As travel companies are beginning to sail again, many travelers are ready to start things off with a bang! Behind the scenes, cruise lines have kept themselves busy by creating new itineraries and building new ships. As we approach the resumption of international travel, here are some new and exciting travel options for 2021 and beyond.
New Itineraries
Within the past few weeks there has been an abundance of announcements, from multiple cruise lines, for new 2021 itineraries sailing roundtrip from the Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, St. Maarten and more. If you’re interested in booking a cruise for 2021, read these helpful tips from our agents. There are also exciting new destinations for 2022 and 2023 that deserve some attention as well. Here are some of the eye-catching itineraries that our product team has been obsessing over lately.
Iceland
In August 2022, Celebrity Cruises is debuting two transatlantic cruises on the Celebrity Summit to/from Reykjavik, Iceland. Although Iceland has been included as a port of call on past Celebrity itineraries, embarking and debarking from the “Land of Fire and Ice” has traditionally been reserved for boutique lines, such as Azamara Cruises and Oceania Cruises. To complement this popular and unique itinerary, Online Vacation Center created three different cruise packages: two Value Inclusive Packages with hotel, airfare and transfers, and one Enrichment Journey, including airfare and a fully escorted, 6-night land tour of Iceland.
Royal Caribbean also caught our attention with a 2022 transatlantic sailing on the Voyager of the Seas with ports of call in Iceland and Greenland. Princess, Norwegian, Oceania, Azamara and others also sail to Iceland.
Eastern Mediterranean
The Eastern Mediterranean is making a comeback, and multiple cruise lines are expanding the horizon of possibilities in this region. The Greek Isles remains one of the most popular itineraries in Europe, but the fun doesn’t stop there. You can now also explore ancient civilizations in Turkey, Israel and Egypt. Or, for the truly adventurous, traverse the Bosphorus Strait and explore the Black Sea coastal cities of Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and more. Read more about the possibilities awaiting you in the East Mediterranean.
Africa
We’re seeing increased itinerary options for the African continent as well. This is exciting, as the African continent has so much to offer. Azamara Cruises released several itineraries for their 2022–2023 season, including roundtrip Cape Town and Cape Town to Lisbon. Norwegian Cruise Line is now offering sailings roundtrip Cape Town and Cape Town to Dubai. Cunard offers a Cape Town to New York City, which is quite convenient for those wishing to avoid long-haul flights. Luxury cruise lines, such as Oceania, Silversea, Seabourn, Crystal and Regent Seven Seas, sail roundtrip Cape Town as well as intriguing itineraries such as Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town to Mumbai, Cape Town to Bangkok, and more. Last, but not least, AmaWaterways offers river cruises along the Zambezi River.
New Ships
Celebrity: Apex and Beyond
The Celebrity Apex has been available to book for quite some time, so it’s strange to think that it has yet to have its maiden voyage (scheduled for June 2021 in Europe). That’s good news… the Apex will still have that new ship feel for quite some time yet!
Scheduled to launch in 2022 (postponed from 2021), the third Edge Class ship, Celebrity Beyond, will feature the same classy features as the Edge and Apex: The Magic Carpet, Rooftop Garden, Lawn Club and more. Stay tuned… 2022 sailings should be released sometime soon!
Royal Caribbean: Odyssey of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas
Odyssey of the Seas is scheduled to have her maiden voyage just next month, May 2021, and sail roundtrip Israel throughout the summer before heading to the Caribbean. As part of the Quantum Ultra class, the ship is jam-packed with fun activities such as onboard bumper cars and the North Star, a pod that provides 360-degree views from above the ship.
Wonder of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean’s fifth Oasis Class ship and is scheduled to sail in China starting in 2022.
Princess: Enchanted and Discovery
The Enchanted Princess and Discovery Princess will be the fifth and sixth Royal Class ships in the Princess fleet. Much like the Celebrity Apex, the Enchanted Princess had to postpone its maiden voyage from 2020 to 2021. Along with that new ship feel, you’ll also enjoy a three-deck-high Piazza atrium and a plethora of balcony cabins to choose from. The Enchanted Princess will launch in Europe in 2021, while the Discovery Princess will debut with a season of Mexican Riviera and Alaska cruises in 2022.
Viking: Mississippi, Venus and Octantis
Viking Cruises made headlines when they announced Mississippi River itineraries for 2022. Inspired by their Viking Longships ® in Europe, the new Viking Mississippi will feature clean Scandinavian designs while also being custom-built for the Mississippi River.
Debuting this year, the Viking Venus will be the latest all-veranda ocean liner to join Viking’s fleet. It will soon be followed by Viking Mars and Viking Neptune, which are both scheduled to sail starting in 2022.
Last, but certainly not least, Viking is expanding into expedition cruises with two new expedition ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris. Built specifically to traverse the polar regions, these two ships will launch in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
More
More new ships to pay attention to: MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore by MSC Cruises, Rotterdam and Ryndam by Holland America, Disney Wish by Disney Cruise Line, Mardi Gras by Carnival Cruise Line, Evrima by Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Valiant Lady by Virgin Voyages, World Navigator by Atlas Ocean Voyages, the newly acquired Azamara Onward by Azamara Cruises, and more!
