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.”
Seven new cruise ships are set to debut in U.S. market by the end of 2022.
While some of the newbuilds are leaving the shipyard and heading straight to North America, other vessels have initially entered service in Europe before arriving in the U.S. for the winter season.
Here’s the list of new ships:
Carnival Celebration Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Delivery Date: October 2022 Capacity: 5,200 guests Tonnage: 183,000 U.S. Arrival: November 20 U.S. Homeport: Miami
Following a transatlantic crossing, the new Carnival Celebration is launching service in the Caribbean this November. Joining the Mardi Gras, the Excel-Class ship will become Carnival’s second LNG-powered vessel while offering week-long cruises departing from PortMiami year-round.
Norwegian Prima Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line Delivery Date: July 2022 Capacity: 3,215 guests Tonnage: 142,500 U.S. Arrival: October 5 U.S. Homeports: New York City, Miami, Galveston and Port Canaveral
After debuting recently in Iceland, the Norwegian Prima is arriving in New York City on October 5. First in a new series of ships known as Prima-Class, the 3,125-guest ship will sail an “inaugural tour” during the winter season, offering itineraries from four different U.S. homeports.
Celebrity Beyond Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises Delivery Date: April 2022 Capacity: 3,260 guests Tonnage: 140,600 U.S. Arrival: October 24 U.S. Homeport: New York City and Fort Lauderdale
The Celebrity Beyond is set to debut in North America this winter. After entering service in Europe back in April, the third Edge-Class vessel will arrive in New York City on October 24, ahead of a season of Caribbean cruises departing from the Port Everglades.
MSC Seascape Cruise Line: MSC Cruises Delivery Date: November 2022 Capacity: 4,560 guests Tonnage: 169,000 U.S. Arrival: December 5 U.S. Homeport: Miami
A sister to the 2021-built MSC Seashore, the MSC Seascape is debuting in North America with a series of cruises departing from Miami. The newest MSC Cruises vessel is heading to the United States soon after leaving the shipyard and arrives in New York City – where it will be christened – on December 5.
Viking Neptune Cruise Line: Viking Delivery Date: Q4 2022 Capacity: 930 guests Tonnage: 47,000 U.S. Arrival: December 22 U.S. Homeport: Fort Lauderdale
The newest Viking ship is heading to the United States this December. After debuting in the Mediterranean in November, the Viking Neptune will cross the Atlantic on its way to Fort Lauderdale. The luxury ship is then set to kick off a 137-night world cruise – which will also visit Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and two ports in Hawaii.
Valiant Lady Cruise Line: Virgin Voyages Delivery Date: July 2021 Capacity: 2,770 guests Tonnage: 110,000 U.S. Arrival: October 30 U.S. Homeport: Miami
Silver Dawn Cruise Line: Silversea Cruises Delivery Date: November 2021 Capacity: 596 guests Tonnage: 40,700 U.S. Arrival: December 16 U.S. Homeport: Fort Lauderdale
The new Silver Dawn is debuting in North America in December. After launching service earlier this year in Europe, the 2021-built ship will be based in Fort Lauderdale for most of the winter, offering a series of Caribbean itineraries.
With the cruise industry poised to resume its growth course post-COVID-19, Carnival Corporation is projected to increase its passenger capacity by approximately 25 per cent from 2019 (normal year comparison) to 2027, based on existing newbuild orders and expected deployment, according to the 2021 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.
The Royal Caribbean Group is projected to grow 33 per cent; Norwegian Holdings, 43 per cent, while MSC Cruises will double its passenger capacity over the same time period.
On a fleetwide basis, Carnival Corporation is projected to be able to carry more than 14 million guests by 2027, Royal Caribbean, more than eight million, MSC 4.8 million and Norwegian and Norwegian 3.5 million.
Royal Caribbean International will be the single largest brand with an estimated passenger capacity of about six million, while MSC moves up as the second-largest single brand on a global basis with a passenger capacity of 4.8 million.
Wetravel2u's Weblog 