Today, April 6, 2025, Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, took the stage at an event in Miami to share some “big” updates about the future of the Carnival fleet. As I’ve previously covered, Carnival has been steadily expanding its Excel-class lineup, with two additional ships already in the works, bringing the total to five vessels in this popular (yet controversial for those Carnival loyalists) class. Currently, the Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee are sister ships with the same layout but distinct venue names. However, the fourth and fifth Excel-class ships won’t be “cut and paste” duplicates.
A Fresh Take on the Excel Class
The fourth and fifth Excel-class ships will see a major change where the BOLT roller coaster and Sports Square are currently located. Carnival is replacing these with a massive new waterpark called Sunsation Pointe, which will span decks 16, 17, and 18.
The first of these vessels, set to launch in 2027, will be named the Carnival Festivale—a nostalgic nod to a classic Carnival ship from decades past. The Festivale will call Port Canaveral home, joining the Mardi Gras, which currently sails from the same port. The fifth ship, debuting in 2028, will revive another iconic name: the Carnival Tropicale with its homeport yet to be announced.
Interestingly, Carnival is adapting to shifting travel trends with these new ships. Once the Festivale launches, the Mardi Gras will transition from offering 7+ day cruises to shorter itineraries. This move mirrors a strategy Royal Caribbean is switching to, based on strong demand for quick getaways. Carnival clearly sees the value in catering to travelers seeking shorter, more frequent escapes.
New Stateroom Concepts
Another significant change coming to the Festivale and Tropicale is the elimination of the Family Harbor concept, a feature on current Excel-class ships that reserves staterooms for families traveling together and provides perks like a dedicated lounge, breakfast snacks, and priority boarding/debarkation. In its place, Carnival is implementing 1,000 connecting staterooms on each of these new ships—a massive increase over the connecting stateroom count on existing Excel-class vessels. This shift suggests a focus on flexibility and accommodating larger groups or families who still want to stay close without the structured Family Harbor setup.
Project Ace: Carnival Cruise Line Goes BIG
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping announcement of the day was the unveiling of Project Ace, Carnival’s newest class of ship. Set to debut in 2029, the first vessel in this class will be capable of accommodating a whopping 8,000 guests. To put that in perspective, the current Excel-class ships hold 6,400 passengers, making Project Ace a significant jump in capacity. Other than that, not much was teased about Project Ace.
As Carnival releases more details about the Festivale, Tropicale, and Project Ace, I’ll be here to share the latest.