Carnival Cruise Line’s second LNG Excel-class cruise ship has floated out onto the water for the very first time at the Meyer Turku shipyard in southwestern Finland. This is a major construction milestone and another step closer for Carnival Celebration to set sail.
Celebrating a Construction Milestone
The much-anticipated Carnival Celebration, sister ship to Carnival Cruise Line’s flagship Mardi Gras, has reached a major milestone in its construction as it was floated out and touched water for the first time on February 11, 2022. This signifies that the ship’s hull is officially complete, and she is now ready for outfitting with interior details and features.
“This is the exciting part, when everything that everyone will love about the ship goes from blueprint to reality,” said Ben Clement, senior vice president of New Builds, Refurbishment, and Product Innovation for Carnival Cruise Line, who was in Finland to oversee the float-out milestone. “When there’s a new ship coming, it’s always tough to pick your favorite part, but Carnival Celebration is going to make that choice tougher than ever when she makes her way to Miami.”
The ship’s name is a nod to one of Carnival’s classic cruise ships, MS Celebration, but in every sense, the new Carnival Celebration is designed to lead the way to the future of cruising. Work will now begin on installing some of the exterior features already thrilling guests on Mardi Gras, including the award-winning BOLT roller coaster.
Carnival Celebration already has one of her most recognizable features, as the ship received her iconic “whale tail” funnel on January 25.
Inside the ship, the build out will help bring out Carnival Celebration’s own unique personality. The ship will feature six distinct zones, three of which are designed specifically for Carnival Celebration. Details about the new zones will be revealed soon.
Other interior construction will now accelerate, as the ship will receive its interior finishes that will bring the vessel alive. At this time, construction is on track and proceeding as expected.
“We are very proud to build this beautiful ship for Carnival Cruise Line,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. “By the end of the summer, Carnival Celebration will be ready for her sea trial and then for delivery later in the autumn.”
Carnival Celebration‘s Debut
Carnival Celebration is the second of the three Excel-class ships, sister to the already hugely popular Mardi Gras as well as Carnival Jubilee, which will join the Carnival fleet in fall 2023.
Scheduled to enter service this fall, the 180,000-gross-ton Carnival Celebration will first sail a 14-day transatlantic “Carnival Journeys” voyage from Southampton to her Miami homeport in November.
Her first sailing from Miami is a 6-day Eastern Caribbean sailing departing November 21, 2022 and calling on Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and Nassau, with two days at sea for guests to fully explore the new ship.
Carnival Celebration‘s arrival will be a celebration indeed, marking the culmination of the year-long celebration of Carnival Cruise Line’s 50th birthday.
