Carnival Corp. announced Wednesday that it has signed a letter of intent with Italian shipyard Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. for the construction of a new 110,000-ton vessel for its Carnival Cruise Lines unit.
The new 2,974-passenger vessel, a longer and larger version of Carnival's "Destiny-class" series, will cost approximately $500 million and is expected to enter service in 2004. The company also announced that two other Destiny-class ships currently under construction at Fincantieri, the Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory, set to debut in 2002 and 2003, respectively, are being "stretched" by approximately 60 feet, which will make them the same size as the new 110,000-ton vessel.
Construction on another Destiny-class ship, the Carnival Victory, expected to enter service Aug. 31, 2000, is nearing completion at Fincantieri and that vessel's design will remain unchanged.
The new 110,000-ton vessels, which at 952 feet will be among the longest in Carnival Cruise Lines' fleet, will offer a variety of dining, entertainment and activity options found aboard the line's other Destiny-class vessels. However, the additional space provided by the vessels' elongated design will allow for the creation of a number of new facilities, including an expanded food service area on the Lido deck, an alternative restaurant, a family entertainment center, a conference room/business center, an Internet café and an expanded sports and recreation area.
The new vessels will also feature longtime Destiny-class features such as a three-deck 1,500-seat show lounge, a 15,000-square-foot fitness center, four swimming pools, a duty-free shopping mall and a 9,000-square-foot casino.
Carnival Corporation is comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, the world's largest cruise line based on passengers carried, Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises, Cunard Line Limited, which operates the Cunard and Seabourn cruise brands, and interests in Costa Cruises and Airtours plc. Combined, Carnival Corporation's various brands operate 45 ships in the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and other worldwide destinations.
