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Reservations open for newest Carnival cruise shipping out of Long Beach

Carnival Cruise Line has opened up reservations for those looking to book a cruise aboard one of the company’s newest ships.

The Carnival Firenze will begin sailing year-round from Long Beach starting next May, with multi-day cruises that will visit the Mexican Riviera.

The Firenze is an Italian-inspired ship that is named after the city of Florence.

“She was designed to evoke the same charm and beauty found in Florence and she’ll also pack in plenty of Carnival fun, which will be brought to life by the friendly and dedicated team members that make cruises across our fleet memorable,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Firenze will be the third Carnival cruise option from Long Beach that tours Baja Mexico and the Mexican Riviera, joining the Carnival Panorama and Radiance ships.

Firenze offers 135,500 gross tonnage and a capacity of more than 5,200 guests with over 2,100 passenger cabins, according to its specification page.

Carnival Cruise Line announced reservations are now open for Carnival Firenze, which will begin sailing from Long Beach in 2024. (Carnival)

The ship was originally part of the fleet of cruise ships belonging to Costa Cruises, a popular cruise line in Italy, and a subsidiary of Carnival. It was built and delivered to Costa Cruises in December 2020.

Last June, Carnival announced it would be bringing Firenze to Long Beach in 2024, as part of the company’s Costa by Carnival initiative, which “marr[ies] the great service, food and entertainment that Carnival’s guests enjoy with Costa’s Italian design features.”

Along with its sister ship, Carnival Venezia, which calls New York City home, cruises aboard Firenze will feature Italian-themed restaurants, bars and entertainment, in addition to its unique Italian-inspired architecture.

Firenze will offer cruises to Baja Mexico and the Mexican Riviera, with 15 different itinerary options.

Some of the sailings that are available for reservations now include:

Select cruises can be reserved now by phone or online at carnival.com.