What's new in cruising

The Ovation of the Seas will be the third ship in Royal Caribbean's Quantum class, joining the Anthem of the Seas (above) and Quantum of the Seas. Photo / Supplied

Michael Zehender rounds up the seagoing palaces entering the water for the first time next year.

The cruise ship business is booming, and vessels are becoming bigger, more luxurious and providing more entertainment.

Of the new international ships slated to start operating next year, Royal Caribbean owns two.

The Ovation of the Seas will leave Southampton in April and stop seven days later in Barcelona. From there, it is off to Dubai and Singapore before reaching its new home port in China's Tianjin.

The Ovation of the Seas is the third ship in Royal Caribbean's Quantum class, along with the Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas. All feature many of the same attractions including the skydiving simulator Ripcord, the observation capsule North Star and the sports complex Sea Plex, which has bumper cars and a roller skating track.

The Harmony of the Seas is part of Royal Caribbean's Oasis class and joins her sisters, the world's largest cruise ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Among the new features on Harmony are three water slides that sprawl over many decks and a 10-storey slide at the stern of the boat.

The Harmony of the Seas heads to sea in May with a seven-night trip from Barcelona to Majorca, Marseille, Florence, Rome and Capri.

Carnival Vista is the 25th ship from the world's market leader, Carnival Cruise Line. And Carnival has promised many new attractions for Vista, including SkyRide in which "cyclists" are elevated and pedal open-sided cabs around a 250m circuit for panoramic views of the sea.

Vista will also include the first Imax at sea as well as a 139m-long rafting course.

Vista will be the first Carnival ship to travel the Mediterranean in three years when it leaves on May 1. The winter schedule has the ship leaving from New York.

Holland America Line will be bringing Koningsdam to the market next year. But Holland America Line does not focus on amusement park-like attractions. Instead, it concentrates on luxury and music.

The 2650 passengers can expect entertainment at the Lincoln Stage Centre and the BB King's Blues Club. And Koningsdam features suites for families and people travelling alone.

Koningsdam's maiden voyage starts on April 8 in Rome and the christening is planned for May 21 in Rotterdam.

The ship's home port will be Amsterdam and will cruise around Europe until the winter when Koningsdam heads for the Caribbean.

Seabourn Encore takes luxury to another level. Seabourn promise their maximum 604 passengers plenty of space on the new ultra-luxury ship, which is an enhancement of its sister ships Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest. It has an additional deck and enlarged public areas.

On completion, Seabourn Encore will depart from Athens on December 4, next year and head to Singapore in two stages. She will be officially christened on January 7, 2017, and spend her first season in Australia and New Zealand. Encore will then head to Europe in spring, 2017.

Regent Seven Seas call Seven Seas Explorer the most luxurious cruise ship in the world. All 750 guests spend their nights in suites - which have balconies, of course. The highlight is the 360sq m Regent Suite.

Seven Seas Explorer's maiden voyage is on July 20 from Monaco to Venice.

Viking Sea is the second ship from Viking Cruises - joining sister Star - and holds 930 passengers and will focus on the US market.

Genting World from Star Cruises is expected to be completed towards the end of next year and will hold 3360 passengers. The ship is expected to mainly focus on the Asian market.

- AAP