As the new year begins, Cruise Industry News looks at the trends for the global industry in 2025 and beyond.
Focus on Bottom Line
Carnival Corporation is coming off a record financial performance in 2024 and has big expectations for 2025.
The same can be said for the other two major cruise companies that are public, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
Full ships, a strong value proposition and focusing on the North American consumer is said to be driving the financial performance.
New Brands Joining the Industry
New brands continue to join the growing industry. Aroya Cruises started up for the Arab market at the end of 2024, as did Eastern Cruise, targeting the South Korean market.
Expected start ups in 2025 include Vidanta, the return of Victory Cruises with a two-ship Great Lakes operation and Alma Cruceros.
Late in the year, Four Seasons is expected to take delivery of its first ship ahead of its operational debut in 2026, the same year which will see the start up of Orient Express with the first of two ultra-luxury sailing ships.
Luxury Market
The luxury market continues to grow the fastest out of all the market niches on a percentage basis. While the ships are smaller, newbuilds from Viking, Explora, Windstar and others are driving growth.
Close to Home
Cruise lines are positioning their ships closer to the industry’s number one market: the United States.
Homeports with modern infrastructure and either drive-to market potential or airlift connections support the big ships, and all the major brands have their own private islands in the Caribbean, supporting deployment decisions to keep more ships in the Caribbean.
Cruise companies continue to invest in their private islands, building piers or developing entirely new destinations.
The new Norwegian Aqua will be delivered this spring and will sail Caribbean cruises for her inaugural season, as opposed to spending the summer in Europe.
Larger Newbuilds
Cruise ship newbuilds are getting increasingly larger. Royal Caribbean International, MSC Cruises, TUI Cruises, Princess Cruises and Disney Cruise Line are set to take delivery of some of their largest-ever ships in 2025.
Greener Operations
The new Celebrity Xcel will be the industry’s first tri-fuel ship when she debuts later this year, able to run on traditional marine fuels as well as methanol.
To allow for the ship’s fuel flexibility, Wartsila will deliver two converted 8-cylinder Wartsila 46F engines to allow them to utilize three fuel sources, including methanol.
Other examples include Royal Caribbean, which canceled a summer season in China in favor of a deployment on the West Coast, as well as Princess, which repositioned a ship from Australia to the Caribbean for the 2025-26 winter.
Push Back
In 2024, more anti-cruise initiatives gained traction, including a group that blocked several ships from docking in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
In Juneau, Alaska, a group of residents also attempted to ban ships from docking in the city on Saturdays through a ballot initiative, which ultimately was rejected.
