Carnival Cruise Line has announced the senior leadership team for the Carnival Radiance which is set to debut in Europe on April 29, 2020, following an extensive $200 million refurbishment in Cadiz, Spain.

Currently sailing as Carnival Victory, the ship will depart Miami March 2 for a 38-day drydock and emerge as Carnival Radiance featuring all of the line’s culinary, beverage and entertainment innovations added as part of the line’s $2 billion fleetwide ship enhancement program, according to a press release.

Officers:

Captain Stefano Bonica/Captain Arik Mazzi: Captain Bonica will command the ship during drydock while Captain Mazzi will take over once the vessel begins service in the U.S.

Bonica attended Istituto Tecnico Nautico Caio Duilio in Messina and joined Carnival as a third officer in 2000.  He was named captain in 2017 and has served on virtually every ship in the fleet during his two decades with the company. 

Hailing from La Spezia, Italy, Mazzi served in the Italian Navy and joined Carnival Cruise Line as a deck cadet in 2000.  During his 20 years with the company, he has served on a number of ships in the fleet, most recently as captain of Carnival Fantasy, Ecstasy and Victory. 

Chief Engineer Giovanni Lombardo: A 25-year Carnival veteran, Lombardo followed in his footsteps of his father, also a chief engineer with the company, when he joined Carnival as a third engineer aboard Carnival Ecstasy. After working on a number of vessels across the fleet, he was named chief engineer in 2007 and has served in this capacity primarily aboard the line’s Destiny-class ships.  

Hotel Director Caroline Bourke: The Cork, Ireland, native and 16-year company veteran was part of the inaugural team that introduced Carnival Radiance’s sister ship, Carnival Sunrise, last year.  Bourke joined Carnival Cruise Line in 2004 and was promoted to guest services manager in 2009 before being named hotel director in 2016.  Her hospitality career began at the Hayfield Manor Hotel after earning her degree from the Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland.

The Carnival Radiance’s inaugural voyage will be a 10-day sailing from Barcelona April 29, kicking off a schedule of nine- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises. 

The ship will then reposition to New York to offer four- to nine-day cruises to Bermuda, the Caribbean and eastern Canada, as well as five- to seven-day voyages from Norfolk.

In November, Carnival Radiance shifts to Port Canaveral for six- to eight-day Caribbean voyages through May 2021 after which it will move to Galveston, significantly expanding the line’s offerings from that port.