The Excel class, in one read
The Excel ships — Mardi Gras (2021), Carnival Celebration (2022) and Carnival Jubilee (2023) — are the largest and newest in the fleet, about a third bigger than anything else Carnival sails. They're organized into six themed neighborhoods and carry the widest dining lineup on the line, plus BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea. What they don't do is reinvent the food or the service: this is the familiar Carnival product, scaled up and spread out.
Fit scores, not review scores. A lower relaxation score means these ships suit a quiet vacation less well — not that they're lower quality. In fact, Cruise Critic members rank all three at the very top of the Carnival fleet.
Families and groups who want the most to do, the widest dining choice, and the newest ships Carnival builds — and don't mind big crowds.
You want a calmer, more intimate ship, the lowest fare, or an itinerary that calls at smaller ports — the Excel ships only fit major terminals.
What actually defines the class
Four things separate an Excel ship from the rest of Carnival — and none of them is the burger.
They run on LNG
Mardi Gras was the first LNG-powered cruise ship based in North America — cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas rather than heavy fuel oil. It's an engineering headline more than a guest-facing feature, but it's why the class exists in the form it does.
Six themed zones
Instead of one long promenade, each ship is split into six neighborhoods that bundle their own bars, dining and entertainment. Three are shared across all three ships; the rest are what give each ship its personality.
BOLT, the first coaster at sea
A two-seat motorcycle-style coaster that winds around the funnel — you control your own speed. It's genuinely a first, and it's an extra-cost ride of about $15, not a free headline. More on whether it's worth it below.
The fleet's biggest suites
The class introduced Carnival Excel suites and the private Loft 19 sun deck. The Excel Presidential Suite is the largest room in the fleet. This is as close as Carnival gets to a premium tier — though it's not a Yacht Club or Haven-style ship-within-a-ship.
The six zones
Here's the detail most guides get wrong: only three zones are the same on every Excel ship. The rest are ship-specific — and they're the real reason to pick one sister over another. Tap a zone to see what's in it and which ships have it.
The three ships, and the one reason to pick each
Same hull, same core venues, same crew training. What differs is the signature zone, the homeport, and a bit of character. Here's each ship at a glance — tap between them.
Full ship guides: Mardi Gras · Celebration · Jubilee.
Which Excel ship fits you?
Four quick questions. Because the three ships are so similar under the paint, the answer usually comes down to where you sail from and which character you want — and that's exactly what this sorts out.
Food: the widest lineup on the line
This is where the extra size pays off. The Excel ships carry more places to eat than any other Carnival class — most of them included.
Included
The two main dining rooms and the Lido buffet, plus Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, Shaq's Big Chicken, Street Eats, ChiBang! (Chinese-Mexican), and Guy's Pig & Anchor smokehouse BBQ at Summer Landing. On these ships, the free food is a genuine part of the value.
Specialty (for a fee)
Emeril's Bistro (Emeril Lagasse's New Orleans small plates), Rudi's Seagrill (seafood by Rudi Sodamin), Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, Bonsai Teppanyaki and Sushi, and the Chef's Table.
Emeril's Bistro has a different number on each ship — Bistro 1396 on Mardi Gras, 1397 on Celebration, 717 on Jubilee. Those aren't three restaurants; they're the same concept, numbered after each ship's shipyard hull number. A small thing, but it trips up a lot of comparison articles.
BOLT and the top deck — the honest version
BOLT is a real first, and it's fun once. You sit astride a two-person car, thumb a boost button, and take a couple of laps around the funnel at up to roughly 40 mph. It's also about $15 a ride, it's a short experience, and on a breezy day it closes for wind. Reviewers — including ones who liked the ships a lot — mostly say they'd ride it once and not pay again.
So book the Excel ships for the zones, not the coaster. The Ultimate Playground around it carries a full WaterWorks water park, a ropes course, mini-golf and a sports court, all included, and that's where families actually spend their days. One honest caveat we'll pass along from reviews: the adults-only Serenity and solarium decks on this class can get windy up top — worth a look before you commit your quiet time to them.
Cabins, suites & Loft 19
The neighborhoods
- Family Harbor — larger family cabins with a private 24-hour lounge (snacks, games, concierge).
- Havana — Cuban-themed cabins with access to an exclusive aft pool and bar.
- Cloud 9 Spa — cabins with Thermal Suite access and spa perks.
- Cove Balcony — low, close-to-the-water balconies.
Excel suites & Loft 19
- Carnival Excel suites — the premium tier, with concierge, guaranteed specialty dining and unlimited access to Loft 19.
- Excel Presidential Suite — the largest room in the whole fleet, with a private hot tub.
- Loft 19 — a private top-deck retreat with its own pool and rentable cabanas; free for Excel-suite guests, and the closest Carnival comes to a Retreat-style enclave.
What's next: two more Excel ships
The class isn't finished, and the next two ships change the recipe in a way that matters for families.
Carnival Festivale debuts in 2027 from Port Canaveral and Carnival Tropicale follows in 2028. The headline change: they drop BOLT in favor of WaterWorks Ultra, Carnival's biggest water park yet — a six-slide complex in a new top-deck zone called Sunsation Point — plus nearly 1,000 connecting staterooms aimed squarely at families, and two new music-themed zones.
Both are built by Meyer Werft in Germany, the same yard that built Jubilee. So if a coaster is the whole draw for your kids, the ships to book are the three sailing now — the next two trade it for slides.
How the Excel ships are actually received
We'll give you both sides, because most pages won't. Cruise Critic members rank all three at the top of the Carnival fleet — Jubilee first, Mardi Gras second, Celebration third. People love the zones, the dining choice, and the sheer amount to do.
The consistent complaint is crowds. At full occupancy these ships carry more than 6,000 people, and it shows: lines at the free venues at peak dinner times, a fast-filling Lido deck, and elevators that reviewers on Celebration flatly called too small for the load. Embarkation at the busy homeports can be chaotic. None of that makes them bad ships — it makes them big ones. If a calm, uncrowded week is the goal, a smaller Carnival class will serve you better; if the goal is maximum to do and you'll plan around the busy hours, these are the best ships Carnival has.
Book Excel
For the newest hardware, the widest dining, the most for kids, and the spectacle — if you can sail from a major homeport and don't mind the crowds.
Book smaller
Vista or Dream give you most of the modern experience with fewer people and often a lower fare; Spirit-class ships trade the toys for scenery and calm.
Ask Seabound about the Excel class
Tell us about your trip.
Homeport or driving radius, group size, kids' ages, budget and length — and we'll tell you which Excel ship fits, or whether a smaller Carnival ship would serve you better.
Instant answers from our guides · always verified against current Carnival information before you book.
Quick answers
Which is the newest Carnival Excel-class ship?
Carnival Jubilee, which entered service in December 2023 from Galveston, is the newest Excel-class ship sailing today. Two more are on the way — Carnival Festivale in 2027 and Carnival Tropicale in 2028.
Do all Excel-class ships have the BOLT roller coaster?
The three sailing today — Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee — all have BOLT, and it costs about $15 per ride. The next two Excel ships, Festivale (2027) and Tropicale (2028), replace BOLT with a large six-slide water park called WaterWorks Ultra.
What's the difference between Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee?
They share the same hull and most of the same venues. The differences are their signature zones and homeports: Mardi Gras has the New Orleans-themed French Quarter and sails from Port Canaveral; Celebration is Carnival's 50th-anniversary ship with the Miami-themed 820 Biscayne, from Miami; Jubilee has the underwater-themed Currents atrium and sails from Galveston.
How big are the Excel-class ships?
They are Carnival's largest — roughly 180,800 to 183,521 gross tons (marketing figures; certificated tonnage runs slightly lower), carrying about 5,300 guests at double occupancy and up to roughly 6,500 when every berth is full. Mardi Gras is a shade smaller than her two sisters.
Are the Excel ships good for families?
They carry the most family infrastructure in the Carnival fleet — WaterWorks, a ropes course, Camp Ocean, Family Harbor cabins with a private lounge, and BOLT. The trade-off is crowds: at full occupancy you are sharing the ship with 6,000-plus people, so stake out pool chairs and book dining early.