Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings are on pace to spend roughly $2 billion on food and beverage items in 2023,( according to Cruise Industry News estimates).
This is based on third-quarter spending this year, which saw Carnival spend $259 million, Royal come in at $195 million and Norwegian at $77 million.
Compared to the last “normal year” in 2019, food spending was up at Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. The former spent roughly $150 million on food in the third quarter of 2019, while Norwegian spent $57 million.
Both companies have seen fleet expansion since then. Royal Caribbean Group not only completed its acquisition of Silversea but has welcomed a number of new big ships such as the Wonder of the Seas, Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Beyond.
Norwegian has also seen growth with the additions of new builds for the Norwegian and Regent brands since the third quarter of 2019.
Carnival, meanwhile, saw a reduction in food spending while growing with big new ships, but has also disposed of over 20 ships from its fleet over the same period.
The new Celebrity Beyond set sail from Fort Lauderdale following its christening, Celebrity Cruises announced in a press release.
Kicking off its inaugural season in the Caribbean, the vessel’s sailing was marked by a series of festivities, including its official naming ceremony, the company said.
Led by the godmother Simone Biles a 19-time World Champion, seven-time Olympic Medalist and most decorated American gymnast in history, the event was also attended by Captain Kate McCue. She, according to Celebrity, is the first and still only woman to be named captain of a large cruise ship.
“I can think of no one better to be the Godmother of this incredible ship than the G.O.A.T. herself – Simone Biles,” said Jason Liberty, President and CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises.
“This ship’s beauty, power, and resilience set the standard by which all others will be measured. Simone’s determination, progressive nature, empowered attitude, and grace in the face of challenges make her such an inspiration to so many around the world. All of these attributes are why Simone Biles is perfectly suited to watch over Celebrity Beyond’s journey,” he added.
“I’ve been waiting for this day to arrive for a long time, and I am ‘Beyond’ excited to be able to share her with our guests. She is the gold standard by which other ships are built and embodies the meaning of relaxed luxury,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Celebrity Cruises President and CEO.
“She is ‘FULL’ of wonder and excitement and our guests will undoubtedly feel reconnected to the world around them as they visit new destinations and immerse themselves in culinary experiences and wellness amenities not found anywhere else at sea.”
Alongside Liberty, Lutoff-Perlo and other Celebrity Cruises executives, Simone Biles officially named Celebrity Beyond in a ceremony attended by 2500 guests and media, capped by a live performance from singer and songwriter, Leona Lewis.
“It is an honour to be selected as Beyond’s Godmother and to join such a distinguished group of strong, barrier-breaking women named Celebrity’s Godmothers before me,” said Simone Biles.
“I appreciate the important message this designation holds in recognizing our accomplishments as empowering women, and I am honoured to share the stage today with fellow brave, boundary-breaking leaders like Lisa-Lutoff Perlo and Captain Kate McCue,” she added.
According to Celebrity, the arrival to the U.S. of Celebrity Beyond ushers a “new era of cruising,” coming on the heels of a new brand campaign that aims to “define what a relaxed luxury resort at sea is.”
As it kicks off its inaugural season, the vessel will offer Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries visiting Grand Cayman, Puerto Plata, Cozumel, St. Thomas and more.
Celebrity Cruises and NBCUniversal have partnered on an upcoming episode of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” onboard Celebrity Beyond, according to a press release.
This episode features host Andy Cohen and all five captains from Bravo’s successful “Below Deck” franchise, including Lee Rosbach, Captain Sandy Yawn, Captain Glenn Shepard, Captain Jason Chambers, and Captain Kerry Titheradge. The feature will air on Bravo on Tuesday, November 1, and will be available to stream the following day on Peacock, according to NBCUniversal.
“The partnership opportunity with NBCUniversal and Bravo was meant to be from the start. We both wanted to do something that hadn’t been done on a cruise ship before, so using our newest ship, Celebrity Beyond, as the backdrop, filming Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on our ship was the perfect opportunity,” commented Michael Scheiner, chief marketing officer, Celebrity Cruises.
Through this partnership, NBCU will provide Celebrity Cruises with advertising elements such as custom content promotion produced by NBCU’s partners, as well as additional content on Twitter following the episode’s airing. In addition, during the broadcast, Celebrity’s captain Kate McCue will also play a nautical-themed game with fellow “Below Deck” captains.
“I cannot think of a more iconic way to celebrate and bring to life the spirit of our very own, Bravo’s Below Deck – than by channelling my inner Captain at sea,” said Andy Cohen, host and executive producer, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
This collaboration between NBCUniversal and Celebrity Cruises demonstrates the media company’s commitment to partnership in action, as One Platform senior vice president, of creative & development, advertising & partnerships Jamie Cutburth noted. “At NBCUniversal, we are constantly looking around every corner to find new, unexpected ways to share genuine stories with our audiences in collaboration with powerful, world-leading brands.”
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