January

• Oceania Cruises has announced plans for two new ships to be built by Fincantieri Shipyard in Trieste, Italy. Both ships are 1,200-passenger vessels, the first in the Allura Class, with delivery in 2022 and 2025. Riviera was the line’s last newbuilding in 2012.
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises will build a third Explorer Class ship: a 750-passenger luxury vessel. She will be a sister ship to Seven Seas Explorer and Seven Seas Splendor. The new ship, to be built by Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard, will come online in 2023. at a cost of $540 million.
• Virgin Voyages‘ Scarlet Lady will feature 78 “RockStar” suites when it debuts in 2020. They are designed by Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio, the suites will feature retro designs with leather finishes, brass glam stations like makeup vanities and marble bathrooms and even working vinyl turntables (with a collection of records of yesteryear) and terrace hammocks.

• Carnival Cruise Line has disclosed info concerning the six themed zones onboard their new Mardi Gras currently under construction. There will be the French Quarter with bars, music venues and restaurants, the Summer Landing with the Smokehouse Brewhouse, a pool and hot tubs, Grand Central, where instead of the traditional atrium there will be a three deck entertainment center, Italan flavoured La Piazza for Italian food and coffee, the Lido-zone with some new eateries and finally the Ultimate Playground on the top three decks with an enormous water park and the SportSquare. Here passengers can experience the first-ever roller coaster at sea, BOLT.
• Marella Explorer 2, the first adults-only ship in the Marella Cruises fleet, will undergo refurbishment before joining Marella Cruises. She is the former Celebrity Century and later SkySea Golden Era. After the refit she will feature a clubhouse-style bar called The 19th Hole with golf buggy seating, two golf simulators, champagne and prosecco bar Flutes, the traditional Italian trattoria Nonna’s and the Beach Cove specialising in barbecue food and finally the Asian restaurant Kora-La, Shake Shack and Surf and Turf.
• Roald Amundsen, the first of Hurtigruten‘s three new explorer vessels will feature a 17.5 metre tall by 6.5 metre wide screen, the largest one at sea spanning seven decks, to be used for lectures and presentations and it will also broadcast live coverage from outside the ship. Landscapes and images taken by the ship’s photographer will be displayed on this screen which is situated in the atrium of the ship. It will have a total surface of 114 square metres and a resolution exceeding 4K Ultra-HD.

• The number of cruise passengers infected with a so-called gastrointestinal illnesses, most notably Norovirus, is down the last two years. While both years saw 11 outbreaks, in 2018  only 575 passengers were affected while in 2017 this number was much higher, namely 1,296.
• The largest suite on any luxury cruise ship will be onboard Seven Seas Splendor when she will enter service in February 2020. The Regent Suite on the top deck, will boast a handcrafted bed, a private spa, and a wraparound balcony. It will measure 4,443 sq ft and its bed will cost a staggering $200,000.

February

• Greek cruise line Celestyal Cruises has plans to refurbish all suites on the Celestyal Crystal and to roll out a Suite Concierge programme on both of its vessels, so also on Celestial Olympia.
• Viking Ocean Cruises has taken their sixth ship into service, Viking Jupiter, She was built by Fincantieri, Italy and like its fleetmates will operate destination-oriented cruises. During its maiden season, she will cruise in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean, for the winter-period she will reposisition to South America.
• Celebrity Millennium’s refurbishment has been completed after 5-week dry dock period. Her staterooms and suites have been redesigned, and The Retreat-area for suite guests was added. These refurbishments, plus upgrades to the restaurants, bars, lounges, spa and casino, are part of the line’s $500 million Celebrity Revolution program.
• Royal Caribbean has confirmed it has ordered a sixth Oasis-class vessel form Chantiers de l’Atlantique. To be delivered in the autumn of 2023 she will then be the biggest cruise ship in the world. Not too long ago a fifth unit had been ordered in this class and sisters Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas are already in service.

• MSC Cruises has taken delivery of new build MSC Bellissima at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France. At this time, Chantiers is building two more vessels for MSC. The ship was blessed by godmother Ella Aponte — granddaughter of Gianluigi Aponte, MSC’s founder and chairman, and as usual for ne MSC ships, the ship will be officially named later by famous actress Sophia Loren.
  March
• Two cruise ships that will feature the industry’s “latest available technologies” were ordered by Viking Ocean Cruises from Fincantieri ship yard, to be delivered in 2024 and 2025. Oddly enough, the line did niot want to reveal any details of the new builds.
• Hurtigruten has announced that MS Finnmarken will be completely rebuilt into a premium expedition cruise ship. The 628-passenger vessel, launched in 2002, will undergo an upgrade which will bring many new features to the ship: four new restaurants, a high-tech science center, new panoramic suites and its current engines will be replaced by low-emission engines.
• Several popular cruise ports, including Venice and Dubrovnik, want to severely restrict cruise passenger numbers. Negotiations with cruise industry agency CLIA are ungoing. Too many ships in port cause hazardous situations and these ports are invaded by hordes of cruise ships passengers daily, which is unacceptable for the local population.

• Carnival Freedom has been thoroughly overhauled, resulting in a new waterpark, revamped mini-golf course and added dining options like Sushi restaurant Bonsai Express as well as two new waterslides and a kids’ splash area which replace the small pool and waterslide previously located on Deck 10. Carnival Freedom has been upgraded as part of Carnival Cruise Line‘s $2 billion fleetwide enhancement program.
• River cruise operator Vantage Cruise Line has announced plans to expand its oceangoing offerings, with two new luxury expedition ships that will sail global itineraries: the company will take delivery of 170-passenger Ocean Explorer in March 2021. A sister ship, Ocean Odyssey, is slated to launch in 2022. Both ships will be deployed world wide, in Asia, Europe, Antartctica and the America’s.
• The 2,004-passenger Norwegian Sky has just completed a three-week dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas, as part of the line’s $400 million Norwegian Edge refurbishment project which has resulted in new venues, like an added sushi bar, redecorated public spaces and newly outfitted  cabins.
• SeaDream Yacht Club will build a new yacht, the lines first newbuilding ever. To be named SeaDream Innovation, she will enter service in September 2021 and she is scheduled to visit more than 200 ports in 49 countries during its first year.
• Viking Ocean Cruises‘ Viking Sky has experienced an engine failure that left the vessel adrift in rough seas off the Norwegian coast. 479 passengers were airlifted from the stricken vessel, but the crew managed to restart the engines and ultimately she arrived in Molde safely.

Marella Cruises plans to retire its classic ships Marella Dream and Marella Celebration in five years’ time. They would leave the fleet in 2024, but the company does not have firm plans yet as how they will be replaced.

April

• Le Ponant has taken delivery of the Le Bougainville, the sixth unit  in the Explorer-class vessels. Like her sisters, she features the Blue Eye Lounge, an underwater space for viewing marine life.
• Meyer Werft has handed over brand new Spectrum of the Seas to Royal Caribbean Int. She will be based year-round in China, homeporting in Shanghai from June 2019. Spectrum of the Seas is the first unit of the line’s Quantum Ultra-class.
• Celebrity Cruises has ordered a fifth Edge-class cruise ship with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique. The ship is scheduled for delivery in fall 2024. Like the first in the series which debuted in late 2018 Celebrity Edge, it will featuring a “floating” deck, cantilevered off the vessel called the Magic Carpet, which  also functions as a tender station or bar depending on its location and the “Infinite Verandah” cabins, where one section of the room can be transformed from a balcony to an indoor stateroom area.

May

Six more Princess Cruises ships will be outfitted with OceanMedallion in 2020. This scheme incorporates several systems that enable cruisers to create a more personalized vacation, like keyless cabin entry, on-demand food and drink delivery service and onboard navigation. Ruby Princess, Grand Princess, Enchanted Princess, Emerald Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess will also be upgraded next year. Crown Princess is already scheduled for this year while Sky Princess -the line’s newest ship- will have OceanMedallion already implemented when it sets sail later this year.

• Silversea has announced that the 388-passenger Silver Shadow is scheduled for an elaborate refit later this year so the 19-year-old ship will be in line with the standard of the rest of the line’s fleet.
• Celebrity Cruises has taken delivery of its Celebrity Flora expedition ship, the first ever to be specifically designed to sail the Galapagos Islands. During a ceremony held at the Netherlands-based shipyard de Hoop she was handed over to the company. Celebrity Cruises states Celebrity Flora will be the most energy-efficient ship of its kind in the region, with state of the art features such as anchorless technology that can maintain the ship’s position while also protecting the sensitive sea bed. The ship also will have a dedicated naturalist team certified by Galapagos National Park onboard for lecturing.

June

• Aurora Expeditions has reported it has entered into an agreement with shipbuilder Sunstone to build another X-Bow ship, a sister ship to Greg Mortimer currently under construction. She will be similar in design and also feature the X-Bow, an inverted bow that allows for gentler sea handling, fuel saving and thus reduced emissions.  Delivery is planned for 2021.
• Disney Cruise Line will upgrade Disney Wonder, (one of the line’s oldest ships dating from 1999) which includes adding a New Orleans-style venue. This lounge will be modeled after the French Quarter of New Orleans and will feature live music. Other changes include: Vibe, the  teen club for ages 14 to 17 will be redesigned with industrial metal accents, a new coffee bar and more spectacular virtual reality technology and The Cove cafe, an adults-only spot as well as the Signals Bar will be redocarated as coffee shops. Disney is upgrading their older vessels while waiting for their newbuilds wich are planned for delivery in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

July

• Royal Caribbean has ordered a third Icon-class ship from Meyer Turku for delivery in 2025. Just like the first two in the class, she will have capacity for 5,000 passengers. The ships already ordered in this class are scheduled to launch in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
• Expedition cruise line Hurtigruten has taken the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship, Roald Amundsen into service in Tromso, Norway. She features the world’s first hybrid power system and includes several industry firsts, like instead of having a theatre or cinema, the vessel has a Science Centre where passengers can work alongside experienced research scientists to take part in citizen science projects. Daily lectures on everything from history to geology are hosted daily.

Oasis of the Seas will be the first Oasis-class ship to get the Amplification fleet modernization upgrade later this year. Some public spaces will be relocated to make room for new venues that include a new sports bar and barbecue restaurant.

August

• Cruise line Ponant has announced that it has acquired Paul Gauguin Cruises which opeates its 332-passenger ship, the Paul Gauguin, sailing year-round on trips to the South Pacific since its launch in 1997.
• Hurtigruten will rename three of its ships when they will be completely refitted with battery packs to allow its engines to operate using hybrid power. Also, shore-powered equipment will also mean the ships can operate using electricity delivered from ashore resulting in zero emissions. Trollfjord will become Maud, Finnmarken will be renamed Otto Sverdrup and Midnatsol Erik Raude.
• Scenic, thus far a river cruise operator has entered the ocean cruises trade with its first ocean-going ship which recently sailed on its inaugural voyage. The ship, Scenic Eclipse has been delayed three times before being delivered. See my article on Scenic Eclipse for more info.

September

MSC Cruises, already known for the spectacular Swarovski-staircases on several of its ships, will move ahead with the introduction of the industry’s first stateroom adorned with Swarovski crystals. Developed in collaboration with Swarovski and De Jorio Design, the new cabin will be featured onboard the lines new ship MSC Bellisima as part of its Yacht Club.

Expedition cruising specialist Aurora Expeditions has taken delivery of its newest ship, the Greg Mortimer. Named after Aurora Expeditions’ co-founder, the 104 metre ship is the first expedition vessel to feature the Ulstein designed X-Bow which allows for better sea handling and less fuel consumption.

October

• Viking Ocean Cruises‘ two new ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, will debut in 2022 with cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Not much is known about these ships yet, but Viking is sending their first details to its most loyal customers enabling them to make the first bookings. They will carry 378 guests and have a crew of 260, resulting in a passenger-to-crew ratio of 1.66. Both 30,150GRT ships will have Polar Class 6 ice rating, will be slightly smaller than Viking’s current vessels and will have an overall length of 672 feet.
• Princess Cruises has taken delivery of its fourth Royal-class ship, Sky Princess, at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in Trieste, Italy. She is the first Princess ship having the MedallionClass technology implemented as built.
• The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will be changing the name of its first vessel. Initially named Azora, the new ship will now be known as Evrima, meaning discovery. The line wants to emphasize the experience travelers will have sailing on this vessel.

• Royal Caribbean Cruises has announced that its Baltimore-based Grandeur of the Seas, nick-named “Lady G” by its loyal following, will leave the fleet in April 2021. She will be shifted to Pullmantur Cruises (Spain).
• Windstar Cruises has started an ambitious refurbishment program by beginning the process of lengthening its three small cruise ships: Star Breeze, Star Legend and Star Pride. Costs will be $250 million and this Star Class Initiative as it is called will increase passenger capacity form 212 to just over 300 passengers by inserting a section with 50 staterooms.
• Norwegian Cruise Line has taken delivery of Norwegian Encore, the fourth and final Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship. She features a go-kart race track, an Atlantis-themed outdoor laser tag arena, a 10,000-square-foot virtual reality arcade, a full-scale production of the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” and the first Scarpetta restaurant at sea. It is NCL’s 17^th vessel.

November

• MSC Cruises has taken delivery of MSC Grandiosa, the first in the line’s Meraviglia Plus Class ships in Saint-Nazaire, France from Chantiers de l’Atlantique. The 6,297-passenger MSC Grandiosa is 16 metres longer than MSC’s Meraviglia Class vessels and has 200 cabins extra.
• MSC Cruises has unveiled plans to become the first carbon-neutral cruise line by January 1, 2020. MSC strives to end all carbon dioxide emissions via a chain of projects including tree planting, by starting marine projects, and by supporting communities that rely on the sea. MSC plans to bear the cost of this scheme itself and not ask passengers to contribute.
• Cruise & Maritime Voyages plans the advent of a new vessel and will shift its Astor to the French market. She will be renamed Jules Verne. Astor is currently sailing for Transocean Cruises serving the German market. She will be replaced by a larger vessel, making growth for Transocean possibl

• All of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines‘ ships will go into dry dock for a multi-million pound refurbishment program ending in 2020. Braemar will go first, followed by Balmoral and Black Watch. Finnally, Boudicca will go under the knife end of 2020.
• South Pacific cruise line Paul Gauguin Cruises, operating cruises from Tahiti since 1997 with their Paul Gauguin has ordered two new ships. This has been made possible after the line has been taken over by Ponant Cruises. The new vessels will be near sisters to Ponant’s Explorer-class ships.
• Cruise & Maritime Voyages will expand its six-vessel fleet in 2021 by acquiring Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria from P&O Cruises Australia

December

• SeaDream Yacht Club has canceled its order for their newbuilding SeaDream Innovation which was to be constructed by Damen shipyards after negotiations with the yard. The line’s current ships SeaDream I and II are doing well with exceptionally high occupancy rates, but the company wants to postpone expansion.
• Ponant, the parent company of Paul Gauguin Cruises states to have signed a contract with Norwegian shipyard Vard to build two new eco-friendly, hybrid-electric ships for their current acquisition with delivery expected in 2022. These 11,000GRT ships will have a capacity for 230 guests and will sail in the South Pacific with fleetmate Paul Gauguin. Batteries on board provide smokeless operation in ports and in environmentally sensitive areas. Designed to optimize energy consumption, reduce underwater noise and improve waste management they will qualify for the “Cleanship Super” label, which is assigned by Bureau Veritas.