Actor Jonathan Bennett was honored with the title of honorary Italian during the ceremony at Long Beach/LA California on Wednesday evening, April 24th, where he fulfilled his godfatherly duty by naming the Carnival Firenze.
Carnival Firenze completes the lineup of 'Carnival Fun Italian Style' ships, formerly a Costa vessel.
Carnival Cruise Line's President Christine Duffy, assisted by a third engineer from Tuscany, presented Bennett with various Italian gifts, including a football jacket, espresso beans, bottles of chianti and Aperol, a Gucci scarf and bag, a large wheel of Parmesan, and holy water from Rome.
Accompanied by Captain Crescenzo Palomba, Bennett poured Champagne on the ship's bell following the godfather's blessing, symbolizing the ship's christening. The event concluded with a toast and confetti.
The evening began with crew members from other Fun Ships welcoming Carnival Firenze as the 27th addition to the fleet. Carnival brand ambassador John Heald and Cruise Director Joey Boyes performed a humorous song in honor of the ship's name change.
Against a backdrop reminiscent of the Colosseum, singers in rich purple gowns performed 'Nessun Dorma' accompanied by violins.
Duffy expressed gratitude to officials from various regions, CCL executives, and travel partners. She also praised the refurbishment team for converting Costa Firenze into Carnival Firenze and acknowledged the ship's senior officers and 1400 crew members.
CCL has been operating from the West Coast since 1979, with Long Beach serving as a homeport since 2002. Duffy noted that the line carries more California guests than any other and announced 200+ sailings for 2025 on 3 ships, accommodating 750,000+ passengers.
The inauguration of Carnival Firenze concludes an 18-month period of significant capacity growth, including the introduction of 5 Fun Ships: Carnival Luminosa, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Venezia, and Carnival Jubilee.
Looking ahead, Carnival plans to introduce 2 additional Excel-class newbuilds in 2027 and 2028.