Appealing to travel advisors to start to sell cruises again, Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain states his case in a newly released video.
The time has come, he said, to focus on how we come out of the pandemic, rather than how we should live during it. The time has come to look forward and do what we have done for decades, sell cruises.
Fain said a surge of interest has come mainly via the internet rather than from travel advisors, as people became used to buying things online during the pandemic, and continue to do so, while many travel advisors cut down on staff and marketing.
“Now, we need to rebuild so travel advisors need to do more,” he said. Appealing to travel advisors, Fain said: “We need you to reach our full potential. It was the personal contact with travel advisors that built up the knowledge and awareness (of cruising) in the first place.
“We need you and we need your personal touch, and the clients need you to help them understand the complexity of the product.”
Fain noted that while the pandemic is not over, its prevalence in the industrialized world is falling, and the main drivers behind the disease are understood and can be controlled.
He also noted that cruise ships have advantages over land-based comparables with the vast bulk of people onboard being vaccinated, and the sanitation being controlled, including air filtration, and strict health and safety protocols being enforced.
“As a result, we can make ships safer than shore-based alternatives,” Fain said.
Compared to a CDC colour-coded COVID-19 map of the United States, Fain said that cruise ships would be blue, representing the lowest category of risk, and better than most of the counties in the U.S.
The Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) and Royal Caribbean Group have partnered to revitalize the U.S. Virgin Islands’ cruise industry with a commitment from Royal Caribbean Group to develop infrastructure and attractions.
A Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations was signed by VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe and Royal Caribbean Group’s Vice President of Destination Development Joshua Carroll during a cruise event in Miami. The memorandum is a recommitment from Royal Caribbean Group to extend its existing 10-year, pier-use agreement for preferential berthing at VIPA’s cruise facilities in Crown Bay, St. Thomas and Frederiksted, St. Croix.
The existing agreement was executed in June 2016, and by signing the memorandum, VIPA and Royal Caribbean Group agree to collaborate on an extension of that agreement for an additional number of years.
Dowe also announced that in addition to guaranteed minimum revenues to VIPA and increased cruise visits to both St. Thomas and St. Croix, Royal Caribbean Group has expressed an interest in developing enhancements to the cruise facility in Crown Bay and making “landside improvements” in the Crown Bay District and St. Croix to enhance the island’s tourism products.
Dowe stated that this development signals “an important boost for the territory’s economy and increased opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs in the tourism sector in the USVI.”
“Royal Caribbean is the leading cruise company in the industry, and it has committed to a major infusion of capital as well as guaranteed cruise visits to our islands. In this currently strained economic climate, this substantial commitment indicates Royal Caribbean Group’s dedication to the people of this territory and our economy,” he said.
Dowe added that VIPA is “pleased” to continue its working relationship with Royal Caribbean Group.
“This MOU extends what has been an exceedingly amiable, reliable, and beneficial arrangement for both parties. Our unified goal is to ensure that the U.S. Virgin Islands is a premier destination in the Caribbean,” he noted.
VIPA will align with Royal Caribbean Group to expand the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Facility in Crown Bay to allow the berthing that includes Icon- and Quantum-class ships and the development of a third berth. The vision for the Crown Bay District will complement the port authority’s plans to revitalize the district to appeal to residents and cruise visitors.
Royal Caribbean Group has also committed to partner with VIPA and the Government of the USVI to develop and enhance the overall visitor experience in St. Croix.
“The U.S. Virgin Islands is one of our best destination partners and the opportunity to continue innovating on ways to refine the guest experience helps guide our decision to expand our already strong relationship with the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Carroll. “We thank Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the VIPA Board of Governors, Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte and Executive Director Carlton Dowe and his team for collaborating on this exciting opportunity to develop destination experiences that benefit tourists and citizens of the USVI.”
The U.S. Virgin Islands recently started receiving cruise visits to its islands following the halt of cruising in March 2020. Most of the territory’s cruise visits have been Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises vessels.
The Celebrity Edge was the first ship to call on St. Thomas on July 20, and in St. Croix, the Celebrity Equinox was the first ship to berth since the pandemic on Aug. 8.
According to a press release, VIPA has had 22,991 cruise visitors to the territory since July 2021, making it one of the most visited cruise destinations in the world.
The resumption of global cruise operations is keeping drydock busy around the world. With more cruise ships restarting service, cruise companies are rushing to get necessary work done before welcoming the passengers back onboard, as predicted by Cruise Industry News earlier this year.
In Europe some drydocks have seen a dramatic increase in the number of cruise ships projects, almost seemingly overnight.
Popular among several cruise lines, the Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain, has been one of the busiest facilities.. Working on vessels from brands such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Marella and Azamara, the yard currently has five ships in Cádiz, with two more on the way.
According to the local press, Navantia plans to work on18 cruise ship projects through the end of the year. the year.
The work performed by the facility includes necessary classification society inspections, technical maintenance and modernization. Recent work included the Liberty of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Celebrity Constellation, which underwent repairs and revision of propulsion and steering equipment, hydro blasting and application of silicone paint.
Marseilles, has also been a the hotspot, working closely with Carnival Corporation, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group’s Silversea.
Carnival completed four drydocks in the facility recently, with all vessels undergoing regular maintenance and a change of hull colors. A fifth Carnival vessel – the Carnival Legend – is currently at the shipyard, along with Silversea’s Silver Spirit.
Also recently,, the Palumbo Malta Shipyard worked on several MSC ships for their restart operations. Located in Valletta, the yard was partly acquired by the MSC Group in 2020 and currently has the MSC Preziosa docked there.
Bigger Projects Making a Comeback
While most of the current drydock projects are limited to mandatory and technical work, some vessels are also seeing significant refurbishment and conversion projects in 2021.
After virtually all those projects scheduled for 2020 were cancelled or postponed, a few are now being carried out.
Work on Carnival Victory was also resumed recently. The vessel is set to be transformed into the Carnival Radiance with all new interiors and revamped cabins in a $200 million project.
Another big project confirmed for the year is the conversion of the Silver Wind into an ice-class expedition vessel. Previously scheduled for 2020, the project is now set to be completed by the end of 2021.
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