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Carnival Cruises is one of the world’s largest cruise lines, with well over 20 ships in its fleet and more on order. Carnival Luminosa is one of the newest additions to their fleet, but was not built specifically for Carnival Cruises. Instead, she was launched for Costa Cruises as the Luminosa in 2009. She’s a Hybrid Spirit Class vessel - making her somewhat related to Carnival’s own Spirit Class ships.
Despite being one of the smaller ships in the Carnival fleet, the 92K gross tonne ship is capable of carrying over 2200 passengers and offers an array of accommodation options including Suites, Balcony, Oceanview and Interior staterooms - plus there are 23 accessible rooms across a variety of cabin types.
As part of her conversion, the ship entered dry dock in late 2022 where several Carnival features were added. These included the adults only Serenity area, the Punchliner Comedy Club, Bonsai Sushi and the Alchemy Bar to name only a few.
Carnival Cruises is known for its approach to fun, and it has a fleet of ships to match, with attractions ranging from waterslides to the very first roller-coaster at sea called Bolt. Luminosa however missed out on waterslides during her dry dock, and in a major point of difference from the Sydney based Carnival Splendor, does not at this stage offer any waterpark features. She does however have showered all over outer decks…
I went into this cruise with an open mind and looked at everything as objectively as I could muster, and this review is really about sharing what I see as the pros and cons of Luminosa and the Carnival experience that one can find onboard. Yes, some of the issues may seem like they’re not a big deal, but you are watching a cruise review so I’m going to cover pretty much everything I thought of. I’m going to get the more negative aspects out of the way first, but make sure you stay through to see what I liked most, as there was a lot.
CONS
Lido Marketplace
Main Pool
Room Serviced Once Daily
Staterooms Serviced Once Daily
No Dining Room Lunch
Ship Layout
General Aesthetics
PROS
Dining Options
Serenity Adults Only Zone
Sunset Bar
The Carnival Hub App
Internet Speed
Room Size
Muster
Outward Views
Crew
Entertainment
Summary and conclusion:
If you’re booked on a cruise on Luminosa, go in with an open mind like I did, and although I’m sure you’ll likewise find somethings you don’t care for, I think on the whole you’ll have a fantastic experience. There’s no doubt that Carnival is about casual and relaxed fun, and the people that go onboard are definitely of that mindset. If you’re looking for something quiet and calm, it won’t be the cruise experience for you, but if you’re looking for a relaxed, down to earth environment with solid dining options and a fantastic crew, then I think you just be onto a winner.
Let me know what you thought of the Luminosa in the comments below!
Thanks for watching.