Tag Archives: caribbean cruises

Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas Resumes Service Following Drydock

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Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas is re-entering service today following a 21-day drydock in Spain.

Sailing from Miami, the Voyager-class vessel is resuming a program of six- to eight-night cruises to the Southern and Western Caribbean.

For its first voyage after the refit, the 2000-built cruise ship is offering a six-night itinerary to Jamaica and Grand Cayman that includes George Town and Falmouth as ports of call.

Before returning to PortMiami, the Explorer is also set to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas.

In addition to routine maintenance and technical overhaul, the Explorer of the Seas received new waterslides during its recent stay at the Navantia shipyard.

Named “The Perfect Storm,” the pair of slides were added to the ship’s 13th deck on an area previously occupied by sun loungers.

The drydock work scope also included hotel upkeep, as well as minor upgrades and class work.

As the second ship in Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager Class, the Explorer of the Seas originally entered service in 2000.

With a capacity for 3,100 guests, the Explorer was also one of the first ships to offer the Royal Promenade, Royal Caribbean’s trademark indoor boulevard surrounded by shops, bars, and restaurants.

In 2015, the ship underwent a major refurbishment that added new features, such as the FlowRider surf simulator and a 3-D movie theatre.

While new cabins and suites were added to different parts of the ship, the existing staterooms were also equipped with “virtual balconies” during the refit. According to Royal Caribbean, the large screens added were designed to bring the live ocean and destination views into the interior of the cabins.

Completing its winter season in the Caribbean, the Explorer of Seas is set to kick off a summer program in the Mediterranean on May 8.

No Concerns in the Caribbean for Royal

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Oasis of the Seas (Photo: Arjan Elemendorp)
Oasis of the Seas
The new Symphony of the Seas will help propel the Caribbean to a record year of cruise capacity.

Despite the uptick in ships and passengers, capacity and pricing is not a concern for Royal Caribbean International.

“After the hurricanes in September, we saw that softness for about four to six or seven weeks but that recovered and picked up and we’re in a good booked position for Q1,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, on the company’s Q4 2017 earnings call. “And overall we’re feeling pretty good about the Caribbean for 2018.

“We’re fortunate because we’ve got the Symphony of the Seas coming into the Caribbean towards the end of the year. We have also got Celebrity Edge and we’re introducing Mariner of the Seas after an extensive modernization and revitalization and we’re putting that product into the short market, so that’s quite a lot of volume that’s coming into that market. We’re actually very excited about what that product’s going to do, the bookings are going very well and it’s still outside of its typical booking window because it’s a short product. So overall, we’re feeling okay about the Caribbean.”

As for the booking window, the company opened 2019 deployment four months earlier than in previous years.

Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, noted the booking window continues to impress.

“Now you may recall that a year ago I said and I’m quoting, that the booking window has stretched as far as we will ever want and I don’t expect to announce another record level bookings a year from today,” Fain said. “Well I wasn’t terribly accurate, here we are a year later and we’re announcing another record level bookings.”

CFO Jason T. Liberty advised that other companies in the Caribbean marketplace may have pricing challenges, but those incidents are not indicative of the entire market.

“There are occasions sometimes when a new product enters the market from competitors and they may have some challenges initially and you may see some fairly aggressive pricing going into the market,” he said. “That can be disruptive but it’s very localized.”

Norwegian Bliss to sail from Miami in winter

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Norwegian Bliss to Cruise the Caribbean after a Alaskan season.

After spending its inaugural season in Alaska, the Norwegian Bliss will sail weeklong Caribbean cruises from Miami in winter 2017-18.

Beginning on Nov. 17, 2018, the Bliss will depart each Saturday on cruises that will call in St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau.

Norwegian Cruise Line will bridge the Alaska and Miami deployments with a five-day sailing from Vancouver to Los Angeles, four round trip Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles, and a 14-day Panama Canal cruise from Los Angeles to Miami.

A rendering of the Haven observation launge on the Norwegian Bliss.
A rendering of the Haven observation launge on the Norwegian Bliss.

The Bliss will journey through the Panama Canal’s new locks, along with calling in Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; and Cartagena, Colombia.

The Bliss is slated to enter service in June 2018, sailing Alaska cruises from Seattle.