Cruise Ship Boom: New and bigger ships compete for guests

The innovative new Celebrity Edge cruise ship begins its first seven day journey this Sunday.

It’s one of more than a dozen ocean cruise liners launching this year and many more are on the way.

The ship is not your grandparents cruise ship. With the flick of a switch, you see one way the new Celebrity Edge is different.

Many rooms come with floor to ceiling windows that open halfway and there’s more space inside.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Celebrity Cruises President & CEO describes the the feel, “These rooms bring the outside in or the inside out, however you want to look at it.”

There’s also a French bistro with projected animations that turns your table into entertainment.

And you’ll find new technology on the outside of the ship, as Wendy Gillette of Fort Lauderdale explains something Celebrity calls a magic carpet, “It’s a movable platform on the side of the ship that takes guests to the edge.”

It can transform from a restaurant to a launching dock for excursions depending on where it’s positioned. This is the first newly designed ship from Celebrity in 10 years, but it has plenty of competition.

Upscale Seabourn Cruise Line launched Ovation in may, Carnival’s Horizon debuted in april and the world’s largest cruise ship-royal Caribbean’s symphony of the seas-arrived at its new miami terminal last month.

The number of cruise ship passengers has gone from nearly 18 million in 2009 to a projected 30 million next year.

That’s driving demand for more ships, and more are on the way, including three from the new adults only Virgin Voyages Cruise Line.

Cruise Lines International Association says they have 111 ships on order right now which is between now and 2027.

With only about 3 percent of Americans currently cruising every year, industry insiders see potential for bookings to swell as more people discover life on the high seas. Only about a quarter of Americans have ever taken a cruise.

Check out more of the new ships:

• Carnival horizon carnival.com
• Seabourn ovation seabourn.com
• Celebrity Edge celebritycruises.com
• Virgin Voyages virginvoyages.com