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After undergoing significant expansion in the past ten years, the luxury market saw newbuild after newbuild enter service over the last decade, led by aggressive growth from Viking, Ponant and others.
Ritz-Carlton, Swan Hellenic, Emerald and Explora are among the brands with the youngest fleets in 2025.
They also represent the newest brands, having all launched service with new vessels after 2020.
Brands such as Ponant, Silversea, Regent, Viking and Hapag-Lloyd have average fleet ages falling between ten and 15 years.
Among the brands owned by major public cruise corporations, Seabourn has the youngest fleet, with ships that are nine years old on average in 2025.
Silversea comes in second with an 11-year average fleet age, followed by Hapag-Lloyd with a 13-year average and Regent Seven Seas with a 14-year average.
Brands including SeaDream, Crystal, Paul Gauguin and Windstar have some of the oldest fleets in the market.
While extensively refurbished over the years, SeaDream’s yachts are among the oldest ships in the market, with a median age of 40 years in 2025.
Fresh from a major drydock in Singapore, Paul Gauguin’s sole ship, the Paul Gauguin, is another industry veteran with a nearly 30-year sailing career.
Amidst a rejuvenation project that includes the debut of two newer ships through 2026, as well as major refurbishment projects, the Windstar fleet had an average age of 28 years in 2025.
With a series of newbuilds scheduled to arrive starting in 2028, Crystal’s fleet currently has an average age of 26 years.
The Cruise Industry News’ report also shows that, with eight newbuilds scheduled to enter service for luxury brands, the market’s fleet median age is set to grow by nearly six months next year.
“With deep sorrow, I share that Geir Arne has passed away peacefully. He is remembered for his kind and gentle heart, his deep love for the sea and animals, and his passion for racing,” Juvy said in the post.
“He had a warm sense of humour, and as a captain, he was both knowledgeable and deeply committed — always looking after his crew with their well-being in mind.”
A friend of the Captain, Eric Goldring, responded to the news in a post that said: “My dear, dear friend and former Seabourn Captain Geir Arne Thue-Nilsen passed away yesterday.”
“He was a captain’s captain, a beloved mentor for those wanting a seaman’s life, a teacher, the kindest of human beings, and a renaissance man without knowing it. He taught me how it should be on a ship, not by lecture, but by example. We sailed from Turkey to the British Isles to Antarctica and more. I hope I continue to do him proud.”
Seabourn announced that its two ships, the Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit, will be equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi technology, according to a statement.
The technology will ensure all guests aboard Seabourn ships have fast and reliable internet access.
We are committed to providing the best ultra-luxury expedition experiences at sea, and the Starlink partnership will offer a significantly enhanced connectivity experience during our expedition journeys,” said Natalya Leahy, president of Seabourn. “From the polar regions to Australia and the South Pacific, our guests will experience a more reliable connection, allowing them to share those special moments and experiences with their loved ones as they sail on Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit.”
The first Seabourn ship to offer Starlink Wi-Fi is the Seabourn Venture beginning on May 12, 2023, ahead of its Arctic season. The Seabourn Pursuit will be equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity following its debut in the summer of 2023.
“Starlink offers Internet capabilities and functionality to meet growing service demands globally, and I am so pleased that guests and crew members on both of our expedition ships will benefit from this innovative technology,” said Kathleen Erickson, Seabourn’s vice president of technology.
Carnival Corporation and its luxury Seabourn brand have announced the sale of the 450-guest, 2009-built Seabourn Odyssey to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), which currently operates a one-ship Japanese cruise line with the Nippon Maru.
Following the sale, Seabourn will continue to operate all published voyages through August 22, 2024, under a charter arrangement.
The Seabourn Odyssey will then be delivered to MOL after the charter agreement.
“We are proud that Seabourn Odyssey carried our guests across the world for the last 14 years and are happy to see her join a great company, MOL,” said Seabourn President Natalya Leahy. “As we prepare to say farewell to Odyssey in September 2024, I am excited to further optimize our fleet as we grow our expedition business. With the addition of Seabourn Pursuit this summer, Seabourn will have one of the most modern fleets in the ultra-luxury segment with an average age of just seven years.”
The company said that Seabourn’s fleet expansion into the ultra-luxury expedition market allows for a more diverse offering of deployment opportunities, which will lead to new and exciting itineraries across all seven continents with a higher guest capacity compared to 2019 even after Seabourn Odyssey’s departure.
“With this elite, modern fleet, Seabourn continues as the leader in ultra-luxury travel, providing highly curated and immersive experiences and unique ‘Seabourn Moments’ for our guests,” Leahy said.
Carnival Corporation will decelerate its new building pace in an effort to not only moderate supply growth, but keep spending down, according to Josh Weinstein, president and CEO, speaking on the company’s year-end and fourth-quarter earnings call.
Weinstein said that the company didn’t expect to take delivery of any new ships in 2026, and beyond that, would only build two ships a year going forward.
“Going forward, we are committed to using our expected cash flow strength to repair the balance sheet over time, and we’ll be disciplined and rigorous in making newbuild decisions accordingly,” he said.
“We have just four ships on order through 2025, plus our second incredible Seabourn luxury expedition ship to be delivered in 2023.
“This is our lowest order book in decades,” Weinstein continued. “We don’t expect any new ships in 2026 and anticipate just one or two new builds each year for several years thereafter.”
Left on the Carnival orderbook through 2025 are the Carnival Jubilee, Cunard’s Queen Anne, the Sun Princess, another Princess newbuild that has yet to be named and the Seabourn Pursuit.
No new builds are on order for the company’s other brands including Holland America Line, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia. Carnival’s joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation was not mentioned.
With more old ships exiting combined with recent deliveries and the upcoming new build schedule, the company expects about 25 per cent of its capacity to be what it considers new ships in 2023.
That means an eight-percentage point increase in balcony cabins across the fleet, and differentiated onboard experiences resulting in greater onboard revenue.
After a 23-month operational pause, the Seabourn Encore is welcoming the passengers back today.
As the third Seabourn vessel to resume revenue service, the luxury ship is launching a series of ten- and 11-night cruises to the Canaries and the Mediterranean.
Sailing roundtrip from Lisbon, Portugal, the first cruise features visits to five ports in the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries, such as La Palma, Tenerife and Arrecife.
The itinerary also includes a call at Funchal, Portugal’s Madeira Island.
Continuing its first post-pandemic season, the Encore is poised to offer additional sailings to the Atlantic Islands until early April. The vessel then repositions to the Mediterranean in time for a summer program in the region.
Designed to offer an ultra-luxury product, the 40,350-ton cruise ship originally entered service in 2016.
As an enlarged version of Seabourn’s previous series of newbuilds, the Seabourn Encore carries 604 guests and features expanded public areas.
According to the Seabourn, the vessel was projected drawing inspiration from the brand’s rich history and yachting heritage and offers modern design elements and innovations consistent with its reputation for understated elegance.
The all-suite ship has multiple dining venues, in addition to a showroom, a spa, several lounges and bars, a casino, and the popular Seabourn Square, the social hub onboard with a club-like ambience.
Seabourn first resumed guest operations in Europe with the Seabourn Ovation. In July 2021, the 2018-built vessel kicked off a series of cruises to the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Seabourn Odyssey followed later that same month, sailing Eastern Caribbean cruises from Barbados.
Carnival Brands to Relax Covid Mask Wearing Protocols.
Carnival Corporation has confirmed its cruise brands will opt into new US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Covid protocols when operating in the US.
From 1 March, masks will be recommended but not mandatory onboard Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Seabourn and Princess Cruises voyages, although they may be needed for certain venues and events.
Carnival Cruise Line said it will continue to meet the standard of vaccinated cruises, but children under five would not be included in any vaccinated guest calculation and will not be required to receive an exemption to sail. The brand said it would also allow “additional flexibility” in pre-cruise testing requirements.
President Christine Duffy said: “The public health situation has continued to improve, providing confidence about these changes. Our protocols will evolve as we continue to remain dedicated to protecting the public health of our guests, crew and the communities we visit.”
Princess president John Padgett added: “Princess has proven cruise vacations are safe and healthy for our guests and teams. Going forward, Princess is prepared to adjust operating protocols to ensure our guests have amazing vacations while always protecting the safety of our guests, team members and destinations.
"We appreciate the ongoing collaboration among multiple government agencies as well as the support of Alaska officials and other delegations.”
Carnival Corporation Celebrates Opening of Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal
Carnival Corporation today celebrated the official opening of Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal with Shamal Holding following their strategic partnership signed in 2018 to develop the new cruise port as the main hub for cruise tourism in Dubai, according to a press release.
The occasion was marked with a walk-through by Abdulla Binhabtoor, chief portfolio management officer of Shamal Holding, and several Carnival Corporation executives, including Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination development for Carnival Corporation; Michael Thamm, Group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia; Felix Eichhorn, president of AIDA Cruises; Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises; Michel Nestour, vice president of global port and destination development for the EuroMed & Arabian Gulf region at Carnival Corporation; and Torben Seidenschnur, director CEO office and strategic development at Costa Group.
With the arrivals of Costa Firenze and AIDAbella, the official opening was also marked by two passenger cruise ships visiting the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal for the first time, coinciding with the start of the cruise season and the ships' homeporting seasons from Dubai.
Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is capable of accommodating two large cruise ships simultaneously, according to a company statement.
The facility spans over 120,000 square meters (nearly 1.3 million square feet) and includes two purpose-built terminal buildings that offer passengers and crew a safe embarkation and disembarkation experience. The terminals are equipped with four Seaport Passenger Boarding Bridges that can simultaneously support the full turnaround of the largest class of cruise ships in the industry.
"After years of working closely with Shamal Holding, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome guests from around the world to Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal," said Thamm. "As the world's largest cruise company, our passion is providing our guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, and we are confident that our partnership with Shamal Holding will enhance the overall experience for our guests. The two terminals stand as a tribute to the remarkable appeal of Dubai and the Arabian Gulf as a cruise destination, and we look forward to working with Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal and its community partners to make Dubai Harbour a highly efficient and customer-friendly operation while facilitating new tourism opportunities through cruising in the region."
"We're delighted to see our partnership with Carnival Corporation and its brands hit another significant milestone as today we welcomed two extraordinary cruise ships to Dubai Harbour, the largest standalone dedicated twin-cruise terminal centre in the eastern hemisphere. It is exciting to see so many thousands of people enter the city through this stunning seafront district, the newest entry point to Dubai, which is already considered to be the ideal gateway to the region for cruise ships from around the world."
Added Binhabtoor regarding the alignment with Dubai Tourism Strategy: "The Dubai Harbour development represents a historic milestone in Dubai's role as this region's foremost destination for lifestyle, leisure and luxury – a moment in history that brings forward the realization of Dubai's ambition to become the most visited city in the world. However, it is not only an extraordinary destination for cruise passengers from every corner of the world, but also a natural gateway to the attractions that Dubai has to offer and, as a result of the city's strategic location, other international destinations as well."
Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises first began operating in Dubai in 2006. In late November, AIDAbella arrived in Dubai at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal for the first time, marking the first regular cruise passenger operation for the new terminals and the start of the ship's winter season. In addition, Costa Firenze's arrival in Dubai on Dec. 16 marked the start of the ship's season from Dubai, where it is homeporting for the first time ever, through March 2022.
Together, six brands from Carnival Corporation – AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises and Seabourn – will visit the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal by 2023 and in total, the six brands are expected by then to make 90 calls to the new twin-terminal cruise port.
Cruising is back to DP World Limassol’s Cruise Terminal, said its Commercial Manager Lazaros Charalambous.
“Cruises are going strong until October 2021,” he told Cruise Industry News.
Royal Caribbean, Celestyal, Seabourn, Azamara and Celebrity have all either already returned or are about to return to Cyprus with their ships this summer.
“Moreover, cruise lines have been taking the necessary steps to ensure that COVID-19 does not spread to their cruise ships, with many requiring passengers to be vaccinated or hold a negative PCR test. This has boosted the morale of cruise lovers, who have been itching to get back to the seas for some time now,” said Charalambous.
He added that the Cyprus government has prepared and announced a “rigorous health protocol for cruises, which will add to the momentum of the industry.”
“As it comes to the year 2022, I believe that demand will continue to increase, as more passengers will be vaccinated and keener than ever to travel. I strongly believe that (Cyprus) has great potential to further develop the cruise sector and attract many more cruise lines and passengers,” Charalambous noted. “Cyprus’ stakeholders, including DP World Limassol, are hard at work to promote the safe conduct of cruise tourism and successfully seize the opportunity of the widespread reshuffling happening in the cruising industry because of the pandemic, with a view to establishing the Limassol port as a major cruise hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
According to him, DP World Limassol operates a strict environmental policy in an effort to reduce its footprint as much as possible.
“We use energy-efficient processes and products, regularly monitor and seek to improve energy efficiency across our operations, while we have adopted an ‘impact and sustainability' and recycling policy throughout our business. At the global level, DP World aims to reduce its output per unit of movement by increasing efficiency and promoting clean energy, with the ultimate goal being to create a zero-emission supply chain across our networks,” Charalambous said.
The port also tries to forge partnerships with local organizations and boost its community engagement.
“We regularly join forces with the local municipality as well as civil society organizations like CYMEPA, to carry out a series of activities such as beach clean-ups, supporting them in their efforts to make Limassol a greener city. Our aim is to help Cyprus achieve its sustainability targets by investing in the port’s equipment, digitization and automation. Such investments, boost the port’s efficiency and resilience, helping it reduce its environmental footprint,” Charalambous said.
The port is always assessing the best international practices while monitoring its own facilities to identify areas for improvement, he explained. “Most recently, we opened two duty-free shops within the terminal, providing exclusive offers on luxury items and a comfortable shopping experience. We have (also) upgraded our check-in equipment, and we are working with the local authorities to improve the overall efficiency of the terminal,” explained Charalambous.
He said that he believes that the pandemic has presented the port industry with “an opportunity to embrace digitization and automation.”
“DP World has always heavily invested in state-of-the-art digital equipment and is continuously introducing innovations in terminal operations that boost resilience and automation, thereby allowing us to evolve and enhance the services we offer our customers. Indicatively, at DP World Limassol, we have introduced digital payment solutions, while this past February, we launched the new ZODIAC cloud-based Terminal Operating System (TOS). The migration into ZODIAC TOS was a big milestone for us at DP World Limassol,” he said.
“The new system helps us reduce maintenance costs and improve productivity, while it connects all supply chain participants through a single integrated platform, which provides real-time information on vessel, yard, gate and rail movements,” Charalambous added.
Eight Cruise Ships Being Prepped to Bring Crew Home
Eight different ships from the Holland America Line Group, part of Carnival Corporation, are being readied to get crew home in repatriation efforts, according to a letter sent to crew onboard.
The effort will see ships from the Princess, Holland America and Seabourn brands sail repatriation voyages globally to get crew home.
Port stops, timing and transfer of crew between ships are still being worked on.
The Plan
The Regal Princess will sail to Southampton and Rotterdam to bring European crew home.
The Crown Princess will sail to Asia to repatriate crew from the Philippines, Indonesia, India and South Africa.
The Island Princess will sail to Asia to repatriate crew from the Philippines, Indonesia, India and South Africa.
The Veendam, Volendam and Nieuw Amsterdam will also head to Asia to repatriate all Holland America crew from the Philippines, Indonesia, India and South Africa.
The Caribbean Princess is heading to the Caribbean and then South America.
Finally, the Seabourn Quest will head to Europe, bringing home Seabourn crew from the Quest and Odyssey.
Carnival Corporation to Operate Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cruise Terminal in Canary Islands
Carnival Corporation today announced an agreement with the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife following a Board of Directors meeting presided by Pedro Suárez López de Vergara to be the first concession-holder to operate the Canary Islands' and Mid Atlantic's newest cruise terminal.
The terminal can accommodate "green" ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and will welcome AIDAnova, from the corporation's Germany-based AIDA Cruises brand, on its maiden voyage in December, Carnival said.
Welcoming 617,987 cruise passengers in 2017, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of the busiest cruise ports in the Canary Islands, the seven-island Spanish archipelago off the coast of Africa and Spain.
Carnival Corporation also manages two other cruise terminals in Spain – the Helix and Palacruceros facilities in Barcelona.
Seven brands from Carnival Corporation – AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises UK – make port calls to Tenerife during the course of the year. Carnival Corporation expects to bring more than 300,000 passenger visits to the port in 2018 – half of all cruise passenger visits – with 130 calls by 31 different ships from the company's cruise line brands.
"Carnival Corporation has long been a valued partner with the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Canary Islands, and we are confident that they will be a wonderful steward of our recently built cruise port," said Pedro Suárez López de Vergara, president of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. "Thanks in large part to Carnival Corporationships, the cruise market generated an economic impact to the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the city of Santa Cruz of €24 million ($27.1 million) in the 2018 cruise season, an increase of €6m from the 2017 cruise season, and we look forward to continuing to share our beautiful island with visiting cruise passengers coming through this cruise terminal."
The Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrates this long-term agreement with the aim of extending the benefits to its other ports – Santa Cruz de La Palma, San Sebastián de La Gomera, La Estaca in El Hierro and Los Cristianos in Tenerife.
"This concession and our ongoing investment is part of Carnival Corporation's long-term strategy to continue to develop the cruise industry in the Canary Islands," said Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination development for Carnival Corporation. "Our passion is to always provide the best possible experiences for our guests, and Tenerife is an extremely popular destination that offers something for everyone – including a storied history, beautiful beaches, exotic gardens, unique crafts and memorable cuisine. We look forward to ensuring that our cruise guests coming through the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife have a great experience, and we also look forward to expanding relationships with our friends in Tenerife."
Santa Cruz Terminal joins eight global ports and terminals already operated by Carnival Corporation and its cruise line brands, including:
Barcelona (Helix & Palacruceros terminals) in Spain Savona in Italy Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic Puerta Maya in Cozumel, Mexico Grand Turk Cruise Center in the Turks and Caicos Islands Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras Long Beach in California
Carnival Corp chairman’s foundation pledges $5m towards global disaster relief
The family foundation of Carnival Corporation chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine is donating $5 million towards global disaster relief efforts.
The money will go to help communities affected by Hurricane Florence in North and South Carolina, Super Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines and the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami in Indonesia.
The $5 million donation from the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation is going to Save the Children and humanitarian organisation Direct Relief to support urgent relief needs, as well as the long-term recovery strategy across the globe in the wake of recent natural disasters.
Additional grants are underway from Carnival Foundation, the cruise conglomerate’s philanthropic arm, and brands including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland
America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises Australia and P&O Cruises UK.
Carnival Corporation’s collective donations will go toward supporting global aid agency Mercy Corps in Indonesia, International Medical Corps in the Philippines, and Save the Children in North and South Carolina and the Philippines.
Carnival Foundation executive director Linda Coll said: “Our hearts go out to those who are dealing with great hardship and loss following these major natural disasters, and our sincere hope is that these additional resources will help our partner organizations execute response plans for both immediate relief needs and longer-term recovery efforts.
“The Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation have helped so many people and communities over the years through its generous donations, and with this new pledge, it continues to provide critical support resources around the globe that will make a difference for those in need.”
She added: “We want to do all we can to help those with the most urgent needs, and also build a foundation for the future health and well-being of these affected communities for years to come.”
Several cruise lines employ butlers in their exclusive accommodations. Onboard Royal Caribbean International's ships, they are called Royal Genies.
As the co-owner and president of a Virtuoso-affiliated agency, Paul Largay never had much interest in Norwegian Cruise Line. The Waterbury, Conn., travel seller had cultivated a luxury clientele who preferred upscale lines such as Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Seabourn.
But after Norwegian added the Haven to its ships, Largay began selling the line.
"It's a very viable alternative," he said.
The Haven, a secured enclave of luxury cabins around a courtyard, has re-engineered Norwegian into a line with both a mass-market and a luxury clientele, and its arrival on the scene has led almost every other operator of large cruise ships to tout some sort of exclusive accommodation.
Each has its own variation: MSC Cruises has the MSC Yacht Club, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have Suite Class, Disney has Concierge Level and Holland America Line offers the Neptune Lounge.
Even Carnival Cruise Line, the most egalitarian of the bunch, offers the Havana Cabana enclave on its newest ships.
The reasons that luxury enclaves have evolved on ships are many, but a common thread is the premium pricing that cruise lines can command by creating an aura of exclusivity to which guests can aspire.
Suites in the enclaves tend to be among the largest at sea, an attraction for some guests and yet another revenue enhancement.
In most cases, these cabins come with exclusive use of other areas, such as private pools, restaurants and lounges.
Guests with Suite Class accommodations aboard the Celebrity Silhouette have access to the exclusive Michael’s Club lounge.
Kimberly Wilson Wetty, co-president of Valerie Wilson Travel, said, "I think it has created the aspiration for people to say, 'How do I get to that next level? I want that perk, that experience. What do I have to do to get there?'"
Several agents compared the rise of luxury enclaves at sea to similar choices in other hospitality sectors, such as a business class on international airlines or private luxury railcars added to trains.
Airlines have started opening unadvertised invitation-only dining venues in some airports for their best customers. And hotels-within-hotels are proliferating, especially in Las Vegas. At the Wynn Tower Suites, located in the 2,716-room Wynn Las Vegas, guests have a private entrance, a personal shopper, an exclusive restaurant and a private pool, with amenities.
Gaming also played a role in the creation of the Haven, which can trace its origins to large villa suites built for Star Cruises, an Asian line that shares common ownership interests with Norwegian through parent company Genting Group.
After acquiring Norwegian in 2000, Genting began to swap ships intended for Star Cruises into the Norwegian fleet. Ships such as Norwegian Dawn have a pair of three-bedroom, $25,000-a-week Garden Villas on the top deck. Those evolved into the Courtyard Villa, an enclave of 12 access-controlled suites when Norwegian launched its Jewel class of ships in 2005.
The exclusivity of the Courtyard Villas was one component of a package of extras that has continued to evolve. Rebranded as the Haven in 2011, the enclave cabins now come with access to a private restaurant, a private sun deck, private pool and a dedicated lounge and bar, all within the complex.
When Norwegian Cruise Line began offering the Courtyard Villa enclave in 2005, it opened the mass-market line to luxury clientele and prompted other cruise lines to follow suit. The Villa concept evolved into the Haven by 2011.
Other benefits include the services of a concierge and butler, priority embarkation, debarkation and tendering and preference for seating at shows and for shipwide dining reservations.
In-suite amenities include a cappuccino machine, white-tablecloth room-service dining and sparkling wine, fruit and bottled water on embarkation day.
Bathrobes, linens, bath products and mattresses are all top of the line.
Enclaves such as the Haven tend to be found on mass-market ships, or at least ships above a certain size. One reason is that smaller luxury ships have no need for a separate high-end product. Just as important, they don't have the real estate.
Holland America Line, whose largest ship is the 2,650-passenger Koningsdam, does not offer a luxury enclave but does have the Neptune Lounge, a midship social area with refreshments and concierge service. It is reserved for guests booking the top Neptune and Pinnacle suite categories, who also get exclusive access to the ship's premier Pinnacle Grill for breakfast.
Sally Andrews, vice president of public relations for Holland America, said it's a question of economics.
"Dedicating private space for a segment of guests related to their accommodations really comes down to [return on investment] on use of that space for a small versus a larger number of guests," Andrews said.
A table in the Queens Grill on Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria, which offers a sweeping view. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst
It began with 20 penthouses
Some observers trace the origins of the enclave idea to Queen Elizabeth 2.
In 1972, a refurbishment of the Cunard Line ship resulted in the addition of 20 penthouses to the 70,000-ton ship. A nearby bar/nightclub was converted to an exclusive restaurant called the Queen's Grill.
By the time Carnival Corp. commissioned a successor for the ship in 1998, the Queen's Grill accommodations had become a status symbol, and Carnival incorporated them into the Queen Mary 2, as well as into later ships Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.
Larry Pimentel, one-time president of Cunard and currently president and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises, said Cunard was a bridge between the transport era of passenger shipping and modern cruising.
Queen Elizabeth 2 was designed with separate classes in mind, with segregated spaces for each price level.
"They represented a bygone era of cruising, a bygone era of transport, actually," Pimentel said.
Ships designed for cruising post-Queen Elizabeth 2 were one-class ships, Pimentel said. Only recently have separate classes crept back into the equation, in part to attract and keep a discerning type of customer.
The creation of a ship within a ship enables mass-market lines to pitch their cruises to more-affluent guests.
"While it is not strictly class-communicated, the reality is that there is a group of people who always want the best," Pimentel said. "What's happened in the industry is that there's going to be a bigger and bigger play for these people who have these desires to have the most space, to have the most in elegance and luxury, have their own space, their own pools, their own restaurants, etc."
The premium for staying in an enclave like the Haven can be five to 10 times the cost of an inside cabin, depending on deployment and time of year. MSC Cruises calculates that the per-person cost of staying in its Yacht Club enclave averages about $1,500 more than for a standard cabin.
One longtime observer of luxury cruising said it might or might not be worth the price.
"Theoretically, it's good," said Mark Conroy, managing director of the Americas for Silversea Cruises.
Conroy said one of the most appealing parts of the enclave idea is the ability to offer two ships in one. There's an "uptown" sanctuary with refined furnishings and service and a "downtown" for energy, variety and scale. But to make it work, the "downtown" has to be worth going to, he said.
"The challenge is in the execution, and some companies have been better than others," Conroy said.
Another way the uptown/downtown idea plays out is in attracting large family groups.
"It's been wonderful for the multigen families," said Valerie Wilson's Wetty. "If you have a very luxury client, let's say it's grandparents, or mom and dad, but they might want to take the whole family, they're not willing to compromise their standards."
With an enclave, the luxury client can afford luxury accommodations without springing for a luxury ship for the entire group, she said.
A staircase embedded with Swarovski crystals connects two decks in MSC Cruises’ exclusive section, the MSC Yacht Club. Access to a concierge desk and the Top Sail Lounge are some of the perks for Yacht Club guests.
MSC Cruises has earned a reputation for affordable family cruising with its kids-sail-free promotion. Its Miami-based ship, the MSC Divina, is one of five in its fleet equipped with an MSC Yacht Club enclave.
The enclave includes 66 suites arrayed over two decks connected by spiral staircases with embedded Swarovski crystals. There is a private lounge, a library and butler service for all Yacht Club guests. They also get an adjacent private pool, access to a VIP area of the disco and special access to the spa.
Bernard Stacher, vice president of hotel operations for MSC, said guests are paying for more than exclusivity.
"That's a portion of it, but it's not the majority," Stacher said. "It also comes down to the personalized, tailored service, to really unique and fast access to the ship on and off, the choice of the finishings we choose and the no-questions-asked attitude from the staff in the Yacht Club. I think that plays a big part.
"Yes, you are away from the crowds, you have your own private pool, but it's the sum of all the parts that make the Yacht Club so exciting," Stacher said. "It's not one thing."
In marketing the enclaves, cruise executives walk a fine line between appealing to discriminating customers and coming off as elitist.
Wetty said exclusivity inevitably rubs some people the wrong way.
"There was a pushback in the industry of saying, 'Hey, that doesn't feel fair or right,'" she said. "How can you create a ship that you pay a certain price and you only get access to a certain part of the ship?"
Wetty said the key for lines that have made an enclave product successful was positioning it as an extra to an already handsome package.
"Those lines are creating a consistent experience for everybody, so nobody feels they got less than somebody else," Wetty said. "But then if you pay more, you get something a little extra special."
The Royal Loft Suite on the Anthem of the Seas.
Not every line offering exclusive luxury accommodations has gone the route of building a full enclave.
Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, both brands owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., offer guests a Suite Class package of benefits that includes a separate lounge and restaurant, among other perks.
Suites are in different areas depending on which of Royal's eight ship sizes they are sailing.
On Celebrity, Suite Class guests have the Luminae restaurant and Michael's Club to themselves. On Royal, Suite Class includes a suite lounge and sun deck and the Coastal Kitchen restaurant on some ships.
Top suites come with Royal Genies, a name for what other cruise lines call butlers.
"We thought it was a fun twist on this idea of a butler," Royal Caribbean president Michael Bayley said. "We think part of our success is not taking ourselves too seriously."
Bayley said that Royal has the same package of amenities that competitors do, but "we just haven't put them in one place." Royal guests, he said, "want to be engaging with the world around them." Still, he said, he wouldn't rule out building a dedicated luxury enclave area on future ships.
Even Carnival Cruise Line, which prides itself on being unpretentious, has cosied up to the enclave concept. On its latest ship, the Carnival Vista, it has created the Havana Cabana, an area of 61 cabins with a lounge and pool area with a tropical-leisure theme.
Most of the cabins are on deck five and feature a sliding door that opens to a 100-square-foot patio with a swing chair. A key-card gate keeps the aft part of the promenade that encircles Deck Five closed during the day. Also behind the gate is the aft pool and hot tub area. A few Havana cabins are located on decks six and seven and have enlarged balconies rather than patios; these cabins also include access to the pool.
In the Havana Cabana section onboard the Carnival Vista, guests have exclusive access to an aft pool area and a promenade. Carnival is expanding the 61-cabin exclusive section on the Horizon, due next year. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst
Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said that limiting access to the pool hasn't caused any issues. The Havana Cabana is the only area on Carnival's 25 ships that aren't open to all passengers.
"We really haven't had any complaints, as there are so many other options on the Carnival Vista," Duffy said.
Carnival is expanding the area on the Horizon, due in April, by 18 cabins. Other luxury enclaves are also growing. The Yacht Club on MSC Seaside, which will be christened in Miami in December, will have 80 suites, the most ever.
In the future, cruise executives said, the enclave concept could be expanded to include more dedicated entertainment. MSC has a piano player in its Yacht Club, and it will rotate a violin duo into the mix on the Seaside.
Pimentel said that other ideas will percolate for small musical ensembles.
"I think it is possible that some of the units that have a lot of space begin to have venues for that space that could be a small, tiny jazz club," Pimentel said. "I think the industry's just going to push the edges on that one."
Carnival Corporation strikes deal to tighten security
Carnival Corporation is to strengthen its security procedures through an agreement with international criminal police organisation Interpol. The deal, claimed as a first for the maritime industry, will see advanced security screening across the group’s 10 brands and fleet of 101 ships that carry almost 11 million passengers a year to more than 700 ports around the world. Carnival Corporation is to integrate its global passenger check-in process with Interpol's I-Checkit system, a secure method for screening travel document information against its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, containing more than 69 million records from 175 countries. The agreement follows a three-month trial of I-Checkit on four Princess Cruises ships which included 34,000 travel documents that were successfully checked against the SLTD database to demonstrate the system's ability to enhance security for the global cruise industry. I-Checkit will be deployed across Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line and P&O Cruises in the UK and Australia.
Staff will be able to automatically query the SLTD database before and during the boarding process to see if any travel documents have been reported lost or stolen. Interpol head of the I-Checkit system Micheal O’Connell said: "With its real-time secure global alert system, criminal intelligence potential and compliance framework, I-Checkit provides an invaluable preventative and investigative capability for global policing. "I-Checkit's initiative with Carnival Corporation offers an additional layer of safety in the travel sector by creating an international standard for security screening." Carnival Corporation chief maritime officer Bill Burke – a retired vice admiral of the US Navy – said: "One of our top priorities at Carnival Corporation is the safety and security of our guests, our crew and our ships. "As the world's largest cruise company carrying hundreds of thousands of daily passengers, having a highly effective and efficient security screening process is a crucial part of how we serve our guests every day. Partnering with Interpol enables us to seamlessly enhance security across our global fleet while also maintaining our commitment to providing our guests with a great vacation experience. “This is another important step for our company and industry as we continue taking proactive measures to enhance the safety and security of our passengers and crew members."
I think midsummer, pre-election, is a good time to examine a few major trends we're seeing in ocean and river cruising, though I'm going to concentrate on the upper ends of these markets.
The cruise market is growing at about 4% a year, despite some nasty weather, Zika concerns and the growing fear of terrorism. CLIA predicts that more than 24.2 million people will take an ocean cruise this year. The biggest one-year projected gains have been in Asia, which is up 24%, and Australia, up 14%.
As recently as 2010, China's cruise market was still on the drawing board. Cruises in China tend to be sold as complete packages by middlemen who normally charter an entire ship or large portions of an available sailing.
Carnival Cruise Line will have six ships in China this year, and Princess has a new Chinese market subsidiary. Royal Caribbean has taken the biggest risk, placing the 4,905-guest Quantum of the Seas there, and Norwegian Cruise Line is building a ship specifically for the Chinese market.
The big question is how appropriate are these "Chinese-designed" cruises for the American traveler? To what extent will Mr. and Mrs. Mainstreet feel truly comfortable on a cruise designed for Chinese tourists?
In the meantime, I'm betting that luxury adventure cruising is poised to become this year's industry growth leader. A 2013 report from the World Tourism Organization placed the value of the adventure market at more than $265 billion. If this is accurate, it means that expedition cruising has enjoyed a 24-month growth rate of something like 195%, a staggering figure. Get ready for the advent of the adventure yacht boom. Here are some of the key players in this growth:
Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic went public last year and promptly ordered two 100-passenger vessels for U.S. coastal voyages. It also bought Via Australis and will place several of its ships in the Galapagos after major refurbishments.
Lindblad, which invented nonscientific expeditions to Antarctica 50 years ago, operates six vessels carrying between 28 and 148 passengers. Instead of casinos and lounge acts, its cruises are likely to include top-tier naturalists, undersea experts, historians and expedition leaders, plus a National Geographic photo instructor or photographer to ensure Pinterest-perfect photos. Lindblad has started including organic food sourcing whenever possible. But, alas, there is no bingo.
Crystal Cruises will be taking delivery of a polar-class, 200-passenger megayacht, the Crystal Endeavor, in August 2018. At 600 feet long and 25,000 gross tons, it will be the world's "largest and most spacious" megayacht, capable of handling travel within polar regions. In its first season, it will follow migrating whales from the Arctic to Antarctica.
To offer guests the ability to truly explore some of the world's most remote destinations, the Endeavor will carry equipment not previously seen on a luxury adventure vessel. These will include two helicopters to take guests for flyovers, two seven-person submarines for deep-sea dives to view underwater glaciers and coral reefs, an all-terrain vehicle, a fleet of personal watercraft and even a recompression chamber for serious scuba divers.
Silversea has been credited with leading the growth trajectory of luxury adventure cruising. It began with the Silver Explorer in 2007, and the line is now converting a five-star luxury ship, the 296-guest Silver Cloud, into a polar-class vessel. The goal is to offer guests a chance to explore some of the more extreme destinations on Earth with a one-to-one staff ratio and five restaurants onboard.
In 2017, the line will take delivery of the 596-guest Silver Muse, which is expected to have the industry's best staff-to-guest ratio. In many ways, the line is redefining the way luxury travelers explore remote corners of the globe, with the assurance that a well-stocked wine cellar awaits them when they return to their ship.
Seabourn is approaching five-star adventure cruising with a different emphasis, having designed itineraries that highlight spots in the world high on every adventure traveler's list, including Patagonia, Antarctica and the Amazon. Seabourn is getting two new ships: the Encore later this year and the Ovation in 2018. With these newbuilds, Seabourn has decided to up the passenger count from 450 on its current Odyssey class ships to 604.
Scenic, the upstart Australian luxury tour and cruise company, is launching what it calls "the world's first discovery yacht" in August 2018. It will sail to the Mediterranean, Antarctica and the Arctic, which you would expect of a self-described "six-star" vessel whose smallest suites have a butler and a veranda and measure 345 square feet. Even more spacious will be a two-bedroom penthouse suite, at 1,775 square feet.
While it might sound like the routes through the ice in Antarctica will get rather crowded in the next several years, Scenic is also placing its "most technologically advanced yacht in the world" closer to home, with a series of cruises in the Americas that include two 14-day circumnavigations of Cuba from Miami.
River cruising on the Mekong River is increasingly seen as a sexy alternative to traditional river cruising.
The Amazon has the world's greatest biodiversity, but the Mekong River is second, with more than 1,300 known species of fish along its 3,050-mile path through Southeast Asia. The Mekong is the next hot destination, and travelers will discover that the vessels deployed on this route are built locally and represent the highest levels of shipbuilding craft, with dark wood floors and original furnishing. AmaWaterways, Abercrombie & Kent and Aqua Expeditions are leaders in this market.
It has been said that if you want to vacation in style with good food, just figure out where the French are going these days. But Americans have another option. They can sail with the French to all seven continents on the laid-back, luxury French line Ponant.
The original Le Ponant still sails as a 64-guest cruise ship. But its four sisters, Le Boreal, Le Soleal, L'Austral and Le Lyrial, now form the bulk of the fleet. Ranging from 224 to 264 guests, they feature not only French style but ice-hardened hulls for polar exploration. Each of the vessels has several lounges, a theater, library and a pool. Ponant's ships are heavily utilized by Tauck Tours' escorted sailing itineraries.
In the meantime, river vessels have evolved to embrace luxury. There was a time when a ship sailing any of Europe's major rivers was filled with 120-square-foot cabins, close to the mandated size of a prison cell in many states. But things are changing.
Since river ships must be less than 443 feet long to fit through locks and there are strict limitations on height because of low bridges, cruise lines have to get creative with cabin design.
Uniworld has a simple little switch that raises window glass to form an open-air solarium. Scenic Cruises has a "sun lounge," a balcony surrounded by glass that can be easily opened to the river.
AmaWaterways has one-upped its competitors by designing twin balcony suites consisting of both a French balcony and a true balcony.
But perhaps the smartest and simplest innovation is that of Avalon's panoramic suites, which constitute a majority of its cabins. Avalon has managed to turn the beds around so they face the window. A glass wall opens so guests get a sense of floating on the river from the comfort of their beds.
Seabourn added Penthouse Spa Suites on the Quest, and they will be added to the line's other ships this year. Just one deck above the ship's spa facilities, each of the suites is a bedroom with a sitting area, and they are decorated to match the spa below. They will feature specially designed, oversize showers, spa bath amenities and a soundtrack of soothing spa-influenced music.
Crystal is taking a different approach to health and wellness. The Serenity came out of drydock with 70 remodeled cabins that are cleaned using hypoallergenic products. Each cabin is also equipped with special air filters. The hotel industry has flirted with this "cleaned more proactively than our regular rooms" concept and decided to abandon it. It remains to be seen if Crystal will find an audience for environmentally treated cabins.
