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Tag: New Cruise Ships

  • Looking Ahead: News on Three New Cruise Ships

    Looking Ahead: News on Three New Cruise Ships

    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?

  • All the Details on MSC’s New Ship, Seashore

    All the Details on MSC’s New Ship, Seashore

    MSC announced a slew of details about their newest ship, Seashore, on February 18th. Is there anything more exciting than a new cruise ship? We say no. There’s definitely a lot to look forward to when it comes to Seashore. It is set to debut this August with some Mediterranean itineraries followed by a U.S. debut three months later. Let’s take a look at the details that we have so far.

    The stats

    Seashore is going to join the Seaside class. This class is smaller than the Meraviglia and Meraviglia Plus classes, but bigger than the rest of the MSC classes. As of now, there are only two other ships in this class: MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview. Seashore will join the Seaside class as its biggest ship, checking in at 169,500 tons. It is 1112 feet long (this makes it MSC’s longest ship) and 243 feet high, and it will be able to fit 5877 total travelers. MSC is also planning to follow it up with a sister ship in 2023.

    Unique design features

    Seashore isn’t going to totally reinvent the wheel. It is instead planned as a natural evolution of the existing MSC fleet. With that said, it will still boast a variety of unique design features to make it stand out from the other MSC ships. Deck 16 features a glass-floored bridge known as the Bridge of Sighs (we like the poetic edge!). This is located directly above another very cool aspect of the ship: the infinity pool. This will be one of the six pools on the ship, and it definitely sounds like the most interesting. It even has a glass wall so that you can see directly out the side of the ship and towards the horizon.

    The rooms

    For many people, the rooms that are available can either make or break a ship. MSC Seashore will have options for everyone. In total, there will be 11 different types of rooms. Those looking for a more luxurious experience will be pleased to know that there will be 50 suites featuring large private balconies. There are even 32 more exclusive rooms that feature private hot tubs.

    The restaurants

    There aren’t too many changes to the cruise line’s typical restaurant options, but frequent MSC travelers will be pleased to know of one major change. The popular steakhouse Butcher’s Cut will have outdoor dining. This will allow you to look out over the sea as you enjoy dinner. Sounds pretty nice!

    There’s still a bit to go until MSC Seashore hits the waters, but we are definitely looking forward to it. It promises to be a healthy addition to an already great fleet. Now we just have to wait for some pictures!

  • Updates on New Ships for Celestyal, American Cruise Lines, and Sunstone Ships

    Updates on New Ships for Celestyal, American Cruise Lines, and Sunstone Ships

    Three cruise companies, Celestyal, American Cruise Lines, and Sunstone Ships, recently announced some major progress on new ships. Whether these ships are still being constructed, being tested, or just being renamed, it’s always exciting to track the progress of the newest vessels in the industry. Let’s see what these companies have in store for us!

    Celestyal

    Up until two months ago, Celestyal Cruises had only two active ships in its fleet. The small, Cyprus-based cruise line caters to the Greek market, and it is the only cruise line in the area. They are waiting until March 2021 to get back into business, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t working on things behind-the-scenes. They purchased their third vessel from Costa back in August. Previously known as the Costa neoRomantica, Celestyal has now christened the ship Celestyal Experience. In addition to the new name, the cruise line has also begun a number of aesthetic changes to the ship, including adding their logo. It is expected to sail in 2021 alongside Celestyal’s other ships.

    American Cruise Lines

    American Cruise Lines is a small cruise line (yes, it’s only one cruise line, not multiple) that is focused on bringing riverboats into a more modern context. Their newest ship, American Jazz, will do exactly that. It is set to cruise the lower Mississippi River in comfort and style, with each room featuring balconies and full-size restrooms. American Jazz reached a milestone in its career by successfully undergoing sea trials in early September, meaning that the ship is nearly ready for commercial use. The ship has now been delivered to American Cruise Lines.

    Sunstone Ships

    Sunstone Ships is not technically a cruise line itself, but rather a China-based company that charters their ships to other cruise lines. Sunstone currently has six ships that are being worked on, and the most recent update from them says that everything is going according to plan. Three ships are expected this year: Ocean Explorer, Ocean Victory, and Slyvia Earle. Ocean Odyssey and Ocean Albatros (not “albatross”) will be completed in 2022, and Ocean Discoverer will be completed in early 2023. Cruise lines ranging from Victory Cruise Lines to Aurora Expeditions will be chartering the ships.

    Even though the commercial operations of most cruise lines are still on pause right now, it’s good to see that things are still progressing within the industry. We’re definitely looking forward to seeing plenty of new ships in the coming years!

  • A Brand New Ship for Silversea

    A Brand New Ship for Silversea

    In a time when most cruise lines aren’t making much progress, Silversea is proving that it’s still very possible by accepting the delivery of their brand new ship, Silver Origin. This was the first in-person delivery of a ship since the start of coronavirus, perhaps indicating that more deliveries will be possible for cruise lines moving forward. Here’s everything you need to know about the delivery of the ship, as well as some specs on the Silver Origin!

    The ceremony

    While many ship delivery ceremonies are marked by big crowds and huge celebrations, this one was (understandably) much less intense. It was much more intimate and was attended by just a few of the Silversea higher-ups, among them being the President and CEO of Silversea, their Chief Marketing Officer, a Chairman, and a few more. The event itself took place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

    The building process

    Silver Origin was built at the De Hoop Shipyard in the Netherlands. The process itself was obviously a bit strained due to the coronavirus, with the President and CEO of Silversea, Roberto Martinoli, saying that he gives thanks “especially to the De Hoop Shipyard who overcame many challenges to complete the ship.” The shipyard had to focus on building a state-of-the-art ship with an emphasis on sustainability, all during a pandemic, which is impressive to say the least.

    The ship

    The Silver Origin is, by all standards, a very exciting new cruise ship. It’s the first ship for Silversea that is designed for a specific destination (in this case, the Galapagos). It is built to have a very low impact on the Galapagos while still offering travelers a sense of true luxury and the ability to interact with the area they are visiting. Perhaps the coolest part about the ship is a sector of it called the Basecamp, where guests can engage with educational materials and listen to lectures from experts on the Galapagos (that are all also residents of the Galapagos). The Basecamp is designed to bring guests up to speed on the area before they go out to explore it – often via kayaks.

    Anyone interested in the Galapagos should definitely have their eyes on the Silver Origin. It’s poised to be the ultimate cruising experience for the area while also keeping in mind its fragile nature. If you’re the type of traveler who likes to truly understand the place they’re visiting, this will be the cruise ship for you.

  • A Look at Some of the New Ships for Carnival Corporation

    A Look at Some of the New Ships for Carnival Corporation

    While it may seem that the cruise industry is on pause right now (and, honestly, it kind of is), there is still plenty going on behind the scenes. Carnival Corporation, the parent company for plenty of your favorite cruise lines, has several planned for the next couple years. Among these plans is a grand total of 18 new ships slated for arrival between now and 2025, nine of which will run on liquefied natural gas! Let’s scratch the surface of the Carnival orderbook and take a peek at a few of these ships of the future.

    Costa Firenze

    The newest ship for Costa, Firenze, is set to arrive in October 2020. It should be known that it is being constructed in the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, however, and coronavirus may end up delaying it’s deployment. It will be a Vista-class ship with 15 decks that will hold 3936 passengers and 1450 crew. It will join its sister ship, Costa Venezia, in China, though not before a month-long stint in the Mediterranean to celebrate its deployment. The goal of this ship, according to Costa, is to bring “the Italian Aesthetic lifestyle to Chinese guests while delivering Italian culture and experience to them.” Based on the success of Venezia, it’s a safe bet that this ship will be a hit too.

    Holland America Ryndam

    Also being constructed at Fincantieri, Ryndam is the next ship up for Holland America, and it’s set for a May 2021 delivery. It’s going to hold 2668 guests that can take part in the exciting new focus for the vessel: music! (You know, Ryndam is like rhythm? Get it?) This is actually not Holland America’s first vessel named Ryndam, so you can be forgiven if you are a bit confused by the name. In fact, HA’s very first Ryndam was originally called the Rijndam, which in some circles was Americanized to Ryndam. The new ship plans to have the same level of dining and other experiences that Holland America regulars will recognize, but also introduces the Music Walk, a section of the ship that features five (yep, five!) different music venues with live performances. There’s a chamber music spot, a blues club, and a venue dedicated to Billboard hits.

    Seabourn Venture

    Seabourn’s next ship in their fleet will be Venture, set to arrive in June 2021. It’s the smallest ship in the entire Carnival Corporation orderbook as of right now, with a capacity of 264. That is, it’s the smallest aside from another Seabourn ship that is the exact same size, though that one is currently unnamed and won’t arrive for another year past Venture. Venture is set to be an “ultra-luxury” ship that sails in polar regions. The coolest part of the whole vessel, though, are the two custom-built submarines onboard. Woah. Also, kayaks, mountain bikes and more. This ship is all about exploration and adventure, and we’re into it.

    While these three ships are exciting, there are fifteen more to look forward to over the next few years. Even though we may not be ready to hop on a cruise just yet, these ships signal the innovations that the cruise industry has up its sleeve. So, sit back and start planning your future vacations, because there’s plenty to look forward to!

  • The Norwegian Breakaway, the Newest Ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet

    Although it sounds like a book about Norway’s declaration of independence (which was actually a dissolution of its union with Sweden in 1905), the Norwegian Breakaway is in fact a cruise ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet with regular departures from New York, all year long. From May to September, it sails to Bermuda, and from October to April it sails to Florida and the Bahamas. It is the newest ship in the NCL fleet, having been built in 2013, although the Norwegian Getaway, which is in the same class as the Norwegian Breakaway (the Breakaway Class), will be put into service soon. Below you will find some basic information about this ship, which as a new ship has garnered lots of attention. Huge new cruise ships like the Norwegian Breakaway aren’t built every day, after all, and the introduction of a new vessel to a fleet can fundamentally alter a cruise line.

    To begin, we have a couple of linguistic points to make about the name “Norwegian Breakaway.” The “Norwegian” part is certainly fine (every ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line, save one – Pride of America – starts with “Norwegian”), but the word “breakaway” is a little questionable. The term could potentially conjure up thoughts of ship disasters (if a part of a ship breaks away, or the ship breaks apart, something terrible has happened), which is presumably one of the last things NCL wants on a potential customer’s mind. Obviously, this isn’t what the cruise line is aiming for – they presumably want you to think of breaking away from it all to go on a cruise, or something like that – and unfortunate mental connections are not inevitable, but still. (For what it’s worth, the name of the ship was actually the result of a public contest, but the company still ultimately chose to take it, obviously.)

    The other linguistic issue we have with the ship’s name is that it is (and will become even more) confusing. The reason for this is that NCL is building another ship that is simply called “Breakaway.” In addition to breaking away from NCL tradition by forgoing the “Norwegian” part of its name (a la Pride of America), the Breakaway will obviously be extremely easy to confuse with the Norwegian Breakaway. Indeed, many people simply call a ship by its second name, so essentially two ships will have the same name. The Breakaway will be in its own class, although this might even further complicate matters because this class is called the “Breakaway Plus,” and the only other ship that will be in this class is the yet-to-be-built Breakaway Plus. So, there are (or will be) ships called “Norwegian Breakaway,” “Breakaway,” and “Breakaway Plus,” and they will be in the classes “Breakaway” and “Breakaway Plus.” A little more diversification of names might be helpful.

    The name aside, what can be said of the Norwegian Breakaway itself? First, it’s quite big, being nearly the size of the NCL fleet’s largest ship, Norwegian Epic, a ship with many notable features. Its Gross Register Tonnage is only about 10,000 less than the Epic’s, and it holds nearly as many people (4,028 vs. the Epic’s 4,100). It is also slightly shorter and can accommodate fewer crew members, but these are the types of things that you don’t really notice on a huge cruise ship. It has all the features you would expect of a large new cruise ship (a casino, sports complex, lots of live entertainment options, more restaurants and bars than you’ll have time to visit, etc.), and as with all Norwegian cruises, your schedule on board will be almost entirely self-determined, thanks to the cruise line’s “Freestyle Cruising” philosophy. (There are no set dining times, no set table numbers, or anything else of that nature.)

    That is, as promised, some basic information about the Norwegian Breakaway. Despite its somewhat unfortunate name, there is of course nothing wrong with the ship itself. If you’re into NCL cruises and you want to take a nice vacation out of New York, don’t overlook a trip on the Norwegian Breakaway.

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