Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas will host special Taylor Swift-themed cruises in 2024, sailing from Los Angeles, according to a press release from the travel agency organizing the cruises.
Inspired by the singer’s tour and concert movie, four travel agents teamed up to plan a celebration of Swift at sea, calling it the Bestie Cruise. They noted they are not affiliated with Taylor Swift or TASRM.
The four-night sailings to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico depart on April 29 and July 22, 2024.
“Fora Travel takes care of it all. From selecting cabins and booking pre/post cruise hotels, to planning dance parties, friendship bracelet making and other fun activities, we handle the details so you can focus on the fun. Our curated activities will celebrate all things Taylor, and there’s even a special surprise in store! Visit BestieCruise to learn more and sign up. We’ve got Blank Spaces; will you write your name?,” the company said in its statement.
The two sailings are in addition to the previously announced fan-led cruise for “Swifties” departing aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas from the Port of Miami on October 21, 2024.
The Navigator of the Seas completed its 20th year in service this month. Part of Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager Class, the 132,000-ton vessel departed on its maiden voyage on December 14, 2002.
At the time as the world’s largest cruise ship, the Navigator debuted in the Caribbean, offering week-long cruises departing from Miami.
Sailing to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean, the itineraries featured visits to popular destinations, including St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.
The program also included regular calls to Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in Haiti.
After losing the title of the world’s biggest ship to the Queen Mary 2 in 2004, the Navigator continued to sail year-round cruises in the Caribbean through 2007 – when it debuted in Europe.
For its first season in the Old World, the ship offered a series of Northern and Western Europe itineraries departing from Southampton, England. After sailing in additional destinations over the years, the Navigator of the Seas marked the return of Royal Caribbean International to regular operations on the West Coast in 2021.
For the first time in the region, the 3,100-guest ship started a year-round program of cruises to the Mexican Riviera and Baja California sailing from the World Cruise Center in Los Angeles.
The deployment features a variety of short three-, four- and five-night cruises to Catalina Island and Ensenada, in addition to week-long itineraries to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and more.
Last drydocked in mid-2021, the Navigator underwent a large modernization in 2019. Part of the Royal Amplified program, the $115-million refit added new attractions to the ship, including a resort-style Caribbean pool deck, the three-level signature bar The Lime & Coconut and the first blow-dry bar at sea To Dry For.
One of the vessel’s most iconic features, the Royal Promenade was also reimagined with the creation of new restaurants, retail and nightlife.
Significant demand was born as a result of Royal Caribbean International’s announcement for the search of volunteers to go on its first test sailings prior to returning to sea in the U.S.
So much that a form has been created to sign up, which saw more than 150,000 hopeful cruise lovers leave their details.“It’s a good feeling knowing that so many people want to get back on ships,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president for sales, trade support, and service at Royal Caribbean International, on Dec. 8 in response to the demand.
The company has also launched a website for potential volunteers to sign up.
Cruise Industry News breaks down what is known about the sailings.
What are they?
The test sailings are part of the new Conditional Framework by the CDC, which came in place of the “No Sail” order. They will include the company having a number of trial cruises using employees and volunteers as stand-in passengers to test safety and health protocols.
Trial sailings are said to be monitored by company officials, a third-party class society, as well as the CDC.
When will they take place?
Likely the first quarter of 2021, possibly even January. Here’s a quote from Freed at Virtually Yours forum organized by Cruise Planners:
“We don’t know exactly when the test sailings are going to happen – we think in Q1, and we’re hoping for January.”
Which vessels will be taking part?
Industry sources previously stated that they expect the Mariner and Navigator of the Seas, the company’s recently-refurbished “short Caribbean” ships, to be the vessels pressed into service.
On what itineraries?
Freed said in November that the first cruises will be short sailings to CocoCay, which would allow the company to operate in a bubble on its own private island.
Who gets to go?
More than 150,000 people signed up, according to Royal Caribbean International, so it will be tough to choose from them. Apart from cruise line workers and CDC staff, the cruise line is likely to choose volunteers among its most loyal customers.
“We haven’t figured out our protocols yet for the volunteers but certainly loyalty status will be a key selector,” said Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ president, and CEO during the International Cruise Summit that took place on Dec. 1-2. “Our top tier has the name of Pinnacle and they’ve cruised with us a gazillion times … they’ll be amongst the first to receive the invitation.”
Freed said on Dec. 8 that the company’s travel partners will be invited, too.
What about safety?
Royal Caribbean is working on ensuring they are conducted safely and in compliance with the regulations.
“While we review the requirements proposed by the CDC and consider when we can host our simulated trial sailings, we are gathering information from those who have shown interest on our Volunteers of the Seas Facebook page. Our priority is to ensure that we can exercise our comprehensive set of measures in a safe and healthy manner while making sure we provide a memorable vacation experience,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement.
Yet a lot of information is still to be released about the sailings.
“We will be announcing more as we get more information,” Freed said. “So, we look forward to it; we’re looking forward to it.”
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