After 11 nights aboard the Carnival Venezia, I can honestly say this was one of those cruises where I kept discovering little details that made the experience special.
From the Italian-inspired design—which I absolutely loved—to the location of our stateroom and those little things you only notice after spending several days on a ship, there were quite a few things we didn’t include in our video that I wanted to share here.
Cruise: Carnival Venezia
Nights: 11
Ports: Celebration Key (Bahamas), 2 sea days, Aruba, Curaçao, 1 sea day, St. Thomas (USVI), 3 sea days, New York City
And yes… this was one of those repositioning cruises, where you start in one city and finish somewhere completely different.
A Carnival Ship with an Italian Story
One of the things that makes the Carnival Venezia interesting is that it wasn’t originally a Carnival ship.
The ship was built in 2019 for Costa Cruises, another cruise line within Carnival Corporation, and was originally named Costa Venezia. It was designed with the Asian market in mind, but with a strong Italian theme throughout the ship—especially, of course, inspiration from Venice.
In 2023, the ship officially moved from Costa Cruises to Carnival Cruise Line and became the first ship in Carnival’s new “Fun Italian Style” concept. After renovations, it began sailing as the Carnival Venezia in May 2023.
And honestly, I think that history explains a lot about the ship’s personality.
Carnival added some of its own spaces, entertainment and restaurants, while keeping much of the Italian character. From Piazza San Marco to all the little details scattered throughout the ship, the Venezia really does feel different.
And I have to say… I thought the ship was beautiful.
Piazza San Marco: One of My Favorite Spots
I know I’ve already said this… but I’m going to say it again.
Piazza San Marco was probably one of my favorite places on the ship. I loved it from the moment we first walked in.
It’s inspired by Venice’s famous St. Mark’s Square and serves as one of the main gathering areas on the ship. But for me, it had another very important feature: coffee.
It was one of those places where I could walk by, grab a coffee and sit for a while. And yes, when you’re on an 11-night cruise, having a spot like that becomes pretty important! And of course, some delicious cocktail to enjoy the entertainment at the area.
An actual Gondola on a Cruise Ship?
I mean… it’s a ship inspired by Venice. What else would you expect?
Toward the end of the video included below, you’ll see several shots of the gondola inside the Canal Grande Restaurant.
The name refers to Venice’s famous Grand Canal, one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks and its main waterway.
And apparently, the bridge next to the gondola is supposed to be the Rialto Bridge. But honestly… I don’t know. Maybe that’s just a rumor because I didn’t see it officially labeled that way.
Either way, yes… you can be somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean and have dinner next to a Venetian gondola.
That’s definitely something you don’t experience on every cruise!
The Cigarette Smoke Question
This was actually one of the things I was most concerned about before the trip.
I had read quite a few comments about cigarette smoke around the casino. And while I completely understand that smoking in a casino isn’t unusual, I don’t smoke and I really dislike the smell, so I was a little worried about it.
The good news is that, at least during our cruise, we really didn’t have a problem with cigarette smoke outside the casino.
Even in nearby areas, I didn’t notice the smell people had mentioned in some of the reviews—and that was over 11 nights.
Of course, whenever I had to walk through the casino area, I tried to get through it quickly. But outside of that area, it wasn’t an issue for us.
There’s also a smaller casino area where smoking isn’t allowed, which can be a nice alternative for people who enjoy gambling but prefer a smoke-free environment.
As always, this is simply what we experienced during our sailing. Conditions can vary depending on the time, location and other factors.
Our Stateroom: 7273
After seven cruises—and getting ready for number eight as I’m writing this—I know how much the details of a stateroom can matter.
The location, the view, the amount of space, the outlets… and even whether there’s something blocking your balcony view can make a difference during a longer cruise.
Our stateroom was 7273, a balcony cabin located right next to the elevators and stairs. At first, we were a little nervous about that. We thought we might constantly hear people walking by, talking or using the elevators. Surprisingly, though, noise was never a problem for us.
And the location actually turned out to be very convenient. We were almost in the middle of the ship, so getting to different areas usually meant a much shorter walk instead of going from one end of the ship to the other every time.
The balcony itself also had a completely unobstructed view, which was something I really appreciated. We want to see the ocean! We thought it was perfect!
A Few Things We Noticed in the Cabin
One small issue was the outlet situation. One of the nightstands had a USB connection for charging a phone, but the other nightstand—which actually had a little more space—didn’t have an outlet.
And, of course, the nightstand with the USB was tiny and had almost no room between the window and the bed, so I basically had to slide myself to one side to get to it. Not a big deal, but just in case it is a big deal for you.
With the outlet, I always travel with a cruise-approved extension cord. And that’s important: make sure whatever you bring is actually allowed by your cruise line. In fact, I recently learned that Royal Caribbean has some stricter rules regarding extension cords, so I’ll have to tell you about that on my next cruise!
For me, it’s incredibly useful, especially when two people are traveling with phones, cameras, batteries and approximately 847 other things that need to be charged. Well… technically, my husband really only needs his phone. I’m the one who needs my phone, my Insta360 and sometimes another camera. Oh well 🙂 But it was a very easy fix!
Did the Cabin Get Too Hot?
We had also read that some staterooms could get a little warm, so we decided to come prepared with two small fans.
In the end, we didn’t have any problems sleeping because of the temperature, but the fans definitely came in handy. And they took up way less space in our luggage than we expected, which was another bonus.
My One Complaint: The Bed
And now we get to the one thing that, for me, was probably the biggest negative of the experience: the bed. I found it pretty firm.
Our cabin steward did everything he could to make it more comfortable and added a mattress pad. That made a big difference for my husband, and he was perfectly comfortable afterward. Me? I still thought it was a little too firm.
So this is definitely one of those things that comes down to personal preference. In my case, I also have some back issues, so I’m probably a little more particular when it comes to mattresses.
Other than that, though, we had no complaints about the stateroom. Everything worked well, and the location ended up being much better than we expected.
Our Cabin Steward
Speaking of our cabin steward, when we first met him, we asked if he could add the mattress pad, and we also let him know that we enjoy the little animal towel creations.
We gave him a good tip right then as a thank-you for helping us.
I know gratuities are often added to your cruise fare, but we always like to carry a little extra cash with us for situations like this—or simply when someone goes above and beyond during the trip.
Would We Sail on the Carnival Venezia Again?
Our first Carnival cruise, back in 2017, wasn’t exactly our favorite cruise experience. You can read a little more about that trip here.
So when we started seeing photos and videos of the Carnival Venezia, we decided to give Carnival another chance.
And honestly, we were pleasantly surprised.
During these 11 nights, we really enjoyed the ship, the food, the service and the overall experience. We also met some really nice people and had plenty of moments that I’m sure we’ll remember for a long time.
Was it perfect? Well… that bed definitely needed a little more love. But honestly, that was my only real complaint – which it’s all about personal preferences. Other than that, we had a wonderful time. The ship overall was great, and it has a very distinctive personality that you notice almost immediately when you walk into Piazza San Marco.
11 Nights from Florida to New York
Our journey started in Port Canaveral, Florida, and 11 nights later, we arrived in New York City.
Along the way, we visited Celebration Key, Aruba, Curaçao and St. Thomas, with several sea days in between.
And if you watched our video, you already know that arriving in Manhattan was one of my favorite moments of the entire trip.
I’ll be sharing more about each of those stops in upcoming posts and videos.
We’ve already explored Aruba and Curaçao, but this time we experienced them a little differently, so make sure to check out the new posts and videos to see what we did on this visit.
If you haven’t watched the full video yet, come aboard the Carnival Venezia with us and discover the ship along the way. And stay until the very end… because arriving in New York City in the early morning hours was definitely worth it.
