Carnival Festivale
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Carnival Festivale
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Cruises availables
The Carnival Festivale is a Carnival Cruise Line ship offering cruises in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, providing a family-oriented vacation-at-sea experience aboard a large modern cruise ship. It features an all-inclusive style focused on onboard entertainment, family activities, international dining, and modern comfort. The vessel offers balcony cabins and sails to exotic ports and Caribbean islands as part of tropical getaways and festive cruise experiences. This cruise combines leisure, relaxation, and discovery in an environment designed for travelers of all ages. It is particularly suited to families, groups, and travelers seeking an active cruise experience with a lively atmosphere and a wide range of onboard activities and tropical destinations.
Itineraries of the Carnival Festivale
Price and Availability Notice
Prices displayed are provided for informational purposes only. They reflect the rates in effect at the time of their most recent update and are shown in Canadian dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified.
Supplier rates, exchange rates, taxes and fees, room or cabin categories, and promotions are subject to change at any time. The applicable price is the one confirmed by a travel advisor at the time of booking, subject to availability. Only the confirmed price shall be considered valid.
It is the traveler's responsibility to confirm the price, inclusions, and applicable terms and conditions before making a reservation. While every effort is made to keep our content up to date, transmission, display, or pricing errors may occur. In such cases, the correct price will be communicated to the traveler before any booking is confirmed. Certain terms, restrictions, and exclusions may apply.
decks plans
Deck - 19
Loft 19 Cabanas and Pool
Deck - 18
Sport
Deck - 17
Club O2
Deck - 16
Pools
Deck - 15
Staterooms
Deck - 14
Staterooms
Deck - 12
Staterooms
Deck - 11
Staterooms
Deck - 10
Staterooms
Deck - 9
Staterooms
Deck - 8
Restaurants
Deck - 7
Casino
Deck - 6
Bar
Deck - 5
Spa
Deck - 4
Camp Ocean
Deck - 3
Crew
Deck - 2
Crew
Deck - 1
Crew
Ship's attributes
Services And Amenities
- Elevators
- Self-service laundry room
- Casino
- Jacuzzi
- Pool
- Beauty salon
- Spa & body care
Specific needs
- Wheelchair accessible staterooms
Technical specifications
- Decks: 18
Frequently Asked Questions
It is not, and this confusion spreads widely online. Carnival Festivale is a brand-new build from Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, with the keel laid on 14 August 2025 and delivery scheduled for April 2027. It becomes the fourth Excel-class ship after Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee, with no connection to P&O Cruises Australia.
The name revives SS Festivale, which sailed for Carnival between 1978 and 1996. That vessel started as the mail liner Transvaal Castle, later S.A. Vaal, before Carnival converted her into a cruise ship in Japan. She ended her days at the breakers in Alang, India, in 2003 and 2004. Carnival regularly recycles names from its own history.
Carnival Festivale runs roughly 344 metres long and 42 metres wide, with gross tonnage published near 180,000. Double-occupancy capacity lands around 5,200 to 5,356 guests, and maximum capacity with every berth occupied reaches 6,400 to 6,631. Roughly 1,735 crew will serve about 2,630 staterooms spread over 18 decks, 11 of which hold cabins.
Delivery is set for April 2027, followed by a 15-day inaugural transatlantic leaving Southampton on 2 May 2027 and reaching Port Canaveral on 16 May. Port Canaveral then serves as year-round home port. Carnival Festivale has no Australian deployment on the books — this ship belongs squarely to the line's Caribbean program.
Carnival Festivale will run 6- and 8-day Eastern and Southern Caribbean voyages from Port Canaveral, calling at Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan, Bonaire and Aruba depending on departure. Carnival's two private destinations, Celebration Key in the Bahamas and Half Moon Cay, appear on nearly every sailing. A New Year's voyage departs 27 December 2027.
Carnival Festivale drops the BOLT roller coaster in favour of Sunsation Point, a water park spanning decks 16 through 18 with Carnival WaterWorks Ultra and six slides. The Studio 724 music zone and The Festival outdoor area on deck 8 also break from the first three Excel ships. Carnival promises 1,000 connecting staterooms, a substantial jump.
Carnival Festivale carries the full brand lineup that its Australian fleetmates lack: Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse, Big Chicken, Seafood Shack and the Lido Marketplace buffet on the included side. Fahrenheit 555, Bonsai Teppanyaki, Le Bistro Musicale and Emeril Lagasse concepts sit on the paid side, alongside Alchemy Bar and Piano Bar 88.
Family use drove the design of Carnival Festivale. Sunsation Point combines six waterslides, splash pads and evening operation, joined by mini golf, the Vault Retrocade arcade, a Treehouse adventure trail and a toddler play area. Carnival is also building a dedicated space for the Turtles program serving children from six months to two years old.
Carnival lists roughly 2,630 staterooms on Carnival Festivale, including about a thousand connecting rooms — close to 70 percent more than earlier Excel ships. Categories span interior, oceanview, balcony, suites, Havana staterooms and Cloud 9 Spa rooms. Detailed deck plans continue to firm up as interior outfitting proceeds at the Papenburg yard.
Several figures still move. Published gross tonnage ranges from 180,000 to 183,900, length from 344 to 346 metres, and maximum capacity from 6,400 to 6,631 depending on the source. Carnival Festivale was still under construction at Papenburg through summer 2026, with LNG engines installed but passenger cabins unfinished. Final numbers arrive at delivery.
Because Carnival Festivale sails from Florida, onboard accounts settle in US dollars and the minimum drinking age is 21, as on every US-based cruise. That is four years higher than on Carnival's Australian ships, which matters for Quebec families travelling with 18- or 19-year-olds who could legally drink at home but not aboard.
Far easier than Carnival's Australian ships. Orlando is roughly a three-hour nonstop flight from Montreal, with Port Canaveral about an hour's drive beyond. Florida shares Quebec's time zone, so there is no jet lag and no date line to cross. A hotel night before embarkation remains wise in winter, when Montreal departures face weather delays.
Carnival Festivale will operate in English. Announcements, the muster drill, entertainment, menus and guest services run in American English, and Carnival provides no French-language service across its fleet. Individual crew members may happen to speak French, but never as company policy. Guests who need French should compare other lines before booking.
It does, assuming you completed the transition. Carnival Rewards replaced the VIFP Club on 1 September 2026, and status did not transfer automatically — members had to enroll and accept the new terms before that date, with old-program earning ending 31 August 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Since Carnival Festivale debuts in 2027, that deadline came well ahead of any sailing.
That depends on your appetite for risk. Carnival Festivale brings new hardware, LNG propulsion and the largest water park Carnival has built, but debut seasons come with shakedown issues, possible schedule slips and long queues for the headline attractions. Travellers who value a proven product often do better letting the first season pass before booking.
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