Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas Completes 25 Years

Posted on 4 November, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

After being delivered to Royal Caribbean International on Oct. 29, 1999, the Voyager of the Seas has completed 25 years in service.

Built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland, the 142,000-ton vessel was the first in a series of ships originally known as the Eagle Class.

Then the world’s largest cruise ship, the Voyager of the Seas spent its inaugural season in the Caribbean, offering week-long cruises from Miami.

To accommodate the 3,115-guest vessel, a new 250,000-square-foot cruise terminal was built by Royal Caribbean at the South Florida port.

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean with no guests onboard, the Voyager arrived homeporting Miami on Nov. 11, 1999.

Following a series of pre-inaugural activities, the ship was christened by godmother Katarina Witt, a two-time Olympic gold medal skater.

The ceremony was designed to highlight one of the various new features introduced by the vessel: the first permanent ice-skating rink at sea.

The Voyager of the Seas then departed on its maiden voyage on Nov. 21, 1999, offering a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean.

Sailing to Jamaica, Mexico and Haiti, the itinerary featured visits to Ocho Rios and Cozumel, as well as Royal Caribbean’s private destination in Hispaniola, Labadee.

The vessel continued to sail from Miami until 2004 when it repositioned to Cape Liberty for a summer deployment sailing out of the New York City region.

In 2006, the Voyager of the Seas kicked off a series of summer programs in the Western Mediterranean before debuting in Galveston in late 2007 and in New Orleans in late 2011.

A few months later, the ship repositioned to China, becoming the largest ship to sail in Asia on a year-round basis.

Having spent considerable time in Asia, the ship underwent a major refurbishment in 2019, and the vessel returned to the Western Hemisphere in 2022.

After completing another summer program in the Mediterranean, the Voyager is scheduled to return to Florida in November for a winter season sailing to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

In 2025, the ship offers additional sailings in Europe and the Caribbean, as well as Australia, where it is set to spend the 2025-26 winter season.

In a first in its 25-year sailing career, the Voyager of the Seas is scheduled to debut in Alaska for the 2026 summer.

Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas to Undergo $100 Million Upgrade

Posted on 8 August, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

The Allure of the Seas is set for a $100 million upgrade in April 2025, Royal Caribbean International announced in a press release.

The refurbishment, which is part of the company’s Royal Amplified refit program, will see the creation of new venues and features onboard.

For a complete picture of the drydock market, see the 2024 Drydock and Refurb Report by Cruise Industry News.

According to Royal Caribbean, after the update, the Allure of the Seas will offer more than 35 ways to dine and drink, as well as new bars, a new water park and upgraded pool decks.

The 2010-built vessel will also see the creation of new suites, as well as Royal Caribbean’s signature Ultimate Abyss slide.

The refurbishment will be completed ahead of the ship’s summer program in the Western Mediterranean, the company added.

Between April and October 2025, the newly amplified ship is scheduled to offer seven-night cruises to Spain, Italy and France.

“From the new Icon and Utopia of the Seas to now the more than $100 million transformation of Allure of the Seas, we’ve upped the ante threefold on the different ways vacationers can get away and make memories with Royal Caribbean,” said Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer, Royal Caribbean International.

“Allure will be reimagined with the best of Royal Caribbean and what travellers love. Between new favourites, like the Pesky Parrot tiki bar, and experiences that unlock core memories time and time again, from an incredible pool deck to an unmatched combination of thrills and ways to chill, Allure will have even more of everything that makes it standout favourite,” he added.

First introduced in 2018, the Royal Amplified program included significant refurbishments onboard Voyager-, Freedom- and Oasis-class ships.

Allure’s sister ship, the Oasis of the Seas, was one of the vessels that underwent an “amplification” in 2019.

After debuting its new features in Europe, the Allure of the Seas is set to return to the United States in November 2025 for a series of six- to eight-night cruises to the Caribbean departing from Fort Lauderdale.

Royal Caribbean Increases Financial Guidance for 2024

Posted on 22 February, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

Independence and Symphony of the Seas in San Juan, Puerto Rico photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr

Royal Caribbean Group today provided an update on demand and updated its 2024 guidance.

The company said it continues to be very encouraged about the demand and pricing environment for 2024.

Since its most recent update on its Q4 2023 earnings call, the WAVE booking season has exceeded the company’s initial expectations, with the first five weeks of the year resulting in the best WAVE booking weeks in the company’s history.

“Bookings have been significantly higher than during the same period last year, with the back half of the year up by more than the front half. For 2024, all four quarters and all key products are booked ahead of the same time last year in both rate and volume. Consumer spending for onboard purchases continue to exceed prior years driven by greater participation at higher prices, indicating quality and healthy future demand,” the company said in a statement.

“Since our last earnings call, robust demand for our vacation experiences has significantly exceeded our initial expectations,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean. “As a result, we are increasing our 2024 guidance on stronger revenue outlook, and we expect to achieve all Trifecta goals in 2024. Trifecta marks an important milestone as we remain intensely focused on delivering a lifetime of vacations and priceless memories for our guests while delivering exceptional long-term shareholder value.”

As a result of the strong WAVE season, the company is increasing its 2024 Adjusted EPS guidance by $0.40 compared to its February guidance. For the full year, Adjusted EPS is now expected to be $9.90 to $10.10 driven by an increase in constant currency net yield growth of approximately 100 bps compared to the February guidance. Approximately $0.15 of the full year increase in adjusted EPS is driven by an improved revenue outlook for the first quarter of 2024. The company now expects to achieve all Trifecta goals in 2024.