Last month, the US cruise line – part of Carnival Corporation – announced its first new-build order in five years before adding to its order book again on Tuesday (26 March). 

This latest 6,400-passenger ship will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). 

Christine Duffy, Carnival Cruise Line president, said: “Carnival’s Excel-class fleet will soon be a quintet of these very popular ships that provide outstanding guest amenities and tremendous operating efficiencies.

“Since the introduction of Mardi Gras in 2021 and the subsequent expansion with Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023, these Excel-class ships are driving excitement, demand, and strong guest satisfaction ratings. 

“With the arrival of Carnival Firenze in April, we are completing the addition of five ships to our fleet in less than 20 months, and then we will pivot to another phase of growth with these two Excel ships."

Carnival Corp chief executive Josh Weinstein added: “This new order continues to balance our commitment to growth with our responsible capital approach to utilise strong free cash flow over the next several years to strategically improve our balance sheet, significantly reduce our leverage levels and continue to transfer value from debt holders to shareholders.”

He said the cruise line “continues to perform at an outstanding level” and noted the company’s focus on “adding capacity where it aligns with demand and our position in the market place”. 

"This measured capacity growth strategy will result in our adding one to two ships per year beginning in 2027, and we will be identifying additional fleet plans over the coming months for our cruise lines to meet capacity demand and improve execution across all aspects of our operation, with the benefit of yielding higher return on invested capital,” Weinstein added.