Carnival Corporation is raising fleet capacity by nearly 10% by 2016 with the addition of new ships across four brands in less than 18 months.
Two new ships are being christened in the span of three days as its Princess and Costa brands host official naming ceremonies for Regal Princess and Costa Diadema.
They will be joined next year by new vessels for P&O Cruises and German brand AIDA, giving Carnival Corporation a total of four new ships by October 2015.
The company has added more than 30 new ships since 2007, including Regal Princess and Costa Diadema, with another seven due to be delivered between 2015 and early 2017. There are also plans to upgrade or refurbish 17 ships across six brands.
The 2015 refurbishment plans include two former Holland America Line ships transferred to P&O Cruises Australia that will be revamped before sailing as Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden in November 2015.
Princess Cruises officially christened the new Regal Princess yesterday in a naming ceremony featuring the original cast members of The Love Boat television series who are serving as godparents for the new ship.
After entering service in May 2014, the newly christened Regal Princess will now start its maiden season of Caribbean cruise vacations sailing out of Port Everglades in Florida.
Costa Cruises will name Costa Diadema in Genoa tomorrow (Friday) before the vessel sails in the Mediterranean through to next summer.
In addition to Costa Diadema and Regal Princess, two other Carnival Corporation brands will debut new ships in 2015. P&O Cruises UK will introduce Britannia in March followed in the autumn by AIDAprima, claimed to be one of the most technologically advanced ships in the world.
Carnival Corporation’s four new fleet additions in 18 months are part of a plan to introduce nine new ships across seven of its brands between 2014 and 2017.
AIDA, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises UK, Princess Cruises and Seabourn are all expected to debut new ships by early 2017.
Carnival Cruise Lines will debut is biggest vessel Carnival Vista in 2016, HAL will launch the 2,650-passenger ms Koningsdam, AIDA will introduce a 3,250-passenger sister ship to AIDAprima, while Seabourn will unveil its newest luxury ship, expected to be the biggest ever built by the brand with a capacity of 604 passengers.
Princess Cruises is working with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build a 143,000-ton vessel in 2017 featuring the highly popular design elements introduced by the brand’s two newest ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess.
Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald said: “We’re very proud to christen Regal Princess and Costa Diadema this week, and these beautiful ships signify our commitment to providing the best possible guest experience across our industry-leading brands.
“As we invest in continually refreshing our fleet, we’re able to provide our passengers the best of what new ships have to offer.”
“Introducing new ships into our fleet is just one more way we are working to provide wonderful vacations and lifetime memories for millions of people around the world. That focus will help us grow the market for cruising, and in turn increase demand for our product. So it’s a win-win for consumers, and for our company.”