Deck games: The race track on Norwegian Joy (Picture: Norwegian Cruise Line)

After the skydiving simulators, dodgem cars and ten-storey slides of recent years, the cruise industry is keeping up the pace in 2017 with new features including race tracks, virtual reality rollercoasters and huge water parks.

As well as giant ships this year – many of them on the way to the Chinese market – there will also be the world’s largest square rigger and a luxury vessel heading off on a 141-day world cruise.

Here’s our pick of the top launches of the year…

Colourful: Norwegian Joy (Picture: Norwegian Cruise Line)

Name: Norwegian Joy


Line: Norwegian Cruise Line

Tonnage: 168,800

Passengers: 3,900

Debut: Norwegian Joy, based in Shanghai and Tianjin (Beijing), will cater for the Chinese market when it launches in the summer.



Special features: Guests will be able to compete against each other on a two-level race track – the first ever at sea – and ride on hovercraft bumper cars. There will also be laser tag, simulator rides and interactive video walls. Three interactive dark ride simulators will feature 3D graphics, 360-degree surround sound and special effects, while movie fans will be able to pilot a fighter in a Star Wars video game.

Virtual reality will allow passengers to design and ride a rollercoaster, soar over mountains and oceans, or walk along the top of a ten-storey building. For real thrills they can try out two multi-storey waterslides.

New wave: Viking will now have four ocean-going ships (Picture: Viking Cruises)

Name: Viking Sky and Viking Sun

Line: Viking

Tonnage: 47,800

Passengers: 930

Debut: Sky will launch in February and Sun in November

Special features: Like their predecessors, Viking Star and Sea, these ships will feature three pools and a ‘snow grotto’ in the spa, where snowflakes fall from the ceiling. Every room has a balcony and there is a three-deck atrium. Viking Sun will begin sailing to Cuba and the Caribbean before embarking on a 141-day world cruise.

Silver lining: Silver Muse (Picture: Silversea)

Name: Silver Muse

Line: Silversea

Tonnage: 40,700

Passengers: 596

Debut: April in Monaco

Special features: With eight restaurants, Silver Muse claims to offer more dining options than any other ultra-luxury ship. It will call at 130 ports in 34 countries in 2017 alone.

Italian style: MSC Meraviglia (Picture: MSC)

Name: MSC Meraviglia

Line: MSC

Tonnage: 167,600

Passengers: 4,500

Debut: June in Italy

Special features: Meraviglia will have a large outdoor waterpark connected to a double-deck indoor amusement area. A two-deck interior promenade styled like a Mediterranean village, packed with shops, bars and speciality dining, will be covered by a large LED dome ceiling. The screen will form a ‘digital sky’ beaming out images and visual shows.

America bound: MSC Seaside (Picture: MSC)

Name: MSC Seaside

Line: MSC

Tonnage: 160,000

Passengers: 4,134

Debut: December in Miami

Special features: Seaside – the first of the Italian line’s ships to be christened in the United States – claims to have one of the largest waterparks at sea. A promenade wrapping right round the ship will offer a choice of places to eat, shop and sunbathe.

Flying start: Flying Clipper (Picture: Star Clippers)

Name: Flying Clipper

Line: Star Clippers

Tonnage: 8,770

Passengers: 300

Debut: Late 2017

Special features: Flying Clipper will be the largest square rigger in the world, powered by 35 sails. It will have three pools and a watersports platform and rely on wind power whenever possible.



Showboat to China: Majestic Princess (Picture: Princess Cruises)

Name: Majestic Princess

Line: Princess Cruises

Tonnage: 143,000

Passengers: 3,560

Debut: April in Civitavecchia, Italy

Special features: This sister ship to Regal Princess and Royal Princess – with a glass-bottomed walkway 128ft above the sea – is another vessel bound for the Chinese market and will be based in Shanghai.

Dream holiday: World Dream (Picture: Dream Cruises)

Name: World Dream

Line: Dream Cruises

Tonnage: 151,300

Passengers: 3,352

Debut: Autumn 2017

Special features: World Dream is another ship designed for the Asian market. It will be packed with restaurants, entertainment venues, casinos and a large number of high-class suites.

Dave, voted best blogger in the Cruise International Awards 2016, also writes about cruising on shipmonk.co.uk

MORE: Stressed and burned out? Here’s why you need to get to Grenada in the Caribbean, stat

MORE: Why Wroclaw not Paris or Copenhagen should be your next weekend city break

Advertisement Advertisement