2007's new ship launches

By Jana Jones

updated 5:57 p.m. ET Oct. 17, 2006

If 2006 was a middling year in terms of new ship launches, 2007 is proving to be even more so, with only one truly new design and a paltry seven debuts (eight if you count the 680-passenger Royal Princess, which is Swan Hellenic's reconfigured Minerva II, and nine with Norwegian Pearl (which is actually debuting two months ahead of time, which moves its launch from February 2007 to December 2006).

April is the busiest month of 2007 with three new-builds plus Royal Princess hitting the seas.

With the exception of Cunard's Queen Victoria, all of the brand new ships launching in 2007 are copies of ships already at sea -- so the buzz and excitement over anything new and daring could be as stale as yesterday's room service croissant. But cruise line executives know how to add innovative twists to otherwise identical siblings -- so stay tuned.

It's interesting to note that the smallest new-build to launch in 2007 (again, Cunard's Queen Victoria) holds a whopping 2,014 guests. The largest, Royal Caribbean's 160,000-ton Liberty of the Seas, has a passenger capacity of 3,634 -- just like its sister, 2006's Freedom of the Seas. Even though the luxury sector (Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea, Crystal and Seabourn) is enjoying unprecedented growth in passenger bookings, we still haven't heard a peep from them regarding new-builds. Sure we've been hearing whispers for a couple of years now (mergers? new ships?), but there's nothing concrete to report for 2007. And we're still hearing rumors about Oceania acquiring yet another R-class ship to add to its successful and beloved fleet of three, but so far rumors are all we have.

On the big ship cruise line front, only Celebrity has announced plans for newly designed ships, but you'll have to wait until 2008 for its first (and bigger-than-big) 118,000-ton, 2,850-guest Solstice-class vessel.

Some of this information will change over the next several months (it always does!), so keep checking back. We'll also post additional facts, figures and other relevant material as soon as it crosses our desks.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE'S NORWEGIAN PEARL

Will Launch In: December 2006

Backstory: Utilizing the platform of its highly popular and successful Dawn/Star duo, this ship, like its sisters Norwegian Jewel and Pride of Hawaii, adds the innovative Courtyard Villas to its already impressive list of suite accommodations.

Quirks and Highlights: Quite apart from the 10 restaurants and 14 bars and lounges this Freestyle ship offers, the newish Courtyard Villas allow for a more exclusive cruise experience without springing for one of the two massive (and exponentially more expensive) Garden Villas. Surrounding a private courtyard pool and filled with goodies like state-of-the-art cappuccino and espresso makers, these 10 suites, like those on 2006's Norwegian Jewel and Pride of Hawaii, are not-quite-budget-busting exquisite digs.

The most quirky addition is the regulation-sized 10-pin bowling lanes found in the sports-themed Bliss (which turns into a dance club at night). Thanks to the marvels of modern cruise ship engineering, the ball should "roll true" except in the wildest of seas.

Itineraries: Pearl will alternate five-night (Western) and nine-night (Southern) Caribbean cruises out of Miami, and in the summer offers roundtrip Alaska cruises from Seattle. In between will be necessary trans-canal repositioning cruises in between that include Panama Canal, Southern Caribbean and Pacific coastal sailings as well.

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES' CARNIVAL FREEDOM

Will Launch In: March 2007

Backstory: Carnival Freedom represents the last 110,000-ton, 2,974-passenger Destiny-class behemoth. A relative newcomer to the summer-long European cruising market, Carnival will position Freedom to sail from Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) during the summer; the ship will homeport in Miami starting in November.

Quirks and Highlights: This ship will feature a relatively new Carnival tradition -- the Carnival Seaside Theater (inspired by Princess Cruises' Movies Under the Stars); the big screen (12 ft. high by 22 ft. wide) over the big pool will feature movies, sporting events and concerts. Other than that, this newest "Fun Ship" offers few dazzling innovations (though it will continue with other regularly recent introductions such as bow-to-stern WiFi and a supper club -- but Joe Farcus' (Carnival's designer and ship architect) always-interesting concepts are sure to create some buzz. By the way, the theme for Freedom isn't "freedom" at all, but rather "a journey through the centuries by decade." How the names of the two main dining rooms -- The Chic and The Posh -- fit into that theme is yet to be discovered. Other highlights include a 1970s disco, a 1950s-themed sports bar and a casino inspired by Ancient Babylon.

Itineraries: This is the first Carnival ship to offer a Greek Isles/Turkey itinerary; The European portion includes 12-night Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises. Carnival Freedom will then move to Miami, where it will sail alternate Eastern and Western seven-night Caribbean itineraries.

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