Royal Caribbean Welcomes The World’s Largest Cruise Ship

Posted on 24 March, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

PHOTO: Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean)

Royal Caribbean International took delivery of Symphony of the Seas today at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Building the world’s largest ship took some 36 months, involving 4,700 shipbuilders and crew. The line’s president and CEO Michael Bayley and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain took part in the traditional flag-changing ceremony. The maritime ritual symbolizes the change of hands from the shipbuilder to the line.

“Symphony of the Seas is the latest example of how our people work to push the envelope of innovation with each new ship,” said Fain. “The Oasis Class has been a trend-setting design, but the team has evolved the design to build on that success to provide even more incredible family adventures. We’re thankful to have a partner in STX France that is every bit as ambitious as we are about building technologically advanced ships.”

The 25th ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, Symphony of the Seas is 228,081 gross registered tons, measuring 238 feet tall and spans 1,188 feet long. She can accommodate 5,518 guests in 2,759 staterooms. Foremost among them is the Ultimate Family Suite. The two-level, 1,346-square-foot suite features an in-room slide, private cinema, floor-to-ceiling LEGO wall and a 212-square-foot balcony outfitted with a table tennis and a full-size whirlpool.

Other notable distinctions include seven different onboard neighbourhoods, the tallest slide at sea with the Ultimate Abyss and a glow-in-the-dark laser tag game.

New culinary options debuting on Symphony of the Seas include Hooked Seafood, an upscale eatery atop the ship. It will serve New England-inspired seafood. El Loco Fresh will serve made-to-order “street food” tacos and burritos in freshly-made tortillas.

Symphony of the Seas departs on March 31 for five-night preview sailing. Her maiden seven-night Mediterranean voyage departs Saturday, April 7 from Barcelona. The ship will homeport in Barcelona for the summer, visiting Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Provence, France; and Florence/Pisa, Rome and Naples, Italy. Miami becomes her year-round home port as of November 10. Her seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises will call on Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s new destination in the Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean and Ctrip to Kill SkySea Brand

Posted on 21 March, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean Cruises and Ctrip announced that they are ending the SkySea Cruise Line joint venture, which has carried well over 200,000 Chinese passengers since launching service in 2015.

The two companies had formed the joint venture in 2014 and installed a new management team early last year, led by Ken Muskat, CEO.

Despite a number of positive major changes for the brand, including an early deployment announcement last August, the joint venture will come to an end later this year.

The news comes on the heels of a number of changes in the Chinese cruise market that has capacity moving downward in 2018 and 2019, according to the 2018-2019 Cruise Industry News Annual Report. It’s also in stark contrast to once bullish growth plans for SkySea.

TUI AG’s Marella Cruises has agreed to purchase Golden Era, with delivery expected in December 2018, according to Royal Caribbean.

After the sale of Golden Era, it is expected that SkySea will wind down its business operations before the end of 2018. The companies expect that favourable business conditions in China and elsewhere will allow them to absorb most SkySea employees into available positions at Royal Caribbean and China.

Through its Royal Caribbean International brand, Royal Caribbean will continue to serve the Chinese market, with the largest fleet deployment in the region and a strong collaborative relationship with Ctrip, the company said.

Curacao Traffic Boosted by New Pier

Posted on 21 March, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Traffic is skyrocketing in Curacao as the 2018 calendar year is set to see a 16 percent increase in passenger arrivals boosted by a second mega pier, which opened to ships in late 2017. Additional mooring dolphins added early this year allow for even bigger ships to dock, according to Raul Manotas, COO of Curacao Ports.

“With our new mega pier completed, we expect to see a continuation of the growing trend of the last decade. Our objective is to reach the million passenger mark,” Manotas told Cruise Industry News.

Summer traffic this year includes 63 calls and accounts for about 23 percent of passenger arrivals.

“The second mega pier was essential in driving additional growth opportunities in the industry,” continued Manotas. “Our primary objective is to further brand the destination and establish strategic partnerships that can promote the destination. Curacao offers a unique blend of culture, history, gastronomy and entertainment that we will capitalize on.”

Interporting is done primarily by niche and luxury lines, Manotas said. “The objective is to further promote this among the smaller lines,” he added.