By Virginia López Valiente
Managing Director of Cruises News Media Group and Editor of CruisesNews magazine
Editorial from CruisesNews magazine no. 69 – June 2024
Every time we meet to decide on the contents of each issue of the magazine, we think there isn't much new on the horizon, but only 5 minutes later we realize that we have to leave topics for the web or for the next issue.
There's always plenty to talk about in this industry. Just to give you an example, four new ships have already been launched this year, and there are still several more to come before the end of the year, and even more in 2025. Let's take a look. TUI Cruises, the German cruise line, has completed its Mein Schiff 7, and Royal Caribbean International has finished the Utopia of the Seas. In terms of size, the latter is twice as big as the former. It's a matter of market demand.
Disney will have the Treasure ready by the end of the year, because the Disney market never stops. Then, in 2025, TUI will have the Mein Schiff Relax ready, larger than its predecessors. It will be the first of the company's next generation of ships, called the InTUItion class, powered by LNG, so there will be Mein Schiffs for a long time to come. The German market, which is the largest in Europe, continues its unstoppable growth.
And we come to the chapter of MSC Cruises, which have only skipped 2024 in terms of inaugurations but in 2025 will launch its long-awaited World America, twin of the World Europe and destined for the American market which has already become the first for the company.
Norwegian Cruise Line will have its Norwegian Aqua ready, the third of its six Prima-class ships and the first Prima Plus-class ship. Royal Caribbean International will also have the Star of the Seas ready, and Virgin Voyages the Brilliant Lady, the fourth ship in its fleet. But we already knew that the Star Princess, sister ship to the Sun Princess launched this year, was also under construction—it's non-stop activity. Celebrity Cruises, for its part, will christen the Xcel, the fifth ship in its Edge series.
We're closing out the year with the Disney Adventure, the largest ship in the Disney fleet and the result of the purchase of the half-built Global Dream cruise ship after the collapse of its former owner, Asia Cruises. Although itineraries haven't been announced yet, Disney says the Disney Adventure will sail to "new global destinations" and will be based outside the United States and in Singapore. We'll have to see; that's more than 6,000 passengers in a Disney environment.
Of course, there are ships already scheduled for 2026 and 2027, but since they don't even have names yet, we'll discuss them later. As I said, we have a lot to cover, and in the meantime, we've worked on this issue discussing the artificial intelligence we're already living with, cruise destinations like Canada, New England, and Northern Europe, Virgin Voyages' surprising Resilient Lady, the inauguration of the Silver Ray, Alma Cruises' entry into the market, and riverside luxury. To be continued…
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