DESIGN, DEMOGRAPHICS AND DESTINATIONS

New ships are offering more outdoor spaces and views of the sea, with promenades, boardwalk-style decks, glass walls, transparent walkways and seethrough slides.

Small ships, river ships and expedition cruises are booming, with more itineraries in coldwater destinations like Iceland, Greenland and the polar regions. Alaska cruises are as popular as ever, for big and small vessels.

There’s a new focus on marketing to millennials, many of whom cruised as kids. Royal Caribbean says its shorter cruises — like three- and four-night Miami-Bahamas trips — are proving popular with 20-somethings who may not want to commit to a full week at sea. Uniworld is offering “U by Uniworld” river cruises for ages 21-45 only, with European itineraries that include music festivals.

The Cruise Lines International Association, which represents most of the world’s major cruise brands, noticed another new phenomenon: “skip-gen” cruising. Grandparents are cruising with grandkids, but skipping a generation by sailing without mom and dad. Most cruises provide a range of children’s programming so grandparents aren’t baby-sitting all day, while also offering activities, excursions, meals and shows that all ages can enjoy together.

INDUSTRY GROWTH

The cruise industry continues to grow, with 27 million cruisers expected in 2018, a million more than last year and up from 18 million in 1979. There are also 27 new ships coming out in 2018, according to CLIA: 10 for river cruising, 17 for ocean.

“We’re in our golden age,” said CLIA Chairman Arnold Donald, who is also CEO of Carnival Corp., at a Jan. 25 meeting in New York. “Cruising has never been more popular.”

NEW SHIPS

Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas will be the world’s largest cruise ship when it launches this spring. Its inaugural season will be in Europe, with sailings from Miami beginning in November. Features include a laser tag arena, Bionic Bar where robots make drinks, a 10-story racing slide called Ultimate Abyss, rock climbing and ice skating. The ship will host a production of the Broadway hit “Hairspray” and its sports bar will feature 30 big-screen TVs. A luxury family suite for eight includes a two-story slide, private movie theater, Lego wall and secret crawl space. But it’s not for budget cruising: It’s priced in the

ROYAL CARIBBEAN VIA AP The Ultimate Family Suite debuting on Symphony of the Seas, which will be the world’s largest cruise ship when it launches in spring. The luxury Family Suite for eight includes a two-story slide, private movie theater, Lego wall and secret crawl space,...