Fifth Quantum class ship ordered

[Matt]

http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/11/03/royal-caribbean-orders-fifth-quantum-class-cruise-ship

 

Prediction time!

 

What will be her name and where will she sail from?

[WAAAYTOOO]

What's the 4th Q class ?

[DocLC]

Wow! I guess we could have guessed at least four based on previous class families, but I didn't expect it so soon given how long it took for Harmony after Allure.

[Matt]

What's the 4th Q class ?

 

All we know is there will be a 4th Quantum class ship and will be ready by 2019: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/05/07/royal-caribbean-orders-fourth-quantum-class-cruise-ship

 

Wow! I guess we could have guessed at least four based on previous class families, but I didn't expect it so soon given how long it took for Harmony after Allure.

 

I think the company is taking advantages of financial prosperity. Striking while the iron is hot, so to speak.

[monctonguy]

Wow, Is there really that much demand? That's a lot of new ships and they are all of the "Mega" size.....they must be doing very very well financially. I guess that's why they don't need to offer many last minute deals or promos to fill cabins.

 

 

I think Carnival has 1 new ship coming/built in the last 10 years or so? And as for Celebrity none that I know of recently....NCL has 1 new one planed for next year I think.....

 

(if I am wrong on my info, fill me in....just what I have generally seen, don't know specifics)

 

I guess RCI is doing quite well.

[jticarruthers]

I think Carnival and NCL are each popping out one a year for the next couple of years as well.

 

Haven't been impressed by the Q class reviews and since there aren't any out of Florida I don't see myself on one anytime soon. 

 

O class is too freaking expensive for the minimal upgrade over Freedom and her sisters.

 

Hopefully all the capacity drives down pricing but at least on Royals side they just seem to use it as an excuse to jack up the price for the "premium" ships.

[DocLC]

Wow, Is there really that much demand? That's a lot of new ships and they are all of the "Mega" size.....they must be doing very very well financially. I guess that's why they don't need to offer many last minute deals or promos to fill cabins.

 

 

I think Carnival has 1 new ship coming/built in the last 10 years or so? And as for Celebrity none that I know of recently....NCL has 1 new one planed for next year I think.....

 

(if I am wrong on my info, fill me in....just what I have generally seen, don't know specifics)

 

I guess RCI is doing quite well.

Actually, Carnival has had three new ships in the past three or so years including the Dream and the Breeze. In addition, they spent something like $155 million recreating the Destiny into the Sunshine. However, other than the Vista, there are no plans for new ships, surprisingly, unless they coopt some of the new build from the other brands. I think this will hurt Carnival and greatly benefit Royal as Carnival will only be able to compete on price against the new ships as their fleet is aging.

[WAAAYTOOO]

I agree. The Freedom and Voyager classes are very nice ships...and I ALWAYS enjoy sailing on them. I have cruises coming up on all 3 classes (Oasis class, too)....but the best bargain is the 11 day, southern Caribbean Christmas + New Year's cruise on the Navigator in a Grand Suite for ~$300 per person, per night, which includes taxes, port fees and gratuities. That's pretty darned good for a 2-holiday full suite. That cruise has gone up $2002 per person since I booked it in June. That cruise is now $500 per person, per day.

 

Book early !

[Jerel]

I'd like to see some new small ships, do they ever build small?

I know bigger is normally better, but they can make cool fancy small ships.

[DocLC]

I don't foresee any small ships in the future given that growth is likely rooted in attracting new cruisers and keeping them with the onboard features and amenities. In addition, they're making more money with the large ships and may be operating at a less per person cost because of economy of scale.

[Jerel]

I don't foresee any small ships in the future given that growth is likely rooted in attracting new cruisers and keeping them with the onboard features and amenities. In addition, they're making more money with the large ships and may be operating at a less per person cost because of economy of scale.

What you said makes total sense, it's probably bang on accurate, but it's no fun :(.

I'd just like to see a more modern take on small (<voyager), they offer a different and more intimate experience.

[Matt]

I'd like to see some new small ships, do they ever build small?

I know bigger is normally better, but they can make cool fancy small ships.

It'll be interesting to see if that happens.  The Quantum class came after Oasis class and was smaller, but not a huge difference either.

[DocLC]

What you said makes total sense, it's probably bang on accurate, but it's no fun :(.

I'd just like to see a more modern take on small (<voyager), they offer a different and more intimate experience.

Given Matt's blog post today regarding Royal [not] coming back to California, it appears to me that Royal wants to compete on "wow" and the onboard experience in order to retain the value of the brand. They clearly stated that they have no interest on competing on price.

[Matt]

Given Matt's blog post today regarding Royal [not] coming back to California, it appears to me that Royal wants to compete on "wow" and the onboard experience in order to retain the value of the brand. They clearly stated that they have no interest on competing on price.

Along those lines, they must also recognize many ports (especially European ones) are no where near being able to upgrade to accommodate mega ships BUT like you said, they may need newer ships for that WOW factor.  So I could see a scenario with new "small" ships.  

 

Or they will just trot out the Radiance and Vision class indefinitely, a la Majesty and Empress of the Seas.

[DocLC]

Perhaps Royal recognizes what an economic windfall cruises bring to the port cities and is banking on the likelihood that ports will make upgrades to accommodate these larger ships?  Given that their new builds are essentially planned through the end of this decade, the soonest we'd see a smaller ship would be sometime between 2020 and 2022, although I doubt that would even be a possibility.  I think they'll continue to refurb the smaller ships and use them for niche markets/ports that the larger ships have no hope of ever making it to (e.g., Norwegian Fjords). 

 

While I understand that Western Mexico isn't that appealing to most cruisers, I really wish they'd do more coastal cruises.  We did one on Celebrity that had a port everyday along the coast with an overnight in San Francisco.  The only foreign stop was Ensenada.  Everyone raved about the itinerary and I think it could potentially draw cruisers to the West Coast unlike the Mexican Riviera.

[monctonguy]

Yeah...its been 3-4 years since a new ship for Carnival.....but one coming in 2016.....Celebrity almost 4 years since  a new ship and NCL have had a cpl in the past 3 years or so.

 

 

But RCI has 4-5 just going back to 2014 to next year...and they are all mega sized.

 

I can't afford what RCI wants for their mega ships if I want to cruise 3-4 times a year so  I am hoping that the demand and pricing for the new ships will lower some costs on the "older" class ships.....maybe wishful thinking.

[DocLC]

Yeah...its been 3-4 years since a new ship for Carnival.....but one coming in 2016.....Celebrity almost 4 years since  a new ship and NCL have had a cpl in the past 3 years or so.

 

 

But RCI has 4-5 just going back to 2014 to next year...and they are all mega sized.

 

I can't afford what RCI wants for their mega ships if I want to cruise 3-4 times a year so  I am hoping that the demand and pricing for the new ships will lower some costs on the "older" class ships.....maybe wishful thinking.

I'm with you. Part of the reason we haven't sailed on the larger ships yet is the cost. We're trying Freedom class for the first time in January as we got a good price on the Liberty and are sailing on the Allure in 2017. We did take a break from Royal, especially when our son was younger, as we could sail the other lines, including Celebrity, for less money especially for the third berth. For example, my son often sails for free on Holland America and Disney was even cheaper than Royal when he was younger because they price on an age-based system.

[monctonguy]

After I complete the next 4 cruises I have with RCI by April 2016, I am going to have to serious take a look at NCL..I figure with the drink package and their cruise pricing, they are about 50-75% cheaper than what I am paying for RCI.

 

Maybe I will really like NCL...just sucks after 10 cruises in 3 years with RCI to have to contemplate leaving.....and see no return on my investment with them.

 

Not sure what NCL's loyalty program is or how it works..but even if they don't have one, its still a much better deal with them in the long run. Now how they compare for overall experience, I have no idea obviously.

[DocLC]

Variety is the spice of life and that's part of the fun about trying other lines. Of course, price isn't everything as I've heard NCL charges for onboard experiences (e.g., ice skating) that's included with Royal. Personally, I feel NCL nickel and dimes you the most, followed by Carnival and that the included food is better on Royal. The upside is that NCL's specialty restaurants are less expensive and some, like my wife, really enjoy the freestyle concept. Also keep in mind that NCL has the smallest cabins of all the major lines which may/may not be an issue for you. Their specials and lower base price to make it tempting, though, especially for their new ships.

[monctonguy]

I enjoy variety, but I also in some things like to stick with what I know and enjoy and build loyalty points or incentives. But I guess at some point you have to consider other options.

 

Sounds like NCL would be fine for me..I always book inside rooms as I only spend about 6 hrs at night sleeping in them out of the whole day...I enjoy lots of  drinks which are included often with NCL and I never splurge for extra fancy meals or restaurants...I am just there for sun, drinks, relax and explore on my own in port......

[bobroo]

Yeah...its been 3-4 years since a new ship for Carnival.....but one coming in 2016.....Celebrity almost 4 years since  a new ship and NCL have had a cpl in the past 3 years or so.

 

 

But RCI has 4-5 just going back to 2014 to next year...and they are all mega sized.

 

I can't afford what RCI wants for their mega ships if I want to cruise 3-4 times a year so  I am hoping that the demand and pricing for the new ships will lower some costs on the "older" class ships.....maybe wishful thinking.

I suspect that in addition to whatever justification the BoD at RCL uses to green light building a new ship, somewhere in that reasoning is an effort to keep the shipbuilders obligating time and energy to RCL. Meaning: there are only so many shipbuilders capable of building these type of ships. Each ship takes several years to build. Therefore if RCL keeps shipbuilders busy building RCL ships, they don't have time to build for other cruise lines. 

[jticarruthers]

Booked NCL Escape (new build) with a free drinks package for less than the comparable Freedom OTS sailing the same week.

 

Booked Carnival Vista (new build) for substantially less than Harmony OTS for next summer (Less of a true comparison as Harmony is O Class but weren't impressed enough by O Class to mortgage the house for it).

 

Turning Diamond this month and then taking a year off from RCL as their prices have pushed up high enough that it is worth considering the alternatives.

[Matt]

Turning Diamond this month and then taking a year off from RCL as their prices have pushed up high enough that it is worth considering the alternatives.

FWIW NCL is going heavy with the Spirit Airlines strategy...low fares and then upcharges for everything. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6633

[jticarruthers]

Dammit Matt, you made me go and look at some great sounds menus and now I have food cravings at 8 am , 6 months away from the cruise still !!

 

I have heard that NCL is more nickel and dime, but I figure the savings on the free alcohol package more than covers any nickel and diming from a "lets try it" standpoint.

 

I talked with my TA for a bit before booking and she said most of their clients that have liked Royal don't have a big problem with NCL except for those that don't care for the flexible dining options ... all I know is they have a free pub with some good sounding food to go with my free beers so worst case I can just live there or at Margaritaville for the cruise :)

[bobroo]

I suspect that in addition to whatever justification the BoD at RCL uses to green light building a new ship, somewhere in that reasoning is an effort to keep the shipbuilders obligating time and energy to RCL. Meaning: there are only so many shipbuilders capable of building these type of ships. Each ship takes several years to build. Therefore if RCL keeps shipbuilders busy building RCL ships, they don't have time to build for other cruise lines. 

 

Another thing, irregardless of how one feels about RCL pricing; it's undeniable that at this point in time RCL ships are sailing at or above capacity. I believe every sailing is full. Therefore, -at this point in time- RCL needs to have more ships in the water.

 

A note about RCL pricing in comparison to other alternatives. I think RCL is priced in line with Sandals, Club Med, or a stay at a Fairmont hotel. At the end of the day, when all taxes, cost of booze, excursions, etc. is taken into account. Compared to other cruise lines??? Well, RCL sure ain't as expensive as some, that's for sure!!!

[Marc]

FWIW NCL is going heavy with the Spirit Airlines strategy...low fares and then upcharges for everything. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6633

 

To be fair, the items mentioned in that article about NCL are also somewhat true about Royal Caribbean. RCI has had upcharge items on their main dining room menu for a couple of years now, and a la carte restaurants aren't something new either as they have them in some venues on some ships.

[monctonguy]

Well of course there are the some cruise lines that are expensive as heck...but when comparing the main stream/common/popular ones for around North America that the average person can/does cruise...we are really taking about Carnival/NCL/RCI.....you can maybe throw some others like Holland and Princess in there as well.

 

But at the end of the day...RCI is the pricey one out of that group. When I search for cruises out of Florida to the Caribbean and Bahamas, RCI is usually the most expensive with the least amount of perks thrown in.

[DocLC]

USA Today ran an article a few years ago suggesting that even the pricing of the ultra premium lines are comparable to Royal, Princess, etc. if you make use of all the included perks (transfers, tours, wine with dinner, etc.). While this may or may not be true, I'd rather save some money as I don't need wine with my dinner although I recognize that's important for others.

[bcarney]

FWIW NCL is going heavy with the Spirit Airlines strategy...low fares and then upcharges for everything. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6633

 

That's an understatement.  I'm half expecting NCL to announce that they're going to weigh you when you board the ship, and then when you disembark, and you'll be billed extra for any additional weight you've put on.