Tag Archives: Empress of the Seas

Cuba cruises on Empress of the Seas to sail mainly from Tampa

Posted on by
Reply

After first April 19 cruise from Miami, Empress of the Seas will reposition to Tampa

After first April 19 cruise from Miami, Empress of the Seas will reposition to Tampa

Ater a first Cuba cruise from Miami on April 19, Royal Caribbean International’s Empress of the Seas will sail to the island from its new homeport, Tampa. Bookings opened today.

The April 19 cruise from Port Miami lasts five nights.

The ship will then reposition to Port Tampa Bay, offering two itineraries with calls at Havana on April 30, a seven-night sailing, and May 20, a five-night sailing.

Empress of the Seas will remain in Tampa for the 2017 summer season in the line’s first summer program from there, with a series of four- and five-night cruises, including calls in Cuba.

Details of the summer itineraries will be released at a later date.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez told Seatrade Cruise News the company has a framework for a long-term agreement with Cuba, and is working on the details of future sailings.

The line’s people-to-people experiences for passengers include exploring Old Havana and some of its most notable squares, historic neighborhoods and an artisan market, Havana’s rum museum and Hemingway’s former residence and favorite haunts.

Cuban culture will extend to Empress of the Seas, from cortaditos and café con leche in Café Royal to salsa music and other activities developed to bring the island to life during the entire journey.

Two other Royal Caribbean ships, Rhapsody of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas, will cruise from Tampa during the winter.

‘The Tampa Bay market has always been important to us, and the entire family at Royal Caribbean is excited to give our guests great year-round options to travel on one of our beautiful ships from a world-class port like Port Tampa Bay,’ RCI president and ceo Michael Bayley said. ‘We are thrilled to introduce culture-seeking travelers to Cuba from Tampa and we look forward to continuing to grow our business in Tampa for years to come.’

Port president and ceo Paul Anderson welcomed the news as ‘truly historic for Port Tampa Bay to have cruises to Cuba, and we are thrilled that Royal Caribbean has chosen Port Tampa Bay to offer the largest ship to sail to Cuba from the United States.’

The 48,563gt Empress of the Seas underwent a $50m refurbishment earlier in the year after coming back to the Royal Caribbean fleet following several years of service for Pullmantur. It has double-occupancy capacity for 1,602 passengers.

Royal Caribbean and Azamara to operate Cuba cruises

Posted on by
Reply

Image result for empress of the seas

Newly refitted Empress of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said that two of its cruise brands, Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Crises, have been approved by the Cuban government to bring passengers to the island.

The company said it plans to announce its first Florida-Cuba itineraries in the near future.

“Our guests have expressed real interest in having the opportunity to experience Cuba, and we look forward to bringing them there,” said RCCL chairman Richard Fain.

Like other cruise companies, RCCL has been waiting for most of the year to begin service to Cuba. Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas went through a $50 million drydock earlier this year and inventories were offered on a rolling basis only several months ahead of time in hopes of quick approval.

RCCL’s brief statement mentioned that it will comply with Treasury Department rules regarding people-to-people excursions on all of its cruises.

Royal Caribbean history, as seen through its ship naming’s

Posted on by
Reply

Image result for Royal caribbean ship names

Anthem of the Seas Christening
By Tom Stieghorst 
—
The Harmony of the Seas christening was as grand as the ship itself, an impressive feat of logistics and technology that took place within the confines of the 226,000-ton behemoth, rather than dockside.
 
It involved Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd chairman Richard Fain and godmother Brittany Affolter at the aft of the ship in the Aqua Theater, an oversized bottle of champagne rigged to the ship’s zipline in the middle of the ship, and somewhere deep down in the innards, a robotic bartender as a relay of Affolter’s signal to release the champagne.
 
Oh, and bagpipers. 
 
I’ve come to understand that bagpipers are a Royal Caribbean christening signature. In this case, it was the Dunedin Pipe Band from Dunedin, Fl., doing the honors as part of the warm up entertainment before the christening.
 
They seemed as out of place as ever on a ship, but also provided a kind of familiarity and continuity that I’m sure is part of the intended effect. If memory serves, bagpipers were part of the first Royal Caribbean christening I witnessed, the 1990 naming of the Nordic Empress at the Port of Miami.
 
That event was notable chiefly for the grit of the godmother, Miami Sound Machine singer Gloria Estefan, who was still in a back brace recovering from a bus accident while on tour three months earlier.
 
Royal Caribbean has learned a few things about christenings since then. The dockside Miami Empress event was sweltering in June. With the Harmony, although Royal took delivery in May it sailed the ship in Europe for the summer and then christened it on a picture-perfect evening in November.
 
Also, when Estefan swung the 77-pound bottle of California sparkling wine into the side of the Empress, it bounced rather than smashed. No second attempt was necessary for the Harmony’s French champagne, which exploded on cue.
 
Twenty-six years after it was christened, the Nordic Empress is sailing alongside Harmony of the Seas from South Florida, now offering 4- and 5-day cruises under the name Empress of the Seas, instead of the 3-and 4-day cruises it started with.
 
And although inflation has made nearly everything more expensive since 1990, a four-day cruise on the Empress of the Seas in January can be had for as little as $219, plus $100 in taxes, fees and port charges.
 
In 1990, a four-day cruise on the Nordic Empress started at $615, minus a $100 per person deduction for passengers who didn’t need airfare to and from Miami. Port charges ranged from $29 to $32.