Fifteen new ships will be launched in 2025 , a healthy number that will rise to sixteen in 2026. However, there is a significant difference: while ten of the fifteen ships in 2025 will exceed 100,000 tonnes, only five will exceed that size in 2026.
The first ship, the Norwegian Aqua, will arrive in mid-March. The first Prima-Plus class ship, with a capacity of 156,000 gross tons, some 14,000 tons more than the Prima class. Its first route, for press and guests, will depart from Lisbon for Southampton, from where, now with clients, it will cross the Atlantic, ending in Boston. On April 13, 2025, it will be christened in Miami with actor Eric Stonestreet, well known for his role as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family, as godfather.
One of the most notable new features on Norwegian Aqua is the replacement of the go-kart track featured on previous NCL ships with a water coaster, the Aqua Slidecoaster, which promises thrills. It will also feature a new Thai restaurant, a digital sports complex, and an enhanced version of immersive gaming, along with new three-bedroom duplex suites in the exclusive The Haven complex.
Norwegian Aqua will be based in Port Canaveral, sailing weekly to Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island in the Bahamas, which will have a new pier by the end of 2025. In the summer, she will sail to Bermuda from New York and then return to Miami from October to April 2026.
Mein Schiff Relax (TUI Cruises)
Also in mid-March, the Mein Schiff Relax will begin operating, the first of two InTUItion-class cruise ships powered by dual fuel (Liquefied Natural Gas and Marine Diesel) that Fincantieri is building for the German shipping company, in which Royal Caribbean Group holds a shareholding.
On April 9, 2025, two ships will be christened, one of them being the Mein Schiff Relax. Our country will play a leading role in this event, as the ship will be christened in Malaga with two other ships from the company in port, and music star Robbie Williams as godfather.
The Mein Schiff Relax will be based in Palma de Mallorca until the end of October and will sail various Mediterranean routes, many of them with stops in Valencia and Barcelona. It will then reposition itself in Gran Canaria, from where it will begin offering cruises to the Canary Islands throughout the fall/winter. The Mein Schiff Relax is therefore a very important ship for Spanish ports.
MSC World America (MSC Cruises)
As we mentioned, two ships will be christened on April 9, 2025, with MSC World America being the other. The second World Class ship, although a sister ship to MSC World Europa, it will feature several new features, including the only Eataly restaurant at sea, a new Greek restaurant, Paxos, and MSC Cruises’ first comedy club. Additionally, one of MSC World America’s biggest innovations will be The Harbour, part of the Family Adventure district, a new outdoor space for families to gather and relax together. The impressive Cliffhanger swing, 50 meters above the sea, will be an experience for the most daring.
MSC World America will be based at MSC’s new cruise terminal in Miami and will sail weekly to the Caribbean throughout 2025 and 2026.
Asuka III (NYK)
Also arriving in April is a very special ship: the Asuka III, a 51,950-ton gross ship with capacity for 744 passengers in double occupancy, built by Meyer Werft for the Japanese company NYK.
NYK is a century-old Japanese company, founded in 1885, dedicated to maritime transport with more than 800 ships, but which has always had a foothold in luxury cruises, having founded Crystal Cruises in 1989 for the international market, and a year later, in 1990, began operating luxury cruises under its own brand for the Japanese market with the Asuka I.
Now comes the Asuka III, a luxurious mid-size ship that will offer cruises from Yokohama.Â
Allura (Oceania Cruises)
In June, we’ll kick off the summer with Oceania Cruises’ second Vista-class ship. It’s a 67,000-ton ship for just 1,200 passengers, with a large selection of themed restaurants included in the price, along with a new creperie and a redesigned, larger library in a new location. The cruise line boasts that there will be one chef for every 10 passengers, which speaks volumes about its devotion to fine dining.
She will spend the summer on cruises of varying lengths and routes around the Mediterranean, before crossing the Atlantic to New York in September.Â
From the Big Apple, the cruise will offer several cruises to Canada in October and then reposition itself in Miami, where it will spend the winter of 2025/26 cruising the Caribbean.
Viking Vesta (Viking Ocean)
Since 2015, Viking Cruises has launched a new ocean-going ship every year. The Swiss company has grown in the river cruise market, where it has 74 ships, and is repeating its success formula in ocean cruising. It has built 10 identical ships weighing 47,842 tons (and two smaller expedition ships), and has taken delivery of its eleventh, Viking Vela, at the end of 2024, as we write these lines. This is a slightly larger version, weighing 54,300 tons, which can accommodate more passengers, 998, and accommodate hydrogen facilities for the future.
The Viking Vesta will therefore be a twin of the Vela, arriving in July 2025, and the saga will continue with at least eight more ships on order until 2030.
Luminara (The Ritz-Carlton YC)
Luminara will be the third ship in The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. She is a sister ship to the Ilma, with a 46,750 gross registered tons and also built in Chantiers de l’Atlantique (France). Only 452 passengers will travel on board, enjoying five restaurants, a wine bar, and a stern marina.
This ultra-luxury cruise ship will be sailing 7-night Mediterranean cruises until the end of October.
Star of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
Royal Caribbean’s second Icon-class ship will debut in late August, with Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral throughout 2025 and 2026.
Whether Royal Caribbean will add a few more gross tons to declare it the world’s largest cruise ship remains to be seen, but it’s clear that at 250,800 tons, the Icon-class ships will remain unrivaled in size for many years to come.
Packed with attractions like six radical waterslides, a surf simulator, an overhanging zip line, an adults-only suspended infinity pool, an indoor Aquatheater, and much more, one of the new additions will be the new Lincoln Park Supper Club restaurant – a 1930s Chicago-inspired multi-course dining experience accompanied by live entertainment.
Brilliant Lady (Virgin Voyages)
Virgin Voyages’ long-awaited fourth ship will enter service in September 2025. Although it is a twin of the previous ships, it will have some new features such as a new restaurant, new design elements, shore power, and two hammocks on each balcony instead of one.
The most surprising thing will be the routes it will offer, as it will cruise from New York for the first two months, then from October to March it will depart from Miami, and then it will reposition itself to Seattle, from where it will offer Alaska cruises in the summer of 2026.
Also arriving in November is the Disney Destiny, the third Wish-class ship. These 140,000-ton, LNG-powered ships evolve the Disney cruise concept. The company is immersed in an unprecedented expansion process, as it will receive a fourth ship of this class and then begin building four more ships of a new, slightly larger class.
The original design called for 9,000 passengers in 2,450 cabins, virtually all of which were quadruple cabins. Disney has reduced that figure to 6,000 passengers and will destined the ship for the Asian market, based in Singapore for at least five years. The major innovation is that the ship will be powered by green methanol, which undoubtedly represents a huge advance for the industry.
