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There are more than a few spectacular new-build ships making their maiden voyages in 2024, from two new record-breaking Royal Caribbean cruise ships to the first-ever river ships sailing Colombia’s Rio Magdalena.
Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas
Royal Caribbean expects to debut not one, but two incredible new ships in 2024: the Icon of the Seas and the Utopia of the Seas. The Icon of the Seas will debut in January 2024 and will set sail in the Caribbean, offering a selection of 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. The ship will be the largest cruise ship in the world when it debuts and will feature several new experiences and locations for guests, including the Aquadome, an architectural marvel that is the largest freestanding glass dome at sea, providing guests with 180-degree views of the open ocean. It also features several new neighborhoods, which are key components of the Royal Caribbean cruise experience, and is the first in the fleet to have the capability to use LNG, or liquefied natural gas. The Utopia of the Seas will debut in July 2024 and will first offer a selection of short, 3-4-night sailings to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Floria. The Oasis Class ship will also be powered by LNG. Special features include an immersive train car-style dining experience among its nearly forty food and beverage outlets and the world’s longest dry slide at sea, a 295-foot spectacle called Ultimate Abyss.
Sun Princess
The Sun Princess is Princess Cruise Line’s newest ship, debuting in the Mediterranean in early 2024. The ship, which is part of the line’s Medallion Class and will run on LNG, will accommodate up to 4,000 passengers: it’s the largest Princess ship to date. The ship will feature several new experiences, like the Horizons Dining Room, a reimagined three-story main dining room experience that offers a different dining option for each level. It’ll also offer the most technically advanced theater in the line’s history; the Princess Arena will seat 1,000 guests at a time and feature three different configurations to suit different performances. The line also announced in October that the ship will be the first to offer Spellbound by Magic Castle, a Victorian-inspired magical theater and lounge that will feature a hidden-in-plain-sight entrance.
Disney Treasure
“Adventure” is the main theme of Disney Cruise Line’s upcoming member of its Wish Class ships. The Disney Treasure, featuring inspiration from beloved movies like “Aladdin” and “The Lion King,” will debut in December 2024 and will first set sail in the Caribbean.
Rendering of the Disney Treasure's Grand Hall, inspired by Agrabah from Aladdin. (Photo Credit: Disney Cruise Line)
The ship offers 1,254 guest staterooms with a capacity of up to 4,000 guests. The ship, which will also run on LNG, features new dining, drinking and experience venues inspired by beloved Disney Parks attractions, the first in the line to do so. Among these is Periscope Pub, a “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”-inspired lounge for adults to immerse themselves in Victorian-inspired surroundings and a spooky underwater mystery.
Queen Anne
Debuting May 3, 2024, in Southampton, England, the Queen Anne marks Cunard Line’s 249th ship. The ship, which is a sister ship with Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary II and Queen Victoria, will debut with the line’s first female captain at the helm, Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge, who will co-captain the ship with Captain David Hudson. The ship, which weighs 113,000 tons, offers space for 3,000 guests and offers a selection of luxurious accommodations, including larger residential-style configurations. The ship will help the line offer more sailings in key destinations like Alaska, Australia and Japan.
Silver Ray
The second ship in the luxury cruise line Silversea’s Nova class, Silver Ray is expected to set sail in the summer of 2024. The Silver Ray will boast a high space-to-guest ratio with capacity for up to 728 guests and 544 crew. The ship will feature expansive outdoor and indoor public spaces and eight dining areas, with various other lounges, like the open-air Dusk Bar. The ship will debut sailing roundtrip from Fusina (Venice) in the Mediterranean Sea and offer a selection of luxury Mediterranean voyages until November 2024, when it will make its way across the Atlantic to offer Caribbean voyages from Fort Lauderdale.
Explora II
The EXPLORA II is the second ship for MSC’s luxury line, Explora Journeys. It will debut in August 2024 and has a capacity for 461 guests, with 78 connecting suites for multi-generational or group travel. The sister ship to EXPLORA I, the ship will feature nine dining venues, four pools, a spa and more. EXPLORA II will first set sail from Barcelona to Rome, sailing the Western Mediterranean until November 2024, when the ship will sail to the Caribbean for the winter season.
Avalon Alegria
The Avalon Alegria will be Avalon Waterways’ first entry into Portugal’s scenic Douro River when it debuts in 2024. The ship’s debut 8-day Vida Portugal: Vineyards & Villages itinerary offers an optional 3-night pre-cruise extension in Lisbon. The ship, which means “Happiness,” in Portuguese, will accommodate 102 guests and 33 crew members. Features include a Sky Deck Pool and all-suite accommodation options for guests.
Viking Hathor and Viking Vela
The Viking Vela will debut at the end of 2024 and is expected to sail in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe. It’s one of Viking Cruises' ocean-going vessels and will offer accommodations for 998 passengers. Viking Hathor is the identical sister ship to Viking’s two other Nile-specific river ships, Viking Osiris and Viking Aton, named for the Egyptian gods. When it debuts next year, it will offer 82 guests.
AmaMagdalena, AmaMelodia and AmaLilia
AmaWaterways will make history next year as the first major river cruise line to offer itineraries along Colombia’s scenic Rio Magdalena. It announced two purpose-built sister ships to sail the new itineraries beginning in March 2024.
A rendering of the first AmaWaterways ship to sail on Colombia's Magdalena River. (Photo Credit: AmaWaterways)
The AmaMagdalena will debut in March, while the AmaMelodia will debut in June. They’ll welcome 60 and 64 guests each for an intimate river cruising experience. Both ships will offer itineraries visiting Nueva Venicia, Mompox, Magangue and more, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites and destinations in which travelers can discover some of the country’s 1,900 bird species. The AmaLilia will debut in 2024 as the sister ship to the line’s AmaDahlia, both purpose-built to sail the Nile River. The two ships will both sail the same 11-night cruise and land experience, which combines a 7-night Nile River cruise with a 3-night pre-cruise stay and one-night post-cruise stay in Cairo.
American Liberty and American Legend
The American Liberty and the American Legend will be American Cruise Line’s newest Coastal Cat ships in the company’s Project Blue series. The ships will offer guest accommodations for 105 people and will debut in June 2024 and October 2024, respectively. They’re sister ships to the American Eagle and American Glory and will likely join them sailing along the cruise line’s coastal itineraries.
Ilma
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will debut in Ilma in 2024. It will have a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1, offering 224 suites with private terraces for a maximum capacity of 448 travelers at a time. The ship will feature five dining venues, a Ritz-Carlton spa, six bars and children’s programming. The ship will utilize LNG for its main fuel and sail 7-10-night itineraries in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean seas.
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