Vacationers will be able to choose from 22 new ships cruising oceans and rivers around the world in 2013, with the majority of them set to take their maiden voyage this spring or summer. According to the Cruise Holidays' 2013 Cruise Trends survey, Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess, entering service this June, that cruise experts are most excited to see enter the market. With 165 Cruise Holidays professionals logging their votes, more than one-third (38 percent) chose Royal Princess.
Here are the top five most anticipated ships for 2013:
- Princess Cruises' Royal Princess will be debuting June 2013, and earned 33 percent of cruise experts votes in the survey
- Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Breakaway will be debuting May 2013, and earned 24 percent of cruise experts votes in the survey
- Viking River Cruises' 10 new longships will begin debuting March 2013, and earned 13 percent of cruise experts votes in the survey
- Silversea Cruises' Silver Galapagos will be debuting September 2013, and earned 8 percent of cruise experts votes in the survey
- Avalon Waterways' Avalon Artistry II & Expression will be debuting April 2013, and earned 7 percent of cruise experts votes in the survey
“With so many new ships entering the market, along with dozens of others already in service, the options for a cruise vacation are becoming more attractive each year. It can also make it more challenging for travelers to choose the right ship and itinerary. This makes booking a cruise through a professional cruise travel expert an even more appealing and necessary option,” said Mark Schiffner, VP and COO, Cruise Holidays International.
Details About the Most Anticipated Ships:
Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess arrives in London for inaugural festivities in early June. The ship, which holds 3,600 passengers, will then begin a series of Mediterranean voyages this summer and fall. The ship begins a regular schedule of Caribbean sailings in October 2013. Ship highlights include a top deck pool with a water and light show, the largest outdoor movie screen at sea and a new SeaWalkSM with views 128 feet straight down. The ship also includes balconies on all outside staterooms.
Second on the list, Norwegian Cruise Line, is touting its latest entry into the cruise market, Norwegian Breakaway, as “New York’s Ship.” The largest ship ever to homeport in New York City, the ship has many nods to the Big Apple, including New York-themed art on its hull (by Peter Max), a New York-inspired ice bar, and even named the Rockettes as its Godmothers. The ship holds 4,000 passengers and will offer seven-day cruises to Bermuda through October, then begins roundtrip sailings to the Bahamas and Florida.
Viking River Cruises will introduce ten new river cruise ships during a March 20 ceremony in Amsterdam – collectively, these ships placed third in the survey. Avalon Waterways will unveil two ships, which placed fifth. Although they did not make the top five, AmaWaterways and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will also offer two additional ships each to the river cruise market.
Silversea Cruises’ Silver Galapagos (fourth place) is not an entirely new ship, but it is being completely refurbished to serve as a luxury, environmentally responsible cruise option in the Galapagos Islands.
For more information, visit www.cruiseholidays.com.