World's largest cruise company finalizes
agreement with Meyer Werft for new
world-class cruise ship scheduled for delivery in 2028
MIAMI, March 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation &
plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company,
today announced it has signed an agreement with Meyer Werft shipyard for a fifth Excel-class
cruise ship for its namesake Carnival Cruise Line brand, with the
delivery set for 2028.
In mid-February Carnival Corporation had announced the first
newbuild order placed in five years with news that a fourth
Excel-class ship would join the Carnival Cruise Line fleet in
Spring 2027. This announcement confirms an 11th Excel-class ship
for the corporation's fleet across four of its world-class brands,
and the fifth to be sailed by Carnival Cruise Line.
"Carnival's Excel-class fleet will soon be a quintet of these
very popular ships that provide outstanding guest amenities and
tremendous operating efficiencies," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise
Line. "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."
This fifth Excel-class ship will be built on the same platform
as its sisters, with the 180,000-ton ship powered by liquefied
natural gas (LNG) and designed to carry over 6,400 guests and 1,800
crew.
"This new order continues to balance our commitment to growth
with our responsible capital approach to utilize 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," said
Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival
Corporation & plc.
"Carnival Cruise Line continues to perform at an outstanding
level, and we are focused on adding capacity across the company
where it aligns with demand and our position in the marketplace.
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," said Weinstein.
"We are proud of the role the Excel-class from MEYER WERFT and MEYER
TURKU has played in contributing to the success of Carnival
Corporation for many years now. We look forward to continuing this
success story together," said Bernd
Eikens, CEO MEYER Group.
This order is contingent upon financing, which is expected to be
completed later this year.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest global cruise
company, and among the largest leisure travel companies, with a
portfolio of world-class cruise lines – AIDA Cruises, Carnival
Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O
Cruises (Australia), P&O
Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises, and Seabourn.
Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com,
www.aida.de, www.carnival.com, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com,
www.princess.com, and www.seabourn.com.
For information on Carnival Corporation's industry-leading
sustainability initiatives, visit
www.carnivalsustainability.com.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc