Grandeur starts Baltimore service, Port Canaveral could get third Royal ship
Royal Caribbean International launched service with a new ship from Baltimore and may be looking at Port Canaveral as home to a third ship next winter.
The Grandeur of the Seas has begun sailing from Baltimore, offering six- to 10-day cruises to Canada, New England, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The ship was refurbished last year.
Grandeur replaces Enchantment of the Seas, which went to Port Canaveral to do three- and four-day cruises.
Port Canaveral interim CEO John Walsh told the Florida Today newspaper in Melbourne, Fla., that Royal Caribbean plans to base a third ship at his port in the winter of 2014-15.
In addition to Enchantment, Port Canaveral is home to Freedom of the Seas. Walsh also said the port is in discussions about the potential to host either an Oasis-class or Quantum-class ship, possibly in conjunction with a new terminal.
Both Oasis and Allure of the Seas sail from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Royal Caribbean has ordered a third in the series for delivery in 2016.
Earlier this week, it was disclosed that Navigator of the Seas will sail from Galveston, Texas, year-round starting in February 2014. It currently sails from Galveston in the winter but will go to the Mediterranean this summer.
Voyager of the Seas arrived from Shanghai, China and will be based in a Japanese port for the first time. She will offer Tokyo sailings ranging from 5 to 6 nights visiting Busan, Jejuand Nagasaki until early May, including one cruise chartered by Club Tourism, a major tour operator in Japan.
“Clearly, that relationship is predicated on us giving them competitive compensation to produce business for us,” he said. “If they don’t feel we’re giving them a fair shake on compensation, they may love us and our products, but they’re going someplace else.”
