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Luxury Cruise Fleet Average Age: 12-Year-Old Ships

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Luxury Cruise Fleet Average Age: 12-Year-Old Ships

Regent Seven Seas Grandeur photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr Account 

Data from the latest edition of the Luxury Market Report by Cruise Industry News shows that a luxury cruise ship has an average age of roughly 12 years in 2025.

After undergoing significant expansion in the past ten years, the luxury market saw newbuild after newbuild enter service over the last decade, led by aggressive growth from Viking, Ponant and others.

Ritz-Carlton, Swan Hellenic, Emerald and Explora are among the brands with the youngest fleets in 2025.

They also represent the newest brands, having all launched service with new vessels after 2020.

Brands such as Ponant, Silversea, Regent, Viking and Hapag-Lloyd have average fleet ages falling between ten and 15 years.

Among the brands owned by major public cruise corporations, Seabourn has the youngest fleet, with ships that are nine years old on average in 2025.

Silversea comes in second with an 11-year average fleet age, followed by Hapag-Lloyd with a 13-year average and Regent Seven Seas with a 14-year average.

Brands including SeaDream, Crystal, Paul Gauguin and Windstar have some of the oldest fleets in the market.

While extensively refurbished over the years, SeaDream’s yachts are among the oldest ships in the market, with a median age of 40 years in 2025.

Fresh from a major drydock in Singapore, Paul Gauguin’s sole ship, the Paul Gauguin, is another industry veteran with a nearly 30-year sailing career.

Amidst a rejuvenation project that includes the debut of two newer ships through 2026, as well as major refurbishment projects, the Windstar fleet had an average age of 28 years in 2025.

With a series of newbuilds scheduled to arrive starting in 2028, Crystal’s fleet currently has an average age of 26 years.

The Cruise Industry News’ report also shows that, with eight newbuilds scheduled to enter service for luxury brands, the market’s fleet median age is set to grow by nearly six months next year.

Celebrity Beyond Resumes Service Following Repairs

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Celebrity Beyond Resumes Service Following Repairs

The Celebrity Beyond resumed its regular cruise schedule earlier this week after having a cruise cancelled due to propulsion issues.

Following repairs at a shipyard in the Bahamas, the 2022-built vessel welcomed guests back on July 27, 2025.

Sailing from PortMiami, the Beyond is now offering a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean that features visits to ports in the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico.

While all planned ports of call are set to be visited, Celebrity said that adjustments to the ship’s itineraries will be made.

“As you may have heard, our ship experienced a technical issue last week. Our experts responded swiftly and thoroughly, upholding the highest standards of safety and care,” the company explained in a statement sent to guests now onboard.

“We’re pleased to share that all necessary work is progressing and on track to be completed before our cruise together,” Celebrity continued.

“With smooth sailing ahead and to accommodate a lowered speed, we have a quick itinerary update to share,” the company added.

Adjustments include Falmouth and Cozumel being visited in reverse order and a change in the ship’s arrival and departure times for George Town.

Instead of docking at the port between 10 AM and 6 PM, the vessel will now arrive at 7 AM before sailing at 3:30 PM.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause,” Celebrity said.

Celebrity cancelled the July 20 sailing onboard the Celebrity Beyond on short notice after postponing guests’ embarkation by one day.

In a statement issued at the time, the company explained that the cruise had to be cancelled after further consideration.

“During our previous voyage, the ship experienced a technical issue that affected its speed,” Celebrity stated.

“While our teams have been working diligently, we need additional time to complete necessary assessments and repairs,” the company added.

The Celebrity Beyond was scheduled to offer a seven-night itinerary to the Eastern Caribbean that featured visits to St. Thomas, Nassau and St. Maarten.

Marella Cruises Signs with V.Ships Leisure for Ship Management

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Marella Cruises Signs with V.Ships Leisure for Ship Management

V.Ships Leisure has been awarded a ship management contract by Marella Cruises, according to a press release.

It is believed to be the largest management contract in the cruise industry.

The five-year agreement will cover the full technical, crewing, digital and ESG management of all of Marella’s five cruise ships, with operations commencing towards the end of 2025.

Adrian Hibbert, Cruise Operations Director at Marella Cruises, commented: “Throughout the tender process, we were hugely impressed by the calibre of the team at V.Ships Leisure and the depth of their industry expertise. We look forward to working together to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable operations across our fleet.”

Per Bjørnsen, CEO of V.Ships Leisure, said: “This contract is a clear endorsement of our talented team, commitment to ESG and our digital-first approach. Above all, it’s a testament to our track record and further reinforces our leadership in the cruise sector. We are extremely proud to be working with Marella Cruises and are looking forward to collaborating to achieve operational excellence.”

The first two vessels will come into management by the end of the year, with the other three joining in the first half of 2026.

As part of the new partnership, V.Ships Leisure will build upon its already strong UK presence by establishing a dedicated Marella Cruises fleet cell in the UK, operating from its Southampton office and supported by the wider V. network. The decision reflects V.’s commitment to providing Marella Cruises with local expertise backed by global scale, reach and experience, according to a press release.

V. will leverage its ShipSure platform to enable data-driven decision-making across fleet maintenance and operations, supporting more efficient and proactive management and giving Marella Cruises enhanced transparency into the operations.

Marella Cruises will benefit both from V.’s end-to-end management services and from V.ERDE, our dedicated decarbonisation and environmental compliance program.