OverSixty July 2023 Digital

OVERSIXTY.COM.AU |ISSUE 5 | JULY 2023 35 TRAVEL Best new cruise ships JOANNA HALL CRUISE C ruising is back with a vengeance post-COVID, with CLIA’s latest !g- ures revealing that since resuming mid- last year nearly half a million Australians have taken to the high seas for a holiday. Part of the excitement surrounding its re- turn is the launch of new ships o"ering more choice and innovation than ever before. Here are eight of the best. Viking Neptune And Viking Saturn If you’re looking for a smaller, bou- tique-style ship, Viking Neptune and Vi- king Saturn are worth considering. #e latest additions to Viking’s growing $eet of identical sister ships debuted in the USA in January and June this year. Both o"er all-veranda staterooms accommo- dating 930 guests, and a Scandinavian design featuring al fresco dining options and a Nordic-inspired spa with a hydro- therapy pool. Additionally, there’s an at- tractive lineup of inclusions in the fare, with premium beer, wine and soft drinks included with lunch and dinner, unlimit- ed specialty co"ees and teas included all day, a guided excursion in every port, free Wi-Fi and gratuities. For the rest of 2023, both Viking Neptune and Viking Saturn will cruise the Mediterranean. Oceania Vista #e elegant 1,200-guest Oceania Vista launched in Valletta, Malta in May, the seventh ship inOceania’s $eet and the !rst in its new Allura class. Besides spacious, all-veranda accommodations, Oceania Vista also debuted a new category of Con- cierge Level Veranda Staterooms for solo travellers – a !rst for the cruise line. Elite dining is a drawcard – Oceania Vista’s new o"erings include the Aquamar Kitchen with a focus on wellness-inspired cuisine, and Ember’s classic American dishes. #e ship will cruise the Mediterranean before heading to Canada and New England, fol- lowed by the Caribbean, Mexico and Cen- tral America. Norwegian Viva Norwegian Cruise Line’s second Pri- ma-class ship will embark on her maid- en voyage from the Italian port of Trieste in August. Sharing the innovative design of sister ship, Norwegian Prima , Nor- wegian Viva has a capacity of 3,219 at double occupancy with abundant wide- open spaces, several in!nity pools, and industry-!rsts including a charcoal sau- na, two-storey indoor spa waterfall, and $otation salt pool. A major highlight of any NCL cruise is entertainment – Nor- wegian Viva o"ers the iconic game show “#e Price is Right LIVE”, as well as the “Press Your Luck LIVE” game show at sea which fuses audience participation with the chance to win prizes. #e ship cruises the Mediterranean to November, before heading for Puerto Rico in December for a season in the Caribbean. Carnival Jubilee If you love big ships and 24/7 fun, Carni- val Cruise Line’s latest ship, Carnival Ju- bilee , will tick all the boxes. Debuting in December 2023, and the next ship in its Excel class, it accommodates 5,374 guests with an impressive lineup of stateroom options including the Havana stateroom and suites – colourful accommodations near the Havana Bar & Pool which come with an extra-large outdoor chill space. Also new are two ocean-themed “zones”. Spanning deck 6 and deck 7, Currents transports guests to a playful, underwa- ter world that changes from day to night. Meanwhile, on deck 8, the ocean meets the land in #e Shores, featuring piers, boardwalks and beaches. Carnival Jubi- lee will cruise the Caribbean year-round fromGalveston, Texas. Celebrity Ascent Celebrity Ascent also debuts in December 2023, the fourth ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge class. Aimed at stylish cruisers who like big-ship facilities with fewer people, the 3,260-guest ship boasts two-storey Edge Villa staterooms with direct access to the exclusive Retreat Sun Deck and spacious In!nite Veranda staterooms that transform into an open-air veranda. Also on o"er are panoramic views from the iconic Magic Carpet – a cantilevered Resort Deck with cabanas, in!nity-edge plunge pools, two-storey Martini-shaped hot tubs, and over 30 food and drink ven- ues. Celebrity Ascent will spend the north- ern hemisphere winter in the Caribbean before heading to theMediterranean. Icon of the Seas January 2024 will mark the launch of Icon of the Seas , a new class of ship for Royal Caribbean with a capacity of 5,600 guests at double occupancy and the !rst of three new ships to be powered by LNG (lique- !ed natural gas). #is giant ship will have eight distinct neighbourhoods, with new areas including ‘#rill Island’, ‘Chill Island’, ‘Surfside’, ‘#e Hideaway’, and the ‘Aqua- Dome’. #ere’ll also be Icon-only o"erings including #e Royal Promenade, Central Park, featuring a new walkup champagne window called Bubbles, and the four-level luxury Suite Neighbourhood. Icon of the Seas will cruise the Eastern and Western Caribbean fromMiami. Sun Princess Princess Cruises’ !rst new Sphere-class ship, and the third to carry the name, Sun Princess is expected to launch in Febru- ary 2024. Accommodating 4,300 guests at double occupancy, she will be the largest ship in the $eet combining heritage with new technology, with features including more balcony staterooms and a bright decor designed to connect passengers with spectacular views outside. Sun Prin- cess will also be the !rst in the $eet to of- fer new suite categories that will have a private restaurant, lounge, and other amenities, creating a ship-within-a-ship concept. #e ship will launch in the Med- iterranean before heading to Fort Laud- erdale to cruise the Caribbean. Queen Anne When Queen Anne enters service in May 2024 she will become the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard $ag and the fourth in the current $eet. She will carry 3,000 guests who’ll enjoy the cruise line’s leg- endary “white glove service” and a choice of six types of accommodation from the Britannia Inside to the opulent Queens Grill Suites, with more Britannia Club staterooms compared with other ships in the $eet. Cunard’s signature venue, the Queens Room, will have a new striking design, and there will be new dining op- tions among its 15 venues. Queen Anne ’s maiden season includes the British Isles, Norwegian Fjords, Scandinavia, Iceland, and various ports in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. From design innovation to greener fuels, the next generation of cruise ships is ushering in a new era of high-seas holidays Top: Oceania Vista in Lisbon. Bottom, from left: !e main pool on Viking; the Edge Villa stateroom on Celebrity Ascent ; the spectacular Sun Princess CRUISING