Carnival Pride’s Statue of David Finds A New Home On Firenze

March 20, 2024 Randy Young

If you sailed on the Carnival Pride over the last 20 years, you probably remember the replica of the statue of David that towered over David’s Steakhouse. It stood high on deck 10 above the curving glass staircase. The statue used to be a faithful production of the original David by Michelangelo, but in the late ’00s, a modesty fig leaf was added. More recently, the statue was removed altogether, but Carnival has announced it’s found a new home on its newest ship.

The statue of David replica was removed in 2023

statue of david on carnival pride — The original David didn’t have a fig leaf, but it was added in the 00’s.

The statue of David was removed in 2023 during a dry dock of the Carnival Pride. At that time, Carnival renovated David’s Steakhouse and instead turned it into its Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. Traditionally, Fahrenheit 555 restaurants have a more contemporary and modern feel that wouldn’t mesh well with the statue’s aesthetic. Oddly, Carnival left most of the other decor, like a massive mural and Roman columns, around the space. There really was no reason that David couldn’t have stayed.

David moves to Carnival Firenze

statue of david in dining room on carnival firenze — The new home for David is one of the main dining rooms on the Carnival Firenze.

The David statue is being moved to the new Carnival Firenze, which is currently going through renovations ahead of its April 25th debut. The ship, which operated under sister cruise line Costa Cruises, is going through a transformation to “Carnival-ize” the vessel.

The original statue of David spent decades standing next to the bustling square Palazzo della Signoria in Florence, Italy. Since the Firenze is dedicated to the city of Florence, it makes sense that it’s David’s new home. It now stands in Michelangelo’s Restaurant, one of the main dining rooms aboard the Firenze.

Just one of the many changes on Firenze

The Rococo Bar is the pool deck bar, taking the place of Red Frog Rum Bar.

The statue of David is just one of many changes being made to the ship as it gets ready for Carnival. The ship will see new venues like the Rococo Bar (replacing Red Frog Rum Bar), the Amari Bar (replacing Alchemy Bar), El Tomodoro (replacing Blue Iguana), and a special Italian-version of Guy’s Burgers.

Learn more about the Carnival Firenze