How Excited Are Guests About Carnival’s News? Surprising Results!
Carnival Cruise Line has shared a lot of news in just 24 hours, but how are guests reacting to it? Not everyone may be equally excited, depending on how each different bit of news impacts their cruising plans.
John Heald, the cruise line’s official Brand Ambassador, has posted a poll asking guests which of the new announcements they are most looking forward to. More than 42,000 commenters have voted, and the results are not what the biggest Carnival fans might expect.
Leading the way with the most excitement is the announcement that Carnival will be investing in existing ships with further upgrades and enhancements to dining options, beverages, entertainment, amenities, and more. More than 6,700 guests are eager for these upcoming changes.
It makes sense that this would be a popular choice, as fleetwide changes will offer great options for all Carnival cruisers, regardless of their homeport, loyalty status, or vacation plans.
The next most popular upcoming enhancement is also no surprise – more than 5,400 guests are eager to explore Celebration Key. Since the new private destination was first announced in August 2023, hype has been building and building as the opening draws near.
Now, with the first guests slated to arrive at Celebration Key in just three months, there would obviously be a lot of excitement for the new Bahamas port of call.
The other news involving other private destinations also got a fair few votes. Roughly 4,500 voters are most excited for the new pier coming to RelaxAway Half Moon Cay (and not having to take a tender!), while another 2,100 voters agree that the renaming of Mahogany Bay and its new features is best.
A combined 5,500 votes were cast, eager for new deployment changes, including year-round cruises from Mobile as well as a Conquest-class ship setting sail from Baltimore – both changes coming in 2027.
Of course, if guests don’t regularly sail from either the Alabama or Maryland homeport, that choice probably wouldn’t get their votes.
Poll Shows Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Surprisingly, just 12% of voters – just over 5,000 votes – are most excited for the upcoming Excel class ships, Carnival Festivale and Carnival Tropicale. This is the most exciting announcement for me, but I do live near Port Canaveral – already announced as the homeport for Carnival Festivale when she arrives in 2027.
The other Excel-related news is also exciting for me and other Port Canaveral cruisers (or at least the 2,000 who cast their votes) – Mardi Gras will be moving to shorter itineraries once Carnival Festivale arrives.
Read Also: Carnival Confirms Loyalty Program Changes Coming Soon
While yes, it can be challenging to fully enjoy such a large ship in just 3-4 days, guests who may already be familiar with the ship can now look forward to shorter getaways aboard a favorite vessel.
On the other side of the discussion, however, many commenters note that larger ship sizes can feel much more crowded and not as worthwhile for a shorter vacation. There is a great desire for Carnival Cruise Line to introduce a smaller line of ships, especially as older, smaller vessels are more likely to be retired.
With the further announcements of Project Ace – the largest ships ever built for Carnival Cruise Line – that seems unlikely at the moment.
There was one poll option, however, that got an overwhelming majority of votes. More than 11,300 votes were cast for the best part of cruising of all: “I’m just really looking forward to cruising as many times as I can!”
That is one vote we can all agree on!
How Excited Are Guests About Carnival’s News? Surprising Results!