Carnival Corp. Charts New Course with AIDA's Two-Ship Order from Fincantieri

In a meaningful move, Carnival Corporation has teamed up with Fincantieri to kick off its first new cruise ship order for the AIDA brand since operations were halted in 2020. This step signals the company’s ambition to broaden its shipbuilding efforts and expand its global presence beyond just Carnival Cruise Line.

during a media chat on April 6, CEO Josh Weinstein shared insights about the company’s plans to grow its various brands in response to market demand. He emphasized how effectively they’ve managed to cut down on debt accrued during the pandemic while also noting a surge in global interest in cruising. For fiscal year 2024, Carnival reported an impressive 40% jump in EBITDA earnings, totaling $6.1 billion, and nearly doubled their operating income for Q1 with revenues hitting $5.8 billion.

The corporation previously announced intentions to introduce new ships at a pace of roughly one per year across all nine of its brands. In 2024 alone, they placed orders for seven vessels specifically for Carnival Cruise Line, scheduled between 2027 and 2033 from Meyer Werft in Germany and Fincantieri in Italy. Additionally,there’s one legacy order from before the pandemic set for delivery this year under Princess Cruises.

This latest order is deemed “very important” by Fincantieri as it carries a value exceeding €2 billion (around $2.2 billion). Notably, these will be AIDA’s first ships constructed by Fincantieri; prior collaborations have primarily been with Meyer Werft except for two vessels built by Mitsubishi over ten years ago.

AIDA has decided on two mid-sized ships that will bridge the gap between their largest Helios Class (183,900 gross tons) and Hyperion Class (125,572 gross tons). While specific details remain under wraps aside from having around 2,100 passenger cabins each, deliveries are anticipated around early 2030 and late 2031.

The upcoming vessels will feature multi-fuel engines capable of running on LNG and also bio-diesel and other enduring fuels—a testament to AIDA’s commitment to eco-friendly practices. The line has been proactive about sustainability; their earlier ships like AIDAprima were pioneers using LNG technology at dockside while AIDANova was notable as the first cruise ship designed specifically for LNG propulsion back in 2018.

AIDA President Felix eichhorn mentioned that this new addition would bring their fleet total up to thirteen ships but kept mum about specific features or experiences planned for these vessels.

The cruise line is also refreshing three existing ships through a revitalization initiative that kicked off last month with AIDAdiva—aiming at enhancing technology alongside refurbishing guest areas. New dining options are set to include maritime-themed cafes along with French and Asian cuisine restaurants plus a Tapas Bar; upgrades are slated next for AIDAluna and AIDAbella by 2025-2026.

AIDA continues to shine within Carnival’s portfolio thanks largely due to its focus on catering specifically towards German-speaking travelers—making it one of their top-performing brands overall!