Northern Europe is set for a record year in 2022 with 160 ships expected to operate in the region according to the 2022 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.
The previous record was achieved in 2019, when 147 vessels sailed in the region.
As larger ships are deployed in the region – including P&O’s 5,200-guest Iona and the 5,200-guest AIDAnova – Northern Europe is also poised to see record capacity.
Cruise Industry News looked at the plans for the summer program of some of the major players in the market:
AIDA Cruises
Ships: Ten – AIDAnova, AIDAperla, AIDAprima, AIDAmar, AIDAsol, AIDAluna, AIDAbella, AIDAdiva, AIDAaura and AIDAvita
Sailing Season: April 11 to November 19
Homeports: Kiel, Hamburg, Warnemunde and Bremerhaven (Germany); and Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Itinerary highlights: Rosendal, Oslo, Vik, Honningsvag, Longyearbyen, Tromso, Haugesund, Aarhus, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Lerwick, Southampton, Stockholm, Karlskrona, Le Havre, Le Verdon, Akureyri, Seydisfjordur, Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Rauma, Vaasa, Mariehamn, Ronne, Saaremaa and more
As the capacity leader in the region, AIDA Cruises is planning a ten-ship summer deployment in Northern Europe in 2022, which features the 5,200-guest AIDAnova.
With ships sailing from several ports in Germany, the program includes itineraries to different regions, including the Baltic, Iceland, Svalbard, the Norwegian Fjords, North Sea, the British Islands and more.
MSC Cruises
Ships: Five – MSC Virtuosa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Preziosa, MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia
Sailing Season: April 17 to September 27
Homeports: Southampton (England); Kiel, Warnemunde and Hamburg (Germany); Copenhagen (Denmark); and Helsinki (Finland)
Itinerary highlights: Alesund, Maloy, Kristiansand, Oslo, Flam, Stavanger, Honningsvag, Nuuk, Ilulissat, Reykjavik, Copenhagen, Skagen, Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Kirkwall, Cork, Portland, Riga, Cherbourg, Zeebrugge and more
After a limited operation in the region in 2021, MSC Cruises is set for a full season in Northern Europe in 2022.
The company’s plans include five ships dedicated to the region, with cruises departing from England, Germany, Denmark and Finland. As a highlight of the program, the 2021-built MSC Virtuosa will return for a second season of UK-based cruises.
P&O Cruises
Ships: Five – Arcadia, Aurora, Britannia, Ventura and Iona
Sailing Season: April 9 to October 22
Homeports: Southampton (England)
Itinerary highlights: Gothenburg, Visby, Stockholm, Fredericia, Riga, Tallinn, Kiel, Guernsey, Tromso, Gravdal, Honningsvag, Alta, Trondheim, Narvik, Thorshavn, Stornoway, Killybegs, Holyhead, Belfast, Lerwick, Zeebrugge, Klaipeda, Gdynia, Ronne, Helsinki, Warnemunde, Akureyri, Isafjord, Amsterdam and more
A traditional player in the region, P&O Cruises will have five ships offering cruises to Northern Europe regularly during the summer.
Sailing from its Southampton homeport, the British company is planning itineraries to several destinations, including the Baltic, the British Islands, the North Sea and Iceland. Debuting in the region, the 5,200-guest will also offer regular cruises to the Norwegian Fjords.
Costa Cruises
Ships: Four – Costa Diadema, Costa Fascinosa, Costa Fortuna
Sailing Season: May 27 to September 17
Homeports: Kiel and Bremerhaven (Germany); Copenhagen (Denmark); Stockholm (Sweden); Copenhagen (Denmark); Amsterdam (Netherlands); and more
Itinerary highlights: Flam, Stavanger, Haugesund, Narvik, Bodo, Molde, Andalsnes, Malory, Honningsvag, Tallinn, Riga, Klaipeda, Gdynia, Invergordon, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Greenock, Liverpool, Cork, Edinburgh, Seydisfjordur, Reykjavik, Isafjord and more
Following a two-year gap, Costa Cruises is returning to Northern Europe in 2022 with itineraries to the Baltic, the Norwegian Fjords, the British Islands and Iceland.
The four-ship program includes the 3,700-guest Costa Diadema – one of the biggest ships of the fleet – and runs from late May to mid-September.
Princess Cruises
Ships: Four – Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess, Emerald Princess and Island Princess
Sailing Season: March 28 to October 29
Homeports: Southampton (England); and Copenhagen (Denmark)
Itinerary highlights: Oslo, Kristiansand, Longyearbyen, Honningsvag, Skjolden, Skagen, Akureyri, Reykjavik, La Rochelle, Guernsey, Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Visby, Lerwick, Falmouth, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Belfast, Riga, Tallinn, Klaipeda, Qaqortoq, Nanortlik, Gdynia and Warnemunde
Princess Cruises is planning a strong season in Northern Europe in 2022, as four of its 14 ships will be dedicated to the region during the summer.
Focusing on the UK market, the premium operator will have the four ships – including the 2020-built Enchanted Princess and the 2019-built Sky Princess – sailing from Southampton.
Other cruise lines sailing in Northern Europe this year include:
- TUI Cruises
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Royal Caribbean International
- Olsen Cruise Lines
- Celebrity Cruises
- Holland America Line
- Cunard
- Viking Ocean Cruises
- Phoenix Reisen
- Oceania Cruises
- Ambassador Cruise Line
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Silversea Cruises
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises
- Azamara
- Saga Cruises
- Ponant
- Virgin Voyages
- Seabourn
- Windstar Cruises
- Disney Cruise Line
- Plantours
- Rivages du Monde
- Iceland ProCruises
- Atlas Ocean
- Noble Caledonia
- Hebridean Island
- Swan Hellenic
- and more
