Carnival Cruise Line's next-gen ship is around one year from officially welcoming guests, and the vessel is quickly taking form ahead of her maiden voyage.
Carnival Festivale isn't just another new ship. She's the highly anticipated follow-up to the jaw-dropping Excel Class ships, which set a new standard for the line with ships like Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.
The 182,015-gross-ton ship is still under construction at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. However, the cruise line shared photos of her progress online.
One thing that is clear from the photos is how nicely the hull of the vessel is coming along. Even during these earlier stages, the scale of the Carnival Festivale is hard to miss.
Although her estimated gross tonnage is slightly less than that of Carnival Jubilee, the Excel Class ship will still be among the cruise line's largest.
She is expected to enter service in May 2027, embarking on a 15-night transatlantic cruise from Southampton, England, to Port Canaveral, Florida.
After arriving in Florida, the 5,356-passenger ship will offer four- to eight-night cruises, visiting ports like Celebration Key, St. Thomas, San Juan, Aruba, Curaçao, and Amber Cove.
The new Carnival cruise ship will be unlike any other in the fleet
Although Carnival Festivale will keep many of the same Excel Class bones, she will also feature new innovations, including the first-ever Carnival WaterWorks Ultra. Upon completion, this will be Carnival's largest water park at sea and will be home to six epic slides, splash zones, and more.
The Studio 724 zone will also be unique to Carnival Festivale themed after music. It will have a creative and lively energy buzzing about. For example, there will be synchronized lights and animations that mimic mixing, recording, and listening to music.
Signature venues, including the Alchemy Bar, will also get an upgrade. Rather than being tucked away on Deck 7 near the steakhouse, the craft cocktail bar will now have a more lounge-like setting, with a stage for live music.
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.
