in 2019, NCL will introduce a new, Breakaway Plus class ship. Holds roughly 4000 pax based on double occupancy, so figure 5000 at full capacity. Here is a link:
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Second Mate
What will become of the smaller ships ?
5 Answers
Contributor Level:
Captain
Answer, same as the large old and obsolete cruise vessels, they are off to the bone yard. Once in a while, with any ship, investors are able to spruce them up a bit and eke out a few more years. Sometimes smaller vessels work out as luxury cruise ships for a while.
Over the years, as large famous ships arrived at the day where they were too expensive to operate and too expensive to refurbish, faithful wanted them to become floating restaurants or hotels due nostalgia. This doesn't work out very well since some of them are 1000 feet long and take up a considerable amount of valuable water front property. In addition their upkeep is very expensive and much more difficult to maintain than a land based resort. About the only one still going is the Queen Mary in Long Beach, but barely. Management has changed hands a number of times. The "Mary" was not only one of the most famous ships in the once very lucrative North Atlantic passenger trade but it also played an exemplary part in War ll by transporting thousand and thousands of US troops to the European fronts. How many out there have bothered to shell out the bucks to stay even one night on her?
Here is a shot of a well known Alaska ferry at the scrap yard in Alang, India recently. They sail the ship onto shallow beaches there at high water, then very low paid workers with cutting torches descend upon them. Alaska couldn't sell it except for scrap, it went for $171,000, 352 ft. long. https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/2018/05/03/this-photo-shows-the-sad-end-to-a-beloved-alaska-ferry/
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Staff Captain
I enjoy the smaller - mid sized ships but right now my wife is on a kick to see the bigger newer ones. She wants to pull on the whistles ;). I am thinking the smaller ships will go to the more specialized itineraries and some of the smaller cruise lines will buy them. Or might even have to buy one myself and turn it into a floating moving condo 
Contributor Level:
First Mate
I've seen some "Cruise news" videos where Norwegian has a 10 year plan to age out their older fleet and introduce new classes of same size ships and a never class over the Breakaway class called the Oasis class with designs similar to the MSC Seaside and Seaview. If I find it, I'll shoot you the link.
Some cruise lines are keeping the older smaller ships for shorter cruises like Carnival keeps and just put lots of $$$ into the Fantasy Class ships. I like the smaller ships, I was on the Vista and not impressed with it.
Contributor Level:
Captain
It appears that the mainstream lines are abandoning the smaller ships due to economy of scale (larger ship = larger profit margin) and the smaller ships will age out of the fleets.