Tag Archives: North America

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

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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.   

CRUISE INDUSTRY REPORT GIVES UPBEAT OUTLOOK DESPITE PANDEMIC

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Two-thirds of those who take cruises are willing to do so again within the next year, new Clia research has found.

The US-based association’s 2021 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook also found 58% of those who had never cruised were likely to “in the next few years”.

Clia members plan to debut 16 new ocean ships in 2021, resulting in a total of 270 Clia Cruise Line ocean ships in operation by the end of next year.

The report confirms North America as the biggest market, accounting for 15.4 million passengers cruising in 2019, out of a total of 29.7 million passengers worldwide.

“For the cruise community, there is no denying that 2020 was not the year we anticipated,” said Kelly Craighead, Clia president and chief executive.

The report highlighted the jobs impact of Covid-19. It estimates that in 2020, every 1% loss of cruisers resulted in a reduction of 9,100 industry-related jobs.

“Each day of the suspension caused direct and indirect industry losses of 2,500 jobs,” the report said.

The impact on destinations was also investigated, with passengers spending an average $385 in port cities before boarding a cruise and $100 in each port destination during a voyage.

New Celebrity Apex Makes Technical Call At Ponta Delgada

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The new Celebrity Apex has made a technical stop in Ponta Delgada (Azores). 

The ship was delivered to Celebrity by Chantiers de l’Atlantique earlier this year, but its inaugural season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ship has since stayed in Europe but is now said to be heading toward North America.

Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of international nonprofit Girls Who Code and author of the international bestseller, “Brave, Not Perfect,” was previously named Godmother for the Celebrity Apex, which is the second Edge-class ship for the Royal Caribbean-owned brand.

The plan this winter was for the ship to sail from Port Everglades offering week-long Caribbean sailings head of a 2021 summer season in Europe. 

Of note, the ship also has a number of new culinary experiences onboard. The Craft Social Bar will introduce a relaxed, casual bar space and will offer draft cocktails, wines on tap and more than 50 of the world’s rarest craft beers served by a certified beer sommelier, the company said, in a prior press release.

There is also a new 3-D digital animation dining experience at Le Grand Bistro – Celebrity Edge’s first-at-sea digitally animated menu by Le Petit Chef will offer a new animated story on the Celebrity Apex, enhanced by new menu creations from Chef Cornelius Gallagher. 

Photos by Antonio Simas.