The floating out of the Sun Princess, the first of two LNG cruise ships for Princess Cruises, has taken place at Fincantieri’s yard in Monfalcone.
At 175,500 gross tons, the Sun Princess is the largest ship built so far in Italy, as well as the first LNG cruise ship ever built by Fincantieri, and the first dual-fuel vessel powered primarily by LNG to enter Princess’ fleet. LNG is the marine industry’s most environmentally friendly advanced fuel technology and the world’s cleanest fossil fuel, which will significantly reduce air emissions and marine gas oil usage, Fincantieri said.
The Sun Princess will be delivered in Q1 2024 and starts the Sphere class, which includes a sister-ship to be delivered in 2025. They will each accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and are based on a next-generation platform design.
Royal Caribbean Group and its portfolio of cruise brands will launch 11 new ships between 2023 and 2026, culminating in the third Icon Class ship in 2026 being delivered from Meyer Turku to Royal Caribbean International, and a newbuild for TUI Cruises from Fincantieri, according to the cruise ship orderbook.
In the near term, Jason Liberty, president and CEO, said that the business would grow capacity by 10 per cent in 2024, 5 per cent in 2025 and 6 per cent in 2026.
“I think the first thing to point out is, that’s not just one brand in one market, in one destination,” he said. “So this reflects our three wholly owned brands and how they’re going to grow in their different segments and also for these ships to be in other parts of the world.
“If you look at the orderbook, as you get into ’27 and ’28, it’s lighter orderbook. We believe that at Royal Caribbean that the addressable market is underpenetrated, especially in all the different markets in which we operate. We work very hard to create global brands that attract guests from all over the world and build revenue management systems to effectively harvest that quality demand. And we think that apparatus more than supports our expected supply growth over the coming years.”
Oceania Cruises’ new ship, the Oceania Vista, is joining the fleet in 2023.
The cruise line’s newest ship is being constructed by Fincantieri, as is Oceania Vista’s sister ship scheduled to arrive in 2025. Both are part of the brand’s new Allura class of ships.
The Oceania Vista will deliver the “Finest Cuisine at Sea” according to the company, with personalized service and a range of dining options for guests to choose from.
Aside from casual dining experiences such as a poolside burger, the ship will also feature private dining venues as well as Privée, a special venue for bespoke culinary celebrations for a maximum of ten guests.
The 67,000-ton ship accommodating 1,200 guests will embark on its maiden voyage from Rome, Italy to Barcelona, Spain on April 14, 2023.
Itineraries include visits to 24 countries across four continents for in debut season.
The Oceania Vista’s inaugural 2023 season will include: ● Exploring the Spanish, French and Italian Rivieras ● Greek Isles ● Holy Lands of Turkey and Israel ● Canary Islands ● Wine Country of Spain, ● Portugal and France ● The British Isles and Ireland ● Colonial America and Panama Canal
The itineraries will feature overnight stays in Lisbon, Venice, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Bordeaux, Montreal and New York City. The ship will also explore off-the-beaten-paths such as Port-Vendres, Bodrum, Kavala/Philippi, Bozcaada, Chania, Izmir, Salerno, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Killybegs, Saint-Pierre, Shelburne, Martha’s Vineyard and Corinto.
On April 26, the ship will embark on a ten-day journey from Barcelona, Spain with calls to the ports of Grenada, Tangier, and Lisbon. On May 16, the Oceania Vista will set sail on a 14-day Mediterranean Visions voyage.
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