Sixteen new cruise ships were delivered in 2020, including three before the COVID-19 crisis was declared a pandemic, while most delivered after have yet to see revenue guests and await their official debuts in 2021.

The Class of 2020 – New Cruise Ships:

Regent Seven Seas Splendor

Marketed as the most luxurious ship in the world, Regent took delivery of the Splendor from Fincantieri in January and christened it at a black-tie event a month later.

Hurtigruten Fridtjof Nansen 

The Fridtjof Nansen marked Hurtigruten’s second 530-guest expedition ship, built for polar waters, to debut in a span of just a year. 

Virgin Scarlet Lady

Probably the most anticipated ship of 2020, Virgin’s debut newbuild joined the fleet early in the year and did preview cruises in Europe before crossing to Miami. The 2,770-guest ship never saw revenue passengers, however, and Virgin hopes to start operations now in the second quarter of 2021.

Ponant Le Bellot and Ponant Le Jacques Cartier 

The fifth of sixth of a class of six Ponant Explorer-class ships, Le Bellot and Le Jacques Cartier joined the French-flagged fleet early in the year from VARD. 

Celebrity Apex

Celebrity executives took delivery of the Apex in a virtual ceremony, marking the second Edge-class ship to join the premium line’s fleet. After spending summer and fall in Europe not sailing, the ship has since moved North America.

Lindblad National Geographic Endurance

The most anticipated expedition ship of the year, Lindblad welcomed the National Geographic Endurance in April, as the 126-guest vessel marked the line’s first purpose-built blue-water expedition ship, also offering a five-star product aboard.

American Jazz

Built for U.S. river cruising and the close-to-home market, the American Jazz awaits her debut on the Mississippi River in 2021. 

Silver Origin

Delivered from De Hoop, the Silver Origin is the line’s first newbuild tailored to a specific destination, serving 100 guests at a time, year-round in the Galapagos.

Enchanted Princess

The Enchanted Princess is another Royal-class Princess ship built by Fincantieri. The 3,660-guest ship was handed over to Princess Cruises in October. The Discovery Princess follows in 2021. 

P&O Iona

Powered by clean-burning LNG, the P&O Iona is the UK brand’s first LNG-fueled ship. The 5,200-guest vessel was delivered by Meyer Werft. 

Saga Spirit of Adventure

Saga’s Spirit of Adventure has joined her 2019-built sister, the Spirit of Discovery as Saga has gone from one of the oldest fleet’s in the industry to the newest, with a pair of twin 999-guest ships. 

Silver Moon

Built to be a sister to the popular Silver Muse, the 596-guest Silver Moon is a six-star vessel from Silversea Cruises.

World Voyager 

The World Voyager is part of a series of ships Mystic Cruises is building in Portugal. The ship will sail under the Nicko Cruises brand. 

Costa Firenze 

The Costa Firenze was delivered on Dec. 22 to Costa and Carnival Corp. She will spend her debut season in Europe in 2021 before repositioning to Asia late in the year, where she should be based year-round and targeting the Chinese market. 

Carnival Mardi Gras

Carnival took delivery of its innovative 5,200-guest Mardi Gras from Meyer Turku in December. The LNG-fueled ship features a rollercoaster, the first at sea, and will sail from Port Canaveral, starting in April 2021.