Additional new ships have been ordered for Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.
Parent company Carnival Corporation gave the go ahead for a third 2,660-passenger Pinnacle class vessel for HAL following the design of the line’s newest and largest ship, ms Koningsdam, and its sister ship Nieuw Statendam, which js due for delivery in November 2018.
Princess Cruises’ newbuild will carry 3,660 passengers, becoming the sixth Royal class vessel, following Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess, the world’s first ship designed specifically for the China market for delivery in March, as well as two yet-to-be-named sister vessels set to enter service in 2019 and 2020.
HAL’s new ship will be built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy, with an expected delivery in 2021, and the ship for Princess Cruises will be built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard with an expected delivery in 2022.
The Princess ship will feature the recently-announced Ocean Medallion Class, including the Ocean Medallion wearable device to offer enhanced services and a more personalised experience for passengers.
Carnival Corporation chief executive, Arnold Donald, said: “We are extremely pleased to formally announce these two new ships and build on the success and popularity of their sister ships already sailing guests around the globe.
“Using our strategic fleet enhancement plan to introduce new ships is an important part of our measured capacity growth strategy, which includes replacing less efficient ships with newer, larger and more efficient vessels.”
Princess Cruises’ UK and Europe vice president Tony Roberts said: “The decision to grow our fleet is testament to the success of Princess Cruises around the world.
“With four new ships now due for delivery, starting with Majestic Princess in March, these are incredibly exciting times for Princess Cruises.”