December, Brighton – Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Europe (CSI Europe) brings the cruise ship interiors calendar to a close in style – and what a way it was to finish a brilliant year of new partnerships, new launches and an orderbook and refit schedule bursting at the seams.
With CSI Europe situated in Hamburg for the first time, this year’s opening party embraced the festive feel of the city. Taking place at the Former Mains Customs Office, Christmas-market stalls dotted the heated outside area, serving hot Glühwein, roasted nuts, pretzels and sausages in buns. Attendees, comprising of exhibiting suppliers, visiting design studios, cruise lines and shipyards, were invited to wear Christmas jumpers and festive best. Many rose to the occasion, but none looked so festive as Jacob Jürgensen Wood, whose entire team were decked in Fair Isle-style jumpers. The opening party kicked off the show in style, with plenty of networking, which allowed buyers and suppliers alike to create new connections ahead of the busy two days ahead.
A complete supply chain under one roof
Having made the move to continental Europe, the heart of the European cruise market, over 300 suppliers, outfitters, and design studios joined the event in an exhibiting capacity, with 100 being brand-new to CSI. Exhibitors included Zenko HF Interiors, Marine Interiors (Fincantieri), Crivellari Divani & Poltrone, Harmony Marine Solutions, Ekornes, Tuuci, Pooky, MEYER Re and more. Recognising the rare opportunity to celebrate the skilled communities of marine artisans, companies such as Finnish Marine Industry gathered over 50 people to take part in a photoshoot celebrating a country that acts as a pillar of the industry. Exhibitors old and new referred to a ‘meticulously curated’ event that felt like a ‘mature show’, enjoying the full range of events that CSI Europe had to offer.
Of course, the light-hearted but zesty face-off Pitch and Pint made its return, as new-to-the-show suppliers distilled their business to a powerful one-minute pitch made to a panel of esteemed industry names. Winners Panomax Cruises & Yachts fought off powerful opposition by unveiling a metres-long banner that wound across the audience.
Sustainable material company Oceancircle hosted bracelet making on their stand, using recovered ocean waste to create stylish closed-loop accessories. Outfitters SD Marine Interiors crowned two winners of their repair competition, turning the tables on visiting buyers and challenging them to meet the meticulous standards that the industry’s outfitters operate to. Oceancircle also nabbed the award for most sustainable stand, while HEWI won the most accessible stand award and Zenko was awarded best stand design.
Over a thousand meetings took place across several speed networking events, connecting suppliers with buyers keen to source the next product that will create weight savings, meet sustainability targets, extend the lifecycle and bring the edge over their competitors. Competitor cruise brands became peers as knowledge and inspiration was shared in the second year of peer-to-peer networking, taking place on the second day of the show.
Representing Hurtigruten, I walked in hoping to find fresh inspiration and walked out with a notebook full of ideas, a stack of business cards, and the firm belief that the design world is in very good hands.
Tom Arild Trosterud, Vice President Procurement at Hurtigruten Expeditions
Essential Insights
This year, the schedule of content was embedded on exhibiting supplier stands. Host suppliers included Oceancircle, Herculan, CITA Design Studio, Harmony Marine Solutions, Robos Contract Furniture and LIND DNA. Knowledge-seekers from across the supply chain flocked to hear insights and expertise from brands such as Riverside Luxury Cruises, Swan Hellenic, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, MSC Cruises, Cruise Saudi, and TUI Cruises, Hurtigruten, COLUMBIA, Allstars Design and more . The second day of the content schedule was dedicated almost entirely to shipbuilding, treating attendees to CSI’s first ever shipyard-focused panel discussion and two focused Meet the Brand Q&As. Speakers from Lloyd Werft, Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku joined to discuss the innovations and progression in cruise shipbuilding.
Sustainable Design Summit held its most interactive session to date. Over 130 people gathered to exchange their experience within the industry, in a session led by Mike Lambourn, Design Lead, PriestmanGoode and Zoe Li, Senior Sustainability Manager, Archer Hotel Capital B.V.
Together, the session leads and participants interrogated the place ESG goals had in their regular workflow, how they handle roadblocks in their sustainability processes and what developments they forecast for the future.
And the winner is…
Crowning the two days of CSI Europe is the 2025 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards ceremony. Taking place at the end of the second day, these awards not only served as a celebration of the stand-out products, spaces, and people in cruise design this year, but acted as a hurrah for all the hard work and boundless energy that goes into creating these remarkable interiors.
The winners in their category are:
Best Cabin, Premium-Suite, Partner Ship Design GmbH, AIDA Cruises AIDADiva
Best Dining Space, Plaza de Coco, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Cruise Line
Best Public Space, Haunted Mansion Parlor, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Cruise Line
Best Crew Area, Crew Neighborhood, Royal Caribbean International, Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas
Best Wellness Space, Grand Spa, SMC Design, NYK Cruises Asuka III
Best Entertainment Space, Disney The Tale of Moana, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Cruise Line Disney Treasure
Best Refurbished Space, French Kiss, East Fusion & Tokyo Bar, SMS Group, AIDA Cruises AIDAdiva
Concept of the Year, REI, Viken Group
Best Brand Original Project, Project: Transforming Carpet Waste, Holland America
Interior Product of the Year, PermaFit Solutions, Bath Fitter Commercial
Sustainable Product of the Year, Waste management, Oceancircle GmbH
Galley Product of the Year, Waste Less, Generation Waste, Aroya
Shipyard of the Year, Meyer Wismar
Design Team of the Year, SMC Design
Legend of Design, Kai Bunge & Siegfried Schindler, Partner Ship Design
Thank you to the cruise design industry for joining CSI at its launch into Hamburg. CSI will return to the Hamburg Messe + Congress on 2 – 3 December 2026! Get in touch with the team for information on the 2026 event and how to participate as an exhibitor.