HAL, Seabourn, Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises will each debut a new ship this year
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation & plc is to launch four new ships across four of its global cruise brands in 2016.
These additions are part of the 17 ships scheduled for delivery for Carnival Corporation’s ten brands between 2016 and 2020.
“As we execute our fleet enhancement plan – which includes a long-term strategy for bringing highly efficient, state-of-the-art ships to market and elevating the overall cruise experience – we are excited about seeing these new ships come to life this year,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “With each new ship we introduce, we generate new levels of excitement it creates for our guests and the industry. It also supports our goal to provide the best possible vacation experience at a value that land-based vacations cannot match. In the end, with our existing and new ships, our focus is for our guests to come away from a cruise vacation having had a great time and looking forward to going on another cruise.”
Kicking off the year is Holland America Line’s Koningsdam, which is expected to be delivered by Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy this April. The line’s largest-ever ship and the first in its Pinnacle Class, Koningsdam will feature interiors designed by Adam D. Tihany and Bjørn Storbraaten. She will be able to accommodate 2,650 guests and 1,025 crew members and feature the line’s first purpose-built family and single-traveller staterooms, and various entertainment venues including the Music Walk area, the Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard Onboard, and B.B. King’s Blues Club in the Queen’s Lounge and World Stage, which will feature a 270-degree LED projection in the main showroom. New dining concepts and venues will include an immersive farm-to-table dinner experience in the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine; a casual Lido Market with themed serving stations; and more.
Carnival Cruise Line’s 133,500gt Carnival Vista is also expected to be delivered in April and enter service on 1 May, initially sailing from Europe. The 3,954-guest vessel will offer various innovations including a suspended cycling experience called SkyRide; Family Harbor staterooms and suites featuring a family concierge; the cruise industry’s first IMAX Theatre; and Carnival’s first onboard brewery. Carnival Vista, which is the line’s largest ship, will reposition to New York, US for a series of voyages in November 2016 before homeporting year-round in Miami to offer Caribbean cruises.
April also marks the delivery of AIDA Cruises’ 124,100gt AIDAprima, which is the first of the line’s two new vessels to be built at the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan. As the first of AIDA’s ships to be outfitted with dual fuel engines, AIDAprima will operate using LNG and feature a comprehensive filter system to reduce nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide and soot particles by around 90 to 99%. Fuel use will also be reduced by a new hull design, pod drive technology and the use of the Mitsubishi Air Lubrication Systems. Onboard highlights will include 1,643 cabins; The Beach Club, a transparent dome providing a place for guests to hang out by the pool regardless of weather; a water slide; a high ropes course; and the new AIDA Mini Club.
In December, Seabourn Cruise Line is to take delivery of Seabourn Encore. Modelled on Seabourn’s Odyssey-class ships and designed by Adam D. Tihany, the 40,350gt Seabourn Encore is the first of two luxury cruise ships Fincantieri will build for the line over the next three years. The ship will be configured with one additional deck, new expanded public areas, suites with private verandas and is expected to carry just 600 guests.
Carnival Corporation will continue to introduce new cruise vessels between 2016 and 2020.
In December 2015, the line signed a memo of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build four new cruise ships – two for Costa Asia, one for P&O Cruises Australia and one for Princess Cruises – and expects to execute the final contracts in 2016.
Last year, the company also contracted Meyer Werft to build four next-generation cruise ships that will be the first in the cruise industry to be powered at sea by LNG. Two of the ships will sail in the Costa Cruises fleet, while two will join AIDA Cruises, and all four will have the largest guest capacity in the world.
“We remain focused on managing our fleet capacity in a responsible way by delivering and refurbishing ships that are innovative and efficient, while we phase out some of our existing ships – all designed to reinvigorate the options available to travellers looking to explore the more than 700 destinations we visit around the world,” said Donald.