Breezing Along in the Adriatic

More Images: Carnival Breeze Passes Sea Trials

Important Milestone 

Reached

Less than a month away from its inaugural sailing, Carnival Breeze completed one of the final milestones in the shipbuilding process, sea trials.

A contingent of officials and technicians were onboard Carnival Breeze testing the navigation, technical, and mechanical systems. This aerial photo shows the ship breezing along nicely somewhere in the Adriatic Sea.  Following the successful completion of the sea trials, workers at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, will put the finishing touches on the ship and prepare to turn over the keys to Carnival Corporation PLC.

Carnival Breeze's sister ship, Carnival Magic, is about to complete its inaugural year of sailing as the new ship takes to the waters.   The ships are similar, but not identical.   The inaugural sailing is June 3rd from Venice, Italy.

Carnival Breeze will offer a variety of innovations, including the line’s first Thrill Theater, an immersive multi-dimensional special effects experience that makes viewers feel as if they’re part of the movie, along with popular features such as WaterWorks, with fun water slides and attractions, and SportSquare, an expansive top-deck recreation area with a ropes course, mini-golf, an outdoor fitness area and more.

Exclusive to Carnival Breeze is Bonsai Sushi, the line’s first full-service sushi restaurant, and Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ, an open-air dining venue featuring a variety of grilled barbecue favorites and traditional sides.

Carnival Breeze sets sail for Mediterranean cruises out of Barcelona after completing it's inaugural sailing from Venice.  Those cruises will run through October 25th at which time it will complete a 15-day repositioning cruise to Miami where it will take up its new homeport of Miami.  The ship will sail six and eight day Caribbean cruises on a year-round basis starting November 24th.



Ship Profile | Itineraries & Pricing | Deck Plans | Dining Menus |   Wine Lists | Kids Programs | Ship Reviews | Photos

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Related Blog Posts:

Carnival Corp. Places Orders With Fincantieri Shipbuilders

Adriatic Coastal Drive

Scenic Drive

Along Adriatic Coast

to Krka National Park

Our day in Split, Croatia, began with a tender ride from the Star Princess to the pier where our guide and a motorcoach awaited our arrival.  Our ultimate destination, Krka National Park & Waterfalls, was approximately two hours away from the pier.

If you haven't already read about our tour to Krka, see our blog post, Off the Beaten Path Krka National Park, and be sure to view our photo album on Facebook: KRKA National Park & Waterfalls.

Our journey onward from the pier went through the Croation countryside, which has a beauty all its own.  Special points of interest to look out for on this exceptional bus journey include the limestone plateaus and river canyons.The Adriatic coast attracts tourists from all over the world.

We invite you to sit back and enjoy a virtual trip from the pier in Split to Krka.

Which Side Has the Best View

Stepping aboard our tour bus, we wondered which side would offer the best view for this two hour journey.  Since the bus wasn't completely full, we were able to spread out, which meant we could have someone on both sides of the bus.  In fact, the entire back seat was empty, so that's where my husband camped out with his trusty digital SLR in hand.  We hope you enjoy seeing the Adriatic coast through our lenses.

Facebook Photo Album:     Adriatic Coastal Drive to Krka

Having just left the Greek Isles the day before, with white-washed buildings and blue-domed churches, the first thing that struck us was the red clay roof tiles on the houses.  It reminded us of houses on the west coast of the United States, perhaps those in California.

The next thing that captured our attention was the various shades of blue waters as we drove along the scenic winding roads by the Adriatic Sea.  Separating the houses from the sea were white sandy beaches that were, for the most part, untouched in this early morning light.   From our vantage point looking down from the winding road, both the sea and the white sand seemed to go on infinitely.

Picture Perfect ...

Boats of every size, from small row boats to yachts, were seen in the marinas and small inlets along the path to Krka.  Their white shapes provided contrast to the green landscape, crystal clear blue waters of many shades, and the red-roofed buildings.  Even the sky cooperated, having cleared up after an early morning gentle rain that had fallen before we arrived.

It wasn't long before we arrived at Krka National Park.   The two hour drive seemed to pass quickly, perhaps because it had been so scenic.  We hope you enjoyed your ride to Krka.  If you are still longing for more images, click the link above to view our Facebook album.   When we return to our visit to Croatia, we'll be at a hotel near Krka for our lunch stop.

Carnival Magic Completes Sea Trials

Carnival Magic                                                     Credit: Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Magic

Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, is shown here during sea trials in the Adriatic Sea. Following sea trials, Carnival Magic returned to the Fincantieri shipyard to undergo final interior outfitting before its inaugural May 1 cruise.

Completes a Major Milestone

Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, the 3,690-passenger vessel had a full contingent of officers, technicians and engineers on board who thoroughly tested the Carnival Magic’s sophisticated navigation and mechanical systems.

Click to Start VIDEO:  Fincantieri

Following sea trials, Carnival Magic returned to Monfalcone, where it is undergoing final interior outfitting prior to its delivery late next month. Watch this video to learn more about Fincantieri Shipbuilders, one of the finest in the industry.

Carnival Magic Sea Trials             Credit: Carnival Cruise Lin

Innovations on the Magic

As the line’s newest “Fun Ship,” the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic will introduce a host of innovations, including the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub; Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant that brings Carnival’s Italian heritage to the table; and SportSquare, an action-packed top-deck recreation area featuring cruising’s first ropes course and outdoor fitness area.

Carnival Magic is set to debut in Europe with a series of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean cruises operating May 1 – Oct. 16, 2011.  Following a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing, Carnival Magic will launch seven-day Caribbean service from Galveston, Texas, Nov. 14, 2011, becoming the port’s largest year-round cruise ship.

Additional Royal Caribbean 2011 Europe Deployment

Voyager of the Seas®
2011 MEDITERRANEAN DEPLOYMENT

11 Royal Caribbean Ships in Europe (Summer 2011)

Voyager of the Seas® is one of eleven ships deployed to Europe for the Summer of 2011.  Itineraries included in this deployment range from 6 to 14 nights.  Chose from the following:

14-Night Transatlantic Eastbound cruise to:  Galveston, Texas • Cruising • Ponta Delgada, Azores Cruising • Malaga, Spain • Cartagena, Spain • Barcelona, Spain

6-Night Mediterranean cruise in May to: Barcelona, Spain • Provence (Toulon), France • Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy

7-Night Adriatic Sea Costal cruises in May - October to: Venice, Italy • Koper, Slovenia • Ravenna, Italy • Bari, Italy • Dubrovnik, Croatia • Cruising • Venice, Italy

6-Night Adriatic Sea Costal cruises in July to: Venice, Italy • Koper, Slovenia • Ravenna, Italy • Bari, Italy • Dubrovnik, Croatia • Cruising • Venice, Italy

8-Night Eastern Mediterranean cruise in mid-July featuring the following ports: Venice, Italy • Dubrovnik, Croatia • Cruising • Athens (Piraeus), Greece • Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey Cruising • Bari, Italy • Venice, Italy

8-Night Mediterranean cruise in October to: Venice, Italy • Dubrovnik, Croatia • Cruising Naples / Capri, Italy • Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy • Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy • Provence (Toulon), France Cruising • Barcelona, Spain