Royal Caribbean International is seriously looking at ordering a new ship for one of Royal’s brands, Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises.
Earlier today, Richard Fain who is the Chairman & CEO of Royal Caribbean International, hinted at the new ship during a phone call with Wall Street analysts. Mr. Fain was asked about the possibility of a new ship order and he replied saying,
“We clearly are looking at that sort of thing, I think what we’re looking at is, we see that even in this market, we could get some very attractive returns from some of our vessels that have performed well.”
At the time, Mr. Fain did not give any additional information about the ship size, passenger capacity, or even where it might be positioned. Richard Fain did say though that capacity has been down for both cruise liens due to no new ship orders. Fain also commented saying that new ships are needed to expand into new regions. For example, Royal Caribbean has recently moved into new markets such as Asia with the Voyager of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, and the Legend of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean does have two new builds currently on order which are scheduled to debut in 2014 and 2015, but it makes you wonder if Royal Caribbean would go back in time to build another ship from an existing class, since it wouldn’t take as much time to build as a new build. They’ve almost done it before. Royal Caribbean originally had ordered a 4th Freedom Class vessel, before cancelling it and ordering Oasis and Allure instead.
So here’s my question for you. If you could order a new ship for either Royal or Celebrity, which one would you choose and which class of ship would you build?
—
Header image: Mikey Faust
2 replies on “Royal Caribbean Hints At New Ship Order”
Hi Mikey,
Having been on more than a few cruises, I’ve come to realize that bigger is not always better. While Allure and Oasis are stunning vessels, they’re not for everyone, especially those traveling without children (Although I would like to see them at least once lol). One of the best cruises I’ve taken is aboard HAL’s ms Veendam, quite a small vessel by every measure. The focus was on the destination, not so much the ship (although the ship, too, was wonderful). You left feeling you had seen it all–the ship and the ports. Having sailed on Voyager and Explorer previously, I kind of felt like I hadn’t seen the whole ship. I can only imagine Freedom or Oasis, lol.
Allure and Oasis, I hate to say it, are a waste of cruise fare. The itineraries are disappointing. Too many days at sea, and relatively mundane ports of call (Of course, the size of the ships limits where they can go), but obviously RCL is trying to keep people on board to spend more money. And there are very few deals to be had with Allure and Oasis. Typically close to or over $1000/pax for an Interior room. So I don’t think it makes much sense to go bigger than Allure and Oasis.
With the already-ordered Sunshine-class presumably comparable to the Freedom-class, I think they have enough capacity on the bigger vessels. I would like to see them build a few more Voyager-sized ships, capable of more exotic ports of call and offering a slightly more intimate atmosphere. I’d like to see Celebrity’s Millennium class phased out and replaced with something along these lines. They’ve tried to “Solsticize” the Milleniums, but there’s only so much you can do with them. Celebrity’s kind of lost the status of being Royal’s luxury line. (Their fares are regularly lower than Royal’s for comparable cruises). Also, the Voyager-class ships, as wonderful as they are, are aging fast, and they’re not drydocking them for another 2 years.
I honestly don’t think RCL needs any more ships…they need to fast track the refurbishment of the ones they already have. But if they are aggressively expanding as they say they are, I’d like to see more Voyager-sized vessels built, with all the “Royal touches.”
Hi Mikey,
Having been on more than a few cruises, and notwithstanding the fact I’m a younger guy, Iâve come to realize that bigger is not always better. While Allure and Oasis are stunning vessels, theyâre not for everyone, especially those traveling without children (Although I would like to see them at least once lol). One of the best cruises Iâve taken is aboard HALâs ms Veendam, quite a small vessel by every measure. The focus was on the destination, not so much the ship (although the ship, too, was wonderful). You left feeling you had seen it allâthe ship and the ports. Having sailed on Voyager and Explorer previously, I kind of felt like I hadnât seen everything. I can only imagine Freedom or Oasis, lol.
Allure and Oasis, I hate to say it, are a waste of cruise fare. I’ve considered them, but the itineraries are disappointing. Too many days at sea, and relatively mundane ports of call (Of course, the size of the ships limits where they can go), but obviously RCL is trying to keep people on board to spend more money. And there are very few deals to be had with Allure and Oasis. Typically close to or over $1000/pax for an Interior room. So I donât think it makes much sense to go bigger than Allure and Oasis. (Can you imagine??)
With the already-ordered Sunshine-class presumably comparable to the Freedom-class, I think they have enough capacity on the bigger vessels. I would like to see them build a few more Voyager- or even Radiance-sized ships, capable of more exotic ports of call and offering a slightly more intimate atmosphere. Iâd like to see Celebrityâs Millennium class phased out and replaced with something along these lines. The new Solstices are sharp and unique. Theyâve tried to âSolsticizeâ the Milleniums, but thereâs only so much you can do with them. Celebrityâs kind of lost the status of being Royalâs luxury line. (Their fares are regularly lower than Royalâs for comparable cruises). Also, the Voyager-class ships, as wonderful as they are, are aging fast, and theyâre not drydocking them for another 2 years.
I honestly donât think RCL needs any more shipsâŚthey need to fast track the refurbishment of the ones they already have. But if they are aggressively expanding as they say they are, Iâd like to see more Voyager-sized vessels built, with all the âRoyal touches.â