The 33 Brand-New Cruise Ships on Order from Just Four Cruise Lines

Cruise lines are showing no sign of slowing down their builds of new ships as more people discover the value and experience of cruising. Just four cruise lines are responsible for almost half of all the new ships in the next 10 years or so.

Cruise ships almost always sail above 100% capacity, usually closer to 107% or so.  That’s why you typically can’t just walk onto a ship on embarkation day and ask for an upgrade to a new cabin. 

With demand on the rise, cruise lines are ordering new ships at a blistering pace.  In fact, just four cruise lines account for 33 vessels that are currently on order.  Some are being built right now, and others are scheduled to be built a decade from now.

Cruise Industry News just released the recent edition of the cruise orderbook which highlights 74 ships in total that are on order from over a dozen cruise lines.

Below I listed all the ships on order from these four main cruise lines: Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises leads among these four brands with the most aggressive build schedule of 10 ships, showcasing the massive World Class and the new Frontier Class.  All of these new ships will be LNG-fueled.

• MSC World Asia (December 2026): 216,638 gross tons, 6,758 passengers at double capacity, built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
• MSC World Atlantic (2027): 216,638 gross tons, 6,774 passengers at double capacity, built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
• World Class 5 (2028): 216,638 gross tons, built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
• World Class 6 (2029): 216,638 gross tons, built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
• World Class 7 (2030): 216,638 gross tons, built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
• World Class 8 (2031): 216,638 gross tons, built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
• New Frontier Class 1 (2030): 180,000 gross tons, 5,400 passenger capacity, built at Meyer Werft.
• New Frontier Class 2 (2031): 180,000 gross tons, 5,400 passenger capacity, built at Meyer Werft.
• New Frontier Class 3 (2032): 180,000 gross tons, 5,400 passenger capacity, built at Meyer Werft.
• New Frontier Class 4 (2033): 180,000 gross tons, 5,400 passenger capacity, built at Meyer Werft.

See full list of every MSC Cruises ship in service here.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line has 7 Ships on order.  The cruise line is working toward a new ultra-large prototype series starting in 2030, while continuing the Prima Plus class buildout.

• Norwegian Luna (2026): 156,300 gross tons (Prima Plus class), built at Fincantieri, 3,571 passenger capacity.
• Unnamed (2027): 169,000 gross tons (Prima Plus), 3,650 passenger capacity, built at Fincantieri.
• Unnamed (2028): 169,000 gross tons (Prima Plus), 3,650 passenger capacity, built at Fincantieri.
• Unnamed (2030): 225,000 gross tons (new large class), 5,100 passenger capacity, built at Fincantieri.
• Unnamed (2032): 225,000 gross tons, 5,100 passenger capacity, built at Fincantieri.
• Unnamed (2034): 225,000 gross tons, 5,100 passenger capacity, built at Fincantieri.
• Unnamed (2036): 225,000 gross tons, 5,100 passenger capacity, built at Fincantieri.

See full list of every Norwegian Cruise Line ship currently in service here.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean has four Ships on order.  The cruise line will continue to build out the popular Icon-class ships with Legend of the Seas scheduled to debut in Summer 2026, and a seventh Oasis Class ship will be coming in 2028.

• Legend of the Seas (2026): 250,800 gross tons (Icon Class), built at Meyer Turku, passenger capacity of 5,610 passengers.
• Unnamed (2027): 250,800 gross tons (Icon Class), built at Meyer Turku, estimated passenger capacity of 5,610.
• Unnamed (2028): 236,860 gross tons (7^th Oasis Class ship), built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, estimated capacity of 5,610.
• Unnamed (2028): 250,800 tons (Icon Class), built at Meyer Turku.

See full list of every Royal Caribbean ship in service here.

Carnival Cruise Line  

Carnival has 5 Ships on order between 2027 and 2033.  Carnival’s orders include Excel-class ships and a new larger series (Project Ace) starting in 2029, with no deliveries in 2026.

• Carnival Festivale (2027): 182,800 gross tons (Excel class), built at Meyer Werft, double capacity of 5,400 passengers.
• Carnival Tropicale (2028): 182,800 gross tons (Excel class), built at Meyer Werft, double capacity estimated at 5,400.
• Unnamed (2029): 230,000 gross tons (new class), built at Fincantieri, capacity of 6,200 passengers.
• Unnamed (2031): 230,000 gross tons, built at Fincantieri.
• Unnamed (2033): 230,000 gross tons, built at Fincantieri.

See full list of every Carnival Cruise Line ship currently in service here.