Carnival Cruise Line has taken delivery of Excel-class ship Carnival Celebration at a signing ceremony at Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
Carnival president Christine Duffy and senior vice-president of new-builds, Ben Clement, joined Tim Meyer, chief executive of Meyer Turku, at the event to welcome the vessel into the fleet.
The 5,374-passenger ship will arrive in its homeport of PortMiami on the US east coast on November 20 after completing a 14-day maiden transatlantic cruise from Southampton, starting on Sunday.
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Carnival said the naming ceremony, due to be held on the evening Celebration arrives in the US, will be a “tribute to Carnival’s past and more importantly a look ahead to its exciting future”.
The ship will operate eastern and western Caribbean itineraries year-round, calling into ports such as San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cozumel, Mexico; and Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.
Duffy said: “We have so many reasons to celebrate now that Carnival Celebration has joined as the 24th ship in our fleet.
“She represents the culmination of our 50th birthday while also shining a light on our bright future with so much more excitement to come.”
Pictured (from left): Meyer with Duffy at the Meyer Turku shipyard