Last Month in Cruise December 2024 - Written By Sara Macefield
Talk about finishing the year on a high. As Wave Season gathered pace, sparking a plethora of special deals, several lines reported record-breaking sales with high demand for 2025 and beyond sparking ever more exciting developments.
A new ship and fresh looks
Just months after unveiling its second ship, Explora Journeys revealed details of its third with Explora III which launches in summer 2026. With 463 suites, this will be the line’s first LNG ship and will spend its inaugural season in northern Europe. There have been a host of ship makeovers with Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s Balmoral emerging from a multi-million pound dry-dock revamp and Marella Cruises’ Marella Discovery 2 debuting upgraded cabins and new features. Meanwhile, Cunard announced a refit of Queen Elizabeth in February/March, while Carnival Cruise Line is updating the newly-rebranded Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter which are joining the line’s Down Under operation from P&O Cruises Australia.
News from the rivers
Krems is a new Danube port on Scenic’s 2025 Danube in Depth sailings, while sister line Emerald has announced a string of enhancements for 2026. In addition to new ship Emerald Astra, the line has added a new Serenity of the Rhine cruise and extended the season with departures from February to December. VIVA Cruises’ new 2026 programme marks the launch of its Viva Boutique premium brand and its entire fleet using HVO biofuel. Six of VIVA’s eight ships will offer year-round sailings, including a debut winter programme on the Seine. TUI River Cruises is keeping things sweet with new culinary creations whipped up by its chefs who have been inspired by the rivers they’ve cruised on.
Distant horizons
Celestyal kicked off its inaugural Arabian Gulf season as flagship Celestyal Journey arrived in Qatar’s capital, Doha, from where it will homeport until March. Looking further ahead, Windstar Cruises opened 2027 bookings for Japan early on its newest ship Star Seeker after seeing unprecedented demand for 2026 voyages and MSC Cruises put its 2027 world voyage on sale. The 2026/7 season sees AE Expeditions’ new Antarctica programme with special photography and New Scientist Discovery Tours, plus an Antarctic Women’s Expedition led by a female expedition leadership team, and Princess Cruises’ Australasia series which includes the return of its popular 79-night Circle Pacific Voyage on Grand Princess.
New departure ports
There’s a new kid on the London block with Windstar announcing its first series of departures from Tower Bridge aboard Star Pride in 2026 with three short taster sailings and two longer voyages to the Norwegian fjords. Celebrity Cruises also debuted Port Canaveral on December 3, from where Celebrity Equinox is offering Caribbean sailings until April 2025.
Island life
Landlubbers ahoy! Royal Caribbean International has unveiled details of its new private escape in the Bahamas, the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, due to open in December 2025. Carnival and Holland America Line are also enhancing their Caribbean island resort Half Moon Cay, which will be renamed RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.
For something a little different . . .
Virgin Voyages hit the headlines with the industry’s first Annual Pass, enabling guests to spend 2025 hopping aboard its ships anytime and anywhere for the entire year.