In a traditional maritime handover ceremony held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, Carnival Cruise Line has officially taken delivery of the new 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon, the 26th ship in its fleet.
The 3,954-passenger ship will reposition to Barcelona where it will depart April 2nd on an inaugural 13-day voyage – the first of four sailings from the European port.
The ship will then operate a trans-Atlantic crossing before arriving in New York on May 23rd for a pier-side overnight gala and naming ceremony featuring the ship’s godmother, Grammy award-winning musical artist and acclaimed actress Queen Latifah.
Following a summer schedule of four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean sailings from New York, Carnival Horizon will move to Miami for a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning September 22nd.
The second in the line’s highly successful Vista-class, Carnival Horizon offers fun innovations like the bike-ride-in-the-sky aerial attraction SkyRide, an IMAX Theatre, the Havana section with tropics-inspired staterooms and its own pool, and Family Harbour featuring extra-roomy accommodations and the Family Harbour Lounge.
As its name implies, Carnival Horizon also includes food and beverage outlets offering amazing views with both indoor and al fresco seating options at venues such as Bonsai Sushi, Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse and Library Bar.
“Carnival Horizon is an absolutely stunning ship offering so many ways to ‘Choose Fun’ both inside and out,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“In addition to the many exciting innovations previously introduced on Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon offers some new one-of-a-kind features and attractions that make this ship truly special allowing our guests to create a lifetime of wonderful holiday memories.”