Carnival Panorama: Construction of giant new Carnival ship hits milestone

Gene Sloan
The construction of cruise giant Carnival's next new ship has hit a major milestone as the vessel's exterior outfitting has come to an end.

The construction of cruise giant Carnival's next new ship has hit a major milestone as the vessel's exterior outfitting has come to an end.

Carnival on Monday said Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has held the official "coin ceremony" marking completion of exterior work for the 4,008-passenger Carnival Panorama. The ship is under construction at a Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy.

The coin ceremony is a time-honored maritime tradition dating back centuries. It involves the welding of a commemorative coin to a ship's superstructure.

As is custom, the coin ceremony for Panorama was overseen by a godmother for the vessel, Antonella Cazzin. She's worked at the Fincantieri yard for 35 years.

Panorama will be a sister to the eight-month-old Carnival Horizon and two-year-old Carnival Vista – Carnival's largest ships ever. Like the two earlier vessels, it will measure about 133,500 gross tons.

RELATED: Six things to love about Carnival Horizon

Also like the two earlier vessels, Panorama will feature an 800-foot-long peddle ride around its top deck – a first for the industry when it debuted on Vista. Panorama also will have a massive WaterWorks aqua park with a giant tube slide. It's a major feature of both Horizon and Vista.

New for Carnival on the ship will be a trampoline park.

Panorama will debut in Long Beach, California, on Dec. 11, 2019, becoming the first new Carnival ship based on the West Coast in 20 years. It'll sail year-round from the Los Angeles-area city to the Mexican Riviera. Ports of call will include Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

With the addition of Panorama, Carnival will have 27 ships.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carnival Panorama: Construction of giant new Carnival ship hits milestone