The Biggest Ship Launch in History

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.