The greatest takeaway from the 2024 Seatrade Cruise Global conference was that a plethora of new vessels, both big and small, will debut over the next several years.
Below are details one what’s to come, organized by cruise line.
American Cruise Lines
American Cruise Lines announced two more coastal ships, which will be the fifth and sixth vessels in the company’s “Project Blue” series. United States-flagged American Patriot and American Pioneer will carry 125 guests each and will join the domestic fleet in June 2025 and November 2025, respectively. Both will sail the line’s longer, 15-day Grand Florida Coast & Keys itinerary, plus other East Coast routes.
Given their destinations, Patriot and Pioneer will sport traditional monohull designs (versus preceding catamarans) and slightly deeper drafts with full stabilization for smoother navigation in open seas. They will also feature all-balcony accommodations, a scenic main lounge and restaurant, a Skywalk walking track, an indoor Sky Lounge, a casual cafe and outdoor sun deck (plus Bow Terrace), an indoor fitness center and an additional Horizon Lounge.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
Placing the largest newbuild order of the bunch was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., with eight vessels expected across its three cruising brands. Representing a trio of new ship classes, each larger than the last, will be four boats for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), two for Oceania Cruises and two for Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Following the Prima Plus class — with the upcoming Norwegian Aqua as its the first ship — NCL will introduce four 200,000-gross-ton ships that will accommodate nearly 5,000 guests; they will debut in 2030, 2032, 2034 and 2036. Oceania’s final Allura-class ship will emerge in 2025, and then the upscale line will unveil two 86,000-gross-ton vessels carrying 1,450 guests in 2027 and 2029. And lastly, following its Explorer-class ships, Regent will debut two 77,000-gross-ton vessels, each for 850 guests, in the years 2026 and 2029.
Additional details for the trio of ship classes are forthcoming.
Ponant
Ponant will also be growing its lineup beginning this summer with its new Spirit of Ponant, a 24-meter sailing catamaran. The ship will set sail in July 2024 in Corsica before navigating to the Seychelles for winter 2024. The six-stateroom, 12-guest cat will also be available for private charter.
Spirit of Ponant will debut in July 2024.
Credit: 2024 Nicolas ClarisFirst sailing roundtrip from Bonifacio (Corsica), its weeklong routes will be customizable based on travelers’ specific interests, ultimately tailored according to the captain’s recommendations.
Crewed by four, Spirit will feature a personal chef, spacious cabins and maritime activities such as paddleboarding, wakeboarding and snorkeling.
Scenic Group
As for Scenic Group, a third yacht under its Emerald Cruises brand will arrive in April 2026. Emerald Kaia will follow Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara with a larger capacity of 128 guests and a newly expanded Sky Deck (now with an interior Sky Lounge). Every stateroom and suite onboard will also feature a 10% larger floor plan.
The vessel’s dining venues will also be enhanced, as will the fitness center, spa and other wellness features. There will also be an Observation Sun Deck at the bow and an aft marina with a new interior lounge, not to mention an open-air gym with the option to swim to said marina.
Not to be outdone, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours will be updating its Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II, with the former set to better match the latter’s latest enhancements this April, including its Senses Spa, outdoor dining venues and the Discovery Team space. Meanwhile, Scenic Eclipse II will be getting a custom Scenic Neptune II submersible, plus four Seabobs.
Similarly, 18 of Scenic’s and Emerald’s riverboats will be redesigned with fresh layouts, furnishings and day-to-night features across their main deck, lounge and specialty dining areas.
Windstar Cruises
Windstar Cruises will expand its lineup with two new ships in its slightly smaller Star Class: Star Seeker in December 2025 and Star Explorer in December 2026. They will differ in design from the line’s current trio of motor yachts, as acquired from Seabourn, with 112 suites that sleep 224 guests, compared to the Star Plus class’ 312 guests each.
Windsar has announced two new ships.
Credit: 2024 Windstar CruisesLoyalists can expect brand favorites such as the Watersports Platform (with new staircase access), a Yacht Club cafe and lounge, a double-decker spa and fitness facility, a spacious open deck for alfresco barbecues and a forward whirlpool on the bow. And of course, since Windstar is the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation, fine dining will extend to the Amphora main dining room; Star Grill, a surcharge-free specialty restaurant; and 24-hour room service.
What’s more, both ships will be ice-strengthened so that they are capable of traversing from pole to pole.
Further reporting from Seatrade Cruise News indicates that Seeker and Explorer will actually be acquired from Mystic Invest. Star Seeker was originally slated to become World Seeker for Atlas Ocean Voyages, and Star Explorer was once World Explorer, as chartered by Quark Expeditions. Each will be converted to the Windstar designs.
