Carnival Cruise Line has finally shared the first real details about Project Ace, and the big reveal comes with a major milestone already underway.
Steel has now been cut for the first ship in Carnival’s brand-new Ace Class, and the vessel has officially been named Carnival Destiny.
Cruise fans have been waiting a long time for Carnival’s next generation of ships. The first clues came in July 2024, when Carnival ordered three enormous new vessels from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, each expected to come in at around 230,000 gross tons.
If that projected size holds, the trio will become the largest cruise ships ever built in Italy.
The First Ace-Class Ship Is Now Under Construction
During a livestream on Friday, July 10, 2026, Carnival officially marked the steel-cutting ceremony for the first ship in the series.
The event took place in Monfalcone, Italy, where executives from Carnival Cruise Line and Fincantieri, along with local officials, gathered to celebrate the start of construction on hull number 6371.
Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy was there for the occasion and gave the clearest picture yet of what guests can expect from the three new ships.
“The three Ace Class ships coming in 2029, 31, and 33 are designed to change how guests will experience the sea while on their cruise,” Duffy described. “We like to say that they will have ‘More Sea to See.’”
That phrase seems to be the big theme for the new class.
Duffy said the first ship will be the most outward-facing vessel Carnival has ever built, with far more places designed to connect guests with the ocean.
“She will be the most outward facing ship in our fleet, with more ocean views across more spaces. She will feature a reimagined lanai deck, more than four and a half acres of glass, [and] the most balcony cabins with ocean views at sea.”
What Carnival Still Hasn’t Fully Shown Yet
Carnival also confirmed that the Ace Class won’t just be bigger. It’s also going to feel very different.
Carnival says more than 70% of the dining, bar, and entertainment spaces will be brand-new concepts. The cruise line still hasn’t put names to those venues or explained exactly what they’ll include, but it does suggest this won’t just be a larger copy of the ships already sailing.
So far, the cruise line is keeping plenty under wraps.
That’s not unusual. With the first ship not due until 2029, there’s still a long runway for Carnival to slowly roll out details, build hype, and give fans something new to talk about every few months.
As part of the reveal, guests watching the event also got an early look at the ship through 3D panoramic holograms, which showed off her huge size, long rows of balconies, and a profile that already looks distinct from Carnival’s current ships.
Why the Name Carnival Destiny Matters
Carnival is bringing back Carnival Destiny, a name that already means a lot to the line. When the original ship entered service in 1996, she made headlines as the largest cruise ship in the world and became the first passenger vessel to pass 100,000 gross tons.
That same ship also marked the start of Carnival’s relationship with Fincantieri, so the naming of the new vessel clearly carries some meaning.
At the steel-cutting event, Carnival also honored that long partnership and looked back on the legacy of the first Destiny.
Duffy thanked the teams involved in creating the new ship, including engineers, construction workers, and cruise line leadership who helped shape Carnival’s growth over the years.
She also said, “We are focused together on innovating for the future, building upon what we know our guests already love. In the same way that the original Carnival Destiny did that 30 years ago.”
The Original Carnival Destiny Was a Game Changer
The livestream didn’t just focus on the new ship. It also spent time reflecting on how groundbreaking the first Carnival Destiny was when she launched 30 years ago.
Pre-recorded segments featured memories from crew members who worked onboard when the original ship first arrived, and one stat stood out more than most: 65 crew members from the original Carnival Destiny are still with Carnival Cruise Line today.
That group includes John Heald, the ship’s very first cruise director, who now serves as Carnival’s brand ambassador.
At launch, the original Carnival Destiny measured 102,853 gross tons and carried 2,642 guests at double occupancy. She also came with 480 balcony cabins, which was a huge jump at the time and close to ten times more than earlier cruise ships had offered.
The ship also stood out for other reasons, including a two-deck dining room, a multi-tiered lido deck, and several other design choices that helped her stand apart from the ships sailing at the time.
Related read: Your Carnival Cruise Director Guide for 2026/2027
How Carnival Destiny Became Carnival Sunshine
In 2013, Carnival gave the ship a $155 million Fun Ship 2.0 overhaul. The transformation was so major that she came out with a new name: Carnival Sunshine.
The project added 182 new staterooms, raising the ship’s capacity to 3,002 guests, and the work took 49 days in dry dock.
It also brought in a wave of new venues, including Guy’s Burger Joint, Cherry on Top, Punchliner Comedy Club, and more.
Today, Carnival Sunshine is still sailing as part of Carnival’s fleet and is currently homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. Depending on the departure date and itinerary length, she offers cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, and the Caribbean.
In May 2027, she is due to head to Europe for summer sailings from Barcelona and Rome, before repositioning to Galveston, Texas, in November 2027.
The New Carnival Destiny Will Be Much Bigger
The new Carnival Destiny is expected to reach at least 230,000 gross tons, which would make her roughly twice the size of the original ship.
Carnival said during the livestream that the final official gross tonnage won’t be confirmed until construction is complete, which is standard for a ship this far out from delivery.
Even so, the early numbers already paint a clear picture.
This is going to be a seriously big ship.
For context, Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class is still in a different league. Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas are both about 250,800 gross tons. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class ships, Utopia of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, are also slightly bigger, coming in at about 235,000 gross tons each.
Carnival Destiny will be larger than MSC’s World Class ships, including MSC World Europa at 215,863 gross tons and MSC World America at 216,638 gross tons.
It would also be a huge jump over Carnival’s current largest ships, with Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee both at 183,521 gross tons, followed by Mardi Gras at 180,800 gross tons.
Carnival also confirmed that she will offer more ocean views than any other ship in the fleet, with around 4.5 acres of glass, or about 196,000 square feet, built into the design.
That lines up with the “More Sea to See” message Carnival is pushing hard from the start.
Recommended read: Best & Worst Carnival Cruise Ships (Ranked By Reviews)
There’s Still Plenty We Don’t Know Yet
Even with the name reveal and steel-cutting ceremony now done, there’s still a lot Carnival hasn’t shared.
We still don’t know the ship’s homeport, her first itineraries, or exactly what those new public spaces will look like.
But that’s pretty normal this early in the build.
With the first Ace-Class ship not due until 2029, and her sister ships following in 2031 and 2033, Carnival has plenty of time to slowly reveal more pieces of the puzzle.
For now, the biggest takeaway is simple: Carnival’s next era has officially started, and it’s starting with a ship name that carries a lot of history.
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