Celebrity Cruises has ordered 10 river ships

Posted on 28 January, 2025 by Spacejunkie2

The premium cruise line said it would bring “the elevated design and sophistication of the Edge series ocean ships to the river”.

Celebrity River Cruises’ debut programme will start in 2027.

Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group president and chief executive, said: “With about half of our guests having experienced or intending to vacation on a river cruise, we know they will enjoy Celebrity’s elevated offering on the river.

Liberty believes the move will help the group “deepen customer engagement and further our ability to keep guests within our ecosystem of vacation offerings”.

“We are the best in the world at delivering the vacation of a lifetime, and this is the latest example of how we are building the capabilities to deliver a lifetime of vacations,” he added.

Celebrity president Laura Hodges Bethge said: “We’ve redefined travel on the ocean with our best-in-class hospitality, award-winning food and beverage experiences, and elevated design and style.

“We’re thrilled to bring these experiences to the river and combine them with authentic, destination-rich itineraries that will give our guests an experience unlike any other.”

Celebrity Xcel Named As Next Ship For Celebrity Cruises

Posted on 7 November, 2023 by Spacejunkie2

Celebrity Cruises announced today that the fifth ship in its Edge Series will be named Celebrity Xcel, and will debut in 2025. The company previously announced the ship would be methanol ready.

The reveal was made at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, as executives from both Royal Caribbean Group and the yard celebrated the steel cutting.

“The Edge Series has shattered preconceived notions of cruising, and I am thrilled to announce our next bold step as a brand with Celebrity Xcel,” said Celebrity Cruises’ President Laura Hodges Bethge. “True to her name, this next ship will ‘Xcel’ beyond her sister ships with entirely new experiences, yet to be revealed, but that will change the game all over again.”

The Celebrity Xcel will make her debut in November 2025 in the Caribbean, sailing her inaugural winter season from Fort Lauderdale, on 7-night itineraries alternating between the Bahamas, Mexico and the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. The sailings are now open for sale.

‘EXCEPTIONAL’ Q1 BOOKINGS HELP RCG UPGRADE 2023 PROFIT PROJECTIONS

Posted on 5 May, 2023 by Spacejunkie2

Independence of the Seas in the port of Southampton, photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr).

Royal Caribbean Group (RCG) saw booking volumes in the first quarter of 2023 perform “considerably” better than expected, enabling the company to “significantly” improve its revenue expectations for all three remaining quarters of 2023.

In a recent trading update covering the three months to 31 March, the group, which owns Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Celebrity Cruises, saw an earlier start to an extended wave period generate a record level of bookings.

The strong trends resulted in an acceleration of the group’s booked position in relation to prior years, with the company generating “significantly” more bookings at “meaningfully” higher prices.

This year’s wave resulted in strong close-in demand at higher prices for the first quarter and enabled a significant improvement in revenue expectations for all three remaining quarters.

The increase in yield expectations for the year is predominantly related to higher load factors in the first quarter and higher prices for all four quarters, especially for Caribbean sailings.

Consumer spending onboard, as well as pre-cruise purchases, continue to exceed 2019 levels driven by greater participation at higher prices. The company expects load factors to reach “historical” levels by late spring.

“We knew that demand for our business was strong and strengthening, but we have been pleasantly surprised with how swiftly demand further accelerated well above historical trends and at higher rates,” said Jason Liberty, president and chief executive of RCG.

“Leisure travel continues to strengthen as consumer spending further shifts towards experiences. Demand for our brands is outpacing broader travel due to a strong rebound and an attractive value proposition.”

The company reported a net loss for the first quarter of $47.9 million compared to a net loss of $1.2 billion for the same period in the prior year.

The group also experienced particularly strong close-in demand for Caribbean itineraries, which accounted for close to 80% of first-quarter capacity. Load factors in the first quarter were 102%.

Adjusted earnings per share for the full year are expected to be in the range of $4.40 to $4.80 per share.