16 New Cruise Ships Due To Launch In 2025

I love a new cruise ship – there’s always something to get excited about. Even if it’s a sister ship to one that’s already sailing, there are normally a few new features, or at least the chance to experience that class of ship in some new destinations.

And in 2025, we’re hardly getting shortchanged – there’s an impressive 16 new cruise ships due to launch that year, although one of them is a little different from anything I’ve heard of before.

Let’s take a look at all 16 cruise ships that are due to launch in 2025, though be aware, delays aren’t uncommon and some of these could slip into 2026.

1. Mein Schiff Relax

Cruise line: TUI Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 160,000
Capacity: 3,894
Expected delivery: March 2025

Mein Schiff Relax is scheduled to be the eighth ship in the TUI Cruises fleet, primarily aimed at the German cruise market (though it’s far from exclusive and anyone’s welcome to book).

She’ll be quite distinct from the seven ships that have come before her, as she’ll be the first in the new InTUItion class.

Apart from being almost 50% bigger, she’ll have new features to look forward to, including single occupancy cabins for the first time on a TUI ship, and the beautiful Freedom Suite – a two-storey option that sleeps up to six guests.

She’ll also be the first TUI ship to be powered by LNG, a cleaner fuel type. She’s due to be joined by a sister ship in 2026.

2. MSC World America

Cruise line: MSC Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 215,863
Capacity: 6,762
Expected delivery: April 2025

The second World Class ship to launch for MSC Cruises, MSC World America will join MSC World Europa as the largest ships in the fleet.

She’ll also be the biggest MSC Cruises ship to sail around the Caribbean, offering cruises to the eastern and western sides of the region from Miami, including visits to MSC’s private island Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.

The 'Venom Drop' on MSC World Europa at twilight, an enthralling cruise ship waterslide that winds between LED-lit balconies, juxtaposing modern design with the thrill of an at-sea adventure, captured against a backdrop of a fading sunset.

She’ll continue the trend of recent MSC ships to blend innovative tech with sleek, modern design. There’ll be more than 30 bars, lounges and restaurants where guests can unwind, along with a host of leisure facilities including the MSC SportPlex with rollerskate arena, and plenty of live entertainment in the theatres and lounges, along with pop-up experiences all over the ship.

3. Norwegian Aqua

Cruise line: Norwegian Cruise Line
Gross Tonnage: 156,000
Capacity: 3,550
Expected delivery: April 2025

Norwegian Cruise Line is set to introduce a new sub-class of ship with Norwegian Aqua. She’ll be the first Prima Plus ship, taking the design of the existing Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Aqua and expanding upon it.

Norwegian Aqua won’t be the biggest ship in the fleet – the Breakaway Plus subclass keeps that title – but she will offer a huge range of exciting features.

Chief among those will be the Aqua Slidecoaster, the world’s first combination rollercoaster and waterslide (not just at sea, but anywhere in the world!).

Guests can also look forward to relaxing in the sumptuous Infinity Beach area, bracing the glass-floored Oceanwalk, and the most luxurious Haven accommodations yet.

Norwegian Aqua will offer sailings from New York, Port Canaveral and Miami, with itineraries including calls at NCL’s private resort Great Stirrup Cay.

4. Allura

Cruise line: Oceania Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 68,000
Capacity: 1,200
Expected delivery: May 2025

Typically, when a cruise line names a class after a ship, it’s the first ship in that class given the naming right. Typically, but not always. Oceania is making an exception, as Allura is set to become the second ship in the new Allura Class, following her sister ship Vista which launched in 2023.

Expect a continuation of everything that makes Oceania’s ships so great, including incredible dining options as part of The Finest Cuisine at Sea.

There’ll also be beautiful luxury accommodations that you can book, and exciting experiences. Allura will have a focus on mixology, with “experiential beverage carts” taking cocktails to whole new levels.

Allura’s inaugural season will include sailings in the Eastern Mediterranean and then around the Americas.

5. American Patriot

Cruise line: American Cruise Lines
Gross Tonnage: TBA
Capacity: 125
Expected delivery: June 2025

American Cruise Lines is a smaller cruise company based in the US (and before you say “duh”, Norwegian Cruise Line ISN’T based in Norway, even if it was founded there, so it’s a valid point…).

They offer a mix of coastal and Great Lakes cruises, and American Patriot will be the first of two new Coastal Cat ships, part of a new Patriot Class.

She’s set to offer cruises in the New England region, and will accommodate up to 125 guests across just 56 suites, all of which have a private balcony. Her inaugural sailing will be a 14-night cruise from Boston.

6. Viking Vesta

Cruise line: Viking Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 47,000
Capacity: 998
Expected delivery: July 2025

Viking Vesta will be the 12^th ocean cruise ship in the Viking fleet – this is one company that loves to build a large fleet, as we’ve already seen with their river cruise arm.

Like her sister ship Viking Vela, which launches in December 2024, she’ll be larger than the previous 10 ships in the fleet, though not by much – she will still offer a luxury experience for under 1,000 guests.

Expect the same high-class facilities as you’d find across the rest of the fleet, including several bars and lounges, a main dining room and two speciality restaurants, a winter garden and two separate pool decks. She’ll also feature stunning accommodations including the Owner’s Suite, which has its own private library, an ocean-view dry sauna and more.

Viking Vesta will offer cruises all across Europe in her inaugural season.

7. Luminara

Cruise line: Ritz-Carlton Yacht Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 46,750
Capacity: 452
Expected delivery: July 2025

Luminara will be the third superyacht sailing for Ritz Carlton, the company that also owns several of the most luxurious hotels around the world.

She will have 226 suites available to guests with an incredible space ratio, including two categories of suite that have 1,000 square feet of space.

The ship will feature five restaurants and six bars, as well as a wine vault for the wine connoisseurs out there. She’ll also feature an expanded marina, allowing guests to enjoy even more water sports activities directly from the ship.

Her maiden season will be spent in the Mediterranean.

8. Star Princess

Cruise line: Princess Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 175,500
Capacity: 4,300
Expected delivery: August 2025

The third ship named Star Princess to have sailed for Princess Cruises over the years, this latest vessel will set sail in the second half of 2025 and join Sun Princess in the Sphere Class.

It’s expected that she’ll be an almost identical twin, though Princess Cruises may have some surprises up their sleeves as we get closer to her launch.

She’ll have a huge range of bars and restaurants available and 1,500 cabins with balconies. She’ll also be the second Princess ship to be powered by LNG.

The Signature Suites return, as does the impressive dome, where guests can enjoy a wide variety of entertainment throughout their cruise. Her inaugural season will include cruises throughout Europe.

9. Star of the Seas

Cruise line: Royal Caribbean
Gross Tonnage: 250,800
Capacity: 7,600
Expected delivery: August 2025

Royal Caribbean has a habit of making very small adjustments to cruise ship sizes when new ships are launched within a class – so, while it is yet to be confirmed, there’s a good chance that Star of the Seas will be the standalone biggest cruise ship in the world when she arrives in 2025.

Failing that, she’ll share the title with her sister ship, Icon of the Seas.

We do know that Star of the Seas won’t be an identical twin when it comes to the features onboard, but we don’t yet know what the differences will be.

She will still retain many of the features that Icon of the Seas guests already love, including the Category 6 waterpark, the Swim & Tonic bar and so much more.

Star of the Seas will sail from Port Canaveral and offer cruises to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean, with every cruise including a visit to the private island Perfect Day at CocoCay.

10. Celebrity Xcel

Cruise line: Celebrity Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 141,000
Capacity: 3,260
Expected delivery: November 2025

The next and perhaps final ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Class is Celebrity Xcel, set to debut in the Caribbean in late 2025.

While we don’t know a huge amount of detail yet. Celebrity Cruises has said that the ship will blend all the best bits of the Edge Class with some new experiences that will “change the game all over again”, so I can’t wait to see what those involve.

You can view the Celebrity Xcel deck plans already but they are mostly covered up with a “Coming Soon” notice. It does confirm that the Magic Carpet, the moving bar that’s attached to the side of the ship, will be present.

11. American Pioneer

Cruise line: American Cruise Lines
Gross Tonnage: TBA
Capacity: 125
Expected delivery: November 2025

The second of the new Patriot Class ships for American Cruise Lines, American Pioneer will debut six months after her sister ship the American Patriot. Like her sister, she’ll offer comfortable accommodation in the biggest suites for the cruise line.

The new ships will also feature the very best in stabilisers, designed by Rolls Royce, along with special designs to make sure that the coastal cruises are as smooth as can be, even when the seas aren’t particularly calm.

American Pioneer will sail around the Florida Coast and Florida Keys, with the maiden voyage being a 14-night cruise from Jacksonville to St. Petersburg.

12. Star Seeker

Cruise line: Windstar Cruises
Gross Tonnage: TBA
Capacity: 224
Expected delivery: December 2025

A later addition to this list, Windstar Cruises waited until April 2024 to announce two new additions to its Star Class. The first, Star Seeker, will join in 2025 with sister ship Star Explorer following a year later.

These luxury small ships will offer exceptional comfort, relaxing dining and cafe spaces, and of course the iconic watersports platform that is featured across the Windstar fleet – perfect for enjoying some thrilling activities while exploring the oceans.

13. Disney Adventure

Cruise line: Disney Cruise Line
Gross Tonnage: 208,000
Capacity: 6,000
Expected delivery: TBA 2025

In 2016, Disney Cruise Line announced two new ships that would ultimately become the Wish Class, with a third ship confirmed in 2017.

But amongst that, an opportunity arose – Dream Cruises, a company owned by Genting Hong Kong, went out of business and put its under-construction ship Global Dream up for sale. Disney bought it, and is now putting the finishing touches to what will be the Disney Adventure.

She’s set to be the biggest Disney cruise ship by quite some margin – the Wish Class ships are all around 144,000 GT,

While we don’t know a huge amount about the ship, we know that she will be based out of Singapore for her inaugural season, and will serve the Southeast Asian market throughout the year.

14. Disney Destiny

Cruise line: Disney Cruise Line
Gross Tonnage: 144,000
Capacity: 4,000
Expected delivery: TBA 2025

That third Wish-class ship I mentioned above is also due for delivery in 2025, and is set to be called Disney Destiny.

She will have a Heroes & Villains theme, and will feature a range of encounters with characters from movies like The Lion King, Hercules, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians – plenty for guests young and old to get excited about!

Beyond that, we don’t know a huge amount of detail yet, but expect that she’ll feature a version of the AquaMouse attraction at sea, along with several themed kids’ club areas drawing on the Disney, Pixar and Marvel universes.

15. Four Seasons Yacht

Cruise line: Four Seasons
Gross Tonnage: TBA
Capacity: Approximately 200
Expected delivery: TBA 2025

Four Seasons has decided to follow in the footsteps of Ritz Carlton and move from the luxury hotels game into the world of cruising, with the launch of its first superyacht later in 2025.

But there’s a catch, which makes this quite unique from a cruising perspective – for the initial season at least, cruises are by invitation only.

So, you won’t be able to book onto a cruise unless Four Seasons invites you, with priority going to loyal hotel guests.

This is shaping up to be a seriously special ship. She is being designed around immersive luxury experiences and will have just 95 suites, with the best being the Funnel Suite.

This stunning accommodation option will be the first four-storey suite at sea, with a huge outdoor terrace and an incredible 9,500 square feet of space. That’s considerable, seeing as the suite is designed for a maximum of six guests.

The ship will have a massive 20-metre (66 feet) pool, a marina that stretches the entire length of the ship, and plenty of space to relax with a glass of Champagne and some fine dining. She will sail in both the Mediterranean and the Caribbean when she launches.

16. World Seeker

Cruise line: Mystic Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 9,934
Capacity: Approximately 200
Expected delivery: TBA 2025

The World Seeker is a delayed cruise ship that is expected to launch at some point in 2025. She’s designed as an expedition ship, and will offer cruises in the polar regions.

Mystic Cruises doesn’t reveal a huge amount about its fleet of ships, even those already sailing for the cruise line.

But you can expect luxurious service and comfortable accommodations in both balcony and infinite suites, and signature dining with menus designed by renowned chefs.

I’ll keep you updated if the cruise line reveals any more information on the ship, including a more specific debut date.

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To Conclude

There’s a real mix of ships due to launch in 2025, including a new biggest ship in the world, some fantastic luxury cruise ships, and some that are packed with family-friendly activities.

It’s going to be an exciting year, that’s for sure, so let’s cross our fingers that all the ships on this list launch as planned.

Bookings are already open for many of them, so don’t hang about – inaugural seasons sell out quickly and you’ll want to secure your place if you want to be one of the first onboard.