Carnival will launch four new cruise ships this year across four of its 10 global brands – Carnival Cruise Line, Seabourn, AIDA Cruise and Holland America Line.
The Miami-based company said that the new vessels are part of Carnival ’s ongoing fleet enhancement strategy with 18 new ships scheduled for delivery between 2018 and 2022.
The ships are the 3,900-berth Carnival Horizon, 600-berth Seabourn Ovation, 5,230-berth Aidanova and 2,666-berth Nieuw Statendam.
"On top of the three new ships we launched in 2017, we look forward to the delivery of four more spectacular ships that will help us continue providing extraordinary cruise vacations at an exceptional value for our guests,” said Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell.
“Our fleet enhancement program enables us to manage the overall fleet by aligning new ship deliveries with our strategy for measured capacity growth over time, while also refurbishing existing ships and phasing out less-efficient vessels," he added.
Carnival Horizon is set for delivery in April.
Carnival Cruise Line's 26th vessel will feature a Dr. Seuss WaterWorks aqua park and several restaurants, including celebrity chef Guy Fieri's Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, and an on-board brewery.
The ship will embark on a 13-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona in April 2018 – the first of four round-trip departures from the port.
It will then sail to the US with a 14-day transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York 9 to 23 May 2018, followed by a summer schedule of four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean departures from New York City.
The ship will then travel to Miami for a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning 22 September 2018 after a two-day cruise to Nassau from Miami.
Seabourn Ovation, designed by Adam D. Tihan, is set to debut in May 2018.
The ship will feature contemporary interiors, modern design elements and innovations, including a private veranda in each suite.
Following the ship's delivery, Seabourn Ovation will embark on an 11-day voyage departing 5 May 2018, from Venice, Italy, to Barcelona. The ship will spend the majority of her maiden season cruising the waters of Northern Europe, Carnival said.
Seabourn Ovation will also sail on longer 14-day voyages to the Norwegian fjords and British Isles.
Aidanova, expected in December 2018, will be the first cruise ship fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the first in the cruise industry to use LNG to generate all its power both in port and on the open sea, Carnival said.
Aidanova will be followed by six additional fully LNG-powered ships set to be delivered across several Carnival brands by 2022.
The ship's features will include an on-board brewery and beer garden, a 360-degree Theatrium and a Studio X TV studio and 17 restaurants.
In its debut season starting in December 2018, Aidanova will offer seven-day trips around the Canary Islands before stopping in Hamburg and visiting Gran Canaria.
The Nieuw Statendam, set to launch in December 2018, is the second Pinnacle Class ship for Holland America Line.
The ship, designed by designer Tihany and designer and architect Bjorn Storbraaten, will feature a Music Walk offering different music genres, a 270-degree projection screen at World Stage and an Exploration Central area with a Virtual Bridge.
The Nieuw Statendam is scheduled to depart on its maiden voyage on 5 December 2018, a 14-day transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale.
The ship will then spend the winter season cruising roundtrip from the South Florida port on seven-day Caribbean itineraries, with select three-, four- and 10-day options.
