Carnival Cruise Line’s new Excel-class ship, Celebration, arrived to the Ocean Cruise Terminal in Southampton, UK, for a first-look event, which marked Carnival’s first time bringing a new ship to the UK in 20 years.
“I can’t tell you how exciting this day has been, finally giving our UK travel partners the opportunity to see our new Excel-class ship,” said Carnival Cruise Line CEO Christine Duffy. “Celebration is the ultimate 50th Birthday gift and is a key part of a very unique and exciting period of growth for us. It’s been a wonderful 50 years, and we kicked off the next 50 with a bang today.’’
Celebration later departed on her 14-day transatlantic sailing to Miami.
Celebration features six unique zones, including the new Miami-themed 820 Biscayne, travel-inspired The Gateway, and Celebration Central, as well as the BOLT roller coaster. Celebration is the second ship in the Carnival fleet to be powered by a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion system.
Including Celebration, the company is adding five new ships to its fleet over the next two years in a period of growth unlike any other in its history. A second ship in Australia will be added as Luminosa begins guest operations in Brisbane, and next year, the third Excel-class ship will debut from Galveston. Carnival will also introduce a new concept, “Carnival Fun Italian Style,” with Carnival Venezia joining next spring from New York City and Carnival Firenze in 2024 from Long Beach.
Carnival operates from 14 U.S. and two Australian homeports and employs more than 40,000 team members representing 120 nationalities. It operates 24 ships, including and is in an exciting period of growth, Celebration and Luminosa, which began guest operations in November, and three additional ships joining the fleet by 2024.