Port of Baltimore Welcomes New Cruise Line To Maryland

Royal Caribbean Offering Unique Mix of Cruises From Singapore

Royal Caribbean International is highlighting its upcoming sailings from Singapore, which offer a unique mix of itineraries.

The homeporting program from Singapore includes several destinations in Southeast Asia, the company said, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China and Malaysia.

12 Nights, Four Countries and Seven Cities

On September 19, 2023, the Spectrum of the Seas is offering a 12-night cruise to Japan. Sailing from Singapore to Tokyo, the one-way cruise was designed for “adventurers at heart,” Royal Caribbean said, and allows passengers to experience the sights, sounds and cultures of Asia.

The itinerary features stops at a total of four countries and seven cities: Nha Trang, in Vietnam; Hong Kong, in China; and Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, in Japan.

Three-Night Getaway

The Spectrum of the Seas offers short getaways as well, including a three-night cruise to Penang, in Malaysia, on November 6, 2023.

The short sailing offers the “perfect opportunity to unwind, recharge, and bond,” Royal Caribbean said.

New Year, New Travel Destinations

Royal Caribbean is also offering a couple of nine-night cruises to Thailand and Vietnam in early 2024. According to the company, these itineraries allow guests to “explore a myriad of cultures, historical sites, and street food, starting the new year with new horizons.”

Departing on January 2 and February 17, the cruises sail roundtrip from Singapore and feature visits to different destinations, including Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.

Discover Shanghai’s Magic and Majesty

Passengers can also sail from Singapore to Shanghai with this special eight-night repositioning cruise scheduled for April 18, 2024.

The itinerary also features visits to Nha Trang, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

For those seeking to deepen their exploration of China, the company suggests different land tours as well, including a scenic train ride to Beijing.

Anthem of the Seas Arrives in November 2024

Replacing the Spectrum of the Seas, the Anthem of the Seas is set to arrive in Singapore in November 2024.

Set to debut in the region, the Quantum-class vessel offers a series of Royal Caribbean signature features, as well as a new Olivier Award-winning musical, We Will Rock You.

Taking guests to various destinations in Southeast Asia, the ship’s program includes sailing to Penang, in Malaysia, and Phuket, in Thailand, on January 27 and February 4, 2025.

Royal Caribbean Status Update

Thanks to https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/ 

Royal Caribbean International has seen a number of company adjustments, fleet changes and deployment moves since COVID-19 began, plus the resumption of cruising aboard the Quantum of the Seas from Singapore.

Here are the main moves that took place for the cruise line since the pandemic started:

Newbuilds Odyssey of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas Delayed

In July, Royal Caribbean confirmed that the Odyssey of the Seas was not going to be delivered as initially planned.

Under construction in Germany, the Quantum-class ship was delayed six months and is now scheduled to join the fleet in April. 

A few weeks later, the company revealed that the Wonder of the Seas was also delayed. The China-bound Oasis-Class ship was previously scheduled for a mid-2021 delivery and is now expected in 2022.

In both cases, Royal Caribbean cited the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts as the main reason for the changes.

Royal Amplified Postponed Until Further Notice

When the pandemic started, Royal Caribbean was in the middle of a program of fleet modernization called Royal Amplified.

Two ships were scheduled to go trough the work in the second quarter of 2021, including the Allure of the Seas. The Oasis-Class vessel was set to undergo a 58-day, $165 million drydock, starting in March.

Now, all the work is suspended until further notice. While mandatory shipyard work was actually performed on some of the vessels, the major modifications were suspended.

Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas Sold

In December, Royal Caribbean confirmed that the Majesty of the Seas and the Empress of the Seas were going to leave the fleet.

While the Empress was bought by a new Indian cruise line, the Majesty seems to have been acquired by Seajets, a Greek ferry operator.

Grandeur of the Seas Stays and Debuts a New Homeport

A few weeks after confirming the Majesty and Empress departures, Royal Caribbean announced that the Grandeur of the Seas will operate a new program from Barbados, starting in December.

Built in 1996, the ship was in limbo after the Spanish brand Pullmantur Cruceros filed for insolvency last June. The sister company was set to receive the Grandeur early this year, which was announced back in 2019.

Healthy Sail Panel Launched in Partnership with Norwegian

In an effort to develop what it called “enhanced cruise health and safety standards in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic", the Royal Caribbean Group partnered with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in July.

Putting together a group of experts, the companies formed the “Healthy Sail Panel”, which, in September, revealed a 65-plus-page report detailing 74 best practices to protect the public health and safety of guests, crew and the communities where cruise ships call. 

The new protocol is expected to be adopted by Royal Caribbean International when sailings are resumed globally.

Cruises Resumed in Singapore and Global Resumption Plans

With the approval from local authorities, Royal Caribbean started sailing from Singapore in early December. Sailing a program of short cruises to nowhere, the Quantum of the Seas became the first ship to resume service in the company's fleet. 

Globally, company cruises are cancelled until May 1, when the company may restart operations in some areas of the world. Some destinations, however, have different timelines. 

By the numbers:

Ships:

• Ships shed: 2
• Ships added: 0

Result: - 2 ships

Berths:

• Berths shed: - 3,961
• Berths added: 0

Result: - 3,961 berths

 

Royal Caribbean building another ship for Asia deployment

Royal Caribbean International said a ship it is building for delivery in 2019 will be deployed in Asia.

The first of the line's "Quantum Ultra" vessels will be the "next evolution of the groundbreaking Quantum class," Royal Caribbean said. Two Quantum-class ships, Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas, currently sail in China.

As part of a series of deployments announced for 2019, the Mariner of the Seas will reposition to a new home in Miami, embarking on a "Global Odyssey" from Asia that features three long sailings from Singapore to Dubai; Dubai to Barcelona; and Barcelona to Miami.

The Global Odyssey opens for sale on May 2. Voyager of the Seas will have its first full season in Singapore in 2018-19, offering cruises throughout Southeast Asia.

In addition, 2018-19 brings new 10-night open-jaw itineraries between New Zealand and Melbourne or Sydney on the Radiance of the Seas. During the winter, the Ovation of the Seas will reposition to Sydney for its longest season in Australia, reclaiming the title as the largest ship based in the region, Royal Caribbean said.

2 New Icon Class Cruise Ships Ordered By Royal Caribbean

Photo of Anthem of the Seas under construction.

Article by http://www.cruisehive.com/

 Royal Caribbean has announced that it has agreed to order two liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships from Meyer Turku in Finland. Even though it is early stages the ships will accommodate around 5,000 passengers each.

The newly designed vessels which are currently known as Icon Class are scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2022 and 2024. The ships will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions with LNG technology.

Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd said: 
“With Icon class, we move further in the journey to take the smoke out of our smokestacks.”
“We are dedicated to innovation, continuous improvement, and environmental responsibility, and Icon gives us the opportunity to deliver against all three of these pillars.”

The Icon class ships will mainly be powered on LNG but will also use distillate fuel for ports which can’t accommodate the infrastructure. The cruise line will be announcing further details including design, tonnage and specific details in the future. Until then, Royal Caribbean must still focus on new Oasis and Quantum class ships which are currently on order.

Image By: Royal Caribbean

Anthem of the Seas Now Sailing in the U.S.

Anthem of the Seas enters New York

Anthem of the Seas sailed past the Statue of Liberty and around Manhattan on a night of such warmth and clarity that it was hard for me to realize the month was November. I sat in the ship’s beautiful conservatory and marveled at how welcoming such a huge vessel could be.

A ceremony marked the arrival of the Royal Caribbean International ship in the U.S., and Anthem made a glowing entrance. The onboard entertainment, dining and accommodations incited the same excitement seen in the U.K. for the vessel earlier this year. Americans were particularly enthusiastic about features such as the large virtual balconies in the inside staterooms, where people with live-streaming “windows” saw more dolphins and whales on the transatlantic crossing than many of those with balcony staterooms.

Doug Grau, director of sales for the Western U.S. for Royal Caribbean, says the active lifestyle activities available onboard — from a skydiving simulator to circus school — are an especially good match for Western travelers, who tend to be energetic and outdoors-oriented, falling within Royal Caribbean’s psychographic. The top-flight entertainment, including the amazing “We Will Rock You” Broadway musical, tribute bands and cabaret shows, is also a particularly strong draw for the West. 

“There is huge interest in Western states for Anthem (Quantum-class) and Oasis-class ships, and 30 percent of Royal’s sales coming out of the West is for these ships,” Grau said.
However, Grau finds a gap between agent experience and demand. When he talks to agent groups and asks how many have sailed with Royal Caribbean, most have; however, when he asks how many have been onboard during the past few years, only a handful respond affirmatively. Grau notes that when Mariner of the Seas came to the West, it was the first time many agents had seen the ship — and it was nearly 10 years old.

At the rate that the line’s ship design and customer experience has changed, this means Western agents are missing out on the modernized Royal Caribbean, Grau says.

“If you aren’t selling these ships, your customers are buying them elsewhere,” Grau said. “I tell them it is well worth the investment to attend the East Coast Cruise 360 sessions and inspect a number of recent ships. Large ships scare a lot of agents, who are afraid their clients will be caught in long lines and tied up for hours when embarking. We’ve done everything possible, both in terms of design and technology, to make the experience human-sized and comfortable. We have more rooms that hold 80 or 90 people than ever before.” 

These efforts are paying off. At Anthem’s embarkation on Nov. 4 in Cape Liberty, N.J., Royal Caribbean representatives with iPads checked passengers in as they were dropped off at the port. Common questions I heard from guests were, “Is that all?” and “What do I do now?” The answer: “Go right to your stateroom and enjoy the ship.” 

My own check-in experience, complete with credit card scan and photo ID, which I had not done in advance, was five minutes from start to finish — considerably shorter than check-in on ships less than a quarter the size of Anthem. 

During Anthem’s first cruise from the U.S., Royal Caribbean announced an order for a fifth Quantum-class ship to be delivered in fall 2020.

“It is such a pleasure to announce the order of another Quantum-class ship as we are welcoming Anthem of the Seas to North America," said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 

Fain says although there have been some tweaks in food, drink and entertainment, the Oasis and Quantum ships cross international markets with ease. 

"These ships have been received with excitement by passengers and crew and have performed exceptionally well across the globe,” he said. “We fully expect that momentum to continue as we add to this innovative class." 

Cruise Order book Hits Record Level

Cruise Order book Hits Record Level

Cruise lines seem to have abandoned their cautious approach to ordering new ships this summer as the cruise orderbook has achieved record level, with the sector hoping to take advantage of the mobility of its assets to tap the enormous potential in emerging markets, according London-based industry analyst Clarksons Research.

Since the start of last year, 24 firm orders for new vessels, including 15 with capacity in excess of 3,000 passenger berths, have been recorded. The order book now consists of 41 vessels with a combined berth capacity of 120,664, equivalent to 25% of the current fleet.

In the 3,000+ berth sector the orderbook is equivalent to 73% of the current fleet.

According to Clarksons, the continued focus on is evident from the orders noted so far this year.

Namely, has ordered another Quantum-Class, 4,200 passenger ship for delivery in 2019. Elsewhere, Carnival Corporation has firmed the first four of a previously announced plan for a nine-ship order.

“These will be the largest ships contracted by Carnival at 180,000 GT, and while not as large as the Royal Caribbean Oasis-Class ships (225,000 GT), they will have a higher total passenger capacity (6,600), giving Carnival at least a claim to having the largest cruise ships afloat,” Clarksons said.

In the past 20 years, there have three distinct phases of expansion, with the orderbook exceeding 100,000 berths in early 2001, in 2007-08 and again in 2015. The two previous peaks were followed by a sharp drop as investment in new vessels was abruptly cut off by economic slowdown in the established key markets in North America and Europe.

In the short-term, Clarksons expects the performance of the cruise sector to remain closely linked to that of the major “western” economies. Last year North American and European passengers accounted for 55% and 29% of the global market of 22 million respectively; these markets will continue to exert an important influence.

However, the outlook may be shaped by developments further east. Thus far, relatively few of Asia’s rapidly growing middle class have been exposed to cruises, but the cruise lines believe they can develop significant demand growth in this region.

In 2015 the number of mainland Chinese tourists cruising is expected to pass 1 million for the first time, and according to industry sources in 2014 the number of cruises based at a Chinese ‘home port’ grew by 9% y-o-y to 366, while another 100 cruises called at a Chinese port (up 41%).

“So, the cruise sector once again seems to be in rapid expansion mode. This time, the question is whether the establishment of new Chinese brands, the deployment of vessels specifically designed for Chinese operation and further investment in Asian cruise ports could drive a more sustained phase of ship investment,” Clarksons adds.