Carnival Corporation & plc., the world’s largest cruise company, is set to launch four new cruise ships in 2020 across four of its cruise line brands.
Throughout the year, Carnival Corporation’s international brands P&O Cruises UK, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Costa Cruises will debut the following new vessels — Iona , Enchanted Princess , Mardi Gras and Costa Firenze , respectively.
P&O Cruises’ Iona and Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras will be the third and fourth of Carnival Corporation’s eleven next-generation cruise ships joining the fleet through 2025 that can be powered by LNG, the advanced fuel technology, eliminating sulfur and significantly improving overall air emissions.
Being built at Meyer Werft in Germany, the 180,000 GT Iona marks the first new ship for P&O Cruises since the introduction of Britannia in 2015. When it joins the P&O Cruises (UK) fleet in May, it will launch as the British line’s first LNG-powered ship.
Mardi Gras is named as a tribute to TSS Mardi Gras, Carnival Cruise Line’s first-ever ship that entered service in 1972. Being built by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku, the ship is set to debut in November 2020 as the first cruise vessel in North America to be powered by LNG.
Debuting in Rome in June, the 3,660-passenger Enchanted Princess is Princess Cruises’ fifth Royal-class ship. In addition, it is the second purpose-built MedallionClass newbuild. The 145,000 GT unit is under construction at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
Costa Firenze is the second ship for Costa Cruises built specifically for the China market, where the Italian company was the first international cruise line to start operating in 2006. Slated for delivery in Italy in late September, Costa Firence will head to China, offering cruising for Chinese passengers beginning October 20.
The introduction of the four new ships in 2020 is part of Carnival Corporation’s ongoing fleet enhancement strategy, with sixteen new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. The four newbuilds follow the introduction of four new Carnival vessels in 2019 – Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Panorama, Costa Cruises’ Costa Smeralda and Costa Venezia, and Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess.
Together, the corporation’s nine cruise lines operate 105 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world.