Thumper44 Posted June 21, 2023 Report Share Posted June 21, 2023 As a big fan of Puerto Rico, I'm always looking at potential cruises out of PR. I had thought that Voyager of the Seas was cruising out of San Juan until November, when Jewel takes her place. Apparently, that's not the case and Voyager is in Galveston now. When was that change made? When was the last time Royal went six months without a San Juan departure? Related to that, Jewel replaces the Voyager class ships that have been in San Juan and then Rhapsody (even smaller) will take over in April of 2024. Is Royal downsizing its presence in Puerto Rico? Have there been any articles or discussion of this? I've done a few searches but I didn't find anything specific to Royal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plumlee2028 Posted June 21, 2023 Report Share Posted June 21, 2023 San Juan is usually winter seasonal for Royal. Celebrity does the same thing. I don't know if any cruise lines depart from there in the summer. In the summer, everyone has some capacity go to alaska, europe, etc so less ships to spread around. So they keep them in Florida, Galveston, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted June 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 2 hours ago, Plumlee2028 said: San Juan is usually winter seasonal for Royal. I price June cruises on Royal from San Juan almost every year (for our anniversary). This is the first time I've noticed a gap. But I suppose I might not have noticed in some years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plumlee2028 Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 Looks like they haven't since restarting operations. Obviously not as big of a big player for them, as the ship operating has gone from Freedom Class, changed to Voyager (happened to me for 2022), down to radiance class. CruiseGus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted June 22, 2023 Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 11 hours ago, Thumper44 said: I price June cruises on Royal from San Juan almost every year (for our anniversary). This is the first time I've noticed a gap. But I suppose I might not have noticed in some years. There are issues between the San Juan Port Authority and the cruise lines surrounding the renovation and future development of the port facilities, until this is resolved, San Juan as an embarkation point has been greatly reduced Thumper44, USCG Teacher, bobroo and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted June 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2023 1 hour ago, TXcruzer said: There are issues between the San Juan Port Authority and the cruise lines surrounding the renovation and future development of the port facilities, until this is resolved, San Juan as an embarkation point has been greatly reduced Ah, thanks. That's the kind of info I was looking for; I appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobroo Posted June 25, 2023 Report Share Posted June 25, 2023 To exemplify the the tension between Royal and the San Juan Port Authority, Voyager of the Seas does not have a Boleros. Yeah……. AHollyS and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseGus Posted June 26, 2023 Report Share Posted June 26, 2023 On 6/22/2023 at 7:43 AM, TXcruzer said: There are issues between the San Juan Port Authority and the cruise lines surrounding the renovation and future development of the port facilities, until this is resolved, San Juan as an embarkation point has been greatly reduced It's a shame to, as San Juan is a great winter port of departure. Easy to do a 7 day Southern Itinerary. Problem now is the tiny ships just don't cut it. Get Freedom back there. Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted June 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2023 3 hours ago, CruiseGus said: It's a shame to, as San Juan is a great winter port of departure. Easy to do a 7 day Southern Itinerary. Problem now is the tiny ships just don't cut it. Get Freedom back there. I totally agree. Departing from San Juan makes the ABC's and the Windward islands very accessible. I really hope to see more RC itineraries from San Juan, not fewer. And yes, bigger ships too! DDaley and FloatyBoaty 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted June 26, 2023 Report Share Posted June 26, 2023 I think the deployment decisions about San Juan have nothing to do with politics or feelings and a lot to do with money. Where can a ship make the most money? Not San Juan. That is not to say they can't make money there, but why place a ship there when that same ship can make more money somewhere else? For many years San Juan departures were cheap and that is usually a sign that demand is low. With flight costs soaring in modern times the SJU market as a home port may not be appealing to cruise lines as it eliminates many fly in guests due to the airline industry making it very costly to fly. Thumper44 and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDaley Posted June 26, 2023 Report Share Posted June 26, 2023 12 hours ago, twangster said: For many years San Juan departures were cheap and that is usually a sign that demand is low. With flight costs soaring in modern times the SJU market as a home port may not be appealing to cruise lines as it eliminates many fly in guests due to the airline industry making it very costly to fly. Somehow, from San Diego, flying to SJU is always cheaper than getting to Miami which makes no sense because almost all flights there have a stop in Florida! I love the San Juan itineraries so much I am jumping ship to try Norwegian in 2025, specifically for the 6-port, 7-night itinerary and newer ship. WAAAYTOOO and Xaa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted June 28, 2023 Report Share Posted June 28, 2023 On 6/26/2023 at 12:19 AM, twangster said: I think the deployment decisions about San Juan have nothing to do with politics or feelings and a lot to do with money. Where can a ship make the most money? Not San Juan. Totally agree. Same for New Orleans. Used to be the case for LA too Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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