderings after it relocates to Florida in early 2025.
Throughout the ship, you'll find nods to Marco Polo, gondola-laden lagoons, Roman columns and a bustling Venice Carnival. All in all, it's great fun, especially for those enticed by Italian culture and cuisine.
Who sails on Carnival Venezia
For now (until it heads to Florida in January 2025), passengers are largely families and couples from the New York tri-state area.
Where Carnival Venezia sails
Home port: New York
Itineraries: Carnival Venezia offers a number of options for your getaway, such as a 4-night jaunt to Bermuda, a 9-night trip to the Bahamas (including Half Moon Cay), an 8-night Eastern Caribbean sailing (Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, Bahamas), and longer 10- and 11-night itineraries.
Dining
The ship has a total of 13 restaurants. You'll find a wide variety of cuisine, from the chef-artisans of Bonsai Teppanyaki and sushi delicacies of Bonsai Sushi to upscale dining on lobster and seafood.
Dining venues at no additional cost include:
Lido Marketplace: The ship’s buffet area offers hot and cold buffet and specialty stations. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Canal Grande: One of two main restaurants, it serves three courses in a Venetian-inspired setting, complete with a gondola in the water. Open for dinner.
Marco Polo: The other main dining venue serves Italian and international fare in multiple courses. Open for dinner.
Il Tomodoro: The eatery, new to Carnival introduces Italian-Mexican fusion cuisine. Think tacos with an Italian twist.
Guy's Burger Joint: This Carnival favorite offers some Italian twists, including a pizza burger.
Venezia: A casual eatery, it features menu items like a burger with toppings including fresh mozzarella, diced tomato, balsamic and fried basil.
La Strada Grill: Head here for Italian street food and sandwiches.
Carnival Deli: The place to go for quick sandwiches.
Pizzeria del Capitano: Head here for hand-tossed, authentic Italian-style, thin-crusted pies made in a traditional pizza oven. Open around the clock.
Swirls: Want a cool treat? Swirls will satisfy with a fast ice cream fix.
Specialty restaurants
These dining venues charge an additional fee — but are usually worth it:
Il Viaggio: New to Carnival, this Italian restaurant features three-course, high-end meals with a focus on regional Italian cuisine. Items you can expect to see on the menu include antipasti options such as house-made burrata served with Genovese pesto and heirloom tomatoes; entrees like pappardelle al cinghiale from Tuscany; and tiramisu and Sicilian ricotta cannoli for dessert. The restaurant also features an open kitchen, where you can watch the Italian executive chef at work.
Bonsai Teppanyaki: This classic teppanyaki venue features a wide-ranging menu with authentic delicacies from the Far East prepared by chefs on custom-built stations.
Bonsai Sushi: The place to come for affordable sushi creations along with sashimi, rolls and soups
Seafood Shack: A New England-style seafood restaurant featuring a variety of seafood (steamed or fried) and soup of the day
Fahrenheit 555: This high-end Carnival favorite features steaks, surf & turf, lamb, shrimp and chicken.
Chef's Table: A classic Carnival dining experience, it’s limited to a handful of passengers.
Bars & lounges
You'll find plenty of bars and cocktail lounges to choose from, including:
Amari: This new take on the classic Carnival Alchemy bar also focuses on mixology and experimenting with inventive alcoholic concoctions derived from Italian liqueurs and bitters.
Atrium Bar: On deck 3 in the middle of the action you'll find live music in the afternoons and dancing at night.
Frizzante: Here's where to go for a hit of Prosecco or other bubblies.
Gondola Lounge: Lift a glass to gondoliers everywhere.
Rococo: A friendly bar where the focus is on frozen drinks
Pergola Bar: The bar overlooks the main swimming pool on deck 11.
Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge: One of our favorites, Heroes's decor is a slice of Americana. It's a place to grab a drink and recognize our armed services personnel and their families.
Piano Bar 88: In the mood for live music? Request a favorite tune and see if you can stump the pianist.
Carnevale: This bar and lounge offers a lively atmosphere evocative of Carnival festivities; it's restricted to guests in Terrazza Carnevale staterooms.
Entertainment & activities
During the day, guests hang out at various venues around the ship. The triple-deck atrium, which evokes Venice's Piazza San Marco, is especially popular for people watching. For the sports-minded, you have a choice of a running track, pickleball and basketball court, ropes course, waterpark, mini-golf and fitness center. (There's even a bocce ball court.) At WaterWorks, you'll find a twister waterslide, Gondola Glide waterslide and AquaTunnel. Plus, you'll want to make time for the various pools on deck.
At night, you can catch performances in the large theater, head to a comedy club or relax and listen to live music at one of the lounges on board. If you're a fan of stage shows, Playlist Productions offers some of Carnival’s best entertainment, including musical revues, Broadway-style shows, a musical set during Prohibition featuring pop tunes and a rock tribute concert at the Teatro Rosso.
For children
The ship is family-friendly and has lots of options for the kids. Camp Ocean is staffed for children ages 2 to 11; Circle C for tweens and preteens; and Club O2 for the older teens. Games include miniature golf, table tennis, a Playstation area, the Rope Garden Adventure Park, pool time, dances and tournaments.
The only change from other Carnival ships? Venezia’s kids programming includes Italian-inspired activities and events.
Staterooms
Cabins on Carnival Venezia are modern and comfortable with Italian stylings. There are more than 2,000 staterooms and suites on the ship. They are broken down into the following categories:
- 44 Accessible Staterooms
- 20 Ocean Suites
- 36 Terrazza Balcony Staterooms
- 920 Balcony Staterooms
- 27 Terrazza Ocean View Staterooms
- 246 Ocean View Staterooms
- 14 Terrazza Interior Staterooms
- 782 Interior Staterooms
Balcony staterooms are nearly identical to Ocean View cabins but they have bigger windows, more natural light and more floor space. Terrazza cabins, a new category for those 21 and above, feature a private outdoor area and allow for a more private atmosphere as well as exclusive access to the Terrazza Carnevale venue.
Suite guests get access to Terrazza Carnevale as well as a terrace, two whirlpools and a bar. Guests get specialty amenities and VIP perks, including complimentary continental breakfast, brunch on sea days, complimentary drinks and access to exclusive events.
Fun facts
- Carnival Venezia originally launched in 2019 for Costa Cruises as Costa Venezia and was remade and launched as a Carnival ship in June 2023. The ship still boasts its original yellow-and-blue Costa funnel rather than a Carnival "whale tail."
- A second former Costa ship, Carnival Firenze, will also begin sailing for the line in 2024.
Interested in a cruise on this ship?
For pricing, itinerary information and to reserve your spot on Carnival Venezia, contact a Cruiseable travel consultant by email or by calling 1-877-322-3773.