March 26, 2024 – The one in Miami/Fl. Based Carnival Cruise Line ordered a fifth Excel class cruise ship from MEYER WERFT. Just in February of this year, Carnival ordered a fourth Excel-class cruise ship from the Papenburg shipyard.
Excel class cruise ships have LNG propulsion, are measured at almost 180.000 gross tons, are 344 meters long and offer space for 6.400 passengers. Since 2018, the Papenburg shipyard and the Finnish offshoot MEYER TURKU have built nine LNG-powered cruise ships for four cruise lines in the Carnival Corporation portfolio on a common technical platform. The two new cruise ships commissioned will be built on this platform. The shipyard will deliver the ships in 2027 and 2028.
Carnival Excel class cruise ships Photo: © MEYER WERFT
Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, commented on the commission as follows: “Since the introduction of Mardi Gras in 2021 and the subsequent expansion with Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023, these ships have been excelling Class for excitement, demand and high guest satisfaction.” And further: “Carnival’s Excel Class fleet will soon consist of a quintet of these very popular ships that offer outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operational efficiency.”
Carnival Jubilee - Ems overpass Photo: © MEYER WERFT
MEYER WERFT is of the opinion that the second major order within a few weeks proves the turnaround in the cruise market. The market has reached the record level of 2019 again and in some cases exceeded it. The shipyard summarizes that MEYER WERFT's order book currently includes six cruise ships, a research ship and the steel construction for four offshore converter platforms.
The order is still subject to financing reservations. Financing for the project will be completed over the course of the year. A formality for a client like the Carnival Group.