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15 New Cruise Ships Debuting in 2021

By : Sarah Bretz


What a rollercoaster of a year 2020 has been. We are beyond excited to put 2020 in the rearview and look forward to a better and brighter year in 2021. One of the things to look forward to is over a dozen new cruise ships in 2021.


The Grand Central Atrium on Carnival’s Mardi Gras. (Rendering courtesy of Carnival)

As the cruise industry prepares to ramp back up, we’ll look at what new ships will debut in 2021.


New Cruise Ships in 2021


Jump to a cruise ship that’s coming soon to a port near you:


Viking Venus

  • Scheduled Debut Date: January 2021

  • Line: Viking

  • Size: 47,842 gross tons/930 passengers

  • Itineraries: the Mediterranean and Northern Europe

Highlights:

  • LivNordic Spa with thermal suite

  • Two-story Explorer’s Lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows and Mamsen’s, a counter-service venue serving things such as waffles, sandwiches, and soup

  • Manfredi’s Italian restaurant serving freshly-made pasta

  • All-balcony cabins

  • Aft infinity pool

  • Wintergarden lounge area with a glass-roof, afternoon tea is served here

  • Included wifi and select shore excursions in each port

Wintergarden area (Photo courtesy of Viking)


Mardi Gras



  • Scheduled Debut Date: April 2021

  • Line/Class: Carnival Cruise Line/Excellence/Excel Class

  • Size: 180,000 gross tons/5,282 passengers

  • Itineraries: Caribbean

Highlights:

  • BOLT rollercoaster

  • Family Feud Live game show

  • Two-story RedFrog Tiki Bar

  • Shaq’s Big Chicken counter service restaurant

  • Exclusive Loft 19 sundeck

  • WaterWorks aqua park

  • Adults-only Serenity Retreat sundeck

  • Bonsai Teppanyaki restaurant



Odyssey of the Seas

  • Scheduled Debut Date: April 2021

  • Line/Class: Royal Caribbean/Quantum Ultra Class

  • Size: 169,379 gross tons / 4,200 passengers

  • Itineraries: Mediterranean and Caribbean

Highlights:


  • Glow-in-the-dark laser tag

  • SkyPad bungee trampoline

  • Whimsical Alice-inspired Wonderland restaurant

  • North Star observation capsule that takes passengers high above the upper deck

  • Two-story The Lime and Coconut bar

  • RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator

  • Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar restaurant

  • Bionic Bar with a robotic bartender

Odyssey of the Seas at the shipyard (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean)


MSC Virtuosa

• Scheduled Debut Date: April 2021 •Line/Class: MSC Cruises/Meraviglia Plus Class •Size: 181,000 gross tons / 4,800 passengers •Itineraries: Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Middle East

Highlights:

  • Cirque du Soleil shows in a circular-stage theater

  • MSC Aurea Spa with thermal suite

  • Kaito Teppanyaki Restaurant & Sushi Bar

  • 16 indoor bars and five outdoor bars

  • MSC Yacht Club, an exclusive ship-within-a-ship area

  • One of the largest water parks at sea

  • French-Vietnamese dishes in the Indochine Restaurant

MSC Virtuosa (Rendering courtesy of MSC Cruises)