Carnival kickstarts fleet expansion with Britannia launch

Carnival Corporation has celebrated the launch of P&O Cruises UK’s newest ship, Britannia, in a naming ceremony held in Southampton on Tuesday.

P&O's latest cruise liner, Britannia.
P&O’s latest cruise liner, Britannia.
Britannia, the first of two new ships joining Carnival’s fleet in 2015, will be joined later this year by AIDA’s new flagship vessel, AIDAprima, when it begins regular service this autumn.

Britannia, the biggest ship designed exclusively for Britain, is a 143,000-ronne 3,657-passenger vessel. It will embark on its maiden voyage to the Mediterranean and during its maiden season will also sail to the Norwegian Fjords, Canary Islands and the Baltic Sea, as well as offering a range of short breaks and a special “round-Britain” cruise. The ship will then transfer to the Caribbean for the winter season sailing a range of 15 night fly/cruise itineraries from Barbados.

Carnival Corporation President & CEO Arnold Donald said Britannia was the first of 10 ships joining the P&O fleet over the next three years. “We look forward to building on the excitement and momentum [generated by Britannia) with our next great ship addition in 2015, the AIDAprima. She will join our Carnival Corporation fleet this fall as one of the most technologically advanced cruise ships ever built.”

The new flagship of AIDA Cruises, AIDAprima, will join its fleet in fall 2015. The cruise line claims the ship is the most environmentally friendly cruise ship developed to date. It will kick off its service with a 50-day journey from Yokohama, Japan, to Dubai. Following its maiden voyage, AIDAprima will offer seven-day-cruises from Dubai. In spring 2016, it will head to Hamburg, Germany, where it will have its homeport, making AIDA Cruises the first cruise line to have a ship based in Germany year-round. Starting on April 30, 2016, AIDAprima will make the first of its all-season seven-day journeys through Western Europe. The 124,100-tonne vessel will be able to accommodate 3,300 passengers and will feature a variety of entertainment, on-board activities, dining, shopping and relaxation offerings.

In addition to these two ships, Carnival Corporation will welcome ships from five of its nine global brands in the next three years. The brands include AIDA Cruises, Holland America Line (two ships), Carnival Cruise Line (two ships), Seabourn (two ships) and Princess Cruises. All told, Carnival Corporation has refreshed its global fleet – the largest in the world – with more than 30 new ship additions since 2007, including two ships launched in late 2014, Regal Princess and Costa Diadema.

In 2016, Carnival Cruise Line is scheduled to debut Carnival Vista, a 133,500-tonne ship that will be the largest ever in its fleet, and Holland America Line will launch its newest ship, the 99,500-tonne ms Koningsdam, a new Pinnacle Class ship that can carry 2,650 passengers. Also in 2016, AIDA will introduce a new sister ship to the AIDAprima with capacity for 3,300 passengers, while Seabourn will unveil its newest luxury ship, expected to be the biggest ever built by the brand with the ability to serve 604 passengers.

Looking forward to 2017, Princess Cruises is working with Fincantieri to build a 3,560 passenger, 143,000-tonne vessel featuring the popular design elements introduced by the brand’s two newest ships, sisters Royal Princess and Regal Princess.

In addition to these new ships, Carnival Corporation continues to upgrade and refurbish its existing fleet. In 2015 alone, the company plans upgrades or refurbishments on 17 ships across six of its brands. The 2015 refurbishment plans include two former Holland America Line ships transferred to P&O Cruises Australia that will undergo complete refurbishment before sailing as Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden starting in November 2015.

sourced:ttrklnety.com