Carnival Corporation has signed an agreement with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to build its fourth Excel class ship for its namesake Carnival Cruise Line brand

The ship, the 10th Excel class ship in the corporation’s fleet across four of its brands and the first new build order placed by the conglomerate in five years, is expected to enter service in spring 2027.

Joining current CCL Excel class ships Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Jubilee, the new ship will carry more than 6,400 guests and be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“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 CCL.

“As the world’s most popular cruise line, this new ship enables us to continue the growth of our incredible fleet as we welcome our loyal guests back to cruise more frequently and attract new-to-cruise guests to experience all that a Carnival cruise has to offer.”

Carnival ‘following through’ on capacity growth strategy

Josh Weinstein, chief executive of Carnival Corporation, added: “Building on our strong performance and growing momentum around the world, we are excited to resume our newbuild program and further enhance our global fleet with yet another state-of-the-art ship that will wow CCL’s guests.”

Weinstein said the line is following through on its capacity growth strategy, with the addition of one to two ships per year beginning in 2027 which will be allocated to the organisation’s brands which most need the capacity to “satisfy outsized demand”.