The 2022-renamed ship Carnival Luminosa officially arrived in Queensland Australia on October 30, marking the first vessel from CCL-Carnival Cruise Line's fleet to be homeported in Brisbane QLD.
Carnival Luminosa docked at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal with a “We Love Queensland” message. She will set sail on her first voyage on November 6 and operate a total of 28 sailings through April 13, 2023, calling at 60 ports of call across Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific, of which The Great Barrier Reef and Airlie Beach. The sailings will support Carnival Australia’s anticipated $165M contribution to the Queensland economy in 2022.
Including Luminosa, the cruise line is adding 5 new ships to its fleet over the next 2 years in a period of growth. Next in the lineup of additions is the delivery of 2 Excel-class ships - Carnival Celebration to PortMiami Florida in late November and Carnival Jubilee to Galveston TX in 2023.
As part of the growth plan, Carnival Cruise Line will introduce a new concept, “Carnival Fun Italian Style” with a couple of additional ships from sister brand Costa, starting with Carnival Venezia joining in the spring of 2023 and sailing year-round from New York and Carnival Firenze in 2024 operating from Los Angeles (Long Beach-San Pedro, California) and adding to the line’s strong presence on the West Coast.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line said that Carnival Luminosa was a testament to the company's ongoing commitment to Australia, and "the start of a period of growth unlike any other in Carnival's 50-year history.”
“Having a Brisbane-based ship has been a goal of ours for quite some time, so we are so happy that they are the first market globally to experience the big, bright, fun that this ship has to offer and so excited to give our guests more Carnival ships and itinerary options to sail over the next two years.”
Luminosa joined the fleet on September 8 and underwent refurbishments over the last 2 months including the addition of the brand’s signature red, white and blue hull livery along with guest favourites from other Carnival ships. After spending her time in Brisbane, Carnival Luminosa is scheduled to reposition for seasonal service from Seattle to Alaska in May 2023, before returning to Queensland.