Part of the fleet
Carnival Cruise Line
The volume leader in North American cruising — short, cheap, close-to-home sailings on the biggest contemporary fleet afloat.
- Introduced
- 2021
- Gross tonnage
- 180,800 – 183,500 GT
- Capacity
- 5,280 – 5,380 (double)
Mardi Gras (2021), Carnival Celebration (2022) and Carnival Jubilee (2023) are the Excel-class ships — the first LNG-powered cruise ships in North America and the largest Carnival has ever operated at more than 180,000 GT.
The layout breaks the ship into six themed zones — Grand Central, French Quarter, La Piazza, Summer Landing, Lido and The Ultimate Playground — each with its own bars, dining and atmosphere, which does a great deal to make a 5,300-guest ship feel navigable.
BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, runs an 800-foot track around the funnel. Dining is the real surprise: Emeril's Bistro, Rudi's Seagrill, Chibang, Street Eats and the Big Chicken counter give Carnival its strongest food offer to date.
Sister ships
Ships in the Excel Class
3 sister ships share this class — near-identical layouts, cabins, and onboard venues across the Carnival Cruise Line fleet.
Launched 2021
Mardi Gras
The first LNG-powered cruise ship in North America — six themed zones, the BOLT roller coaster and Carnival's best dining line-up.
Launched 2022
Carnival Celebration
The second Excel-class ship and Carnival's 50th-anniversary flagship — BOLT, six zones and year-round Caribbean sailings from Miami.
Launched 2023
Carnival Jubilee
The third Excel-class ship and the largest ever based in Texas — Currents, a digital art zone, alongside BOLT and six themed districts.
Also in Carnival Cruise Line
Other ship classes
Cruise line