Carnival Corp Orders Fourth Excel-Class Ship for CCL

Carnival Corporation & plc ordered a fourth Excel class cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line. The ship, the 10th Excel-class ship in the corporation’s global fleet – across four brands – is the first for the brand since COVID-19 upended the travel industry.

The LNG-powered ship will be built by Meyer Werft, will hold some 6,400 guests, and is expected to enter service in spring 2027.

“Our Excel class ships have been a tremendous addition to the Carnival fleet and proven very popular with our guests,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “…this new ship enables us to continue the growth of our incredible fleet…”

“Building on our strong performance and growing momentum around the world, we are excited to resume our newbuild program…” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corp.

The company has one newbuild scheduled for 2025 (Star Princess) and none for 2026. According to Weinstein, the new Excel-class ship is the only one expected for 2027.  

“We are following through on our measured capacity growth strategy, with the addition of one to two ships per year beginning in 2027, which will be allocated to our cruise lines that most need the capacity to satisfy outsized demand…,” Weinstein said.