Carnival Cruise Line currently has 24 cruise ships in service. Carnival Cruise Line is the largest cruise company in the world, based on passengers carried, and the flagship brand of Carnival Corporation & plc. Known as “America’s Cruise Line” for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports than any other cruise line.
The Newest Carnival Ships On Order
Carnival has made things a little confusing for Cruise Addicts by completely renaming and refurbishing some of its older vessels. If that wasn’t confusing enough, they have recently moved and renamed several ships from the Costa brand to Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival also has plans to move more Costa ships to Carnival in the future. In brief, not every new ship is brand new.
This guide will give you some insight into what is actually Carnival’s newest Carnival cruise ships. This also includes also ships that are currently under construction as well as ships that have been refurbished and renamed.
Let’s explore the upcoming additions to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet.
Carnival Jubilee – 2023
Carnival Jubilee is under construction at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. Her delivery date is expected to be in early December 2023.
She will be the newest ship in the Excel class, Carnival Jubilee will share many of the same features guests love on Mardi Gras – including the award-winning BOLT, The Ultimate Sea Coaster. She will also feature unique experiences and signature venues of her own.
Carnival Jubilee will begin sailing from Galveston in December of 2023 and will offer seven-day Western Caribbean cruise vacations with stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, as well as Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan), Honduras.
Carnival Firenze – 2024
The ship will feature the cruise line’s new Carnival Fun Italian Style experience, which debuts with the June 2023 arrival of Carnival Venezia in New York. Carnival Fun Italian Style incorporates Carnival’s signature high-energy environment, friendly team members and many familiar venues, plus several new, creative concepts – from Italian-themed restaurants, bars and entertainment.
Carnival Firenze will join the fleet in spring 2024 after being transferred from sister brand Costa Cruise Lines. She will sail from Long Beach, Calif. The ship will offer a variety of cruises year-round, with sailings set for popular destinations in Baja, California and the Mexican Riviera. This ship sailed under the name Costa Firenze with Costa and is also a Vista Class ship and sister to the Costa Venezia which has already joined the Carnival fleet.
Previously known as Costa Firenze, this is also a Vista-class ship, and a sister ship to Costa Venezia, which will have joined the Carnival fleet a year prior. Both of these ships are retaining their Costa funnels and a will have modified hull art as a nod to their Italian roots and unique style.
The Newest Carnival Ships Sailing in 2023
Discover the latest and greatest Carnival ships that are currently out at sea. Check out the list below, starting with the newest addition.
Carnival Venezia – 2023
Carnival Venezia was initially launched in 2019 for Costa Cruises and is 133,500 GRTs and carries 4,977 passengers. She is considered part of the Venice Class and was the former Costa Venezia.
Carnival Celebration – 2022
Carnival Celebration is the second ship in the popular Excel Class and sister to Mardi Gras. She carries 5,282 passengers (based on two per cabin). The Godmother of the ship is Cassidy Gifford.
The ship takes her name from a former Carnival cruise ship, Celebration, that was part of the Holiday class. The name also pays homage to the companies long history as the ship was delivered during Carnival Cruise Line’s 50th birthday year.
Carnival Luminosa – 2022
Carnival Luminosa was originally launched in 2008 for Costa Cruises and is 92,600 GRT’s and carries 2,826 passengers. She is considered part of the Spirit Class and was the former Costa Luminosa.
Mardi Gras – 2021
The Mardi Gras is a ship belonging to Carnival’s Excellence Class, also known as Excel Class, and is the sister ship of Carnival Celebration. With a capacity of 5,282 passengers based on double occupancy, it is named after a former Carnival cruise ship that sailed for two decades. The Miss Dominican Republic, Kimberly Jiménez, is the ship’s godmother.
Mardi Gras made history by being the first ship in North America to run on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). Additionally, it features BOLT, the Ultimate Speed Coaster, which is the first-ever roller coaster on a ship.
Mardi Gras is also the only ship name in the current Carnival Cruise Line fleet without including the word Carnival. This honors Carnival’s original Mardi Gras that first sailed for the brand on March 11, 1972.
Carnival Panorama – 2019
Carnival Panorama is the third ship in the Vista Class. She carries 4,008 passengers (based on two per cabin). She was christened by Godmother Vanna White. The ship debuted Carnival Kitchen, a first-in-fleet culinary center that offers more than 15 different interactive cooking, baking and decorating demonstrations.
Carnival Horizon – 2018
The Vista Class features the Carnival Horizon as its second ship, capable of accommodating 3,960 passengers in two-person cabins. The ship’s Godmother is the versatile Queen Latifah, who is renowned for her skills in rapping, acting, and singing.
Carnival Horizon stands out for its groundbreaking features, such as the Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse|Brewhouse, and the first-ever Dr. Seuss-themed water park.
Renamed Carnival Ships
Carnival Cruise Line has changed the names of three of its ships over the years. In order to enhance the ships, they have undergone a thorough dry dock renovation process where they are stripped down and updated with new features and décor.
Although the renovated ships are as good as new, they are not as large or have some of the newest features available on the Excel Class ships like Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration.
Carnival Sunshine
Carnival Sunshine is the first ship in the Sunshine Class and is a sister ship to Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Radiance. It has a passenger capacity of 2,984 based on double occupancy.
This vessel was first put into service in 1996 under the name Carnival Destiny, and was the inaugural ship of the Destiny Class. In 2013, the Carnival Destiny underwent a remarkable 49-day, $155-million dollar refurbishment and was renamed and reclassified as the first Sunshine Class ship. The ship’s Godmother is Lin Arison.
Carnival Sunrise
Carnival Sunrise is the second ship of the Sunshine Class, and it is a sister ship to Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Radiance. The ship has a capacity of 2,984 passengers based on two per cabin, and its Godmother is Kelly Arison.
This ship originally entered service in 1999 as the former Destiny Class ship named the Carnival Triumph. In 2019 the Carnival Triumph received an incredible $200 million transformation that resulted in it being renamed and also reclassified as a Sunshine Class ship.
Carnival Radiance
Carnival Radiance is the third ship in the Sunshine Class, along with sister ships Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Sunrise. It has a capacity of 2,984 passengers based on double occupancy.
This ship entered service in 2000 as the former Destiny Class ship named the Carnival Victory. In 2021, the Carnival Victory received a massive transformation that resulted in it being renamed and reclassified as a Sunshine Class ship. The Godmother of the ship is Dr. Lucille O’Neal.
Final Thoughts
Carnival Cruise Line has had a lot of dynamic changes. They scrapped many of their older ships in order to save money and focus on newer and more profitable ships after the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown.
As you can see Carnival Cruise Line builds new ships regularly with a new ship coming out almost one per year. However, Some of the newer ships are also moved from a sister brands or could even be a refurbished older vessel like we’ve seen with the Sunshine Class ships.
I hope you have enjoyed some of the history and tidbits about the Carnival Cruise Line fleet as we explored the newest carnival ships in the fleet.
Take a look at our full list of Carnival ships, listed from Newest to Oldest.
