Carnival Corporation has announced some big fleet changes, with their AIDA Cruises brand announcing the AIDAcara has been sold and will leave the fleet soon after 25 years in service for the German cruise brand, although a buyer was not named.
AIDA said the fleet move gives it the opportunity to optimize its fleet structure with a view to achieving its sustainability goals.
AIDA Cruises started with the AIDAcara in 1996, which first entered service as the AIDA, later being renamed the AIDAcara.
Carnival Corporation brand Carnival Cruise Line according to a press release, has also announced its plans to grow its fleet by two additional ships by 2023, taking the delivery of an Excel-class ship that had previously been assigned to AIDA Cruises that will arrive in late 2023, as well as taking ownership of the Costa Magica from Costa, with that ship going through a drydock, renaming and Carnival-branded conversion and joining the fleet by mid-2022,
These two ships are in addition to the new capacity growth represented by Mardi Gras, Carnival’s first Excel-class, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship which starts sailing from Port Canaveral on July 31, and her sister ship, Carnival Celebration, which will be delivered and sail from Miami starting in late 2022.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line said, “We are excited about these additions to our fleet which reflect the strong position that Carnival has established in the U.S., the pent-up demand we continue to see for cruise vacations, and the overall plans by Carnival Corporation to optimize capacity and growth in key markets.
She added, “While our immediate focus is on our restart of guest operations this summer, this is another cause for excitement at Carnival, and we will be announcing more detailed plans about homeports, itineraries, and ship names very soon.”
A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.
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