Princess: ‘Elegant and Beautiful’
“The Star Princess embodies the direction we are going,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Princess Cruises, speaking aboard the new ship. “It’s elegant, it’s beautiful, but it’s approachable, it’s comfortable. “We are not trying to be edgy, not trying to be hip,” he added. “Our guests want to connect with the places we go and…
Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas: Efficient Design, New Tech Drives Savings
The new Star of the Seas is about 24 percent more efficient than previous Oasis-class ships for Royal Caribbean International, said Nick Rose, associate vice president of environmental programs. The main drivers are new streamlined hull design, the move to LNG as a fuel, and significant improvements made in waste heat recovery, even gaining ground…
Adora: Market Leader in China and Growing
Earlier this year, Adora Cruises received what it called a significant investment from China Cruises, a shareholding company overseen by the China Tourism Group. “This lays a solid foundation for the strengthening of its position in the market and its future development,” said Roger Chen, CEO. Later this year, the brand will welcome its one…
Buying and Selling Secondhand Cruise Ships
The secondhand cruise ship market has traditionally been highlighted by a couple of vessel sales annually, as a concentrated industry and a fleet of approximately 450 oceangoing cruise ships limits the opportunities for buying and selling. As of September, 2025, the year has so far been marked by a handful of transactions. First, Norwegian Cruise…
MSC: Managing Complex Newbuilds
While the World Asia is heading for a scheduled debut in late 2026, Trevor Young, vice president of new build for MSC, is looking further out, working to build and conceptualize the World Atlantic for 2027 and two more newbuilds for MSC, plus four more ships for Explora Journeys. “My inbox is about the next…
Fincantieri: Proactive Partner
With a record orderbook, one of Fincantieri’s greatest strengths lies in its integrated network of shipyards, both in Italy and abroad, according to Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of the Merchant Ships Division. Claiming a 45 percent share of the cruise ship newbuild market, Fincantieri’s confirmed orderbook counts 41 cruise ships to be built and delivered…
Carnival’s Decarbonization Focus
Carnival Corporation is already on track to meet its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target four years early relative to a 2019 baseline. The 2030 goal was to reduce GHG emissions by 20 percent. By the end of last year, Carnival had already reached a 17 percent reduction in emissions compared to 2019 and 41…
MSC: Market Leader in Europe
MSC has 17 ships in the European market, with 13 sailing in the Mediterranean and four in Northern Europe, said Gianni Onorato, CEO, in an interview with Cruise Industry News. Onorato also pointed out the new 5,400-guest World Asia, which will debut in Europe in 2026, making MSC the only brand putting new tonnage into…
Fincantieri: Underlining Its Position as Leading Shipbuilder
“We have new clients. We are proud to have AIDA. We are also happy to have Marella in our orderbook with very innovative vessels coming in 2030 and 2031,” said Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of the Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division. It was a busy spring for the Italian shipbuilder, which also confirmed two more Viking…
Costa: Core Innovations
The focus at Costa is on product innovation, building on the company’s Italian product with a new shore excursion program combined with its Sea Destination initiative, said Mario Zanetti, president. Zanetti told Cruise Industry News that Sea Destinations have been a huge hit with guests. The program brings destinations alive with programming matched to ports….
SunStone: Setting New Standards
The biggest provider of expedition tonnage on charter deals is pushing forward with another newbuild project, while leadership changes are bringing in a new generation. Niels Erik-Lund has turned SunStone Ships over to his sons, Carsten and Christian, and resigned on July 1, 2025, staying on as a non-executive board member. “My brother and I…
Ambassador: ‘Set for Long-Term Success’
The Ambassador Group is stronger as a result of the merger earlier this year between Ambassador and Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC), CEO Christian Verhounig told Cruise Industry News. He said the merger will strengthens the company’s presence in the no-fly cruise market and expand its product offerings, including a new joint Caribbean fly-cruise program…
Carnival Procurement: Bringing Value to the Guest Experience
“As a global company, we are constantly collaborating across the organization, with both our internal stakeholders and vendors, exploring supply markets to bring new and innovative offerings and experiences to our guests across our eight brands and specifically when it comes to food and beverage,” Jon McKeown, chief procurement officer for Carnival Corporation, told Cruise…
Lindblad: One-Stop Shop for Adventure Travel
Lindblad Expeditions is committed to continuing to grow its expedition cruise programs, but also wants to highlight its five land brands, according to Natalya Leahy, CEO. “If people love their experiences on our ships, they will also love the experiences we offer on land,” she told Cruise Industry News. “We have this amazing collection of…
Mein Schiff: Aggressive Growth
With the new Mein Schiff Flow to be introduced next year, following the sister ship, Mein Schiff Relax, this spring, and Mein Schiff 7 last year, the brand is on an aggressive growth path, more than doubling its guest capacity from 2023 to 2026. With nine ships in service, Mein Schiff will have a 35.5…