South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
ON THE HORIZON
What’s new with Florida cruise ships for 2023
Florida will have to wait just a little bit longer before it gets its hands on the new title holder for world’s largest cruise ship. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas won’t make its inaugural sailing from Miami until January 2024, even though the cruise line will take delivery of the behemoth before the end of the year.
That isn’t to say Florida will be completely lacking of new vessels in 2023, although several cruise lines will still be riding the highs of their 2022 debuts.
This past year’s new ships include first-inclass vessels from Disney Cruise Line with Disney Wish and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Prima. Both will continue to sail from Port Canaveral in the new year along with the new ship and current title for world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.
Meanwhile, PortMiami still has Carnival Celebration, MSC Seascape and Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady among new vessels, and Port Everglades welcomed the Celebrity Beyond in November.
Florida also will see new classes of ships from both higher-end lines Oceania Cruises, which has not had a new ship in more than a decade, and Silversea Cruises.
A new luxury line called Explora Journeys, the upscale offering from MSC Cruises, will make its way to Miami. The state will also welcome the latest hardware from existing classes, from both Celebrity with its fourth Edge-class ship and Regent Seven Seas Cruises with its third Explorer-class vessel.
In port news, Disney Cruise Line is leaving behind Miami for new digs in Fort Lauderdale for its official second Florida home when it sends Disney Dream to Port Everglades
beginning this fall.
Here’s a look at the new hardware arriving to the Sunshine State this year:
Oceania Vista: The mid-premium brand for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd is debuting its first new ship since 2012. The 67,700-grosston, 1,200-guest ship will feature 12 dining venues, so options will abound for foodies on board.
They include new venue Ember with American dishes like braised short ribs on Polenta and grilled swordfish with asparagus. Another new offering is Aquamar Kitchen focusing on health-oriented, guiltfree cuisine. Think organic and whole-grain.
With 800 staff, there is a 1-to-1.5 crew-to-guest ratio. All accommodations feature a verandah and the three owners’ suites span the entire width of the ship, all designed along with the top-of-the-ship library by Ralph Lauren Home. The ship also includes veranda staterooms for solo travelers. Standard staterooms are among the largest at sea, coming in at 290 square feet.
The line often sails to a variety of destinations skipped over by major cruise lines, often built around culinary adventures. And the ship will once again let cruisers learn new kitchen skills with The Culinary Center on board with chef-led classes.
Vista will debut in Europe in May before arriving to Miami in October, sailing to Los Angeles and back before settling in for four months of round-trip Caribbean itineraries.
Silversea Silver Nova: Silversea Cruises, which falls under the Royal Caribbean Group umbrella and caters to a luxury market, will debut its 11th ship, touted as a first-in-class asymmetrical design. That includes an outward-facing pool deck, al fresco dining area and a sky bar with panoramic views from the aft of the ship.
The outdoor venues are an effort by the line to embrace cruisers’ ability to get panoramic views of its destinations. The pool deck includes an infinity-edge whirlpool. Dining options include The Marquee, a 220-guest option adjacent the pool that combines two of the line’s existing venues, The Grill and Spaccanapoli, into one casual, al fresco experience for lunch and dinner. Adjacent to that is the new Dusk Bar with views from the ship’s stern.
The 54,700-gross-ton vessel has a 728-passenger capacity based on double occupancy with all-verandah suites across 13 categories. It features eight dining venues overall, including French option La Dame and sushi venue Kaiseki.
The line touts its fuel-cell technology so that the ship won’t have any emissions while in port. The ship, which will debut in Europe in the summer, doesn’t stay in one port long, but will make its way and bump around the Caribbean in late 2023 before arriving to Port Everglades just after the new year in 2024.
Explora 1: Explora Journeys is a new foray of the MSC Group into luxury cruises with the first of six ships on order to debut this summer. The 63,900-gross-ton ship has a 922-guest capacity based on double occupancy with 461 oceanfront suites, penthouses and residences offering a 1-to-1.25 crew-toguest ratio. It will feature six restaurants, 12 bars and lounges as well as a chef’s kitchen.
Venues include Anthology, which touts global guest chef specialties on the menu; Pan-Asian concept Sakura, European steakhouse Marble & Co. Grill plus Mediterranean and French fare.
The beverage program promises options including boutique fine wines direct from vineyards and exclusive blends for the ship’s mixologists and sommeliers plus cocktail-making masterclasses and meetthe-winemaker events.
In its first year in service, Explora I will visit 132 ports in more than 40 countries, including several sailings from Miami from November-March 2024.
Celebrity Ascent: Following in the footsteps of Celebrity Edge, Icon and Beyond, the fourth ship in this class will once again call Port Everglades home when it arrives to sail, alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean seven-night voyages beginning Dec. 3. Still under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, the 140,600-gross-ton vessel will have a 3,260-passenger capacity based on double occupancy. It will be about 60 feet longer than the original Celebrity Edge to allow for more space, but will still feature the same unique features that set the class apart.
That includes the Magic Carpet, the exterior elevator platform that performs multiple roles, acting as an innovative way for passengers to disembark and reboard the ship when it tenders at ports of call, but also doubling as an entertainment and dining venue. It will also feature the three-story venue called Eden at the aft of the ship that acts as lounge and avant-garde aerialist performance stage. The ship will also feature the Infinite Verandah staterooms in which the balcony is part of the cabin.
Dining and entertainment details have yet to be revealed.
Regent Seven Seas Grandeur: The luxury line of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. welcomes a sister ship to Seven Seas
Explorer and Seven Seas Splendor.
Built at Fincantieri shipyards in Italy, the 55,254-gross-ton Explorer class ship is larger than the line’s oldest vessels.
All three of the new sister ships have a 750-passenger capacity in 375 suites, most of which boast what the line has called the largest balconies at sea. The ship also has more than 600 crew.
Seven Seas Grandeur will have some features that set it apart from its sister ships, including the redesigned main dining space Compass Rose with a cascading waterfall sculpture with laser-cut metal and hand-blown glass at the entrance. Inside the dining space is a design with a canopy of interwoven crystal and wood-edge illuminated trees going for an enchanted forest feel.
Seven Seas Grandeur will sail out of Miami from December through March 2024 with a variety of itineraries. Fares include suite accommodations, round-trip flights, free and unlimited shore excursions, unlimited internet, prepaid gratuities, ground transfers and other amenities.