Carnival Corporation will see capacity increase at all its key European brands in 2020, according to the 2019 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.

Those key brands include AIDA Cruises, targeted at the German-speaking market; Costa Cruises, targeted at the Italian market but also sourcing in other countries; and P&O Cruises UK, targeting the British source market.

AIDA

For AIDA Cruises, 2019 saw the annualized service of the new 5,200-guest AIDAnova, pushing capacity up significantly for the German brand. 2020 will be a bit different, as an internal transfer will see the Costa neoRiviera move to AIDA Cruises, becoming the AIDAmira and sailing long cruises.

The AIDAmira will sail a creative set of itineraries, homeporting this coming winter in Cape Town on two-week itineraries. Next summer she sails both seven-day and two-week itineraries from Corfu in the Eastern Mediterranean before a return to South Africa.

The itineraries are run under the AIDA Selection program, a set of deployments on the company’s more classic vessels that are ideal for what AIDA calls “cosmopolitan explorers who want to experience the country and its people in a particularly intense and unique way.”

Two more sisters to the AIDAnova are set to follow in 2021 and 2023. While those ships may be the same gross tons, AIDA’s appetite for capacity continues as the ships grow to 5,400 berths each, compared to the AIDAnova at 5,200 berths. Each new ship represents an additional 300,000 passengers to source annually according to Cruise Industry News Annual Report estimates. 

Costa Cruises

In 2020 Costa’s European operation will see the Costa Smeralda year-round for the company, adding 5,224 berths and debuting in Savona later this year. The Italian brand also sheds the smaller 1,248-guest neoRiviera, which moves to sister brand AIDA Cruises. It is a notable 2020 capacity increase for Costa, with the Smeralda sailing year-round.

The company will also move on from two other ships. The Costa Atlantica, currently sailing for the company’s China operation, is being sold to a joint venture in China. In late 2020, the Costa Mediterranea follows her to the new Chinese venture, taking 2,114 Costa berths out of the European market. 

P&O UK

P&O Cruises UK has the most significant growth outlook in 2020, welcome the new 5,200-passenger LNG-fueled Iona into service mid-year. The brand will also see the 1,822-guest Oriana exit this August, alleviating some capacity growth concerns. 

A second 5,200-guest newbuild follows in 2022.