New cruise ships are on the horizon. Disney, Cunard, and Celebrity are all prepping additions to their fleets. Maybe it’s time to start getting excited about the future of cruising again! It’s been hard to be optimistic about the cruise industry over the course of the pandemic, but things are starting to look up now. The Conditional Sailing Order has ended, cruise bookings are up, and new vessels promise to bring renewed enthusiasm into the world of cruising. Here is the latest on three ships that are worth looking forward to.
Cunard Prepares Newest Ship
Cunard is one of the oldest cruise lines around, and every new ship that they get adds to their legacy. As of right now, their fleet is quite small: they only have three active vessels. They announced way back in 2017 that they would be acquiring a newbuild ship from Fincantieri, though, and fans of the cruise line have been patiently waiting ever since. Very little has been revealed about the ship over the years, but it seems that might be changing soon. The company tweeted out on February 7th: “Something very special is on the horizon. Join us here at 1 p.m. GMT (8 a.m. EDT) on the 8th February for an exciting announcement or visit our YouTube channel.” Speculation immediately began, with many tweets guessing that the ship’s name would be revealed in the video. This just means Cunard is one step closer to sailing with their new vessel!
Celebrity Beyond Ready for April Debut
Celebrity’s newest ship is nearly ready to start sailing. Celebrity Beyond was ordered back in 2016 as an addition to the cruise line’s Edge class. Two other ships are currently in the class: Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Edge. These vessels are Celebrity’s largest, with the two existing ships being about 5000 tons larger than Celebrity Reflection, the largest in the Solstice Class. Celebrity Beyond is set to be even larger (their largest ship yet!), and it has just completed its sea trials. That means that the ship is confirmed to be ready for its debut set for April 27th, 2022. In just a few months, Celebrity’s biggest ship will be taking travelers around the world!
A Delay for Disney Wish
Disney Wish is a ship that many in the industry have been excited for since the days before COVID. Unfortunately, we will all have to wait just a little bit longer. After a few delays, its inaugural cruise was set for June 9th, 2022. However, this has now been pushed even further back to July 14th, 2022. Disney cited the impact of Omicron on the building process in Germany as the reason for this.
Each of these ships promises to revitalize their respective cruise lines. Which are you most excited for?
