Last week, we did a deck-by-deck comparison of the Carnival Venezia and Carnival Panorama. We started on Deck 1 and made our way up to Deck 7. This week, we’ll start from Deck 8 and go all the way up to the sky!

For the complete background on how Costa Venezia came to be Carnival Venezia, check out Carnival Venezia vs Carnival Panorama: Part 1. For a video tour of the complete ship, check out YouTube where we do a deck-by-deck comparison.

Similarities and Differences

As I begin to dig into the differences (and similarities), you’ll get a feel for how this ship compares to her Vista-class sisters. While the Italian flare found across the Carnival Venezia will certainly make her unique, there are many things she shares with her sisters – but there are also some big changes between these ships.

Read on for Decks 8-15 comparison!

Deck 8

Last week, we talked about the Sky Zone trampoline park on deck 6 and deck 7 of the Carnival Panorama. The trampoline fun continues on up to deck 8. On the Carnival Venezia, there are rooms in this space.

As we move towards the aft of the ship, you’ll see the Carnival Venezia has less rooms than Carnival Panorama. On the Panorama, there’s two blocks of what we refer to as “interior interior” rooms (interior rooms that back up to another row of interior rooms; these rooms are tucked into the middle of the ship on an inside hallway). In the deck plan on Carnival Panorama, you’ll see a yellow “interior interior” hallway, along with a blue “interior interior” hallway. Carnival Panorama rooms 8420, 8418, 8416, 8414 (identified in yellow) and 8483, 8481, 8479, 8477, 8475 (identified in blue) are all missing on the Carnival Venezia.

Deck 9

There aren’t any visible changes in the deck plans between the Carnival Panorama and Carnival Venezia.

Deck 10

The forward space of Deck 10 is very similar on both vessels, however, Venezia has a slightly different configuration with fewer forward-facing staterooms. As we move further back, we find ourselves at the Lido Pool. On Carnival Venezia (forward of lido on starboard side), we see the new location of JavaBlue café which features expanded offerings including gelato. On the Carnival Panorama, we find Red Frog Rum Bar in this location. Over on the port side, we find the Italian-inspired Rococo Bar on Carnival Venezia featuring a playful touch with pop-culture imagery with bright colors and a sense of whimsy. On the Carnival Panorama, we have the familiar BlueIguana Tequila bar in this space. The overall space is more closed in on the Carnival Venezia, as it features a retractable roof and heavy Italian theming elements.

Continuing to move aft on both ships on the starboard side, we come to a somewhat familiar space: Guy’s Burger Joint. We say somewhat familiar as the Carnival Venezia re-themes this popular dining venue! Plus, the restaurant will feature new burger options like a Pizza Burger that Guy Fieri himself is creating for this unique ship (according to Carnival, the new recipes will pay homage to Guy Fieri’s Italian heritage). Sounds exciting!

On the port side of Carnival Venezia, the all new Tomodoro Mexitalian Fusion restaurant will be introduced. From what has already been shared, you’ll still be able to get some delicious burritos and take advantage of the salsa bar, but there will be an Italian twist: lasagna burrito, anyone?! The same space on Carnival Panorama will be home to fleet-favorite, BlueIguana Cantina. This included Mexican joint serves up delicious breakfast burritos and arepas and lunchtime tacos and burritos.

Heading inside to the Lido Marketplace on Carnival Venezia, we see the return of the buffet lines that were standard on many Carnival ships until the newer “Pod” system came out on the Carnival Sunshine. The pod-style system gives passengers more freedom to go to the station of their choice which helps reduce/eliminate long lines. We’re curious to see how effective/efficient this space will be on the Carnival Venezia.

The aft of Deck 10 is a familiar space on both ships, featuring Seafood Shack on the starboard side and Pizzeria del Capitano on the port side. Carnival Venezia has called this pool and bar space the Burano Pool & Bar, whereas Carnival Panorama labels this as the Tides Pool & Bar.

Deck 11

Carnival Venezia introduces a few more rooms on Deck 11, forward than what is seen on the Carnival Panorama. As we move aft, and outside, the only major differences between the two ships is the Italian-inspired designs with a more enclosed feeling on Venezia. There’s more deck space making it prime for watching the Dive In movies that will play in the Carnival Seaside Theater at night. Immediate aft is Camp Ocean which is consistent on both ships. Further back Carnival Venezia has the Sports Court. This is a MAJOR change as this is where our favorite JiJi Asian Kitchen and Cucina del Capitano sit on Carnival Panorama. We were confused by this change and will certainly feature this in our video reviews once we get on the ship in Barcelona.

Deck 12

There are some big differences forward on Deck 12 between the two ships. The Carnival Venezia has a much smaller fitness center and Cloud 9 Spa. The Carnival Venezia also has standard interior and balcony rooms, unlike her sister Carnival Panorama which has Cloud 9 Spa Rooms which provide exclusive access to the onboard spa (ooh la la!).

Stepping outside, there’s Carnival Waterworks followed by the Jogging Track and retractable roof structure on the Carnival Venezia. Carnival Panorama has an open-to-below space for the Carnival Seaside Theater with the jogging track aft of this space. The area that follows includes the Warehouse arcade space on Carnival Venezia, whereas the Carnival Panorama has The Clubhouse which features soccer billiards and ping pong in the indoor space. Immediately beyond this space is the mini golf course on both ships.

As we make our way to the aft of Deck 12 we see a large void/open space on Carnival Venezia where Carnival Panorama has the Sports Court (super curious to see this in person; why did the Sports Court get moved from here to where JiJi Asian Kitchen is???).

Deck 14

On Deck 14 of Carnival Venezia, there are less treatment rooms for the Cloud 9 Spa on board. We’re curious to see if this space expands as the ship continues to sail with Carnival; will it look more like her sister Carnival Panorama? Time will tell. The aft of Carnival Venezia has a second level of mini golf greens to enjoy and the Ropes Course, whereas the Carnival Panorama features the fun Sky Ride and Ropes Course.

Deck 15

On the top-most deck of the ships, deck 15, we find the adult-only Serenity space. Configured in a similar layout across both ships, Carnival Venezia adds the new Spritz Bar in place of where the Serenity Bar is located on Carnival Panorama. Missing on Carnival Venezia? A new favorite of ours: Fresh Creations salad bar. This is just a blank space on the Carnival Venezia deck plan.

Conclusion

We are excited to be on the inaugural sailing of the newly introduced Carnival Venezia in May 2023. As new details are announced for the ship, be sure to stay tuned to our YouTube channel and social media accounts. Once on board, we’ll host a live event and several Q&A options for the duration of the 15 night Transatlantic cruise! See you on board!