No matter how popular their ships are, cruise lines expanding their fleets aren’t content with just more of the same. The big new cruisers launching in 2026 are invariably a little larger than their sisters and packed with inventive added features, options and fun twists to get attention.
Aside from bragging rights to be the first on the newest at sea, here are reasons you’ll want to experience this year’s alluring crop of newcomers:
Celebrity’s cutting edge Xcel
Launched just before the new year, inaugural cruises on Celebrity Cruises’ newest were already sold out months in advance, so it’s destined to be one of the year’s hottest tickets. The 3,260 guest Celebrity Xcel delivers unique features that make her a significant evolution of Celebrity’s popular Edge-Class ships.
Most notable is The Bazaar, a three-deck high space that replaces Eden found at the aft of other Edge ships. The Bazaar is designed to enhance the experiences offered by the destinations the cruises visit, offering authentic tastes in its restaurants and festivals that last all day. It includes two new dining options: Spice and Mosaic as well as Chef’s Studio cooking classes, where guests can learn to create traditional Caribbean dishes.
Also new is an al fresco Mediterranean restaurant for brunches and romantic dinners. A hidden-away Speakeasy bar offers a retro Prohibition-era feel and a Celebrity Flagship zone celebrates the history of the brand along with a logo gear shop. Xcel is sailing from Miami in the winter and from Barcelona and Athens in the late spring and summer.
Windstar Doubles the Star quotient
It’s going to be a two-in-one year for Windstar Cruises. The first newcomer, the 112-suite Star Seeker is being christened in Mimi on Jan. 15. Early itineraries include the Dominican Republic, the British Virgin Islands, San Juan and calls to Iles des Saintes, Bequia, Mayreau, Pigeon Island and immersive experiences in colonial cities like Santo Domingo and Cartagena. After her inaugural Caribbean season, she ‘ll move to Alaska cruising in the summer and then to immersive Japan and southeast Asia itineraries later in the year. A new sister ship, Star Explorer will make her debut in December 2026 in the Mediterranean.
Both new ships introduce enhancements across accommodations, dining, wellness and adventure, including WorldSpa by Windstar, featuring an upper-level entrance and a full suite of wellness and fitness experiences. Nearly all suites have full private verandas or floor to ceiling infinity windows. Two new Horizon Owner’s suites feature wrap-around balconies. Five dining venues including Amphora Restaurant, Star Grill and the new Mediterranean-Asian inspired Basil + Bamboo.
Norwegian’s celestial newcomer
Norwegian Cruise Lines is calling Norwegian Luna the first of a new Prima Plus class and the ship features a celestial moon mural on its hull. She’s 10 per cent bigger than sisters Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva and attractions include the line’s exclusive Aqua Slidecoaster, a hybrid waterslide-roller coaster. New in The Haven signature ship-within-a-ship enclave are Three-Bedroom Duplex Haven Suites. Headline shows include Rocket Man: A Celebration of Elton John. After a trans-Atlantic crossing in March, the 3,570-guest ship debuts in April for year- round cruises from Miami. She’ll be moving to Bermuda cruising from New York in 2027.
Explora’s explorer runs on a new fuel
Explora Journeys, MSC Cruises upscale brand, is growing its luxury fleet with Explora 3, arriving in the summer. The line’s first liquefied natural gas-powered vessel will expand the number of upper-tier Ocean Penthouses and Ocean Residences and add an additional Owner’s Residence. Fitness, spa and gym facilities will be a unified space, while youth facilities are being redesigned into separate, age-specific spaces. Itineraries include the Mediterranean, North Sea, Scandinavia to Quebec and a fall and winter season sailing from Miami and San Juan.
MSC Cruises setting another record in the Med
MSC Cruises is launching yet another record-size cruise ship with its 5,240-guest MSC World Asia due in December. The name is slightly misleading because the ship is going to be sailing year-round in the Mediterranean, with a full winter devoted to seven-day cruises from Barcelona, Genoa, Marseille or Rome. The 5,400 guest ship is similar to two sisters already sailing, including the MSC World America which sails from Florida. A wide selection of suites include a new Royal Duplex category in the MSC Yacht Club ship-within-a-ship zone that totals 570 square feet of living space.
Regent Seven Seas Adding Prestige
The first of a new Prestige Class, Regent Seven Seas Cruises‘ long-awaited Seven Seas Prestige arrives in December, 2026. It’s the luxury line’s first new ship in 10 years. The 850 guest ship promises one of the highest passenger-to-space ratios in the industry and the most personal service. The all-inclusive cruises will feature seven specialty restaurants and 11 dining experiences, including the new Azure for mixed Mediterranean flavors. Prestige will also feature a range of new suite categories, such as dual-level loft suites.
Royal Caribbean’s newest Icon is a Legend
Royal Caribbean is reviving a historic name for its newest Icon-Class ship, Legend of the Seas. But the ship set to debut in July will build on features of sisters Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. A new onboard offering is the Royal Railway dinner show experience, featuring a simulated train journey themed to Silk Routes. The Supper Club will feature a Golden Age of Hollywood theme and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be the ship’s main off-Broadway production show.
Viking conquest continues
The ever-expanding Viking universe will see a total of eight new river cruise ships and two more ocean ships launched in 2026. Viking Mira coming in the spring will explore the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Viking Libra coming later in the year will be the line’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, powered by fuel-cell technology. Like Viking Vesta and Viking Vela before them, the new ships will be slightly larger, 998-guest versions of Viking’s earlier 930-passenger ocean vessels.
Disney’s jaw-dropping Adventure
This biggest ever ship from Disney Cruise Line, almost twice the size of some of the other ships in the Disney fleet, has a back story. It was originally conceived as the Global Dream, being built in Germany for a now-defunct Asian cruise line. Disney took over the project and completely redesigned it to sail year-round from Singapore starting in March, 2026. While the 6,000-guest ship will cater predominantly to the Asian market, international guests are invited to join three- and four-day cruises with no scheduled ports of call.
The ship features seven unique areas: Disney Imagination Garden, Toy Story Place, San Fransokyo Street, Town Square, Wayfinder Bay, Disney Discovery Reef, and Marvel Landing. Its range of family-friendly attractions include themes related to Pixar and Marvel, including Disney’s first-ever Iron Man roller coaster at sea.
There’s another remarkable trend in 2026, a surge in new small yachts and expedition ships, and we reveal them in a separate story, click here.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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