Adventure Redeployed - International Maritime Organization Speed Regulations?

[wordell1]

I received the following last night regarding my Jan 2024 cruise on AOS.  The change is no big deal to me, but I was curious as to the speed regulations and why that necessitated the change.

 

ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

Dear Guest, The International Maritime Organization recently shared new speed regulations we must adhere to and as a result, we’ve repositioned some of our ships for our upcoming 2023/2024 season. Our original plan for Adventure of the Seas was to continue offering sailings departing from Galveston, Texas through April 25th, 2024. Instead, Adventure will now sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida beginning May 4th, 2023. Voyager of the Seas will now take Adventure’s place in Texas and will offer similar itineraries! Starting July 28th, 2022, we’ll automatically move you to the new Voyager of the Seas sailing departing on the same day as your original Adventure of the Seas cruise. You’ll receive like-for-like accommodations onboard Voyager of the Seas, and your amenities will remain the same. Your vacation is important to us. While we’re confident you’ll have an amazing time onboard Voyager and enjoy many of the same features as Adventure, we still want you to have the flexibility to make the best decision for you and those in your party. Below, we’ve outlined your options along with a few additional details. Option 1: Stay onboard the new Voyager of the Seas cruise. We’ll automatically move you to the Voyager of the Seas sailing departing on the same day as your original cruise. So, there’s nothing for you to do! Your new sailing will still offer the same beautiful ports as your original cruise, and it’ll depart from the same destination. We’ll move you to a like-for-like stateroom and your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution. Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing. If you prefer to re-book another sailing, we’ll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees. Please know, you’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution. Option 3: If you can’t find a new itinerary that works for you and choose to cancel, we’ll be sad to see you go. You’ll receive: A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment within 14 business days – some international banking and financial institutions may have a processing time of approximately 30 business days. If you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing, and you request a refund instead, we’ll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount, and we’ll reinstate your original certificate. If you booked your airfare through Royal Caribbean International, it will be automatically refunded to you. However, if you booked on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them. Please know, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation. Please note, any Cruise Planner purchases for your original Adventure of the Seas sailing will automatically be cancelled and refunded to your original form of payment. Feel free to re-book these items on your new ship and sail date. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to shifting an entire season of sailings and rebooking all guests, so we ask for your patience as we work to make this process as easy as possible for you. All moves will be completed by August 18th, 2022, and we’ll send an updated reservation confirmation with your revised details to the email address on file as soon as your reservation has been completely updated with the pricing fully adjusted. If you decide to go with Option 2 or 3, please call us at 888-281-9344 or contact your Travel Advisor by August 18th, 2022. And know, hold times may be longer than usual. If we haven’t heard from you by August 18th, 2022, you’ll remain booked on the alternate Voyager of the Seas sailing. If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at:  1 888 281 9344 in the U.S. 1800 754 500 in Australia / 0800 102 123 in New Zealand In the UK only, by using our webchat service or by calling 0344 493 4005 All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number. Thank you for understanding, and we hope you find another cruise with us. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge, we have no doubt your time with us will be nothing short of amazing. Sincerely, Aurora Yera-Rodriguez AVP | Guest Experience Royal Caribbean International

[WAAAYTOOO]

I have the exact opposite happening.  We are currently booked on VY in December 2023 (B2B Christmas and NY) and it has been switched over to AD.  So it looks like they are just switching these 2 ships....which makes no apparent sense to me...but I guess we don't need to know the reasons for these changes.

[twangster]

I think we are all scratching our heads on this swap.  

The new IMO regulations were cited for the Brilliance - Enchantment swap in Alaska and Australia which is a more significant change.  It's not clear in the case or Adventure - Voyager why they need to swap ships.  

 

[F1guynz]

It is hard to find much information but I guess the underlying reasons for changes relate to these rules in some. Still doesn’t make immediate sense as to why two identical ships need to be swapped.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-07/cruise-liners-try-to-rewrite-climate-rules-despite-vows

This is a quote from a document I found on the IMO website:

What about speed as a measure?

The initial GHG strategy adopted by IMO includes a range of candidate short-term measures – including: “consider and analyse the use of speed optimization and speed reduction as a measure, taking into account safety issues, distance travelled, distortion of the market or to trade and that such measure does not impact on shipping's capability to serve remote geographic areas”.

So this is certainly something that Member States are discussing.

The guidelines for the mandatory Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) already refer to "speed optimization" as a potential approach to improve the energy efficiency of the ship, recognizing that speed optimization can produce significant savings.

The 2016 Guidelines for the development of a ship energy efficiency management plan (SEEMP) can be downloaded here.

 

 

reducing emissions by 2030 seems to be the goal.

 

[smokeybandit]

Maybe "Adventure" sounds faster than "Voyager" so they made the switch

[wordell1]

9 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Maybe "Adventure" sounds faster than "Voyager" so they made the switch

Voyager is amped and Adventure is not. I'm not sure if they did anything with the engines.  It's the only difference I see.

[smokeybandit]

10 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

Voyager is amped and Adventure is not. I'm not sure if they did anything with the engines.  It's the only difference I see.

Amping was just amenities

[twangster]

Voyager is shorter than Adventure (fewer characters in the name).

That makes it quicker (to speak).   Therefore it is preferred on the longer runs across the Gulf.  

[DarinM]

My March 2024 Voyager 8 night out of Port Canaveral just got moved to an 8 night Adventure out of Port Canaveral but with a different itinerary (maybe). So looks like going from Lauderdale to Canaveral at some point.

 

[KevinJ]

Our May/June B2B switched from Voyager to Adventure. We're not sure what we're going to do. The big draw for this cruise was the particular cabin we had 1108, doesn't exist on Adventure.

[Shari]

This may be the reason for the Adventure/Voyager swap, according to information on Wikipedia Adventure has a speed of 22.5 knots while Voyager has a speed of 23.7 knots.  There must be some sort of speed limit at one of the destinations that Voyager was going to be visiting and now Adventure has to take its place.

[smokeybandit]

9 minutes ago, Shari said:

This may be the reason for the Adventure/Voyager swap, according to information on Wikipedia Adventure has a speed of 22.5 knots while Voyager has a speed of 23.7 knots.  There must be some sort of speed limit at one of the destinations that Voyager was going to be visiting and now Adventure has to take its place.

Those are max speeds. Cruise ships rarely go at max speed.

[Shari]

12 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Those are max speeds. Cruise ships rarely go at max speed.

Yes also Voyager has a slightly different propulsion system and is slightly lighter than Adventure.  It could be that max speed possibility is what a certain port may limit.

 

[Shari]

This may also explain it.  In order to have a reduced speed the ports of call need to be closer for Voyager to meet the new open ocean speed limits for climate change emission reduction.  IMO Urged to Consider Mandatory Speed Limits for Ships (gcaptain.com)

 

[smokeybandit]

31 minutes ago, Shari said:

This may also explain it.  In order to have a reduced speed the ports of call need to be closer for Voyager to meet the new open ocean speed limits for climate change emission reduction.  IMO Urged to Consider Mandatory Speed Limits for Ships (gcaptain.com)

 

That's from 2019 though. The idea got shelved soon after

 

https://gcaptain.com/carriers-relieved-as-imo-tables-proposal-for-mandatory-ship-speed-limits/

[Done]

Now cruise ships will need to be outfitted with radar detectors????  

[Shari]

Page 11 of new regulations adopted June 2022 deal with speed optimization.  MEPC.346(78).pdf (imo.org)  I wouldn't want to operate a ship over 400 tons at this time.  The constant changes to regulations that require self monitoring, continuous log keeping, and complex calculations in order to meet the regulatory goals is overwhelming.

[teddy]

2 hours ago, DarinM said:

My March 2024 Voyager 8 night out of Port Canaveral just got moved to an 8 night Adventure out of Port Canaveral but with a different itinerary (maybe). So looks like going from Lauderdale to Canaveral at some point.

 

We were booked on Voyager for an 8-night leaving from Port Canaveral on March 1, 2024. 

 

We don't mind going Adventure instead, but we really want to get the same cabin we were in on Voyager.  We booked very early to get an aft balcony.  It appears that cabin 9692 is basically the same on both ships...our fingers are crossed.

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, Shari said:

Page 11 of new regulations adopted June 2022 deal with speed optimization.  MEPC.346(78).pdf (imo.org)  I wouldn't want to operate a ship over 400 tons at this time.  The constant changes to regulations that require self monitoring, continuous log keeping, and complex calculations in order to meet the regulatory goals is overwhelming.

There's nothing definitive in there. Just conceptual ways to improve efficiency. Certainly nothing to actually drive redeployments. But I guess it makes for good cover.

[RWDW1204]

2 hours ago, teddy said:

We were booked on Voyager for an 8-night leaving from Port Canaveral on March 1, 2024. 

 

We don't mind going Adventure instead, but we really want to get the same cabin we were in on Voyager.  We booked very early to get an aft balcony.  It appears that cabin 9692 is basically the same on both ships...our fingers are crossed.

We're on November 2023. It looks like they've already put us in the same cabin. It's the only one not available to book right now, hopefully because it's ours.

[DarinM]

2 hours ago, teddy said:

We were booked on Voyager for an 8-night leaving from Port Canaveral on March 1, 2024. 

 

We don't mind going Adventure instead, but we really want to get the same cabin we were in on Voyager.  We booked very early to get an aft balcony.  It appears that cabin 9692 is basically the same on both ships...our fingers are crossed.

We were on the March 29th 2024 Voyager cruise. Right now when I look as if I'm doing a new booking the itinerary is different then our original one. The original Voyager was to Aruba, Bonaire and Labadee. The Adventure one they are selling currently is to Labadee, St. Thomas, St Croix and the Dominican Republic. My TA seems to think they just haven't updated the system yet. The wording in the letter seems to indicate that it should be the same itinerary, but who knows. I'm pretty sure these are new listings as she was supposed to be in Galveston at the time. No biggie either way we like both of them. Although we haven't been to St. Croix or the Dominican yet. EDIT: Also looked and our cabin is not available so we might of already been unofficially moved over.

 

[teddy]

I figure things will shake out in time.  It’s a long enough way off that I’m not really concerned. 
 

We’ve been on Adventure three times and enjoyed ourselves each sailing.  

[D Alt]

Oh this scared me. I'm on Adventure in October and thought, Oh No, not another switch.  But thankfully doesn't apply my sailing. 

[DJL]

This seems to say that 'something' is changing this year and early next year -- https://www.omm.com/resources/alerts-and-publications/alerts/maritime-environmental-law-update-february-2022-edition/