Ask anyone to name a cruise line and the first two names they will almost always mention are Carnival and Royal Caribbean.
The two rivals are the biggest lines in the United States, and they also compete for largely the same customer base. So when one line makes moves, then the other needs to catch up or face getting left behind.
In recent years, Royal Caribbean has definitely been the front-runner when it comes to grabbing attention in cruising. It has completely revamped CocoCay from a sleepy island to a tropical amusement park. It also made a major move with the introduction of its “Icon” class of ships that are not only the largest at sea but also feature a complete waterpark with six slides onboard.
And for the first time it started sailing a brand-new ship — Wonder of the Seas — on short three and four-day cruises from Florida, giving an opportunity for short cruises on one of its biggest ships.
Carnival hasn’t stood still while this has happened. The cruise line announced months ago that it would build its largest ships ever with a new class coming in at 230,000 gross tons. However, those won’t join the fleet until 2029.
Carnival has also moved to keep up with Royal Caribbean in the private destination space. Its upcoming Celebration Key is set to be the Carnival equivalent of CocoCay when it opens in July 2025, complete with beaches, pools, and tons for families to do.
But yesterday, the cruise line announced several completely new moves and it seems obvious they are all designed to help it compete directly with its rival.
A Massive Water Park Coming to a New Ship
In an event over the weekend, Carnival officially announced the name of its newest ship. The fourth ship in the cruise line’s Excel class (with sister ships Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee) will be named Carnival Festivale. Set to debut in 2027, the ship will sail from Port Canaveral.
But there were some tweaks announced along with the naming that seem aimed squarely at keeping up with Royal Caribbean.
First, while there will be plenty that’s new and unique to Festivale, the most notable change to the new ship is a spot at the back dubbed Carnival Waterworks Ultra. The first three ships in this class feature a water park with splash pad in this area, which is surrounded by the BOLT! roller coaster.
Carnival Festivale is replacing the roller coaster with an expanded water park. It will feature six different slides, including two raft slides and two splash pads. A rendering shows essentially the entire back deck of the ship becoming a massive area to play in the water.
If that sounds familiar, it should. Royal Caribbean rolled out a six-slide water park on Icon of the Seas dubbed “Category 6.”
While Carnival won’t have a ship of a similar size to Royal Caribbean until 2029, this should help it compete more directly in the meantime.
An Itinerary Update and Expansion of a Popular Private Destination
That wasn’t the only move that seemed to shadow its rival. With the new ship announced for Port Canaveral where sister ship Mardi Gras already sails, Carnival will now change Mardi Gras’ itineraries to offer short cruises from the port.
“As new ships are introduced, this will allow us to upgrade capacity and hardware in key markets, with a particular focus on short cruises,” explained Carnival President Christine Duffy. “With short cruises on Mardi Gras, our guests who may not have the time to take a weeklong vacation can experience all the amazing features of our Excel class.”
Some private destinations are also getting a revamp. We already mentioned the upcoming opening of Celebration Key. But Carnival is going a step further, dubbing its private destinations the Paradise Collection by Carnival. This includes the reworking of Half Moon Cay to “RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay” and updates to its private spot in Roatan, Honduras.
The private destination in Roatan is being renamed from Mahogany Bay to Isla Tropicale in 2026. At the same time, it will be expanded to include a pool with swim-up bar and cabanas. In addition there will also be a larger beach area and a beach club put in place.
More Carnival Changes Announced
There were additional announcements in the major event, including that Carnival Festivale will have a sister ship arriving in 2028 named Carnival Tropicale. Cruising will return to Mobile, Alabama year-round in 2027. And Carnival will move a larger ship to Baltimore in 2027.
The cruise line also teased updates this summer to its loyalty program that it says will “unlock greater value and engagement” for guests.
But while there was a lot to share, the biggest news of the announcement seemed to be that Carnival is doing everything it can to keep passengers that may be tempted by its rival happily sailing with the cruise line.
