New Carnival Cruise Line ship Carnival Celebration has been floated out at a Finnish shipyard in a move hailed as a “major construction milestone”.
Carnival Celebration will now move alongside the Meyer Turku shipyard’s outfitting pier and into the next phase of building work.
The second in a trio of Excel-class vessels, the liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship is due to sail transatlantic from Southampton to its Miami home port ahead of entering service to the Caribbean on November 21.
The ship will feature six distinct zones, much like sister vessel Mardi Gras.
But three of the zones are designed specifically for Carnival Celebration, with details to be revealed soon, according to the line.
Carnival Cruise Line new builds, refurbishment and product innovation senior vice president Ben Clement said: “This is the exciting part, after the float out, that’s when everything that everyone will love about the ship goes from blueprint to reality.
“When there’s a new ship coming, it’s always tough to pick your favourite part, but Carnival Celebration is going to make that choice tougher than ever when she makes her way to Miami.”
Meyer Turku chief executive Tim Meyer added: “By the end of the summer, Carnival Celebration will be ready for her sea trial and then for delivery later in the autumn.”
Mardi Gras is already sailing from Port Canaveral in Florida and third Excel-class ship Carnival Jubilee is due to cruise from Galveston, Texas in 2023.