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Royal Caribbean Aiming for Return to Normality, Strong 2023

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Jason Liberty, President and CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, shared some insight on the company’s deployment and sourcing plans for the upcoming year.

Speaking on Thursday’s third-quarter earnings call, he revealed hopes for a return to normality in 2023, focusing on a strong U.S. market.

“While we are still early in our planning cycle, 2023 is shaping up to be a strong year for the company and in the return to normal, typical business,” Liberty said.  

“Our overall capacity will grow 14 per cent compared to 2019 on account of ten new ships which have joined or will join the fleet across our brands during this period,” he added, noting that the growth will be achieved despite previous ship disposals.

Liberty also said that deployment across markets is “relatively unchanged” compared to 2019 with the Caribbean representing just over half of the overall deployment and Europe with almost 20 per cent.

“Asia is in the low single digits, with no planned deployment in the high-yielding China market,” he said.

About 18 per cent of the U.S. population is within driving distance to a U.S. homeport, Liberty added, with the “Short Caribbean” product upsized by 35 per cent compared to 2019.

Perfect Day at CocoCay has also been an important part of the deployment, with 65 per cent of the guests sailing on Royal Caribbean International’s Caribbean itineraries in 2023 set to visit the private destination in the Bahamas. The number of calls is up 30 per cent from 2019, he said.

“We expect almost 80 per cent of 2023 guest sourcing to come from North America as we continue to see particularly strong demand from that customer,” Liberty said.

Royal Caribbean’s multi-brand strategy also allows for efficient guest sourcing around the world, he added.

“Our global brands’ appeal and nimble source model allows us to attract the highest yielding guest and partially mitigate the impact from a strong dollar.”

Holland America Line Celebrates 150th Anniversary Crossing

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Holland America Line’s Rotterdam VII departed Rotterdam last week for the cruise line’s 150th-anniversary transatlantic crossing, according to a press release.

The 15-day voyage was designed to recreate Holland America Line’s first voyage onboard the Rotterdam I and the route follows the original route to New York, with stops in Le Havre, France, and Plymouth, England, according to Holland America Line.

“Today is historic for our brand as we depart 150 years to the day that Holland America Line’s very first ship began its journey to New York,” said Gus Antorcha, president, of Holland America Line.

“In that time, we’ve carried immigrants and cruising vacationers, soldiers and refugees and earned a reputation for the extraordinary care and welcoming all those guests as if into our own homes. As we sail into our next 150 years, that environment of service will be our hallmark as we create exceptional experiences for guests around the world,” he added.

Guests will travel through Holland America Line’s history with onboard enrichment programming, culinary recreations of dishes served in the original sailing, and other forms of entertainment. The celebrations will continue on October 26 with a commissioned performance on the World Stage by past and present Lincoln Center Stage performers.

The cruise line will offer its anniversary sailing again on April 6, 2023, setting sail from New York and ending in Rotterdam on April 18.

MSC Cruises Launches New Family Options For Seascape

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MSC Cruises today unveiled details of its MSC Seascape, which it said will elevate the family experience and provide children with endless options for onboard entertainment.

The ship will feature 98 hours of live entertainment per cruise, 700 square meters of dedicated kids’ space and cutting-edge amusement options when she launches in December 2022, offering seven-night cruises in the Caribbean following her New York christening. 

“We have invested heavily in the entertainment proposition for our youngest guests. We know they value the latest technology, trends and happenings more than any other group, and we lead the way in creating special holidays,” said MSC Cruises’ Global Head of Entertainment Steve Leatham. “The ship programming is full of innovations in hardware and software, and we have taken care to ensure that all age groups have exclusive access to all the amazing venues and spaces onboard this amazing ship. We are working with many partners and producing much of the content ourselves, ensuring everything is relevant and fits with our amazing ships.”

 MSC Seascape will offer one of the largest children’s areas in the fleet with 700 square meters of dedicated space featuring a fresh, futuristic design. New spaces include:

  • TWO LEGO ROOMS: The cruise line will build on its partnership with LEGO, debuting two exclusively designed LEGO rooms that cater to different experience levels. One room will offer LEGO DUPLO for ages 3 to 6, and the other room will cater to Juniors ages 7 to 11 with LEGO bricks and the opportunity to earn a certificate for becoming a LEGO Master Builder.
  • THREE NEW CONCEPT SPACES FOR TEENS: Guests aged 12 to 17 will enjoy three new concept spaces with varying themes to engage with other kids their age. The first space will centre around “Future” and features a technology area with the latest generation consoles, VR and screens. The “Chill Out” area will offer a place to teens to talk, exchange social media contacts and challenge each other to games of ping pong and foozeball. And the third space celebrates “Music” as a disco with light and sound effects, where kids will choose their own music late into the night.

Family entertainment will bring together people of all ages aboard MSC Seascape, with live interactive games incorporating the latest technology. New game shows launching on MSC Seascape include:

  • BREAK THE WALL: During this new high-tech game, guests will stand in front of a giant technological wall that will determine which surprise tests must be performed on stage in front of a jury composed of the audience. Bringing an element of surprise and laughter, kids of all ages will be talking about this game for the entire trip.
  • VIKINGS: For the first time on board an MSC Cruises ship, families can participate in an “edutaining” game that will teach participants about the history of Vikings while presenting them with a fun unprecedented challenge at sea.
  • CABIN 12006 – THE SECRET GAME: Inspired by the MSC original “Cabin 12006” web series, this immersive experience combines music, videos, Tik Tok trials, memory games, and more as guests try their hand at solving mysteries on board.
  • BEAT THE MUSIC: During this interactive and digital game show dedicated to music suitable for all ages, the whole family will be the star of the show. Guests can play the game through a dedicated app where parents will be challenged to know the latest music hits their kids are listening to and kids will have to guess the classics their parents love. With eliminations and prizes, the game is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences of the cruise.

“With MSC Seascape, we want to surprise and leave Generation Z speechless. We’ve listened to the 350,000 young people who have travelled with us over the years and followed their trends and requests,” said MSC Cruises Corporate Kids Entertainment Manager Matteo Mancini. “We will offer even more space and new experiences for teenagers, have exclusive game shows for this age group and the first “edutainment” game show dedicated to the history, bringing in the concepts of new technology and social media.” 

Other activities and entertainment onboard:

  • DOREMILAND, THE DOCUMENTARY: All cabins with children and teenagers will include an exclusive travel talk broadcast in the form of a documentary, immersing parents and kids in all the services and activities that await them during the cruise. This sensational behind-the-scenes documentary shows guests the secrets behind the creation of MSC’s family product.
  • MSC DANCE CREW: Developed in partnership with Fremantle, the production company behind the globally successful TV talent shows including Idols, The X Factor and Got Talent Series, this competition experience has teams of 10- to 17-year-olds battle to win the title of dance crew of the year.
  • CABIN 12006-THE EXPERIENCE: MSC’s original web series, “Cabin 12006,” is now also a live entertainment experience consisting of seven different activities including a family game show and a casting session with performances.
  • TEENS CLUB: This room entirely dedicated to teenagers includes endless options for entertainment including a PlayStation5, Xbox X Series, Nintendo Switch, foosball, VR, table tennis, and billiards.
  • TLS TEENS LATE SHOW: Each week, teens will be the cast of a real “Late Show” live from the Teens Club that will focus on trends, music charts, guest stars, the most loved TV series, and games and prizes.
  • MSC FOUNDATION JUNIOR AMBASSADORS: The MSC Foundation provides young guests with the tools for understanding projects such as marine conservation, making them the centre of dedicated activities involved in bettering the world.