By
Michele Witthaus |
One of the newbuilds set to transform the cruise industry in 2025 is Royal Caribbean International’s second Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas, which entered service in August. Built at Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard, the vessel has capacity for 5,600 passengers across 2,805 staterooms, as well as 2,350 crew members. At close to 250gt, the 364-metre ship, which features eight distinct ‘neighbourhoods’ for guests, set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, for its first cruise.
Princess Cruises had to wait longer than expected to debut its new ship, Star Princess, due to a two-month delay to the original delivery date from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, with its arrival instead taking place on 26 September 2025. Star Princess is the second LNG-powered Sphere-class ship in the Princess fleet and features the same design as sister Sun Princess, with attractions including a geodesic dome and the glass-enclosed Sphere Piazza. Other features include a new SkyDeck Sports Court & Track for pickleball and basketball, as well as a jogging track, splash pad, and shaded areas for relaxation.
Disney Cruise Line has also suffered delays to its plans for fleet expansion, but these are now firmly back on track with the arrival of Disney Destiny from German shipyard Meyer Werft (from an original delivery planned for 2023). Following quickly in its wake, Disney Adventure will be delivered in December. Both 140,000gt, 6,000-passenger ships are part of the company’s Wish class and experienced delays related to shipyard closures and supply chain issues caused by Covid-19. Like the other vessels in the Wish class, Destiny and Adventure will be LNG powered.
This November, Celebrity Cruises will welcome the fifth ship in its Edge Series, Celebrity Xcel. Built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard in France, the vessel continues the relationship with the yard for this ship class that kicked off in 2018 with Celebrity Edge. Celebrity Xcel will initially sail seven-night itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to The Bahamas, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. In January 2025, the brand’s parent company Royal Caribbean Group announced a further order with Chantiers de l’Atlantique for a sixth Edge Series ship, which will be delivered to Celebrity Cruises in 2028.
The trend for repeat versions of successful ships is evident in the river cruise market too. American Cruise Lines’ American Patriot set sail on its maiden voyage, a ‘Grand New England Cruise’, in June 2025. It is the first of two ships the company will welcome this year from Chesapeake Shipbuilding. Set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2025, sister ship American Pioneer will join Patriot in the US small-ship market. The 125-passenger vessels represent its new Patriot class of small vessels and are the fifth and sixth in the company’s 12-ship Project Blue series. Both will offer itineraries along the US East Coast. The company says the construction of the ships has been enhanced with a deeper draft than on comparable vessels and full stabilisation to ensure smooth sailing in coastal waters.
American Cruise Lines’ new vessel, American Patriot
Meanwhile, Viking River Cruises continues its run of multiple new longship orders each year, with Viking Tonle being delivered by Hai Minh Shipyard in Vietnam this October. The sister ship to Viking Saigon is named for the Khmer word for “fresh water” and will offer cruises along the Mekong River. Features include a pool with 360-degree views on the upper deck, the open-air Sky Bar with shaded seating area, and the Spa & Fitness Center.
In the expedition sector, SunStone Maritime Group has taken delivery of its new cruise vessel Douglas Mawson in September. Constructed by China Merchants Heavy Industry’s Hainen shipyard, the ship is the seventh and final vessel in the Infinity-class series. At the launch of the ship, SunStone said that the ship has advanced safety systems, energy-efficient operations and eco-friendly technologies designed to minimise environmental impact. Featuring Ulstein’s X-Bow design, it meets the requirements for IceClass 1A and Polar Class 6. Douglas Mawson will sail under charter to Aurora Expeditions.
The luxury cruising sector is expanding too. Windstar Cruises is to take delivery of newest yacht Star Seeker from West Sea Viana Yard in Portugal in December, with sister vessel Star Explorer expected to join the fleet next year. Star Seeker will be a well-travelled ship, with a maiden cruise from Malaga, Spain, to Miami in Florida, which will be followed by itineraries in the Caribbean, Alaska, Japan and other sailings in Asia.
Finally, in contrast with the above announcements of new ships joining established fleets, it is always an exciting moment when a cruise line brings its first newbuild to market. The 190-passenger Four Seasons I will be the first ultra-luxury craft for Four Seasons Yachts and joint owner/operator Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings. The ship will be delivered by Fincantieri’s Trieste yard at the end of 2025 and its itineraries are set to start from January 2026. The 34,000gt all-suite yacht, which the company says aims to set a new standard for luxury at sea, will feature the latest in environmental protection technologies and has a “custom design, focused on removing barriers between guests, the sea, and their surroundings.”
When announcing the vessel order, Four Seasons Yachts said the company had chosen Fincantieri for the build because the company “simply can’t be beat when it comes to building exceptionally seaworthy vessels that also have an unmatched attention to onboard details.”