The Largest Cruise Ship Ever, Harmony of the Seas Photos

Posted on 16 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Delivery ceremony of the Harmony of the Seas at the STX Les Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, May 12, 2016.

Royal Caribbean this week celebrated the delivery of Harmony of the Seas, which at 227,000 gross tons is the largest cruise ship ever constructed.

The ship was delivered Thursday following 32 months of construction at the STX France shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France.

Costing more than a $1 billion, Harmony of the Seas is the 25th ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet and third Oasis-class ship.

The ship will spend it inaugural season sailing the Mediterranean from Barcelona, Spain before heading to her homeport of Port Everglades, Florida in November where it will offer regular seven-night sailings to the eastern and western Caribbean.

The ship has capacity to carry 5,479 guests in 2,747 staterooms, and is home to 2,100 crew.

Update: Following Thursday’s delivery ceremony, Harmony of the Seas departed the STX France shipyard on Sunday to great fanfare.

The Harmony of the Seas (Oasis 3) class ship leaves the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, France, May 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe — The Harmony of the Seas (Oasis 3) class ship leaves the STX Les Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, France, May 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Earlier photos:

Harmony of the Seas pictured in January 2016 at STX France. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Harmony of the Seas during sea trials in March 2016. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Inside Harmony of the Seas' engine room. Credit: Royal Caribbean — Inside Harmony of the Seas’ engine room. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Harmony of the Seas' control room. Credit: Royal Caribbean — Harmony of the Seas’ control room. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean takes delivery of Harmony of the Seas

Posted on 13 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Harmony of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship, and its arrival was marked with a traditional delivery and flag changing ceremony in Saint Nazaire, France took place following 32 months of constructions.

Joining the festivities in the ship’s signature AquaTheater were Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International together with Laurent Castaing, General Manager, STX France.

“Harmony of the Seas is the product of our zealous spirit of continuous improvement, where we have combined revolutionary ship design with the technological strides that have defined the Royal Caribbean brand,” said Richard D. Fain. “Thank you to STX France for their ongoing partnership in building our ships, which continue to introduce unexpected industry innovations.”

Harmony is truly magnificent in every sense of the word, from her architecture and design to the level of care and attention to detail with which our incredible crew are taking to prepare for our first guests,” said Michael Bayley. “The ship is the ‘best of the best’ of what our guests love most about Royal Caribbean, combined with new and thrilling experiences never before found in one place but it is the passion and dedication of our crew that will make everlasting memories for our guests.”

Harmony of the Seas will homeport in Barcelona, Spain and embark on the first of 34 seven-night sailings in the western Mediterranean on June 7, exploring some of Europe’s most beautiful locations. In November 2016, Harmony will arrive at her homeport of Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, FL., from where she will offer seven-night eastern and western Caribbean sailings. The newest member of the fleet will join sister-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, sailing from Port Canaveral and Port Everglades respectively, on the east coast of Florida.

Posted on 5 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean transiting the Grand Canal Venice.

Geopolitical events in Europe impacted North American bookings of Mediterranean cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. officials said during a conference call Friday to discuss RCCL’s first-quarter results.

CFO Jason Liberty categorized it as a “lull” in demand, which the company filled with bookings from European travelers, a market that the company said was robust. However, the sourcing shift was accompanied by a decrease in fares and a drop in onboard purchases because North Americans tend to spend more money than Europeans on Mediterranean cruises, Liberty said.

Outside of the Med, however, bookings to the Baltic region have proceeded apace, and executives noted the strength of the Caribbean, Alaska and Bermuda, positing that some of the bookings intended for the Med had been redirected to North America.

“Some of the softness we see in Europe, the Caribbean is the beneficiary of that,” said Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean International’s CEO.

RCCL CEO Richard Fain said it was “interesting to note that strong last-minute demand helped our bookings at the same time that we were simultaneously enforcing our price integrity program.” He pointed to the Caribbean in particular.

Overall, robust sales during the first three months of 2016 and strong demand in the Caribbean helped fuel a bullish mood. Fain kicked off the call by saying it was “gratifying to report results that are so much higher than we have ever enjoyed in any winter quarter in our history.”

“We’re in the happy position that just about everything in the quarter that could have gone right, did,” he said. “Ticket revenue was stellar, onboard revenue was terrific, costs were well controlled and even below-the-line items helped.”