However, for many years, it has held back from following rivals such as Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises in building ever-bigger ships. There was a time when Carnival operated some of the biggest cruise ships in the world. This is a notable change for the brand from just a couple of decades ago. Six of the 27 vessels Carnival will operate by the summer of 2024 measure less than 100,000 tons, which makes them almost mid-size by today's cruise ship standards. That's about 40% smaller than the biggest ships operated by Royal Caribbean.įor more cruise guides, news and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter. Other than these two ships, Carnival's biggest vessel is the 4,090-passenger Carnival Venezia, which measures just 135,225 tons. Over the past two years, Carnival has begun operating its first two truly giant ships in years - the 181,808-ton, 5,282-passenger Mardi Gras and the 183,521-ton Carnival Celebration.
In general, Carnival ships are large but, aside from two exceptions, they're not giants by today's standards. That's more ships than any other major cruise line except Royal Caribbean, which will have 28 vessels in service by the summer of 2024. Thinking about a cruise on a Carnival Cruise Line ship? You have a lot of options.īy the summer of 2024, Carnival will have 27 vessels in service - all currently available to book.