Carnival Radiance Cruise Ship Debut Pushed Back as Shipyard Work Ceases

(12:54 p.m. EDT) -- With COVID-19 shutting down shipyards throughout the world, Carnival Cruise Line is delaying the debut of Carnival Radiance until November 2020 at the earliest.

The ship, which is in dry dock in Cadiz, Spain, is undergoing a $200-million refurbishment, transforming Carnival Victory into Carnival Radiance.

A Carnival spokesman said in a statement: "Because of the lockdown in Spain, we have suspended the transformation of Carnival Victory to Carnival Radiance and will determine a new timeline at a later date."

Shipyard delays as a result of COVID-19 have prompted several postponements of scheduled refurbishments and newbuilds across the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean announced March 18 that it was delaying scheduled refurbishments on two of its ships: Allure of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas. And on March 20, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection announced it was delaying the debut of its first ship, Evrima, until April 2021.

Carnival Radiance will be the third ship Carnival has completely revamped -- and renamed -- joining Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny) and Carnival Sunrise (Carnival Triumph). When the ship emerges from the shipyard, it will have a slew of new features, including two waterslides, a ropes course, six new specialty restaurants and faster, more-reliable Wi-Fi.