With less than seven months until her maiden voyage, the new Carnival Magic cruise ship has reached another construction milestone after being “floated out” in Italy.

Presently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, the vessel was floated from her outfitting quay ahead of her debut.

The initial stages of a cruise ship’s construction take place in a dry dock facility.

Once exterior outfitting is completed, the dry dock is flooded with water and the ship is “floated out” and moved to a wet dock facility where construction continues. 

Cruise Holiday

The next major milestone of the Carnival Magic – sea trials in the Adriatic Sea – are slated for early next year in anticipation of the ship’s May 1st, 2011, European debut.

The most innovative ‘Fun Ship’ to date, Carnival Magic will offer a host of new facilities and features, including the RedFrog Pub, a Caribbean-inspired watering hole with its own private label beer, Cucina del Capitano, an Italian family-style restaurant that brings the heritage of Carnival’s captains to the table, and SportsSquare, an expansive sports complex featuring the first-ever ropes course and outdoor fitness area at sea.

Carnival Magic is slated to debut with a nine-day cruise from Venice to Barcelona May 1st-10th, 2011, followed by a series of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona – the line’s first departures from that port. 

Following a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing, Carnival Magic will launch seven-day Caribbean service from Galveston November 14th, 2011, becoming the largest cruise ship ever based in Texas year-round.