Excellence-class cruise ship

The Excellence class,[1][2][3] including the sub-classes Helios class[4] and XL class,[5] is a class of cruise ships ordered by Carnival Corporation & plc for its subsidiary brands AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. The ships are being constructed by Meyer Werft at their shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and Meyer Turku at their shipyard in Turku, Finland. The first, AIDAnova, entered service for AIDA Cruises in 2018.

AIDAnova, the first ship in the class, in 2018
Class overview
Builders:
Operators:
Preceded by: Vista class
Built: 2017–present
In service: 2018–present
Planned: 9
Building: 5
Completed: 2
Active: 2

History

In March 2015, Carnival Corporation entered into a strategic partnership with Meyer Werft to build new ships between 2019 and 2022.[6] In June 2015, four ships were ordered for delivery between 2019 and 2020.[7][8] In September 2016, three more ships were ordered for Carnival Cruise Line and P&O Cruises for delivery in 2020 and 2022.[9]

The Excellence class will be the first cruise ships in the world to be dual fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and traditional fuel oil, which is intended to make them more environmentally friendly than traditional, diesel-powered ships.[8] Each ship is expected to cost $950 million.[10]

The first four ships in the class suffered delivery delays. The delays of AIDAnova, Costa Smeralda and Mardi Gras were attributed to the ships being the first to be fueled by LNG, design complexities, difficulties coordinating subcontractors, and the large size of the ships.[3] The delay of Iona was due to a temporary suspension of operations by P&O Cruises, and slower construction progress, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

Ships
ShipSubclassBuiltOperatorBuilderGross tonnageFlagIMO numberNotesImageNewbuilding no.
AIDAnovaXL class[12]2018AIDA CruisesMeyer Werft183,858[13] Italy9781865World's first LNG-powered cruise ship.[14]S.696
Costa SmeraldaXL class2019Costa CruisesMeyer Turku185,010[15] Italy9781889NB 1394
IonaXL class[5]2020P&O CruisesMeyer Werft183,900[10] United Kingdom9826548Construction started on April 25, 2018[16]S.710
Mardi GrasXL class[17]2020Carnival Cruise LineMeyer Turku183,900[10]9837444Construction started on November 15, 2018
keel laid on June 18, 2019[18]		NB 1396
AIDAcosmaHelios class[12]2021AIDA CruisesMeyer Werft183,900[10]Originally planned for 2020. Construction started on August 15, 2019.
Floating engine room unit built at Neptun Werft, Rostock and left the yard in February 2020[19]		S.709
Costa ToscanaXL class2021Costa CruisesMeyer Turku183,900[10]9781891Originally planned for 2020. Construction started on July 30, 2019.
Floating engine room unit built at Neptun Werft, Rostock and left the yard in December 2019[20]		NB 1395
TBAXL class[17]2022Carnival Cruise LineMeyer Turku183,900[10]NB 1397
TBAXL class[5]2022P&O CruisesMeyer Werft183,900[10]S.716
TBAHelios class[12]2023AIDA CruisesMeyer Werft183,900[10]

References
  1. "Carnival not occupied with building world's largest cruise ship". April 17, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  2. "Steel cut for Carnival Cruise Line's first Excellence-class ship". November 15, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  3. "Mardi Gras delays not surprising but still costly for Carnival". January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  4. "AIDAnova". www.meyerwerft.de. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  5. "P&O Cruises and Cunard make 2022 single use plastics commitment". Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  6. "Carnival Corporation Enters into Strategic Partnerships to Add Nine Cruise Ships to its Fleet over a Four-Year Period Starting in 2019". March 24, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  7. "Carnival Corporation orders two cruise ships from Meyer Turku". June 15, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  8. "Carnival Corporation Finalizes Contract with Meyer Werft to Build Four Next-Generation Cruise Ships". June 15, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  9. "Carnival Corporation to Build Three New LNG-Powered Cruise Ships with Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku". September 6, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  10. "Cruise ship ordeerbook". Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  11. Spencer, Kerry (March 30, 2020). "P&O Cruises Reveals Maiden Voyage of New Ship Iona Will be Delayed". Cruise Critic. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  12. "AIDA orders third Helios-class cruise ship". Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  13. "AIDAnova (9781865)". Leonardo Info. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  14. "AIDAnova, World's 1st LNG Cruise Ship, Delivered". World Maritime News. December 12, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  15. "Costa Smeralda (9781889)". Leonardo Info. Registro Italiano Navale. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  16. "P&O Cruises marks first construction milestone for newest ship with steel cutting ceremony in Papenburg". Meyer Werft. May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  17. "Carnival Cruise Line Names First XL-Class Ship Mardi Gras". Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  18. "Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ship hull assembly has begun at Meyer Turku shipyard". June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  19. https://www.schiffe-und-kreuzfahrten.de/news/aidacosma-auf-dem-weg-von-rostock-nach-papenburg/198531/
  20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A3gQFPu9uU
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