Carnival to build second LNG-powered Excel-class ship

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its founding, Carnival Cruise Line will build a new LNG-powered Excel-class ship that will join the Carnival fleet in 2022.

The cruise ship will be a sister to Mardi Gras, the first of the Excellence-Helios (Carnival –XL) class which is expected to enter into service on February 6, 2021 in Port Canaveral, Florida, following a postponement caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku has been awarded the construction contracts for both ships that will be equipped with LNG propulsion. The technical characteristics of the two ships consist of 344 meters long and 42 wide, a gross tonnage of 183,900 tons capable of accommodating up to 5,280 passengers and 1,745 crew on its 18 decks and 2,640 cabins.

The new sister ship, called Carnival Celebration, will sail from the Port of Miami, the main embarkation port of the company, in November 2022. In the coming weeks, the itineraries of the Carnival Celebration will be announced while sales will be open starting in October.

The USA Carnival shipping group, which also owns Costa Cruises (Italian flag) and Aida (German flag), is the world leader in LNG cruise ships underway and under construction.