New ship preview: mini, mega, & mammoth — the parade of cruise liners keeps coming - On The Horizon

Cruise Travel, Jan-Feb, 2002 by M.T. Schwartzman

Four-and-a-half billion dollars--that's the combined value of the new cruise liners set to debut this year. Over the next 12 months, 16 vessels from a dozen lines are expected to enter service, most of them on the big side. Cruise companies with more than one ship on tap include Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and Norwegian Coastal Voyage. Altogether, some 50 ships are under construction or in the planning stages for delivery through 2005, worth a sum total of more than $13 billion--assuming that all the cruise companies follow through on their announced shipbuilding programs.

At the head of this year's parade is the long-awaited 40,000-gross-register-ton/390-passenger The World of ResidenSea, the first "time-share" cruise ship. Passengers can purchase time shares aboard the vessel in blocks of 30, 60, 100, 200, or 300 days, which may be used over the course of 24 months. The World of ResidenSea is scheduled to make her globetrotting debut in February, with a sister ship planned for 2003.

Also in February, Princess Cruises introduces the 2,600-passenger Star Princess, last in the company's triumvirate of 109,000-tonners, which also includes the Grand Princess and the Golden Princess. The Star Princess will retain all the innovative features of her predecessors, including a Southwestern restaurant, disco-in-the-sky, and swim-against-the-current lap pool. Her itineraries, however, will break new ground: The Star Princess is slated to enter service in grand fashion on February 13 with a 26-day voyage from Singapore to Los Angeles. Once on the West Coast, the ship will operate a series of Mexican Riviera cruises before heading to Alaska for the summer, where she will become the first 100,000-grt cruise liner to sail "The Great Land."

Starting in March, attention shifts to several smaller and mid-size ships, beginning with First European's 58,600-grt/1,566-passenger European Stars. This vessel will join 1999's Mistral and last year's European Vision in the company's first generation of newbuilds. She will sail the Mediterranean year-round, beginning with an Easter cruise from her homeport in Barcelona. First European hopes these new ships will attract more American passengers, who currently constitute up to 20 percent of the line's audience. Taking a cue from successful American-oriented ships, the European Stars will have a rock-climbing wall, internet cafe, golf simulator, 24-hour restaurant, and a thalassotherapy health spa. The line intends to build two more ships for delivery in 2003 and 2004.

April begins a busy period for another European cruise company: Bergen Line plans to launch two ships for its Norwegian Coastal Voyage, the 15,000-grt/643-passenger Finnmarken on April 20, and the 15,000-grt/674-passenger Trollfjord on May 7. These ferrycum-cruise-ships operate on point-to-point sailings up and down Norway's fjord-dotted coast, which in many aspects resembles Alaska's Inside Passage. Amenities aboard ship will reflect the latest trends in cruising, such as an increased number of suite accommodations and private balconies. Three more ships, similar in size and capacity, will reportedly soon follow, as the line hopes to introduce one a year in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Back in the USA, Delta Queen Coastal Voyages had set an April 20 debut date for its second ship, the 1,580-grt/224-passenger Cape Cod Light. However, parent company American Classic Voyages subsequently filed for bankruptcy protection, leaving the ship's future in doubt.

Megaships return to the forefront in mid-spring with a series of vessels. In May, Celebrity Cruises introduces the 91,000-grt/1,950-passenger Constellation, the fourth and final installment in its Millennium Class. Outwardly, the ship will be the mirror image of her sisters, which include the Millennium, Infinity, and Summit. Interiors, such as the alternative restaurant, will differ in name and decor. Inaugural itineraries will take the ship to the Mediterranean and the Baltic for seven- to 14-day sailings, followed by a season in the Caribbean, sailing from San Juan, with ports-of-call to be announced.

In July, Royal Caribbean's 90,090-grt/ 2,100-passenger Brilliance of the Seas becomes the second entry in the line's Radiance Class, first introduced last year. This vessel will cruise Northern Europe through August, followed by New England/Canada cruises in September and October. In November, she will commence her Caribbean season on 10- and 11-day "Circle the Caribbean" cruises roundtrip from Miami. A third and a fourth ship in the Radiance Class already have names, but Royal Caribbean has postponed a decision on whether to build ships number five and six until mid-2002.

Carnival offers up its first ship of the year this summer, when the 88,500-grt/2,124-passenger Carnival Legend enters service with the line's first-ever European sailings. On August 24, she will make her maiden voyage roundtrip from London (Harwich). On September 5, the vessel will head westward on a trans-Atlantic crossing to New York. Itineraries for the rest of the year were pending at presstime. She is the third ship in the line's Spirit Class, which has a fourth, Carnival Miracle, slated for delivery in 2004.