Meeting professionals who are planning a cruise meeting for 2018 or beyond have something new to be excited about: Carnival Corp. will launch four new cruise ships this year across four of its 10 global brands, it announced yesterday.
The new ships -- one each for Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Seabourn, and AIDA Cruises -- are part of the company's ongoing fleet enhancement strategy, which will see Carnival launch 18 new ships between 2018 and 2022.
"On top of the three new ships we launched in 2017, we look forward to the delivery of four more spectacular ships that will help us continue providing extraordinary cruise vacations at an exceptional value for our guests," said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corp. "The new ships also demonstrate our long-term strategy to build highly efficient, innovative, and state-of-the-art ships that offer our guests the latest in onboard features and amenities, while creating excitement in the marketplace that will continue to inspire more travelers to consider cruising as a vacation option."
Carnival's first new ship of 2018 will be Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Horizon. Scheduled to launch in April 2018, it will debut with a 13-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona, ultimately shifting to Miami for a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning in September. The 133,500-ton ship will feature Carnival's first Dr. Seuss WaterWorks aqua park, the line's first tappanyaki dining venue, a BBQ restaurant from Food Network star Guy Fieri, a bike-ride-in-the-sky SkyRide attraction, an IMAX theatre, an onboard craft brewery, and a spa, among other amenities.
Carnival's second new ship of 2018 will be Seabourn's Seabourn Ovation (pictured). Scheduled to launch in May 2018, the all-suite ship was designed by designer Adam D. Tihany. Carrying just 600 guests, based on double occupancy, it will embark on an 11-day inaugural voyage from Venice to Barcelona before assuming regular service in Northern Europe.
Next up will be AIDA Cruises' AIDAnova. Launching in December 2018, it will be the first cruise ship fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel with nearly zero emissions. Onboard amenities will include a brewery and beer garden, a beach club, three water slides, an escape room, a 360-degree "Theatrium," an onboard TV studio, 17 restaurants, and 23 bars. It will spend its first season offering seven-day cruises around the Canary Islands.
Last but not least will be Holland America Line's ms Nieuw Statendam. Also launching in December, the 99,500-ton, Tihany-designed ship will carry 2,666 guests for a 14-day maiden voyage across the Atlantic to Fort Lauderdale, after which it will offer three-, four-, seven-, and 10-day Caribbean cruises from South Florida.