Carnival Corporation & plc just revealed a deal they signed with Meyer Werft, a German shipbuilder, to construct another cruise ship of the Excel-class for their Carnival Cruise Line brand. This ship, the corporation’s tenth in the Excel-class and part of its four prestigious brands, is projected to start operating in Spring 2027.
The upcoming addition to the fleet of Carnival Cruise Line’s Excel-class ships, including Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee, will be a state-of-the-art vessel weighing 180,000 tons. It will have the capacity to accommodate more than 6,400 guests and will be equipped with a cutting-edge liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology platform. This order marks Carnival Corporation’s first newbuild in five years.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, expressed her enthusiasm for the Excel-class ships, highlighting their success and popularity among guests. She emphasized that the addition of this new ship would further bolster the growth of the Carnival fleet, allowing both loyal and new guests to enjoy the remarkable experiences offered by Carnival cruises.
Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation, expressed enthusiasm for resuming the newbuild program and expanding the global fleet. The company plans to introduce a state-of-the-art ship in 2027, following the delivery of one ship in 2025 and no newbuilds in 2026. This strategic approach aligns with Carnival’s responsible capital strategy, utilizing strong free cash flow to improve the balance sheet, reduce leverage, and enhance shareholder value.
“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, delivering an attractive payback period. We also remain focused on driving revenue growth throughout our portfolio of world-class cruise lines by continuing to improve execution across all aspects of our operation, yielding higher return on invested capital,” said Weinstein.
The company implementing its planned expansion strategy by introducing an annual addition of one to two ships starting in 2027. These ships will be assigned to Carnival’s cruise lines experiencing high demand, allowing us to meet customer needs and generate favorable returns. The group’s primary objective is to drive revenue growth across our esteemed cruise lines by enhancing operational execution in all areas, resulting in increased return on invested capital, stated Weinstein.
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