Following the recent news that Carnival Cruise Line has ordered a fourth Excel-class ship, the line has revealed an order for a fifth. The fourth ship will debut in spring 2027, and the fifth vessel will launch in 2028. They follow the previously released Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee.
The order was placed with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany and marks parent company Carnival Corporation’s 11th overall ship in the Excel-class ship series across its multiple brands.
"Carnival's Excel-class fleet will soon be a quintet of these very popular ships that provide outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operating efficiencies," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "Since the introduction of Mardi Gras in 2021 and the subsequent expansion with Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023, these Excel-class ships are driving excitement, demand and strong guest satisfaction ratings.”
Carnival's Excel-class fleet will soon be a quintet of these very popular ships that provide outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operating efficiencies.
Duffy also says that the upcoming Carnival Firenze, coming this month, will represent the fifth ship to be added to the Carnival brand in less than 20 months.
“Then, we will pivot to another phase of growth with these two Excel ships,” she added.
Like its preceding sister ships, the fifth Excel-class vessel will measure in at 180,000 tons and carry more than 6,400 passengers and 1,800 crew — all powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
"This new order continues to balance our commitment to growth with our responsible capital approach to utilize strong free cash flow over the next several years to strategically improve our balance sheet, significantly reduce our leverage levels and continue to transfer value from debt holders to shareholders," said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.
Corporately, Carnival plans to add one to two ships per year beginning in 2027, thanks to reported outstanding performance levels. The company’s strategy is to increase capacity where it aligns with demand and its place in the market.
“We will be identifying additional fleet plans over the coming months for our cruise lines to meet capacity demand and improve execution across all aspects of our operation, with the benefit of yielding higher return on invested capital," Weinstein said.