Carnival Is Going Bigger Than Ever With Five New Ships — Including a Class That Could Carry 8,000 Passengers

Carnival Cruise Line has never been shy about thinking big. But what the cruise line appears to be preparing for over the next several years goes well beyond anything it has attempted before — and the cruise world is paying close attention.

A wave of new ships is coming to the Carnival fleet, and the scope of what’s being planned suggests the line is entering one of the most ambitious expansion phases in its history.

What’s Coming and When

The pipeline starts with ships that are already well into development. Carnival Festivale, the fourth Excel-class vessel, is expected to debut in 2027. Carnival Tropicale — the fifth Excel-class ship and the one we reported on recently as heading to Galveston, Texas — follows in 2028.

But it’s what comes after those two that has genuinely captured the attention of the cruise community.

Beginning in 2029, Carnival is expected to introduce the first of three entirely new mega-ships under a project known internally as Project Ace. These vessels would represent a completely new class for Carnival — not an evolution of the Excel ships, but something built from the ground up on a scale the cruise line has never attempted.

The numbers being discussed are staggering. Project Ace ships are expected to come in at approximately 230,000 gross tons — significantly larger than the current Excel-class vessels, which themselves clock in at around 180,000 gross tons. At that size, these ships could accommodate close to 8,000 guests at full capacity. They are also expected to become the largest cruise ships ever constructed in Italy, marking a significant milestone for the Italian shipbuilding industry.

What the Excel Ships Are Adding

Before Project Ace arrives, the two upcoming Excel-class ships are bringing plenty of new features of their own. Both Carnival Festivale and Carnival Tropicale are expected to place a heavy emphasis on family-focused design, with expansive outdoor areas built around the needs of multigenerational groups.

Sunsation Point is the headline addition — a brand new themed outdoor zone anchored by WaterWorks Ultra, described as the most feature-rich waterpark Carnival has ever put on a ship. Connectivity between cabins is also being given serious attention, with around 1,000 interconnecting staterooms planned to make the ships more practical for larger families and travel groups sailing together. New food concepts and entertainment experiences are also in development, though full details have not yet been released.

The Debate That Never Goes Away

Every time a cruise line announces ships of this scale, it reignites one of the most enduring arguments in the cruise community: how big is too big?

On one side are cruisers who genuinely thrive on mega-ships. More restaurants means more choices and less waiting. A larger entertainment lineup means Broadway-caliber shows, multiple comedy venues, live music across a dozen bars, and activities that run around the clock. Onboard activities on ships this size can rival small theme parks. For families especially, the sheer volume of things to do makes a week feel genuinely limitless.

On the other side is an equally passionate group for whom bigger is definitively not better. Longer lines at embarkation and debarkation. Crowded pool decks on sea days. Elevators that require patience. And perhaps most significantly, the port access question — ships of 230,000 gross tons simply cannot fit everywhere. The smaller, more distinctive ports that experienced cruisers often cite as their favorite memories become increasingly inaccessible as ships grow.

There is also the experience of the ship itself. On a vessel carrying close to 8,000 passengers, running into the same people twice in a day starts to feel like a genuine coincidence rather than an inevitability. For cruisers who value the community aspect of sailing — the connections made at the bar, the conversations at the dinner table — scale can work against the very things that made cruising appealing in the first place.

What It Means for Carnival

For Carnival specifically, the Project Ace announcement represents something beyond just new ships. It is a statement about where the cruise line sees its future — and that future is clearly anchored in volume, spectacle, and the kind of onboard experience that competes not just with other cruise lines but with land-based resort destinations.

Carnival already operates the largest fleet by passenger capacity of any cruise line in the world. Adding three ships capable of carrying 8,000 guests each, on top of the two remaining Excel-class vessels, would extend that lead significantly.

The question the cruise community is debating is whether that is a vision of cruising that excites them — or one that gives them pause.

What Do You Think?

The ships are coming regardless. Three Project Ace mega-ships beginning in 2029, two more Excel-class giants before that, and a Carnival fleet that will look dramatically different by the time the decade is out.

Would you sail on an 8,000-passenger Carnival mega-ship? Or have cruise ships already passed the point where bigger genuinely means better?

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