Carnival Venezia has shed the Costa-derived funnel colors it carried since joining the fleet, reverting to Carnival Cruise Line's standard livery ahead of its winter season from Port Canaveral. Brand Ambassador John Heald confirmed the change in a social media update, without quantifying what, if anything, it cost.

The move matters because of what it quietly retires. The Venezia and the Carnival Firenze were the only two ships in the fleet wearing modified liveries — a blue hull with a yellow stripe and Costa's traditional funnel — under the "Carnival Fun Italian Style" concept launched in 2023. Both vessels were originally built for Costa Cruises, and Carnival framed the paint job as a nod to that lineage. That nod has now been painted over on one of the two ships.

Notably, the company has not announced any plan to kill the concept itself. "Fun Italian Style" bundles Carnival's standard service with Italy-themed programming: an expanded menu at Guy's Burger Joint, a party themed on the Venice carnival and its masks, and venue twists inspired by Italian cities. The product stays. Only the visual differentiation goes.

For sellers of travel, that distinction is the practical one. The ships remain marketed as a distinct sub-brand experience, so the pitch to clients doesn't change — even if the funnel now looks like every other ship in the fleet.

What's sailing where this winter?

The Venezia, built in 2019, has finished another summer season in Bermuda and now sails Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from Port Canaveral. Its winter program runs seven- to 14-night cruises with calls in the Southern Caribbean, including Aruba and Bonaire. It stays at Port Canaveral through mid-May, then shifts to a year-round schedule in Miami.

The Firenze, currently homeported in Long Beach, is the more interesting distribution story. In 2027 it will sail South America itineraries for the first time before repositioning to Miami and New York City — new deployment markets for a concept that has so far lived on two coasts.

Does the funnel change signal more?

Carnival hasn't said so, and the burden of proof runs the other way. The company is expanding "Fun Italian Style" to more destinations and homeports in 2027, which is an odd way to sunset a product. The more plausible read: the livery was a transitional marker from the Costa acquisition era, and the brand now trusts the onboard experience to do the differentiating on its own.

Two ships, one concept, and gradually fewer visual reminders of where they came from. The paint is standard now. The product, for now, is not — and 2027 will show whether the market rewards the distinction.