FEATURES

New Ships on the Horizon

New itineraries, innovative onboard activities, huge mega-ships, intimate riverboats or yachts — the factors to take into account when choosing a cruise are endless. And the choice only gets more difficult in the coming year, with several cruise lines adding new ships to their fleets. Here is a sampling of what’s coming in 2009 and beyond.

River Tosca
Cruise line: Uniworld
Debuts: April 2009
Passenger capacity: 82
What to know: The tenth ship in Uniworld’s fleet will cruise the Nile. 

Viking Legend
Cruise line: Viking River Cruises
Debuts: May 2009
Passenger capacity: 189
What to know: Sails the Danube, Rhine and Main rivers.

Celebrity Equinox
Cruise line: Celebrity Cruises
Debuts: Fall 2009
Passenger capacity: 2850
What to know: Sibling to the new Celebrity Solstice will be one of the biggest in the fleet.

Carnival Dream
Cruise line: Carnival Cruise Line
Debuts: October 2009
Passenger capacity: 3652
What to know: The biggest Carnival ship ever will feature an onboard water park.

Oasis of the Seas
Cruise line: Royal Caribbean
Debuts: November 2009
Passenger capacity: 5400
What to know: The biggest ship ever, with seven “neighborhoods” and several innovative entertainment options.

Celebrity Eclipse
Cruise line: Celebrity Cruises
Debuts: June 2010
Passenger capacity: 2850
What to know: The third Solstice-class ship, with 90 percent outside staterooms.

Allure of the Seas
Cruise line: Royal Caribbean
Debuts: August 2010
Passenger capacity: 5400
What to know: Sister ship to the Oasis of the Seas.

Queen Elizabeth
Cruise line: Cunard
Debuts: Fall 2010
Passenger capacity: 2092
What to know: Replacing the vaunted QE2, it is the second-largest Cunard ship ever built.

Nieuw Amsterdam
Cruise line: Holland America
Debuts: Fall 2010
Passenger capacity: 2100
What to know: The fourth ship in the line’s history to carry the name, it will be nearly identical to the Eurodam, but with some interior touches that pay homage to New York City, its historical namesake. 

First Look: Ruby Princess
Inaugural date: November 6, 2008
Passenger capacity: 3080
Itineraries: 7-night western Caribbean cruises round trip from Ft. Lauderdale, December through April; 12-day Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises departing from Barcelona, Venice and Rome, May through September.

First impressions:
Just to get it out of the way up front, I am a big fan of Princess. Their cruises have a casual vibe, but with a touch of class that elevates the line above the status of a party ship. The new Ruby Princess is no exception.

Elegant in design, the piazza-style atrium features “street-performers” and café-style dining venues. I had the pleasure of staying in a mini-suite with a spacious balcony, a sitting area and (gasp!) a bathtub in the ample-sized (for a cruise ship) bathroom. There are flat-screen televisions in every room, although with the host of activities available on board, shame on you if you spend a lot of time in your cabin watching TV.

My favorite place on the ship was The Sanctuary at the Lotus Spa. The heated ceramic lounge chairs, facing panoramic windows, are the perfect spot for relaxation. There is a fee to access this adults-only area, and the chairs do fill up, so stake out a spot early. I got an exceptional facial and massage on board, and the variety of fitness programs is excellent as well.

In terms of dining, the Ruby Princess excels. We enjoyed the new complimentary pub lunch at the Wheelhouse Bar, noshing on fish and chips and cottage pie in a delightful atmosphere (bangers and mash and a ploughman’s lunch are the other menu options). Available on sea days, this is a good alternative to the standard cruise lunch buffet.

I also highly recommend the poolside pizzeria, which features complimentary homemade pizza by the slice. My native-New Yorker, Italian husband, who is notoriously picky about his pizza, gives Princess his seal of approval. There is a nominal charge to order the pizza via room service. Otherwise, 24-hour room service is complimentary.

The Ruby Princess is fun but not gimmicky, classic but not stuffy. With kids’ programs, enrichment classes, themed bars and lounges, plenty of areas for quiet conversation or fun and games, the ship is a destination unto itself, much more than merely a vessel to carry you from one place to the next.

— Rebecca Antioco

First Look: Celebrity Solstice
Inaugural date: November 23, 2008
Passenger capacity: 2850
Itineraries: 7-night eastern Caribbean cruises round trip from Ft. Lauderdale, December through April; 10-night eastern Mediterranean cruises round trip from Rome, May through November.

First impressions:
What a beautiful ship, one of the nicest we’ve ever seen. Solstice boasts a few industry firsts, including its own lawn. Yes, that’s right, the Solstice has a backyard on the top deck — living grass with great games like croquet, bocce, even a putting green. Or you can simply take your shoes off and walk barefoot in the cool grass, something you may not get to do often if you live in Arizona.

It also features the very first onboard glass-blowing demonstration. Corning Glass brought specially made furnaces on the ship for its Hot Glass Show, where artists do a full demonstration then display and sell the glass onboard. Be sure to check out the Corning Museum of Glass right next door.

And forget frosty mugs, the Solstice has a frosty bar!  The actual bar is long and oval with a five- to six-inch frosted rim (like the inside of a freezer) where the bartender sets your drinks.  The color scheme is white and light blue, with 3-D pictures of glaciers complementing the decor. The Sky Lounge at the top of the ship is also beautiful, done in soft orange and blue with windows all around.  

We also loved the art gallery, located next to the ship’s photo display area. On our sailing, they displayed photographic art featuring singers (Rolling Stones, Elton John, Frank Sinatra), actors (Vincent Price) and a Paramount Studios anniversary picture from the late ’80s with lots of the studio’s stars.  

Solstice also has one of the nicest fitness facilities at sea.  With treadmills and bikes that you can plug your iPod into for a personalized workout, state of the art weight machines, and a classroom for yoga, spinning and much more, you will have no problem staying trim despite indulging in the great food Celebrity is known for.

There are two pools, one indoor and one outdoor, and lots of unique seating areas — hammocks with curtains that close, two-person lounge chairs with hoods.

The cabins are understated in tan, browns, rust and red — not bright or flashy. The bathrooms are nice with bowl sinks and a decent-size shower for a cruise ship, which must have been designed by a woman. How do we know? There’s a bar about six inches off the floor to put your foot on when shaving your legs — only a woman would think of that!
 
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on this amazing new vessel. We haven’t even mentioned the spa, kids areas, arcade, sports court, specialty restaurants, art gallery, shopping... But we don’t want to ruin all the fun; take a cruise and see it for yourself.

— Gloria Neuharth and Jared Pflaster, AAA Travel