The Excellence class, including the sub-classes Helios and XL or Excel, is a class of cruise ships ordered by Carnival Corporation & plc for its subsidiary brands AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. The ships are being constructed by Meyer Werft at their shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and Meyer Turku at their shipyard in Turku, Finland. The first, , entered service for AIDA Cruises in 2018.
History In March 2015, Carnival Corporation entered into a strategic partnership with Meyer Werft to build new ships between 2018 and 2022. In June 2015, four ships were ordered for delivery between 2019 and 2020. In September 2016, three more ships were ordered for Carnival Cruise Line and P&O Cruises for delivery in 2020 and 2022. In February 2024, Carnival Cruise Line placed an order for another Excellence class ship for delivery in 2027.
The Excellence class are the first cruise ships in the world to be dual fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and traditional fuel oil, which is intended to make them more environmentally friendly than traditional, diesel-powered ships. Each ship is expected to cost $950 million.
The first four ships in the class suffered delivery delays. The delays of AIDAnova, Costa Smeralda and Mardi Gras were attributed to the ships being the first to be fueled by LNG, design complexities, difficulties coordinating subcontractors, and the large size of the ships. The delay of Iona was due to a temporary suspension of operations by P&O Cruises, and slower construction progress, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mardi Gras was later delayed until 2021, also due to the pandemic.
Ships Ship Subclass Built Operator Builder Gross tonnage Flag IMO number Notes Image Newbuilding no. Helios class 2018 AIDA Cruises Meyer Werft 183,858 9781865 World's first LNG-powered cruise ship. S.696 Excel class 2019 Costa Cruises Meyer Turku 185,010 9781889 NB 1394 Excel class 2020 P&O Cruises Meyer Werft 184,089 9826548 S.710 Excel class 2020 Carnival Cruise Line Meyer Turku 180,800 9837444 NB 1396 AIDAcosma Helios class 2021 AIDA Cruises Meyer Werft 183,900 9781877 Originally planned for 2020. S.709 Costa Toscana Excel class 2021 Costa Cruises Meyer Turku 186,364 9781891 Originally planned for 2020. NB 1395 Excel class 2022 Carnival Cruise Line Meyer Turku 183,521 9837456 Construction started on January 13, 2021. NB 1397 Arvia Excel class 2022 P&O Cruises Meyer Werft 185,581 9849693 Construction started on February 22, 2021. S.716Carnival Jubilee Excel class 2023 Carnival Cruise Line Meyer Werft 183,521 9851737 Originally ordered for AIDA Cruises. Construction started on March 18, 2022. S.717Picture of the ship down the river EmsCarnival FestivaleExcel class2027Carnival Cruise LineMeyer Werft183,521Order announced February 13, 2024.First order by the Carnival Corporation in five yearsS.724Carnival TropicaleExcel class2028Carnival Cruise LineMeyer Werft183,521Order announced March 26, 2024.construction started on 10 September 2026 S.725
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Costa Croisières commande deux paquebots géants propulsés au GNL Meyer décroche trois paquebots géants pour P&O et Carnival Cruise Lines AIDAcosma passing the Ems barrier