Carnival Cruise Line to grow fleet, adding two ships from European sister lines

Carnival Cruise Line to grow fleet, adding two ships from European sister lines

Carnival Cruise Line is refusing to let cruise ban extensions slow it down, with the line set to grow its fleet by two more ships set to arrive by 2023.

The cruise line will take delivery of an Excel-class ship that was previously assigned to sister line AIDA Cruises in late 2023, as well as taking ownership of Costa Magica (pictured above) from another of its European sister lines.

Costa Magica will go through a dry dock, renaming and Carnival-branded conversion and joining the fleet by mid-2022.

These two ships are in addition to the new capacity growth represented by Mardi Gras, Carnival’s first Excel-class, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship which starts sailing from Port Canaveral on 31 July; and her sister ship, Carnival Celebration, which will be delivered and sail from Miami in late 2022, as part of the line’s 50th birthday festivities.

These four new additions will bring Carnival’s fleet to 27 by the end of 2023, as well as introducing new amenities and features for passengers, alongside environmental benefits.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said: “We are excited about these additions to our fleet which reflect the strong position that Carnival has established in the US, the pent-up demand we continue to see for cruise vacations, and the overall plans by Carnival Corporation to optimise capacity and growth in key markets.

“While our immediate focus is on our restart of guest operations this summer, this is another cause for excitement at Carnival, and we will be announcing more detailed plans about homeports, itineraries and ship names very soon.”

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