March 28, 2024
In another instance of the cruise industry's strong recovery, Carnival Corporation has commissioned Meyer Werft in Germany to build another large cruise ship. This move is part of Carnival's efforts to rebuild its capacity following the pandemic. The announcement comes after Carnival Corporation placed its first newbuild order in five years in mid-February, marking the industry's first major post-pandemic order, which is now being followed by a sister ship.
The new ship will be the fifth for Carnival Cruise Line on the Excel platform, which was first introduced in 2018 with the AIDAnova as the pioneer cruise ship to operate fully on LNG-fueled propulsion. This platform has been used by the corporation for its Aida, Costa, and P&O brands, as well as Carnival Cruise Line. The new ship will be the 11th cruise ship built on the platform, with construction split between Meyer's yards in Germany and Finland.
"Carnival Cruise Line continues to excel, and we are committed to increasing capacity across the company where there is demand and market opportunity," said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc. "This strategic growth plan will see us adding one to two ships per year from 2027 onwards. We will also be developing additional fleet plans for our cruise lines in the coming months to meet capacity demands and enhance operational efficiency, ultimately leading to higher return on investment."
The latest order will be constructed in Papenburg, Germany, where the Carnival Jubilee was built and delivered in late 2023. The previous order placed last month will also be built in Germany, while Carnival's first two ships of the class, Mardi Gras (2021) and Carnival Celebration (2022), were built in Turku, Finland. Each ship is approximately 182,000 gross tons and is designed to accommodate over 6,400 passengers and 1,800 crew members.