Tag Archives: royal caribbean cruise

Icon of the Seas: Culmination of Innovation of Royal Caribbean Ships

Posted on by
Reply

When the Icon of the Seas launches service for Royal Caribbean International in early 2024, she will not only be the biggest cruise ship at sea but will be the result of a 12-to-15-year creative process that is essentially the culmination of building the most innovative cruise ships on the planet, said Jay Schneider, senior vice president and chief product innovation officer for the brand.

“It’s our first white paper ship in about 10 years,” he said, speaking to a group of media aboard the Allure of the Seas on its debut in Galveston, Texas.

It is not just a bigger brother or sister to the Oasis class, he stressed.

“When we started working on Icon it was smaller, and as we researched what people needed and wanted, it grew over time and we ended up with the largest ship in the world.”

Space has been “over-indexed,” he said, meaning more space per guest.

The new ship, which will be floated out in December at Meyer Turku, is a continued evolution of the Royal Caribbean brand, said Schneider, adding that guests are looking “for experiences, not things.”

The new class of ship was designed around five fundamentals, he said, including unrivalled water experiences (including pools, slides and more), adrenaline-pumping thrills, the ultimate family vacation, entertainment and food and beverage.

The popular neighbourhood concept from Oasis-class ships will be back, with some returning and expanded areas and also new concepts.

Schneider also said there will be over 40 food and beverage experiences on Icon, of which 23 will be completely new to the Royal Caribbean brand, plus an added emphasis on what he called “eatertainment,” blending entertainment and dining together.

Cruise Stocks Soar on Market Rise

Posted on by
Reply

Cruise line stocks surged on Thursday along with the market which went up on better-than-expected inflation reports.

Carnival Corporation saw its shares soar 14.3 per cent, closing at $9.78, compared to a 52-week low-high of $6.11 to $23.86.

Royal Caribbean saw a 9.9 per cent rise to $57.72 from a 52-week range from $31.09 to $90.55.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings rose 8.2 per cent to $17.09, compared to a 52-week low-high of $10.31 to $27.05

Lindblad Expeditions rose 6.5 per cent to $10.55 compared to a 52-week low-high of $5.91 to $19.13.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had surged more than 1,000 points or more than 3% on the news that the October’s consumer price index rose only 0.4 per cent for the month and is up 7.7% from a year ago. It is the lowest monthly increase since January.

Royal Caribbean Opens New Cruise Terminal in Galveston

Posted on by
Reply

Royal Caribbean Group’s new cruise terminal in the Port of Galveston is officially open, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the new facility on Wednesday morning with the Allure of the Seas docked in the port.

Generating 100 per cent of its needed energy through on-site solar panels, the 161,334-square-foot facility is set to become the first in Texas to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Marking the arrival of the Oasis class to Texas, the vessel departed from its new homeport for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.  

Launching a series of Western Caribbean cruises departing from Galveston, the Royal Caribbean International ship is sailing on a promotional short cruise before kicking off a schedule of week-long cruises to Mexico and Honduras next Sunday.

The program features a regular itinerary that includes visits to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatán.

One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the Allure of the Seas has a capacity for over 5,400 guests.

Following the Oasis of the Seas, the 220,000-ton 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 2010-built vessel also has its public areas divided in seven different neighbourhoods, each one of them having a different appeal. The BoardWalk, for instance, was inspired by a seaside pier and features a carousel, and carnival games, in addition to retail outlets and eateries.

With its new terminal in Galveston, the Royal Caribbean Group will be able to accommodate up to 630,000 guests in the port per year.

The $125 million project saw construction started in 2021 and is a collaboration between Royal Caribbean International, Ceres Terminal Holdings, LLC and Galveston Wharves.

In addition to the Allure, a second Royal Caribbean International vessel, the Adventure of the Seas, is set to offer cruises from Galveston during the 2022-2023 season.

In November 2023, the Harmony of the Seas is set to take over Allure’s program, offering similar week-long itineraries in the region.