The Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri constructed Vista-class ships for Holland America and P&O Cruises and the Finnish STX shipbuilder built Spirit-class vessels for the Carnival and Costa brands.

Both designs incorporated Azipods, and were Panamax ships around 90,000 gross tonnage (GT).

The visual differences between the ships include: The hybrid design was first launched as Queen Victoria in 2007.

The hull, bow, and stern of the Vista Spirit hybrid class are identical; except for Queen Victoria which differs in some details.

A 2017 refit for the Queen Victoria fitted additional cabins her stern which makes her more similar in appearance to Queen Elizabeth.