Ranked by age, Carnival’s newest ship is Carnival Jubilee (2023) and its oldest is Carnival Sunshine, which first sailed in 1996 as Carnival Destiny. The table below lists all 29 Carnival ships by age, from newest to oldest, with the year each was built, the year it joined Carnival, its class, tonnage and guest capacity. It also covers the new ships due from 2027 and the ships that have moved in or out of the fleet.
Free: download our 2027 Luxury Cruise Calendar →
Age matters more than many cruisers think. A ship’s build year tells you a lot about cabin layouts, balcony numbers, the water parks and dining on board, and how much space you get per guest. It is not the whole story, though. Carnival spends heavily on dry docks, and a well-refitted 25-year-old ship can feel fresher than you would expect.
Carnival Ships by Age: Full Fleet Table (Newest to Oldest)
Ships are sorted by the year they were built (delivered from the shipyard). Several were built for other Carnival Corporation brands and joined Carnival later, so check the “Joined Carnival” column too. Ages are calculated for 2026. Guest numbers are standard (double-occupancy) capacity from Carnival Corporation’s fleet list, and gross tonnage (GT) is rounded.
| # | Ship | Class | Built | Joined Carnival | Age (yrs) | Gross tonnage | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnival Jubilee | Excel | 2023 | 2023 | 3 | 183,500 | 5,360 |
| 2 | Carnival Celebration | Excel | 2022 | 2022 | 4 | 183,500 | 5,360 |
| 3 | Mardi Gras | Excel | 2020 | 2021 | 6 | 181,800 | 5,270 |
| 4 | Carnival Firenze | Vista (Fun Italian Style) | 2020 | 2024 | 6 | 135,200 | 4,130 |
| 5 | Carnival Venezia | Vista (Fun Italian Style) | 2019 | 2023 | 7 | 135,200 | 4,090 |
| 6 | Carnival Panorama | Vista | 2019 | 2019 | 7 | 133,900 | 4,010 |
| 7 | Carnival Horizon | Vista | 2018 | 2018 | 8 | 133,600 | 3,960 |
| 8 | Carnival Vista | Vista | 2016 | 2016 | 10 | 133,600 | 3,930 |
| 9 | Carnival Breeze | Dream | 2012 | 2012 | 14 | 128,100 | 3,690 |
| 10 | Carnival Magic | Dream | 2011 | 2011 | 15 | 128,000 | 3,690 |
| 11 | Carnival Dream | Dream | 2009 | 2009 | 17 | 128,300 | 3,650 |
| 12 | Carnival Luminosa | Luminosa (ex-Costa) | 2009 | 2022 | 17 | 92,700 | 2,260 |
| 13 | Carnival Splendor | Splendor | 2008 | 2008 | 18 | 113,600 | 3,010 |
| 14 | Carnival Freedom | Conquest | 2007 | 2007 | 19 | 110,600 | 2,980 |
| 15 | Carnival Liberty | Conquest | 2005 | 2005 | 21 | 110,400 | 2,970 |
| 16 | Carnival Valor | Conquest | 2004 | 2004 | 22 | 110,400 | 2,980 |
| 17 | Carnival Miracle | Spirit | 2004 | 2004 | 22 | 85,900 | 2,130 |
| 18 | Carnival Glory | Conquest | 2003 | 2003 | 23 | 110,000 | 2,980 |
| 19 | Carnival Encounter | Adventure (ex-Princess Grand class) | 2002 | 2025 | 24 | 109,000 | 2,600 |
| 20 | Carnival Conquest | Conquest | 2002 | 2002 | 24 | 110,500 | 2,980 |
| 21 | Carnival Legend | Spirit | 2002 | 2002 | 24 | 85,900 | 2,130 |
| 22 | Carnival Adventure | Adventure (ex-Princess Grand class) | 2001 | 2025 | 25 | 108,900 | 2,640 |
| 23 | Carnival Pride | Spirit | 2001 | 2002 | 25 | 86,100 | 2,130 |
| 24 | Carnival Spirit | Spirit | 2001 | 2001 | 25 | 85,900 | 2,130 |
| 25 | Carnival Radiance | Sunshine | 2000 | 2000 | 26 | 102,200 | 2,980 |
| 26 | Carnival Sunrise | Sunshine | 1999 | 1999 | 27 | 102,200 | 2,980 |
| 27 | Carnival Paradise | Fantasy | 1998 | 1998 | 28 | 71,900 | 2,120 |
| 28 | Carnival Elation | Fantasy | 1998 | 1998 | 28 | 71,900 | 2,190 |
| 29 | Carnival Sunshine | Sunshine | 1996 | 1996 | 30 | 103,900 | 3,000 |
A few things stand out. Only three ships (the Excel class) were built in the 2020s specifically for Carnival. Almost half the fleet was built between 1996 and 2004. And five ships came from sister brands: Luminosa, Venezia and Firenze from Costa, and Adventure and Encounter from P&O Cruises Australia (built originally for Princess Cruises).
The Newest Carnival Ships
If you want the latest Carnival hardware, these are the ships to look at first.
Excel class: Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee
The three Excel-class ships are the newest and largest in the fleet, each at around 182,000 to 183,500 GT and carrying more than 5,000 guests at double occupancy. They run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), and Mardi Gras was the first cruise ship in North America to do so. Each has BOLT, the roller coaster on the top deck, plus themed zones that spread restaurants and bars across the ship. Mardi Gras sails from Port Canaveral, Carnival Celebration from Miami, and Carnival Jubilee from Galveston. If you are planning a sailing, our guide to the restaurants on Carnival Celebration shows how much the dining line-up has grown on this class.
Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze: newer to Carnival, not brand new
These two Vista-class ships were built for Costa Cruises in 2019 and 2020 and moved to Carnival in 2023 and 2024. They sail under the “Carnival Fun Italian Style” concept, with Italian design touches that were kept from their Costa days. Both are based in the US (Venezia in New York and Firenze on the West Coast at the time of writing), so they are an easy way to sail a recent ship without paying Excel-class prices.
Vista class: Carnival Vista, Horizon and Panorama
Built between 2016 and 2019, the original three Vista-class ships brought features like the SkyRide pedal track, an IMAX-style theatre on some ships, and Havana cabins with their own pool area. Carnival Panorama (2019) is the last ship Carnival built before the Excel class.
Carnival Ship Classes Explained by Age
Ships in the same class share a layout, so knowing the class often tells you more than the exact year. Here is how the classes line up from oldest to newest.
- Sunshine class (1996-2000): Carnival Sunshine, Sunrise and Radiance. Originally the Destiny class, these were the first ships over 100,000 GT. All three were rebuilt in major dry docks (Sunshine in 2013, Sunrise in 2019, Radiance in 2020-21) and renamed, so they feel newer than their build dates suggest.
- Fantasy class (1998): Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise are the last two of eight Fantasy-class ships. The other six have been retired and scrapped. These are the smallest ships in the fleet, mostly on short Bahamas and Mexico trips.
- Spirit class (2001-2004): Carnival Spirit, Pride, Legend and Miracle. These mid-sized ships fit through the original Panama Canal locks and are often used for Alaska, longer itineraries and repositioning cruises.
- Conquest class (2002-2007): Carnival Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty and Freedom. This is the biggest group of sister ships in the fleet and the backbone of many short Caribbean sailings from US homeports.
- Adventure class (2001-2002): Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter were built as Golden Princess and Star Princess, sailed for P&O Cruises Australia as Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter, and joined Carnival in 2025.
- Splendor class (2008): Carnival Splendor, a one-off ship built on a Costa design, based in Sydney.
- Dream class (2009-2012): Carnival Dream, Magic and Breeze, larger ships with the WaterWorks park and the open-air Lanai promenade.
- Luminosa (2009): A one-off ex-Costa ship that joined Carnival in 2022.
- Vista class (2016-2020): Five ships, counting Venezia and Firenze.
- Excel class (2020-2028): Three ships in service now and two more on the way.
Age and size are closely linked at Carnival, as each new class has been bigger than the last. If size is what you care about most, see our full ranking of Carnival ships by size, largest to smallest.
The Oldest Carnival Ships Still Sailing
Carnival Sunshine turns 30 in 2026, making it the oldest ship in the fleet. Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise (both 1998) and Carnival Sunrise (1999) come next. Carnival has not announced retirement dates for any of them at the time of writing.
Should you avoid an older ship? Not always. Older Carnival ships tend to:
- Cost less for the same itinerary, especially on three- to five-night cruises.
- Feel less crowded in some public areas, with fewer guests overall than the Excel class.
- Visit smaller ports and use homeports that cannot take the biggest ships.
The trade-offs are fewer balcony cabins, fewer specialty restaurants, smaller or older water slides, and no roller coaster or large themed zones. Carnival has added many of its newer venues, such as Guy’s Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina, to older ships through refits. So read the ship’s current venue list rather than judging it on age alone.
New Carnival Ships Coming Soon (2027-2033)
Carnival has a clear new-ship pipeline. Dates are planned delivery years and could move.
| Ship | Class | Planned debut | Planned homeport | Key facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival Festivale | Excel | Spring 2027 | Port Canaveral, Florida | Fourth Excel-class ship; new music-themed zones and the Sunsation Point outdoor family area |
| Carnival Tropicale | Excel | 2028 | Galveston, Texas | Fifth Excel-class ship; LNG-powered, Star of Texas on the bow, WaterWorks Ultra water park |
| Carnival Destiny | Ace class (Project Ace) | 2029 | To be announced | About 230,000 GT and nearly 8,000 guests at full capacity, built by Fincantieri |
| Unnamed Ace-class ship | Ace class | 2031 | To be announced | Sister to Carnival Destiny |
| Unnamed Ace-class ship | Ace class | 2033 | To be announced | Sister to Carnival Destiny |
The names are a nod to Carnival history. The original Tropicale (1982) introduced Carnival’s winged funnel, Festivale was an early Carnival ship, and Carnival Destiny was the original name of today’s Carnival Sunshine. So from 2029 there will be a brand-new Carnival Destiny alongside the 1996 ship that first carried the name.
Recent Fleet Changes: Transfers, Retirements and Ships Leaving
Carnival’s fleet has changed a lot since 2020, which is why many “Carnival ships by age” lists online are out of date.
Ships that joined from other brands
- Carnival Luminosa (ex-Costa Luminosa) joined in 2022.
- Carnival Venezia (ex-Costa Venezia) joined in 2023.
- Carnival Firenze (ex-Costa Firenze) joined in 2024.
- Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter joined in March 2025, when P&O Cruises Australia was folded into Carnival.
Ships that have left
In 2020-2022 Carnival retired most of its older ships: Carnival Fantasy, Inspiration, Fascination, Imagination, Sensation and Ecstasy, all Fantasy-class ships from the late 1980s and 1990s. All six were later scrapped, leaving Elation and Paradise as the last of the class.
Changes in Australia
In October 2026 Carnival announced that Carnival Adventure and Carnival Luminosa will leave its Australian program from March 2028, citing regulatory uncertainty. Carnival has not said where either ship will sail next, so do not assume they are leaving the Carnival fleet. Carnival Splendor (Sydney) and Carnival Encounter (Brisbane) are due to stay for now. If you are booking a 2028 Australian or South Pacific cruise, check the ship and itinerary carefully.
How to Use Ship Age When Choosing a Carnival Cruise
- Match the ship to the trip. For a family week in the Caribbean, an Excel or Vista ship gives you the most to do. For a quick weekend getaway, an older Conquest or Fantasy ship is often better value.
- Check the last dry dock. A ship refitted in the last few years may have updated cabins, bars and dining. Carnival lists the venues on each ship’s page at carnival.com.
- Look at “joined Carnival”, not just “built”. Venezia and Firenze are quite new ships, even though they are newer to Carnival than they are to the sea.
- Compare prices across ages. The same port and length can cost very different amounts on a 2023 ship and a 2002 ship. Our roundup of cruise deals for 2027 is a good place to start comparing.
To see how these ships group together by design, read Carnival ship classes explained.
If you are weighing up an older ship against a brand-new one, our guide to the oldest Carnival ship vs the newest explains what each offers and who each suits.
FAQs
What is the newest Carnival ship?
Carnival Jubilee, which entered service in December 2023, is the newest ship in the fleet. Carnival Festivale is due to join it in spring 2027, then Carnival Tropicale in 2028.
What is the oldest Carnival ship still sailing?
Carnival Sunshine is the oldest. It entered service in 1996 as Carnival Destiny and was rebuilt and renamed in 2013.
How many ships does Carnival have?
Carnival Cruise Line has 29 ships in 2026, its largest fleet ever, after adding Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter from P&O Cruises Australia in 2025.
Is Carnival retiring any ships?
Carnival has not announced any retirements at the time of writing. In October 2026 it said Carnival Adventure and Carnival Luminosa will leave Australia from March 2028, but it has not said where they will go.
Are older Carnival ships worth booking?
Often, yes. They usually cost less and many have been refitted with newer restaurants and bars. You give up some features, like roller coasters and large water parks, and get fewer balcony cabins.
