Carnival Festivale, the fourth environmentally friendly Excel-class liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered luxury cruise ship ordered by Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, has kicked off construction at Meyer Werft in Germany.
The two parties signed the shipbuilding contract in February 2024 and the order marks the end of a five-year-long order drought for Carnival Corporation. The new ship is expected to be delivered in 2027 and is the only Carnival Group newbuilding to be delivered in 2027.
The 344-meter-long “Carnival Festivale” has a gross tonnage of 180,000 and can accommodate more than 6,400 passengers. By using liquefied natural gas fuel, it is expected to significantly reduce the emission of harmful pollutants. The ship is the fourth Excel-class LNG-powered luxury cruise ship of Carnival Cruise Line. The first three sister ships, “Mardi Gras”, “Carnival Celebration” and “Carnival Jubilee”, have been delivered and put into operation.
In addition, Carnival Cruises has placed an additional order with Meyer Werft at the end of March 2024 for a fifth Excel-class LNG-powered luxury cruise ship, which is expected to be delivered in 2028. The 344-meter-long ship will be built on the same platform as its sister ship, with a gross tonnage of 180,000, a capacity of more than 6,400 passengers and 1,800 crew, and run on LNG fuel.
Since 2018, Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku, part of Germany’s Meyer Group, have been building nine LNG dual-fuel cruise ships on a joint technology platform for four cruise lines belonging to the Carnival Group.