Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas Set to Resume Cruise Service

After a 17-month pause, the Oasis of the Seas is back in cruise service for Royal Caribbean International.

Sailing on its first post-pandemic commercial cruise later today, the first Oasis-Class vessel is launching service from Bayonne, in the New York region.

Based in New York the first time, the vessel is now offering a series of seven-night voyages to the Bahamas.

Through the end of October, Oasis is making weekly visits to Nassau, Port Canaveral and Perfect Day at CocoCay – Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.

Home to North America’s tallest waterslides, the popular port of call features unique attractions and saw a $250 million transformation in 2019.

After the New York program, the Oasis is repositioning to Miami for the winter season. Through December, the vessel is sailing alternate itineraries to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, including stops in Mexico, Honduras, St. Maarten and Puerto Rico.

One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the 2009-built Oasis of the Seas has a capacity for over 5,400 guests.

Built-in Finland, the vessel introduced a groundbreaking design that is highlighted by features such as Central Park, a park with real plants, surrounded by shops and restaurants. 

The vessel also has its public areas divided into seven different zones, known as neighbourhoods. Each one of them has a different appeal, with unique attractions. The BoardWalk, for instance, reproduces a seaside pier, with a carousel, carnival games, retail outlets and eateries.

The Oasis of the Seas was also the first ship to feature a dancing-waters theatre, a zip-line and a moving bar.

In 2019, the vessel underwent a $165 million refurbishment in Spain as part of the Royal Amplification program.

After a two months period in drydock, the ship emerged with new additions, such as the tallest slide at sea – Ultimate Abyss; The Perfect Storm trio of waterslides; a reimagined Caribbean pool deck; and new kids and teens spaces.

The Oasis of the Seas is the 14th Royal Caribbean ship to resume service since the COVID-19 pandemic operational pause.

The ship is also the tenth to return to service for the operator in the United States after the Freedom of the Seas became the first ship to do so in July.

With a 25-ship fleet, Royal Caribbean plans to have 21 vessels in service by the end of the year.   

Royal Caribbean Is Back Cruising in the Caribbean

Royal Caribbean International is back in service in the Caribbean as the Adventure of the Seas departed from Nassau on Saturday, marking the company’s first sailing in North America in some 15 months.

The Adventure welcomed more than 1,000 vacationers on its opening cruise according to the company.

The ship set sail with the fully vaccinated crew and fully vaccinated guests 16 years of age or older, who make up 94 per cent of all guests onboard while the remaining 6 per cent of guests are children younger than 16.

The ship now begins a summer lineup of 7-night sailings to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Grand Bahama Island and Cozumel.

“The return of Adventure of the Seas marks a start in the tremendous step forward our guests have been waiting for and we’ve been working toward for more than 15 months. This is all possible thanks to the government of The Bahamas, the support of our partners and the hard work of our teams across Royal Caribbean,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International.

“We are excited to welcome back our guests and crew and to help our Caribbean family regain the benefits of tourism their communities depend on. This is just the beginning, as we get ready to set sail from the U.S. for the first time on July 2.”

Supply Chain In Focus for MHA Conference at Sea

MSC Divina

Among the topics set for the Marine Hotel Association’s (MHA) Conference at Sea, this December will be the cruise ship supply chain.

The Conference at Sea will run aboard MSC’s Divina on a three-night itinerary in December (Dec. 17-20); port calls will include the brand new Ocean Cay Marine Reserve as well as Nassau, as the cruise sails from Miami roundtrip.

The event brings MHA members together with relevant cruise line purchasing decision-makers.

The first session during the Conference at Sea will focus on the all-important cruise ship supply chain.

The three-hour workshop will discuss the supply chain from start to finish, purchasing to consumption and also include consolidation and loading.

Presentations are scheduled from multiple cruise operators and purchasing entities, and vendors will get the important question and answer time from panel participants ahead of business networking sessions scheduled for Thursday aboard the ship.

Immediately following the supply chain workshop, MHA members will have the opportunity to get a unique behind-the-scenes look aboard with hosted tours of key areas on the ship.

The MHA has thus far confirmed 14 participating cruise lines for its December Conference at Sea, representing 78 ships and nearly half a billion dollars in annual food spending.

Scheduled every other year, this will be the association’s third event hosted aboard a cruise ship, with previous events held with Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line

The MHA is a true not-for-profit organization, with membership dues at $500.

Its not-for-profit status also means that revenue is put back into the organization and into the famed MHA scholarship fund, which has doled out over 8,000 scholarships over 35 years.