First Block Laid on New Carnival Cruise Ship, Carnival Festivale

Carnival Cruise Line celebrated the keel laying for their next new cruise ship, Carnival Festivale.

The keel laying ceremony marks the official start of construction on a new cruise ship as the blocks begin to be put together forming the vessel.

Brett Vitols, associate vice president of new builds for Carnival Cruise Line and Petu Kummala, associate vice president of interior design and architecture, along with members of Carnival’s new build team, were joined by the Meyer Werft team, including Georg Schauen, project manager for Carnival Festivale, to celebrate the construction milestone by placing commemorative coins under a 598-ton keel block.

The coins, inscribed with musical notes, signify good luck for the cruise ship.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said the following:

“Carnival Festivale isn’t just joining our fleet, she’ll be setting the tone for how to have fun at sea by blending vibrant designs and guest experiences that you can’t find anywhere else.

“Music is a universal language that connects people from around the world, and this ship will bring that to life in true Carnival fashion. We’re grateful to work with the skilled team once again at Meyer Werft to bring Carnival Festivale into our fleet.”

Carnival Festivale is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Carnival Festivale will be the fourth Excel class ship from Carnival and the first in its class without a roller coaster.

Carnival recently announced their first WaterWorks Ultra waterpark will be on the top deck of the ship. It will have six waterslides and even be open on some nights of each cruise.

The ship will homeport at Port Canaveral starting in 2027 and offer a variety of cruise itineraries to the Caribbean and The Bahamas.