Keel Laid for Royal Caribbean’s Seventh Oasis Class Ship
Royal Caribbean announced that it has celebrated a construction milestone for the seventh Oasis-class vessel with a keel-laying ceremony at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
The event marks the start of assembly of the company’s new ship and kicks off the next two years of construction ahead of its anticipated 2028 debut.
Royal Caribbean said in a press release that during the ceremony, teams from Royal Caribbean and Chantiers de l’Atlantique placed a layer of freshly minted coins beneath the first steel block in the drydock, known as the keel.
The long-standing maritime tradition celebrates the beginning of the ship’s journey by wishing good fortune to the ship, its crew and future vacationers.
More details about the seventh Oasis Class vacation will be announced in due course.
The MSC World America recently completed its first year of service after entering service for MSC Cruises on April 12, 2025.
As part of the company’s World-class series, the vessel was built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France.
Along with its sister ship, the MSC World Europa, the 5,400-passenger ship debuted as the largest ship in MSC’s fleet.
With a series of tweaks aimed at the U.S. market, the MSC World America was designed for year-round service in the Caribbean.
After crossing the Atlantic with no guests onboard, the vessel made its official debut in Florida, following a christening ceremony at MSC’s new cruise terminal in PortMiami.
As it enters its second year of service, the MSC World America will continue to offer weeklong cruises from its homeport of Miami.
In 2026, the vessel’s schedule includes itineraries to both the Western and Eastern Caribbean, visiting a range of destinations, such as Cozumel in Mexico and Roatán in Honduras.
MSC is now getting ready to add two additional World Class ships to its fleet in the near future, including the MSC World Asia.
While its name pays homage to Asia, the 208,500-ton vessel is set to offer year-round cruises in the Western Mediterranean starting in December 2026.
In late 2027, the company is welcoming the MSC World Atlantic, which will sail from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
Cruise Industry 10-Year Timeline: 50+ Million Guests, 20% Growth
The global cruise business is on course to grow at least 20 per cent between 2026 and 2036, with big new ships driving growth to an estimated 50 million guests, according to the 2026 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.
That is compared to just over 23 million guests 10 years ago, and an estimated 39 million this year.
The bulk of the growth is coming from the industry’s major players that have numerous new big ships on order, including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, MSC Cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line.
Together, these five brands have a combined 34 ships on order, amounting to just over 150,000 new berths.
The most growth is coming from MSC, with 10 newbuilds set to debut. The new ships from the industry’s fastest-growing will include more World-class vessels built in France, and an entirely new class of vessel set to be constructed in Germany at Meyer Werft.
Norwegian Cruise Line is close behind with eight ships on order, adding more than 36,000 berths through 2037 as the brand continues to scale its large-ship fleet at Fincantieri in Italy.
Royal Caribbean International has six newbuilds scheduled, building on the success of its Icon-class platform with additional vessels from both Meyer Turku in Finland and Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France.
Carnival Cruise Line has five ships on order totalling nearly 30,000 berths, with new tonnage coming from both Meyer Werft and Fincantieri.
Disney Cruise Line, meanwhile, is accelerating its own expansion with five ships set to debut through 2031, more than doubling its current fleet size and extending its reach into new global markets.
The combined orderbook across all cruise lines stands at 78 ocean ships valued at approximately $80 billion, reflecting the industry’s confidence in sustained long-term demand.
Wetravel2u's Weblog 