Here’s a fun fact that should make any cruise nerd’s head spin: the ship Carnival just announced is moving to North America seasonally beginning in 2028 has already been owned by three different brands under the same corporate umbrella. First by Princess, then P&O, then finally Carnival. And if you’ve ever seen photos of the Carnival Adventure, you understand why this acquisition is already giving Carnival enthusiasts a headache.
A Ship with an Identity Problem
The Carnival Adventure has one of the weirdest timelines. Launched originally for Princess Cruises as Golden Princess back in 2001, she was one of the Grand-class ships that defined Princess ships at the time. Just one look at her aft and what was then the signature Skywalkers Nightclub perched high at the top of the ship, screams Princess! Then, like a bad divorce, she got passed along to P&O Australia Cruises, where she got a different paint job and a completely different personality.
Then she moved to Carnival Cruise Line when they retired the P&O Australia brand. And honestly? She still looks like she can’t quite decide who she is.
With Carnival Adventure you’re basically getting a time capsule of three different cruise brands frozen in time. And now Carnival will have to figure out how to make her feel like a “fun ship” experience that North American cruisers expect and want to book.
That’s not a small task.
The Hand-Me-Down Problem Carnival Keeps Creating
This isn’t the first time Carnival has tried the “just rebrand it and hope for the best” strategy with ships from different parts of their corporate family. You’ve probably noticed the Costa ships that got the Carnival treatment post-COVID. They slapped new livery on them, didn’t bother to give them the line’s signature whale tail funnels, updated the marketing materials, and called it “fun Italian style.”
But here’s the thing – if you’ve actually sailed one of those ships like I did, you know the transformation is… minimal at best. Inside, you’re hunting for the things that make a Carnival ship feel like Carnival. Where’s the Alchemy Bar? Where’s your BlueIguana burritos? Why does the buffet layout feel wrong? Why is the lido pool boxed in? Why does the whole vibe feel off?
Those Costa conversions created a weird brand confusion that still echoes through Carnival’s fleet. New cruisers get on board expecting the fun-loving, casual Carnival experience they signed up for, and instead they get a ship that feels like it’s not quite sure what it wants to be. The price point is Carnival, but the ship’s is still trying to figure itself out.
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The Carnival Adventure Is Going to Be Even Worse
The Carnival Adventure presents a much bigger issue than those Costa conversions ever did. This ship has layers of brand history embedded in her. She’s not just a different cruise line’s ship – she’s actually been two different cruise lines’ ships, and she still has the architectural and design remnants of both.
Getting her Carnival-ready is going to require a lot more than a fresh coat of paint and some new signage. Carnival has a decision to make.
Option A: The Bare-Minimum Refresh. Just like the Costa ships. Add in some favorites, like Guy’s Burger Joint, and hope guests don’t notice she feels weird. This would be fast, cheap, and honestly? Probably the route they’ll take. But it’s also a recipe for confusion and disappointed cruisers who are expecting standard Carnival amenities and experiences.
Option B: The Actual Renovation. Rip out the Princess and P&O DNA and rebuild her from the inside out to feel like a proper Carnival ship. This means gutting old design elements, adding signature Carnival touches, recreating the layout and flow that Carnival cruisers expect. It would be expensive, time-consuming, and require her to be in drydock for a serious overhaul. But it would actually result in a ship that feels like Carnival instead of feeling like a hand-me-down wearing a Carnival t-shirt.
Given Carnival’s recent track record? I’m going to guess they’re leaning toward Option A.
What This Means for North American Cruisers
Here’s the thing about bringing the Carnival Adventure to North America: this ship is going to stand out in the worst possible way. Carnival’s North American fleet has developed certain expectations. Guests know what to look for, what to expect, and where to find their favorite spots. They’ve sailed other Carnival ships, they know the layout patterns, they recognize the design language. And they can definitely tell by looking at the ship from six miles away she’s a Princess hand-me-down.
The Carnival Adventure is going to be the ship where nothing is quite where you expect it. The buffet might be in a weird spot because of her Princess heritage. The bar layouts might feel funky because P&O designed them differently. The overall aesthetic is going to feel off in a way that’s hard to describe but impossible to ignore.
And Carnival is going to be selling this ship to North American cruisers who are specifically not looking for a another marketing experiment. They want familiar. They want reliable. They want to know that Guys Burgers exists and is where they expect to find it.
The Silver Lining (Maybe?)
Look, there’s a chance I’m being too harsh here. Maybe Carnival surprises us. Maybe they actually commit to making the Carnival Adventure feel like a genuine Carnival ship. Maybe they see this as an opportunity to create something special instead of just another hand-me-down headache.
But based on what we’ve seen with the Costa conversions? I’m not holding my breath.
The Carnival Adventure is coming to North America with a bizarre, convoluted history and an identity crisis baked into her hull. How Carnival handles that transformation will tell us a lot about how seriously they’re taking integrating other brand’s ships into the fleet along with brand consistency.
My guess? We’re in for an interesting test case. And probably a few confused reviews from cruisers wondering why this Carnival ship feels so… not Carnival.
Only time will tell if Carnival actually commits to making her feel like home, or if the Carnival Adventure ends up being just another reminder that sometimes passing along hand-me-downs creates more problems than it solves.