Photos and Videos

Once working behind the scenes, designers today are entering the limelight when new ships are introduced. Designer Adam Tihany said the inspiration for his work on Holland America Line's Koningsdam was the ''architecture of music.'' Among his interpretations was designing the atrium to look like a harp. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

The elevator lobby on the Carnival Vista. Several international and American firms worked on the vessel's design, with team members assigned to different parts of the ship. Petu Kummala, Carnival's director of interior design and architecture, said the approach provides ''fresh thinking'' for the vessel's design. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

The Vista's Havana Bar is still brightly colored but less overtly themed than the bars on previous Carnival ships. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

A lounge on Regent Seven Seas' Seven Seas Explorer. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio showed the designers a photo of a hotel corridor with a chandelier that embodied the luxurious feel he wanted for the Explorer. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

The theater on the Explorer. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst

The sushi restaurant on the Seabourn Encore. Photo Credit: TW photo by Tom Stieghorst