Carnival Festivale makes a smart trade by replacing Bolt with family water play

Carnival Festivale will swap the Bolt roller coaster found on its three Excel-class predecessors for an expanded water-play area. I like the decision. Keeping a headline attraction simply because it has become part of the class would be less interesting than rethinking who the upper decks should serve.

The 182,015-gross-ton ship has now floated out at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg shipyard in Germany, moving another step toward its 2027 debut. It will enter passenger service with a transatlantic crossing from Southampton before beginning year-round operations from Port Canaveral.

Festivale follows Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee as Carnival’s fourth Excel-class vessel. At 1,133 feet long, it is designed to carry 5,356 passengers at double occupancy and 1,768 crew. The scale is familiar. The more useful change is what Carnival plans to do with some of that space.

A broader idea of a family attraction

The new Sunsation Point will span three decks, with WaterWorks Ultra at its center. Carnival describes it as the line’s largest water park at sea. The six-slide complex will include Sun Soaker and Turning Tide family raft rides, allowing several passengers to ride together, plus the paired Racing Currents slides.

Those shared raft rides give the replacement for Bolt a clear purpose. The raft rides give several family members a chance to share a ride. Separate splash areas will serve younger children, including a baby and toddler area where swim diapers will be permitted.

Carnival also plans after-dark water-park access with lighting effects, a live DJ and night swimming. That is a sensible extension of the concept. The planned evening program gives families another reason to spend time in the area after dark.

There will be dry options, too. Sunsation Point will include Route 66-themed Fairway 66 mini golf, the Vault Retrocade, a sports court and an elevated ropes course with two routes. Big Chicken, the Swirls frozen-dessert outlet and Sunsation Sips will put food and drinks within the area.

Bolt’s absence will still be a loss for passengers who particularly want a roller coaster at sea. Six water slides are not a substitute for that experience. But Carnival’s proposed mix makes a stronger case for a family deck that accommodates different ages and interests.

Elsewhere, Festivale will have six onboard zones, including two new music-inspired areas, and the Studio 724 multimedia experience. Additional accommodation designed for families is also planned.

From the shipyard to Port Canaveral

Carnival shared footage of the float-out on Facebook. Work will now focus increasingly on interior outfitting and completing onboard systems, followed by sea trials to test propulsion, navigation and maneuverability before handover. Delivery is expected in spring 2027, although a specific date has not been announced.

Construction began with steel cutting on April 8, 2025, followed by keel laying that August. The engines were installed in March 2026, with work on the azimuth thruster pods following in August.

The first passenger voyage is scheduled to leave Southampton on May 2, 2027. The 15-day transatlantic itinerary calls at La Coruna and Vigo in Spain, Funchal in Madeira, Tenerife and Grand Turk before reaching Port Canaveral on May 16.

A four-day Bahamas sailing follows on May 19. The regular homeport program will primarily feature six- and eight-day Eastern and Southern Caribbean voyages, with Celebration Key included on every sailing in that program.

Destinations include Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, along with RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. Southern Caribbean routes will also visit Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

A naming ceremony is expected after Festivale enters service. Carnival has not announced a ceremony date or named a godparent. A fifth Excel-class ship, Carnival Tropicale, is also under construction at Meyer Werft for a 2028 debut and will share several of Festivale’s features.

For all the ship’s size, permission for swim diapers is one of the most persuasive details in Festivale’s plans. That is a concrete way to earn the family-friendly label, and a better reason to redesign a deck than simply needing a new attraction for the brochure.

See current Carnival Festivale fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.