Carnival Corporation has placed an order for two new ships in a series for operation by German cruise line AIDA Cruises.
The agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri provides for the design, engineering, and construction of these multi-fuel-capable ships, which will be delivered to AIDA Cruises in the first quarter of fiscal years 2030 and 2032, respectively.
"With approximately 2,100 cabins each, these remarkable new ships give our guests a completely new class of ship [that slots] in perfectly between our 1,600-cabin Hyperion-class vessels and our more than 2,600-cabin Helios-class vessels," said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises.
Eichhorn added that the multi-fuel-capable ships will also be able to run on LNG. Once the two ships are delivered, AIDA Cruises will have a total of 13 ships in its fleet.
According to Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein, with this newest order, Carnival Corporation's newbuild pipeline includes eight new ships scheduled to enter service between 2025 and 2033, including Star Princess this year and one ship each from 2027 to 2033.
Design details and itinerary information for the new AIDA ships will be announced in the future. Carnival Corporation clarified that this order is contingent upon financing, which is expected to be completed later this year.