It’s not just deck chairs, Carnival Corp. is rearranging its fleets.
Holland America Line will see its lineup grow to 12 ships with the addition of P&O Cruises’ ship Arcadia. At the same time, Cunard Line will shift its nearly new Queen Anne to P&O, leaving Cunard with only three older ships.
“Holland America Line continues to see strong demand from guests seeking immersive travel experiences, genuine hospitality, and perfectly sized ships,” said Beth Bodensteiner, president of Holland America Line. “Adding Arcadia allows us to welcome more guests while building on everything they already love about our brand.”
Meanwhile, Queen Anne will continue sailing for Cunard through a 2028-29 world cruise and then undergo an extensive reimagining and be renamed before entering service with sister brand P&O in May, 2029.
“These decisions reflect a careful, long-term view of our portfolio and where the individual strengths of each ship can best support guest demand and the future direction of our two cruise lines,” Carnival UK, P&O Cruises and Cunard president Paul Ludlow said.
For Holland America, the addition of Arcadia will grow HAL’s fleet capacity by over 2,000 guests while providing additional flexibility, the line says. Arcadia is part of the same Vista Class design as other Holland America ships Oosterdam, Noordam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam.
Holland America Evolution, a mult-year investment is adding new venues, restaurants and staterooms across the fleet New features already revealed for Oosterdam and Zuiderdam include the popular Grand Dutch Café, a renovated Ocean Bar, expansive Bridgeview Suites and purpose-built Solo Verandah cabins. Oosterdam will debut its evolution in fall 2027, with Zuiderdam following in April 2028. Venues and features to be added to Arcadia will be determined in the next several months.
What the changes mean for Cunard is less clear.
A comment on a cruise website asked: “This leaves Cunard with an older fleet now and one wonders if there could be a surprise new ship announcement at some point or is this the classic running a brand down until its no longer viable?” The Queen Anne entered service in 2024 and has the same general design as Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam.
However, Ludlow says “the change will give Cunard a more closely unified fleet centered on Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth…. “This decision does not change our commitment to Cunard or its future. We will continue to invest in the ships, service, itineraries and guest experiences that make Cunard unique, while building on the strong following enjoyed by each of its three Queens.”
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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