News & Updates
Carnival Cruise Line’s Festivale to Homeport at Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral will be the homeport to Carnival Cruise Line’s fourth Excel-class ship, the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered Carnivale Festivale, which will launch week-long cruises from the Space Coast in 2027.
The 180,000-ton Carnival Festivale will assume the current seven-day Caribbean schedule of her sister ship, Carnival Mardi Gras which will shift to three- and four-day voyages, replacing Carnival Glory on this itinerary and becoming the first Excel-class ship to operate a short cruise program.
“We’re thrilled that Carnival Cruise Line has selected Port Canaveral as the homeport for their latest Excel-class ship,” said Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO. “We are very proud of our 35-year relationship with Carnival Cruise Line and this deployment is a reflection of our partner’s confidence in our Port to consistently deliver a high-quality experience for its guests.”
Port Canaveral serves as the homeport of Carnival’s first Excel-class ship, Carnival Mardi Gras, which entered service in 2021 as the first cruise ship in North America powered by LNG. Deploying the LNG-powered Carnival Festivale to Central Florida reaffirms Port Canaveral’s pioneering role in this innovative clean fuel solution which is delivered by a special fuel barge. With the addition of Carnival Festivale, Port Canaveral will be home to six LNG-powered ships.
As the latest incarnation of the Excel-class, Carnival Festivale will offer a wide range of popular amenities and new features such as a sprawling water park on the uppermost decks and a host of other innovations.
On its week-long cruises, Carnival Festivale will visit some of the most popular destinations in The Bahamas and Caribbean, with eastern Caribbean cruises visiting Nassau, Amber Cove and Grand Turk and the western route featuring Cozumel, Costa Maya and Isla Roatan.