2017
Celebrity Cruises has unveiled details of its new Edge-class ships – starting with the 2900 passenger, 117000 GRT Celebrity Edge in late 2018. Main feature of Celebrity Edge will be the Magic Carpet. A 90-ton movable deck cantilevered off the ship’s side. It moves from deck 2 to deck 16 along the side of the ship. Magic Carpet is an extension of the bar restaurant on deck 5, but it can be lowered and used in port for (dis-)embarkation and while accessing tenders. Another important innovation, Celebrity Edge will introduce the Infinite Veranda, a cabin designed to connect your stateroom indoor and outdoor by making your balcony part of your cabin, using bi-fold doors that can be opened completely adding about 23 percent more space to the room.
Caledonian Sky, a 114-passenger expedition vessel owned by Noble Caledonia was refloated after running aground off the coast of Indonesia. She ran aground on March 4 and suffered superficial hull damage. She continued her cruise on a slightly changed itinerary. Noble Caledonia are negotiating with Indonesian authorities about a financial settlement to cover for the damage caused to the coral reef.
Cunard Line will spend $40 million on refurbishing Queen Victoria, adding 30 cabins, refurbishing 24 suites, adding a new dining room and a new sundeck and a specialty café. The number of passengers will increase to 2081. Queen Victoria is to retain her much loved Art Deco design.
Norwegian Cruise Line has named its new class of ship, the Leonardo Project. The new class will consist of four ships, which will be built by Fincantieri S.p.A.; the first ship is scheduled for delivery June 2022, followed by an additional vessel each year until 2025. They will measure 140,000 gross tons and will have a passenger carrying capacity of 3.300 and are a bit smaller than today’s mega ships to be able to call on smaller exotic ports.
Holland America Line laid a portion of the keel for its next new ship Nieuw Statendam during a ceremony at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. The keel section measures 37 feet, 114 feet wide and weighs about 260 tons. The 2,650 passenger Nieuw Statendam will be the second ship in the line’s Pinnacle class after Koningsdam; she will be delivered at the end of 2018.
Virgin Voyages, which is gradually starting up as cruise line for the last 4 years, is now a reality as during a ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy, a steel cutter engraved the company’s logo in a steel part. Owner Richard Branson was not present at the ceremony, but a video message was shown. The 110.000GRT vessel is expected to be taken into service in 2020. She will be followed by ssiter ships in 20221 and 2022.
Crystal, which operates in the luxury segment of the cruise industry with larger ships, not common in this segment of cruising, will downsize the number of passengers on Crystal Symphony and serenity from 1070 to 890 while keeping the number of crew at its present level, thus improving service levels on both of its ships. Existing suites will be replaced with larger penthouses. Crystal is also moving toward an open-seating dining plan on its ships
Shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered Majestic Princess, the third ship in Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess class She is designed for the Chinese market and part of her hull art are Chines symbols meaning “Grand Spirit”. She measures 145.000GRT and passenger capacity is 4.250.
Viking Ocean Cruises keeps expanding their fleet at an amazing pace. The line and Fincantieri shipyard have signed an agreement for the construction of two more cruise ships, with an option for yet another two. These vessels will be sister ships to the three that are already on order and to the three already in operation. These new ships will be delivered in 2021 and 2022. Currently, the line is securing finance for them and then the agreement can be finalized. Viking CEO Torstein Hagen’s long-held ambition is to have 10 ocean vessels and 100 river-based longships.
Silversea Cruises’ Silver Explorer expedition ship will be extensively refurbished during a three week revamp. The line currently spends 170 mio dollar to modernize its entire fleet. New furniture, walls and ceilings will be installed in public spaces as wel as new carpets in corridors and staircases. In the former library (which will be incorporated in the Observation Lounge) a boutique will be built.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s first purpose-built ship for China, Norwegian Joy, marks a first for the company. The ship was handed over from Meyer Werft and features the first go-kart track at sea, a virtual reality games room and a Laser Battle course, as well a 100 luxury Concierge Class cabins, an extensive retail area with 50 high-end brands, a ‘Serenity Park’ lido area and especially for her Chines clientele, private karaoke rooms and a vast casino area, including private gambling rooms.
Thomson Cruises has revealed several of new features for its latest ship TUI Discovery 2 which include new entertainment and dining options, a virtual reality room and a new mobile app. A six week refurbishment at Cadiz will upgrade the former Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas. According to the line: “We really wanted to tone down a lot of the ship’s former decor and create a feel and design that would appeal to our British audience. The new Green Screen Experience Room and Virtual Reality Experience Room, for example, are interactive and family friendly” The line will also introduce a new app “Navigate” which will enable cruisers to book restaurants, spa treatments and excursions, check their itinerary, browse through restaurant menus, and navigate the ship .
Australia’s Aurora Expeditions has announced a new ship especially designed for polar cruising. Currently, the line charters Polar Pioneer for its Arctic and Antarctic cruises. The new ship is expected in 2019, being a 104-metre ice-class 1A ship carrying 100 passengers. Aurora Expeditions’ will start building a new series of high-performance vessels designed for polar regions, offering expedition style voyages in comfortable surroundings.
Ponant Cruises has designed a spectacular venue that involves passengers in the oceans they sail, an underwater lounge that allows passengers to see and experience marine life of the deep sea. It is called Blue Eye and will debut on Laperouse which will be taken into service next year. Passengers will sit in vibrating sofa’s, will hear the noises of the deep seas, and apart from two large windows will have two large screens at their disposal projecting underwater sea life.
French President Emmanuel Macron has attended the hand over of MSC’s new ship MSC Meraviglia . She carries 5700 pax at full capacity and shows the line’s extensive plans for global growth. As a long time client of STX France, MSC supported the yard by investing 4.5 billion euros in STX France. MSC currently plans the construction of four new LNG powered ships by STX.
Fathom, the cruise line created by Carnival Corporation in 2015, will end as it cruises, aimed at providing social help provided in several projects by the ships’ passengers to the Dominican Republic and calling at Cuban ports is not as successful as expected. The 704 passenger Adonia will be returned to P&O) Cruises.
Celebrity Cruises will introduce in Celebrity Edge the three-deck high Eden lounge, being a terraced lounge that will be located on decks 3, 4 and 5, which will feature floor-to-ceiling 7,000-square feet windows that span all three decks. Also, a nearly 300-foot long ramp envelopes the space. With a capacity of 325, Eden will be a place for cruisers to eat and relax, but also watch artists like sitar players or aerialists or attend cooking classes. At night, Eden will offer performance art, live music, culinary treats and cultural nightlife; “sinful”as Celebrity calls it. Multi-function Eden lounge will totally break with existing conventions concerning entertainment.
Quark Expeditions has taken delivery of their new vessel World Explorer. She will be a 176 passenger expedition vessel and will debut in the Antarctic region. An important feature will be that all 86 cabins have a full balcony or a shallow one, a so called Juliet balcony.
Silversea Cruises will upgrade their Silver Spirit. She will receive a new midsection increasing her length with 49 feet at Fincantier’s Palermo yard. Apart from technical upgrades, dining venues and décor in public spaces and suites will be “copied” from the line’s flagship Silver Muse.
Thomson Cruises has announced it will rebrand as Marella Cruises at the same time as the firm will join the global brand TUI. The word Marella means “shining sea” in Celtic . Of course the name change will also be reflected in the ships’ names, which will be renamed Marella Dream, Marella Celebration, Marella Discovery 1&2 and Marella Explorer.
Lindblad Expeditions has signed an agreement with Norwegian shipyard Ulstein concerning the construction of a polar class expedition vessel. It will be the first ship built for the company especially operating in the polar region. A feature of the new ship is Ulstein’s specialty, an X-Bow, a distinctly shaped bow providing fuel efficiency and making the vessel behave better in rough seas.
Fred Olsen will continue their fleet upgrade program, started with Black Watch last year,. The line’s other ships will dry dock in Hamburg, Germany, beginning with Braemar; Balmoral and then Boudicca. Braemar will get a new buffet area, Balmoral new restaurants and a gelato bar. Boudicca will also receive a new dining room. Cabins and public spaces of all three vessels will be redone as well.
MSC cruises took delivery of their new MSC Seaside at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone. At the same time, a contract was signed for two more vessels to be built by Fincantieri, marking the start of a new class by the name of Seaside EVO (evolution), based on the Seaside Class, but larger at 170.000GRT.
French cruise operator Le Ponant has ordered an expedition cruise ship to be built by the Vard yard. It will be a hybrid vessel, named Ponant Icebreaker, powered by LNG and electric engines. Thus far only Hurtigruten has ordered a hybrid expedition vessel. This type of ships is extremely environmental friendly. She will be delivered in 2021. Ponant has another 4 ships on order for delivery in 2018 and 2019.
Silversea has ordered another new cruise ship, a sister to Silver Muse, for delivery in 2020, The ship will be named Silver Moon, carry 600 passengers and measure 40.700 GRT Silversea has an option with Fincantieri for two more vessels in these series.
Saga Cruises has reached an agreement with Meyer Werft, Germany to extend its fleet with a second new ship, to be named Spirit of Adventure. The 1000-passenger ship is expected to be delivered in Summer 2020 and will be a sister to Spirit of Discovery which will be taken into service in July 2019. She will be an all-balcony ship.
Carnival Corporation has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy for a new vessel for its subsidiary Cunard Line – the fourth vessel in their fleet- for delivery in 2022. Cunard’s last newbuild was Queen Elizabeth in 2010. She will be the largest in the fleet.building when it comes to passenger capacity: 3.000 passengers.
