With consumer demand for cruise vacations at historic levels, Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company, has announced an exciting new development. The company has placed an order for three new ships for its Carnival Cruise Line brand. These vessels, part of a new class designed to be nearly 230,000 gross registered tonnes, will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. The ships, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), are scheduled for delivery in the summers of 2029, 2031, and 2033.
Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, expressed enthusiasm about the new ships, stating “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. 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.”
The order marks the fifth new ship order for Carnival Cruise Line announced in 2024. Earlier this year, Carnival Corporation placed its first newbuild orders in five years for two Excel-class ships set to join the Carnival Cruise Line fleet in 2027 and 2028. Additionally, the company has recently outlined strategic shifts aimed at optimizing its global brand portfolio and increasing guest capacity for Carnival Cruise Line. This includes transferring five vessels from sister brands to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet between 2023 and March 2025.
Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc, highlighted the company’s commitment to growth “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. At this point, our newbuild pipeline is just one delivery in each of 2025, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2031 and 2033. 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.”
This latest order will drive Carnival Corporation’s overall measured capacity growth between 2025 and 2033 to an average of approximately 1.5% per year. Weinstein added, “This gives us the headroom to strategically provide new capacity to the brands in our portfolio like Carnival Cruise Line, which provide outsized returns while continuing to execute against our responsible capital strategy, using our strong free cash flow over the next several years to improve our balance sheet, significantly reduce our debt, and continue to transfer value from debt holders to shareholders.”
The new ships will be the largest in Carnival Corporation’s global fleet, featuring over 3,000 guest staterooms and capable of accommodating almost 8,000 guests at full capacity. Once delivered in 2033, Carnival Corporation will have a total of 16 LNG-powered ships, including eight from Carnival Cruise Line. These vessels will represent nearly 30% of Carnival Corporation’s global capacity, contributing to immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. They will also incorporate advanced energy efficiency, waste management, and emission reduction technologies to further minimize the company’s environmental footprint.
Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri, shared his excitement about the partnership“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. 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.”
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is a leading global cruise company and one of the largest vacation companies worldwide. Our extensive portfolio features some of the most renowned cruise brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn in North America; P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard in the United Kingdom; AIDA Cruises in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe; Iberocruceros in Spain; and P&O Cruises (Australia) in Australia.
These brands represent the most recognized names in cruising across North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, offering a diverse array of holiday and vacation options tailored to a wide spectrum of cultural, linguistic, and recreational preferences. In addition to our cruise operations, we own a tour company, Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, which operates in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Together, our vacation companies welcome approximately 10 million guests annually, making Carnival Corporation & plc a premier choice for memorable travel experiences.
Source Carnival Corporation