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Head to head: New cruise ships to watch in 2020
Cruise is gearing up for another year of new ships complete with exciting new interior concepts, cleaner fuel propulsion methods, and technologies to improve the passenger experience. Adele Berti, Chris Lo and Joe Baker give their picks for the ships they are most excited for this year.
joe baker
Scarlet Lady is Virgin’s attempt to make cruise cool again
They’re the company with a finger in every pie, from transport to banking and even (for a short period) bridalwear. And this April, Virgin will stamp its iconic red logo on the cruise industry with the launch of Scarlet Lady.
Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady is scheduled to set sail on 1 April 2020
Image: Virgin Voyages
joe baker
Scarlet Lady is Virgin’s attempt to make cruise cool again
They’re the company with a finger in every pie, from transport to banking and even (for a short period) bridalwear. And this April, Virgin will stamp its iconic red logo on the cruise industry with the launch of Scarlet Lady.
Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady is scheduled to set sail on 1 April 2020
Image: Virgin Voyages
The first of several ships to be launched by Virgin Voyages this decade (Valiant Lady arrives in 2021, with two more unnamed vessels to follow), Scarlet Lady is Virgin’s attempt to smash the stereotype that cruise holidays are for older travellers or families. Millennials are a clear focus here, with standard buffet fare replaced by 20 food outlets offering a la carte options, chic communal lounges and bars, and cabins with hipsteresque accessories you might find in a trendy New York apartment.
Restaurants onboard attempt to skewer modern trends with a touch of class. Razzle Dazzle combines edgy décor with a range of vegan and vegetarian dishes, while “laboratory-like eatery” the Test Kitchen will offer coffee tasting and mixology classes. Virgin has made big plays on fitness – see the massive outdoor running track and onboard wellness programme called Vitamin at Sea – as well as eco-friendless with a ship-wide plastic ban.
The Razzle Dazzle restaurant on Scarlet Lady
Image: Virgin Voyages
Eliminating the communal dining area is an intriguing move. Virgin founder Richard Branson said the company wanted to avoid “boring dining rooms”, but the company has also implied it could cut waste and energy consumption. Cruise enthusiasts have also speculated that separate dining areas could help prevent the spread of norovirus, which can cripple cruise ships – just ask Royal Caribbean, which had to refund Oasis of the Seas passengers after 475 passengers and crew members fell ill last January.
In Future Cruise August, we found out how the company had tried to blend the common concept of ‘luxury’ with a more rebellious, youthful vibe across the ship. Virgin Voyages senior vice president of hotel operations Frank Weber explained how the company was trying to create a cruise offering for people who don’t usually go on cruises. “We had a real opportunity here to put people first, and we didn’t have any kind of legacy, which other cruise companies have to deal with,” he told us.
Scarlet Lady will feature 78 ‘Rockstar Suites’ onboard
Image: Virgin Voyage
While this is far from the first child-free itinerary, Virgin’s move to target adults – particularly 24-39-year-olds – on its initial cruise outing remains a bold step. According to Cruise Lines International Association, the average global cruise passenger age is 46, but it’s important to note that this spans a variety of demographics on a wide range of cruise types.
The question is whether Virgin Voyages has done enough to break industry norms and bring trendy young-uns aboard. If it manages to thread this particular needle, could other operators seek to replicate the ideas it has brought to the table? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, Scarlet Lady is one to watch.
More tourists will bolster the local economy and create business
The Cayman Islands Government claims the facility will have indirect and direct economic benefits for small businesses as well as residents by increasing the number of jobs and revenue coming into the islands.
“Seeking to grow cruise tourism and further diversify our tourism industry as a whole will mean a positive benefit to the country in the form of additional jobs and opportunities,” it said in a statement.
The Association for the Advancement of Cruise Tourism in the Cayman Islands (ACT) believes that small businesses who operate in the port infrastructure, such as water sport companies, tour operators, restaurants, land and water-based attraction owners would benefit from the proposed improvement to the port.
Seeking to grow cruise tourism and further diversify our tourism industry as a whole will mean a positive benefit to the country
The escalating number of cruise passengers would potentially create nearly 1,000 jobs, the government claims.
Image Caption: George Town in the Cayman Islands in 2017. Image: eric laudonien / Shutterstock.com
ADELE BERTI
Carnival Mardi Gras passengers are in for a hell of a ride
If ‘excitement’ is what passengers are looking for, nothing screams euphoria and entertainment more than Carnival’s upcoming Mardi Gras, which is setting sail in November this year.
The company’s loving tribute to its first ever ship, the 1972 TSS Mardi Gras, the new vessel is pledging to commemorate Carnival’s decades-long venture into the cruise ship industry with as much fanfare as you would expect from any respectable carnival march around the world.
Carnival’s Mardi Gras
pros
A bigger cruise facility will attract ships which currently bypass the Islands
Given that cruise tendering has been vital to the growth of the island’s economy in the past, the Cayman Islands Government initiated the building of the new facility to improve tourism in the islands going forward.
The government released a dossier which highlighted the risks and benefits involved in the project. It said that several cruises currently don’t stop in Cayman due to the lack of a berthing facility and building one would benefit the islands as cruise tourism will inevitably rise and ships will be motivated to add Cayman to their itinerary. It also estimated that more tourism would inject $250m into the economy over 20 years.
Currently, cruise companies such as Royal Caribbean International, MSC, Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise line dock at the islands. However, the Oasis-class ships don’t stop at Cayman due to the lack of berthing facilities.
A REPORT ESTIMATES THAT MORE TOURISM WOULD INJECT $250M Into the economy over 20 years
This was confirmed by the Royal Caribbean director of port business development Miguel Reyna, who at a press conference said that cruise traffic for Cayman “may drop from 450,000 passengers to potentially 250,000 passengers within the next five years” if the project does not go ahead.
“We don’t bring the Oasis-class ships to the Cayman Islands, and Royal Caribbean has no plans to tender the Oasis in the port,” he added.
Image courtesy of The University of Liverpool Library, Cunard archive
For starters, here’s a look at some of the ship’s most impressive features: 20 decks and 5,200 rooms spread over 1,130ft of height and a weight of 180,000GT make this Carnival’s biggest ship to date. It’s also the company’s first cruise ship in North America to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
But for whoever will sail on it - heading to some of the Caribbean’s most breathtaking spots - LNG will not be the only ship’s major innovation. From the ground up, Mardi Gras is an endless succession of dining areas, entertainment hotspots and fancy staterooms offering a variety of activities for a broad age range.
A cabin onboard Carnival Mardi Gras Image: Carnival Cruise Line
Food enthusiasts who like to travel with a full belly will be spoilt for choice, with the headliner on the ship’s menu being the so-called ‘French Quarter’. American celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse will bring his signature dishes to this area, as guests of the Emeril’s Bistro 1396 will be able to enjoy fried oysters, barbecue shrimp, duck and sausage gumbo and muffuletta sandwiches whilst a stone’s throw from a jazz club and a night club.
But the star attraction of this mammoth cruise ship – set to lure hoards of children like a mermaid’s singing - is the Bolt Ultimate Sea Coaster: the first-ever roller coaster at sea.
The Bolt Ultimate Sea Coaster
Image: Carnival Cruise Line
“An all-electric thrill ride that puts the power of speed in your hands,” as Carnival put it, Bolt sits some 187ft above sea level, and will take its guests for a 40mph-ride onboard its two-seat carriages spinning around the ship with a view of the ocean. Passengers will also be able to control the speed of their carriage with a pedal.
The roller coaster will spin around the remaining part of Mardi Gras’ top-deck entertainment area - also known as the Ultimate Playground - that includes a mini-golf course, full-court basketball and a ropes course and the largest of Carnival’s signature WaterWorks with three spiralling slides.
More tourists will bolster the local economy and create business
The Cayman Islands Government claims the facility will have indirect and direct economic benefits for small businesses as well as residents by increasing the number of jobs and revenue coming into the islands.
“Seeking to grow cruise tourism and further diversify our tourism industry as a whole will mean a positive benefit to the country in the form of additional jobs and opportunities,” it said in a statement.
The Association for the Advancement of Cruise Tourism in the Cayman Islands (ACT) believes that small businesses who operate in the port infrastructure, such as water sport companies, tour operators, restaurants, land and water-based attraction owners would benefit from the proposed improvement to the port.
Seeking to grow cruise tourism and further diversify our tourism industry as a whole will mean a positive benefit to the country
The escalating number of cruise passengers would potentially create nearly 1,000 jobs, the government claims.
Image Caption: George Town in the Cayman Islands in 2017. Image: eric laudonien / Shutterstock.com
CHRIS LO
National Geographic Endurance breaks into wilder waters
While the cruise industry might be synonymous with mass-market mega-ships, the expedition cruise niche has been quietly developing alongside the mainstream. In decades past, adventure-seeking travellers might have braved rough conditions to explore the world’s hidden gems by ship, but for today’s voyagers – those with deep enough pockets, at least – expedition cruise specialists such as Quark Expeditions, Hurtigruten and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offer the same thrills alongside modern comforts.
The National Geographic Endurance
Image: Lindblad Expeditions
pros
A bigger cruise facility will attract ships which currently bypass the Islands
Given that cruise tendering has been vital to the growth of the island’s economy in the past, the Cayman Islands Government initiated the building of the new facility to improve tourism in the islands going forward.
The government released a dossier which highlighted the risks and benefits involved in the project. It said that several cruises currently don’t stop in Cayman due to the lack of a berthing facility and building one would benefit the islands as cruise tourism will inevitably rise and ships will be motivated to add Cayman to their itinerary. It also estimated that more tourism would inject $250m into the economy over 20 years.
Currently, cruise companies such as Royal Caribbean International, MSC, Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise line dock at the islands. However, the Oasis-class ships don’t stop at Cayman due to the lack of berthing facilities.
A REPORT ESTIMATES THAT MORE TOURISM WOULD INJECT $250M Into the economy over 20 years
This was confirmed by the Royal Caribbean director of port business development Miguel Reyna, who at a press conference said that cruise traffic for Cayman “may drop from 450,000 passengers to potentially 250,000 passengers within the next five years” if the project does not go ahead.
“We don’t bring the Oasis-class ships to the Cayman Islands, and Royal Caribbean has no plans to tender the Oasis in the port,” he added.
Image courtesy of The University of Liverpool Library, Cunard archive
Of the many expedition vessels set to launch in 2020, National Geographic Endurance has emerged as one to watch. Leading cruise operator Lindblad Expeditions formed a strategic alliance with National Geographic in 2004 to offer joint expedition cruise products, and Endurance is the latest manifestation of this fruitful partnership. The vessel was floated out of the Ulstein Verft shipyard in Norway at the end of 2019, and is set to embark on its first commercial voyage in April this year for Lindblad/National Geographic’s ‘Svalbard in Spring’ cruise.
Endurance, which is named in honour of legendary Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, is the partners’ first vessel designed specifically for polar cruising. The ship’s icebreaking capabilities are rated at Polar Class 5, which will enable year-round polar operation in medium first-year ice. The ship incorporates Ulstein’s proprietary X-BOW design, which improves onboard stability and comfort while cutting through choppy waters, while also improving propulsion efficiency to make full use of expanded fuel and water tanks – perfect for extended forays around remote locations.
“A Polar Class 5 rating gives us the ability to operate the ship freely at any time of year in polar environments vastly expanding our polar range,” said Lindblad Expeditions president and CEO Sven Lindblad at the vessel’s keel-laying ceremony in 2018. “This means we can explore deeper into the pack ice, or further north to the unexplored reaches of the arctic. For instance, northern Ellesmere Island, where only a relative handful of people have ever been.”
Image: Sisse Brimberg & Cotton Coulson; Keenpress
Endurance will make its Antarctic debut in December 2020 with a 35-day cruise across the Antarctic Peninsula and the Ross Sea.
On even the most challenging expeditions, passengers staying in one of Endurance’s 69 cabins – which can accommodate 126 guests in total – won’t be sacrificing comfort or quality. The ship features two restaurants serving sustainable cuisine, as well as a VIP Chef’s table for more intimate meals; wellness facilities include a gym and yoga studio, infinity-style outdoor hot tubs and ocean-view saunas.
While operators of the giant cruise vessels at the other end of the market splash out on glitzy nightclubs, casinos and even an onboard roller coaster, Endurance’s extra features are geared more towards the location-specific interests of its affluent target demographic, as well as National Geographic’s reputation as one of the world’s best-loved sources of wildlife photography. On top of the standard fleet of Zodiac inflatables and other equipment for trips to the shore, every voyage will be accompanied by a National Geographic photographer, a certified photo instructor and video chronicler, and an undersea specialist with the equipment to bring passengers closer to the natural treasures beneath the waves.
Image: Ralph Lee Hopkins
With ships like the Endurance and Silversea’s forthcoming Silver Origin, which has been customised for exploring the Galapagos Islands, it’s clear that leading expedition cruise operators are working harder than ever to tailor ships to make the most of challenging destinations while meeting the exacting expectations of their target customers. Lindblad/National Geographic is clearly confident about its strategy; in late 2021 Endurance will be joined by its sister ship Resolution, which celebrated its keel-laying in October and features all the same features and icebreaking capabilities of its predecessor.
More tourists will bolster the local economy and create business
The Cayman Islands Government claims the facility will have indirect and direct economic benefits for small businesses as well as residents by increasing the number of jobs and revenue coming into the islands.
“Seeking to grow cruise tourism and further diversify our tourism industry as a whole will mean a positive benefit to the country in the form of additional jobs and opportunities,” it said in a statement.
The Association for the Advancement of Cruise Tourism in the Cayman Islands (ACT) believes that small businesses who operate in the port infrastructure, such as water sport companies, tour operators, restaurants, land and water-based attraction owners would benefit from the proposed improvement to the port.
Seeking to grow cruise tourism and further diversify our tourism industry as a whole will mean a positive benefit to the country
The escalating number of cruise passengers would potentially create nearly 1,000 jobs, the government claims.
Image Caption: George Town in the Cayman Islands in 2017. Image: eric laudonien / Shutterstock.com
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