On the new ship front, Royal Caribbean International took delivery of the 5,610-passenger Star of the Seas from Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland. As the line’s second Icon-class ship, the vessel will begin service in a few weeks at Port Canaveral, FL. Separately, upscale Oceania Cruises welcomed its new 1,200-passenger Oceania Allura, a Vista-class vessel which was built by Fincantieri at its Genoa, Italy, shipyard.
Oceania also announced an order for two more new 1,390-passenger Sonata-class vessels from Fincantieri, according to Seatrade Cruise News. The previously ordered Oceania Sonata and Oceania Arietta will arrive during 2027 and 2029, respectively, but now the two just ordered vessels will arrive in 2032 and 2035. Celebrity Cruises has unveiled four new spaces onboard its soon-to-launch Celebrity Xcel. It will begin service in November 2025.
On the small-ship front, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions christened two Galapagos ships — the 16-passenger National Geographic Delfina and the 48-passenger National Geographic Gemini. In Newport, RI, American Cruise Lines (ACL) christened the 130-passenger American Patriot, the first of its new Patriot-class ships, during Fourth of July festivities.
Susan Daly, president, Sail Newport, served as the ship’s godmother.
Yacht and Expedition Cruises
Providing a smoother journey for guests heading to/from Silver Origin, Silversea has added charter flights from Quito, Ecuador, directly to San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands. That means guests will avoid flying from Quito to Quayaquil, Ecuador, before heading to San Christobal.
SeaDream Yacht Club has connected to shore power for the first time with both its ships. Looking ahead to the debut of its first luxury yacht in 2026, Four Seasons Yachts appointed Ben Trodd, former COO of Aman, as its new CEO, according to sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor. Emerald Cruises unveiled its 2027-2028 yacht collection of Africa and Indian Ocean voyages.
Atlas Ocean Voyages is introducing a new Canadian Arctic expedition on World Voyager. Separately, Atlas has appointed Kristian Anderson as executive vice president of global sales; he’ll lead all sales initiatives and deepen the line’s trade-first strategy as it expands within the luxury expedition cruise market. Anderson will report to James Rodriguez, Atlas’ president and CEO.
(Atlas Ocean Voyages)
In addition, HX Expeditions has launched its largest ever travel advisor incentive. Advisors who make three new deposited bookings on eligible HX expedition cruises between July 1 and October 31, 2025, will earn the chance to sail for free — with a guest — on one of HX’s 2026 voyages. Separately, solo travelers can save on the 2025-2026 voyages of Aurora Expeditions.
Celebratory Moments
Regent Seas Cruises posted a record-breaking launch day when bookings opened recently for its new 822-passenger Seven Seas Prestige, which will begin service in late 2026. Bookings surpassed Regent’s previous new-ship launch day record — set by Seven Seas Splendor in 2018 — by 26 percent.
While this year’s July 4th holiday is history, America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, is less than a year away. Premium Holland America Line announced a special seven-night “America’s 250th Celebration” voyage on Zuiderdam, departing roundtrip from Boston, on July 4, 2026. Guests will visit Norfolk, VA, (for excursions to Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown), New York City (overnight stay), and one Canadian port of call.
More Cruise News
Last week Windstar Cruises, which will welcome the new Star Seeker to its fleet this coming winter, has added a complimentary, all-inclusive upgrade (covering beverages, gratuities and Wi-Fi) on select voyages through March 31, 2026.
Riviera Travel has launched a new digital training platform designed to support travel advisors who are selling the company’s European river cruises. Separately, Travel Agent published the second article in a two-part series about Celestyal Cruises’ 1,260-passenger Celestyal Journey. This story focuses on onboard dining, enrichment, entertainment, guest activities and more.
Trending: Soloists, Eco-Regions
Among the latest cruise trends, AdventureSmith Explorations, which specializes in small-ship adventure cruise vacations, says that solo travelers accounted for 15 percent of all consumer inquiries in June 2025. Year to date, that supplier’s solo leads are tracking at 8 percent of its total leads, up from the full-year total of 6.5 percent in 2024.
(AdventureSmith Explorations)
AdventureSmith Explorations is also seeing a 212 percent increase in search inquiries for charter cruises, particularly in the Galapagos and Alaska. And as more consumers seek to sail on cleaner, more sustainable, upscale ships, the company is seeing many tourist-class Galapagos boats being decommissioned with their operating permits going to more luxurious small cruise ships.
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