While the days might be getting longer as winter heads our way, it’s definitely
warming up in Europe – with one of the biggest wave seasons ever.

For all those lucky Aussies and Kiwis heading to the northern hemisphere, the
next six weeks will see half of this year’s scheduled new ships launched.
This year promises 10 new larger ships in addition to new ships targeted
towards the expedition segment. Here is what you can expect to see:

Royal Caribbean
Kicking off the season is Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, which was
delivered on March 23. She is the fourth Oasis class ships from the line and the
largest in the world. She will be spending the summer in the Mediterranean
before setting off to her homeport of Miami in November.
Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Lines’ new Carnival Horizon was delivered just a week later.
She’ll have a number of new features including more specialty restaurants as
well as a Dr Seuss themed aqua park for the kids. She’ll spend a brief period in
Europe before sailing to New York where she’ll be christened by soul and R&B
singer, Queen Latifah.

Norwegian Cruise Line
The newest ship from NCL will have some amazing new features including a two-
storey go-kart track. The Norwegian Bliss will accommodate 4,004 passengers
and she will be in Alaska for the summer. In winter, she’ll be sailing to the
Caribbean from Miami before returning to Alaska and then to New York for the
winter.

MSC Cruises
The new MSC Seaside which is the sister to MSC Seaview will be entering service
in June 2018. She has the capacity to accommodate 6,592 passengers – almost as
large as Symphony of the Seas and has some new dining options as well as the
longest zipline at sea.

Seabourn
The luxury cruise line is lauching the new Seabourn Ovation. She is the sister ship
to Seabourn Encore and has the capacity for 600 guests. Fitted with luxury
amenities as well as luxury dining from Michelin-starred chef, Thomas Keller,
this will be a stunning ship. She will be operating in Europe during the summer
and in Asia during the winter.

Viking Ocean Cruises
The sleek, sophisticated Scandinavian line is launching its fifth ship. The Viking
Orion will be introduced in the summer along with the first new ships for the expedition cruise market. Later this year, three more ships are due to enter service.