Experiential design is the practice of shaping space, technology and narrative to influence how people feel, behave and remember an environment. In passenger shipping, this means transforming vessels into immersive destinations where architecture, digital systems and storytelling work together to create emotional connection rather than simply visual impact.
For Carnival Corporation, that process starts with clarity of identity. “Storytelling begins by clearly understanding each brand’s identity and guest profile, then translating it into a structured yet flexible design framework,” says Andrea Bartoli, director of outfitting for Carnival Corporation. “This starts with fundamentals – circulation, sightlines, lighting strategy, acoustic comfort, accessibility and operational efficiency – and builds upward into more expressive elements like materials, finishes, artwork, digital media and lighting effects.”
Bartoli explains that this framework balances consistency and differentiation. “Consistency comes from a strong underlying architectural logic, while differentiation is achieved through controlled variation,” he says. “Zoning or ‘neighbourhood’ concepts help guests intuitively understand how spaces relate to each other, creating a readable journey through the ship while allowing each venue to deliver its own distinct atmosphere.”
The idea of a “readable journey” is also reflected in MSC Cruises’ approach to experiential design. Rather than starting with form, the design team begins with emotion and behaviour. “We begin by designing the experience first – the emotions, behaviours and moments we want guests to live onboard,” says Antonio di Nenno, director of architecture and design for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys. “The architecture and interiors are a natural outcome of that process, not the starting point. Design is never an end in itself; it is a tool to support experience, comfort and connection.”
Di Nenno continues: “Our brand vision is translated by understanding how guests move through the ship, how they interact with one another, and how spaces evolve throughout the day. From this experiential framework, spatial layouts, volumes, materials and lighting emerge organically. We focus on creating spaces that feel meaningful and effortless to use.”
Technology has become central to enabling these experiences. “The most significant evolution I’ve seen over the last 20 years has been the shift from static spaces to adaptive, technology-enabled environments,” says Bartoli. “Today, architecture, lighting, sound and digital media are designed as integrated systems. Large LED walls and ceilings, immersive projection, advanced show-control systems and programmable lighting allow a single venue to change character throughout the day and across the cruise, creating variety without increasing footprint. Beyond physical spaces, guest‑facing technology has also become a central engagement tool. A clear example is Princess Cruises’ OceanMedallion ecosystem, which uses a wearable device connected to shipwide sensors and digital platforms. Capabilities include keyless stateroom access, onboard navigation, location‑based service delivery and simplified interaction with venues and crew. While much of this technology is intentionally invisible, it directly influences layout, service points and circulation by enabling more seamless and personalised guest journeys.”
This capacity for transformation is demonstrated in spaces across Carnival Corporation’s fleet. “On P&O Cruises’ Iona and Arvia, the SkyDome illustrates how architecture and technology can merge: by day it functions as a glazed pool and relaxation area, by night it transforms into a fully equipped entertainment venue,” says Bartoli. “On Carnival Cruise Line’s ships, spaces like Mardi Gras’s Grand Central atrium use large digital surfaces, lighting effects and sound design to establish strong identity and atmosphere. Across all brands, technology is now deeply embedded in the design process, supporting storytelling without overwhelming it, and allowing spaces to remain flexible, memorable and operationally efficient.”
MSC Cruises’ Galleria is designed to evolve throughout the day to provide different experiences (Photo: MSC Cruises)
Di Nenno highlights how MSC applies similar thinking while staying true to its own design philosophy. “The MSC Yacht Club public spaces remain a strong expression of the experience we aim to create, where atmosphere, proportion and materiality come together to offer a sense of calm, privacy and refined comfort – always maintaining a close relationship with the sea,” he says.
MSC Cruises emphasises the experience of being at sea throughout its interiors. “From the early days, our design approach has been rooted in maritime heritage and a strong connection to the sea,” explains Di Nenno. “Openness, horizontality and constant visual contact with the ocean are central principles. We have progressively integrated land-based hospitality principles into our design process, orchestrating complete experiences rather than designing isolated venues.”
Di Nenno points to another key space that embodies this philosophy. “The Galleria functions as the social and experiential hub of the ship,” he says. “More than a circulation space, it is designed as an urban interior – alive throughout the day and evening – where dining, entertainment, retail and social interaction naturally intersect. Its character evolves over time, supporting different rhythms and uses while remaining instantly recognisable.”
For both Carnival Corporation and MSC Cruises, the goal is ultimately the same: to create ships that guests experience as destinations in their own right. By combining careful spatial planning with adaptive technology, thoughtful material choices and a clear understanding of brand identity, designers can craft environments that resonate emotionally while remaining operationally practical.
“Our ambition is to design ships as vibrant, layered environments – places to explore, meet and experience – rather than simply move through,” says Di Nenno.
Shaping experiences
Leading interior designers predict how experiential design trends will shape spaces onboard passenger ships in 2026 and beyond
Vaughan Ward, Head of Graphics and Brand, 20.20
2026 is the year that non-tech businesses will really embrace the power of artificial intelligence (AI), and the cruise market will be no exception. But, with the introduction of AI, we’ve also seen a push-back from customers, and a craving for more physical, shared, personal and grounded experiences. So this year, it will be key to focus on design-led experiences, with integrated AI being used to assist in the hyper-personalisation of itineraries that tailor experiences to customers, allowing them to feel more connected to themselves and one another, build memories and create a sense of connection and belonging.
Marina Phillippides, Principal Interior Designer, AMK
In 2026 and beyond, experiential design onboard cruise and ferry vessels will increasingly focus on multisensory, emotionally engaging environments that feel intuitive, flexible and human-centred. Spaces will be designed to shift seamlessly from day to night, from social to private, enhancing the passenger journey through light, texture and atmosphere.
Suppliers such as Panaz play a key role with high-performance marine textiles, while Corian continues to enable fluid, sculptural forms with its seamless surfaces.And Brintons Carpets add another layer of immersion through bespoke woven designs, enabling narrative-driven flooring concepts that introduce warmth and a strong sense of place within passenger interiors.
Millie Proud, Associate Creative Director, Conductr
Cruise design is increasingly influenced by theme park resorts, with an emphasis on guest choice. Multi-day voyages and multigenerational audiences demand experiences that flex by age, mood and moment. Guests expect to curate their own journey with experiences that reward return visits, so I expect to see even more offerings for both the ships and private island destinations.
Weight, power and space constraints push designers to think smarter. On Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Aura, our work on amusement complex Ocean Heights shows how digital layers can transform a single space across the day.
Holly Hallam, Co-owner, DLSM Studio
Experiential design will be increasingly shaped by intelligent personalisation and a heightened focus on wellbeing. AI-driven systems will respond intuitively to individual preferences within public spaces and cabins, automatically adjusting lighting, acoustics and digital layers through a pre-determined personalised criteria to support both physical comfort and emotional balance. The same AI process will also help to curate bespoke itineraries from onboard experiences to defining your menu options.
Suppliers such as iGuzzini and Signify are advancing intelligent lighting solutions that support circadian rhythms, while innovators like Kvadrat and Tarkett continue to deliver durable, sensory-rich finishes.
Gonzalo Tudanca, Principal, HBA Miami
The future of cruise interiors will feel orchestrated rather than programmed. From the guest’s perspective, experiences unfold naturally across the day: light gently shifts, soundscapes rise and soften, and spatial cues intuitively guide movement. For operators, this apparent ease is the result of precise spatial choreography and experiential mastery. Design shifts away from pure spectacle and towards rhythm, creating ships that feel balanced, welcoming, and naturally alive.
The most compelling solutions are those that quietly elevate the onboard experience. Immersive LED dome displays and media platforms from COSM enable environments to adapt through light and content, shaping atmosphere across the day without overwhelming the space. In contrast, sculptural lighting by Lasvit, crafted from hand-blown glass or crystal, introduces artistry, warmth and a sense of human craftsmanship at scale.
Barbara Wiethoff, Partner, JOI-Design
Experiential design is increasingly about creating emotional connections through storytelling and multi-sensory environments. Digital art and immersive museum experiences are gaining strong momentum worldwide, with new venues opening in major cities at an impressive pace. They represent a powerful source of inspiration, unlocking new creative and spatial possibilities. While such experiences are not yet fully embedded in everyday environments, largely due to the technical complexity and cost, I am convinced that immersive digital engagement will become part of our daily environments.
Ann Bada-Crema, Executive Creative Director and Owner, Launch by Design
Cruising is a uniquely immersive holiday experience, and as the industry moves into 2026 and beyond, experiential design is increasingly defined by the intentional adaptation of engaging the seven senses to tell a cohesive story. Cruise environments are no longer defined solely by visual appeal, but by how they feel, sound, move and evolve throughout the voyage.
Through tactile materials, acoustically balanced social spaces to strategic use of lighting, technology, scent, graphics and spatial sequencing that expresses the immersive experience. Designers will craft layered, multisensory journeys while responding to sea conditions, time of day and passenger flow. This immersive approach deepens emotional connection, elevates the quality of the guest experience at sea, and transforms ships into memorable destinations.
Mike Lambourn, Design Lead, PriestmanGoode
As passengers seek an escape from overwhelming digital consumption, there’s a move beyond screen-based environments toward sense-rich sanctuaries. For us, the trend for 2026 is ‘Invisible Immersion’, which blends architecture with ‘shy-tech’ to engage scent, bio-adaptive lighting and acoustics. By blurring the boundaries between the tangible and the intangible, we can create environments that feel authentic and restorative.
Panasonic’s transparent displays are game-changing, allowing for immersive storytelling without the ‘black hole’ of a dormant screen. This works harmoniously with Signify’s wavelength-optimised LEDs, which increase perceived brightness and atmospheric depth while remaining energy-efficient by targeting the eye’s peak spectral sensitivity. These solutions help to create spaces that genuinely connect to our emotional senses, resulting in a thoughtfully crafted, restorative journey.
Mark Amos, Executive Vice President, Creative Design & Client Relations, RWS Global
RWS Global, a world leader in groundbreaking live moments and destination design at sea, is working with cruise lines to redefine the entire guest journey and experience. This begins with creating a frictionless onboarding and offboarding process to reduce wait times and continues with guest recognition to enable personalised experience offerings based on who guests are and what we already know they want to do. Tailored dining, entertainment and attractions can then be brought to life through unified themes and stories, allowing them to complement and build upon one another.
Technology is woven in discreetly and supported by authentic brand experiences to provide continuity and rival the offerings of the greatest experiences on land. This approach strengthens guest investment, builds a deeper emotional connection and elevates the onboard experience. Our mission is to make the spectacle and immersion on the ship as impactful and meaningful as the destinations themselves.
Yohandel Ruiz, Founding Partner, Studio DADO
The best hospitality design is proactive as well as responsive. It triggers warm, positive emotions and lasting memories. As designers, our goal is to take guests to a place that feels special and familiar and comfortable but still like they’re experiencing it for the first time. That takes an understanding not just of materials and pattern and colours, but also of the things that make us human in the first place – an appreciation for those things that move us, that touch our soul.
One of the reasons we enjoy designing cruise ships and hospitality environments is that it’s all about the journey and the emotions we can evoke along the way. Design is not a single note; it’s a polyphonic symphony and we get to be the conductor, the musician and the audience.
Tomas Tillberg, Managing Partner, Tomas Tillberg Design
Cruise interiors will prioritise hyper-personalised environments, biophilic and wellness-led design, and multisensory immersion. Expect AI-driven cabin settings and wayfinding, flexible day-to-night venues, and augmented reality (AR) integration that layers digital storytelling onto physical space. Cultural narrative design tied to itineraries will deepen differentiation, while sustainable, circular materials and inclusive, universal design become baseline standards. Dedicated wellness and recovery hubs and increasingly theatrical, experiential dining will further shift ships from static luxury environments to adaptive, emotionally resonant journeys.
Suppliers delivering circadian lighting systems, modular architectural partitions, retractable glazing systems, and AR-enabled interactive displays stand out. These solutions enable designers to transform spatial mood, optimise footprint efficiency, embed narrative layers and enhance wellbeing – critical in compact, revenue-sensitive passenger ship environments.
Kelly Chiaradonna, Principal, Wilson Butler Architects
Experiential design in 2026 and beyond will focus on storytelling that turns spaces into journeys, not just destinations. On cruise ships, design will engage the senses, naturally guide guests, and create emotional connections. Flexible and adaptable venues will support multiple uses while offering personalised and interactive experiences for different guests. Technology and AI will blend seamlessly into dining, entertainment and navigation, enhancing immersion without dominating the space.
AI is already improving guest flow through destination control lift technology and booking systems for restaurants, the spa and excursions. Right now, cruise ships are successfully using AI to forecast provisions and track how passengers move onboard.
Photo: Schnick Schnack Systems
Building immersion
Solution providers showcase their innovative products which designers can use to create immersive experiences for those sailing on passenger ships
Carnegie: Xorel Cruise and Xorel Luxe
Xorel Cruise offers tactile, woven wallcoverings designed to build atmosphere – from serene textures to expressive large-scale patterns – while meeting International Maritime Organization (IMO) Wheelmark standards.
Xorel Luxe, an indoor/outdoor upholstery made with bio-based Xorel yarn, can be paired with X-Protect IMO backing to achieve marine-grade compliance, delivering luxurious quality and high durability. Supported by Xorel’s bespoke design capabilities and rapid custom development, these coordinated materials help designers craft cohesive, high-performance environments that elevate the passenger experience through texture, colour and responsible innovation.
Schnick Schnack Systems: Suomu Media Wall
The Suomu Media Wall brings a new dimension of light and media to cruise ship and ferry interiors. Designed for integration into architectural surfaces, its modular RGBW LED system creates dynamic, immersive environments for atriums, public spaces and entertainment areas onboard ships.
Developed through collaboration with proven experts, custom visual content is created by Jari Vuorinen, while LED engineering is led by Tapio Järvinen. Powered by Schnick-Schnack-Systems’ LED strips D25-500CUT, Suomu delivers reliability, precision and long-lasting performance at sea and is a compelling solution for designers and installers shaping next-generation passenger experiences.
Signify: Customisable spectrum LED solutions
Signify’s customisable spectrum LED solutions redefine how light is specified and experienced in architectural and interior environments. Moving beyond conventional CCT and CRI parameters, the system combines CCT/CRI with a precisely engineered spectral profile to deliver light tailored to the space.
By designing the spectrum itself, Signify enables warm, inviting atmospheres without yellowing table linen, enhances merchandise presentation in retail settings, improves visibility in outdoor environments at night, and reveals colours with exceptional accuracy and depth.
Rather than optimising light solely around standard metrics, Signify recognises that what we perceive is reflected light shaped by its surroundings. The result is a lighting solution that brings materials, textures and finishes to life with greater clarity, control and experiential impact.