World’s largest cruise ship arrives in Southampton

Posted on 17 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean International’s $1 billion new mega ship, Harmony of the Seas, arrives in Southampton today ahead of being showcased to agents attending the 10th annual Clia Conference.

Heralded as the world’s largest cruise ship, the third Oasis-class vessel will be shown off to agents at the event on Friday.

New features include the Ultimate Abyss, claimed to be the tallest slide on a ship with a 10-storey drop, and The Perfect Storm – three waterslides

The ship combines the seven neighbourhood concept that the line’s Oasis class ships are known for, with the top technological features from its Quantum class ships, such as the robot-powered Bionic Bar.

Entertainment ranges from hit musical Grease through to aquatic performances at the AquaTheatre and ice shows.

The 5,497-passenger ship’s 20 dining include Jamie’s Italian by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and a Wonderland restaurant.

The ship is running two short preview sailings from Southampton before relocating to the Mediterranean for summer sailings from Barcelona and Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, and seven-night winter itineraries in the Caribbean from Port Everglades in Florida.

Construction on the fourth ship in the series started at the St Nazaire ship yard in France last autumn with the as-yet unnamed vessel due to enter service in spring 2018.

Royal Caribbean takes delivery of Harmony of the Seas

Posted on 13 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Harmony of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship, and its arrival was marked with a traditional delivery and flag changing ceremony in Saint Nazaire, France took place following 32 months of constructions.

Joining the festivities in the ship’s signature AquaTheater were Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International together with Laurent Castaing, General Manager, STX France.

“Harmony of the Seas is the product of our zealous spirit of continuous improvement, where we have combined revolutionary ship design with the technological strides that have defined the Royal Caribbean brand,” said Richard D. Fain. “Thank you to STX France for their ongoing partnership in building our ships, which continue to introduce unexpected industry innovations.”

Harmony is truly magnificent in every sense of the word, from her architecture and design to the level of care and attention to detail with which our incredible crew are taking to prepare for our first guests,” said Michael Bayley. “The ship is the ‘best of the best’ of what our guests love most about Royal Caribbean, combined with new and thrilling experiences never before found in one place but it is the passion and dedication of our crew that will make everlasting memories for our guests.”

Harmony of the Seas will homeport in Barcelona, Spain and embark on the first of 34 seven-night sailings in the western Mediterranean on June 7, exploring some of Europe’s most beautiful locations. In November 2016, Harmony will arrive at her homeport of Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, FL., from where she will offer seven-night eastern and western Caribbean sailings. The newest member of the fleet will join sister-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, sailing from Port Canaveral and Port Everglades respectively, on the east coast of Florida.

Posted on 5 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean transiting the Grand Canal Venice.

Geopolitical events in Europe impacted North American bookings of Mediterranean cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. officials said during a conference call Friday to discuss RCCL’s first-quarter results.

CFO Jason Liberty categorized it as a “lull” in demand, which the company filled with bookings from European travelers, a market that the company said was robust. However, the sourcing shift was accompanied by a decrease in fares and a drop in onboard purchases because North Americans tend to spend more money than Europeans on Mediterranean cruises, Liberty said.

Outside of the Med, however, bookings to the Baltic region have proceeded apace, and executives noted the strength of the Caribbean, Alaska and Bermuda, positing that some of the bookings intended for the Med had been redirected to North America.

“Some of the softness we see in Europe, the Caribbean is the beneficiary of that,” said Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean International’s CEO.

RCCL CEO Richard Fain said it was “interesting to note that strong last-minute demand helped our bookings at the same time that we were simultaneously enforcing our price integrity program.” He pointed to the Caribbean in particular.

Overall, robust sales during the first three months of 2016 and strong demand in the Caribbean helped fuel a bullish mood. Fain kicked off the call by saying it was “gratifying to report results that are so much higher than we have ever enjoyed in any winter quarter in our history.”

“We’re in the happy position that just about everything in the quarter that could have gone right, did,” he said. “Ticket revenue was stellar, onboard revenue was terrific, costs were well controlled and even below-the-line items helped.”