Carnival Cruise Line is going bigger than ever before with a new class of ships.
The cruise line will welcome the first of the three new vessels in the summer of 2029, each with more than 3,000 cabins and a full capacity of nearly 8,000 guests. The others will follow in 2031 and 2033, and the class will mark the largest ships in the history of the line and its parent company, Carnival Corp.
“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,” the line’s president, Christine Duffy, said in a news release Tuesday. “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 ships will be constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.
“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,” Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero said. The cruise line will share additional specifics about the design and itineraries at a later date.
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The news comes after Carnival announced orders for two more Excel class ships earlier this year, scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028. Those will join current Excel class ships Carnival Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee.
Carnival will also add two existing ships to its fleet from sister brand P&O Cruises Australia, which Carnival Corp. plans to retire in March 2025.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].