Carnival Cruise Line has officially revealed Carnival Destiny, a completely new cruise ship arriving in 2029.
And no, you’re not imagining things. Carnival has used that name before.
The newly announced Carnival Destiny will become the first ship in Carnival’s next-generation Ace Class, taking the cruise line into proper megaship territory. It will also be the largest Carnival cruise ship ever built, because apparently 180,000-ton ships were beginning to feel a little understated.
Here’s everything Carnival has revealed so far.
Carnival Destiny will arrive in 2029
Carnival Destiny is scheduled to enter service in summer 2029, although one industry report places its debut more specifically in September.
The announcement was made during a steel-cutting ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. Cutting the first piece of steel traditionally marks the beginning of a cruise ship’s construction, so Carnival Destiny is now officially more than a particularly ambitious PowerPoint presentation.
It will be the first of three Ace Class ships, with two additional vessels currently planned for delivery in 2031 and 2033.
How big will Carnival Destiny be?
Carnival Destiny is expected to measure approximately 230,000 gross tonnes.
That makes it considerably larger than Carnival’s current Excel Class ships, including Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee, which measure around 180,000 gross tonnes.
It will also be more than twice the size of the original Carnival Destiny, which came in at roughly 101,000 gross tonnes when it launched in 1996.
Carnival has not yet confirmed the new ship’s passenger capacity, number of decks or full dimensions. However, at 230,000 gross tonnes, this is very much a megaship rather than a gentle little boat with a buffet.
Yes, there was already a Carnival Destiny
The name is a deliberate nod to Carnival history.
The original Carnival Destiny entered service in 1996 and became the first cruise ship in the world to exceed 100,000 gross tonnes. At the time, it was also the largest cruise ship ever built.
That ship still exists today, although you’ll know it as Carnival Sunshine.
Carnival Destiny underwent a major transformation in 2013 and re-entered service under its new name. The original Destiny therefore hasn’t vanished. Carnival has simply decided the name is iconic enough to use twice.
Confusing? Slightly.
A nice bit of cruise history? Also yes.
Carnival is promising far more ocean views
Modern megaships are occasionally criticised for feeling like floating resorts that happen to be surrounded by water.
Carnival appears to have noticed.
The cruise line describes Carnival Destiny as the “most outward-facing megaship at sea”, with a design intended to keep the ocean visible throughout more of the ship.
Carnival says the new vessel will include:
- An unprecedented number of ocean-view balcony cabins
- A redesigned lanai deck
- More than 4.5 acres of glass
- Large, multi-storey glass walls
- Wider sightlines across public spaces
The idea is to make Carnival Destiny feel spacious without completely forgetting that passengers booked a holiday at sea rather than a particularly enormous shopping centre.
Most of the ship will be completely new for Carnival
Carnival says that more than 70% of Carnival Destiny’s venues and attractions will be new concepts for the cruise line.
That includes new ideas across:
- Restaurants
- Bars and lounges
- Entertainment
- Outdoor spaces
- Onboard attractions
No specific venue names have been announced yet, so we do not currently know whether Destiny will feature another rollercoaster, a giant waterpark or something Carnival has been quietly cooking up behind closed doors.
Fan favourites may still appear, of course. It would be a bold Carnival ship that attempted to separate loyal passengers from Guy’s Burger Joint.
However, the 70% figure suggests Destiny will be much more than an enlarged Excel Class ship with another deck of cabins bolted onto the top.
Where will Carnival Destiny sail?
Carnival has not announced a homeport or full itinerary schedule yet.
What it has confirmed is that Carnival Destiny will sail to destinations within the Paradise Collection by Carnival, the company’s portfolio of private and exclusive destinations across the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Mexico.
That collection includes developments such as Celebration Key, although Carnival has not confirmed exactly which ports Destiny will visit.
Its size will also limit where the ship can realistically operate, so a Caribbean-focused deployment from a major US cruise port seems likely. That part remains speculation until Carnival reveals the actual itineraries.
Is Carnival Destiny bigger than Icon of the Seas?
Not quite.
At approximately 230,000 gross tonnes, Carnival Destiny will be the largest ship Carnival Cruise Line has ever operated. However, it will still be smaller by gross tonnage than Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class ships.
That said, Carnival does not appear to be trying to build an Icon of the Seas photocopy.
The emphasis so far has been on ocean views, glass, outdoor spaces and an unusually high number of new Carnival concepts. Whether that translates into something genuinely different will depend on what the cruise line reveals later this year.
For now, Carnival has given us an enormous ship, a nostalgic name and several acres of windows.
Cruise fans will naturally remain calm and sensible about this.
When can you book Carnival Destiny?
Carnival Destiny is not yet available to book.
Carnival says more details about the ship’s features and experiences will be revealed later in 2026. Its homeport, itineraries, cabins and booking launch date are still to come.
With the ship not arriving until 2029, there is still plenty of time for Carnival to slowly reveal every restaurant, waterslide and suspiciously expensive specialty cocktail one announcement at a time.
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What we know about Carnival Destiny so far
Ship name: Carnival Destiny
Cruise line: Carnival Cruise Line
Class: Ace Class
Launch date: Summer 2029
Size: Approximately 230,000 gross tonnes
Shipyard: Fincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy
New onboard concepts: More than 70% of venues and attractions
Sister ships: Planned for 2031 and 2033
Homeport: Not yet announced
Bookings: Not yet open
Carnival Destiny represents a major change of direction for Carnival.
This will not simply be the company’s latest new ship. It will begin an entirely new class, introduce a mostly new collection of onboard experiences and push Carnival into a much larger category of megaship.
Whether the finished ship feels genuinely connected to the ocean, or simply has enough glass to make window cleaners weep, remains to be seen.
Either way, Carnival Destiny is coming in 2029, and the megaship race has just become considerably more interesting.