Costa Concordia - Four Years After The Tragedy

Costa Concordia - Four Years After The Tragedy

Story by; http://www.cruisediscuss.com/

January 13 marks the fourth year of the tragedy that took the life of 32 innocent cruise passengers after the Costa Concordia sunk off the coast of Italy.

The gigantic wreck of the that had been lying on a rock off the island of Giglio is gone now. For the past seven months, the remains of the ship have been gradually dismantled and sent for recycling in a shipyard and a few days ago the huge support to keep the ship afloat were removed.

But the image of Concordia will remain for a long time in the history of the Tuscan island and the Italian Navy.  The disaster that tore thirty-two lives, injured 157 will possibly stay forever in the mind of the survivors and the families that lost their loved ones.

As for the ship's captain - Francesco Schettino, also known as Captain Coward - he was sentenced on 11 February 2015 to 16 years in prison, however, the sentence is not yet in effect and the 'brave' captain is giving interviews and cashing income from world-famous magazines such as GQ.

Even today many cruise ship passengers that survived the tragedy await for compensation for property left on board and lost when the ship sunk. Money in no way can reduce the grief but it was something that the cruise line owed to the people.

"Four years later Costa Crociere has yet to compensate the huge damage " shared Mara Parmegiani, a journalist, writer and fashion expert that was on board the Concordia during the disaster. "The legal department had assured me that by the end of 2015 I would be notified how the refund will be processed but then no one contacted me further on. Besides my case, there are other outstanding of important value, like that of a jeweler. " 

The fashion expert was on board with his precious collection of vintage clothes, as part of an Ambassodor of Fashion Made in Italy display. Glamorous dresses made ​​by the founders of high fashion - the sisters Fontana Valentino, by Antonelli to Ferré, to Gattinoni, Egon Furstenberg and Gay Mattiolo were showcased. 

A huge loss,but just from an economic standpoint, which in no case comparable to the psychological and emotional hardships that still disrupt the daily life with frequent panic attacks of the survivors. Among the most moving memories was the one of the small Daiani, the five-year old child whose little body was fished out a few days later by the rescuers.

"The memory comes back constantly before my eyes, I met her just before she died, she was in the arms of her dad on the deck packed with people; she looked at me, recognized me and gave me a pat. I was initially surprised, then I pulled out a little key ring with a teddy bear filled with rhinestones and I gave it to the girl who smiled at me and kissed me. I think Iit was her last smile ", one of the survivors shared. 

2016 River cruise Outlook

by industry sector

In 2016, after several years of inexhaustible growth in the river cruise sector, some of the bigger players are taking a bit of a breather (and by breather, we mean not building as many new ships as in past years), while several newcomers and new products take a fresh stab at the market.

Most notable among the river cruise rookies is Crystal Cruises, which this year announced that it would be entering the river-cruise market with a fleet of five luxury yacht-style river vessels. The first of those will be the Crystal Mozart, formerly a Peter Deilmann vessel known as the Mozart, originally built in 1987. Crystal has four newbuild vessels on order for 2017.

Following an extensive renovation, the Crystal Mozart will set sail on July 13, offering passengers their first glimpse of Crystal’s vision of river cruising. That will mean fewer, larger suites after the company transforms the 203-passenger Mozart to a 160-passenger capacity.

The updated Crystal Mozart will feature suites ranging in size from 203 square feet to the 860-square-foot, two-bedroom Crystal Suites, the largest on any river.

Crystal also is designing its itineraries so that much of the sailing takes place during the day, giving guests the opportunity to explore destinations in the evening, with ships docked in port overnight.

It will be interesting to see how this nighttime-focused river cruise experience will resonate with river cruisers. According to Crystal, one big advantage will be fewer crowds in port, something that has become a bit of a challenge in Europe. Crystal has said it also plans to  get passengers off ship as much as possible while docked, with onshore culinary experiences at Michelin-starred restaurants, evening events and entertainment.

Bring the kiddies

While Crystal will be making a run to convert the high-end, ocean-cruise customer to rivers, another new entrant into the river-cruise market, Adventures by Disney, will be attempting to get more families to sail the Danube.
Adventures by Disney announced a partnership with AmaWaterways to develop a series of family-friendly cruises aboard the 158-passenger AmaStella in 2016.

To better accommodate families, the AmaStella will usher in several new hardware concepts for AmaWaterways, including 12 staterooms that can accommodate up to three family members each; six sets of adjoining cabins connected via an internal doorway, accommodating families of up to five; and four suites with convertible sofa beds that can accommodate families of up to four.

While courting families isn’t entirely new for river cruising (companies like Tauck and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection have been doing it for years), actually designing a ship around the needs of families is new. And Disney will be taking the family-friendly concept a step further, for example, by having eight Adventures by Disney guides on each of its sailings in addition to the existing AmaWaterways crew.

The Adventures by Disney sailings will also feature movies, karaoke and daily biking trips for younger passengers, as well as family-friendly excursions such as a horse show at the Lazar Equestrian Park in Hungary and a private marionette performance and strudel-making demonstration at the Schonbrunn Palace in Austria.

Other river-cruise newbies are looking to introduce demographics into the arena as well, including Canadian tour operator G Adventures, which is hoping to get millennials onboard. G Adventures is introducing river cruises on the Mekong and Ganges rivers and on the canals of France’s Burgundy region in 2016, in addition to its existing Peruvian Amazon cruises. The line’s goal is to make what has traditionally been a higher-end travel product more accessible to younger, less- affluent clients.

Exotic river lust

Uniworld’s much-anticipated Ganges River program in India officially sets sail in January, when the company begins chartering Haimark’s new luxury cruiser, the 56-passenger Ganges Voyager II. Uniworld’s new Ganges program promises to bring luxury amenities and services to India’s most notorious inland water route, which is quickly becoming the next river- cruising hot spot.

Exotic river buffs will be happy to note that next year will also see continued development in Southeast Asia, where Pandaw River Expeditions is launching new and uncharted river routes, the latest being a 2016 sailing that travels the length of the Mekong River all the way from Thailand through Myanmar and Laos and into China, the first time the company will be offering a sailing that goes into China.

Scenic and Emerald Waterways also are adding capacity on the popular Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia next year.

Ongoing growth in Europe, U.S.

It wouldn’t be river cruising if there were not a continued influx of ships on next year’s agenda, namely on the always-popular European streams. The world’s largest river-cruise line, Viking River Cruises, will add six newbuilds, for a total of 52 ships in five years. Amawaterways, Avalon Waterways, Tauck and Scenic are each christening two new vessels in Europe next year, and four-star tenderfoot Emerald Waterways is adding a fifth ship in Europe.

French river-cruise line CroisiEurope is celebrating 40 years in business next year as it continues to make more noise in the U.S. market with updated ships meant to meet U.S. standards, and the company will unveil its second European paddlewheeler (a unique concept for sailing shallower waters) on the Elbe River in spring.

Another paddlewheeler, American Cruise Lines’ newest U.S.-based vessel, will launch in early 2016, marking the third Mississippi paddlewheeler that the line has built from the ground up. It joins the American Eagle, which launched in April, and the Queen of the Mississippi, which set sail in 2012.

A challenging start to a promising year

By Michelle Baran 
As European river cruise vessels file into winter dry-dock this week, closing up the 2015 season, there is bound to be some nervousness for an industry waiting to see how the 2016 season will play out once it gets underway in the spring.

The dormant winter season offers an opportunity to spruce up older vessels and make final arrangements for the launch of new ones, investments that will hopefully pay off throughout the season. And this coming year has a lot to offer; Both Crystal Cruises and Adventures by Disney (through a partnership with AmaWaterways) will introduce new river cruise products in Europe, and all the major river cruise lines are adding new vessels to their fleets.

Michelle Baran

There’s a lot to look forward to, and yet 2015 ended with a bit of a question mark in the aftermath of the Nov. 13 Paris attacks in terms of how much the attacks will impact travel in Europe (and consequently river cruising) this year. Surely the hope is that a quiet couple months  - fingers crossed - prior to the start of the 2016 season will help keep pre-existing bookings on the books and reinvigorate the flow of new ones to get 2016 back on track to being as robust as it promised before the attacks.

Meanwhile, there are a lot of exciting developments elsewhere in the world to distract from the situation in Europe. Uniworld is starting its first cruises on India’s Ganges River this month, a new product the company has said has exceeded its expectations in terms of how successful the bookings have been.

And back in the US, it will be interesting to see if we hear anything more from Viking about its plans to launch modern-style Mississippi River vessels in 2017 and from the Delta Queen Steamboat Company about whether the fabled 89-year-old Delta Queen will receive the Congressional exemption it needs to sail again.

Indeed, despite some uncertainty as we start off the year, 2016 still promises to be an exciting and interesting one in river cruising, both in terms of the announcements we already know about and in terms of the surprises we’re always counting on the industry to provide us.

New-builds to be delivered in 2016

New-builds to be delivered in 2016:

Finesse, AIDAprima, River Voyager, AmaViola, AmaStella, AmaDessa, America, Samatha, Princess Panhwar, Avalon Passion, Avalon Imagery II, Carnival Vista, Elbe Princesse, Origin, Emerald Belle, Koningsdam, Seven Seas Explorer , Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Scenic Amber, Scenic Spirit, Scenic Azure, Scenic Aura, Seabourn Encore, Dream Cruises' unnamed ship , Grace, Joy, Mein Schiff 5, Ganges Voyager II, Amadeus Silver III, Viking Sea and Viking River Cruises' six Longship class river cruise vessels. 


AIDA Cruises 

AIDAprima (3,250 - March 2016) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (See image) 

Unnamed new class ship (3,250 - Unknown: previously announced March 2016) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
New ship design (6,600 - ) Meyer Werft
New ship design (6,600 - ) Meyer Werft


AMA Waterways 

AmaViola (158 - 2016) ("Certo-class" ship) Vahali Shipyard

AmaStella (164 - 2016) (River cruises in Europe)

AmaDessa ( - 2016) ("Certo-class" ship) Gendt Shipyard
(March 2015: AmaWaterways' Executive Vice President and Co-owner Kristin Karst has confirmed the line will build two more ships in 2017 for river cruises in Europe)


American Cruise Lines 

America (185 - Early 2016) Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.

Queen of the Mississippi ( - 2017) Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.
Unnamed coastal cruise ship (170 - Spring 2017) Chesapeake Shipbuilding


APT, Travelmarvel and Maing Fong Company 

Samatha (30 suites - January 2016) Shipyard in Yangon (River cruises on the Burma River in Myanmar)

Princess Panhwar (36 suite - January 2016) Shipyard in Yangon (River cruises on the Burma River in Myanmar)


Avalon Waterways 

Avalon Passion (2016)

Avalon Imagery II (2016)

Avalon Myanmar (36 - September 2015)

Blue Star Line

Titanic II Project (2,435 - Delayed to 2018) CSC shipyard

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Vista (3,954 - Spring 2016) Fincantieri 

Unnamed Vista class ship (3,954 - March 2018) Fincantieri

Carnival Corp & Plc
March 2015: Carnival Corp & plc is ordering a total of nine cruise ships, five from Fincantieri and four from Meyer Werft. The new ships would be delivered over a four-year period between 2019 and 2022. Fincantieri will build five of the new vessels at its shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera in Italy while Meyer Werft will construct the remaining four at both its German yard at Papenburg and its new and larger capacity Finnish yard at Turku. June 2015: it was announced that the two at Meyer Werft will be for AIDA Cruises. July 2015: the two at Meyer Turku will be for Costa Cruises.

Celebrity Cruises

Project Edge class ship (2,900 - Fall 2018) STX France (Letter of intent) 

Project Edge class ship (2,900 - Early 2020) STX France (Letter of intent)


Costa Cruises Asia

Unnamed ship (4,200 - 2019) Fincantieri

Unnamed ship (4,200 - 2020) Fincantieri


Costa Cruises 
New ship design (6,600 - 2019) Meyer Turku (See image below at right)
New ship design (6,600 - 2020) Meyer Turku



Croisieurope 

Princesse Elbe (80 - Spring 2016) Saint-Nazaire shipyard (Paddlewheel river cruise ship)

Princesse Apsara (60 - ) (Cruises on the Mekong)

Daniele (24 - ) (Barge) 

Deborah (24 - ) (Barge)

Crystal Cruises

New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 - 2018) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent) (See image at left)

New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 - ) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent)

New Crystal Exclusive class ship (1,000 - ) Lloyd Werft (Letter of Intent)





Crystal River Cruises

Crystal Bach (110 - March 2017) Lloyd Werft (See image at right)

Crystal Mahler (110 - March 2017) Lloyd Werft

Crystal Ravel (84 - March 2017) Lloyd Werft

Crystal Debussy (84 suites - March 2017) Lloyd Werft



Dream Cruises - Genting Hong Kong
(November 2015: Genting Hong Kong announced the launch of Dream Cruises with the two new ships under construction at Meyer Werft for Star Cruises)

Unnamed ship (3,364 - October 2016) Meyer Werft

Unnamed ship (1,682 cabins - Fall 2017) Meyer Werft






Ecoventura

Origin (20 - January 2016) Shipyard in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Emerald Waterways

Emerald Belle (182 - Early 2016) (Den Breejen Shipyard)

Unnamed sister ship (182 - 2017)

Unnamed sister ship (182 - 2017)

Unnamed sister ship (182 - 2017)

European Waterwayas 
Finesse (8 - May 2016) Hotel barge

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts 

Four Seasons Ocean Residence (48,600 grt - ) Kvaerner Masa (Aker Yards) (Conditional contract)

General Maritime Transportation Company (GNMTC) 

Unnamed ship (1,739 - December 2012) STX Europe St Nazaire
(June 2011: STX France has rescinded the contract and is looking for a new buyer. March 2012: sold to MSC Cruises)

Holland America Line

Koningsdam ("Pinnacle" class ship) (2,650 - March 2016) Fincantieri (See image)

Second "Pinnacle" class ship (2,650 - November 2018) Fincantieri

Knud E Hansen (Naval architects)

New green-design expedition ship (300 - )(See image)

Lindblad Expeditions

Unnamed coastal vessel (100 - Second quarter of 2017) Nichols Brothers Boat Builders

Unnamed coastal vessel (100 - Second quarter of 2018) Nichols Brothers Boat Builders

Lüftner Cruises - Amras Cruises - Amadeus Cruises

Amadeus Silver III (168 - 2016) De Hoop, Holland


MSC Cruises 

MSC Meraviglia (4,500 - May 2017) (Vista project ship ) STX France

MSC Meraviglia sister ship (4,500 - 2019) (Vista project ship ) STX France (See image at right)
(MSC Cruises has options for two further Vista project ships to be delivered by 2022)

MSC Seaside (5,300 - November 2017) Fincantieri

Second Seaside class ship (5,300 - May 2018) Fincantieri(See image below) 








Norwegian Cruise Line 

Norwegian Bliss (4,200 - Spring 2017) Meyer Werft

Breakaway-Plus class cruise ship (4,200 - Spring 2018) Meyer Werft

Breakaway-Plus class cruise ship (4,200 - Autumn 2019) Meyer Werft

OVDS - Hurtigruten - Norwegian Coastal Voyage 

Fram's sister ship (2008) Fincantieri (Option to be confirmed)

Peace Boat

New Ecoship (1,700 - 2020) (Subject to financing by donations or investors) (See image at right)


Pearl Seas Cruises 

Unnamed sister ship of the Pearl Mist (214 -) (Originally the ship would be built at the Irving Shipbuilding, in Halifax, Nova Scotia but in March 2008 Pearl Seas decided to built the second ship in a different shipyard)


P&O Cruises Australia

Unnamed ship (2,400 - 2019/2020) Fincantieri


Polar Cruise Enterprises 

Ursus Maritimus - Ice breaking cruise liner (240 - ) Rauma yard of STX Finland


Princess Cruises 

Majestic Princess (3,560 - Summer 2017) Fincantieri

Fourth "Royal Princess" class vessel (3,560 - 2019 / 2020) Fincantieri

Residential Cruise Line Ltd.

Magellan (residential cruise ship) - Aker Yards (Memorandum of Understanding)

Riva Waterways - Evergreen Tours

Riva Royale (180 - April 2014) Shipyard De Hoop (River ship)

Riva Princess (180 - April 2014) Shipyard De Hoop (River ship)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Seven Seas Explorer (738 - Summer 2016) Fincantieri Sestri Ponente (See image at right)



Royal Caribbean International

Ovation of the Seas (4,100 - Mid 2016) Meyer Werf 

Harmony of the Seas (5,400 - Mid 2016) STX France 

Third ship of the Oasis class (5,400 - Mid 2018) STX France

Fourth Quantum-class ship (4,100 - Spring 2019) Meyer Werf

Fifth Quantum-class ship (4,100 - Fall 2020) Meyer Werf

Saga Shipping - Saga Cruises

Unnamed new class ship (540 suites and cabins - 2019) Meyer Werft (There is an option for a second ship with delivery in 2021) (See image at left)


Scenic - Luxury Cruises & Tours

Scenic Amber (169 - March 2016) River 'Space-Ships' class (Den Breejen shipyard)

Scenic Spirit (68 - January 2016) Cruises on the Mekong River in Asia

Scenic Azure (48 cabins - March / April 2016) (Portugal's Douro River cruises)

Scenic Aura (24 balcony suites - September 2016) (Myanmar's Irrawaddy River cruises)

Seabourn Cruises

Seabourn Encore (604 - Second half of 2016) Fincantieri (See image)

Seabourn Ovation (604 - Spring 2018) Fincantieri (See image)





Sea Cloud Cruises

Sea Cloud Hussar (136 - November 2010) Factoria Naval de Marin, Spain (She is a three-mast sailing vessel)

Silversea Cruises 

Silver Muse (596 - April 2017) Fincantieri

Unnamed vessel (-) Fincantieri

Unnamed vessel (-) Fincantieri
(October 2014: Shanghai-based ICBC Leasing announced that it had signed with Monte Carlo-based Silversea Cruises for the financing of three cruise ships to be built by Fincantieri in Italy)

Star Clippers 

New five-masted sailing vessel (300 - Late 2017) (Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia) (See image at right)





Sunstone Ships

Project Unlimited (240 - ) (Expedition ship) Meyer Werft (Letter of intent)(See image)

Tauck - Scylla AG

Grace (Inspiration Class ship) (130 - 2016) (See image at left))

Joy (Inspiration Class ship) (130 - 2016)







TUI Cruises

Mein Schiff 5 (2500 - 2016) Meyer Turku(See image sister ship Mein Schiff 3)

Mein Schiff 6 (2500 - 2017) Meyer Turku 

Mein Schiff 7 (2500 - 2018) Meyer Turku Oy

Mein Schiff 8 (2500 - 2019) Meyer Turku Oy



Uniworld River Cruises

Ganges Voyager II (56 - January 2016) (Ganges River Cruises. Haimark Travel is building the ship for Uniworld)

Unknown cruise operator

New Expedition Vessel for Extreme Conditions (60 - December 2014) Kleven Maritime AS (Norway)

Utopia Residences 

Utopia - private residential vessel (105,000 ton - ) (June 2011: the letter of intent for the Utopia is expected to become a firm contract) Samsung Heavy Industries

Vantage Deluxe World Travel

River Voyager (176 - March 2016)
(Ship for European river cruises)

Victoria Cruises

Victoria Emperor (Over 200 - planning stage) (River cruises in China)

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Sky (944 - February 2017) Fincantieri (See image sister ship Viking Star - Photo Neven Jerkovic at Shipspotting.com)

Viking Sea (944 - Mid 2016) Fincantieri

New luxury ocean ship (944 - Early 2017) Fincantieri

New luxury ocean ship (944 - Mid 2018) Fincantieri

New luxury ocean ship (944 - End 2020) Fincantieri

Viking River Cruises
October 2014: Viking has placed an order for six Longship class river cruise vessels with Neptun Werft in Rostock. The now ordered ships will be delivered in the Spring of 2016.

Virgin Cruises
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 - 2020) Fincantieri
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 - 2021) Fincantieri
Unnamed new class ship (2,800 - 2022) Fincantieri

Xiamen International Cruise Co Ltd

China Xiamen (2,000 - planning for October 2018) Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry
(August 2015: Cruise Industry News has reported that Xiamen Shipbuilding has dropped plans to build the ship) 

Viking, Crystal and navigating new waters

Less than one year after Viking launched into ocean cruising with the delivery of the Viking Star in March, Crystal Cruises announced that it would go from ocean to rivers, with the launch of its first river cruise ship slated for 2016.

So what are some of the potential advantages and disadvantages of each approach? Of bringing your past river cruisers onto new ocean ships and of introducing your ocean cruisers to your new river program?

The key to success in these ventures is likely the fact that ocean and river cruising are just similar and different enough to offer something both distinct and yet familiar to the other. They are products that complement each other perhaps more than they compete with each other. Yes, they’re both a form of cruising. But that’s just about where the similarities end.

And yet, it’s still a bit of a risk, right? If you’re Viking and you introduce your past river cruise passengers to ocean cruising and they realize they like ocean cruising more — maybe you’ve just lost some river cruise customers. Ditto Crystal introducing ocean cruisers to the rivers with the chance of converting some customers away from the company’s core product.

It’s hard to say whether that risk is higher in one direction or the other: Avid river cruisers might say ocean cruisers are bound to be courted by the central docking locations and intimate environments on river cruise vessels, and ocean cruisers might feel that once river cruisers come onboard they’ll never go back to smaller vessels with fewer amenities and shorter itineraries.

But clearly for Viking and Crystal, the benefits outweigh any potential drawbacks. Perhaps rather than lose their customers to other companies, they’d rather keep them within their fold by offering river cruisers ocean vessels and by offering ocean cruisers river vessels — keeping them in the family, so to speak.

Cruise Outlook by industry sector

Cruise Outlook by industry sector

Tracking where cruise ships will go in a given year increasingly means looking at global growth. Cruise fleets have become so large and cruise companies so adept at sourcing globally that the game has become one of matching assets to the regional economies where they can reap the most benefit.

Or suffer the least damage.

There’s no better example than China, where cruise companies are determined to take advantage of relatively strong economic growth and an underdeveloped market.

The International Monetary Fund forecasts growth in China of 6.3% in 2016, down from 6.8% this year but still more than double the expected rate of growth in the U.S.

Responding to that growth, Royal Caribbean International will send a second newbuild, the Ovation of the Seas, which will sail from Tianjin, joins the Quantum of the Seas, which will sail its first full year from Shanghai in 2016, and the Legend of the Seas, which will sail from Tianjin and Quingdao.

Legend of the Seas

Carnival Corp.’s China deployment will grow from four ships to six, as the Costa Fortuna joins the Costa Serena, the Costa Atlantica and the Costa Victoria, while Princess Cruises will deploy the Golden Princess to join the Sapphire Princess. In all, Carnival expects to carry close to 1 million passengers in China next year.

Closer to home, the IMF expects economic growth in the U.S. of 2.8% in 2016, enough to support North Americans buying cruises in the Caribbean and Alaska.

Economic growth in Europe is forecast at 1.6% next year, while Latin America and the Caribbean will grow at a 0.8% rate, up from negative growth this year.

The weak showing in Latin America is reflected in the decision by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to pull the Pullmantur Empress back to the Royal fleet next year, where it will sail as the Empress of the Seas starting in the spring. Royal also canceled the scheduled transfer of the Majesty of the Seas to Pullmantur.

In 2016, Pullmantur will be a two-ship line focused on Spain instead of Latin America.

Across their markets, cruise executives are optimistic about pricing in 2016, having laid the groundwork by filling ships in 2015 to minimize the need for last-minute discounts. Both Carnival Corp. and RCCL say the booking curve has lengthened.

In a Sept. 22 conference call, CFO David Bernstein said that despite an almost 3% capacity increase in the first half of 2016, Carnival had less remaining inventory to sell than it did at the same time a year ago.
Royal executives said in an Oct. 23 call that 2016 load factors were the highest in the company’s history, and average per diems were ahead of the same time a year earlier.

The diplomatic opening with Cuba forged by President Obama this year is poised to pay dividends for cruisers, with several lines saying they will try Miami-Havana routes in 2016.

The most closely watched of those will be Fathom, Carnival’s new social impact brand, which also will be cruising to the Dominican Republic starting in April. Fathom has generated more than 18 billion media impressions since it launched and is drawing more attention to the Caribbean in general, Carnival CEO Arnold Donald said.

In the Dominican Republic, Fathom’s ship will dock at the $85 million Amber Cove private port opened by Carnival in October on the country’s north coast near Puerto Plata.

Another big private port is expected to open in 2016 when Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings inaugurates Harvest Cay, a $50 million island in Belize with sandy beaches, a water sports lagoon, an island-style village and an excursion staging area.

Having just added the Norwegian Escape to its fleet, Norwegian Cruise Line is one of the few big lines that won’t be adding new tonnage next year.

One of the most anticipated ships is the 2,650-passenger Koningsdam, which in April will become the biggest Holland America Line ship and its first new vessel since the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2010.

The Koningsdam’s new features include a circular theater with LED panels surrounding the audience, a large culinary arts center, a wine mixing experience and a two-level pool area.

Also replete with new features will be the 3,936-passenger Carnival Vista. Passengers will be able to ride a recumbent bicycle suspended from an 800-foot-long oval track, watch an IMAX movie or take advantage of a families-only lounge.

Viking Ocean Cruises’ second ship, Viking Sky, is scheduled to be delivered in March. In September, the line’s first ship, the Viking Star, will make its debut in North America, with a cruise to Montreal ahead of its winter season of 11-night Caribbean sailings from San Juan.

The first Oasis-class ship from Royal Caribbean in seven years, the Harmony of the Seas, will sail in Europe after a June delivery before heading for its homeport in Fort Lauderdale, freeing the Oasis of the Seas to sail from Port Canaveral.

In the luxury segment, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will get its first new capacity in 13 years with the July debut of the 750-passenger Seven Seas Explorer.

The ship is on track to be christened in Monaco and sail in the Mediterranean for the summer before moving to Miami in December for its winter season.

Also new in 2016 will be the Seabourn Encore, a cousin to the line’s three Odyssey-class ships. The Encore, due out in December, will have an extra deck, giving it a passenger capacity of 604, up from the 450 carried by the other Odyssey-class ships.

Senior editor Tom Stieghorst covers the cruise industry for Travel Weekly.

MSC Cruises' private island to have pier, amphitheater and restaurants

MSC emphasized that Ocean Cay represents a “permanent presence” in the Bahamas, and said it will be used by four ships.

MSC Cruises confirmed it will acquire use of Ocean Cay, an island about 20 miles south of Bimini, for a private cruise ship destination and that it has budgeted $200 million for the project.

MSC said that it will be called Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie and MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago signed a 100-year lease agreement in a ceremony on Dec. 16, MSC said.

Among other things, Ocean Cay will have a pier so that guests do not have to tender ashore, which cruise lines must do at some private islands in the Bahamas. MSC plans to open the destination by December 2017, in time for use by the MSC Seaside, a ship entering service in December 2017 that will be based year-round in Miami.

MSC emphasized that Ocean Cay represents a “permanent presence” in the Bahamas, and said it will be used by the MSC Divina, which sails out of Miami, and the Opera and Armonia, which will sail out of Cuba. It expects to hire 240 Bahamians to work there and will open a crew training school in Nassau to provide “local manpower” for MSC ships sailing in the Caribbean.

Plans suggest that the 95-acre island will be the most extensive cruise port in the Caribbean. MSC will build a 2,000-seat amphitheater and many bars and restaurants. The ship and all onboard services, including the casino, will stay open while berthed at Ocean Cay, MSC said.

The island has 11,400 feet of beach front, MSC said, and will accommodate six separate beach districts.

A former sand-extraction station, the island will be planted with more than 80 indigenous Caribbean trees, grasses, flowers and shrubs, such as Jamaica dogwood; red, black and white mangroves; and beach morning glory.

For MSC Yacht Club guests, an exclusive spa and wellness sanctuary with private bungalows and massage huts will be built on the northwest corner of the island.

Various areas of the island will be connected by a network of walking and running paths, and bicycle rentals and other “stress-free” transportation options will be available.

Plans also call for a Bahamian shopping village, a family beach with a kids’ restaurant and play area, a zipline attraction, a lagoon water feature, and a pavilion for weddings and celebrations.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for March, MSC said.