What’s Coming in 2015 - Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (2016)

Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (2016)

What’s Coming in 2015

More than 22 million people took a cruise in 2014, and all the new ships offer up-to-date attractions and facilities aimed at expanding the market.

By the end of 2014, more than 50 ships measuring over 100,000 gross tons were in service, with more on their way. As this book went to press, over 20 new ships of various sizes were scheduled for delivery between January 2016 and the end of 2019.

Financing the building of new ships always takes priority as cruise lines plan for future ships and marketing plans. Insurance costs rose following the loss of the 114,147-ton, 3,000-passenger Costa Concordia off the coast of Tuscany in January 2012. In addition, there’s the ever-rising cost of steel, labor, financing, and fuel to consider.

In 2016, of the seven new ships scheduled for delivery the smallest in capacity is Viking Ocean Cruises’ 47,000 ton, 928-passenger Viking Sea, while the largest is Royal Caribbean International’s 225,000 ton, 5,400-passenger Given the economics of scale and shipbuilding costs, the new ‘optimum’ size for large resort ships is now about 160,000 tons, with a capacity of 3,500-4,200 passengers.

Some new ships are clones of a similar series in terms of size, layout, and configuration, helping to keep costs down. With the exception of two AIDA Cruises ships being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, for introduction in 2015 and 2016, all are being built by specialist shipyards in France, Finland, Germany, and Italy.

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Colorful hull of Norwegian Getaway.

Norwegian Cruise Line

AIDA Cruises

The 125,000-ton AIDAprima has a most unusual, stark upright bow - a throwback to the ocean liners of yesteryear - and an ultra-efficient new hull design that takes advantage of the latest eco-friendly discoveries. The rest of the ship is ultra-contemporary, with all the family-friendly features so popular with its youthful cruise audience. It features a Beach Club for activities day and night, while ‘4Elements’ is all about action and sports for the whole family; oh, and a micro-brewery is on board, too. The ship will be based year-round in Hamburg, Germany, but its Maiden Voyage is an epic 86-day journey to Hamburg from Yokohama, Japan.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Bliss arrives in 2016, with three more sister ships scheduled for delivery in 2017, 2018 and 2019. These are Norwegian Breakaway-‘plus’ ships.Norwegian Cruise Line has pushed the choice of entertainment and dining venues to the limit, as well as introduced sweet bakery products from Buddy Valasco’s Carlo’s Bakery. These ships cater extremely well to families with children and also feature a number of the popular (capsule-like) ‘studio’ cabins for solo-occupancy.

Applying the ‘pay more, get more’ principle, the ship also features ‘The Haven’ exclusive gated community accommodation area, located forward and above the ship’s navigation bridge - as aboard Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Epic.

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Britannia atrium.

P&O Cruises

Royal Caribbean International

At a cost of over $1 billion each, the first of a pair of 158,000-ton ‘Project Sunshine’ ships, Quantum of the Seas, arrived in the latter part of 2014 to great acclaim for its innovative, trendy, heart-stopping attractions. Its slim design is more akin to the Voyager-class ships rather than the larger (spread-superstructure) Oasis-class ships.

Sister ship Anthem of the Seas arrived in 2015. Both ships featuredodgem cars in the SeaPlex, and a North Star roving cherry-picker capsule that had the wow factor when first introduced, together with the Ripcord by iFly sky dive experience - all this and more aboard these family-friendly ships.

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Star was the first of a series of ships for newcomer Viking Ocean Cruises (sister company to Viking River Cruises), with the sleek design of this 47,800-ton, 928-passenger, mid-sized ship breaking from the somewhat boxy shape of the large resort ships.

With a 360-degree walk-around promenade deck, a Wintergarden, an infinity pool, a choice of several restaurants and eateries (some with al fresco dining), and all-outside cabins, it is set to deliver in-depth destination experiences, at a modest price point. The next ship in the series (Viking Sea) arrives in 2016, and Viking Sky follows in 2017.

Extra-cost items

Cruise lines offer appealingly low fares, but most try hard to maintain revenues by increasing the cost of onboard choices (particularly for specialty restaurants), including beverages. The most common extra-cost items are listed below, but please note that these are provided only as guidelines, and may have changed since this book was completed. Always check with the cruise line, onboard concession, or your travel provider for the latest prices.

Specialty dining (cover charge) $15-100 each

Babysitting (per hour) $10

Bottled water $2.50-7 (per bottle)

Cappuccino/espresso $2-3

Cartoon character bedtime ‘tuck-in’ service $20-25

Wash one shirt $3-4

Dry-clean dress $8-10

Dry-clean jacket $8-10

Golf simulator $25 (30 minutes)

Group bicycling class $11 per class

Hair wash/set $40-75

Haircut (men) $30

Ice cream $2.50-4.00

In-cabin (on-demand) movies $6.95-12.95

Internet connection $0.50-0.95 per minute

Kick-boxing class $12 per class

Laundry soap $1-1.50

Massage $3-plus a minute (plus tip)

Satellite phone/fax $4.95-9.95 per minute

Shuttle bus in ports of call $3-6

Sodas (soft fizzy drinks) $2-3

Souvenir photograph (8x6in/20x12cm) $10-12

Souvenir photograph (10x8in/25x20cm) $20-30

Use of Aqua Spa $30-35 per day

Wine/cheese tasting $10-25

Wine with dinner $7-500

Yoga or Pilates class $12 per class

TUI Cruises

TUI Cruises is now really well entrenched in the family-friendly market for its German-speaking clientele, and the company’s new ship -Mein Schiff 4 arrived in 2015. Mein Schiff 3 is packed with trendy facilities and excellent eateries, including the ‘Blue Balcony,’ a 118.4 sq ft (11 sq m), glass-floored platform some 121.3ft (37 m) above the sea, which creates the impression that you are floating over the ocean.

Two specialty restaurants - Richard’s Fine Essen and a Surf and Turf Steakhouse - are housed in a futuristic-looking ‘glass diamond’ wall at the ship’s stern.

Mein Schiff 4 has a range of public rooms and general passenger flow designed by the company from the ground up. It even includes a concert hall designed to high acoustic specifications, and an 82-ft (25-m) swimming pool - the longest aboard any cruise ship. This ship is all about choice - in the variety of restaurants (two of its attractive aft-located restaurants are in a ‘glass bowl’), informal dining venues, and casual eateries, and in its wide range of public entertainment areas.

Looking ahead to 2017 and beyond

The opening of the new shipping lane and widening of the Panama Canal has provided large resort ships previously unable to transit the waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with more options for itinerary planners.

The $5.25 billion project, which began in 2007, entailed the widening and deepening of the existing navigational channels in Gatun Lake and the deepening of the Culebra Cut.

Refurbishment is in

Ships no longer in the first flush of youth need cosmetic surgery and regular makeovers in order to keep up their appearance. Items such as balcony door frames need replacing, furniture needs refinishing, and navigational, safety, and technical machinery always needs updating.

Cruise lines like to add in a greater number of cabins during refurbishment programs. This brings additional passengers, increasing occupancy levels and revenue, but, of course, decreases the amount of space per passenger (passenger space ratio). Usually, there’s no corresponding increase in the number of crew, and so the crew-to-passenger ratio unfortunately decreases. And, because no new elevators are added, there is more density (less space per passengers) and congestion in the elevators, too, with elevator waiting time increasing.

Recent examples include Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager-class ships, such as Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Voyager of the Seas. Also, aboard these ships, 81 interior cabins have had ‘virtual’ balconies added.

Stretch marks

For some cruise companies ‘stretching’ older ships make sense in light of the enormous cost of a new ship and the typical two-year time frame needed for completion and delivery. Even so, refits are expensive, at around $2 million a day, with that figure being pushed up by material, equipment, and labor costs. MSC Cruises, for example, ‘stretched’ four of its ships (MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Opera, MSC Sinfonia) in 2014/2015, by adding a newly built 68-ft (24-m) mid-section in ‘cut-and-insert’ operations at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Palermo.

Goodbye

Sadly we say goodbye to the following ships that are being retired (perhaps because they no longer comply with the latest round of safety and fire regulations), sold (perhaps to become floating hotels or other accommodation), or simply sold for scrap.

Coral (ex-Triton, ex-Sunward II, ex-Cunard Adventurer); Daphne (ex-Princess Daphne, ex-Ocean Monarch, ex-Switzerland, ex-Daphne, ex-Akrotiri Express, ex-Port Sydney) Fuji Maru; Ocean Countess (ex-Olympia Countess, ex-Olympic Countess, ex-Awani Dream 1, ex-Cunard Countess); Saga Ruby (ex-Caronia, ex-Vistafjord); Discovery (ex-Platinum, ex-Hyundai Pungak, ex-Island Princess, ex-Island Venture).

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The playful Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean International

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Twin titans: Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas can each carry 6,360 passengers plus 2,162 crew.

Royal Caribbean International

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Water slides aboard Norwegian Epic.

Douglas Ward

Security hassles

Most destinations throughout the world strive to welcome cruise ships and passengers, valuing their visits and business and helping create jobs for local communities. However, I have been hearing a large number of complaints from passengers concerning arrivals in the US.

Homeland Security officials in the US are not noted for warmly welcoming visitors at airports, and their elaborate red tape has been increasingly wrapped around cruise ships. Although they seldom have a problem with ships operated locally in or from the US, they often carry out a ‘face check’ when a foreign cruise ship arrives - that is, they want to see each passenger individually.

The resulting delays can shorten passengers’ time in port by as much as eight hours. In one case, the first passengers from P&O’s Arcadia were allowed off the ship in Los Angeles before 11am, but the last passengers weren’t cleared until 4:30pm. Even though all passengers had completed applications for multiple-entry ESTA visas and the ship had just come from Alaska, another US state, the officials insisted on carrying out detailed passport checks, extensive background interviews, and full biometric checks, including fingerprints of both hands and retina scans. All of this clearly costs the US both revenue and visitors because some ‘foreign’ cruise lines such as Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, responding to passenger complaints, have decided it is no longer worth calling at American ports, and other lines are thinking of following suit. Let’s hope things will improve.

New Ships to Debut

Cruise line

Ship name

Gross Tonnage

Date to debut

Price (approximate)

Length (feet/meters)

Passengers (lower bed capacity)

Builder

AIDA Cruises

AIDAPrima

125,000

March, 2015

$650 million

984.2/300.0

3,250

Mitsubishi (Japan)

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Escape

163,000

October, 2015

€700 million

1,066.2/325.0

4,200

Meyer Werft (Germany)

P&O Cruises

Britannia

141,000

March, 2015

€775 million

1,092.5/330.0

3,611

Fincantieri (Italy)

Ponant Cruises

Le Lyrial

10,700

Spring, 2015

$100 million

465.8/142.0

244/244

Fincantieri (Italy)

Royal Caribbean International

Anthem of the Seas

167,800

April, 2015

$1.03 billion

1,112.2/339.0

4,180

Meyer Werft (Germany)

TUI Cruises

Mein Schiff 4

99,300

April, 2015

€390 million

967.8/295.0

2,500

STX Europe (Finland)

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Star

47,800

May, 2015

$400 million

754.5/230.0

928

Fincantieri (Italy)

AIDA Cruises

TBA

125,000

March, 2016

$650 million

984.2/300.0

3,250

Mitsubishi (Japan)

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Vista

135,000

Winter, 2016

$780 million

TBA

4,000

Fincantieri (Italy)

Holland America Line

TBA

99,700

February, 2016

$518 million

TBA

2,660

Fincantieri (Italy)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Seven Seas Explorer

54,000

Summer, 2016

$450 million

731.6/223.0

738

Fincantieri (Italy)

Royal Caribbean International

Oasis-class 3

225,000

Summer, 2016

$1.03 billion

1,184.3/361.0

5,400

STX (France)

Royal Caribbean International

TBA

167,800

Summer, 2016

$1.03 billion

1,112.2/339.0

4,100

Meyer Werft (Germany)

Seabourn

TBA

40,350

Fall, 2016

$250 million

295.0-438.1/ 27,5-133.6

450

Mariotti (Italy)

Star Cruises

TBA

150,000

October, 2016

€707.2 million

1,082.6/330.0

3,364

Meyer Werft

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Sea

47,800

May, 2016

$400 million

754.4/230.0

928

Fincantieri (Italy)

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Bliss

163,000

Spring, 2017

€700 million

1,066.2/325.0

4,200

Meyer Werft (Germany)

Star Cruises

TBA

150,000

October, 2017

€697.2 million

1,082.6/330.0

3,364

Meyer Werft

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Sky

47,800

January, 2017

$400 million

754.5/230.0

928

Fincantieri (Italy)