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The class of 2012 will feature new ships from a variety of cruise lines as an evolving cruise industry continues a focus on branding and differentiation among each other.
In 2011 Disney Cruise Lines launched their first new ship in 11 years bringing Disney Dream to Florida for year-round Caribbean sailings.# Carnival Magic debuted, lighting the fire that would ignite Carnival Cruise Line‘s Funship 2.0 initiative, a $500 million fleet plan that will solidly position the worlds largest cruise line ahead of others for the next decade.# Ultra-lux line Seabourn brought out new Seabourn Quest, arguably one of the nicest ships on the planet.# Celebrity Cruises continued punching out Solstice class ships with new Celebrity Silhouette, a modified version of earlier renditions, offering yet another new cruising experience. A few other ships rounded out the pack for 2011 in a slowed-down but moving-forward cruise business seen taking more time with each new build, allowing each to take on a character of its own.
2012 promises more of the same with with a few notable launches.
Disney Cruise Line is working the magic once again with sister-ship to Disney Dream, the new Disney Fantasy setting sail.# The first ship to launch this year, the 128,000 ton Disney Fantasy will be no clone of Disney Dream, with enough unique features to make either ship a unique experience.
Capitalizing on their extensive experience in the Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Lines will launch new Carnival Breeze with Caribbean-themed accommodations and the popular layout of nearly-twin sister Carnival Magic.# Bringing back features like the Ocean Plaza, an indoor/outdoor cafe with live music, scenic whirlpools that extend out over the side of the ship and a wrap-around outside promenade deck will prove popular once again.# The wildly popular Red Frog Pub, a driving force behind Carnival’s Funship 2.0 initiative, makes this one a success even before launch.
February 2012 will see the debut of Costa neoRomantica, the result of the $124 million makeover of the Costa Romantica; this radical refurbishment is being carried out at the San Giorgio del Porto and T. Mariotti yards in Genoa.
Costa Fascinosa, the new ship from Costa Cruises,# is set to debut May 2, 2012.# Not long ago, Costa highlighted features those lucky first passengers on the first of two mini cruises will experience when the new flagship heads to Savona, Italy, for a naming event May 6.
As the ship’s name suggests Costa Fascinosa (Italian for “fascinating”) has a theme of “all things that fascinate” including celebrities, movie stars and exotic places synonymous with allure and seduction. The interior design’s central theme was conceived by veteran ship architect Joe Farcus and inspired by famous films.# Costa Fascinosa promises public areas that are works of art in themselves, with plush furnishings and superb decoration.
River cruising continues to gain in popularity as# Viking River Cruises finishes a $250 million expansion of their long boat river cruise vessels and gets into ocean-going vessels as well. AMA Waterways launches a new ship as does home-style American Cruise Lines with Queen of the Mississippi, a new sternwheeler that will cruise the Mississippi river in America.
Other ships new in 2012 include vessels from Oceania and MSC Cruises.## Taking# a pause are Royal Caribbean and Norwegian as they work to shore up operations and perfect their respective products.# Closing out the year, Celebrity Reflection will complete the Solstice-class series for Celebrity Cruises.
As we continue to take you inside cruise vacations in the new year, look for some surprises from a couple of lines beyond the grand opening hoopla of a new ship launch.# The cruise industry is poised to cross over into new areas of marketing and social media, customer satisfaction and retention that will propel it far into the future and we will be there to bring you all the latest details as they unfold.
Prediction:# Look for Cruise Travel Agents to come back strong this year as cruise lines continue to differentiate themselves from one another.# More on that shortly.
For a complete list of all ships on order, check with our friends at Cruise Critic who keep that information handy
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