Carnival Cruise Line has announced an order for a brand new class of ships to join the Fun Ship Fleet, with three new vessels confirmed with a size of nearly 230,000 gross tons.
The agreement has been signed with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, and the new ships are scheduled for likely delivery in 2029, 2031, and 2033.
“We are proud to be known as America’s cruise line with tremendous guest loyalty and an outstanding team that has enabled us to deliver memorable vacations to over 100 million guests,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“For this next generation ship, we are focused on creating innovative guest experiences that will take Carnival Cruise Line into the future with new FUN features and excitement that we know our guests will LOVE.”
Few details of the new class are yet available, but each will have more than 3,000 staterooms for a double occupancy capacity in excess of 6,000 guests per cruise. When fully booked, as many as 8,000 guests may be onboard. Crew complement has not been announced.
The new ships will also be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and equipped with the most up-to-date, advanced energy saving and environmentally-friendly features, though exact specifications are not yet determined.
“We are excited to join forces with Carnival Cruise Line to debut a new class of ship, which will be the largest cruise ship ever constructed by Fincantieri and the largest ship ever built in Italy,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, Fincantieri CEO.
“We are proud of the role Fincantieri has played in helping Carnival Corporation secure its position as the world’s largest cruise company and look forward to continuing this success story together,” Folgiero added.
The order for all three ships is still contingent on suitable financing, as is standard in the shipbuilding industry. Those arrangements are expected to be completed before the end of 2024.
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The new ships will be the largest ever for Carnival Cruise Line, roughly 50,000 gross tons – 25% larger than the cruise line’s Excel-class ships.
Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee measure 183,500 gross tons, and all were built by Meyer. Each ship has a guest capacity of 5,282 travelers at double occupancy.
The new measurement – 230,000 gross tons per vessel – is comparable with Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis-class ships, but still smaller than the new Icon class, which is closer to 250,000 gross tons. Still, final numbers won’t be confirmed until the ships are actually under construction in the next few years.
As Duffy has hinted that the new ships will be the “next generation” for the cruise line, there will undoubtedly be brand new, never-before-seen features, as well as Carnival Cruise Line favorites.
On the Excel class, for example, the Bolt rollercoaster was introduced, as well as new entertainment venues and dining options like Emeril’s Bistro and Shaq’s Big Chicken.
More Growth for Carnival Corporation
Before the new class debuts, Carnival Cruise Line will also receive two additional Excel-class ships, which will be delivered in 2027 and 2028.
“We are doubling down on the growth of Carnival Cruise Line – our highest-returning brand – to keep up with the incredibly strong demand we continue to see for the world’s most popular cruise line,” said Josh Weinstein, chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc.
Two other ships will also be joining Carnival Cruise Line in 2025 as the P&O Cruises Australia brand is dissolved. Two of the line’s three ships – Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter – will be rebranded and transferred to Carnival Cruise Line, but will still offer sailings in Australia.
With the announcement of the new class of even larger ships, Carnival Corporation & plc will be receiving new ships in 2025, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2031, and 2033.
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“We continue to take a disciplined approach to growth, strategically directing new capacity to the areas of highest demand at a rate of one to two new ships per year,” Weinstein confirmed.
Homeports, itinerary options, and sailing regions for the new Excel-class vessels as well as the unnamed new class have not yet been announced, but more information is sure to come on all the company’s exciting new ships.
