PHOTO: The Viking Star will have a striking infinity pool.

Just four new cruise ships are scheduled to enter service in 2015, a far cry from the building frenzy of years past. Of the four, three are sisters or evolved versions of ships already sailing.

But the fourth is the highly anticipated first ship from a brand-new cruise line, the Viking Star of Viking Ocean Cruises. Torstein Hagen, who founded Viking River Cruises but in years past led the beloved Royal Viking Line, is starting up the new cruise line that is virtually all-inclusive with practically everything bundled into the fare.

Here are profiles of the Cruise Class of 2015.

Viking Star

The 47,800-ton, 930-passenger Viking Star, scheduled for a May 17 christening, will have nothing but veranda staterooms, the smallest a roomy 270 square feet. The 14 two-room Explorer Suites range in size from 757 to 1,163 square feet and have wrap-around private verandas.

The new Viking Ocean Cruises says the interior will be light-filled with an “understated elegance” and modern Scandinavian design. Among the public areas is a serene Wintergarden, which will serve afternoon tea amid a skylight ceiling and soothing harp music.

The two-deck Explorers’ Lounge at the bow of each ship will feature double-height windows and a bar with “an extensive craft beer library.”

The Theater will feature “soft and spacious sofa seating” from which to watch live performances and guest speakers. The line promises an extensive enrichment program that will include port talks on the destinations as well as lectures on history, art and culture. The ship also will show first-run films and destination-driven movies.

Viking Star will have two swimming pools, one a stunning infinity pool cantilevered off the ship’s stern. In the evening, the deck space around the infinity pool will transform into the Aquavit Terrace for dining al fresco. The Main Pool has a retractable roof and also is the spot for watching movies on pleasant evenings.

In keeping with Viking’s Nordic heritage, The Spa will feature the centuries-old tradition of the sauna. The ship will have a “snow grotto” with snowflakes gently falling through chilled air. Guests follow that up with warming time in the sauna.

The Viking Star will have multiple restaurants in addition to the main dining room. The World Café will serve dishes from around the globe as well as regional specialties. Other options include more-intimate dining at The Chef’s Table, Italian grill and The Kitchen Table. What’s more, the ship will have an onboard cooking school to teach guests how to prepare local specialties.

Cruise fares include shore excursions in each port of call, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi access, self-service laundry, 24-hour room service and all port charges and government taxes.

The Viking Star will sail in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, the Baltic and Scandinavia.

Two sister ships are on order. The Viking Sea and Viking Sky are both scheduled for delivery in 2016.

Norwegian Escape

PHOTO: The Norwegian Escape will have hull artwork by noted maritime artist Guy Harvey

Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, the 4,200-passenger, 164,600-ton Norwegian Escape, is scheduled to enter service in November. The first of two Breakaway-Plus ships, Escape will be the largest in the fleet and the biggest to homeport year-round in Miami. A sister ship, Norwegian Bliss, is due out in spring 2017.

The Norwegian Escape will begin weekly seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises on Nov. 14 to St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau.

The ship is eye-catching for its signature hull artwork designed by Guy Harvey, a well-known marine wildlife artist and champion of ocean conservation. Norwegian says the ship is Harvey’s largest canvas to date, at 1,065 feet in length. The artwork will feature marine life found in South Florida and the Caribbean, including sailfish, turtles, stingrays, frigate birds, whale sharks and coral reefs.

The Norwegian Escape will bring back The Haven luxury suite complex. It will have 95 suites in a two-deck private area accessible only by key card. The Haven also features a private restaurant with outdoor terrace and a lounge. The private courtyard area is covered by a retractable roof and has a pool, two whirlpools, a sauna, spa treatment rooms and a sun deck.

The new ship also will boast 82 studio staterooms designed for solo travelers. Measuring about 100 square feet, the studios have enough room for a full-size bed, a window to the corridor, and a separate toilet, sink and shower. All studio guests have access to the private Studio Lounge, which allows solo travelers to mingle.

Other accommodations include 308 mini-suites, 20 spa mini-suites, 1,168 balcony staterooms, 114 oceanview staterooms, 407 inside staterooms and 47 wheelchair-accessible staterooms in a variety of categories.

Norwegian Escape will also incorporate The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place, the oceanfront entertainment and food area found on the Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway. This concept includes an oceanfront boardwalk for outdoor dining and drinking, combined with three decks of eateries, bars, entertainment, gaming and more.

Le Lyrial

PHOTO: The sophisticated lobby of Le Lyrial.

The French cruise line Ponant — which shortened its name from Compagnie du Ponant in September — will welcome the new Le Lyrial in April. The 240-passenger vessel is a sister ship to Le Boréal (2010), L’Austral (2011) and Le Soléal (2013). Le Lyrial will join them in operating yacht-style expedition cruises and boasts a 1C ice rating for polar waters.

Le Lyrial will depart from Venice on its maiden voyage May 9 and will spend its inaugural season in the Mediterranean sailing to ports in Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey, before heading to Antarctica in the winter.

The new ship will have 122 staterooms and suites, all with ocean views and 95 percent with private balconies. In this sense, the new ship differs from its fleetmates, which have 132 staterooms and suites in all. Le Lyrial will have a redesigned Deck 6 to accommodate larger suites of up to 600 square feet that will have 24-hour butler service.

The interior design is described as “cozy yet contemporary” with a yachting feel and unmistakable French flair. The blue color palette is meant to mimic the delicate grey-blue of the Polar ice and the vivid turquoise blue found in Mediterranean coves.

Le Lyrial will have two restaurants offering casual to fine dining, a bar/ lounge and 24-hour room service. The full-service spa is operated with the French salon SOTHYS and has a hamman, hair salon, tea room and fitness center.

The ship also has an outdoor pool, a 250-seat theater, a panoramic terrace adjoining the indoor lounge, a library with Internet stations, medical center, Wi-Fi access and in-room flat-screen satellite televisions with complimentary on-demand movies. As befitting an expedition ship, Le Lyrial will carry a fleet of Zodiac boats with satellite tracking.

And in case you were wondering, Le Lyrial is named for the Lyra constellation in the northern hemisphere.

Anthem of the Seas

PHOTO: Anthem of the Seas will offer the same eye-popping features as does Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean International just introduced Quantum of the Seas to a deluge of positive publicity. That ship is off to China in May, but in November, sister ship Anthem of the Seas will move to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J.

The 4,180-passenger, 167,800-ton Anthem will enter service in April and will operate through the summer from Southampton, England. Its transatlantic crossing is scheduled to depart Oct. 27. From New Jersey, the Anthem will operate seven- to 12-night round-trips to ports in the Bahamas and the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.

Like Quantum, the Anthem of the Seas will boast such eye-popping features as bumper cars, a sky-diving simulator, robotic bartenders, 372 inside staterooms with virtual balconies, the North Star gondola that rises to 300 feet above sea level, and 18 restaurants, including five complimentary main dining rooms.

And in Europe…

These ships don’t market to North Americans, but here’s a nutshell description of three new European vessels for the record.

P&O Cruises will introduce the 141,000-ton, 3,600-passenger Britannia into the British market in the spring. Features include a 24-person cookery school, a three-tier atrium with a patisserie, a charcuterie and gelateria, and 13 restaurants including a supper club with entertainment.

TUI Cruises’ 2,506-passenger, 99,300-ton Mein Schiff 4, aimed at German travelers, will be named in June. The ship emphasizes wellness and offers a large spa with an oceanview sauna.

AIDA Cruises will christen a new flagship, AIDAprima, in June. The 124,500-ton, 3,300-passenger ship will have a water park, a beach club and 13 restaurants.