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Newbuilds to be delivered in 2016

Posted on 8 January, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Newbuilds to be delivered in 2016:

Finesse, AIDAprima, River Voyager, AmaViola, AmaStella, AmaDessa, America, Samatha, Princess Panhwar, Avalon Passion, Avalon Imagery II, Carnival Vista, Elbe Princesse, Origin, Emerald Belle, Koningsdam, Seven Seas Explorer , Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Scenic Amber, Scenic Spirit, Scenic Azure, Scenic Aura, Seabourn Encore, Dream Cruises’ unnamed ship , Grace, Joy, Mein Schiff 5, Ganges Voyager II, Amadeus Silver III, Viking Sea and Viking River Cruises’ six Longship class river cruise vessels.

AIDA Cruises

AIDAprima (3,250 – March 2016) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (See image)
Unnamed new class ship (3,250 – Unknown: previously announced March 2016) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
New ship design (6,600 – ) Meyer Werft
New ship design (6,600 – ) Meyer Werft

AMA Waterways
AmaViola (158 – 2016) (“Certo-class” ship) Vahali Shipyard
AmaStella (164 – 2016) (River cruises in Europe)
AmaDessa ( – 2016) (“Certo-class” ship) Gendt Shipyard
(March 2015: AmaWaterways’ Executive Vice President and Co-owner Kristin Karst has confirmed the line will build two more ships in 2017 for river cruises in Europe)

American Cruise Lines
America (185 – Early 2016) Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.
Queen of the Mississippi ( – 2017) Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.
Unnamed coastal cruise ship (170 – Spring 2017) Chesapeake Shipbuilding

APT, Travelmarvel and Maing Fong Company
Samatha (30 suites – January 2016) Shipyard in Yangon (River cruises on the Burma River in Myanmar)
Princess Panhwar (36 suite – January 2016) Shipyard in Yangon (River cruises on the Burma River in Myanmar)
Avalon Waterways
Avalon Passion (2016)
Avalon Imagery II (2016)
Avalon Myanmar (36 – September 2015)
Blue Star Line
Titanic II Project (2,435 – Delayed to 2018) CSC shipyard
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Vista (3,954 – Spring 2016) Fincantieri
Unnamed Vista class ship (3,954 – March 2018) Fincantieri
Carnival Corp & Plc
March 2015: Carnival Corp & plc is ordering a total of nine cruise ships, five from Fincantieri and four from Meyer Werft. The new ships would be delivered over a four-year period between 2019 and 2022. Fincantieri will build five of the new vessels at its shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera in Italy while Meyer Werft will construct the remaining four at both its German yard at Papenburg and its new and larger capacity Finnish yard at Turku. June 2015: it was announced that the two at Meyer Werft will be for AIDA Cruises. July 2015: the two at Meyer Turku will be for Costa Cruises.

Celebrity Cruises
Project Edge class ship (2,900 – Fall 2018) STX France (Letter of intent)
Project Edge class ship (2,900 – Early 2020) STX France (Letter of intent)
Costa Cruises Asia
Unnamed ship (4,200 – 2019) Fincantieri
Unnamed ship (4,200 – 2020) Fincantieri
Costa Cruises
New ship design (6,600 – 2019) Meyer Turku (See image below at right)
New ship design (6,600 – 2020) Meyer Turku

Croisieurope
Princesse Elbe (80 – Spring 2016) Saint-Nazaire shipyard (Paddlewheel river cruise ship)
Princesse Apsara (60 – ) (Cruises on the Mekong)
Daniele (24 – ) (Barge)
Deborah (24 – ) (Barge)
Crystal Cruises
New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 – 2018) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent) (See image at left)
New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 – ) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent)
New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 – ) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent)
Crystal River Cruises
Crystal Bach (110 – March 2017) Lloyd Werft (See image at right)
Crystal Mahler (110 – March 2017) Lloyd Werft
Crystal Ravel (84 – March 2017) Lloyd Werft
Crystal Debussy (84 suites – March 2017) Lloyd Werft
Dream Cruises – Genting Hong Kong
(November 2015: Genting Hong Kong announced the launch of Dream Cruises with the two new ships under construction at Meyer Werft for Star Cruises)
Unnamed ship (3,364 – October 2016) Meyer Werft
Unnamed ship (1,682 cabins – Fall 2017) Meyer Werft
Ecoventura
Origin (20 – January 2016) Shipyard in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Emerald Waterways
Emerald Belle (182 – Early 2016) (Den Breejen Shipyard)
Unnamed sister ship (182 – 2017)
Unnamed sister ship (182 – 2017)
Unnamed sister ship (182 – 2017)
European Waterwayas
Finesse (8 – May 2016) Hotel barge

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Four Seasons Ocean Residence (48,600 grt – ) Kvaerner Masa (Aker Yards) (Conditional contract)
General Maritime Transportation Company (GNMTC)
Unnamed ship (1,739 – December 2012) STX Europe St Nazaire
(June 2011: STX France has rescinded the contract and is looking for a new buyer. March 2012: sold to MSC Cruises)

Holland America Line
Koningsdam (“Pinnacle” class ship) (2,650 – March 2016) Fincantieri (See image)
Second “Pinnacle” class ship (2,650 – November 2018) Fincantieri
Knud E Hansen (Naval architects)
New green-design expedition ship (300 – )(See image)
Lindblad Expeditions
Unnamed coastal vessel (100 – Second quarter of 2017) Nichols Brothers Boat Builders
Unnamed coastal vessel (100 – Second quarter of 2018) Nichols Brothers Boat Builders
Lüftner Cruises – Amras Cruises – Amadeus Cruises
Amadeus Silver III (168 – 2016) De Hoop, Holland
MSC Cruises
MSC Meraviglia (4,500 – May 2017) (Vista project ship ) STX France
MSC Meraviglia sister ship (4,500 – 2019) (Vista project ship ) STX France (See image at right)
(MSC Cruises has options for two further Vista project ships to be delivered by 2022)
MSC Seaside (5,300 – November 2017) Fincantieri
Second Seaside class ship (5,300 – May 2018) Fincantieri
(See image below)

Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Bliss (4,200 – Spring 2017) Meyer Werft
Breakaway-Plus class cruise ship (4,200 – Spring 2018) Meyer Werft
Breakaway-Plus class cruise ship (4,200 – Autumn 2019) Meyer Werft
OVDS – Hurtigruten – Norwegian Coastal Voyage
Fram’s sister ship (2008) Fincantieri (Option to be confirmed)
Peace Boat
New Ecoship (1,700 – 2020) (Subject to financing by donations or investors) (See image at right)
Pearl Seas Cruises
Unnamed sister ship of the Pearl Mist (214 -) (Originally the ship would be built at the Irving Shipbuilding, in Halifax, Nova Scotia but in March 2008 Pearl Seas decided to built the second ship in a different shipyard)
P&O Cruises Australia
Unnamed ship (2,400 – 2019/2020) Fincantieri
Polar Cruise Enterprises
Ursus Maritimus – Ice breaking cruise liner (240 – ) Rauma yard of STX Finland
Princess Cruises
Majestic Princess (3,560 – Summer 2017) Fincantieri
Fourth “Royal Princess” class vessel (3,560 – 2019 / 2020) Fincantieri
Residential Cruise Line Ltd.
Magellan (residential cruise ship) – Aker Yards (Memorandum of Understanding)
Riva Waterways – Evergreen Tours
Riva Royale (180 – April 2014) Shipyard De Hoop (River ship)
Riva Princess (180 – April 2014) Shipyard De Hoop (River ship)
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Seven Seas Explorer (738 – Summer 2016) Fincantieri Sestri Ponente (See image at right)
Royal Caribbean International
Ovation of the Seas (4,100 – Mid 2016) Meyer Werf
Harmony of the Seas (5,400 – Mid 2016) STX France
Third ship of the Oasis class (5,400 – Mid 2018) STX France
Fourth Quantum-class ship (4,100 – Spring 2019) Meyer Werf
Fifth Quantum-class ship (4,100 – Fall 2020) Meyer Werf
Saga Shipping – Saga Cruises

Unnamed new class ship (540 suites and cabins – 2019) Meyer Werft (There is an option for a second ship with delivery in 2021) (See image at left)

Scenic – Luxury Cruises & Tours
Scenic Amber (169 – March 2016) River ‘Space-Ships’ class (Den Breejen shipyard)
Scenic Spirit (68 – January 2016) Cruises on the Mekong River in Asia
Scenic Azure (48 cabins – March / April 2016) (Portugal’s Douro River cruises)
Scenic Aura (24 balcony suites – September 2016) (Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River cruises)
Seabourn Cruises
Seabourn Encore (604 – Second half of 2016) Fincantieri (See image)
Seabourn Ovation (604 – Spring 2018) Fincantieri (See image)
Sea Cloud Cruises
Sea Cloud Hussar (136 – November 2010) Factoria Naval de Marin, Spain (She is a three-mast sailing vessel)
Silversea Cruises
Silver Muse (596 – April 2017) Fincantieri
Unnamed vessel (-) Fincantieri
Unnamed vessel (-) Fincantieri
(October 2014: Shanghai-based ICBC Leasing announced that it had signed with Monte Carlo-based Silversea Cruises for the financing of three cruise ships to be built by Fincantieri in Italy)

Star Clippers
New five-masted sailing vessel (300 – Late 2017) (Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia) (See image at right)
Sunstone Ships
Project Unlimited (240 – ) (Expedition ship) Meyer Werft (Letter of intent)(See image)
Tauck – Scylla AG
Grace (Inspiration Class ship) (130 – 2016) (See image at left))
Joy (Inspiration Class ship) (130 – 2016)
TUI Cruises
Mein Schiff 5 (2500 – 2016) Meyer Turku(See image sister ship Mein Schiff 3)
Mein Schiff 6 (2500 – 2017) Meyer Turku
Mein Schiff 7 (2500 – 2018) Meyer Turku Oy
Mein Schiff 8 (2500 – 2019) Meyer Turku Oy
Uniworld River Cruises
Ganges Voyager II (56 – January 2016) (Ganges River Cruises. Haimark Travel is building the ship for Uniworld)
Unknown cruise operator
New Expedition Vessel for Extreme Conditions (60 – December 2014) Kleven Maritime AS (Norway)
Utopia Residences
Utopia – private residential vessel (105,000 ton – ) (June 2011: the letter of intent for the Utopia is expected to become a firm contract) Samsung Heavy Industries
Vantage Deluxe World Travel
River Voyager (176 – March 2016)
(Ship for European river cruises)

Victoria Cruises
Victoria Emperor (Over 200 – planning stage) (River cruises in China)
Viking Ocean Cruises
Viking Sky (944 – February 2017) Fincantieri (See image sister ship Viking Star – Photo Neven Jerkovic at Shipspotting.com)
Viking Sea (944 – Mid 2016) Fincantieri
New luxury ocean ship (944 – Early 2017) Fincantieri
New luxury ocean ship (944 – Mid 2018) Fincantieri
New luxury ocean ship (944 – End 2020) Fincantieri
Viking River Cruises
October 2014: Viking has placed an order for six Longship class river cruise vessels with Neptun Werft in Rostock. The now ordered ships will be delivered in the Spring of 2016.

Virgin Cruises
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 – 2020) Fincantieri
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 – 2021) Fincantieri
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 – 2022) Fincantieri

Xiamen International Cruise Co Ltd
China Xiamen (2,000 – planning for October 2018) Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry
(August 2015: Cruise Industry News has reported that Xiamen Shipbuilding has dropped plans to build the ship)

Why Paris is of concern to the river cruise industry, too

Posted on 30 November, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

It just so happens that France has been on the rise in the river cruising world. The Seine River and cruises on the Rhone and Saone rivers in the south of France have been gaining popularity in recent years, and last year Bordeaux became a new river cruise region that lines have since jumped on with new capacity.

So, in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris earlier this month, river cruise lines also have a lot to potentially lose if travelers become nervous about upcoming sailings in France — or in the rest of Europe for that matter.

The company had a river vessel sailing the Seine back towards Paris several days after the attacks and decided to disembark passengers in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a bit further up the Seine from Paris, given the uncertainty in the capital as events unfolded there. Karst noted that AmaWaterways offers a two-night post-river cruise program in Paris, and gave the guests the option to continue with their plans or fly home.

“We had one very large group [and] they wanted to continue and do the two nights in Paris,” said Karst.

AmaWaterways had two more Rhone cruises this month, on Nov. 19 and Nov. 26, and did have some cancellations on those cruises, for which the line offered a 100% future cruise credit. While the news is concerning, Karst noted that an agent had emailed the company several days after the attacks to open up a group booking request for a cruise in Bordeaux, which she found hopeful.

The Paris attacks come at the tail end of what was a challenging 2015 for travel in Europe between the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris at the start of the year, and the migrant crisis that remained in the media spotlight throughout the summer. River cruise lines had the added challenge of low water levels, a nagging problem in Europe since July.

After several years of boom times for the river cruise industry, there is now a large amount of inventory sailing through Europe, and a lot of hype and investment on the line. Like other sectors of the travel industry, the river cruise segment is likely watching closely and hoping this all blows over before the selling season gets under way after the start of the new year. Either way, they’re probably well aware that the Paris attacks will pose some challenges, however short or long-lived.

The Danube, in style

Posted on 22 October, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

The Avalon Expression on the Danube in Austria’s Wachau, a valley that boasts sights such as Schloss Schonbuhel castle.

When Avalon Waterways asked me in 2013 to be the godmother of its then-new Expression Suite Ship, I was both honored and perplexed.

I had been following the burgeoning popularity of river cruising in Europe but considered myself neither authority nor godmother material. Avalon Managing Director Patrick Clark explained the company’s reasoning, pointing out my love for the sites that line Europe’s great rivers and featured in my book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.”

“Avalon’s mission is to connect those dots and bring our guests there with the utmost in comfort,” Clark said. “We’re a good match.”

He was right, of course, and I jumped onboard — and that festive May ceremony in the Rhine town of Koblenz will forever remain a special moment for me.

My first real immersion in the comfort and enveloping charms of the Expression, however, didn’t happen until last month, when I hosted a one-week cruise on the legendary Danube, Europe’s longest river; we would visit four of the 10 countries through which its not-so-blue waters flow. (No other river passes through so many countries.)

Traveling east to west, we began in Budapest and were scheduled to disembark in Nuremberg, Germany, but not before having explored stops in Austria and with a sail-by visit of Bratislava in Slovakia. A rich itinerary like this deserves to close on a high note, and it did, with a post-cruise transfer to Prague, Czech Republic.

Avalon taps the destination knowledge and logistical backup of its Globus Family of Brands sister companies to create an impressive roster of included land programs to cities large (Vienna; Regensburg, Germany) and small (Durnstein and Melk, Austria). Extra-cost options, ranging from Strauss concerts and horse shows to wine tastings, fleshed out each day’s possibilities.

Budapest is one of four capital cities sitting directly on the banks of the Danube.

We arrived in Budapest even before Avalon’s predeparture package began, wanting extra time to explore one of the four capital cities sitting directly on the banks of the Danube. Budapest is a magnificent city; with eight illuminated bridges and outdoor restaurants with strolling violinists, it exudes a festive air. Walkways line the banks of the Danube, popular with locals and tourists out for nocturnal strolls.

Avalon’s base at the waterfront InterContinental Budapest was peerless for its location, steps from the famous 19th century Chain Bridge (the first to connect Buda and Pest). It is within sight of the city’s (and country’s) finest hotel, the exquisitely restored Four Seasons Gresham Palace. We lingered there over a palinka (fruit brandy) in the hotel’s theatrical bar-lounge, imagining life in the Belle Epoque.

We had just returned from an excellent Context Walking Tour, an insightful three-hour stroll through the city’s golden age, the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries when the Hungarian capital flourished as a center of art and learning, and intellectuals throughout Europe gravitated here; that tour was not part of Avalon’s precruise package. Keeping the historical theme alive, we dressed up for a quintessentially Hungarian evening at the Gundel restaurant, in business since the late 1800s. A four-piece gypsy orchestra and a rich menu of classic Hungarian specialties sealed the deal with our new love affair with the city.

Avalon’s coach tour the next day covered the capital city’s many highlights and filled in the holes with a crash course on the country’s rich and complex history.

But the Expression called, and soon we were boarding the 166-passenger vessel, one of Avalon’s 10 Suite Ships. (Its Europe fleet currently numbers 15, with two 36-guest All-Suite Ships sailing Asia’s Irrawaddy and Mekong debuting this year.)

The beauty of river cruising is that you only unpack once, so it might as well be in one of Avalon’s spacious 200-square-foot accommodations. They are 30% larger than the industry standard on Europe’s waterways and make up 80% of the rooms. (The balance are marginally smaller at 172 square feet, while just two 300-square-foot Royal Suites await a lucky few.) The unquestionable standout feature goes to the “floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall panoramic windows that open 7 feet wide to create an open-air balcony,” Clark said. Add to that Comfort Collection beds that are positioned to face the windows — not a wall — to watch European vignettes of steep, terraced vineyards and hilltop castles drift by.

The ship’s layout was explained to us the first evening by our personable cruise director, Nancy Paredes. River vessels, she said, are limited by the size of the river locks through which they will travel, so adding a conventional balcony would compromise room space. Hence that remarkable wall of windows. “Comfort,” Clark reminded me, “is king.”

The mix of excited passengers was predominantly from the U.S., with a good number from Canada and a handful from New Zealand, Australia and the U.K. By the end of the cruise, if we didn’t know each other by name, we certainly recognized everyone.

The casually elegant dining room was a fun spot to sit with fellow guests, sharing culinary experiences that ranged from very good to excellent and were often influenced by our host country and the local markets’ (and vineyards’) offerings.

With the record-breaking numbers of river ships that are exiting the boatyards every year, it still seemed like there was plenty of Danube to go around for all of us. Some days we saw more vessels docked at the ports along the way than we did sailing the river itself. It often felt like we had the Danube to ourselves.

Newbuilds to be delivered in 2016:

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