90 Is The Magic Number

That’s how many new cruise ships are on order up to 2026 –  that’s roughly 10 a year for the next 9 years!

With an average of 106,259 tons each, with an average passenger capacity of 2,681 and an average cost per vessel of $649 million.

9 ships are being built specifically for the Chinese market, and 2019 will be a record year for berth introductions with 23 ships expected to be delivered

You might not hear about all of the new ships as many are not for the UK market, one that will have the most hype will be P&O’s latest ship expected in 2020 – yet to be named and promising to make cruise history books once again when P&O will introduce Britain’s biggest cruise ship. This ship will offer the next generation of guests the holiday of a lifetime on the next generation of P&O Cruises ships to be powered entirely by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), making it the greenest ship in P&O Cruises’ history. Stand-out features include a half-mile Lanai deck — complete with al fresco dining,], a massive Atrium with triple-deck glass windows; 17 eateries — including seven speciality restaurants — 12 bars, 13 entertainment venues, four pools and 16 whirlpools.

Arriving in 2022 and to be built in Italy, a new ship is to join Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth as the fourth member of the Cunard fleet and will be the first new Cunard ship in 12 years, making it the first time since 1998 that they will have four ships in simultaneous service, sharing the iconic livery and red funnels, the new ship will accommodate up to 3,000 guests. Distinct Cunard signatures and brand new experiences will combine as part of this next generation of the Cunard fleet

So that’s Britain and America, not to miss out is Italy with MSC Bellissima Launching in 2019 – the second of the line’s Meraviglia class ship to follow Meriviglia launched this summer, MSC Seaside will launch in November 2017 and MSC Seaview in November 2018 AND stil un named Meravglia Plus 1 in November 2019

Celebrity has the game-changing Celebrity Edge set to launch in December 2018 and sister ship Beyond in Spring 2020

I am expecting a big impact with the first of 3 identical ships to debut in early 2020 for the Virgin Voyages brand – the yet to be named mid-size ship will be built “around the needs and desires of the customer,” with a heavy focus on millennial interests and activities

April 2019 and Autumn 2020 will launch Royal Caribbean’s 4th and 5th Quantum Class vessels will debut and in 2022 the first ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class ship will debut powered by liquefied natural gas and use fuel cell technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

November 2020 will see the launch of Princess’ fifth and 2022 sixth Royal-class ships with the trademark Movies Under the Stars and balconies in 80 percent of the cabins, as well as a number of “new to the line” features

Holland America, Costa, Disney, Carnival and NCL all have new ships set to launch over the next 5 years

This all means amazing business for travel agents and passengers with amazing cutting-edge design features, the latest smart technology and advanced environmentally friendly technologies available, massive passenger capacities all with huge numbers of bars, entertainment venues, pools and whirlpools

What do you think? Is the cruise market already saturated with Massive Mega Ships? Do you think there will be enough passengers to fill the cabins? What about the demand for the smaller traditional lines like Fred Olsen and Cruise & Maritime? – I would love to hear your thoughts!!