Carnival Finally Says the Twist Out Loud, and It's Galveston's
The neon-sparkle teaser resolves into Excel-class ship number five: Carnival Tropicale, a Sunsation Point waterpark, and old Vegas gone tropical.
For a week Carnival has been dangling three glowing neon sparkles on a blue-to-pink gradient where its logo used to be, promising something tropical with a twist. The twist, revealed today, is that the mystery ship has a name: Carnival Tropicale.
She's Carnival's fifth Excel-class ship, building at Meyer Werft, delivering in 2028, and she's planting her flag in Galveston — which, yes, is Jubilee's home turf. The Texas coast is apparently where Carnival now parks its biggest toys. Tropicale caps the XL lineup that started with Mardi Gras and ran through Celebration, Jubilee, and next year's Festivale.
What's actually on board
- A brand-new zone called Sunsation Point, anchored by Carnival WaterWorks Ultra, a multi-level waterpark.
- New dining and entertainment venues Carnival hasn't fully detailed yet.
- Shows pitched as the golden age of show business — old Vegas with a tropical twist, which is a lot of twist for one press release.
I'll say this for the marketing team: a week of cryptic sparkle emojis to announce a ship named after the tropics is a bold commitment to the bit. The Golden Crew can argue on-air about whether a fifth Excel-class ship is one too many, but I've seen how fast these Galveston sailings sell, so I already know who wins that debate.