[16] The ship was officially renamed Carnival Radiance in September 2021 amid the continued renovation and left Cádiz in mid-October on a seven-week trip through the Panama Canal to reach her new homeport of Long Beach, California.

[17] In November, Carnival named Lucille O'Neal, mother of Carnival's brand ambassador, Shaquille O'Neal, as the ship's new godmother,[18] and she christened the vessel on 12 December in Long Beach, after which the ship commenced operations the following day with a four-day inaugural sailing to Ensenada, Mexico and Catalina Island.

[10] Carnival Victory is themed by American designer and architect Joseph Farcus to depict the different oceans and seas of the world.

She has a nine-deck atrium with four glass elevators, a two-deck lounge with seating for 747, and a total capacity of 3,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members.

[21][22] Throughout her service, Carnival Victory was based in Miami, sailing year-round on alternating three-night and four-night cruises to Caribbean destinations.