Royal Caribbean’s three Oasis class ships meet for the first time at sea

Posted on 5 November, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and the new Harmony of the Seas, all met at sea earlier today. This marked the first, and possibly only time an meeting like this might occur.

The three ships rendezvoused off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida in a celebration of the arrival of Harmony of the Seas to her new homeport of Port Everglades.

Harmony of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world, just edging out her sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. The three ships represent the meeting of the largest cruise ships in the world, in one place.

Royal Caribbean curtails Adventure of the Seas renovation

Posted on 2 November, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Adventure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean International is scaling back renovations to the Adventure of the Seas, citing extensive hurricane damage at the Grand Bahamas Shipyard in Freeport, where the work was scheduled to take place.

Freeport suffered the greatest destruction anywhere in the Bahamas from Hurricane Matthew’s pass last month.

Royal Caribbean said the Adventure will still exit drydock on Nov. 14, but without many of the improvements that had been planned. Some will be added on the first few sailings after drydock.

Grand Bahama Dockyard

In a letter to travel partners, Royal Caribbean said work will continue on the Dual Racer water slides, FlowRider and Splashaway Bay aqua park with a new opening date of Dec. 10.

Royal Caribbean said its premium steakhouse, Chops Grille, won’t open on the Adventure until early next year. In the meantime, Giovanni’s Table will offer select items on the Chops menu.

Plans to add Izumi, a Japanese restaurant, have been shelved.

Also, the introduction of new suites and staterooms “is no longer possible at this time,” the letter said. Royal Caribbean and travel partners will be contacting guests who had booked those rooms to discuss re-accommodation.

Image result for Boleros Latin lounge
Boleros Latin Lounge

Improvements that will open for the initial sailing after the drydock include Boleros Latin lounge and the two-story mini-golf course.

In addition to storm damage at the shipyard, Royal Caribbean cited the global rerouting of cargo ships carrying equipment and materials as a factor in the modified renovation plan.

Launched in 2001, the Adventure of the Seas is a Voyager-class ship. In 2014, it received “Royal Advantage” upgrades, including an outdoor movie screen, digital signage, ship-wide WiFi, new Concierge and Diamond lounges, and the changeover of the Portofino restaurant to Giovanni’s Table.

2 New Icon Class Cruise Ships Ordered By Royal Caribbean

Posted on 11 October, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Photo of Anthem of the Seas under construction.

Article by http://www.cruisehive.com/

Royal Caribbean has announced that it has agreed to order two liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships from Meyer Turku in Finland. Even though it is early stages the ships will accommodate around 5,000 passengers each.

The newly designed vessels which are currently known as Icon Class are scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2022 and 2024. The ships will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions with LNG technology.

Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd said:

“With Icon class, we move further in the journey to take the smoke out of our smokestacks.”

“We are dedicated to innovation, continuous improvement, and environmental responsibility, and Icon gives us the opportunity to deliver against all three of these pillars.”

The Icon class ships will mainly be powered on LNG but will also use distillate fuel for ports which can’t accommodate the infrastructure. The cruise line will be announcing further details including design, tonnage and specific details in the future. Until then, Royal Caribbean must still focus on new Oasis and Quantum class ships which are currently on order.