Six weeks after announcing it would order a fourth Excel-class ship for Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Corp. is springing for a fifth.
Meyer Werft will build the ship at its yard in Papenburg, Germany. It is expected to be delivered in 2028.
This ship will be the 11th Excel-class ship among four Carnival Corp. brands. Like its sisters, the 180,000-gross-ton ship will be powered by liquefied natural gas and designed to carry more than 6,400 guests and 1,800 crew.
Like Carnival Cruise Line's fourth Excel-class ship, the fifth doesn't have a name yet. The fourth one is expected to enter service in spring 2027.
Carnival Corp. is pacing to add one to two ships per year beginning in 2027, said CEO Josh Weinstein. The company kept its order book thin as the pandemic eased.
While announcing another Excel-class ship for Carnival Cruise Line, Weinstein said the company will identify additional opportunities to order ships over the coming months to meet capacity demand and yield a high return on invested capital.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said the Excel-class ships -- Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee -- are "driving excitement, demand and strong guest satisfaction ratings."
Once the line begins sailing the Carnival Firenze, the second of two Italian-styled ships acquired from sister line Costa Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line will have added five ships to its fleet in less than 20 months, Duffy said.
Carnival has also retired six Fantasy-class ships since 2020.