After years of speculation and rumors, Carnival has finally lifted the veil on its newest shipbuild, revealing something that’s bigger than anything ever seen before in the fleet. The new ship — part of an entirely new class — was formally presented in Italy at a special presentation between Carnival and shipbuilder Fincantieri.
Carnival fans will know that the cruise line already has two ships currently under construction: Carnival Festivale and Carnival Tropicale. These two Excel-class ships (sisters to Mardi Gras, Celebration, and Jubilee) are set to arrive in 2028 and 2029, respectively.
This class of ships measures a little over 180,000 gross tons and has a double occupancy of around 5,350 passengers. These are currently the largest in the Carnival fleet by a significant margin.
But in an industry where bigger is better and rivals have introduced ships that are significantly larger, Carnival isn’t being left behind.
The cruise line has teased “Project Ace” for sometime now, pointing to a ship that’s larger than anything else sailing in its fleet. Finally, we’re getting a first look.
A First Look at the Premier Ace-Class Cruise Ship: Carnival Destiny
At the ceremony, Carnival revealed the name and rendering of the first of three ships that are part of the all-new “Ace” class of ships.
Set to be delivered in 2029, 2031, and 2033 the new ships are slated to have a 230,000 gross tonnage and 6,160 passengers at double occupancy. That size is about 25% larger in tonnage and 15% larger in passenger capacity compared to the current Excel ships.
During the ceremony, the shipyard cut the first piece of steel for the first of these ships, which Carnival is naming the Carnival Destiny.
If that name sounds familiar, that’s for good reason. Carnival is continuing its trend of bringing back the names of its older ships to use on newbuilds. Names like Mardi Gras and Jubilee and others were used decades ago on ships that have since left the fleet.
The original Carnival Destiny is actually still sailing in the Carnival fleet, but the name was changed to Carnival Sunshine following a refurbishment in 2013. It was originally built in 1996 and at the time it was completed, it was the largest cruise ship in the world and the first to pass 100,000 gross tons, according to Carnival.
It only fits that the cruise line decided to use that name for its new largest ship in the fleet.
Short on Details, But No Doubt More to Come
With the debut of the new Carnival Destiny still being years away, the announcement was still short on lots of details. For instance, there weren’t any renderings of interior areas or venues and the exterior shots are void of any details such as pools or waterslides.
What the cruise line has said is that the motto for the ship is “More Sea to See,” and that it will be the most “outward facing” ship in the Carnival fleet. In other words, if you’ve felt too indoors on other ships, Destiny might be the ship for you.
It will have a revamped outdoor promenade around the lower decks, which is recognizable in the renderings. Carnival also says it will have a staggering 4.5 acres of glass designed to open up the ship to the outside. During the announcement Carnival President Christine Duffy also shares that it will have the most oceanview balconies of any cruise ship.
Finally, it was also shared that more than 70% of dining, beverage and entertainment across the ship will be new concepts. So if you’ve come to expect the same spots no matter which Carnival ship you sail, Destiny will have tons of all-new spots and experiences.
There’s still plenty more that we’re waiting to hear about the Ace-class, including some more detailed renderings. For right now, the style reminds us as simply an Excel-class ship on a larger scale, but we have a suspicion there’s going to be a lot more to offer. We’ll keep you up to date as we hear more.
