Carnival Announces New Ships, Port Shake-ups, and More

In a meeting on board the Carnival Celebration, Carnival President Christine Duffy made quite a few announcements about the future of the fleet. From new ships to redeployments to enhanced ports, she touched on just about everything in the Carnival experience. Here’s what we learned.

The biggest news is the announcement of the fourth and fifth Excel Class ships, coming in 2027 and 2028. Like their sister ships, they will be named after previous Carnival vessels.

The Carnival Festivale, named after the ship that sailed from 1977 to 1996, will debut in spring 2027. It will sail out of Port Canaveral, Florida. Itineraries will be released later this summer.

The Carnival Tropicale, named after the ship that sailed from 1982 to 2001, will debut in 2028. The home port has not yet been announced.

So far, the Excel Class ships have been very similar, differing mainly in two themed zones with unique bars and restaurants on each ship. On the Festivale and Tropicale, they’re changing it up a bit more, introducing three new zones on board each one.

The Festivale will have a musical theme. On Decks 6 and 7—where The French Quarter, The Gateway, and Currents Zones are located on the sister ships—the new zones will be themed around creating music. Carnival says it will use “cutting-edge media, interactive moments, immersive sound and transformative lighting to activate it throughout the cruise.”

On Deck 8—home to La Piazza, 820 Biscayne, and The Shores on the sister ships—the theme will focus on “the energetic vibes of outdoor music performances.” The names of these two zones have yet to be released.

The third zone will be named Sunsation Point and will be a three-deck outdoor family area. It will replace the Ultimate Playground and the BOLT roller coaster found on the other Excel Class ships but will still include mini-golf, a ropes course, and outdoor games. Guests will also find WaterWorks Ultra, which Carnival bills as the “most family-friendly waterpark at sea.”

The waterpark will feature six slides, including two family raft slides that allow riders as small as 3 feet tall. It will also have two splash pads and a dedicated baby splash area—something currently missing from every other Carnival ship. On select evenings, Sunsation Point will come alive at night with colorful LED lights and a DJ, transforming the waterpark into a vibrant nighttime party.

The area will also include a sports court, ropes course, and a themed arcade. Younger children can also enjoy new outdoor play areas in this zone.

This space can only be seen as a response to Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas and its family-focused features like the Category 6 Waterpark and Surfside Family Neighborhood.

Carnival is adding more interconnecting cabins on the Festivale and Tropicale, nearly 70% more than its first three Excel Class ships. With that change, though, they are removing the Family Harbor staterooms.

The ships will also introduce new dining options. Carnival has confirmed that Guy’s Burger Joint, Pig & Anchor Smokehouse, and Big Chicken will all return. The new themed restaurants will likely be part of the new zones, so expect a new Emeril’s restaurant, a deli, and a pizza place.

When Festivale starts sailing out of Port Canaveral in spring 2027, the Mardi Gras will shift to short cruises. It will be the first Excel Class ship to offer short sailings. Most of these itineraries will visit Carnival’s new private destination, Celebration Key.

This move can also be seen as a response to Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, which offer short sailings on their newest and largest ships.

Carnival focuses heavily on drive-to homeports, noting that 50% of the U.S. population lives within a five-hour drive of a Carnival cruise. To build on that, starting in spring 2027, Carnival will sail the Carnival Spirit year-round from Mobile, Alabama.

Carnival has a lot of dry docks scheduled for 2025 and 2026. While they are mostly for maintenance, Carnival is taking the opportunity to update some of its older ships to bring newer amenities. Changes will include décor modernization, new dining and beverage options and new entertainment. The new areas will draw from features and concepts that will be introduced on its new ships.

Duffy also announced that Carnival is looking to bring a larger ship to Baltimore in 2027. While they haven’t confirmed which ship it will be, they did say it will be a Conquest Class vessel, which will allow an additional 1,000 guests per week.

Carnival’s private port of Mahogany Bay in Roatán, Honduras, will be upgraded in 2026. The destination will be renamed Isla Tropicale and will feature a large pool with a swim-up bar, numerous cabanas for rent, and an expanded beach area.

Overall, it was a big information dump from Carnival full of lots of good news from guests. That being said, it’s hard not to see that many of these items are a direct response to Royal Caribbean. From their new Celebration Key, which is an attempt to compete with Perfect Day at CocoCay, to the family focus on the new Excel Class ships, you can see they’re trying to keep up. Still, it’s exciting news for almost any Carnival fan (except those who love smaller ships).

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