February 2025 Review

As 2025 settles into an even keel, the industry is gearing up for another exciting year of new ships and fresh itineraries. Cool cruises loom large to Alaska and the Polar regions, while 2027 is starting to gain momentum as more lines bring out programmes.

New, and as good as new

Prepare to welcome Royal Caribbean International’s third Icon-class ship to Europe in July 2026, with the announcement that Legend of the Seas will debut with summer Western Med sailings from Barcelona. MSC Cruises has opened sales of the inaugural Western Med season of its third world-class ship, MSC World Asia, which launches in December 2026, while Carnival Cruise Line is counting down to the opening of private resort Celebration Key in Grand Bahama this July. Windstar Cruises and Celestyal have welcomed back new-look fleet members with Windstar’s flagship yacht Wind Surf returning with redesigned public spaces and new suites, while Celestyal Journey has a new livery and upgraded operational systems.

Looking ahead to 2027 . . .

Itineraries for 2027 are increasingly popping up. Crystal has unveiled voyages for the first six months of 2027 spanning more than 170 destinations across six continents, while Explora Journeys’ 2026/27 winter schedule sees Explora I in the Caribbean and Central/South America, Explora II in the Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula, and Explora III in the Caribbean, Panama Canal and the Pacific. Virgin Voyages has new five-night itineraries to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, plus new ports Panama City and St Thomas, while Windstar’s 2026/27 Caribbean and Latin America programme features 13 itineraries on Wind Star and Star Pride.

. . . and 2025/6 too

Ambassador Cruise Line is riding high with a debut fly-cruise programme to the Caribbean for 2025/26 with 14-night sailings on Renaissance from Barbados, and Seabourn is promoting its 2025 Northern Europe season on Seabourn Sojourn around the British Isles, Norwegian fjords and Iceland. Foodie line Oceania Cruises is tempting gourmands with 12 new chef-led culinary discovery tours for 2025, while new ship Allura promises the next evolution of seagoing fine-dining with more than 270 new recipes and signature specialities.

Rivers update

It’s been a busy month for AmaWaterways which announced co-branded cruises with US cultural specialist Smithsonian Journeys; new wellness voyages and Soulful Experience sailings celebrating Black culture; and additional African safari cruises. Uniworld introduced a festive Magical Parisian Holiday Seine cruise on the Joie de Vivre this November/December, and CroisiEurope has chartered Star of Luxor for new Nile sailings this summer. Amadeus River Cruises has unveiled its 2026 programme for the first six months featuring new ship Amadeus Aurea and a new Rhine Concert Cruise featuring violinist and conductor Andre Rieu.

Cool additions

Turning up the heat is Seabourn ship Seabourn Quest which embarks on its maiden Alaska season this summer, while Princess Cruises is expanding its Alaskan land adventures this summer and next with more national park Cruisetours. Meanwhile French line Ponant’s luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, is returning to the Arctic not for the summer (as most ships do), but for the 2026/27 winter season, while Quark Expeditions has unveiled new Antarctic adventures for 2026/27 with new ship World Voyager, debut itineraries and a new interactive science programme.