Excellence-class cruise ship

AIDAnova, the first ship in the class, in 2018
Class overview
Builders	Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany Meyer Turku, Turku, Finland
Operators	AIDA Cruises Costa Cruises P&O Cruises Carnival Cruise Line
Preceded by	Carnival and Costa: Vista class P&O Cruises: Royal class AIDA Cruises: Hyperion class
Built	2017–2023
In service	2018–present
Planned	11
Building	0
Completed	9
Active	9
General characteristics
Type	Cruise ship
Tonnage	183,900 GT
Displacement	80,000
Length	1,115 ft (340 m)
Height	69.3 m (227 ft 4 in)-72 m (236 ft)
Installed power	4x MaK 16VM46DF, 57.2 MW total
Propulsion	Two ABB azimuth thrusters, 37 MW total

The Excellence class,[1][2][3] including the sub-classes Helios class[4] and XL or Excel class,[5] is a class of cruise ships ordered by Carnival Corporation & plc for its subsidiary brands AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. The ships are being constructed by Meyer Werft at their shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and Meyer Turku at their shipyard in Turku, Finland. The first, AIDAnova, entered service for AIDA Cruises in 2018.

History

In March 2015, Carnival Corporation entered into a strategic partnership with Meyer Werft to build new ships between 2018 and 2022.[6] In June 2015, four ships were ordered for delivery between 2019 and 2020.[7][8] In September 2016, three more ships were ordered for Carnival Cruise Line and P&O Cruises for delivery in 2020 and 2022. [9] In February 2024, Carnival Cruise Line placed an order for another Excellence class ship for delivery in 2027.

The Excellence class are the first cruise ships in the world to be dual fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and traditional fuel oil, which is intended to make them more environmentally friendly than traditional, diesel-powered ships.[8] Each ship is expected to cost $950 million.[10]

The first four ships in the class suffered delivery delays. The delays of AIDAnova, Costa Smeralda and Mardi Gras were attributed to the ships being the first to be fueled by LNG, design complexities, difficulties coordinating subcontractors, and the large size of the ships.[3] The delay of Iona was due to a temporary suspension of operations by P&O Cruises, and slower construction progress, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Mardi Gras was later delayed until 2021, also due to the pandemic.[12]

Ships

Ship	Subclass	Built	Operator	Builder	Gross tonnage	Flag	IMO number	Notes	Image	Newbuilding no.
AIDAnova	Helios class[13]	2018	AIDA Cruises	Meyer Werft	183,858[14]	Italy	9781865	World's first LNG-powered cruise ship.[15]		S.696
Costa Smeralda		2019	Costa Cruises	Meyer Turku	185,010[16]	Italy	9781889			NB 1394
Iona	Excel class[5]	2020	P&O Cruises	Meyer Werft	184,089[17]	United Kingdom	9826548			S.710
Mardi Gras	Excel class[18]	2020	Carnival Cruise Line	Meyer Turku	180,800[19]	Bahamas	9837444			NB 1396
AIDAcosma	Helios class[13]	2021	AIDA Cruises	Meyer Werft	183,900[10]	Italy	9781877	Originally planned for 2020.		S.709
Costa Toscana		2021	Costa Cruises	Meyer Turku	186,364[10]	Italy	9781891	Originally planned for 2020.		NB 1395
Carnival Celebration[20]	Excel class[18]	2022	Carnival Cruise Line	Meyer Turku	183,521[21]	Bahamas	9837456	Construction started on January 13, 2021.[22]		NB 1397
Arvia[23]	Excel class[5]	2022	P&O Cruises	Meyer Werft	185,581[24]	United Kingdom	9849693	Construction started on February 22, 2021.[25]		S.716
Carnival Jubilee[26]	Excel class	2023	Carnival Cruise Line	Meyer Werft	183,521[27]	Bahamas	9851737	Originally ordered for AIDA Cruises.[28] Construction started on March 18, 2022.[29]		S.717[30]
TBA	Excel class	2027	Carnival Cruise Line	Meyer Werft	180,000			Order announced February 13, 2024.[31] first order by the Carnival Corporation after five years[32]
TBA	Excel class	2028	Carnival Cruise Line	Meyer Werft	180,000			Order announced March 26, 2024.[33] Hermes cover underway[34][35]

References

1. "Carnival not occupied with building world's largest cruise ship". April 17, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
2. "Steel cut for Carnival Cruise Line's first Excellence-class ship". November 15, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
3. "Mardi Gras delays not surprising but still costly for Carnival". January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
4. "AIDAnova". www.meyerwerft.de. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
5. "P&O Cruises and Cunard make 2022 single use plastics commitment". Retrieved May 26, 2019.
6. "Carnival Corporation Enters into Strategic Partnerships to Add Nine Cruise Ships to its Fleet over a Four-Year Period Starting in 2019". March 24, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
7. "Carnival Corporation orders two cruise ships from Meyer Turku". June 15, 2015. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
8. "Carnival Corporation Finalizes Contract with Meyer Werft to Build Four Next-Generation Cruise Ships". June 15, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
9. "Carnival Corporation to Build Three New LNG-Powered Cruise Ships with Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku". September 6, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
10. "Cruise ship ordeerbook". 6 January 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
11. Spencer, Kerry (March 30, 2020). "P&O Cruises Reveals Maiden Voyage of New Ship Iona Will be Delayed". Cruise Critic. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
12. Limone, Jerry (July 7, 2020). "Another delay for Carnival's Mardi Gras ship". Travel Weekly. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
13. "AIDA orders third Helios-class cruise ship". 28 February 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
14. "AIDAnova (9781865)". LeonardoInfo. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
15. "AIDAnova, World's 1st LNG Cruise Ship, Delivered". World Maritime News. December 12, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
16. "Costa Smeralda (9781889)". LeonardoInfo. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
17. "MS Iona (9826548)". LeonardoInfo. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
18. "Carnival Cruise Line Names First XL-Class Ship Mardi Gras". 6 December 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
19. "Carnival Mardi Gras (9837444)". LeonardoInfo. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
20. Kalosh, Anne (August 21, 2020). "Carnival's 2022 Excel-class ship is named Carnival Celebration". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
21. "Carnival XL Class 2 | MEYER WERFT | Delivery in 2022". Meyer Werft. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
22. "Steel Cut for New Carnival Ship". Cruise Industry News. January 13, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
23. Coulter, Adam (18 February 2021). "P&O Cruises Reveals Name of New Ship, Arvia". Cruise Critic. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
24. "Arvia". LR Class Direct. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
25. Coulter, Adam (February 22, 2021). "P&O Cruises Cuts Steel For New Cruise Ship, Arvia". Cruise Critic. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
26. "Third LNG Carnival Vessel to Be Named Carnival Jubilee and Based in Texas". Cruise Hive. 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
27. "Excel Class | Cruise Ship #3". Meyer Werft. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
28. "Carnival Cruise Line To Grow Fleet By Two Additional Ships by 2023 – Carnival Cruise Line News". Carnival Cruise Lines. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
29. "Steel Cut for New Carnival Ship Jubilee". Cruise Industry News. March 18, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
30. Picture of the ship down the river Ems
31. "MEYER WERFT to build another cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line". MEYER WERFT. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
32. "Carnival books new LNG-powered cruise ship at Meyer Werft". 14 February 2024.
33. plc, Carnival Corporation &. "Carnival Corporation Orders an Additional Excel-Class Ship for Carnival Cruise Line, the Line's 5th Excel-Class Ship and the 11th Across the Global Fleet". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-26.
34. "Meyer Werft: Bürgschaft für AIDA-Eigentümer Carnival". 18 July 2024.
35. "Unterstützung für Meyer Werft - Bürgschaft für Reederei Carnival".

External links

• Costa Croisières commande deux paquebots géants propulsés au GNL
• Meyer décroche trois paquebots géants pour P&O et Carnival Cruise Lines
• AIDAcosma passing the Ems barrier