Jump to content

Royal Caribbean to open five private islands


Recommended Posts

A few extra details possibly not heard before:

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/321371/royal-caribbean-to-open-five-private-islands

Royal Caribbean International will open five ‘Perfect Day’ private islands over the next five years and has revealed that its yet-to-be-named ‘Spectrum 2’ ship will sail in Europe.

The line will open ‘Perfect Day at CocoCay’ in the Bahamas in May. It  will be followed by private islands in Asia, for the Chinese market, one off the coast of Australia and another in the Caribbean.

Speaking at a Travel Weekly Executive Lunch, the line’s president and chief executive, Michael Bayley, said: “We have been busy acquiring land around the world and each one will have a slightly different concept, depending on what each market’s idea of a perfect day is.”

Ten Royal Caribbean ships will feature CocoCay in itineraries this year, and in 2020 ships will stay later into the evenings. In 2021, vessels will stay overnight.

Royal Caribbean is also building “limited overnight accommodation” on the
island, which will offer “a suite-class experience”.

A pier that can accommodate two ships, including one Oasis-class vessel, is being constructed.

“You could go on one ship, spend a few days at CocoCay and get back on another ship,” said Bayley.

Royal is preparing to launch Spectrum of the Seas, its first Quantum Ultra-class vessel, in Shanghai in April.

Bayley hinted that the second Quantum Ultra-class vessel, currently known as ‘Spectrum 2’, will sail out of Barcelona after its launch in autumn 2020 and will visit the UK. Royal is poised to announce a major investment in port infrastructure in Barcelona.

Bayley confirmed Royal was likely to exercise five options for new-builds it has registered with shipyards. This would be in addition to five ship orders set to be delivered in the next five years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just saw this posted over on CC as well....doesn't surprise me at all. But what does surprise me is the amount of money this must cost and how much higher cruises fares will have to go to finance all this.

I like the idea of switching ships in some cases..but that sounds like it will be only for the suite guests which wont include me. And up to 10 more ships to be ordered??! I don't think that kinda demand is there...especially when all the cruise lines are building these massive ships.

I still say that at some point all this spending and increase capacity is going to come back to bite Royal. Everything goes in cycles and when it turns back down, that's a lot of islands and boats to pay for.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

Just saw this posted over on CC as well....doesn't surprise me at all. But what does surprise me is the amount of money this must cost and how much higher cruises fares will have to go to finance all this.

I like the idea of switching ships in some cases..but that sounds like it will be only for the suite guests which wont include me. And up to 10 more ships to be ordered??! I don't think that kinda demand is there...especially when all the cruise lines are building these massive ships.

I still say that at some point all this spending and increase capacity is going to come back to bite Royal. Everything goes in cycles and when it turns back down, that's a lot of islands and boats to pay for.....

Agree, I think RCI moving too fast. It needs to slow down a bit on spending.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

But what does surprise me is the amount of money this must cost and how much higher cruises fares will have to go to finance all this.

 

I Was On My Last Cruise And Was Talking To Some Who Is Big In The Industry And He Said With More Ships The Cheaper The Cost Of Going On A Cruise. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really?....I don't see that making sense at all...unless demand drops and they cant fill the ships.

 

That being said, I am ok if they want to drop the prices of the cruise and charge more for the add-ons...as long as if you don't pay extra for the add ons you aren't treated and feel like a 2nd class citizen while cruising.....we are heading back to Titanic days if that happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, FlowBro Ty said:

I Was On My Last Cruise And Was Talking To Some Who Is Big In The Industry And He Said With More Ships The Cheaper The Cost Of Going On A Cruise. 

I hope the more ships the cheaper will be for cruising. I paid almost the same amount as me for 6 years old that not even eat much. So this RCI big spending really scares me a bit. Since 2000 I had only been sailed with RCI and coming in April will be the first time ever I will sailing with other cruise lines (MSC) for the Mediterranean cruise. I looked at the cost of the fare with RCI and the airfare and It was too expensive to book it. It will cost us almost double to book with RCI so we end up with MSC Bellissima. It is the brand new ship with MSC in April is a month old. Hope I make the right decision. However, this trip the ship is not my destination. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Atlantix2000 said:

With this many ships on order, I feel it is inevitable that the smaller ships will be sold to another line (or possibly they create their own separate line for small ships).  The Royal brand will be all mega ships sailing to their own destinations and the few places that where these ships can dock.

I'm no @monorailmedic but regardless of ship size, cruise ships after a certain age (25 years or so) tend to be retired/sold off.  I think the nature of refurbishments these days may extend cruise ship life spans for mass market lines more than perhaps a decade or two ago, but the bottom line is it's inevitable all ships when they get to a certain age will be moved out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Matt said:

I'm no @monorailmedic but regardless of ship size, cruise ships after a certain age (25 years or so) tend to be retired/sold off.  I think the nature of refurbishments these days may extend cruise ship life spans for mass market lines more than perhaps a decade or two ago, but the bottom line is it's inevitable all ships when they get to a certain age will be moved out.

That's how I see it.  Back filling for Vision and Radiance class disappearing over the next 10 years.

 

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

... you aren't treated and feel like a 2nd class citizen while cruising.....we are heading back to Titanic days if that happens.

Sadly that is the trend in cruising.  NCL has Haven, MSC has Yacht Club, Celebrity has The Retreat.  Royal dipping it's toes in with Spectrum suite only area.  If anything Royal is behind the trend.

 

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

I still say that at some point all this spending and increase capacity is going to come back to bite Royal. Everything goes in cycles and when it turns back down, that's a lot of islands and boats to pay for.....

On the flip side those who have positioned themselves in preparation for the coming depression will have great opportunity to cruise cheaply when the masses stop and they are desperate to fill the ships.    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

On the flip side those who have positioned themselves in preparation for the coming depression will have great opportunity to cruise cheaply when the masses stop and they are desperate to fill the ships.    

That's the only silver lining for me!...when the CAD is about 40% less than the USD..its making cruising very expensive for us Canuks.,....drink package alone for a cruise is almost $1400 for the 2 of us...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

That's the only silver lining for me!...when the CAD is about 40% less than the USD..its making cruising very expensive for us Canuks.,....drink package alone for a cruise is almost $1400 for the 2 of us...

One benefit of living in a bordertown.  Can work in the USA (for now).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mworkman said:

I can’t see them getting rid of the radiance class ships, that would be a big mistake. They get into ports where larger ones can’t.  

Every goes at some point.  By the time OA 5 comes around Radiance is in it's 20th year in service.  In the 10 year view we are talking 2029 and all Radiance class will be >25 years old. 

Having owned a classic car they are a lot of fun but you get tried of them constantly breaking down.  A 30 year old ship is a liability.   They are not here forever.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, twangster said:

Every goes at some point.  By the time OA 5 comes around Radiance is in it's 20th year in service.  In the 10 year view we are talking 2029 and all Radiance class will be >25 years old. 

Having owned a classic car they are a lot of fun but you get tried of them constantly breaking down.  A 30 year old ship is a liability.   They are not here forever.

 

if that was to happen..I wonder if Royal will EVER build a ship smaller than Oasis/Quantum class again?! A lot of ports cant handle those sizes...would they just give up that market share I wonder?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, monctonguy said:

if that was to happen..I wonder if Royal will EVER build a ship smaller than Oasis/Quantum class again?! A lot of ports cant handle those sizes...would they just give up that market share I wonder?

Celebrity.  

Royal may very well become a large(r) ship line with all ships over 130K GT.  Voyager class has some longevity yet - that's why they are AMPING them.  

No single line can try be everything, it's possibly better to focus on the mass family crowd that wants FlowRiders and Laser Tag and Slides and Skypads.  Let Celebrity focus on smaller markets, or *GASP* create a new brand in the RCCL family.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, monctonguy said:

if that was to happen..I wonder if Royal will EVER build a ship smaller than Oasis/Quantum class again?! A lot of ports cant handle those sizes...would they just give up that market share I wonder?

I think it's more likely if the mass-market lines (Royal / Carnival / Norwegian) stick with building larger ships (Q and O class sizes, maybe Freedom class size), they'll simply "cede" those more exotic ports like the ABC islands, the Mediterranean, and Norway / Scandinvia / Iceland to their premium sister lines. Higher-end lines appear to sticking with smaller ships (though they do appear to be creeping upward a little -- see Celebrity Edge or HAL Koenigsdam / Statendam).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

if that was to happen..I wonder if Royal will EVER build a ship smaller than Oasis/Quantum class again?! A lot of ports cant handle those sizes...would they just give up that market share I wonder?

They could rebrand some Celebrity ships once Royal's older fleet goes out of commission.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, twangster said:

Celebrity.  

Royal may very well become a large(r) ship line with all ships over 130K GT.  Voyager class has some longevity yet - that's why they are AMPING them.  

No single line can try be everything, it's possibly better to focus on the mass family crowd that wants FlowRiders and Laser Tag and Slides and Skypads.  Let Celebrity focus on smaller markets, or *GASP* create a new brand in the RCCL family.  

Yeah..that would make sense for sure....I mean...every ship now they are building holds 5000+....so then Celebrity would still be able to service smaller markets....interesting.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, jurrjurr said:

They could rebrand some Celebrity ships once Royal's older fleet goes out of commission.

I wouldn't bet on that. The Millennium class is already almost 20 years old and all of those ships, along with the Solstice class ships, are being fully upgraded in the Edge Revitalization program. The Millennium herself is already in dry dock, and sister ship Celebrity Summit follows right after.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The other problem with Radiance class is that they have the smallest number of suites in the fleet.  Even Vision class, Empress and Majesty have equal or more suites.  Royal is all about suites.

I'm not saying they are going away soon, they'll let them live out their life cycle.

If they can sell off the Vision class maybe Baltimore will get one.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This private island concept benefits RCL in the future because there will be guaranteed dock space for it to put its ships. With all the cruise lines adding ships, available ports (in particular those with docks) are in short supply. When a major storm occurs or a ships major mechanical failure, now there may be a nearby safe harbor. Smart thinking!

But, for the "...each markets idea of a perfect day is." ahhhh.......my perfect day while I'm vacation and already at a beach has nothing to do with screaming riders on roller coasters. 

Sadly, the members of the Royal Caribbean board room think they are competitive with Disney. Sorry fellas--not even close.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, twangster said:

That's how I see it.  Back filling for Vision and Radiance class disappearing over the next 10 years.

Radiance-class I think is safe for a while, due to their versatility, but they've been trying to get rid of the Visions for a while now.  Got rid of two, but haven't been able to unload the rest, so now they're gonna build them out of the fleet.

I think they really are trying to go for an all-big boat fleet, but it's really gonna water down the options, since there are still so many places that can't accommodate them.  The Oasis class pretty much run the same itinerary already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

True, however they dropped Ketchikan as a port, and I'm wondering if it's because Ovation is simply too big for that port (which doesn't bother me since I find Ketchikan incredibly dull).

Ketchikan isn't normally on the Seattle itineraries for Royal like it is for Celebrity.  For whatever reason, Royal only goes there on the one-way North/South runs on Radiance Class.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hope one of the Asian islands is in the Philippines.  7,102 of them (that's counting at low tide), your dollar/yen/peso would go far, and it'd be a big boost for the local economy.

Personal observation:  Filipinos are the Canadians of Asia.  Most people are fluent in at least 2 - probably 3 languages, they are polite, and it's easy to get them mixed up with Americans (In the best inbound call centers). :12_slight_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, twangster said:

That sure beats Canada where only 17.5% claim to be able to hold a conservation in two different languages.  

Good point, the Québécois are probably part of that percentage, too.  In the RP, a younger person walking behind an ox in a rice paddy probably learned 3 languages.  English, Tagalog (2 official languages) and his local tongue.  Ferdinand Marcos was a pretty brutal guy, but his legacy actually did a lot to help the average Filipino 40 years later,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding the small ship future.

I agree that there are some ports which the big ships just can not use but Royal trying to change it , few years ago we did not thought big ships can go to Alaska  then came explorer OTS and now Ovation OTS.

Same for Greece Islands , Only Vision and Radiance were on this route but next year explorer is going to Mykonos (which is tendering port) and Santorini.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Traveler said:

Regarding the small ship future.

I agree that there are some ports which the big ships just can not use but Royal trying to change it , few years ago we did not thought big ships can go to Alaska  then came explorer OTS and now Ovation OTS.

Same for Greece Islands , Only Vision and Radiance were on this route but next year explorer is going to Mykonos (which is tendering port) and Santorini.  

Even Anthem tenders at CocoCay.

Besides, whose to say Royal will always offer itineraries that require small ships?  If they can make more money or be more profitable on big ship itineraries why do small ship ones?

Sure, as long as they have small ships in the fleet, they'll operate those itineraries, but they are not going to keep or add small ships just to do small ship routes.  When the time comes in the future to lose Vision and later Radiance, they'll stop doing small routes.  

Look in the future.  Far into the future.  Twenty years from now.  Thirty years from now. Now build a timeline from present to that future time.  At some point on that time line Vision no longer exists.  At some point on that time line Radiance doesn't exist.  At some point on that time line Voyager doesn't exist.  At some point along that time line they'll stop offering the routes they offer today that require small ships. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Even Anthem tenders at CocoCay.

Besides, whose to say Royal will always offer itineraries that require small ships?  If they can make more money or be more profitable on big ship itineraries why do small ship ones?

Sure, as long as they have small ships in the fleet, they'll operate those itineraries, but they are not going to keep or add small ships just to do small ship routes.  When the time comes in the future to lose Vision and later Radiance, they'll stop doing small routes.  

Look in the future.  Far into the future.  Twenty years from now.  Thirty years from now. Now build a timeline from present to that future time.  At some point on that time line Vision no longer exists.  At some point on that time line Radiance doesn't exist.  At some point on that time line Voyager doesn't exist.  At some point along that time line they'll stop offering the routes they offer today that require small ships. 

Do not get me wrong , I love big ships , out of our 10 cruises 6 were on the Oasis class so I will not share any tears if the  Vision class will be gone.

Not like in the US were there is huge differences in cruise pricing between the big ships and the small ones  in Europe you can see many times that the price of the small ships is higher than even the Oasis class. One of the issues is that the Oasis class in Europe has only one route , and well after 4 time you are doing the same ports you are looking for something else.

The question will Royal want to risk such markets by letting people try other cruise lines or they will bring some new Radiance+ ships with much better design to server such routes (maybe in the winter they can do Asia/Middle east).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Traveler said:

The question will Royal want to risk such markets by letting people try other cruise lines or they will bring some new Radiance+ ships with much better design to server such routes (maybe in the winter they can do Asia/Middle east).

 

My money is on RCCL better aligning the loyalty programs between Royal and Celebrity.  Perhaps even earning points in a combined program when sailing either line.  Then Royal can focus on the mass family market with big ships while Celebrity can service routes with their smaller fleet.  With tighter integration between loyalty programs there will be less incentive to leave the family.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, twangster said:

My money is on RCCL better aligning the loyalty programs between Royal and Celebrity.  Perhaps even earning points in a combined program when sailing either line.  Then Royal can focus on the mass family market with big ships while Celebrity can service routes with their smaller fleet.  With tighter integration between loyalty programs there will be less incentive to leave the family.  

I'd argue this is already in progress as we speak. I had noticed when looking at the various 2020 sailing options for more "exotic" cruises that Royal had the annual transatlantic from Copenhagen to Boston. That itinerary is extremely similar to the one I've booked with Celebrity, replacing the ports in Canada on X with two ports in Norway on Royal, plus being one day longer. Yet the pricing is almost 100% identical for the two sailings.

             Royal 15-night (9/2/2020)     Celebrity 14-night (8/2/2020)
             -------------------------     -----------------------------
Inside       $2,023                        $1,949
Ocean View   $2,419                        $2,699
Balcony      $3,315                        $3,399

Hardly what you'd expect when looking at a "mass market" line vs. a "premium" sister line. Celebrity is charging a little more at the Ocean View and Verandah levels, but hardly the gap one might expect on hearing that X is a "premium" line. Considering that the Celebrity sailing is in peak season, while Royal's is in the shoulder season, it's basically equivalent in my book.

Maybe this is an outlier, as both itineraries are more "exotic"; but Brilliance and Celebrity Summit are identical ships in terms of basic specs -- same tonnage, same size, same passenger capacity. The amenities differ, of course, but that's kind of the point; especially with the refurbishment Summit it getting in a couple of months, I'm looking at this and thinking I'm getting a heck of an upgrade in experience and treatment for zero extra cost. And it's not like my kids would complain about a lack of things to do any less on Brilliance during the sea days; she doesn't have all those extra amenities of the bigger ships, and most of what she does have is outdoors and most likely wouldn't be usable during the sea days in those colder northern waters.

And I have it on record from a rep I spoke with at X that they're actively courting a younger demographic, trying to get more older families with teens to start sailing with them. Between that, what I'm seeing with itinerary pricing, and the already pretty good loyalty reciprocation, it sounds an awful lot to me like they're already working hard on a transition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...