Royal Caribbean Group Restart: Eight Additional Ships Resuming Service Soon

Posted on 18 October, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbeans Anthem of the Seas photo credit Spacejunkie2

As the winter approaches, the Royal Caribbean Group brands are expanding their restart plans, adding destinations and new homeports.

In November, eight more ships are resuming service for the corporation, bringing its brands back to Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, Antarctica, the Middle East and more.

Here are the latest plans, brand by brand:

Royal Caribbean International
Status: 14 ships currently in service; three more set to follow by Dec. 1
Ships: Allure of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas currently in service; Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas set to follow in November
Regions: Asia, Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean, United Kingdom and West Coast

With 14 cruise ships in service, Royal Caribbean International currently has the most capacity back in the market.

Sailing in North America, Europe and Asia, the brand is set to reactivate three additional vessels by Dec. 1, relaunching service in additional destinations.

Debuting on the West Coast, the Navigator of the Seas is welcoming guests back in Los Angeles on Nov. 19.

A few weeks earlier, on Nov. 7, the Explorer of the Seas is resuming service in San Juan, bringing the brand back to its Puerto Rico homeport.

Currently, in a European shipyard, the Adventure of the Seas is also returning to revenue operation soon. On Nov. 29, the ship is set to return to Galveston for a series of four- and five-night Western Caribbean cruises.

While the balance of the Royal Caribbean fleet is poised to return to guest operations until May 2022, the brand has also resumed service from Hong Kong recently, launching a program of short cruises to nowhere from the Asian port.

Celebrity Cruises
Status: Eight ships currently in service; two more set to follow by Dec. 1
Ships: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Xpedition currently in service; Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Reflection set to follow in November
Regions: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, United Kingdom, Galapagos, West Coast and Panama Canal

In November, Celebrity Cruises is launching a new phase of its restart program. After several months with eight vessels sailing revenue cruises, the brand is adding two more ships into active service by Dec. 1.

Marking Celebrity’s return to Tampa, the Celebrity Constellation is set to welcome guests back on Nov. 7.

A day earlier, the Celebrity Reflection is resuming service after a 20-month operational pause, offering a series of Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades.

In October, Celebrity also returned to the West Coast and the Panama Canal with the Celebrity Millennium. After a season in Alaska, the vessel is offering a couple of California cruises from San Diego before crossing the Panama Canal on its way to the Caribbean.

TUI Cruises
Status: Six ships currently in service
Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 3, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6
Regions: Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Emirates

Based in Germany, TUI Cruises currently has six cruise ships sailing with guests in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Preparing for the winter season, the brand is planning to expand its restart to new destinations over the next months.

While a season in Southeast Asia was recently cancelled, cruises to the Caribbean, the Canary Islands and the Emirates are on the plans through the end of the year.

Silversea Cruises
Status: Four ships currently in service; three more sets to follow by Dec. 1
Ships: Silver Moon, Silver Origin, Silver Shadow and Silver Spirit currently in service; Silver Cloud, Silver Explorer and Silver Whisper set to follow in November
Region: Galapagos, Mediterranean, Western Europe, Atlantic, Caribbean and Antarctica

After months of negotiation, Silversea Cruises is ready to relaunch its expedition sailings in Antarctica. With the Silver Cloud and the Silver Explorer, the brand is returning to the seventh continent in November, offering departures from Chile.

On Nov. 17, the Silver Whisper is also returning to revenue operations, offering Caribbean cruises from San Juan and Fort Lauderdale.

Currently, four Silversea ships are sailing with passengers, cruising in the Mediterranean, the Galapagos, Western Europe and more.

The luxury brand welcomed its passengers back in June with the inaugural cruises of two newbuilds, the Silver Moon and the Silver Origin.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
First sailing: Five ships in service
Ships: Europa 2, Europa, Hanseatic Nature, Hanseatic Inspiration and Hanseatic Spirit
Region: Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Atlantic

In November Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is completing yet another month with the entire five-ship fleet in service.

While, during the summer, the German brand sailed in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, new cruises are now being offered, including itineraries to the Atlantic Archipelagos and the Emirates.

Symphony of the Seas Welcomes Cruise Passengers Back in Miami

Posted on 16 August, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

The world’s largest cruise ship is welcoming the passengers back today. Sailing from Miami, the Symphony of the Seas is relaunching service for Royal Caribbean International with a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean.

On its first cruise in 17 months, the Royal Caribbean International ship is visiting four ports in three different countries. After leaving Miami, the vessel is set to visit Cozumel and Costa Maya, in Mexico, before arriving in Honduras, with a call in Roátan.

A stop in Perfect Day at CocoCay concludes the itinerary, which also features two days at sea. A popular port of call, the private destination is located in the Bahamas and features unique attractions, including North America’s tallest waterslides.

The destination will be a regular stop for the 2018-built vessel during the year. Through December, the ship is set to sail alternating Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises from Miami.

An enlarged and improved version of the original Oasis-class ships, the Symphony of the Seas is currently the biggest cruise vessel in the world. With capacity of over 5,400 passengers, the vessel has several distinctive features, including the ten-deck drop Ultimate Abyss slide.

Other highlights are the AquaTheater – an open-air, fountain-filled show lounge – and the Central Park – a park at sea, with real plants and its own set of shops and restaurants.

With its first cruise about to be underway, the Symphony is the tenth Royal Caribbean International vessel in service.

It also became the second of four ships to resume operations for the company this week.

On August 13, the Ovation of the Seas welcomed the passengers back, kicking off a shortened Alaska season.

On Sunday, both the Harmony of the Seas and the Independence of the Seas are marking their service restarts. While the former is set to sail from Barcelona for a Mediterranean cruise, the latter is departing Galveston on a Western Caribbean itinerary.

The Oasis of the Seas is reentering service next, with its first cruise departing Cape Liberty.

The Latest Royal Caribbean Group Restart Plans

Posted on 13 July, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

With all of its five brands now back in service, the Royal Caribbean Group is building up its restart plans. Over the next few months, 16 additional ships are set to welcome passengers back, sailing in different parts of the world.

Here’s the latest, brand by brand:

Royal Caribbean International
First sailing: Five ships in service; nine more to follow starting on July 19
Ships: Quantum of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas in service; Serenade of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas set to follow
Regions: Presently sailing in Asia, Caribbean, Mediterranean and the United Kingdom with cruises to Alaska planned

Royal Caribbean International is quickly adding ships back into service. With five vessels currently in action, the operator plans to activate nine more before August.

Most of the restart fleet is poised to sail from the U.S. ports to the Caribbean and Bahamas but plans also call for service resumptions in the Mediterranean, United Kingdom and Alaska.

In Asia, Quantum’s Singapore program was recently extended, adding departures through February 2022.

Celebrity Cruises
First sailing: Five ships in service; four more to follow starting on July 24
Ships: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Flora and Celebrity Summit in service; Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Xpedition, Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Xploration set to follow
Regions: Presently sailing in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, United Kingdom and the Galapagos with cruises to Alaska planned

After marking the return of the large cruise ships to the United States, Celebrity Cruises is now sailing in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Galapagos and United Kingdom.

Continuing its phased restart plan, the premium brand will also resume operations in Alaska while adding more ships in the Caribbean and Galapagos.

TUI Cruises
First sailing: Five ships in service
Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6
Regions: Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Greece and Italy

TUI intends to have its entire seven-ship fleet in service this summer. The German brand is currently operating five vessels in different parts of Europe.

After several months of sailing only in the Canaries archipelago, TUI recently expanded operations to Germany and Greece. A return to the Mediterranean was also carried out recently, with cruises in Spain and Italy.

Silversea Cruises
First sailing: Two ships in service; two more to follow starting on July 29
Ships: Silver Origin and Silver Moon in service; Silver Muse and Silver Shadow set to follow
Region: Presently sailing in Galapagos and Mediterranean, with cruises to Alaska and Iceland planned

Silversea Cruises welcomed its passengers back in June, with the inaugural cruises of two newbuilds, the Silver Moon and the Silver Origin.

Continuing its restart plan, the luxury brand is planning to relaunch service in Alaska and in Iceland, with two additional vessels.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
First sailing: Four ships in service; one more to follow starting on August 26
Ships: Europa 2, Europa, Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration in service; Hanseatic Spirit set to follow
Region: Eastern Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Norwegian Fjords

With four ships in service, Hapag-Lloyd is currently offering several itineraries in Northern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The recently delivered Hanseatic Spirit, meanwhile, is set to start service in August with a series of cruises in Northern Europe.