By Virginia López Valiente
Managing Director of Cruises News Media Group and Editor of CruisesNews magazine
Editorial from CruisesNews magazine no. 46 – September 2018
There's nothing we love more than taking a look at the cruise ships on order to see what new vessels we'll be seeing in the coming years and what surprises the industry has in store for us. In this issue, we publish a record of the cruise ships under construction—large, small, and some less conventional ones.
In the remaining quarter of 2018, we'll welcome the AIDAnova, which will be the first large cruise ship powered 100% by Liquefied Natural Gas, significantly reducing its emissions. Next will come Holland America Line's Nieuw Statendam, the second in the Pinnacle class after the Koningsdam, and finally, we'll see the highly anticipated Celebrity Edge, a new ship design with exciting innovations such as The Magic Carpet, a mobile platform on the side of the ship that moves vertically between decks 2 and 16 and will serve as a bar, restaurant, or even a tender boarding area. It will come with other innovations for the industry such as the Veranda cabins, designed to combine the interior and exterior thanks to folding doors, and there is much anticipation to see The Eden, a huge multi-deck space designed by Patricia Urquiola.
And what do we have in store for 2019?
The MSC Bellissima will be the second ship in the Meraviglia class, identical in size and features, including Cirque du Soleil, a promenade with an LED roof, and cutting-edge technology like RFID wristbands.
The Spectrum of the Seas, the fourth ship in Royal Caribbean's Quantum class, will debut in 2019 with activities such as bumper cars, skydiving in a wind tunnel, and the North Star panoramic articulated arm. Although its maiden voyage will depart from Barcelona, its homeport will be Shanghai.
The Marella Explorer 2 will be a refurbishment of the original Celebrity Century, following the design of its sister ship, the Marella Explorer. The new feature is that it will double the size of the adults-only Veranda area and will have a new Royal Suite. Saga Cruises will launch the newly built Spirit of Discover, with only 540 cabins, 100 of them for single occupants.
In November, the MSC Grandiosa will arrive, an extended version of the Meraviglia class, measuring 15 meters. It will be longer, allowing for an expanded LED-lit rooftop promenade. Around the same time, we'll see the Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Cruise Line's fourth Breakaway-Plus class ship, and the highly anticipated new Costa Cruises ship, the Costa Smeralda, which will mark a milestone for the Italian cruise line with its completely new design. The interior design was entrusted to the Tihany Design studio, and the ship will be powered entirely by liquefied natural gas. There will also be time to welcome the Sky Princess, Princess Cruises' fourth Royal class ship, with its distinctive Piazza atrium and movies under the stars, and finally the Carnival Panorama, a Vista class ship, which will operate directly in the US.
What more could you ask for!
