Seatrade Cruise Global 2026 took place in Miami on April 13-16. The annual conference — celebrating its 40th year — is always a good source of fresh industry news, and we’ve tracked the biggest headlines to come out from the week’s event, from ocean to river cruising.
To start, the State of the Industry keynote brought to the stage executives from Carnival Corporation, MSC Group’s Cruise Division, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group, as well as Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
“Cruising, ultimately, is about reducing friction so that people can enjoy the hospitality that we give them,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation, during the panel. “[This includes] our crew onboard, the food that we give them, the entertainment that we provide and the places that we take them. And our destination partners are a huge piece of that. That's why they cruise.”
Perhaps most helpful to travel agents is the keen takeaway from Charles “Bud” Darr, president and CEO of CLIA:
“The new generation of cruisers have somewhat different values and also are willing to spend money on somewhat different experiences than in the past. The industry is evolving to satisfy that need, as well as the existing customer base. We're also finding a remarkably higher level of people that had never cruised before that really want to, and I think that means our message is getting through.”
We're also finding a remarkably higher level of people that had never cruised before that really want to, and I think that means our message is getting through.
Updates From AmaWaterways
Adding to its existing fleet of 31 inland waterway vessels, AmaWaterways announced its plans to grow that number to more than 50 by 2032. Specifically contributing to the expansion will be 15 new riverboats in Europe and more than 60% capacity growth in Africa, Asia and beyond.
“Our expansion reflects strong demand across both our established and emerging markets,” said Catherine Powell, CEO of AmaWaterways. “River cruising is on a clear growth trajectory, and we are investing with purpose.”
The brand had previously confirmed eight new riverboats for Europe and has now tacked on seven more, plus an additional one on the Chobe and two more on the Nile in Africa.
For 2026, that translates to the newly added AmaNubia coming to the Nile. In 2027, that means another double-wide vessel like AmaMagna in the form of the new AmaRudi on the Danube, as well as AmaFiora on the Rhine and the rescheduled AmaMaya on the Mekong. Finally, in 2028, AmaClara will set sail on the Rhone, along with AmaCleo on the Nile and AmaGaia on the Douro.
Azamara Cruises’ News
Azamara Cruises made waves earlier this year when the line revealed its Azamara Forward initiative to redesign its four-ship fleet. Now, the line has announced who will be in charge of the actual outfitting: interior specialist MJM Marine, which will apply its knowhow to Azamara Quest after its previous refit of Azamara Pursuit.
“This partnership with MJM Marine reflects our commitment to thoughtfully evolving the Azamara Cruises experience while delivering the highest-quality enhancements for our guests,” said Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO of Azamara. “Their deep understanding of our brand and our standards made them the natural choice to support the Azamara Forward program.”
Azamara Forward represents the brand’s biggest ever fleet-wide renovation, which will bring enhancements to all of its ships in addition to a dozen new suites, exclusive to Quest, when it reemerges first in December 2026. Azamara Onward is slated to be updated in 2027, followed by Azamara Journey and Azamara Pursuit at a later date.
What’s New at Holland America Line
While not a fleet-wide project, Holland America Line (HAL) will enhance half a dozen of its existing ships. This project, Holland America Evolution, marks the brand’s largest set of updates in its 153 years of operation. The multiyear, $500 million investment is designed to bring the best of its Pinnacle-Class vessels across more of the fleet.
Oosterdam will be enhanced by fall 2027.
Photo Credit: 2026 Holland America Line“Our guests have been very clear about what they love about our ships and what they want to see more of, and Holland America Evolution is our answer to that,” said Beth Bodensteiner, president of HAL. “This investment allows us to introduce experiences and venues that are new to the fleet, add Pinnacle-Class favorites like Grand Dutch Cafe and create new stateroom categories designed for the way people travel today, all while preserving the perfectly sized ship experience that defines Holland America.”
On the docket will be HAL’s Vista-Class ships — Oosterdam (the first to be enhanced by fall 2027), Noordam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam — and Signature-Class Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. For instance, Oosterdam will receive the Grand Dutch Cafe (once exclusive to the Pinnacle Class), known for its European style and Dutch heritage The same ship will get 24 Vista Suites, carried over from the line’s newest series of ships, to serve as premium accommodations with oversized windows and private balconies.
Elsewhere, enhancements will extend to the reimagined 1,550-square-foot Pinnacle Suite, consisting of a bedroom, an ensuite bath, a walk-in closet, a delineated living room and a powder room. Also new are the Solo Verandah and Bridgeview Suite categories; the former will have their own balconies for single travelers. Meanwhile, the forward-situated suites will uniquely offer navigation-bridge-equivalent 180-degree views and 900 square feet of expansive overall space for separate sleeping and living sections.
Updates From MSC Cruises/Explora Journeys
MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys made not one but two joint private destination announcements during the convention.
For Southern Caribbean cruisers sailing from La Romana in the Dominican Republic, where MSC will begin year-round operation in November, guests can look forward to enhancements on Catalina Island. Shared improvements will include an updated water sports center, rentable cabanas and equipment, as well as other upgraded food and beverage facilities, including an open-air buffet.
Exclusive to MSC and Explora, though, and scheduled to open in 2028 will be Sandy Cay, a bonus luxury private island immediately adjacent to the line’s current Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas.
Sandy Cay will be a luxury private island adjacent to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
Photo Credit: 2026 MSC CruisesThe new addition will serve as an alternative, elevated off-ship experience. Conceived as a more intimate counterpart to Ocean Cay, Sandy Cay will offer greater seclusion and invite guests into a “quieter, deeply immersive connection with the natural rhythms of the ocean,” according to the lines. Visitors will find pristine aragonite sands among other delights to still be revealed.
Princess Cruises
After announcing Pours, a refreshed beverage program centered on celebrity-founded wine and liquor brands, Princess Cruises quietly snuck in its biggest news of all: the order of three next-gen cruise ships.
The Voyager Class trio will be based on the successful Sphere Class (Sun Princess and Star Princess), while also enlarging the ships since that series and further enhancing its guest favorites. The result will be 183,000-gross-ton vessels carrying approximately 4,700 guests when they launch in late 2035, 2038 and 2039, respectively.
“The Voyager Class will delight both our loyal guests and attract the next generation of Princess guests,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Princess. “From exceptional dining and inviting pool environments to elevated entertainment and beautifully reimagined spaces throughout the ship, we are leaving no area untouched as we thoughtfully evolve the Princess experience.”
Clients can expect reimagined Piazza atriums, outer decks and cabins, as well as sustainable Liquefied Natural Gas power, but most details are still to come.
The Latest From Riverside Luxury Cruises
Rounding out the river cruise news is the announcement that Riverside Luxury Cruises is bringing Riverside Mahler fully into the fleet by 2028. Until now, the former Crystal Mahler has been chartered to Transcend Cruises and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
Riverside first acquired Mahler — as well as Mozart, Debussy, Ravel, Mahler and Bach — from the defunct Crystal offshoot in 2023, but has so far only relaunched the first three. As part of the phased rollout, Mahler will join sister ship Riverside Debussy on the Rhine, Main, Moselle and Danube rivers.
“This is the next chapter for Riverside,” said Jennifer Halboth, CEO of Riverside. “Introducing Riverside Mahler gives us the opportunity to take everything we’ve built so far and apply it to the Rhine in new, creative ways — more access, more flexibility and a fresh take on a river everyone thinks they already know.”
