It's been over 20 years since Carnival held the title of having the largest cruise ship in the world. Although they're still far from reclaiming that title, they are working on their largest cruise ships ever. Dubbed "Project Ace," this upcoming class will redefine what Carnival offers at sea.
While the cruise line hasn't released many specifics, Project Ace will surpass the current Excel Class ships in size and capacity. Not only that, but the ships will feature new dining venues and entertainment options, with 70% of the ships' venues and attractions being brand-new to the cruise line.
Plus, Ace Class ships will be the most outward-facing ships at sea, with the largest number of oceanview balcony staterooms, a new lanai deck, and over 4.5 acres of glass.
Carnival has confirmed that the first Project Ace cruise ship, Carnival Destiny, will be delivered in 2029, followed by two more vessels in 2031 and 2033, respectively. The cruise line chose the first Ace Class name to honor the original Carnival Destiny, which launched in 1996 and was the world's largest cruise ship at the time. Today, the original ship sails as Carnival Sunshine.
The steel-cutting ceremony for Carnival Destiny was held on July 10, 2026, at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. What follows is around three years of construction and a lot of attention for a new ship that will introduce new features and other ways it will distinguish itself from its predecessors in the industry.
"With this steel-cutting, we begin construction on a new class of ships for Carnival Cruise Line, which we are officially calling Ace Class," said Christine Duffy, Carnival Cruise Line's President.
"And the name of the first ship in this new class will carry a name that I think will bring meaning for all of us because we are building on our history while we move forward with the new Carnival Destiny. Like her original, she is a big step forward, not only for Carnival, but we believe for the industry.”
This article was last updated on July 10, 2026.
Carnival Project Ace cruise ship size
Measuring around 230,000 gross registered tons (GRT), Project Ace suggests that Carnival is ready to compete on a bigger scale alongside giants like Icon of the Seas and MSC World America. Comparatively, Icon of the Seas measures 248,663 GRT, whereas MSC World America comes in at around 215,000 GRT.
As of July 2026, Carnival's largest ships are those within its innovative Excel Class. Carnival Jubilee, the line's newest Excel ship, measures 183,521 GRT. This means that Project Ace ships will be considerably larger than Carnival Jubilee, Celebration, and Mardi Gras.
In fact, Project Ace ships mark the first time that Carnival will surpass the 200,000 GRT threshold. The cruise line's two upcoming Excel ships, Carnival Festivale (2027) and Carnival Tropicale (2028), will measure close to 180,000 GRT.
Project Ace capacity
Carnival has not revealed much about these cruise ships, but we know they will be huge. With over 3,000 staterooms, they will have more cabins than the world's largest cruise ship, Legend of the Seas. At full capacity, Project Ace ships can carry around 8,000 guests.
Comparatively, Legend of the Seas has 2,805 staterooms and can accommodate 7,600 passengers at maximum capacity.
It's also unclear where the ships will be homeported. However, Cruise Fever reported that Ben Clement, Carnival's Executive Vice President of Maritime & New Builds, confirmed that PortMiami's Terminal F can accommodate a Project Ace ship. This doesn't mean it's where the first Ace ship will sail from, though.
Read more: Carnival Cruise Ships by Size: Biggest to Smallest
What Carnival fans are saying about the new ship class
Project Ace has divided longtime Carnival fans. Some are excited about a newer mega-ship, while others are worried about crowd control.
"HARD PASS. To each their own. Way too peoplely for us. We don’t vacation to be basically cattle herded. Yuck," silvercrikhix wrote on a Cruise Critic discussion board.
n6uqqq added, "Just too big for me. I am good up to Vista class but Spirit class is my sweet spot. I hope they keep them around another decade."
Read more: How Carnival is stuffing more people on its new cruise ships
Another user brought up concerns about the space-to-passenger ratios. "Oasis class [ships] are essentially the same size as the planned tonnage of these ACE ships but max out at over 1,500 passengers less. Carnival already has some of the worst space to passenger ratios among the mainstream cruise lines, these number[s] will greatly eclipse the worst ratio by far," said jerseyjjs.
Still, some are trying to give Carnival the benefit of the doubt.
"I was concerned the Mardi Gras would be 'too big', but it wasn't. It will really depend on how well Carnival handles boarding & debarking, and how much public space is available," ProgRockCruiser wrote.
"If Carnival adds a deck or two of public areas with bars, casual dining, more entertainment venues, more pools, and doubles the number of GS spots, it could be quite enjoyable."
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
