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Carnival Corporation orders third new ship for AIDA Cruises

New vessels to debut between 2018 and 2023 featuring industry-first “green-cruising” design enabling cruise ships to be fully powered in port and at sea by LNG, the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel.

MIAMI – Carnival Corporation & plc announced it has signed a shipbuilding contract for a third next-generation cruise ship for its rapidly growing AIDA Cruises brand, the leading cruise line in Germany, which is the largest and fastest-growing cruise market in Europe.

Scheduled for delivery in 2023, the new 180,000-ton ship, being built by leading German shipbuilder Meyer Werft GmbH at its shipyard in Papenburg, will include an estimated 2,700 staterooms and extensive selection of popular onboard features. Featuring Carnival Corporation's exclusive "green cruising" design and the marine industry's most advanced fuel technology, the ship will also be fully powered at sea and in port by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel, which will significantly reduce air emissions.

With today's announcement, AIDA Cruises now has a total of three LNG ships on order. AIDAnova is scheduled to join AIDA Cruises' fleet in December as the first ship of its new generation of LNG vessels, and the first-ever cruise ship in the world to be fully powered by LNG. The second ship of this series will be christened in the spring of 2021.

The three next-generation LNG ships for AIDA Cruises are part of Carnival Corporation's ongoing fleet enhancement strategy with 20 new ships scheduled for delivery between 2018 and 2023 – creating excitement in the vacation market and continuing to exceed guest expectations while accelerating demand for cruising, the fastest growing segment in the vacation industry.

"On board our ships, which travel the most beautiful destinations worldwide, we offer the greatest holiday variety on the German market with a complete package of culture, entertainment, sports, wellness and culinary delights," said Felix Eichhorn, president of AIDA Cruises. "The interest in AIDAnova, the first ship of our new generation, is enormous, even before the commissioning later this year. With today's new shipbuilding contract, we will ensure the further growth of the cruise market in the long term and will be able to provide excellent cruises for this steadily growing holiday segment in the future as well. Thanks to an even wider variety on board, we are opening up completely new possibilities for attracting new target groups across generations for this unique holiday experience."

Starting with AIDAnova, the next generation ship class will combine onboard innovations with evolutions of successful product features already offered on the existing fleet to further enhance the guest experience. More than 40 restaurants and bars on board provide guests with an opportunity to enjoy a new level of world-class dining experiences and culinary trends. Versatile entertainment offerings include an enhanced theatrium, an onboard TV studio and new event restaurants. Guests also have the choice of more than 20 different cabin types – from the penthouse suite to generously sized family staterooms or single staterooms with a balcony.

With its three new LNG ships on the horizon, AIDA Cruises continues to pursue its pioneering mission of "green cruising" and sustainable operations. As of 2023, more than half of AIDA Cruises' guests will be spending their vacation on a cruise ship that runs fully or partially on LNG. The use of LNG for ship power prevents emissions of particulate matter and sulfur oxides almost entirely at sea and in port. It also significantly reduces the emission of nitrogen oxides and CO2.

Tim Meyer, managing director of Meyer Werft, said: "This is the 10th AIDA Cruises ship we are building in Papenburg, emphasizing a long-term partnership between AIDA Cruises and Meyer Werft. AIDAnova and the following two sister ships feature the latest technology focused on sustainability and energy efficiency."

In total, Carnival Corporation has agreements in place with leading German and Finnish shipbuilders Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku to build nine LNG-powered cruise ships across four of its nine global cruise brands with delivery dates between 2018 and 2023 – three for AIDA Cruises with expected delivery dates between 2018 and 2023, two for Costa Cruises with expected delivery dates in 2019 and 2021, two for P&O Cruises UK with expected delivery dates in 2020 and 2022 and two for Carnival Cruise Line with expected delivery dates in 2020 and 2022.

Carnival Corporation’s MedallionNet to Set Industry Apex for Wi-Fi Bandwidth Capacity at Sea Powered by SES Networks
Carnival Corporation & plc will also establish a new industry apex in connectivity capabilities at sea when it attempts to make an unprecedented level of bandwidth available to guests on board Regal Princess from its Princess Cruises brand.

Using its newly developed connectivity service, MedallionNet, and working with SES Networks, the world-leading provider of satellite-enabled connectivity solutions, Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises will attempt to achieve bandwidth of 1.5 gigabits per second, the most ever delivered to a mobile platform. The record attempt will demonstrate that connectivity is no longer a limitation to cruise vacations. Guests using MedallionNet have access to the internet at speeds that eclipse typical land-based hotel connectivity performance levels.

“With MedallionNet, the best Wi-Fi at sea, the extraordinary experience of a cruise vacation is further enhanced by superior connectivity and coverage – providing our guests who want to stay connected with a connectivity experience that equals or exceeds what they experience on land,” said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. “This event gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that guests can have connected experience that parallels land-based Wi-Fi, making it exceptionally easy for our guests to share photos, videos and messages about their fabulous vacation. Cruise vacations are already the fastest growing segment of the vacation sector, and eliminating any connectivity barriers will make cruise vacations even more desirable.”

As part of the event, Carnival Corporation will attempt to reach 1.5 gigabits per second as Regal Princess is off Princess Cays, one of the brand’s private island destinations, located on the southern tip of the island of Eleuthera in the outer Bahamas. A bandwidth capacity of 1.5 gigabits per second will give guests unprecedented Wi-Fi access that equates to more than 6,000 users concurrently surfing the internet; or 1,500 Netflix or Hulu subscribers streaming TV shows or movies.

Since mid-November 2017, MedallionNet, a game-changing connectivity service enabled by SES Networks, has been keeping guests connected to friends and family, delivering consistent streaming capabilities through unprecedented internet speeds and bandwidth, pervasive stateroom signal strength and service consistency onboard Regal Princess as well as on Princess Cays.

MedallionNet is made possible through an inventive array of antennae, networks, equipment and configuration innovations that combine to make the Regal Princess the only vessel on the planet that is currently capable of achieving 1.5 gigabits per second and more.

“MedallionNet puts to rest the notion that connectivity at sea will never be as fast or reliable as your broadband at home,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES Networks and Carnival Corporation Global Experience and Innovation partner. “Powered by our O3b fleet of MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellites, and complemented by our GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) constellation, we are not only able to exceed average land-based bandwidth capabilities, but also able to set a new industry apex for guest connectivity experience.”

According to a study conducted last year by Ookla, an internet speed test company, the average U.S. fixed broadband download speed was 64.17 Mbps in the first half of 2017, while the average upload speed was 22.79 Mbps.

MedallionNet download speeds can exceed residential service levels, often eclipsing 100 Mbps, with upload speeds exceeding 60 Mbps. Mark Holmes, editorial director for the Satellite and Aviation Group of Access Intelligence, will be onsite to help authenticate the record capacity, and validate that MedallionNet exceeds any disclosed bandwidth of anyone in the cruise industry.

MedallionNet is another development to emerge from Carnival Corporation’s Global Experience and Innovation Center in Miami. It is the first end-to-end Wi-Fi service development formulated to exceed guest expectations through “GuestCentricityTM” – an initiative to enhance all aspects of the cruise vacation experience by delivering guests what they want, when, where and how they want it.

The system leverages multi-band antennas uniquely configured in an innovative shipboard formation to minimize any potential impact to guest connectivity due to seasonal weather or ship positioning, and it fuses multi-orbit satellite bandwidth to deliver superior connectivity.

By combining multiple sources of bandwidth with hundreds of shipboard access points to achieve the highest capacity shipboard network ever brought to a cruise ship, MedallionNet introduces a level of service reliability and signal pervasiveness not previously achieved on ships sailing at sea.

MedallionNet is currently an exclusive feature of Medallion Class ships – one of the latest innovations from Carnival Corporation that leverage the company’s interactive guest experience platform capable of transforming vacation travel into a highly personalized and elevated level of customized service. Brands of Carnival Corporation utilize various satellite service providers to service the nine brands connectivity and onboard TV services.

The activities surrounding the attempt to set a new apex for bandwidth capacity will include a series of Facebook Live streaming sessions as the Regal Princess is off Princess Cays.

The stars of Carnival Corporation’s Ocean Originals television programs will be on hand to put MedallionNet to the test on the ship and at Princess Cays. Hosts will use their mobile devices as they stream high-definition videos, play mobile apps, FaceTime with friends and post video stories on social media – all to maximize the amount of bandwidth use. 

Co-Founder & Managing Director - Travel Media Applications | Website | + Posts

Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.

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