Amid unprecedented consumer demand for cruise vacations, Carnival Corporation - the world’s largest cruise shipowner, has announced the order of 3 new ships for its CCL-Carnival Cruise Line brand.
These vessels, each ~230,000 gross tonnes/volume, represent a new ship class and will be LNG-powered/by liquefied natural gas. They are scheduled for delivery in the summers of 2029, 2031, and 2033. This agreement with the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri encompasses the ships' design, engineering, and construction.
Christine Duffy (CCL's President) stated that they 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 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."
This order marks the 5th new ship order for CCL in 2024. Earlier this year, Carnival Corporation ordered 2 more Excel-class ships set to join the fleet in 2027 and 2028. Additionally, strategic shifts to optimize the company's global brand portfolio will see the transfer of 5 vessels from sister brands to Carnival Cruise Line between 2023 and March 2025, increasing guest capacity.
According to Weinstein, this latest order will result in an overall capacity growth of ~1.5% per year between 2025 and 2033. With 3000+ guest staterooms each, the new ships will be the largest in Carnival Corporation’s global fleet, capable of accommodating ~8000 guests at full capacity.
By 2033, Carnival Corporation will have 16 LNG-powered ships, including 8 Carnival Cruise Line ships, representing ~30% of the company's global capacity. These ships will deliver immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions and feature advanced energy efficiency, waste management, and emission reduction technologies to minimize the environmental footprint.