Carnival Corporation has signed an agreement with Meyer Werft shipyard for the construction of a fifth Excel Class cruise ship for its flagship Carnival Cruise Line brand, for a planned delivery in 2028.

The new vessel will be the 11th Excel class cruise ship in the corporation’s fleet, across four brands. The ship class, the largest ever operated by any Carnival Corporation brand, is currently sailing for Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Cruise Line’s new order follows a February announcement for a newbuild for Carnival with a 2027 delivery date, and would appear to signal that Carnival Corporation is gradually moving away from its halt to major capital expenses following the pandemic.

“This new order continues to balance our commitment to growth with our responsible capital approach to utilise strong free cash flow over the next several years to strategically improve our balance sheet, significantly reduce our leverage levels and continue to transfer value from debt holders to shareholders,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation.

“Carnival Cruise Line continues to perform at an outstanding level, and we are focused on adding capacity across the company where it aligns with demand and our position in the marketplace,” he added.

The as-yet-unnamed new vessel will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) like her sister ships, and designed to carry more than 6,400 guests and 1,800 crew.

The ship will join Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee, and the unnamed 2027 newbuild in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. Featuring roller coasters, six different ‘zones’ themed around particular experiences and a range of new-to-the-line amenities, the Excel class has proven exceptionally popular with passengers.

“Carnival’s Excel-class fleet will soon be a quintet of these very popular ships that provide outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operating efficiencies,” said Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line.

“Since the introduction of Mardi Gras in 2021 and the subsequent expansion with Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023, these Excel-class ships are driving excitement, demand, and strong guest satisfaction ratings,” she added.

“With the arrival of Carnival Firenze in April, we are completing the addition of five ships to our fleet in less than 20 months, and then we will pivot to another phase of growth with these two Excel ships.”

Carnival Corporation’s measured capacity growth strategy will result in the addition of one to two ships per year beginning in 2027 as the cruise company, the largest in the world, continues to recover from the pandemic.