Tag Archives: royal caribbean international

Royal Caribbean gives US residents a tax holiday

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Royal Caribbean – giving US residents a five-day tax holiday

 In a novel US tax season twist, Royal Caribbean International is letting travelers off the hook for cruise-related taxes and port fees. For five days only, from April 11 through 15, the line will pay the taxes, port charges and fees on new cruise bookings.

With Royal Caribbean’s ‘Tax-Free Holiday,’ US residents can save up to $200 per person when they book a six-night or longer Bahamas, Caribbean and roundtrip-Europe itinerary. The offer applies to sailings that depart April 15, 2015, through March 31, 2016, but does not include Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.

Starting April 11, details will be at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/TaxFree.

Royal Caribbean to deploy Ovation of the Seas in China

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Anthem of the seas shown above

Royal Caribbean International said it will deploy Ovation of the Seas to China in 2016. The ship is the second newbuild that will be devoted to the Chinese market.

The 4,000-passenger Ovation will be homeported in Tianjin, near Beijing, adding a fourth port in China to Royal Caribbean’s lineup.

In May, Royal Caribbean will redeploy its Quantum of the Seas to Shanghai from its current homeport in Bayonne, New Jersey. Ovation is also a Quantum-class ship, meaning two of the three Quantum ships will be sailing from China year-round.

No other cruise line has put a newbuild in China, much less two.

“We are furthering our commitment [to China] by bringing two of the world’s newest and most advanced Quantum-class cruise ships to the region,” Royal Caribbean President Michael Bayley said at a news conference in Beijing.

Ovation of the Seas, the third Quantum-class vessel, is scheduled to enter service in spring 2016. The second Quantum ship, Anthem of the Seas, will make its debut in Southampton, England, on April 22 and will sail from New Jersey after a summer season in Europe.

Bayley said that Royal Caribbean is taking other steps to strengthen its cruise operation in China. It has created a curriculum with Tianjin Maritime College to train culinary and restaurant service employees and hired more than 3,000 students since the academy opened in August 2014, Bayley said.

Also, Royal Caribbean is investigating potential Chinese drydock facilities to revitalize Legend of the Seas as early as 2018 and potential logistics centers in China to supply its ships deployed in the region.

It is also looking at an inbound-tourism business model that would bring thousands of North Americans to visit China.

The addition of Ovation will bring to five the number of Royal Caribbean ships sailing in China by 2016. In addition to Quantum and Ovation, the cruise line has positioned Mariner of the Seas in Shanghai and Voyager of the Seas in Hong Kong. Legend of the Seas will sail from Tianjin in 2016 until Ovation’s arrival, and then reposition to Xiamen.

A 52-day cruise from Southampton to Tianjin on Ovation opens for sale on March 26.

Set the first block of the “Ovation of the Seas” into the Dock

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In building dock II Meyer Werft in Papenburg now the first block for the cruise ship ovation of the Seas was placed on the Pallungen. Adam Goldstein, Royal Caribbean International, together with Bernard Meyer, put the lucky penny on the Pallungen before the 800-ton crane deposed the block of the new ship.

This block is one of the 74 blocks of the new luxury liner and has a weight of 740 tons. This officially keel laying, construction begins on the Ovation of the Seas, which counts with a survey of 168,600 gross tonnage of the 5 largest cruise ships in the world.

The first flame cut steel for the ovation of the Seas took place in September 2014. Meyer Werft in laser center. The ship will be delivered in April 2016.

The Anthem of the Seas, which is currently on Equipment pier of the Meyer Werft is completed and the next week Papenburg leaves towards the North Sea, the second ship in a series of three ships being built for Royal Caribbean International at Meyer Werft.

Photo 2:. Vl Lambert Kruse (Managing Director Meyer Werft) Jarmo Laakso (Project Manager Royal Caribbean) Adam Goldstein (CEO, Royal Caribbean International) Bernard Meyer (Managing Director Meyer Werft), Dr. Jan Meyer (CEO Meyer Werft), Mika Heiskanen (Project Manager Royal Caribbean), Carsten Pengel (Project Meyer Werft) Claus Andersen (-Anthem captain of the Seas – Royal Caribbean)