Even larger! Carnival Cruise Line orders three gigantic new ships

Exciting news for megaship enthusiasts: Three more colossal vessels are on their way.

On Tuesday, Carnival Cruise Line announced the order of three enormous new cruise ships, set to be among the largest ever constructed.

Scheduled to launch between 2029 and 2033, these ships will weigh in at 230,000 tons, making them the largest ever for Carnival—25% bigger than their current largest ships.

They will also rank among the biggest in the entire cruise industry. Currently, only three ships are larger than 230,000 gross tons: Royal Caribbean's recently introduced Icon of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, and Wonder of the Seas.

Carnival has revealed limited information about their new ships, primarily focusing on their dimensions and cabin capacity. Each ship will feature 3,000 cabins, accommodating nearly 8,000 guests when fully booked, according to the line's statement.

This surpasses the number of cabins found on any cruise ship to date. The current record is held by Wonder of the Seas, which boasts 2,867 cabins.

The ship with the highest total passenger capacity is the Icon of the Seas, designed to accommodate up to 7,600 passengers.

Although Carnival did not specify the types of venues that will be included on the ships, Carnival president Christine Duffy indicated that they would introduce features new to the line.

"With this next generation of ships, our focus is on crafting innovative guest experiences that will propel Carnival Cruise Line into the future, offering new and exciting features that we believe our guests will cherish," Duffy stated in an announcement accompanying the news.

Carnival announced that the three new ships are set to debut in 2029, 2031, and 2033, in that order.

This announcement follows the recent order of two additional ships for its Excel Class series, which are scheduled to enter service in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Over the past two years, Carnival has experienced significant growth. Alongside the introduction of new ships, it has also acquired older vessels from sister brands like Costa Cruises.

In total, Carnival has welcomed five new ships into its fleet over the last two years, achieving the fastest expansion rate of any major cruise line ever recorded.

With these latest additions, Carnival's fleet now consists of 27 ships, matching the record it established prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had necessitated a reduction in capacity.

Carnival announced on Tuesday that the newly ordered ships are subject to financing, which is anticipated to be finalized later this year.