Carnival Cruise Line will take delivery of an Excel-class cruise ship (pictured is arendering) source: CCL
One of the vessels is an Excel-class ship that had previously been assigned to sister line AIDA Cruises that will arrive in late 2023, as well as taking ownership of Costa Magica from another of its European sister lines. Costa Magica will go through a drydock, renaming and Carnival-branded conversion before joining the fleet in mid-2022.
These two ships are in addition to the new capacity growth represented by Mardi Gras, Carnival’s first Excel-class, LNG-powered ship which starts sailing from Port Canaveral on 31 July and its sister ship Carnival Celebration, which will be delivered and sail from Miami starting late-2022, as part of Carnival’s 50th birthday festivities.
The addition of these four ships will bring the Carnival fleet to 27 by year-end 2023. The cruise line said these ships “bring many new amenities and features for guests, as well as environmental benefits and enhancements as Carnival continues to exceed and expand targets for emissions efficiencies”.
“We are excited about these additions to our fleet which reflect the strong position Carnival has established in the US, the pent-up demand we continue to see for cruise vacations, and the overall plans by Carnival Corp to optimise capacity and growth in key markets,” said Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy.
“While our immediate focus is on our restart of guest operations this summer, this is another cause for excitement at Carnival, and we will be announcing more detailed plans about homeports, itineraries and ship names very soon.”
The Costa Luminosa is back in service for Carnival Corporation’s Italian brand as the ship today sailed from Trieste, becoming the company’s second ship to resume operations in 2021 after the Costa Smeralda reentered service earlier this month from Savona.
The Luminosa will offer Adriatic Sea itineraries and also call in Greece as part of Costa’s four-ship sailing plan for summer 2021, all operating under the company’s Costa Safety Protocol.
In addition to Trieste, Costa Luminosa’s one-week itinerary includes visits to Bari and Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Katakolon/Olympia. The deployment is scheduled through mid-November, totalling 27 departures.
Costa Luminosa’s restart was celebrated in Trieste by Costa Cruises President Mario Zanetti, together with several key figures, including the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza; the Councilor of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Pierpaolo Roberti; the Captain of the Trieste Coast Guard, Vincenzo Vitale; and the CEO of Trieste Terminal Passeggeri, Francesco Mariani.
“With the restart of the Costa Luminosa, we are finally bringing cruises back to the Adriatic Sea and Greece, one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations, and reviving a sector of great importance to the economy of many European countries, including Italy, as well as the eastern part of the Mediterranean,” said Zanetti.
“Just to illustrate the importance of this restart, before the pause caused by the pandemic, our company generated an annual economic impact of almost €13 billion in Europe, creating over 63,000 jobs. We are particularly pleased to be resuming from Trieste, a city that has always welcomed us warmly, and which will be the home port of Costa Luminosa not only this year but also in 2022. We look to the future with optimism, and we are working to make Trieste even more strategic for cruises, promoting sustainable development and a quality guest experience,” he added.
Next for Costa, on June 26, the Costa Deliziosa will restart with week-long cruises in Greece. July 4 will see the departure of the Costa Firenze with one-week cruises in Italy.
In addition, starting on July 3 Costa Smeralda will begin sailing in international itineraries, with one-week cruises in Italy, France and Spain.
“Trieste welcomes the return of the Costa Cruises ships. In recent years we have developed a very important collaboration with the company that guaranteed a regular presence of Costa ships in our beautiful city. Trieste is a city with a tourist vocation and the return of Costa rewards us for the work we are doing, but above all, it means that tourists are back,” said the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza.
MSC Cruises may be the biggest cruise brand based on confirmed resumption plans (as of late April 2021) and ships and berths back in service by August 31, using data from the 2021 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.
On a corporate level, Carnival Corporation will have the most ships and berths back in service, with six brands set to operate 13 ships by late August at press time, and indications are that more announcements are forthcoming.
Top 5 Cruise Lines Back in Service by August 31:
MSC Cruises Ships: Ten – MSC Virtuosa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Seashore, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Preziosa, MSC Splendida, MSC Magnifica, MSC Orchestra and MSC Musica Total Berths: 37,066 Regions: Europe – Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Europe
The restart fleet includes two newbuilds, the MSC Virtuosa, slated to offer cruises in the United Kingdom, and the MSC Seashore, poised to spend its inaugural season in the Mediterranean.
Royal Caribbean International Ships: Six – Odyssey of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Vision of the Seas Total Berths: 19,500 Regions: North America, Mediterranean and Asia
Costa Cruises Ships: Four – Costa Firenze, Costa Smeralda, Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa Total Berths: 13,976 Region: Europe – Western Mediterranean and Eastern Mediterranean
Starting in August, the Norwegian Joy will sail from Jamaica, while the Norwegian Gem will sail from the Dominican Republic. In Europe, the Norwegian Jade will be based in Greece starting on July 25.
P&O Cruises Ships: Two – Iona and Britannia Total Berths: 8,811 Region: Europe – United Kingdom
Carnival Corporation’s British cruise line, P&O Cruises, will resume service in June, with domestic sailings in the United Kingdom.
Sailing from Southampton, the company plans to use its two newest ships, the 5,200-guest Iona and the 3,611-guest Britannia.
Numbers by Corporation
Carnival Corporation Ships: 13 Brands in Service: 6 out of 9 Total Berths: 38,557
By Brand
Costa: 4 ships and 13,976 berths AIDA: 2 ships and 5,424 berths P&O: 2 ships and 8,811 berths Princess: 2 ships and 7,200 ships Cunard: 1 ship and 2,092 berths Seabourn: 2 ships and 1,054 berths
MSC Cruises Ships: 10 Brands in Service: 1 out of 1 Total Berths: 37,066
By Brand
MSC: 10 ships and 37,066 berths
Royal Caribbean Group Ships: 15 Brands in Service: 5 out of 5 Total Berths: 36,982
By Brand
Royal Caribbean: 6 ships and 19,500 berths Celebrity: 3 ships and 7,840 berths TUI: 3ships and 8,300 berths Hapag-Lloyd: 2 ships and 746 berths Silversea: 1 ship and 596 berths
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ships: 1 out of 3 Brands in Service: 1 out of 3 Total Berths: 9,000
By brand
Norwegian: 3 ships and 9,000 berths
Genting Cruise Lines Ships: 6 Brands in Service: 3 out of 3 Total Berths: 8,486
By Brand
Dream: 2 ships and 5,204 berths Star: 1 ship and 1,090 berths Crystal: 3 ships and 2,192 berths
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