Norwegian orders fleet of its largest ever cruise ships

Independent

06-02-2025

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has ordered four new ships that will be among the largest at sea
The new cruise ship fleet will be constructed for NCL at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, with the first to be delivered in 2030.
Others will follow in 2032, 2034 and 2036. The order is reported to be worth $9 billion (£7.3 billion).
Each ship will have more than 5,100 cabins to accommodate 8,300 passengers and crew.
At approximately 226,000 tons each, Fincantieri said the ships will be the largest ever it has built for NCL.
That makes each vessel slightly smaller than the world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, which has a gross tonnage of 250,800 – though the giant Royal Caribbean ship has a maximum passenger capacity of 7,600, or 5,610 based on double occupancy.
Fincantieri has already built two ships for the NCL brand, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva.
Norwegian Aqua, the first of NCL's new Prima Plus class, is set to launch in April and three others are in various stages of design and construction.
It marks a busy few months and years to come for Fincantieri and the brands that sit under Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
Luxury brand Oceania's newest vessel Allura will make its maiden voyage across the eastern Mediterranean this July, catering for 1,200 passengers.
One more ship is in the pipeline to launch in 2029.
Oceania, known for its culinary-focused cruises, also revealed further details of its onboard menu for Allura this week.
Passengers can enjoy 30 different breakfast options, including variations on eggs Benedict.
The Grand Dining Room will be transformed into a French bistro at lunch, while more than 200 new recipes have been designed by chefs Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale for dinner.
Meanwhile, Regent Seven Seas Cruises' newest high-end ship in 10 years, the Seven Seas Prestige, is scheduled to launch next year, with a second to come in 2029.
The ships claim one of the highest space-to-guest ratios in the cruise industry, with a gross tonnage of 77,000 and room for up to 850 guests.