Carnival orders two new cruise ships at Fincantieri

Holland America ship will be a Pinnacle class vessel

DECEMBER 19, 2014 —  Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today reported placing orders for two new cruise ships with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. Two Carnival brands — Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line — will get the ships

.Carnival Cruise Line’s as-yet-unnamed 3,954-passenger vessel, which is the 26th ship in the line’s fleet, will offer many of the newest and most popular features from Carnival’s current ships, along with several innovations that will be exclusive to this vessel. The delivery date for the new cruise ship is scheduled for March 2018. Homeport and itinerary information will be announced at a later date.

The new ship will be a sister ship to Carnival Vista, which is slated for delivery in spring 2016.  Carnival plans to announce details on the many unique features and innovations of Carnival Vista during a three-day event for media, travel agents and consumers in New York Jan. 22-24, 2015.

For Holland America Line, the new order adds a second Pinnacle class ship to the fleet, a new class of vessels that will debut with the delivery and launch of the ms Koningsdam in February 2016. The new ship, scheduled for delivery in late November 2018, will accommodate 2,650 guests. The new as-yet-unnamed ship will feature new public spaces and venues that will debut on Koningsdam. In addition, many of the familiar spaces that are currently featured across the Holland America Line fleet will be included.

“These beautiful new ships on order from Fincantieri signify our ongoing commitment to provide the best possible guest experience across our industry-leading brands,” said Arnold Donald, President & CEO of Carnival Corporation. “New ships with the latest in features, accommodations and innovations really bring the modern cruise experience to life and will help us continue to grow new demand for cruising.”

“To have been once more chosen for such an important order is the best recognition for our skills,” said Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri Chief Executive Officer. “This is an extremely important sign, especially if we consider the shipbuilding industry’s present period of evolution, both in Europe and Asia.”

Bono added, “Today Fincantieri can count on a solid order book, without equal in terms of diversification and quality of the product, which is a testament to our leadership in the cruise ship business sector. This position has been solidified over the years also thanks to our relationship with Carnival, a partnership which has allowed us to grow and which is now strengthened by our recent agreement involving the Chinese market and by today’s orders. We are hopeful that many others will follow in the future.”