Carnival Cruises to Expand Fleet by 2028

Carnival Cruises plans to expand its Excel Class with a new ship by 2028, which will make it its 5th Excel-class ship for the company.

The new ship will be 180,000 tonne carrying more than 6,4000 guests alongside with 1,800 crew members. The ship will be built just like its sister ships Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee and Excel 4. which will be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG), which is more kind to the environment.

 “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, Carnival Cruise Line continues to perform at an outstanding level, and we are focused on adding capacity across the company where it aligns with demand and our position in the marketplace. This measured capacity growth strategy will result in our adding one to two ships per year beginning in 2027, and 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,”

Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

Excel Class Ships

Excel 5 will be the fifth ship to be joining the Excel Class fleet in 2028. There are lots of features onboard Carnival Cruises ships with some being specialities on board only Excel Class ships. With lots do on board with activities from mini golf, a sport court and the bolt ultimate sea coaster which is only on Excel Class ships. Each ship has around 3 slides, 6 pools, 8 hot tubs and more around the ship. Looking for a drink onboard, there are many bars that you can go to such as the Alchemy bar, Havana Bar/Lounge, Redfrog Tiki bar and the watering hole. As well as a pour your own beer station at sea! With many public areas including 3 Atriums, Carnival Kitchen and the Javablue cafe. You certainly will be off your feet with all of the entertainment that Carnival Cruises has planned with many exciting things including Family Feud Live and Deal or no deal, in addition to a Carnival Seaside Theatre. Offering a wide range of eateries including many speciality restaurants you will sure be left wanting to go on a diet! 2 Main Restaurants, Shaq’s big chicken, street eats, Emeril’s Bistro, Rudi’s sea Grill and Bonsai Sushi. We expect to see lots of these onboard the new Excel 5 with upgraded versions as well as new additions’ to add to the family of the Excel Class.

“Carnival’s Excel-class fleet will soon be a quintet of these very popular ships that provide outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operating efficiencies. 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. With the arrival of Carnival Firenze in April, we are completing the addition of five ships to our fleet in less than 20 months, and then we will pivot to another phase of growth with these two Excel ships.”

Christine Duffy, President of the line

 “We are proud of the role the Excel-class from MEYER WERFT and MEYER TURKU has played in contributing to the success of Carnival Corporation for many years now. We look forward to continuing this success story together, This order is contingent upon financing, which is expected to be completed later this year.”

Bernd Eikens, CEO MEYER Group.