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2017 Royal Caribbean prediction thread


Matt

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1. Complete reversal of the balcony smoking policy.

2. Announcement of a substantially larger than oasis class of ships code named (Zulu class). 2 Zulu class headed to Asia and 2 Zulu to replace Oasis & Harmony in Fort Lauderdale.

3. New dining venues including concepts from Steve Martarano and Nobu.

** I know people who know "people".

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A second ship home ported at Bayonne or Baltimore - If Bayonne, Freedom Class ..... If Baltimore, Vision Class --- They can be doing opposing short cruises to Bermuda and longer ones to the Bahamas simultaneously.

 

Adding a brand new east coast port --- perhaps Charleston .... (ok, a person can dream)

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Ready, Matt?  

 

Smoking policy changes.

Total ban? No way.

 

A standard promotion like Celebrity where you pick your perk.

 

Announcement of a ship being home ported, at least seasonally, out of California.

 

Replacement of Cats on Oasis.

Are these predictions or wishes?  ;)

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Only 3+ hours drive from Baltimore. Would love to see a second or larger ship from that port. I think there are limitations due to the bridge clearances. Really like the freedom class but doubt that they would pass. Not having the expense or hassle of flying would mean more cruises for us!! So, I'm hoping that prediction comes true!

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Only 3+ hours drive from Baltimore. Would love to see a second or larger ship from that port. I think there are limitations due to the bridge clearances. Really like the freedom class but doubt that they would pass. Not having the expense or hassle of flying would mean more cruises for us!! So, I'm hoping that prediction comes true!

 

I couldn't agree with you more .... we're 3 hours due west ...... but you're right, both bridges create limitations .... not even sure if Radiance class would fit .... we know definitely not Voyager Class or anything larger ..... There would have to be a whole new terminal built south of the Bay Bridge, and that would be a major expense.

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1. Royal will open up sailings to North Korea.

 

2. I don't think they would ever allow dogs on board, but cats yes.

 

3. Maybe Oasis 4 will reveal some sort of slingshot or catapult ride that flings you into the ocean, imagine how fun that would be! Only in port of course, let's be sensible.

Plus it could be a good way to get rid of rotten food when a carnival ship is in sight.

 

4. Water ski or inner tube rides at sea.

 

5. This last one may sound a little nuts but... I'd like to see some volunteering excursions. ShoreTrips offers some, animal hospitals, seniors complexes, kids at schools. They seem like a good way to help locals and get a real feal for the community. They tend to also ask for donations of clothes as well as your time, I can see both helping. The ones I've looked at (haven't tried any yet) also give you some beach time at the end of the day.

Royal should be all over that.

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1. Cuba will be very successful after passengers come back with good reviews--as a port. But there will be many negatives with Empress, i.e.. no specialty dining, no solarium, lacking the bells and whistles. However, Azamara is going to do Cuba right and RCL should take notice.

 

2. Prices are going up, but there will be a BOGO from Jan 1- Dec 31.

 

3. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and The Big Red Boat all gang up together with lobbyist and get the Jones Act repealed. Trump does this via Twitter.

 

4. Harmony will continue to be a destination in and of itself. Continued WOW! through 2017.

 

5. Passangers come to find Tampa as a preferred port to sail from. The people are nice. Not nearly the traffic as other Florida ports. And it's new and clean! 

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I have no idea really.......but here are some thoughts and wishes.

 

I think the smoking issue will bring some changes. I am not sure what yet. I think that a very simple solution would be to introduce a smoking bar/casino and that would resolve a lot of issues and complaints. But who knows.

 

I think RCI needs to start offering some "free" perks with their cruise fare. Seeing as Celebrity and NCL almost always offer 1 of 4 perks type thing to choose, RCI needs to offer something along with their high prices.

 

I am surprised to hear they are only building mega ships. I would like to see some new mid-size announced. I think that they are going to overbuild and will have more than demand requires. But not so far I guess.

 

A ship based out of the Northeast (Boston)would be nice.....at least for a good portion of the year...say April to Dec or something....driving distance would be nice for us here for sure and I think the demand would be there?!

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5. This last one may sound a little nuts but... I'd like to see some volunteering excursions. ShoreTrips offers some, animal hospitals, seniors complexes, kids at schools. They seem like a good way to help locals and get a real feel for the community. They tend to also ask for donations of clothes as well as your time, I can see both helping. The ones I've looked at (haven't tried any yet) also give you some beach time at the end of the day.
Royal should be all over that. 

Jerel, Fathom Cruise Lines (Carnival) tried this about a year ago and it failed miserably, it is no longer in business.

 

In 2017 I think RCCL should add more cabin options for solo cruisers. RCCL has the Interior Virtual, Interior Promenade, Studio Ocean Views, why not Studio Balconies, just more options and a larger cabin than 100 sq. ft. and at a better price than double the cost of the cabin.  Don't relegate us to just a tiny interior.

 

I agree with the smoking ban or having it located in just one place on the ships.

 

I think more intensive shore excursions with lecturers onboard who will accompany you on the excursion, doing things passengers never imagined were possible on a cruise.

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5. This last one may sound a little nuts but... I'd like to see some volunteering excursions. ShoreTrips offers some, animal hospitals, seniors complexes, kids at schools. They seem like a good way to help locals and get a real feel for the community. They tend to also ask for donations of clothes as well as your time, I can see both helping. The ones I've looked at (haven't tried any yet) also give you some beach time at the end of the day.Royal should be all over that. 

Jerel, Fathom Cruise Lines (Carnival) tried this about a year ago and it failed miserably, it is no longer in business.

 

In 2017 I think RCCL should add more cabin options for solo cruisers. RCCL has the Interior Virtual, Interior Promenade, Studio Ocean Views, why not Studio Balconies, just more options and a larger cabin than 100 sq. ft. and at a better price than double the cost of the cabin.  Don't relegate us to just a tiny interior.

 

I agree with the smoking ban or having it located in just one place on the ships.

 

I think more intensive shore excursions with lecturers onboard who will accompany you on the excursion, doing things passengers never imagined were possible on a cruise.

I heard about the Fathom failure but I believe the whole cruise was designed around volenteering. I think just having excursion options would be good.

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I heard about the Fathom failure but I believe the whole cruise was designed around volenteering. I think just having excursion options would be good.

 

Fathom is still in business for now, and operating cruises until May 2017, at which time its owner Carnival will discontinue its operation as a dedicated cruise line, and begin operating it as a "branded experience of offering volunteer activities as shore excursions" across a variety of Carnival lines (e.g. Carnival, Holland America, Princess, etc.).  So it's not out-of-the-question that option could be considered by RCCL.

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Only 3+ hours drive from Baltimore. Would love to see a second or larger ship from that port. I think there are limitations due to the bridge clearances. Really like the freedom class but doubt that they would pass. Not having the expense or hassle of flying would mean more cruises for us!! So, I'm hoping that prediction comes true!

30 minutes from Baltimore. Would love a larger/newer ship ported there. Very doubtful with the bridge, as you said. Too bad the terminal isn't a wee south of Annapolis. No bridge issues.

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I heard about the Fathom failure but I believe the whole cruise was designed around volenteering. I think just having excursion options would be good.

 

Fathom can't survive b/c it is expensive to operate a line with one ship, especially when it can only hit a profitable route every other week.  They created fathom to make the Cuba travl possible, and in the next few months we'll likely see more long-term permits issued by Cuba to US cruise lines - CCL seems confident in that.

 

I guess my point is, if you look at Fathom under traditional optics, you can call it a failure, but it succeeded in being the first, getting the buzz going, and breaking the proverbial seal on Cuba sailings.  Much learned from them as well - for other CCL brands and the industry as a whole.

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A standard promotion like Celebrity where you pick your perk.

 

Announcement of a ship being home ported, at least seasonally, out of California.

 

Replacement of Cats on Oasis.

Would love to see Cats replaced. I love the Oasis but we would have loved a different show offered this April. But alas...must watch Cats twice.

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Fathom can't survive b/c it is expensive to operate a line with one ship, especially when it can only hit a profitable route every other week.  They created fathom to make the Cuba travl possible, and in the next few months we'll likely see more long-term permits issued by Cuba to US cruise lines - CCL seems confident in that.

 

I guess my point is, if you look at Fathom under traditional optics, you can call it a failure, but it succeeded in being the first, getting the buzz going, and breaking the proverbial seal on Cuba sailings.  Much learned from them as well - for other CCL brands and the industry as a whole.

Not to make this into a Fathom thread, but I'm not sure how I view Fathom in the grand scheme of cruising.  It's claim to fame was it was the first cruise line to offer cruises to Cuba.  They cornered the market on that distinction for many months, angling with the voluntourism options to make it happen.  I believe they went this route to ensure a first-to-market approach that would garner a tremendous amount of revenue with early interest.

 

As you mentioned, the business model did not work because their non-Cuba itineraries did not sell well, and you can also argue their Cuba sailings may or may not have been a home run (financially) either.  I think it's clear many shied away from the cruise simply because the voluntourism idea did not resonate well. That and Fathom may not have made a deep-impact in getting the attention of the average consumer.

 

Overall, I think it was a failure in the sense Carnival launched a cruise line to serve the voluntourism sector.  You can argue if that was simply a veiled attempt to get in on Cuba first or not, but if the model had worked, they would not be shutting down operations. They may have succeeded in bringing the idea of voluntourism to a more prominent place and other ancillary benefits, but Carnival launched the line to make money and clearly that was not happening.

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5. Passangers come to find Tampa as a preferred port to sail from. The people are nice. Not nearly the traffic as other Florida ports. And it's new and clean!

 

Need more (and year-round) sailings out of Tampa!

 

Also heard rumors about them building a new terminal somewhere outside the skyway, so could accommodate some of the bigger boats, but apparently was just a vague idea without real intent.

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I am surprised to hear they are only building mega ships. I would like to see some new mid-size announced. I think that they are going to overbuild and will have more than demand requires. But not so far I guess.

I think you're right. At some point they're gonna overdo it, and end up with a fleet of massive, expensive boats that can't turn a profit because they can't keep em full.

I'd actually like to see a return of the smaller boats. Maybe a new generation of Sovereigns...

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Especially when many other cruise lines are also adding mega ships.....just this year I think there are about 8 new BIG ships being added among the cruise lines. Eventually, supply is going to outweigh demand for one of these cruise lines. And wth RCI's higher than average prices and no perks included, I think they could be the first to suffer when that happens.

 

 

BUT, I would be ok with that if it meant some lower pricing or price wars between the cruise lines!

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