The huge popularity of Carnival Cruise Line’s Excel class ships has eager cruisers excited about the next forthcoming ship in the class, Excel #4, scheduled to set sail in spring 2027.

While the vessel’s debut is still two years away, hopes are already growing for what the ship will deliver, including how she might be the same or different from her sister ships, Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, did recently note that news about the new ship will be coming soon, though he doesn’t say exactly what or precisely when.

“In the next coming chunk of time, we’re going to be telling you about the next Excel ship,” Heald announced in his daily Facebook video. “Wow, this, um… Can’t say anything else.”

This quickly caught the attention of Heald’s fans, who followed up with their excitement but wondered what a “chunk of time” might be.

“It should be in early April so stay tuned,” Heald said.

That means official news and announcements about the next ship in Carnival Cruise Line’s largest-ever class and the first new order for Carnival Corporation & plc in five years could just be days away.

The Next Excel Ship – What We Already Know

The announcement of the fourth Excel class ship was made in February 2024. The ship will be built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, with promises to “wow” guests.

As a sister ship to the existing vessels, the new Excel class will likely feature many of the same attractions and amenities of her older siblings, including the division into distinct themed zones, the extensive Ultimate Playground with the Bolt rollercoaster, a unique Emeril’s Bistro, and much more.

The ship will be powered by liquefied natural gas and will be able to welcome approximately 5,300 guests at double occupancy or up to 6,600 guests when fully booked with all berths filled. Roughly 2,000 international crew members will be onboard to help every guest have their most FUN cruise vacation ever.

But there is so much more we don’t know about the ship, and what great fun is to come!

Naming the Next Excel Class Ship

The new ship’s name has not yet been announced. Carnival Cruise Line has, however, given each of the in-service Excel ships names that nod to the cruise line’s early vessels.

The original Mardi Gras was Carnival Cruise Line’s first ever ship when the cruise line began in 1972.

Celebration was in service with the line from 1987-2008, while Jubilee was in service from 1986-2004. Both were Holiday class ships.

But what about other past Carnival ship names that could be reused?

Carnival Holiday could be a nod to the lead ship of the Holiday class, while three other former names – Festivale, Tropicale, and Carnivale – have not yet been reused. The first two might be good choices, but “Carnival Carnivale” doesn’t have quite the right ring to it.

While the retired Fantasy class ship names could be reused, two Fantasy class vessels – Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise – are still in service, so it would be unusual to reuse those names while any sister ships are still sailing.

Of course, the new ship might have a completely new name as she represents a further evolution of the Excel class into what today’s cruisers want to enjoy.

Where Will the New Ship Homeport?

Carnival cruise fans are eager to know where the fourth Excel ship will be homeported and whether or not she’ll bring the newest, most updated Carnival cruising to a brand new homeport.

Mardi Gras is homeported from Port Canaveral, while Carnival Celebration is in Miami and Carnival Jubilee sails from Galveston. All three ships are staying in their respective homeports year-round at least until spring 2027 – just when the new ship is slated to arrive.

There is great interest in the possibility of homeporting the new Excel class ship from Long Beach, California, bringing the first of these large ships to the West Coast.

Because Long Beach is a year-round homeport, this would be a great place to position the vessel for exciting Mexican Riviera itineraries as well as Carnival Journeys sailings to Hawaii or even offering longer California coast and Alaska sailings.

While it might be exciting to position an Excel class ship in Australia, this might not be as likely with the recent growth of Carnival’s brand Down Under with Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter joining the fleet. Still, this might be another option.

The new ship could also offer more seasonal options rather than remaining year-round sailing from the same homeport. Perhaps she will begin her career in Europe before moving to the Caribbean, Alaska, Australia, or even Asia for unique itineraries throughout her first year or two.

While Carnival Cruise Line does not traditionally do an inaugural season moving a ship to multiple homeports over just a few months, this might be a new strategy the line could try with the new ship.

Of course, it’s also possible that she might displace one of the existing Excel ships and take over sailing from Port Canaveral, Miami, or Galveston while the other ship moves on to a new homeport. Or one homeport could take pride in offering sailings from two Excel ships simultaneously!

Will the New Ship Have a New Theme?

Each of Carnival’s Excel class ships has a distinctive theme. Mardi Gras is the most classic of the ships and set the standard for the zone design with different decor and options in different spaces onboard.

Planned around the cruise line’s 50th birthday extravaganza, Carnival Celebration truly celebrates all things Carnival. Of special note is the Golden Jubilee bar that showcases Carnival history with dioramas and artifacts from all five decades of Fun Ships.

Carnival Jubilee is the first in the fleet to have a special homeport connection with the Texas Lone Star on her bow, as well as unique themed parties and shows that offer Texan hospitality and fun to every guest onboard.

So, what will the next ship’s theme be? Maybe another homeport connection, or perhaps a tribute to a specific sailing region.

How about a Caribbean theme for all the top Caribbean destinations Carnival visits? Or maybe a Mexican theme (Carnival Fiesta, anyone?) for the vibrant Mexican destinations the cruise line offers?

Next Steps for the New Ship

The very first step that needs to be taken for the new ship is her steel cutting as official, physical construction begins on her hull. At that time, coins will also be laid under the hull in a shipyard tradition.

This might also be when more news is revealed about the vessel, including her name or theme. Blocks will begin to be laid into place, and eventually the hull will take shape.

After the hull is complete – a process that takes several months, or even more than a year, depending on schedule – the ship will be floated out. This is a special milestone when the ship touches water for the first time, and the hull is complete.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Ships by Age – Newest to Oldest

The interior outfitting is the next phase of construction, as the details of the ship come together. As this process nears its conclusion, the ship will undergo sea trials to test all critical systems.

Once the sea trials are complete and the interior outfitting is finished, the ship will be delivered or “handed over” to Carnival Cruise Line. Her construction is complete, but she may still need final interior details and must be supplied. Crew members will start to report, and just a few weeks later, the ship will welcome her first guests.

There is a lot to come in the next two years for the new Excel class ship. Stay tuned every step of the way for the latest updates, news, and announcements as she comes together!

While Carnival Spirit may be looking fine and refreshed after her month-long dry dock, guests onboard the first post-update sailing have discovered a salty problem – saltwater.

The ship is still having some maintenance completed and for the moment, there is no filtered drinking water available and even taps in guests’ staterooms are saltwater.

Word of the issue has spread and details have emerged from those onboard the 14-night transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Miami.

Concerned and curious travelers have reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, for more information about what seems to be a very unusual situation.

“I have just gotten a message from a friend and current passenger aboard the Carnival Spirit transatlantic. She told me there is no drinking water onboard, the sink and showers are saltwater, the drink stations don’t operate, several cabins have flooded, and the pools are empty and closed,” one guest described.

“The Spirit just came out of dry dock. We sail on her for the next sailing on the Miami-Seattle Panama Canal Journeys Cruise. Will with issue interfere with that sailing?”

Heald was quick to respond to the guest’s concerns and set their mind at ease about the next cruise.

“Yes, that is correct,” he confirmed. “We have informed the guests that we are doing some maintenance and everybody has bottled water and everybody is having a wonderful time. I’ve heard this directly from the senior manager on board. Thank you so much and there is nothing to be concerned about.”

Another guest onboard verified that the pools are closed, and it’s easy to get bottles of water from nearby bars.

The nature of the ongoing maintenance has not been disclosed, but it may have to do with the reverse osmosis or desalinization filtration system. This would explain why the water in showers and bathrooms has become salty.

Undoubtedly the work is ongoing with every nautical mile the ship sails, and fresh water will be returned to taps as quickly as possible.

Isn’t All Work Finished in Dry Dock?

It can seem surprising that even after a month in dry dock with updates, renovations, and refreshments going on all day and night, the work may not be completed on a vessel once she sets sail again.

Shipyards prioritize what tasks are necessary for the ship to be seaworthy again and complete all technical updates that have to be done to permit the ship to sail. Smaller systems or aesthetic work may not always be finished before the dry dock end date.

Read Also: How Do Cruise Ships Get Fresh Water?

If this happens, the ship can still be certified to sail but the work continues as she is underway. This can be astonishing to guests, especially when their cruise experience is impacted on what was to have been a renewed and refreshed ship.

Many years ago, I was aboard the first post-dry dock sailing for Fantasy (before she became Carnival Fantasy, and long before the ship was eventually retired and scrapped).

During that cruise, no pools or whirlpools were open and some staterooms on lower decks had plumbing difficulties. Along the Riviera Deck stateroom corridor, there was no carpeting!

Understandably, the line at the Guest Services desk was lengthy and many guests were complaining about the state of the ship and problems in their individual rooms. Every time we walked past the desk, the staff remained cool and polite while they helped each guest.

By the end of that 3-night cruise, the floor was carpeted, hallways cleaned up, and other than the pools remaining closed as we debarked (pools are always closed on debarkation morning), you’d never know there were any lingering problems.

Undoubtedly, the engineering team, maintenance workers, and specialized contractors are hard at work aboard Carnival Spirit to finish up the last details of her updates and maintenance.

Guests on the ship’s forthcoming cruises – her 15-night Panama Canal cruise to Seattle, followed by her Alaska season – are sure to enjoy all the upgraded features and new spaces onboard and all the fun that Carnival Spirit offers.