The world’s largest cruise ship just hit the water in France

Posted on 21 June, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Harmony of the Seas

It’s 50 meters longer than the Eiffel Tower.

Royal Caribbean’s “Harmony of the Seas” — the world’s largest cruise ship — entered the water in France on Friday. It’s expected to take its maiden voyage in 2016.

The ship has been under construction since 2013, according to an Agence France-Presse report on Y ahoo YHOO -0.98% . The ship will carry 6,360 passengers along with 2,100 staff. It weighs 227,000 tons and measures 1,187 feet — that’s 50 meters longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower.

The second biggest cruise ships are also owned by Royal Caribbean RCL 0.23% and are named “Allure of the Seas” and “Oasis of the Seas.” Both weigh 225,000 tones.

Construction on the new Royal Caribbean ship has required over 2,5000 people.

The boat is expected to set sail in mid-February on test runs. The first voyage could take place in May and will be from the United Kingdom to Spain, according to AFP.

Asia’s Largest and most revolutionary cruise ship Quantum Of The Seas makes maiden call at Cochin

Posted on 9 June, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Quantum of the Seas

One of Royal Caribbean International’s newest and most revolutionary cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, has visited its first Asian port today in Cochin, India. The 18-deck, 167,800 gross registered ton ship is the largest ever to call at any Indian port and with the highest number of guests onboard, totalling close to 4,000 from around the world. She is on a 14-night cruise from Dubai to Singapore which has also called at Muscat and will next visit Penang.

Traditional plaque exchanges are conducted with Captain Srecko Ban of Quantum of the Seas with Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair, Traffic Manager Cochin Port Trust and Mr Keki Master, Sr Vice President of J.M.Baxi & Co to commemorate the ship’s maiden call, in the presence of local government officials, media, business partners as well as TIRUN Travel Marketing, Royal Caribbean International’s exclusive representative in India.

Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive of TIRUN Travel Marketing said, “We are thrilled that Quantum of the Seas has finally arrived in Asia today which is a huge milestone for Royal Caribbean. This is the ship that will change everything, in pushing the boundaries, elevating cruising to be among the top vacation choices and reinforcing our brand as an industry leader. The Quantum Class is the next generation of cruise ships filled with innovations in entertainment, technology and culinary that take guests to new heights on the high seas, which we are sure will unleash a new wave of excitement and cruise boom among Indian vacationers.”

Quantum of the Seas introduced many firsts-at-sea features such as the North Star elevated glass capsule, RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator and the Bionic Bar. She also features transformative venues such as the Two70 multi-purpose multi-level room, which offers 270 degree panoramic views out of the back of the ship and the SeaPlex indoor activity area, which is the largest active indoor area at sea that features bumper cars, rollerskating and even a circus school.

With 18 different restaurants on board, guests will be spoilt for choice when it comes to dining. Guests can look forward to dining at specialty restaurants created in conjunction with award winning chefs Jamie Oliver, Michael Schwartz and Devin Alexander, or at one of five complimentary restaurants available onboard.

Every room on Quantum of the Seas comes with a view thanks to the introduction of Royal Caribbean’s Virtual Balcony available in all interior staterooms. Multi-generational families now also benefit from new Family-Connected staterooms, which connect three different stateroom categories into a special layout with separate bedrooms and bathrooms for all.

Making a return are signature features found on other Royal Caribbean ships such as the H2O Zone kids’ aqua park, rock climbing wall, FlowRider surf simulator, Adventure Ocean children’s programme, Royal Babies and Tots Nursery and DreamWorks Entertainment.

Quantum of the Seas is currently on her 53-night epic Global Odyssey which departed from New York en route to Shanghai where she will homeport year round. As part of her Global Odyssey, she will also be embarking on Jun 12 on a 3-night round trip from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), followed by her 9 night long cruise on Jun 15 from Singapore to Shanghai, calling at Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Xiamen.

Opportunities in the industry’s Asia expansion

Posted on 2 June, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

The development of China as a cruise market means new ships are going there instead of to North America, which is a mild source of anxiety for travel agents in the U.S. and Canada.

But it also serves to put the spotlight on Asia and encourage travelers to explore that part of the world.

At Expedia CruiseShipCenters, trips to Asia were up 10% in 2013, up 37% last year and up 95% so far in 2015, said Matthew Eichhorst, president of the Vancouver-based franchise.

“That’s sending people on itineraries to Asian ports,” Eichhorst said. “It’s not all China; there might be a little bit of Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Japan.”

Two types of customers are likely prospects. The first is experienced cruisers who have seen other places — the Caribbean, Europe — and want to expand their horizons. North Americans of Asian heritage who are curious about their ancestral homes, or have relatives in Asia, are another active segment, Eichhorst said, adding that Vancouver in particular has a large population of Asian ancestry to draw on.

River cruises in Asia have been around for a while but are benefitting from the overall rise in river cruise interest, Eichhorst said.

Because of the long flight times involved in travel to Asia, cruise customers are often looking for pre- or post-cruise activities and lodging there, adding to the attractiveness of the sale for agents.

Asian cruise sales are up, in part, because at every age travelers are more adventurous than they were 20 years ago, Eichhorst said. But travelers want to feel secure about their provider.

“They are looking for a trusted brand when they go there,” he said. “There’s definitely a few operators that are in the Asia market that aren’t what you’d call North American brands.”

Eichhorst encourages his agents to think big and initiate the conversation with clients.

“Speak to all the places they can go, and people will put it on their bucket list and maybe they’ll do Caribbean four more times before they go there, but really tell the stories about amazing places you can go,” he said. “You sort of plant that seed as to the opportunity, because it’s probably an 18-months-out buy.”