Nearly 60% of the Royal Caribbean Group Cruise Fleet is Now Back in Service

With its cruise restart plan picking up pace, the Royal Caribbean Group will achieve a major milestone in August.

By the end of the month, more than half of the group’s 61-ship fleet have will be back in commercial service.

The 34 vessels sailing around the world mean 56% per cent of the company’s fleet is now operating with passengers in several destinations.

This fall, more ships, homeports and itineraries are set to return.  Here are the latest plans, brand by brand:

Royal Caribbean International
Status: 13 ships in service; three more to follow through October
Ships: Quantum of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas in service; Oasis of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas set to follow
Regions: Asia, Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean, United Kingdom and Alaska

More than half of the Royal Caribbean International 25-ship fleet has now returned to commercial service.

With 13 active vessels, the brand is currently sailing to several destinations around the world, including the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Asia and Alaska.

In September and October three additional ships are set to resume service, including the Oasis of the Seas.

On September 5, the vessel to the Oasis become the first to welcome passengers back in the New York region, offering weeklong cruises to the Bahamas from Bayonne

The balance of the Royal Caribbean fleet is poised to return to guest operations by May 2022.

Celebrity Cruises
Status: Seven ships in service; two more to follow in September and October
Ships: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Equinox in service; Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Xploration set to follow
Regions: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, United Kingdom and the Galapagos

With a bold restart plan, Celebrity Cruises added seven ships back into service since first resuming guest operations on June 5, 2021.

In North America, the Celebrity Summit recently completed a series of Caribbean sailings from St. Maarten.

The vessel is now poised to return to the United States, offering short cruises to Mexico and the Bahamas.

The Celebrity Edge, the Celebrity Equinox and the Celebrity Millennium are also in service in Europe, while other ships are in operation in Europe and the Galapagos.

TUI Cruises
Status: Six ships in service
Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 3, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6
Regions: Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Greece and Italy

After announcing plans to have its entire seven-ship fleet in service this summer, TUI Cruises welcomed guests back on six vessels.

Based in Germany, the brand is currently sailing to several destinations in Europe.

After several months of sailing only in the Canaries archipelago, TUI expanded operations to Germany and Greece recently.

 A return to the Mediterranean was also carried out with cruises calling in Spain and Italy. 

Silversea Cruises
Status: Three ships in service; two more to follow  
Ships: Silver Origin, Silver Moon and Silver Muse in service; Silver Shadow and Silver Spirit set to follow
Region: Galapagos, Mediterranean, Alaska, Northern Europe and British Islands  

Silversea Cruises welcomed its passengers back in June, with the inaugural cruises of two newbuilds, the Silver Moon and the Silver Origin.

Continuing its restart plan, the luxury brand launched service in Iceland and Alaska, with two additional vessels.

After completing its first season in Iceland, the brand is now ready to add new itineraries in the Mediterranean, British Islands and Northern Europe. 

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
Status: Five ships in service
Ships: Europa 2, Europa, Hanseatic Nature, Hanseatic Inspiration and Hanseatic Spirit
Region: the Mediterranean and Northern Europe

Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises currently has all of its five-ship fleet in commercial operations. The luxury brand is presently offering several different itineraries in the Baltic, the Norwegian Fjords and the Mediterranean.

The new Hanseatic Spirit was the most recent addition to the active fleet. Recently delivered, the expedition vessel departed Hamburg on its inaugural cruise on August 26.

The Latest Royal Caribbean Group Restart Plans

With all of its five brands now back in service, the Royal Caribbean Group is building up its restart plans. Over the next few months, 16 additional ships are set to welcome passengers back, sailing in different parts of the world.  

Here’s the latest, brand by brand:

Royal Caribbean International
First sailing: Five ships in service; nine more to follow starting on July 19
Ships: Quantum of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas in service; Serenade of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas set to follow
Regions: Presently sailing in Asia, Caribbean, Mediterranean and the United Kingdom with cruises to Alaska planned

Royal Caribbean International is quickly adding ships back into service. With five vessels currently in action, the operator plans to activate nine more before August.

Most of the restart fleet is poised to sail from the U.S. ports to the Caribbean and Bahamas but plans also call for service resumptions in the Mediterranean, United Kingdom and Alaska.

In Asia, Quantum’s Singapore program was recently extended, adding departures through February 2022.

Celebrity Cruises
First sailing: Five ships in service; four more to follow starting on July 24
Ships: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Flora and Celebrity Summit in service; Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Xpedition, Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Xploration set to follow
Regions: Presently sailing in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, United Kingdom and the Galapagos with cruises to Alaska planned

After marking the return of the large cruise ships to the United States, Celebrity Cruises is now sailing in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Galapagos and United Kingdom.

Continuing its phased restart plan, the premium brand will also resume operations in Alaska while adding more ships in the Caribbean and Galapagos.

TUI Cruises
First sailing: Five ships in service
Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6
Regions: Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Greece and Italy

TUI intends to have its entire seven-ship fleet in service this summer. The German brand is currently operating five vessels in different parts of Europe.

After several months of sailing only in the Canaries archipelago, TUI recently expanded operations to Germany and Greece. A return to the Mediterranean was also carried out recently, with cruises in Spain and Italy. 

Silversea Cruises
First sailing: Two ships in service; two more to follow starting on July 29
Ships: Silver Origin and Silver Moon in service; Silver Muse and Silver Shadow set to follow
Region: Presently sailing in Galapagos and Mediterranean, with cruises to Alaska and Iceland planned

Silversea Cruises welcomed its passengers back in June, with the inaugural cruises of two newbuilds, the Silver Moon and the Silver Origin.

Continuing its restart plan, the luxury brand is planning to relaunch service in Alaska and in Iceland, with two additional vessels.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
First sailing: Four ships in service; one more to follow starting on August 26
Ships: Europa 2, Europa, Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration in service; Hanseatic Spirit set to follow
Region: Eastern Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Norwegian Fjords

With four ships in service, Hapag-Lloyd is currently offering several itineraries in Northern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The recently delivered Hanseatic Spirit, meanwhile, is set to start service in August with a series of cruises in Northern Europe.

Quantum of the Seas’ Singapore Season Extended Through February 2022

Royal Caribbean International has announced that it’s extending the Singapore season for the Quantum of the Seas through February 2022.

This marks the third season extension for the Quantum in Singapore, which first returned to cruising in December 2020. To date, on 60-plus ocean getaways, more than 82,000 guests have safely sailed with zero occurrences of COVID-19 onboard, the cruise line wrote in a press release.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to extend the Quantum’s ultimate ocean getaway through early next year, providing Singapore residents with more time to relax and unwind. Despite the constantly evolving circumstances, Royal Caribbean remains consistent in delivering a wonderful holiday experience. We know that with her remarkable breadth of activities, delicious meals and unparalleled views, Quantum has many fans in Singapore, and there continues to be an overwhelming demand for sailings,” said Angie Stephen, managing director, Asia-Pacific, Royal Caribbean International.

The cruise line said that it has made every effort to keep guests and crew aboard the Quantum safe through a multilayered set of health and safety measures, which include pre-departure wellness screenings using gold-standard PCR tests, contactless embarkation and debarkation, and enhanced HVAC filtration systems and sanitization.

“The health and safety of our guests remain our utmost priority, and we are continuing to be nimble as we follow the science and work closely with the Singapore government and health authorities to evaluate, update and adhere to prevailing measures. In the next few months, as more Singapore residents become fully vaccinated, we anticipate that we’ll begin sailing with the fully vaccinated crew and vaccinated guests age 12 and older alongside children who are not yet eligible for vaccines,” added Stephen.

Singapore residents can choose between Quantum’s three- and four-night ocean getaways. The ship features activities, such as the RipCord by iFly sky diving adventure and the FlowRider surf simulator, entertainment that blends art, music and technology, and dining flavours from across the world at 18 restaurants onboard.

In line with the recent government regulations, the Quantum currently sails at 50-per cent guest capacity, and holidaymakers from different households have the option of travelling in groups of five.