''Carnival Splendor'' is a operated by
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel (ship), funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue colo ...
. As she is the only ''Concordia''-class ship in the Carnival fleet, she is also referred to as a ''Splendor-''class ship. Her other
sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
s are part of the
Costa Crociere fleet. The ship was originally designed and ordered for
Costa Cruises
Società per Azioni, S.p.A. (), operating as Costa Cruises, is an Italian cruise line founded in 1854 and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2000. Based in Genoa, Genoa, Italy, the cruise line primarily ca ...
but she was transferred to Carnival Cruise Line during construction.
The
ship entered service on 2 July 2008 as the largest Carnival ship until debuted in September 2009.
Christening
''Carnival Splendor''s godmother is
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is a British musician, singer, presenter, model and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...
, who on 10 July 2008 christened the vessel in Dover in a ceremony where she played ''Sailing'' on the piano, while a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
diver climbed up five decks on a rope, and broke the bottle of champagne on the bow by hand.
Areas of operation
''Carnival Splendor''s inaugural season began on 2 July 2008 with a cruise from
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, Italy to
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
, England, followed by cruises to Northern European ports. On 3 November 2008 she transited to
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
.
In January 2009, ''Carnival Splendor'' moved to
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
, a journey which took 49 days. The ship's post-
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal. The limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a publication titled "Vessel Requirements". ...
size made it too wide to navigate the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
at the time, so it made the journey by sailing around
Cape Horn
Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...
. It was the first
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
ship to have ever made this voyage. From Long Beach, she sailed year-round cruises to Mexico.
In March 2009, ''Carnival Splendor'' was the host ship for ''Mayercraft Carrier 2'', a four-day cruise from 27 to 31 March, from Los Angeles to
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...
, Mexico hosted by musician
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
and featuring music and comedy shows.
In February 2013, ''Carnival Splendor'' sailed again around South America, re-positioning to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to cruise to the Caribbean and Bermuda. In November 2014, ''Carnival Splendor'' was re-positioned to Florida to offer seasonal seven-day cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
In March 2014, Carnival announced ''Carnival Splendor'' would sail seasonally out of
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
before heading back to New York beginning in 2015.
In October 2015, Carnival announced that ''Carnival Splendor'' would be re-positioned to China in 2018 offering year-round short cruises. However, Carnival subsequently announced in November 2016 that ''Carnival Splendor'' would instead relocate to Long Beach for the second time in January 2018, offering cruises to the Mexican Riviera. To move to Long Beach from the Caribbean, she sailed through the Panama Canal and became one of the largest ships to cross through the new locks.
In February 2018, Carnival announced ''Carnival Splendor'' would sail to Australia in December 2019 to operate year-round out of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
.
![Carnival Splendor, Circular Quay, 2022 (01)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Carnival_Splendor%2C_Circular_Quay%2C_2022_%2801%29.jpg)
On 5 October 2019, the ship embarked on a 24-day Transpacific cruise to Singapore, where she was
dry dock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
ed to undergo renovations before being homeported in Sydney. Stops along the voyage included
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
,
Oahu
Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...
,
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
,
Kota Kinabalu
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = From top, left to right, bottom:Kota Kinabalu skyline, Wawasan intersection, Tun Mustapha Tower, Kota Kinabalu Coastal Highway, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, the Wism ...
, and
Ho Chi Minh City
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
, blank1_ ...
. This was the longest voyage ever offered by Carnival, and was ''Carnival Splendor''s final voyage out of Long Beach.
From 30 October to 24 November 2019, ''Carnival Splendor'' underwent renovations prior to sailing to her homeport in Sydney.
In February 2022, Carnival announced that due to uncertain times in the Australian cruise industry, Splendor would have her Australia based cruises canceled through September 2022, with the ship expected to return to the US and a new homeport will be announced in the coming weeks. It was announced that Splendor will sail from
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, taking over
Carnival Freedom
''Carnival Freedom'' is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She is the 22nd operating vessel in the fleet, and the last of the ''Conquest''-class ships. The ship was built as part of a four-ship deal with Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard and wa ...
, alongside
Carnival Spirit
''Carnival Spirit'' is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Built in Helsinki by Kværner Masa-Yards, she was the first ''Spirit''-class cruise ship to join Carnival's fleet after she was delivered i ...
.
In March 2022, it was announced by Carnival's Brand Ambassador
John Heald that the vessel would take a 23-day cruise from Seattle to its homeport in Sydney on September 6, 2022.
On May 2, 2022, ''Carnival Splendor'' became the final ship of the brand to return to service, marking Carnival's full return to service.
Incidents and accidents
2010 fire
![US Navy 101109-N-5853P-198 An HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter delivers pallets of supplies to the cruise ship Carnival Splendor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/US_Navy_101109-N-5853P-198_An_HH-60H_Sea_Hawk_helicopter_delivers_pallets_of_supplies_to_the_cruise_ship_Carnival_Splendor.jpg)
On 8 November 2010, at approximately 06:00
Pacific Time
The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00). ...
, on the second day of a voyage from Long Beach to the
Mexican Riviera
The Mexican Riviera refers collectively to twenty cities and lagoons lying on the western coast of Mexico. Although there are long distances between these cities, they are often collectively referred to as the ''Mexican Riviera'' because of the ...
, the ship experienced a catastrophic failure of the No. 5 diesel generator which started a fire in her aft
engine room
On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. To increase a vessel's safety and chances of surviving damage, the machinery necessary for the ship's operation may be segregated into vari ...
. The fire spread to the overhead electrical cable runs in the aft engine room. The fire in the cable runs caused extensive damage to the cabling and contributed to the ship losing all electrical power. According to Carnival president, Gerry Cahill, a "crankcase split, and that's what caused the fire", adding it was isolated to the
aft generator room. The fire was extinguished by the afternoon, and no one was injured. Nearly 4,500 passengers and crew members were on board at the time.
The crew was unable to restore power to the engines, and the ship was towed by
tugboat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
to
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
. Without power for air conditioning and refrigeration, passengers were fed rations delivered via
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
helicopters from the aircraft carrier .
''Splendor'' was escorted by, and received aid and security assistance from the
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter .
''Carnival Splendor'' arrived in San Diego under tow around sunrise on 11 November, and docked around noon.
Carnival promised to refund all passengers for ticket and travel expenses along with a voucher for a free cruise of equal value to their cruise on ''Carnival Splendor''.
The ship has three
12-cylinder Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...
12V46C medium-speed
diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
generating sets in the aft engine room and three in a forward engine room.
[Carnival Splendor perplexes engine room safety experts](_blank)
AMEM Communication, December 2010. Each generator is connected to two switchboards. The failure of a single engine or generator should not normally cause a total power loss.
Clark Dodge, former chief engineer for
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals loca ...
, said, "If things were designed properly, all the power shouldn't have gone out."
The investigation into the fire was carried out by the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
in conjunction with the Panamanian Maritime Authority. The report into the cause of the fire was released on 15 July 2013.
2012 armed robbery
On 23 February 2012, while in
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...
port, Mexico, 22 passengers on the Carnival-organized "City and Jungle Tour" were robbed by an armed bandit. Passengers lost money, cameras, purses, passports, other documents and valuables. No shots were fired and everybody escaped without injuries.
2017 engine troubles
On 2 March 2017 while offshore of Puerto Rico the ship experienced engine trouble requiring operation on a single engine. Carnival canceled the remaining portion of the cruise and returned to Miami. Carnival offered a 50% refund off the cost of the cruise, free internet use for the remainder of the voyage, and a 50% discount off a future cruise.
References
External links
*
{{Concordia class
2007 ships
Maritime incidents in 2010
Maritime incidents in 2012
Ship fires
Ships built by Fincantieri
Ships built in Genoa
Splendor