Tag Archives: North America

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.”

MSC Cruises revealed the name of its second World-class ship

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MSC Cruise has revealed the name of its second World Class ship
MSC World America.

MSC World America is slated to enter service in 2025, where it will begin a series of sailings in North America, making it the fourth new flagship to be deployed in the continent. 

The announcement comes just weeks before the launch of World Europa, which will be one of the world’s “largest liquefied natural gas-powered cruise ships” and one of the first to incorporate fuel cell technology. 

The vessel – which was delivered to the line by shipbuilders Chantiers de l’Atlantique on Monday (24 October) – has also been designed with an “innovative” hull shape to minimise resistance through the water.

World Europa incorporates a range of equipment to optimise energy use throughout the ship, including smart ventilation and advanced air conditioning systems and LED lighting, controlled by smart management systems to further enhance the energy-saving profile.

The vessel features a Y-shaped aft structure that leads to a 104-metre-long half-open half-covered Europa Promenade with ocean views. New balcony cabins overlook the promenade, which features an architectural centrepiece in the form of The Venom Drop – an 11-deck-high slide.

MSC World Europa’s firsts include a micro-brewery, gin bar, healthy juice bar, coffee emporium and tea house. The ship has 13 different dining options including two new speciality restaurants; La Pescaderia, which will offer fresh seafood; and Chef’s Garden Kitchen, which will dish up seasonal farm-to-ocean cooking. 

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the cruise division of MSC Group, said: “We are proud to welcome MSC World Europa to our fleet, our 20th ship and the first to be LNG-powered. This groundbreaking vessel represents the next phase in our journey toward net zero and sustainable cruising and a symbol of our unwavering commitment to both.”

Princess Ships Returning to the United States Ahead of Restarts

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The Diamond Princess and the Sapphire Princess are returning to the United States. After several years of sailing in Asia and the Pacific, the vessels are currently sailing to Los Angeles ahead of their service restarts in North America.

Out of service since early 2020, the Diamond Princess will be the first to arrive, on August 4.

The 2004-built cruise ship welcomes guests back on September 1 for a series of San Diego-based sailings.

The program includes cruises to the California Coast, the Baja Peninsula, the Sea of Cortez and Hawaii, marking the first time the vessel sails from a U.S. port since 2013.

In November, the Diamond is also offering a 20-night cruise to Central America that features visits to Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala.

The Sapphire Princess, meanwhile, is set to arrive in Los Angeles on August 20. Completing the Princess Cruises restart, the ship is resuming service on September 24.

Also out of service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2,600-guest ship is offering four- to 15-night cruises to Mexico, Hawaii and the California Coast from its Los Angeles homeport. The program marks the ship’s return to the U.S. after an eight-year gap.

In December, the Sapphire heads to South America for cruises to Patagonia, Antarctica and the Falklands.

After initially being laid up in Southeast Asia, both ships had been anchored off Cyprus since mid-2021. 

With the Diamond and the Sapphire resuming service, the entire Princess Cruises fleet will sail with guests again.

Following a 16-month operational pause, the premium brand first welcomed guests back in July 2021 for a shortened summer season in Alaska.

A few days later, the company also returned to the UK before relaunching service on the West Coast in September 2021 and the Panama Canal in October 2021.

Over the past months, 13 Princess cruise ships resumed service as well, bringing the company back to other areas such as Australia, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.