While my fleetmate Heidi Sarna this week remembers her favorite cruises of all time, I'm going to look ahead and see what's on tap from all the worthwhile cruise lines over the coming year and a half.
It's going to be an interesting time, mostly because the past couple years have already been interesting in a wobbly, sweaty, financially uncertain, and kinda grim way. Ideas that seemed pretty great on the drawing board during boom times -- build a ship 25% larger than any ever built before, build three ships more than 50% larger than any you've ever operated before, build five new megaships in three years -- may prove either prescient or batty, depending on when and how fast the world economy gets rolling again. Some ideas have already gone awry -- NCL's plan for building three big "F-3" (third-generation "Freestyle") super-megaships ran into a wall of price disputes with the shipyard, and has now been whittled down to the lonely but still impressive Norwegian Epic, due in May 2010. Pearl Seas Cruises, a new, semi-luxe small-ship venture from American Cruise Lines, was to have launched in May 2008, but now looks to be a 2010 baby at best due to delays in construction of its first ship, the 214-passenger Pearl Mist. Plans for a second Pearl ship from the same Halifax shipyard have also been scrapped.
Still in all, there's plenty on the way, and plenty of it is plenty big. The average newly built vessel launched in the next 18 months will carry literally twice the number of passengers as the average ship launched a decade ago, and several of the biggest will be literally three times the size of a 1990s cruiser, and more than five times the size of the legendary Titanic. At the same time, several lines are preparing to launch the kind of small and midsize ships that we in the floating media have often feared would never be built again, judging by cruise line execs' focus on economies of scale (i.e., bigger ships = more passengers to spend money + more things for them to spend money on).
Here's a rundown of what's coming down the gangway for the rest of 2009 and 2010.
Costa Pacifica & Costa Luminosa (June 2009): Both of these ships have already launched, but since they were just christened last week, I'll stretch my parameters. The 92,700-ton, 2,260-passenger Luminosa represents a whole new class for Costa, with interiors designed by Joe Farcus (the man who made Carnival look like Carnival), the largest percentage of balcony cabins on any Costa ship to date, a Costa-commissioned Fernando Botero sculpture in the atrium, a "4D" cinema that combines touch and scent with the usual sight and sound, a roller-skating track on one of the top decks, a huge spa, and a Grand Prix race car simulator. The 114,500-ton, 3,000-passenger Costa Pacifica is the third sister of Costa Concordia and Costa Serena and was designed on the theme of "music," with a music-inspired interior design, music-inspired artworks, and an onboard studio where guests can record their versions of some 400 Italian and international songs. Both ships were christened at a dual ceremony in Genoa on June 5.
Seabourn Odyssey (June 2009): The 32,000-ton, 450-passenger Odyssey, due to launch on June 24 at a ceremony in Venice, is one of the year's pleasant surprises, if only for the fact that executives of Seabourn's parent company stated several years ago that it just wouldn't make economic sense for them to build new small ships for the luxury brand. Guess they changed their minds. Odyssey will maintain the yacht-like look and ambience of her older cousins, with an extremely high passenger-space ratio; four dining options; a fold-out water sports marina; a terraced top-deck enclave furnished with large sun beds; and a large spa with thalassotherapy pool, his-and-hers Finnish saunas, a selection of aromatic steam rooms, and outdoor relaxation decks.
Celebrity Equinox (July 2009): Equinox is a 118,000-ton, 2,850-passenger sister to 2008's beautiful Celebrity Solstice, which received universal acclaim as one of most beautiful megaships ever launched. Like Solstice, Equinox will feature a top-deck Lawn Club with real grass, an eye-opening collection of contemporary art, a "Hot Glass Show" introducing the art of glassblowing at an outdoor theater, four specialty restaurants, innovatively roomy staterooms, and an unbelievably stylish interior decor.
Carnival Dream (September 2009): The 130,000-ton, 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream represents a new class of ships for Carnival, and will be the line's biggest ship ever, by far. Among her features: An adults-only "Serenity" retreat, a giant movie screen out on deck, a half-mile outdoor promenade, the largest spa in the Carnival fleet, a "WaterWorks" park with a twister waterslide and splash park, a specialty Supper Club, and two main restaurants.
Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas (November 2009): Biggest of the big new ships is the 220,000-ton, 5,400-passenger Oasis, a behemoth that beats Royal's own world-record Freedom and Independence of the Seas by a full 25%. She'll be the first cruise ship ever set up with distinct "neighborhoods" of public rooms and attractions, each offering a very different experience -- including a real park with trees, a boardwalk-like carnival area with its own zipline, a huge zone just for kids, an indoor promenade, and a pool and sports area with a real sand "beach."
Silversea Silver Spirit (December 2009): Silversea's 36,000-ton, 540-passenger Silver Spirit is among the smallest vessels on this list but will still be the largest ship in the ultra-luxury line's fleet. The extra space will allow introduction of several features not available on the 296-passenger Silver Cloud and Silver Wind and the 382-passenger Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper -- namely six restaurants (including a supper club and Japanese venue), a 7,300-square-foot spa, and private verandas on 95% of cabins.
Costa Deliziosa (February 2010): A 92,700-ton, 2,260-passenger twin to the just-launched Costa Luminosa (see above).
MSC Magnifica (March 2010): The latest sister in MSC's 86,600-ton, 2,518-passenger Musica class, Magnifica will offer "MSC Yacht Club" accommodations (54 top-deck suites with 24-hour butler service and public areas for Yacht Club guests only); a huge spa with Turkish baths, a Thalassotherapy room, and a relaxation area; a solarium; three swimming pools; and five restaurants.
Sea Cloud Cruises Sea Cloud Hussar (June 2010):
Germany-based Sea Cloud Cruises currently operates two river ships and two luxury sailing ships, the classic 64-passenger Sea Cloud (built in 1931 for E. F. Hutton and Marjorie Merriweather Post) and the 94-passenger replica Sea Cloud II. Next year, the fleet will expand to five with the introduction of the 445-foot-long, 136-passenger Sea Cloud Hussar -- mirroring the original name of Sea Cloud before Post changed it after her and Hutton's divorce. Like Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud II, the Hussar will be able to sail in the traditional manner, but will also operate via a diesel-electric engine that the line describes as "particularly environment friendly." At her prow will be the gold Sea Cloud eagle figurehead, while her interiors will be designed in a classic yacht style reminiscent of the Edwardian era.NCL Norwegian Epic (May 2010): After Royal Caribbean's Oasis, Epic is certainly the most anticipated new ship in the cruise world. Far larger than anything NCL has ever operated before (at 150,000 tons and carrying 4,200 passengers), the vessel is shaping up to be nearly as distinctive as Oasis, with the majority of its innovations being in attitude rather than big-ticket attractions -- think hipster-oriented budget cabins with mood lighting, an outdoor nightclub, the cruise world's first ice bar, two bowling alleys, a "neighborhood bar & grill," a water park with the largest water slides at sea, and a sports area featuring the first-ever rapelling wall and the first-ever squash court at sea, a dodge ball court, a batting cage, a bungee trampoline, and a 24-foot tall enclosed climbing cage called the Spider Web.
Celebrity Eclipse (June 2010): A sister to 2009's Equinox and 2008's Solstice, Eclipse will likely be an almost identical twin, though no details have yet been released.
Seabourn Sojourn (June 2010): A twin sister to Seabourn Odyssey, which launches this month (see above).
Oceania Cruises Marina (September 2010): The first purpose-built ship planned by Oceania, this 1,258-passenger, 65,000-ton vessel will be roughly 50% larger than the line's current ships, which were all acquired from defunct Renaissance Cruises. Both inside and out, Marina will be an extension of the line's current vessels, retaining the same boutique-hotel feel while adding new amenities and a little extra engine punch that will allow them to travel 20% faster (and thus, sail farther on each itinerary). Ninety-six percent of all staterooms will have private teak verandas, and guests will be able to dine at a grand dining room or any of four specialty restaurants: a grill, an Italian trattoria, a French bistro, and a Pan-Asian restaurant.
Cunard Queen Elizabeth (October 2010): A successor both to the recently departed QE2 and to the great Queen Elizabeth of the 1940s, the new, 90,400-ton, 2,058-passenger Elizabeth will be very much in the mold of Cunard's current two vessels, QM2 and Queen Victoria, combining modern features with design elements and traditions that hearken back to old ocean liner days -- double- and triple-height public rooms, wood-grain paneling and intricate mosaics, and a modified class system, with suite guests rating better restaurants and lounges than folks in coach.
Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas (November 2010): A sister ship to Oasis of the Seas, which debuts in November 2009 (see above).
Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam (fall 2010): A sister ship to 2008's Eurodam, this 86,000-ton, 2,104-passenger vessel will feature an interior design and art collection themed around New York, whose original Dutch name was "New Amsterdam." Features will include a pan-Asian restaurant, a premium wine-tasting lounge, an luxury jewelry boutique, and the line's largest gym, as well as now-standard HAL features the Explorations Cafe news and internet joint, the Pinnacle Grill and Pinnacle Bar, and the Culinary Arts Center for cooking demos.
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