This popular category is getting more and more luxe, and we find out what the premium cruise trends are for 2024. No wonder demand is up.
Almost a dozen new ocean-going ships are launching this year. And they will be boasting amazing posh suites, breathtaking activities, restaurants that rival the very best on land. And not to mention, spectacular entertainment.
What are the new premium cruise itineraries for 2024?
And then there are itineraries, developing constantly to give guests more time in favourite cities such as Istanbul, Seville, Bordeaux, Valletta, and Perth, respectively in Turkey, Spain, France, Malta and Australia, and the option of exciting things to do ashore.
Fancy searching for truffles in Provence, learning to make Spanish paella in Valencia or brushing up on Greek and Roman history in Syracuse in Sicily? You can with Oceania Cruises. Go with Azamara to ride around the beautiful Bay of Kotor in a tuk-tuk, hike to a fishing lodge once used by Russia’s tsars in Finland’s Valkmusa National Park and visit a former Soviet nuclear weapon site from Klaipėda in Lithuania.
While shorter sailings are making a comeback among contemporary cruisers, in the premium space, world cruises are selling out further and further in advance. This year, Princess opened sales for its longest voyage yet – a 116-day cruise touring six continents on the 2200-passenger Island Princess.
Viking’s 2024/25 world cruise will be a 180-day circumnavigation from Fort Lauderdale to New York. It will visit 37 countries and 85 ports. There will be overnight stays in 13 cities. It comes at a time when the cruise line recorded the strongest sales period ever.
New year, new ships for premium cruise 2024
Come February, Princess Cruises steals the limelight with Sun Princess. It makes its debut in the Mediterranean, holds 4300 passengers. And it packs in a whole lot of firsts appealing to a younger audience looking for a good-value holiday.
Stay in the new Signature Collection suites and you get exclusive access to a Signature Restaurant. There are new cabana cabins with outdoor patios and a private deck, an action-packed family zone with a roller-gliding ride (no, I’ve no idea either) and plenty of craic at a new Irish Bar.
There’s magic, mystery and mixology in the air in new venue Spellbound, and more restaurants for passengers to get their teeth into. This includes a Japanese teppanyaki and Butcher’s Block, a carnivore’s paradise created with Dario Cecchini of Netflix series Chef’s Table fame.
Cunard’s Queen Anne makes its debut in May with cruises from Southampton in the UK. It’s the line’s first new ship for 14 years, holds 3000 passengers, has lots of Britannia Club cabins (cheaper than the swanky Princess and Queens Grills suites, but you still get a restaurant where you can dine when you want), a top-deck glass dome and Wellness Club and Café.
Scandinavian décor, all-balcony cabins and suites, and a Nordic spa with a sauna. So it’s no wonder Viking Vela, debuting in Northern Europe in December, has the same attributes. But there is a difference – her sister ships hold 930 passengers, and Vela is bigger, with room for 998.
Celebrity Cruises will also debut its fourth and final Edge-class ship, Celebrity Ascent. She’ll feature several innovations that appear on her sister ship but with some differences.
New York-based chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud’s eatery will be redesigned. Le Voyage, which first debuted on Celebrity Beyond, features plush banquet seating and gold tones throughout.
The lovely Eden public space features three levels of sensory experiences. It includes a café, cocktail bar, entertainment space, and an outdoor terrace. The restaurant will also offer a new seven-course plant-based menu. This includes dishes such as ajoblanco pannacotta, roasted and glazed celeriac steak and golden beet-tomato ceviche.
Craft Social, one of the fleet’s favourite watering holes will host whiskey tastings through an exclusive partnership with WhistlePig Whiskey. The group has two hand-selected barrels made exclusively for Celebrity Cruises. There is also a venue with high-end bourbons.
December also sees the return of Mickey and Minnie. This time on Disney Treasure, a ship for 2512 passengers that will be sailing the Caribbean. It has an Aladdin-themed Grand Hall and a splash-tastic water coaster that speeds through tubes around the top of the ship. Plaza de Coco is a new Coco-themed theatrical dining experience for families, while adults can mix and mingle in the new Periscope Pub.
Last but by no means least, look out for Virgin Voyages’ fourth Lady Ship. Brilliant Lady, made in the image of Virgin’s other ships and destined for the Caribbean, comes out in 2024 on a date to be announced. No matter: with everything else that’s launching, there’s plenty to be getting on with.
