Last Month in Cruise July 2024 - Written By Sara Macefield
As summer gets into its stride, cruise lines have been releasing a raft of special offers for sailings later this year and beyond. News of more ship orders, plus exotic new itineraries as far ahead as 2027 are helping to keep up the ante.
March of the mega-ships
As fast as one mega-ship is named – Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas – another three are announced and set to arrive at Carnival Cruise Line in 2029, 2031 and 2033. Parent company Carnival Corporation took the cruise industry by surprise with its plan for these new giants which will be the largest ever constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. At 230,000 tons and powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas) the 3,000 cabin giants will hold nearly 8,000 passengers at full capacity. At the other end of the scale, AE Expeditions announced plans to cut passenger capacity to just 130 guests on sailings to the Polar regions.
Far-flung adventures
Seabourn is adding extra spice to its 90-day Grand Africa Voyage, departing November, with land-based extensions offered pre, mid or post cruise, enabling guests to shoot off on safari or take a Cape Winelands tour in South Africa. Oceania Cruises promises to bringing Asia’s exotic flavours to its 2025 voyages with cooking classes, market visits and tours to discover authentic local life, while boutique line SeaDream Yacht Club is looking ahead to 2027 with Caribbean itineraries that highlight its most popular voyages aboard sister yachts SeaDream 1 and SeaDream 2.
2025 beckons
MSC Cruises is flying high next summer after teaming up with Jet2 and Vueling to bolster its Fly & Cruise programme by 30 per cent with departures from Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Bristol. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is set to soar too after unveiling five Mediterranean sailings ranging from 12 to 52 nights based on a September 15 departure from Newcastle on Balmoral with return flights to London or Manchester. Winter 2025 brings new itineraries and ports of call to Marella Cruises’ Caribbean season with Ponce in Puerto Rico and Isla Catalina in the Dominican Republic making their debuts.
River snippets
Uniworld is building on its river cruises for 2025 with “Ultimate European Journeys” that also feature hotel stays and train journeys in packages that include a wine tour of France and Portugal, the Golden Eagle Danube Express from Istanbul to Paris, and a Grand Italia option that teams Rome and Milan with a Venice sailing. New festive Danube itineraries and four-night cruises over the yuletide season make their debut in TUI River Cruises winter 2025 programme, while A-ROSA’s new Young Artists Programme is set to hit the high notes thanks to onboard concerts by talented students from Vienna’s University of Music and Performing Arts.
Sprinkling some stardust
Take That frontman and P&O Cruises’ music director Gary Barlow are hunting for the UK’s next musical sensation with a new Talent of Tomorrow competition which will see the top three finalists mentored by the great man himself and a chance for the winner to sing onboard Iona or Arvia. Holland America Line is bringing stardust of a different kind with its new Celestial Cruises coinciding with the next solar eclipse in 2026 and the Northern Lights.