Anthem to Asia! Any idea on repositioning cruise?

[Pattycruise]

I saw Matt’s blog that Anthem will go to Asia.  Any idea when a repositioning cruise would happen and from where?

[smokeybandit]

That'd be a fun trip. Suez Canal I'd imagine.

[Xaa]

I would be very interested in it.

[Geoff P]

Wonder if that means Odyssey is taking over for Anthem long term out of Bayonne?  That will put 4 of the Q class over in Australia/Asia

[teddy]

14 minutes ago, Geoff P said:

Wonder if that means Odyssey is taking over for Anthem long term out of Bayonne?  That will put 4 of the Q class over in Australia/Asia

We're booked on Odyssey out of Cape Liberty in January 2025

[FionaMG]

Anthem is sailing out of Southampton for the summer 2024 season. The last cruise finishes mid-October. And she has to fit in a dry dock at some point after that, which isn't going to leave much time for a repo. But if there is going to be one, I'd guess it would have to be either from Southampton or from somewhere in the Med area.

[Geoff P]

21 minutes ago, teddy said:

We're booked on Odyssey out of Cape Liberty in January 2025

I was looking at the early 2025 sailings as well…just wondering if it’s only going to be one year up here for Odyssey or if it will be back again after that season

[Pattycruise]

I’m booked on Odyssey for Feb 25, can’t wait to try a new ship out of Bayonne.  I’m hearing it’s not a “winter ship” like Anthem so it will be interesting to see how the sailing is.

 

[FionaMG]

2 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

I’m booked on Odyssey for Feb 25, can’t wait to try a new ship out of Bayonne.  I’m hearing it’s not a “winter ship” like Anthem so it will be interesting to see how the sailing is.

 

I think basically it boils down to there not being an indoor family pool. If you're travelling with kids that could impact the first and last days when the weather is likely to be less than friendly. And even if you're not it could mean that other indoor spaces will be busier on those days because people that would be using that indoor pool will be occupying space in other indoor venues.

Having sailed both, I felt that better use was made of the upper floor of the seaplex on Odyssey than on Anthem, where that area seemed very bare, so that may help.

 

 

[Aashi]

On 5/15/2023 at 10:14 PM, Pattycruise said:

I saw Matt’s blog that Anthem will go to Asia.  Any idea when a repositioning cruise would happen and from where?

Hi friend

While I don't know the specifics of Anthem's repositioning trip to Asia, the best approach to discover up-to-date and accurate information would be to follow Matt's blog or contact cruise companies directly.Networth

[twangster]

21 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Anthem is sailing out of Southampton for the summer 2024 season. The last cruise finishes mid-October. And she has to fit in a dry dock at some point after that, which isn't going to leave much time for a repo. But if there is going to be one, I'd guess it would have to be either from Southampton or from somewhere in the Med area.

I'm guessing Anthem will dry dock in 2025 on schedule.  Both Ovation and Quantum have been using a dry dock right in Singapore so I'm betting that's is where Anthem will dry dock.  Dry docking early would mess up her 5 year preventaive maintenance schedule.  

[twangster]

Press release

https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1644/royal-caribbean-sets-course-for-new-2024-adventures-in-china-and-a-new-ship-in-singapore//

No word on a revenue repo cruise yet.

[FionaMG]

5 minutes ago, twangster said:

Press release

https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1644/royal-caribbean-sets-course-for-new-2024-adventures-in-china-and-a-new-ship-in-singapore//

No word on a revenue repo cruise yet.

Watching like a hawk just in case there is one even though the chances we would be able to make it work for us are minimal. Doesn't cost anything to dream.

[Xaa]

7 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

Doesn't cost anything to dream.

If we don't have any good dreams, all we have are nightmares. 

[teddy]

4 minutes ago, Xaa said:

If we don't have any good dreams, all we have are nightmares. 

 

We’d love to sail in Asia, but the airfares are pretty much the nightmare part of it. 
 

 

[Joe01]

With Anthem going to Asia, that's now 4 of the 5 ships in the Asia-Pacific region and only one in the Western/Atlantic region, which is quite strange for a company like Royal. Has Quantum Class really flopped that badly in the West? I'm going to guess the Florida deployment was an experiment until Icon came in but with that now happening and Odyssey losing her 'new ship' status soon, they don't need her in Florida any more.

I enjoyed sailing out of Civitavecchia though and it looks like that region is left without a ship, unless Anthem might do that in summer 2025 and only doing Singapore in Winter (not unheard of - Legend rotated between Italy & Singapore around 2007/08 for a couple of years)

[FionaMG]

44 minutes ago, teddy said:

 

We’d love to sail in Asia, but the airfares are pretty much the nightmare part of it. 
 

 

Sounds about right.

[Plumlee2028]

2 hours ago, Joe01 said:

With Anthem going to Asia, that's now 4 of the 5 ships in the Asia-Pacific region and only one in the Western/Atlantic region, which is quite strange for a company like Royal. Has Quantum Class really flopped that badly in the West? I'm going to guess the Florida deployment was an experiment until Icon came in but with that now happening and Odyssey losing her 'new ship' status soon, they don't need her in Florida any more.

I enjoyed sailing out of Civitavecchia though and it looks like that region is left without a ship, unless Anthem might do that in summer 2025 and only doing Singapore in Winter (not unheard of - Legend rotated between Italy & Singapore around 2007/08 for a couple of years)

2 of them spend half the year in Alaska, which while not atlantic per se, is stilll the North American market.  They just also have a lot of capacity in the Caribbean and Med with soon 6 Oasis class and 1 Icon, with two more Icon on the way.  I dont think its about flopping, its about putting each ship where they make the most money as part of the group.  

[parkyy2k]

Any ideas which ship will replace Anthem out of Southampton?

[twangster]

3 hours ago, parkyy2k said:

Any ideas which ship will replace Anthem out of Southampton?

Odyssey has been stated as taking over for Anthem, both in Bayonne for the winter and in Southampton for the summer, just like Anthem does.

 

[JasonOasis]

17 hours ago, Joe01 said:

With Anthem going to Asia, that's now 4 of the 5 ships in the Asia-Pacific region and only one in the Western/Atlantic region, which is quite strange for a company like Royal. Has Quantum Class really flopped that badly in the West? I'm going to guess the Florida deployment was an experiment until Icon came in but with that now happening and Odyssey losing her 'new ship' status soon, they don't need her in Florida any more.

I enjoyed sailing out of Civitavecchia though and it looks like that region is left without a ship, unless Anthem might do that in summer 2025 and only doing Singapore in Winter (not unheard of - Legend rotated between Italy & Singapore around 2007/08 for a couple of years)

Quantum class has not flopped in the west/Atlantic region. 

By mid-fall of 2024 Royal will have 6 Oasis Class ships sailing from ports in Florida and Galveston that is a lot of capacity.  Add in Odyssey which is a Quantum Plus class ship that is a lot of capacity especially out of Florida where 5 of the 6 Oasis Class ships will be based.  I still think at some point one of the 6 Oasis Class ships will reposition to China and perhaps Royal will reposition Spectrum back to Singapore and eventually bring Anthem back home to the US.  However until demand has recovered in China to warrant a ship like Wonder Royal has decided to reposition Spectrum to China and Anthem to Singapore.  I believe this is more Royal trying to find the right balance by making sure the have the right ships on the right itineraries to meet demand. Clearly the Chinese market is a huge market however it would seem as though Royal believes putting an Oasis Class ship in China right out of the gate in 2024 is too much and would rather reposition Spectrum.  As has been discussed Singapore was the first country to allow cruising to resume and Royal was right there in Singapore with a Quantum Class ship.  Obviously Royal isn't willing to cede the marketshare they have in Singapore to another cruise line while they rebuild in China.  There options are clear they must replace Spectrum with another ship and the best ship that has nearly the same capacity as Spectrum is Anthem.

What I wonder is what will replace Odyssey on Greek Isles, Mediterranean, and Israeli cruises come summer 2025?

[KristiZ]

It's too cold to sail an Oasis class ship out of China year-round. Best fit for the market is Quantum class.

[twangster]

13 hours ago, KristiZ said:

It's too cold to sail an Oasis class ship out of China year-round. Best fit for the market is Quantum class.

And yet if the plan had moved forward as intended Wonder would have been there for this past winter.  

[KristiZ]

10 hours ago, twangster said:

And yet if the plan had moved forward as intended Wonder would have been there for this past winter.  

I'm guessing that plan would have changed when they realized how often it gets below freezing in Shanghai in the winter. Even Hong Kong will occasionally get quite cold, based on winds from the north. Central Park would not have enjoyed that!

Easy enough to move an Oasis ship to Singapore during the winter, though, so not really a problem.

Makes sense why they would want the Quantum class flexibility right now which things are still developing however.

[twangster]

8 hours ago, KristiZ said:

I'm guessing that plan would have changed when they realized how often it gets below freezing in Shanghai in the winter. Even Hong Kong will occasionally get quite cold, based on winds from the north. Central Park would not have enjoyed that!

Easy enough to move an Oasis ship to Singapore during the winter, though, so not really a problem.

Makes sense why they would want the Quantum class flexibility right now which things are still developing however.

They may have selected more robust plants for Wonder originally with that in mind.  On the Wonder inaugural from Florida their horticulturalist said all plantings present in Central Park were originally picked for China and most would not survive the Caribbean heat.  They have since been replaced over time. 

Wonder had bookings in China they cancelled when they redeployed her to Florida.  It was going there.  At some point in the future an oasis class ship is heading to China.  I'm hoping it's one I've already sailed as opposed to the rumored OA7.   

[Shanenz84]

With Icon II due around Q2 2025, this could replace Wonder out of PC, and then Wonder would be free to head to Asia if the demand is there.

[Jill]

On 5/17/2023 at 8:09 AM, JasonOasis said:

Quantum class has not flopped in the west/Atlantic region. 

By mid-fall of 2024 Royal will have 6 Oasis Class ships sailing from ports in Florida and Galveston that is a lot of capacity.  Add in Odyssey which is a Quantum Plus class ship that is a lot of capacity especially out of Florida where 5 of the 6 Oasis Class ships will be based.  I still think at some point one of the 6 Oasis Class ships will reposition to China and perhaps Royal will reposition Spectrum back to Singapore and eventually bring Anthem back home to the US.  However until demand has recovered in China to warrant a ship like Wonder Royal has decided to reposition Spectrum to China and Anthem to Singapore.  I believe this is more Royal trying to find the right balance by making sure the have the right ships on the right itineraries to meet demand. Clearly the Chinese market is a huge market however it would seem as though Royal believes putting an Oasis Class ship in China right out of the gate in 2024 is too much and would rather reposition Spectrum.  As has been discussed Singapore was the first country to allow cruising to resume and Royal was right there in Singapore with a Quantum Class ship.  Obviously Royal isn't willing to cede the marketshare they have in Singapore to another cruise line while they rebuild in China.  There options are clear they must replace Spectrum with another ship and the best ship that has nearly the same capacity as Spectrum is Anthem.

What I wonder is what will replace Odyssey on Greek Isles, Mediterranean, and Israeli cruises come summer 2025?

Glad I did Holy Land last year on Odyssey. If she goes to Southampton that seals the deal for me going to Norwegian Fjords. Had been debating between Jewel and Anthem but we really liked Odyssey so if she ends up in the UK, that’s where we’ll be 

[twangster]

8 hours ago, Shanenz84 said:

With Icon II due around Q2 2025, this could replace Wonder out of PC, and then Wonder would be free to head to Asia if the demand is there.

I think Wonder or Utopia are potential candidates.  It will be interesting to see if any signage on Utopia is bilingual.

As far as winters go, Royal had home ported Wonder in Hong Kong for the winter months before they cancelled those bookings.  Hong Kong winters appear to be kind of similar to Port Canaveral.  In Port Canaveral an occasional frost warning is not unheard of during a typical winter.  Residents cover temperature sensitive plants around their homes.  Hong Kong appears to be similar.  The coldest temperature ever recorded in Hong Kong is 0°C  versus -3.9°C for Port Canaveral.  

If Central Park can survive Florida winters I don't see why they couldn't survive a Hong Kong winter.

[Robin Eng]

On 5/15/2023 at 1:17 PM, FionaMG said:

Anthem is sailing out of Southampton for the summer 2024 season. The last cruise finishes mid-October. And she has to fit in a dry dock at some point after that, which isn't going to leave much time for a repo. But if there is going to be one, I'd guess it would have to be either from Southampton or from somewhere in the Med area.

I've been told Anthem would most likely drydock in the Singapore drydock used by Spectrum, Quantum and Ovation. We did the Spectrum initial positioning from Dubai to Singapore. I've requested my TA to book the Anthem Med to Singapore if RCI decides to allow passengers, as soon as it's announced.

Also wanting to do the Norwegian Fjords rt from Southampton before Anthem leaves, to do another spectacular Flowriding session similar to my Ovation Alaska Endicott Arm glacier, as attached!

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, Robin Eng said:

I've been told Anthem would most likely drydock in the Singapore drydock used by Spectrum, Quantum and Ovation. We did the Spectrum initial positioning from Dubai to Singapore. I've requested my TA to book the Anthem Med to Singapore if RCI decides to allow passengers, as soon as it's announced.

Also wanting to do the Norwegian Fjords rt from Southampton before Anthem leaves, to do another spectacular Flowriding session similar to my Ovation Alaska Endicott Arm glacier, as attached!

Great pic!

[barjpoe]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:13 AM, FionaMG said:

I think basically it boils down to there not being an indoor family pool. If you're travelling with kids that could impact the first and last days when the weather is likely to be less than friendly. And even if you're not it could mean that other indoor spaces will be busier on those days because people that would be using that indoor pool will be occupying space in other indoor venues.

Having sailed both, I felt that better use was made of the upper floor of the seaplex on Odyssey than on Anthem, where that area seemed very bare, so that may help.

 

 

They might the Solarium area kid friendly those couple of days

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, barjpoe said:

They might the Solarium area kid friendly those couple of days

Very possible, at least for a couple of hours a day. They did that on our very first cruise years ago on Splendour. I can't remember exactly but I think it was maybe a two hour time slot around lunchtime or early afternoon. I took our kids, then aged 12 and 4, to the pool on the couple of days it was offered. As soon as the weather warmed up, it reverted to a 100% adults only space.

[Mike.s]

16 hours ago, barjpoe said:

They might the Solarium area kid friendly those couple of days

There was family time in the indoor pool each day on our Anthem cruise to the Fjords

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Mike.s said:

There was family time in the indoor pool each day on our Anthem cruise to the Fjords

The indoor pool on Anthem is always family time  

[FionaMG]

Posted a couple of hours ago over on CC (credit: Jumping Cruiser)

"Just from Captains Corner on Anthem about her repositioning. It looks like she is going on quite the world tour! 
 

Summer 24 - Southampton, UK

Winter 24/25 - Singapore

 

March 25 - Dry Dock

 

Summer 25 - Alaska

Winter 25/26 - Australia"

[Xaa]

That's the long way from Singapore to Australia for sure.  I'm going to just miss her Spring of 2025, maybe an AK Anthem sailing is in my future.  Appreciate the info @FionaMG

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, Xaa said:

That's the long way from Singapore to Australia for sure.  I'm going to just miss her Spring of 2025, maybe an AK Anthem sailing is in my future.  Appreciate the info @FionaMG

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a potential repo from Europe to Singapore... probably won't be able to make the dates work even if there is one but hope springs eternal, as they say.

[Robin Eng]

On 6/12/2023 at 10:22 AM, FionaMG said:

Great pic!

The sports manager took it. Looking forwards to similar pics with Anthem in Norwegian Fjords, in the Suez Canal, Mediterranean repositioning voyage ports, Dubai, Muscat, Mumbai, Penang/Georgetown (Malaysia) and Singapore!

[FionaMG]

On 7/5/2023 at 9:19 PM, Robin Eng said:

The sports manager took it. Looking forwards to similar pics with Anthem in Norwegian Fjords, in the Suez Canal, Mediterranean repositioning voyage ports, Dubai, Muscat, Mumbai, Penang/Georgetown (Malaysia) and Singapore!

I'm boarding Anthem tomorrow to go to the Norwegian Fjords. I'll see if I can get some pics from a similar angle. Not promising though as I'm not the world's best photographer.

[FionaMG]

On 7/5/2023 at 9:19 PM, Robin Eng said:

The sports manager took it. Looking forwards to similar pics with Anthem in Norwegian Fjords, in the Suez Canal, Mediterranean repositioning voyage ports, Dubai, Muscat, Mumbai, Penang/Georgetown (Malaysia) and Singapore!

I wasn't able to get a pic from a similar angle but I can tell you that the scenery in Norway is absolutely stunning.

To whet your appetite, these are from the top of the Loen Skylift in Olden. You can Anthem in the first one.