Set to open in January 2024 with the debut of Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas, the getaway will have a private beach and pools as well as two bars and three dining spots.
“Everything from its hideaway location to the exclusive beach and pools to the private cabanas is designed for adults who want a day just for them,” said chief executive and president Michael Bayley.
Located in the north-west of Cococay, Hideaway Beach is an all-day experience reserved for adults aged 18 and above.
The unveiling comes as the cruise line announced earlier this week it was putting on sale the 2025-2026 season onboard Icon of the Seas three months in advance due to skyrocketing demand.
Royal Caribbean Group is pleased with the increased demand for European itineraries, resulting in a better-than-expected yield performance.
“While the Caribbean remains a standout performer this year, we were particularly pleased with the strength and quality of cruising [Ph] demand for European itineraries. This acceleration of demand for Europe contributed to the better-than-expected yield performance for the quarter,” said Chief Executive Officer Jason Liberty, speaking on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
Liberty added that volumes from European consumers looking to book their summer vacations have accelerated, leading to double-digit yield growth expectations for this year compared to 2019.
“Europe sailings account for 17 per cent of our full-year capacity and 35 per cent in the third quarter. The acceleration in demand is increasing our revenue expectations for Europe sailings,“ said Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz.
“The better-than-expected performance has mostly been driven by our European customers, which underscores our nimble and global sourcing model,” he added.
Commenting on the somewhat surprising takeaway regarding the European market, Liberty explained that Europeans’ willingness to spend was very competitive with the North American consumer. Still, the difference is that they were delayed in activating their vacation.
“We expected Europe to be a little bit lighter versus 2019, in terms of load factor and it came roaring back,” continued Liberty.
“In the second quarter, the per cent of guests were either new to the brand or new to cruise surpassed 2019 levels by a wide margin, and we have seen post-cruise repeat booking rates nearly double 2019 levels,” said Jason Liberty, CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, speaking on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
“While we have made positive strides in narrowing the gap to land-based vacations over the last several months, cruising remains an exceptional value proposition, allowing us to outperform broader leisure travel as we seek to further close the gap to land-based vacations, drive better revenue and welcome even more happy customers,” he said.
Liberty said that the company had double the web traffic now compared to 2019.
“In addition, our travel partners are now fully back up and running and delivering more bookings than they did in 2019,” he continued. “Our improved commercial capabilities have allowed us to capture this quality demand and expand our share of the guest wallet.”
Part of the new brand strategy has been the company’s investment in the short cruise market, with refurbished ships and Perfect Day at CocoCay. That strategy takes the next step in 2024 with the new Utopia of the Seas, which will be positioned year-round in the short cruise market.
“Utopia will be the first Oasis-class ship that will be entirely focused on short cruises in the Caribbean, supporting our strategy of competing with land-based vacation alternatives and driving new-to-cruise customers into our vacation ecosystem as we seek to close the value gap,” Liberty said.
“Demand and pricing for Utopia have far exceeded our expectations.”
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