Like all of Viking’s vessels, it has an elegant Scandinavian design. It’s a first for an expedition cruise ship. Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that allows passengers to transfer to the ship’s Zodiac landing craft while still in the protected interior of the ship. Like other expedition ships, Viking Octantis also sails with a large and seasoned “expedition team” that includes biologists, botanists, geologists, glaciologists and ornithologists who lecture regularly.īut there are several new and unusual features to Viking Octantis, too. It also has its own landing craft on board to bring people ashore in remote locations as well as kayaks and even submarines for exploring (the latter being something that is relatively rare on cruise vessels of any type). But there’s never been one like this.ĭesigned to hold just 378 passengers, Viking Octantis is the line’s first “expedition” cruise ship - a type of cruise ship specifically designed to take travelers to the most off-the-beaten-path parts of the world, including Antarctica and the Arctic.Īs is typical for expedition ships, it’s a tough vessel, with a reinforced bow that lets it bump through ice in polar regions and extra tanks for fuel and food. (Photo courtesy of Viking)įast-growing Viking has rolled out more than 70 new river cruise ships and oceangoing vessels since its founding in 1997. Here, a list of the seven new ships arriving in 2022 we’re most excited about: Viking Octantis (Viking)

Cruise fans always love to be on the latest and greatest. In all cases, the new ships that are on the way already are available for booking - and, indeed, booking up fast. The latter, notably, hasn’t had a new vessel debut in 10 years. There also will be major new ships coming from Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Disney Cruise Line. Originally set to debut in 2021, it’s now scheduled to begin sailing in March. Thanks to such delays, the arrival of a few ships that had been scheduled for delivery in 2022 will be pushed to 2023.īut it’ll be a big year for new cruise ships nevertheless.Īmong the most notable newcomers will be Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship ever built (and by big, we’re talking about a ship that can hold nearly 7,000 passengers). In some cases, the new ships will be arriving months behind schedule due to pandemic-related construction delays at the shipyards that are building them. The new ships are coming even as many lines have yet to resume sailings with all the vessels in their existing fleets. That’s a big number in the cruise world - on par with the years before the pandemic.įor more cruise guides, news and tips, sign up for TPG’s new cruise newsletter. But they didn’t cancel orders for new ships.Īs 2022 begins, major cruise operators such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line are moving forward with plans to unveil more than 20 new oceangoing vessels during the year. Cruise lines may have canceled many of their sailings over the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cruise ships 2022