New Ships for 2018 – A Round-up.

2018 sees the introduction of 6 new ships to the cruising world. Here’s a brief round-up of what we have in store:

Carnival Horizon

Launching in April this ship is set to carry 4,000 passengers and id the 2nd in the Vista Class ships after the launch of the Carnival Vista in 2016. Innovative features include the Skyride, where you are suspended in a carriage flying around a two-lane course bike course high above the deck. New dining options include Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que smokehouse – very American!

Symphony of the Seas

Also launching in April this will be Royal Caribbean’s 4th Oasis Class ship and the largest to launch in 2018, carrying 5,400 passengers. There will be old favourites on the ship such as the Aqua Theatre and the Boardwalk and Central Park neighbourhoods, but RCI always want to bring something brand new to their ships. One thing they have introduced is the selfie check-in which works by facial recognition. You can read more details here.

Norwegian Bliss

April is going to be a very busy month in the cruising world as Norwegian Cruise Line will introduce us to the Norwegian Bliss. This vessel will accommodate 4,200 passengers and will have a go=kart track as well as a laser tag game. For dining they have added Q, which is a Texas Smokehouse with live music added for a fun atmosphere. The ship will be based in Alaska in the Summer then over to the Caribbean for the winter season. We are yet to see what the design on the hull will look like.

MSC Seaview

Following the launch of the MSC Seaside in December 2017 this will be the 2nd ship in this class off ship which is due to launch in May. Some have described the unusual design like a block of flats at sea and it is certainly different with it’s self-styled ‘beach-condo concept. The aim is to bring the sea & guests closer, but you don’t want to be too close and fall in. Although in the unfortunate event of this happening MSC have developed a state of the art ‘man over board detection system’ – (yes, really) which you can read about here. There is a 360 degree promenade running round the whole ship which has restaurants and bars where you can sit and drink and dine al fresco.

Nieuw Statendam

This is Holland America’s newest addition will arrive in November and is the smallest to launch in 2018 with a mere 2,600 passengers. This is the 2nd of the Pinnacle Class ships after the MS Koningsdam launched in 2016. Being a more traditional cruise line Holland America are concentrating on light & airy decor and a breathtaking atrium rather than waterparks and rides. Moving with the times there will be USB ports in the room and the ceiling of the atrium will have HD projections reflecting the time of day.

Celebrity Edge

The last ship due to be launched is Celebrity’s newest offering, Edge due to set sail in December. There are certainly some innovative areas on this ship and again some have criticised the aesthetics, especially the Magic Carpet area which is a movable deck which can travel between decks 2 & 16. Following on from the popularity of the Lawn Club on the Solstice class ships there will be a Rooftop Garden which is an area filled with live greenery and sophisticated, fabricated tree sculptures. The sculptures, in addition to being interesting to look out, double as seats for musical performers. You can read more here.  And the good news is that in Summer 2019 the ship will be based in Europe.

So lots of new ships, exciting features and innovative design on the horizon for next year. I can’t wait1


About Me

Hi There!  My name is Collette and as the blog suggests I am a big lover of cruising and have travel in my blood. I have worked in the travel industry for 25 years, starting as a holiday rep in Turkey back in 1993. After 4 years I returned to the…

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