On July 24, Carnival Corporation announced the order of three ships to be added to the namesake Carnival Cruise Line. The three new ships are in addition to the two Excel-class ships already announced for Carnival Cruise Line in February and March of this year. Read on to learn more or watch our quick 5-minute Carnival Cruise Line Major Announcement video on YouTube for all the details.
Carnival Announces Two Excel-Class Ships
On February 13, Carnival Corporation announced the addition of a fourth Excel-class ship for Carnival Cruise Line. At a max capacity of 6,400 passengers, this was big news! So, imagine everyone’s surprise when just over a month later on March 26, 2024, Carnival Corporation announced the addition of a fifth Excel-class ship to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet.
According to Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, “these Excel-class ships are driving excitement, demand, and strong guest satisfaction ratings.” Josh Weinstein, CEO of parent Carnival Corporation shared that the cruiser operator is adding this capacity “where it aligns with demand and our position in the marketplace.”
To be delivered in 2027 and 2028, these two new ships will add nearly 13,000 berths to the fleet. Like her sisters, these new Excel-class ships will be built by Meyer-Werft and use Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).
Continue Reading: Check out our full review of Carnival’s newest Excel-class ship, the Carnival Jubilee.
Carnival Announces Three More Ships
Fast forward just a couple months to July 24, 2024. You can imagine our surprise when Carnival Corporation made another major announcement for Carnival Cruise Line: A commitment to bring a brand-new class of ships to life with three new ships.
But these aren’t going to be just any ships. Being built by Fincantieri, these ships will be the largest ever built for Carnival Cruise Line. In fact, they’ll be the largest ships ever built by Fincantieri – and the largest ever built in Italy. Weighing in at nearly 230,000 gross tons, the three new ships are clearly designed to compete with the megaship boom created by Royal Caribbean Group.
The three new ships are most comparable to the Oasis-class from Royal Caribbean, however, they’re not that far off from the world’s second-largest ship: Utopia of the Seas. Utopia weighs in at just over 236,000. As you can see, Carnival wants a piece of the big ship pie!
Details of the Five Announced Ships
We recorded a quick update on YouTube to share the details that we know today about all of the new ships coming to Carnival Cruise Line in the next decade. We also provide some perspective on just how big these ships are when you look at the rest of the fleet.
Carnival’s Investment in Reducing Emissions
Upon delivery of these new ships, nearly 30% of Carnival’s overall global fleet will run LNG (by capacity). This investment in cleaner ships helps Carnival achieve their carbon emission goals, while further cementing the cruise operator’s leadership in this space.
You can read all about the cruise operator’s goals and aspirations in their annual Sustainability Report.
What Do You Think?
We’d love to hear from you! What do you think of this announcement? Are you excited for Carnival to bring larger ships to the fleet? Or do you steer clear of the megaships out there? We’d also love to hear what you think the cruise line might add to these new massive ships that they don’t currently have on board today. Let us know in the comments below!