Royal Caribbean and MSC cancel sailings over coronavirus fears

Posted on 27 January, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Splendida in Valletta \Harbour photo credit Dave Jones

This story was updated on Monday, January 27 at 8.30am.

Royal Caribbean International and MSC Cruises have cancelled sailings from Shanghai amid concerns over the Chinese coronavirus outbreak.

Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas’ departure on Monday and an MSC Splendida sailing on January 28 have both been pulled.

Quantum-Ultra class ship Spectrum of the Seas was due to sail a four-day Best of Okinawa cruise, but the line has decided to suspend the voyage and is offering affected passengers “full refunds for the cancellation”.

The coronavirus has killed at least 81 people, infected around 3,000 and spread to as many as ten countries outside China.

There have been at least 44 confirmed cases outside China, including in Australia, the USA, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and France.

The FCO hardened its travel advice over the weekend advising against all travel to Hubei Province, the course of the outbreak. “If you are in this area and able to leave, you should do so,” it said.

Royal Caribbean said on Friday that passengers who had travelled through or were from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first broke out, would not be allowed to board its ships.

However, the line has now adopted a tougher stance in a bid to protect passengers.

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“In light of the latest developments with the coronavirus outbreak in China, we are suspending the January 27 sailing of Spectrum of the Seas, currently our only ship homeported in China,” a spokesperson for the line said.

“We are working with our guests to provide full refunds for the cancellation.

Image result for world health organisation logo

“The health and safety of our guests and crew is our primary concern, and we continue to work with the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and government health authorities to monitor the situation.”

The spectrum of the Seas is scheduled to operate a mix of itineraries across the Far East until midway through 2021.

It is not known whether Royal will cancel more of Spectrum’s sailings beyond Monday due to the virus.

MSC Cruises said: “Due to urgent guidelines from the Chinese government to combat the spread of the coronavirus, MSC Cruises is required to cancel the upcoming cruise with MSC Splendida on 28 January.

“Guests booked on this cruise have the option to receive a full refund of their cruise ticket and port charges, or book an alternative sailing with an equivalent price and receiving additional onboard credit – with an embarkation date before the end of the year.

“At the time of writing, MSC Splendida is planned to remain in port for the duration of the cruise from 28 January until 1 February.

“We will continue to closely monitor the public health and safety situation in China and are consulting with international and local health authorities, as well as the ministry of transport of the People’s Republic of China, and strictly follow their advice and recommendations.

“Guests and travel partners have been informed and will be kept abreast of any further changes as the situation evolves.”

All transport hubs including airports, railway and bus stations, have been closed in the city of Wuhan and travel restrictions are in place in other cities in Hubei Province.

FCO advice states: “Public Health England has offered advice to travellers. You should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the local authorities.

“For more information and advice, visit the TravelHealthPro website.”

In a further update today, the FCO said: “We are working to make available an option for British nationals to leave Hubei province. If you are a British national in Hubei Province and require assistance, please contact:

· our 24/7 number +86 (0) 10 8529 6600
· or the FCO (+44) (0)207 008 1500

“We continue to monitor developments closely and are in close touch with the Chinese authorities. The safety and security of British nationals is always our primary concern.”

Royal Caribbean ‘Out-Wowing’ Itself

Posted on 24 January, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Perfect Day at CocoCay

“We are going to keep pushing the envelope. At Royal Caribbean we are never satisfied with the status quo,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support and service.

“That is why, as we Royal Amplify an Oasis-class ship, people might say ‘Vicki, there was nothing wrong with it, why do you need more bells and whistles?’ But we do not build ships like cookie cutters. With the Oasis, Allure, Harmony and Symphony, we continued to innovate aboard each new ship in the class, while most cruise lines build identical ships after the first one in a class, just changing the decor,” she continued.

“Our chairman has always said ‘Do not think about cost, (instead) think about how we can make our product better and better.’ And if you push the cost aspect aside and are driven by what is going to be the best experience for the consumer, that does change how you think about your product.

“So we will keep pushing the envelope, with new features aboard our ships, a new class of ships, the Icon class, and enhancing Perfect Day at CocoCay and other islands in the Perfect Day Collection.

“Perfect Day at CocoCay is probably the most talked-about destination today,” Freed continued. “Of all the places we call around the world, this is our number one rated port of call, so it is definitely resonating with our guests.”

The island has turned out to be so popular, in fact, that on some itineraries ships call twice during the same cruise.

Royal Caribbean is also driving innovation elsewhere, its latest newbuilding, the Quantum Ultra-class, 158,000-ton, 4,100-passenger Spectrum of the Seas, introduced in 2019, is deployed in the Chinese market.

Royal Amplified

Also going to China in 2021 will be the next Oasis-class ship, the 227,626-ton, 5,448-passenger Wonder of the Seas.

Meanwhile, the Quantum-ultra class Odyssey of the Seas will be deployed in the North American market, launching service from Port Everglades in November, moving to the Mediterranean for the 2021 summer season.

In addition, the 2009-built Oasis of the Seas just underwent a $165 million renovation last fall.

“Even though the ship is only 10 years young,” Freed said, “we are adding some new features. We always want to out-wow ourselves.”

The Oasis is sailing seven-day Caribbean cruises from Miami this winter before moving to Cape Liberty for the summer season.

Added Freed: “She will be very popular in the Northeast market. Our guests will be able to get on an Oasis-class ship in their own backyard. They will also call at Perfect Day at CocoCay.”

Building a new port facility in Galveston, the port said it will be able to accommodate Oasis-class ships.

“Anytime we build brand-new facilities, we want to make sure that all our ships will fit into that facility,” Freed commented.

Freed continues to be as committed to travel agents as ever. And despite the changing industry, fewer retail storefronts, and the internet, she said that travel advisors are very important to cruise sales.

“Cruising is a complex product. You are talking about somebody’s vacation that they have worked hard for all year long, and we see the need for travel advisors becoming even more important, because people want to make sure they get it right.

“It is true they can go to the internet and find a lot of information, but at the end of the day, there can be too much information, and you get consumer confusion. That is when you need a professional who can guide you to make the right buying decision. You need someone who can be a valued interpreter.”

The new-to-cruise are asking for a shorter cruise experience, according to Freed. They are looking for a three-, four- or five-day getaway, which is a good way for them to test the waters and find out if cruising is right for them.

“This was one of the motivators that led us to flip the short-cruise market upside down. Instead of putting older hardware in the market, we put in the Royal Amplified (modernized) Navigator and Mariner of the Seas, ships that typically in the past would not have been in the short cruise market.

“Their next step may be a seven-day cruise on an Oasis-class ship. Or they can be millennials who prefer shorter vacations, but may repeat their short cruise three to four times a year.”

What are the basic selling points for Royal Caribbean? “There is so much I can say,” Freed answered, “but I like to sum it up in a few words: we are a combination of quality and energy.

“There are some beautiful quality brands out there – Celebrity is a quality brand, and then there are some lines that have energy, but nobody has the unique combination of Royal Caribbean.”

Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Winter 2019-2020

Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas to sail in Europe

Posted on 16 September, 2019 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean International’s second Quantum Ultra-class ship, Odyssey of the Seas, is to sail in Europe in 2021 after its spending first season in the Caribbean.

The line’s 27th ship, which will be similar in size to 4,800-passenger-capacity Spectrum of the Seas, will first sail out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Caribbean itineraries from November 2020.

It will sail both six- and eight-night Caribbean cruises, becoming the first Quantum Ultra-class ship to call at the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao, which will be calling on its eight-night itinerary.

They will be in addition to the calls on its six-night sailing, which include Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Royal Caribbean International’s private Caribbean island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

After Odyssey’s maiden season in the Caribbean, the ship will redeploy to Europe for summer 2021. Details of its European itineraries are yet to be confirmed and are expected to be released in November. In a previous interview with Travel Weekly, the line’s president and chief executive Michael Bayley hinted that the ship would sail out of Barcelona.

Odyssey of the Seas will feature a RipCord by iFLY sky-diving adventure, a North Star glass observation capsule that takes guests more than 300 feet above the ocean and a two-deck-high Two70 entertainment venue and SeaPlex active space with a trapeze school, basketball court, a roller-skating rink and bumper cars.

Royal said more features of the ship will be announced ahead of its launch.

The line’s first Quantum-Ultra class ship, Spectrum of the Seas, launched in April with sailings out of Shanghai, China.