The 12 Days of Cruising: 2 Exciting New Ships

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me: 2 stunning new cruise ships. What better way to celebrate the New Year than with new cruise ships? Here are 2 ships that will keep the wonder and joy of the season all year long in 2017.

1. MSC Meraviglia

Wonder. That’s what Meraviglia means in Italian. According to MSC’s website, wonder “is the feeling of being amazed when we see something new, extraordinary or unimaginable.” In other words, this new ship is going to be wonderful.

When MSC Meraviglia launches next summer, she’ll immediately sail away with new records: the largest ship ever built by a European company, and the largest passenger capacity at sea with 5,700 guest capacity.

Check out some of the wonderful features of MSC Meraviglia: 

• Entertainment headlined by Cirque du Soleil at sea, who will perform six nights a week in the Carousel Lounge
• Mediterranean-style indoor promenade featuring an LED ‘sky’ with shops, bars, and restaurants
• 12 restaurants, including fine dining Kaito Sushi Bar, Kaito Teppanyaki, and a steakhouse
• Indoor amusement park and outdoor water park
• Cutting-edge wristband technology for onboard purchases and appointments
• One of the largest pools at sea, influenced by Miami’s South Beach

2. Norwegian Joy

Joy is defined as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” If just being on a cruise ship brings joy, imagine how it feels to be on the brand new Norwegian Joy in 2017. To sail on this new ship, you’ll need to first buy a plane ticket and pack your passport; it’s setting sail exclusively for China, homeporting in Shanghai and Tianjin.

The 3,900 passengers on this sister ship to Norwegian Escape can expect to find fun and cutting-edge features: 

• Open-air laser tag and a 2-level racetrack (the first at sea) featuring electric race cars
• The Haven, with an Observation Deck that offers views normally reserved just for the ship’s officers in the bridge
• The Galaxy Pavilion, home to games and virtual reality simulators
• Multi-level water slides: The Double Aqua Loop and The Aqua Racer
• 29 restaurants including familiar favorites (Manhattan Room, Food Republic, La Cucina, Le Bistro and Cagney’s Steakhouse) and new options (Sakura & Hibiscus, American Diner and the Grand Tea Room)

These are only 2 of the many new ships expected to launch in 2017, which should be an exciting year to set sail. Which brand-new cruise ship trip is on your Christmas wish list?