By
Michele Witthaus |
Not content with confining onboard theme rides to the top deck, one operator is thinking outside the ship for its latest theme park-style ride. MSC Cruises’ latest LNG-powered newbuild, MSC World America, will offer guests the chance to get closer to the ocean while onboard the company’s new Cliffhanger swing attraction and thrill ride, which allows guests to dangle over the side of the ship, 50 metres above the water. Another adrenalin-fuelled experience on the ship will be the Jaw Drop slide, which descends over 11 decks. Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, the ship embarked on its Caribbean itineraries in April 2025.
Also making its debut in April 2025, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Aqua is the first of four ships to be welcomed by the line in the Prima Plus class and will bring the fleet size to 20. The brand’s contribution to the trend for bigger onboard thrills and fairground-style experiences is its Aqua Slidecoaster, which the company bills as the world’s first hybrid roller coaster and waterslide. And even a customarily sedate meander around a shipboard mini-golf course will be dialled up a notch with the new Tee Time interactive golf game, which is described by the company as “a supercharged version of mini golf”.
Other new onboard facilities on Norwegian Aqua and still-to-be-completed sister ship Norwegian Luna include the Aqua and Luna Game Zone, which will expand gaming options to guests within the Galaxy Pavilion and arcade venues. Attractions in the updated spa facilities include a clay sauna, IV drip therapy and thalassotherapy loungers.
The capacity to run on cleaner fuels as standard is another recurring theme for this season’s new ships. Due for delivery from Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard in March 2025, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff Relax is the first of two vessels built by Fincantieri for the brand’s InTUItion class. The new concept 160,000gt cruise ships are dual-fuel and will be powered by LNG and marine gas oil, a setup that will be rolled out in TUI Cruises’ future fleet. A spokesperson for Fincantieri said at the launch of the ship in 2023 that its ability to also burn low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG represented “an important step towards climate-neutral cruising”. The vessels will also have a waste treatment system capable of transforming organic substances into charcoal through a thermal process.
The new Royal Caribbean International vessel, Star of the Seas, will be delivered by Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard in August 2025 and homeport in Port Canaveral, Florida. The second new ship in the Icon class will have capacity for 5,610 passengers and will run on LNG like its sister vessels. The ship boasts eight distinct neighbourhoods and six waterslides that are among the fastest and tallest at sea.
The growing Asian cruise market will be boosted this year by the arrival of Japan-based NYK Cruises’ ASUKA III, which also runs on LNG. Launched on 18 January 2025 at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg yard in Germany, the third ship in the NYK Cruises ASUKA series is registered in the port of Yokohama. The vessel will cater to Japanese customers and accommodate 744 passengers and 470 crew – a higher ratio of crew to guests than ASUKA II.
“An impressive number of around 1,500 individuals came together for the launch,” says Yoko Endo, NYK Cruises’ public relations manager. “It was truly astonishing to realise how many staff members were involved in the creation of ASUKA III. The sight of the staff celebrating each other’s efforts was striking, and this strong team spirit at Meyer Werft has forged an invaluable bond for NYK Cruises.” Japan’s calligraphic tradition was celebrated at the launch as the ship’s name was inscribed on the hull in the style of renowned Japanese calligrapher Shunkei Yahagi.
NYK Cruises’ ASUKA III was floated out of dry dock at Meyer Werft’s yard in Germany in January 2025
Luxury cruise line Oceania Cruises’ eighth ship, Oceania Allura, will join the fleet in July 2025. Under construction at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente yard near Genoa in Italy, the vessel is intended for Eastern Mediterranean itineraries and will then sail immersive North America cruises. With capacity for 1,200 guests and 800 crew, it is the second ship in the Allura class after Oceania Vista, which launched in May 2023.
River cruise newbuilds are continuing the trend towards providing more facilities traditionally found on larger oceangoing ships, with a focus on expansive pool and spa areas. TUI Cruises’ new river cruise ship, TUI Alma, is set to begin cruising Portugal’s River Douro in the summer. The 62-cabin ship, under construction at West Sea, will offer ‘full board plus’ cruises as standard, with facilities including a shallow top-deck pool (complete with space for sun loungers), three dining venues and three bars.
West Sea is also building two new ships for AmaWaterways, both of which will debut in the first half of 2025: AmaMagdalena, followed by AmaSintra. The yard, which specialises in river cruise vessels, says that it can build and deliver a newbuild in about 12 months and that its production capacity allows it to turn out eight 100-metre ships per year.
AmaMagdalena’s delivery was moved from November 2024 to March 2025 due to delays finalising the ship’s itinerary in Colombia, which is a new destination for the brand. Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president of AmaWaterways, said of the delay: “This is the first time a major river cruise line is offering a journey of this nature on the Magdalena River. We’ve encountered challenges that are simply part of being pioneers.” Like its trailblazing sister vessel, AmaSintra will appeal to cruisers seeking fitness and wellbeing facilities with its sundeck pool, fitness room and onboard spas.
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