Line Lays Out Strategic Plans to Further
Solidify Its Position as the Cruise Industry
Innovator and Leader
MIAMI, April 6,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on a period of
expansive growth, Carnival Cruise Line is outlining its strategic
plans over the next five years with the introduction of its
"Innovation Itinerary," focused on three pillars: sailing the most
fun fleet at sea; creating compelling experiences and destinations;
and building more Carnival loyalists. The line's President
Christine Duffy provided details on
new ships, deployment, fleet enhancements and exclusive
destinations at a media briefing today aboard Carnival Celebration
at PortMiami. (To see video from the event, click here.)
"Since our inception in 1972, we have defined and led the modern
cruise industry and our plans for the next five years and beyond
are no different," said Duffy. "The excitement and energy continue
at Carnival! Having just integrated two ships into the Carnival
fleet in Australia, we now stand
at 29 ships, the largest global fleet in our history. Looking
ahead, we have the opening of Celebration Key this July, followed
by our expansion at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay in 2026; the
delivery of our fourth and fifth Excel ships in 2027 and 2028; and
then the introduction of three ships in our new platform, Project
Ace, beginning in 2029, plus fleet enhancements and new investments
at some of our existing destinations. We are poised to
continue our leadership position as both America's Cruise Line and
the World's Most Popular Cruise Line."
New Ships:
At the event, Duffy revealed that the fourth ship in Carnival's
award-winning Excel class ships will be named Carnival
Festivale, continuing the tradition of giving these ships the
names of the first Carnival ships that popularized cruise vacations
for so many Americans.
Debuting in spring 2027, Carnival Festivale will sail from Port
Canaveral, Florida. Reservation
and itinerary details will be released this summer. In the
meantime, those who want to be the first know can be notified by
signing up here.
Carnival Festivale will keep in the Carnival tradition of
bringing innovation and fun with each new ship and will debut three
brand new zones; two of which on Decks 6, 7, and 8 will celebrate
music with new music-themed venues and immersive experiences,
representing the ways in which music brings people together. One
zone is inspired by the process of creating music, using
cutting-edge media, interactive moments, immersive sound and
transformative lighting to activate it throughout the cruise, while
the other zone on deck 8 symbolizes the energetic vibes of outdoor
music performances.
Carnival sails more families than any other cruise line,
welcoming one million children per year; and to better serve those
families, Carnival Festivale will feature 1,000 interconnecting
rooms, nearly 70% more than on the first three Excel ships.
The expansion of the interconnecting rooms is in lieu of the Family
Harbor staterooms on the existing Excel ships. Carnival
Festivale will also introduce a dedicated space for Carnival's
Turtles program which is for children six months to two years, and
more experiences for them on the open decks. Overall spaces
for Carnival's youth programs will also be enhanced to support
additional programming.
Carnival Festivale will also feature a new outdoor zone on the
top three decks, named Sunsation Point, that is a vibrant and
exhilarating family fun zone that promises endless entertainment
and unforgettable memories for guests of all ages. On Deck
18, a main feature of Sunsation Point is Carnival Waterworks Ultra,
the most family friendly water park at sea and the ultimate
destination for splashy excitement. This new area will
replace BOLT, the Ultimate Seacoaster that is the top deck feature
on the existing Excel ships.
The expansive water park will feature six exhilarating slides,
four of which are new to Carnival, including two family raft slides
and, in the spirit of catering to all ages, slides that allow
guests as little as three feet tall! Two different splash
pads offer endless aquatic playtime with kids' slides and spray
toys, while dedicated baby splash areas that will let even the
littlest cruisers get in on the fun. The treehouse inspired
elevated adventure trail and toddler areas provide dry play
activities with plenty of shaded seating nearby. A sports
court, ropes course and jogging track along with a new miniature
golf course, outdoor games and themed arcade spaces are also
included in this zone. In the evening, Sunsation Point bursts
with vibrant illumination and the fun continues into the night with
special evening events that have extended water park hours, in
addition to a DJ and other activities. This is a first for
Carnival to open Waterworks at night and activate multi deck zones
for guests of all ages to enjoy together in the evening.
Since this ship will be sailing from Port Canaveral
alongside Mardi Gras,
there will be new dining options. Carnival's Chief Culinary Officer
Emeril Lagasse is working closely with the Food and Beverage team
to develop new concepts, including a new dining outlet that will
replace ChiBang! But guests don't have to worry as fan
favorites Guy's Burger Joint, Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse
and Big Chicken are a few of the staples that will continue.
More details on dining options will be available in the coming
months.
Duffy also revealed that the name of the line's fifth Excel
class ship will be Carnival Tropicale, also one of the
original names of early Carnival ships. The homeport and open for
sale date will be unveiled well ahead of the scheduled delivery of
the ship in spring 2028. Many of the new features on Carnival
Festivale will also be included on Carnival Tropicale, as well as
some new concepts and theming.
Looking further ahead, Carnival's exclusive new ship platform,
currently called Project Ace, includes three ships at
230,000 gross tons each being built by Fincantieri that will be
delivered in 2029, 2031 and 2033, respectively. With over 3,000
guest staterooms, the new ships will be the largest in the Carnival
Corporation global fleet and will be able to deliver fun to more
guests than any ship in the world when carrying almost 8,000 guests
at full capacity.
"These ships clearly represent the next generation of Fun ships.
They will be experiences unto themselves, and, partnered with
itineraries that call in part on our exclusive destinations, will
provide amazing cruise vacations for guests," said
Duffy. "This class will introduce new dining outlets,
entertainment, and re-imagined outer deck amenities. Our New Build
team is in the midst of designing these vessels, so stay tuned for
more as we get closer to delivery."
Deployment Updates:
When Carnival Festivale is delivered in spring 2027 and begins
sailing from Port Canaveral, Mardi
Gras will move to offering short cruises from the
same homeport.
"As new ships are introduced, this will allow us to upgrade
capacity and hardware in key markets, with a particular focus on
short cruises," explained Duffy. "With short cruises on
Mardi Gras, our guests who
may not have the time to take a weeklong vacation can experience
all the amazing features of our Excel class."
Carnival has always been a leader in offering short cruises
which appeal to first-time cruisers and families with more limited
vacation time. Carnival offers short cruises from all of its
homeports in the U.S. and Australia, with the exceptions of Baltimore and Seattle.
Duffy also reiterated Carnival's commitment to serving the
line's secondary markets which are an important part of its
portfolio as America's Cruise Line by continuing to be an
accessible vacation for 50 percent of the U.S. population that is
within a five-hour drive of a Carnival cruise.
As part of this commitment, Carnival will return to year-round
operations in Mobile, Alabama
beginning in spring 2027. Carnival previously sailed
year-round from Mobile and
currently sails seasonally. In addition, Carnival is
exploring moving a larger Conquest class ship to Baltimore in 2027 that can accommodate about
1,000 more guests than Carnival Pride, the Spirit class ship
currently deployed from Baltimore.
Guest Experience:
Since first introducing Fun Ship 2.0 in 2011, Carnival has
continually sought to enhance the guest experience on its
ships. In order to continue to innovate, Carnival will be
evolving the guest experience on its existing ships by making
strategic enhancements. Changes will include décor
modernization, new dining, beverage and entertainment experiences
that will draw from features and concepts that will be introduced
on its new ships. More details will be revealed as dry dock
and enhancement plans are finalized.
Destinations:
It's not just ships that are part of the Innovation Itinerary,
it's also about exclusive destinations. Carnival Corporation
already has the largest collection of cruise destinations across
the Caribbean and Mexico that are utilized by many of its
corporate brands. Carnival Cruise Line, as the largest year-round
operator in these regions, is the line that frequents these
destinations the most. Given this, the destinations are being
enhanced and will be marketed as the new Paradise Collection by
Carnival and include:
- The first exclusive destination that has been designed for
Carnival guests, Celebration Key is a game-changer,
opening in July. It offers guests the ultimate day in
paradise. Twenty Carnival ships from 10 U.S. homeports on
more than 1,400 sailings are already open for sale and will make
visits to Celebration Key through 2027, with more to come.
- The line recently announced the expansion of RelaxAway, Half
Moon Cay, which has been consistently rated as one of the top
destinations in the Caribbean. The addition of a pier that
can support Excel class and Project Ace ships will allow Carnival
to bring its largest ships to this beautiful destination. The
expansion is focused on unlocking more of the beach paradise
Carnival guests love, making sure to preserve the pristine beach
and lush, natural beauty of this island paradise. The destination's
enhancements will begin to be completed by summer 2026 and continue
through the end of the year.
- Coming in 2026, Mahogany Bay, Carnival's destination in
Roatan, Honduras, will be renamed
Isla Tropicale and expanded to include a pool with a swim up
bar and cabanas. Future enhancements will also include an
expanded beach and a beach club.
Loyalty:
Duffy rounded out the event by confirming that Carnival will be
enhancing its existing loyalty program, the details of which are
expected to be announced this summer, with enhancements taking
effect in 2026.
"Carnival has an incredibly loyal and passionate fan base who
are advocates for our brand, our crew and the amazing vacations we
deliver. We've had our existing VIFP loyalty recognition
program in place since 2012 and as our fleet and business has
grown, so has the VIFP program," she said. "As we continue to
grow, we are modifying the program to unlock greater value and
engagement for our loyal guests."
Duffy said updates will be announced this summer, giving guests
and travel advisors plenty of time to learn about the changes.
For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and to book a
cruise vacation on Carnival, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit
http://carnival.com, or contact your favorite travel advisor or
online travel site.
ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc
(NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is the first cruise line to sail over
100 million guests and is proud to be known as America's Cruise
Line, for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports
than any other. Since its founding in 1972, Carnival has
continually revolutionized the cruise industry and popularized the
cruise vacation as an affordable and fun travel option. Carnival
operates from 13 U.S. and two Australian homeports, as well as
seasonally from Europe and employs
more than 50,000 team members representing 120 nationalities.
Carnival's fleet of 29 ships reflects an exciting period of
growth that continues with the addition of five ships through 2033:
a fourth and fifth Excel class ship scheduled for 2027 and 2028
respectively; followed by three additional new ships from an
innovative new class currently under development. Carnival's next
new guest offering will be the all-new exclusive destination,
Celebration Key, set to debut on Grand Bahama this summer.
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SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line
