It’s going to be a big year for big ships. Here, we look at the latest amazing, state-of-the art vessels and cruising trends from Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises.
Royal Caribbean Mega-Ships
Royal Caribbean regularly launches the latest “biggest cruise ship in the world” and the line has two new mega-ships arriving in 2024.
Icon of the Seas, which makes her inaugural cruise in January, takes over the “world’s biggest” title from Wonder of the Seas but in an interesting break from Royal’s tradition, July’s Utopia of the Seas will slip into second place to Icon rather than overtaking her.
Local cruisers are looking forward to flying over to the East Coast of the US to explore Royal’s latest and greatest ships, says Gavin Smith, Vice President and Managing Director at Royal Caribbean International AUNZ.
“Those looking for the ultimate family holiday are snapping up cabins on Icon of the Seas,” says Gavin. “Icon is the first-of-its-kind combination of the best of every holiday.”
The ship features seven distinct neighbourhoods including Thrill Island, which has the largest waterpark at sea and six record-breaking slides. The exclusive ‘ship within a ship’ Suite Neighbourhood, which made its debut on Wonder, includes the two-storey Grove Suite Sun Deck that has its own private pools, bars and dining facilities.
Gavin says Royal is seeing strong interest from younger holidaymakers, especially groups of friends and couples, who are looking for thrilling weekenders on the Oasis-Class Utopia of the Seas.
“Australians road-tripping the US or visiting the East Coast can extend their trip and add a Caribbean sailing to experience a short getaway as part of their holiday.”
Utopia, the sixth and final vessel in Royal Caribbean’s popular Oasis Class, will sail three- and four-night itineraries in the Bahamas out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
Weekenders have also been a big hit with Brisbane and Sydney-based cruisers who have discovered the delights of Quantum and Ovation of the Seas. Gavin says there has been a notable increase in younger families taking seven-night cruises, while older guests often opt for longer, more leisurely sailings.
“Our dedicated travel agent partners are integral to our success and play a significant role in our operations,” Gavin continues.
“We know how hard our agents work and we are committed to recognising their continuous dedication by actively investing in and cultivating these relationships.
“In January 2023 we launched Club Royal Rewards, offering all frontline travel advisors cashback on every Royal Caribbean booking secured with a deposit. Their support, especially in facilitating rest-of-world bookings, has been instrumental as international cruising has made a strong comeback in 2023.
“Their expertise and dedication are invaluable, and we couldn’t do it without them!”
For more information, visit https://www.royalcaribbean.com.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Ben Angell, Managing Director, Norwegian Cruise Line Asia Pacific, is just as appreciative of NCL’s trade partners.
“The trade community is incredibly valuable to NCL and we are committed to helping our agents to grow and succeed as we continue to build our brand in the region,” Ben says.
“Our deployment mix continues to expand and diversify, giving trade partners even more opportunities to sell something new, and to encourage travellers to discover the NCL difference.”
There’s certainly plenty of expansion and diversification going on at NCL. Norwegian Viva, the second of the line’s new Prima Class, made her debut in August, just a year after Norwegian Prima set sail. NCL’s 20th ship, Norwegian Aqua, will make her maiden voyage in April 2025 and bookings have been going gangbusters since opening in November.
“Locally, we are counting the days until the arrival of Norwegian Spirit for her second season in Australian and New Zealand waters, during which she will sail a series of open-jaw itineraries between Sydney and Auckland,” Ben says.
“Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome Norwegian Sun to homeport in our region between December 2024 and March 2025, a season which will see the addition of Melbourne departures for the first time. Ports will include Kangaroo Island and a return to Far North Queensland destinations such as Cairns, Airlie Beach, and Cooktown.
“This is all great news, not only for those keen to sail closer to home but for our travel partners meeting local demand from their clients.”
In terms of what’s trending among Australian cruisers, Ben says that destinations such as Europe, Alaska and Hawaii will be as popular as ever, while the line is also anticipating growing interest in Asian itineraries, especially Japan. NCL is meeting this demand with four ships sailing in the Asia Pacific region between 2024 and 2025.
NCL has also seen more Aussies seeking longer, port-rich voyages for fly/cruise holidays and interest in solo travel remains high.
“Cruising is a great way to connect with like-minded others and there’s plenty to keep solo guests entertained,” Ben adds. “We expect that demand to continue, which is why we are adding further solo capacity fleetwide.”
As for the possibility of seeing one of the ships featuring the famous rollercoasters Down Under, Ben says, “We would love to bring a Prima Class ship to Australia, but there are no announcements to make at this stage.” Watch this space …
For more information, visit https://www.ncl.com/au/en.
Celebrity Cruises
Like its sister brand Royal Caribbean, Celebrity is launching new ships at a rate of knots. Its fourth Edge Class ship, Celebrity Ascent, made her debut earlier this month and the fifth, Celebrity Xcel, is due in November 2025.
Local cruisers have welcomed Celebrity Edge to Australia with open arms and Tim Jones, Celebrity Cruises Vice President and Managing Director APAC, has said that Australia is the line’s fourth-biggest market after the US, UK and Canada. So, it makes sense to showcase one of the line’s newest, most innovative ships in the region.
Celebrity says that Aussies’ appetite for cruising is soaring. The line reports a 69 per cent growth in bookings year-on-year from Australian travellers (January-December 2023 vs January-December 2024).
Internationally, our sights are set on Asia. Celebrity’s Spice Route itinerary, taking in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, is the most popular international itinerary, followed by 11- to 13-night Japan itineraries.
Closer to home, we’re heading for the South Pacific – Celebrity’s New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Loyalty Island itinerary is its most-booked cruise, followed by Tasmania, Australian Wine cruises, 10- to 13-night cruises to New Zealand and 10- to 11-night Great Barrier Reef cruises.
As reflected by NCL’s sales figures for Australian cruisers, Celebrity reports that Australian solo travellers make up 6 per cent of all 2024 bookings so far, with more women than men getting onboard – 71 per cent to 29 per cent.
For more information, visit https://www.celebritycruises.com/au.
When we return in the New Year, we’ll check out what’s on the horizon for river, luxury and expedition cruising. Happy sailing and Merry Christmas to one and all!