Carnival Venezia has undergone a noticeable change to its exterior, with Carnival Cruise Line replacing the ship’s distinctive yellow funnel with the company’s familiar red, white and blue colours.
Credit: John Heald
The repaint took place on 9th October 2026, shortly after the 135,225-gross-ton cruise ship repositioned from New York to Port Canaveral, Florida, ahead of its winter Caribbean programme.
Although the vessel now carries Carnival’s traditional colours on its funnel, its original straight-sided design remains unchanged. Unlike most ships in the fleet, Carnival Venezia does not have the company’s distinctive whale-tail funnel.
The alteration has attracted considerable attention among cruise passengers, particularly those familiar with the vessel’s previous service with Costa Cruises. It has also prompted questions about whether Carnival intends to make further changes to the ship’s Italian-inspired identity.
However, Carnival Cruise Line has not announced any wider rebranding plans, and the vessel continues to operate under its established “Carnival Fun Italian Style” concept.
Carnival Venezia Moves Further Away From Its Costa Cruises Origins
Carnival Venezia originally operated as part of the Costa Cruises fleet before transferring to Carnival Cruise Line in 2023.
When the vessel joined Carnival, the company introduced a new hull livery while retaining several elements associated with its Italian heritage, including the yellow funnel traditionally linked to Costa Cruises.
The arrangement gave Carnival Venezia a distinctive appearance within the Carnival fleet, combining the company’s newer hull colours with a funnel that reflected the ship’s origins.
That combination has now changed.
The funnel’s yellow paintwork has been replaced by red, white and blue, bringing its appearance more closely into line with Carnival’s established branding.
However, the ship has not received the whale-tail funnel fitted to many other Carnival vessels. Its existing funnel structure has simply been repainted.
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald shared photographs showing the updated appearance on his Facebook page on 12th October 2026, prompting a mixture of positive and negative reactions.
Some passengers welcomed the removal of the yellow paintwork, while others expressed disappointment that another visible connection to Costa Cruises had disappeared.
One Reddit user commented: “I wish Carnival had returned them to Costa Cruises instead, but it is what it is.”
Other passengers suggested that Carnival should have gone further by replacing the funnel structure entirely.
“Looks better but it still needs a whale tail,” one commenter wrote.
Another asked: “When will she get her ‘wings’?!”
The discussion has also raised questions about Carnival Firenze, the sister ship that transferred from Costa Cruises to Carnival in 2024.
Carnival Firenze continues to ret
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