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March 1, 2025

In 1996, the Carnival Destiny became the first ship in the world to surpass the 100,000 gross tonnage threshold, breaking the record for the largest passenger ship ever built—a record that had remained unchallenged since 1940 when the iconic Queen Elizabeth, the renowned Cunard Line ocean liner of 83,673 tons, was completed.

At the time, Fincantieri had only recently re-entered the cruise ship sector, and the new flagship of Carnival Cruise Line was just the sixth vessel delivered since the resumption of passenger shipbuilding in Monfalcone (while three other ships had been built at the Marghera shipyard).

After constructing four Statendam-class vessels for Holland America Line, Fincantieri further strengthened its relationship with the group founded by Ted Arison. The christening ceremony of Destiny at Riva Sette Martiri in Venice was the crowning achievement of the veteran shipowner’s career, as his son Micky was already taking the helm of the company. For Fincantieri, Carnival would go on to commission dozens of ships, establishing a historic partnership in which the American cruise giant remained the company’s primary client for years.

It took 20 months to build Carnival Destiny from keel laying (January 30, 1995) to contractual delivery (October 17, 1996). The ship’s design was the work of the prestigious naval architect Maurizio Cergol, with its concept taking shape between 1992 and 1993. When the nearly final design was completed, it was discovered that the vessel would have a gross tonnage of approximately 96,000 tons. In agreement with the owner, a solution was sought to push the tonnage beyond the symbolic 100,000-ton mark. Consulting classification registers revealed that balconies could be included in the tonnage calculation if they had no more than one-third of their opening exposed to the sea. By simply widening the steel plating enclosing the balconies, they could be counted within the total enclosed volume, allowing Destiny to achieve its prestigious record.

The Destiny-class project, designed by Chief Naval Architect Maurizio Cergol, was developed to meet Carnival’s ambitious and highly specific requirements. The company requested a ship with over 1,300 cabins, a unique Broadway-style theater accommodating 1,600 guests across three decks, a smaller 400-seat cabaret theater at the aft, two multi-level dining rooms served by a single galley, and a large buffet on the Lido deck. The vessel also featured a soaring nine-deck-high atrium illuminated by natural light, a secondary mini atrium at the aft, and innovative pool areas. Another distinctive element was the “one-side promenade,” a single dynamic central corridor connecting public areas instead of the traditional two straight lateral corridors.

The hotel interiors were crafted by Joe Farcus, the mastermind behind Carnival’s signature “Fun Ship” design. His style was characterized by lavish decoration, vibrant colors, and dazzling lighting. Carnival Destiny was designed to impress, with several public areas spanning multiple decks, including the theater, atrium, main restaurants, and buffet. Many of these spaces benefited from abundant natural light thanks to large windows and three skylights. Additionally, the main pool deck was reimagined with a unique terraced configuration.

The ship had a gross tonnage of 101,353 tons, an overall length of 272.19 meters (230 meters between perpendiculars), and a beam of 35.50 meters at the waterline (38.1 meters at its widest point on Deck 9). Its maximum height reached 70.20 meters, with a design draft of 8.20 meters. Propulsion was provided by two 20 MW electric motors driving two azimuthal propellers, while power generation came from four diesel generators producing 11,520 kW each and two additional generators producing 8,640 kW each, for a total of 63.36 MW. The vessel was equipped with six transverse thrusters (three forward and three aft), two balanced rudders, and two stabilizers. It had a cruising speed of 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h), reaching a maximum speed of approximately 23.2 knots (43 km/h) during sea trials. Carnival Destiny featured 1,321 passenger cabins, including 8 apartments with balconies, 40 suites with balconies, 432 standard cabins with balconies, 324 ocean-view cabins with portholes, and 517 interior cabins. With the inclusion of 762 additional beds, the ship could accommodate a maximum of 3,360 guests. The maximum crew capacity was 1,058, housed in 581 cabins. Safety was ensured by 22 standard lifeboats and two smaller rescue boats, allowing for a total onboard capacity of 4,400 people. At the time, every one of these statistics was a record-breaking feat in the naval industry.

Like all Carnival ships of that era, the Destiny and its extended variants featured the distinctive “winged” funnel—a true feat of engineering given its impressive dimensions: 23 meters in height, 9 meters wide at the base, and weighing 25 tons. This iconic funnel design was conceived in the early 1980s by the creative Joe Farcus. However, the layout was modified in 2008 with Carnival Splendor, which had a shorter and more compact funnel.

Following the success of Carnival Destiny, the race for ever-larger cruise ships never stopped. Just two years later, the Monfalcone shipyard delivered Grand Princess (108,806 gross tons) to P&O-Princess Cruises, and in 1999, Kvaerner Masa Yards in Turku completed Voyager of the Seas (137,276 gross tons) for Royal Caribbean International. The economies of scale offered by these giants encouraged cruise lines to invest in ever more ambitious projects. Today, the industry has reached astonishing dimensions, with Icon of the Seas surpassing 248,663 gross tons—more than two and a half times the size of Carnival Destiny.

However, no other cruise ship design has been as influential as Carnival Destiny. With subsequent evolutions, a total of 16 ships of this class were built—nine for Carnival Cruise Line and seven for Costa Cruises. These ships provided an extraordinary amount of work for Fincantieri’s Monfalcone, Marghera, and Sestri Ponente shipyards, with the last vessel in the series, Costa Fascinosa, delivered as recently as 2012. The following generation of ships for Carnival and Costa was also heavily inspired by this groundbreaking prototype.

 

In 2013, Carnival Destiny underwent a complete refurbishment at the Arsenale Triestino San Marco in Trieste and was reborn as Carnival Sunshine. However, its elegant original profile was altered by an unappealing superstructure, and its interiors were entirely redesigned, moving away from Joe Farcus’s “Las Vegas” aesthetic. Today, little remains of the original ship apart from its hull and technical systems.

Yet, in maritime history, the name Carnival Destiny will always be remembered for what it represented—a visionary engineering and commercial challenge brought to life by the bold foresight of both shipowner and builder. It stands as a true milestone in Italian shipbuilding history, earning its place alongside legendary vessels such as Rex, Andrea Doria, and Michelangelo.

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Matteo Martinuzzi

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