CARNIVAL Corporation has ordered three new ships for Carnival Cruise Line (CCL), in an agreement with Fincantieri.
The new liquified natural gas-powered ships will be the largest in Carnival Corp’s global fleet, carrying almost 8,000 guests.
They will also introduce a new class of vessel, with deliveries set for 2029, 2031, and 2033 respectively.
The ships will take Carnival Corp’s LNG-powered fleet to 16, making up almost 30% of the company’s global capacity.
The order is the fifth for CCL this year, after the cruise line had not had a single new order in the five years prior.
CCL’s first newbuild order of the year was for two more Excel-class ships, to join the fleet in 2027 and 2028.
Carnival Corp also recently announced a series of strategic shifts to further optimise the composition of its global brand portfolio, and to increase guest capacity for CCL.
This will see five vessels transferred across from CCL’s sister brands through to next year, including two P&O Cruises Australia vessels.
Carnival Corp Chief Executive Officer Josh Weinstein said the order will take the company’s overall measured capacity growth between 2025 and 2033 to an average of approximately 1.5% per year.
“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,” Weinstein said.
“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.”
Design details and itinerary information for the new CCL ships will be announced at a later date, with the order also contingent upon financing, which is expected to be completed later this year.
