With a record cruise ship orderbook to start the month of March, the average size of cruise ship newbuilds is trending down on the forward looking orderbook. 

Looking ahead from now to 2026, the average size of all the newbuilds on order comes in at just over 102,000 tons, compared to 110,908 at the start of 2017.

The all-time high came in 2015 when the orderbook stood at 48 ships with an average size of 123,319, just prior to the newbuilding boom in the luxury, expedition and niche segments.

With a 98-ship orderbook, some 25 ships are dedicated to the luxury market, all of which are smaller.

In addition is the vibrant expedition market, which has another two dozen vessels on order, also helping in bringing the average down.