Carnival Cruise Line has a lot planned for 2027, and some of the changes are much bigger than they first appear.
There’s a brand-new ship on the way, several major deployment changes, new destinations, different cruise lengths, and a few firsts that Carnival has never offered before.
Some of these changes will affect where you can sail from. Others will change what you can do onboard or the kinds of itineraries Carnival offers.
So if you’re thinking about booking a Carnival cruise in 2027, here are eight of the biggest changes worth knowing about.
1. Carnival Festivale Will Join the Fleet
The biggest Carnival arrival of 2027 is Carnival Festivale, and this isn’t just another new ship with a slightly different paint job.
She’ll become the fourth ship in Carnival’s Excel Class, joining Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee. After a 15-day transatlantic sailing from Southampton, Carnival Festivale is due to arrive at Port Canaveral on May 16, 2027, before beginning her first cruise from Florida on May 19.
That first sailing will be a four-day Bahamas cruise, but most of her schedule will consist of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises. Every sailing is expected to visit Celebration Key, while other itineraries will include places such as San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
What makes Carnival Festivale more interesting is that Carnival hasn’t simply copied the other Excel ships.
One of the biggest changes is Sunsation Point, a multi-deck family area centered around Carnival WaterWorks Ultra. Carnival says it will be its biggest waterpark yet, with six waterslides, two splash areas, and two family raft rides called SunSoaker and Turning Tides.
And, for the first time, Carnival plans to keep WaterWorks open at night on selected evenings. So yes, apparently getting soaked on a waterslide after dark is now part of the entertainment.
There will also be a stronger focus on music throughout the ship, including two new music-inspired zones and Studio 724, which uses large-scale lighting and sound effects.
Families are getting some extra attention too. Carnival Festivale will have around 1,000 connecting cabins, which Carnival says is nearly 70% more than on the first three Excel-class ships, plus expanded spaces for younger children.
Throw in several new restaurants and bars, and Carnival Festivale is shaping up to be much more than simply Carnival’s newest ship. For families in particular, she could end up being one of the most interesting additions Carnival has made in years.
Recommended read: 17 New Cruise Ships Are Coming in 2027 and 2028 — Here’s What’s on Order
2. Carnival Is Taking Its European Program Much Further
Carnival isn’t exactly known for spending huge chunks of the year in Europe, but 2027 will look very different.
Carnival Sunshine will head across the Atlantic in May and spend the summer sailing around Europe and North Africa. She’ll sail from Dover, Barcelona, and Civitavecchia, although most departures will be from Barcelona and Civitavecchia rather than Dover.
The biggest first, though, is Africa.
Carnival has confirmed that Carnival Sunshine will make the cruise line’s first-ever visits to the continent, calling at Tangier in Morocco and La Goulette in Tunisia. She’ll also visit several European ports that are either completely new to Carnival or haven’t appeared on its schedules for years.
That includes places such as Bari in Italy, Bar in Montenegro, and Ajaccio in Corsica, along with returning stops like Genoa, Palermo, Catania, and Izmir.
There’s another reason 2027 could be a particularly memorable year to cruise Europe with Carnival: solar eclipses.
Carnival Sunshine will leave Barcelona on July 25 for a 10-day Mediterranean cruise timed around the total solar eclipse on August 2. The ship will spend eclipse day at sea, with Carnival planning special onboard programming around the event.
And she won’t be the only Carnival ship chasing the sky.
Carnival Miracle will also sail an eclipse cruise from Dover, departing July 29, while Carnival Firenze has a completely different eclipse sailing planned earlier in the year. That 16-day Carnival Journeys cruise leaves Buenos Aires on February 2 and is positioned for an annular solar eclipse on February 6.
So, Carnival will actually offer three eclipse cruises in 2027.
After her European season ends, Carnival Sunshine will cross back to the U.S. before beginning cruises from Galveston on November 17. It’ll be the first time the ship has ever been based in Texas.
Between Africa, new European ports, and three eclipse sailings, Carnival’s 2027 schedule is stretching much further beyond its usual Caribbean comfort zone.
Suggested read: Carnival Adds Africa in 2027 — Plus a Bucket-List Total Solar Eclipse Sailing
3. Mardi Gras Is Going Short-Haul
One of Carnival’s biggest ships is about to start doing much shorter cruises.
From May 2027, Mardi Gras will switch from the longer itineraries she’s best known for and begin offering regular four- and five-day cruises from Port Canaveral. That makes her the first Excel-class ship to operate a short-cruise program.
The change begins after three final week-long sailings in early May. Starting May 22, Mardi Gras will offer five-day Bahamas cruises visiting Celebration Key, RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau. Four-day sailings begin May 27 and will visit Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.
The shorter schedule also changes who Mardi Gras might appeal to. A ship that has largely been associated with week-long vacations will suddenly become an option for cruisers looking for a quick four- or five-night break.
And there’s a lot to squeeze into those four days.
Mardi Gras has BOLT, Carnival’s roller coaster at sea, along with WaterWorks, multiple entertainment venues, and far more dining options than you’ll realistically get through on a short sailing. You may come home needing another cruise just to finish eating your way around the ship.
The timing isn’t accidental either. Brand-new Carnival Festivale begins sailing from Port Canaveral just days before Mardi Gras switches to her shorter schedule. Carnival will effectively have two Excel-class ships operating from the same homeport but serving different types of trips.
So if you’ve always wanted to try one of Carnival’s biggest ships but didn’t want to use a full week of vacation time, 2027 is about to make that much easier.
4. Carnival’s Homeport Map Is Getting Seriously Shuffled
Carnival is moving a surprising number of ships around in 2027, which means your closest homeport may look quite different by the end of the year.
One of the biggest changes is in New Orleans. Carnival Dream will return there on May 16, 2027, for the first time since 2019. She’ll join Carnival Liberty and sail four- and five-day cruises to Mexico, giving New Orleans a larger ship and more capacity.
Mobile is getting a boost too. Carnival Valor will begin sailing year-round from Alabama in May 2027, replacing the seasonal setup Carnival has used there. That means cruisers in the region won’t have to wait for a limited part of the year to sail Carnival from Mobile.
Baltimore is another port getting more Carnival capacity. Carnival Pride will continue sailing there year-round, offering seven-day cruises to the Bahamas and Bermuda, along with longer nine-, 12-, and 14-day voyages to the Caribbean.
From November 20, 2027, Carnival Miracle will join her, marking the first time Carnival has based two ships in Baltimore at the same time. Carnival Miracle will add seven-, eight-, and nine-day cruises to the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean, plus some longer 12- and 14-day sailings.
Then there’s Carnival Firenze, which is basically taking a cross-country tour.
She’ll start 2027 with a series of South America cruises after leaving Long Beach, then spend February through early May sailing from Miami. After that, she’ll head north and begin cruising from New York on May 27, with itineraries to Bermuda, Canada, and New England.
Her travels don’t end there either. After her summer season in New York, Carnival Firenze is scheduled to move again and begin sailing from Port Canaveral in fall 2027.
Texas cruisers are getting some major changes as well.
Carnival Horizon will begin sailing from Galveston on May 19, 2027, joining Carnival Breeze and Carnival Jubilee. Later in the year, Carnival Sunshine will become the port’s fourth regular Carnival ship, sailing from Texas for the first time.
And the reshuffling doesn’t stop there. Carnival Venezia is also moving to Miami in May 2027, where she’ll offer six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises.
Put it all together, and 2027 isn’t just about adding new itineraries. Carnival is changing which ships people can reach from several major U.S. ports.
For some cruisers, that could mean trying a ship they’ve never had nearby before without adding a flight to the vacation budget.
Related reading: Best & Worst Carnival Cruise Ships (Ranked By Reviews)
5. Auckland Is Getting Its First-Ever Carnival Cruise Season
Carnival is adding a new departure point to its map in 2027.
From May through July, Carnival Adventure will operate from Auckland, giving Carnival Cruise Line its first homeport season in New Zealand.
There will be nine departures in total, and the itineraries are a bit more varied than you might expect.
The shortest option is a new four-night cruise to Norfolk Island, while longer nine- and 10-night sailings will head into the South Pacific, visiting destinations in Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. The Auckland season ends with a four-night one-way cruise to Sydney departing July 29.
That gives local cruisers something Carnival hasn’t offered before: the ability to begin their vacation in New Zealand rather than starting the trip across the Tasman Sea.
Carnival Adventure will also have a busy year before she reaches Auckland. After returning from dry dock in March 2027, she’ll spend time sailing from Melbourne before moving on to New Zealand.
The Auckland season is part of a much wider push across Australia and New Zealand. Carnival’s 2027/28 program includes five homeports across the region, with ships also sailing from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide.
So while Auckland may only get Carnival Adventure for a few months, it still represents a significant expansion for Carnival in the region.
6. Carnival Is Finally Giving Hawaii Its Own Regular Cruise Series
Carnival has sailed to Hawaii before, but 2027 will be different.
Beginning in October, Carnival Legend will launch Carnival’s first dedicated series of Hawaii cruises from Long Beach, California. Instead of Hawaii appearing as the occasional one-off itinerary, Carnival will offer 10 separate 14-day sailings through March 2028.
The cruises will visit several Hawaiian islands, with calls including Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, Hilo, and Kona, depending on the sailing. Each itinerary will also include Ensenada in Mexico.
For West Coast cruisers, the big appeal is that the cruise itself becomes the journey to Hawaii. Rather than flying out and joining a ship there, passengers can board in Southern California and spend two weeks combining multiple islands with plenty of days at sea.
The trade-off, of course, is time. These are two-week cruises, so they’re not exactly quick getaways. But for anyone who enjoys sea days and wants to make the journey part of the vacation, that could be part of the appeal.
It also gives Carnival Legend a very different role in the fleet. Rather than sticking mainly to shorter Caribbean or Alaska-style seasonal programs, she’ll be used for a repeated long-haul Hawaii schedule from California.
7. Carnival Is Marking 55 Years With Three Big Meetups at Sea
Carnival Cruise Line turns 55 in 2027, and it isn’t planning to celebrate quietly.
In March, 11 cruises will take part in three separate ship meetups near Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. The events are scheduled for March 9, 10, and 13, with several Carnival ships gathering in the same area at the same time.
That’s not something you see on an ordinary cruise.
Each ship will host its own Lido deck birthday celebration, with Carnival planning special cocktails, birthday cakes, desserts, games, and trivia as part of the festivities.
The first meetup on March 9 will bring together Carnival Spirit, Carnival Elation, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Freedom near Celebration Key.
On March 10, Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Pride will meet near RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.
Then on March 13, five ships will gather near Celebration Key: Carnival Celebration, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Vista, and Carnival Glory.
Carnival Legend gets the unusual distinction of taking part twice, appearing in both the March 9 and March 10 meetups.
If you’re already thinking about a Carnival cruise in March 2027, these sailings could be worth a closer look. You’ll still get the regular cruise itinerary, but with a birthday event that most Carnival passengers won’t get to experience.
8. Carnival’s Food Is Changing Too
Carnival is also in the middle of a big dining shake-up, and 2027 is when cruisers will start seeing some of the biggest changes.
The cruise line calls the program The Next Course. Some parts are already being introduced across the fleet, including refreshed Main Dining Room and Lido Marketplace menus, new Chef’s Table dishes, Bagels @ Sea, mobile coffee ordering, and a faster Express Dining option.
But Carnival Festivale will take things much further when she launches in 2027.
The ship will debut several new restaurants, including Emeril’s Coastal Seafood, Hawaiian and Asian-inspired Uku Lei Lei, and Fetaccine, which combines Greek and Italian dishes. She’ll also have Le Bistro Musicale, a French restaurant that Carnival says will be exclusive to Carnival Festivale.
There are new bars coming too. The Spark will mix live music with cocktails inspired by famous songs, while Mix will let guests play around with different flavors and build their own drinks. Festival Grounds Coffee & Bar will serve both specialty coffees and cocktails.
For cruisers, that means 2027 won’t just bring a new Carnival ship. It’ll also bring one of the biggest collections of new food and drink concepts the cruise line has introduced in years.
Final Word
Carnival’s 2027 plans show just how much the cruise line is changing beyond simply adding another new ship.
There are more homeport options, more unusual itineraries, shorter cruises on one of its biggest ships, and new destinations that push Carnival well beyond its usual Caribbean-heavy schedule.
For cruisers, that means more choice. Whether you want a quick getaway, a longer destination-focused sailing, or something completely different from the typical Carnival experience, 2027 is shaping up to offer a lot more variety.
And with Carnival still adding new itineraries and announcements, there’s every chance this list could grow before the year even begins.
Related Posts:
- 13 Things Carnival Cruise Line is Cracking Down On in 2026 (So You Don’t Get Caught Out)
- Best & Worst Carnival Cruise Ships (Ranked By Reviews)
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