by Ana Figueroa
Last updated: 10:53 AM ET, Tue October 16, 2018
Carnival Cruise Line has announced that Carnival Victory will transform into Carnival Radiance in 2020.
The extensive dry dock will mark the final phase of a $2 billion fleet enhancement program begun in 2011. Since then, the line has refurbished more than 20 ships. The end result is a more consistent guest experience fleet-wide, from WaterWorks aqua parks to specialty dining and entertainment.
During its 38-day dry dock in Cadiz, Spain, Carnival Victory will gain some popular culinary, bar and entertainment features. Among them: Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, featuring a menu created by Food Network star Guy Fieri; RedFrog Pub, offering rums, beers and the line's own ThirstyFrog Red; an expanded Cherry on Top sweetshop and Cucina del Capitano, serving Italian favorites.
Emerging as Carnival Radiance, the ship will enter service in 2020. Carnival will announce full-service details for Carnival Radiance in mid-November.
"Our guests and travel agent partners can count on a high degree of consistency and quality vacation offerings across all our fleet and homeports regardless of what ship they're sailing on. Ultimately this effort is about driving demand by giving each and every guest a memorable vacation and offering a reason to come back to Carnival again and again. And it's clearly working based on extremely positive feedback from the more than five million guests we carry each year," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
"Of course, with newer ships like Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama, which is coming to the west coast, they have features unique to them. We're not putting in an IMAX on every ship. But, we do have a lot of people who want Guy's Burger Joint," Duffy tells TravelPulse.
Duffy is especially enthusiastic about technological enhancements to the guest experience. For example, the Carnival HubApp is now available fleetwide.
"We launched it in 2015, and it's had over 4.5 million downloads. It has a 4.6 rating in the Apple Store. Nearly two-thirds of all staterooms have at least one guest using the App. More than 20 percent of specialty dining and shore excursions are being ordered with it. And, we are continuing to add functionality. In the future, guests will be able to use it before they get onboard," said Duffy.
Another exciting innovation is the line's "pizza anywhere" delivery project.
Duffy explains:
"We're piloting a 'pizza anywhere' delivery program on Horizon and Vista. Wherever you are on the ship, even at midnight, you can order pizza on the HubApp. The average delivery time is 11 minutes. It's fun for everyone. Kids, adults, who doesn't like this idea? We plan to roll it out fleet-wide. It's leaning into who we are. We're the Fun Ships," said Duffy.
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