Carnival Cruise Line will revive the Carnival Destiny name for its largest ship yet, at 230,000 gross tons and accommodating up to 8.000 passengers.

The new vessel, scheduled to enter service in 2029, will become the sixth newbuild in the cruise line’s modern fleet to carry the name of one of Carnival’s former ships, continuing a naming tradition that began with the launch of Mardi Gras in 2021.

The 230,000-ton Carnival Destiny will be the first ship in Carnival Cruise Line’s new Ace class and will rank among the largest cruise ships in the world, accommodating up to 8,000 guests at maximum capacity.

The vessel is currently under development at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, with delivery planned for summer 2029.

The decision marks the latest step in Carnival’s strategy of reviving historic ship names for its newest and largest vessels.

While the practice is common across the cruise industry, Carnival only adopted the approach in 2018 when it announced that its first Excel-class ship would be named Mardi Gras, reviving the name of the company’s original vessel.

The original Mardi Gras, a converted ocean liner built in the 1960s, entered Carnival’s fleet at the company’s launch and remained in service until 1993.

Carnival subsequently revived two more historic names for the Excel class, introducing Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023. Both names originated with Holiday-class ships that sailed for the company during the 1980s and 1990s.

The trend will continue over the next two years with the arrival of Carnival Festivale in 2027 and Carnival Tropicale in 2028.

Carnival Festivale will inherit the name of the line’s third ship, which operated between 1977 and 1996, while Carnival Tropicale revives the name of Carnival’s first purpose-built newbuild, introduced in 1985.

Unlike those vessels, however, the original Carnival Destiny remains part of the Carnival fleet today, albeit under a different name.

When it entered service in 1996, the original Carnival Destiny was the world’s largest cruise ship and introduced what would later become known as the Destiny class. Following a major refurbishment in 2013 that substantially redesigned its public spaces and accommodation, the ship was renamed Carnival Sunshine, a name it continues to sail under today.

The vessel was later joined by sister ships Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory, both of which have also since been extensively rebuilt and renamed as Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Radiance, respectively.

The new Carnival Destiny represents a significant increase in scale for the brand.

At 230,000 tons, it will become the largest ship ever built for Carnival Cruise Line, surpassing the 183,500-ton Excel-class vessels currently in service. It will also become the lead ship of the new Ace class, with three additional sister ships scheduled to follow from the Fincantieri shipyard between 2029 and 2030.

Carnival’s revived ship names

• Mardi Gras – Original ship entered service in 1972; new Excel-class ship debuted in 2021
• Carnival Celebration – Original entered service in 1987; new Excel-class ship debuted in 2022
• Carnival Jubilee – Original entered service in 1986; new Excel-class ship debuted in 2023
• Carnival Festivale – Returning in 2027
• Carnival Tropicale – Returning in 2028
• Carnival Destiny – Returning in 2029 as the lead ship of the new Ace class