Carnival shows off new ships, fleet updates and destination plans

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.

“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.  

About Carnival Festivale

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.

Additional new ships

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.”

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.