Building new smaller ship

[KevinK]

Building new smaller ship?

 

https://www.thestreet.com/travel/royal-caribbean-may-make-a-very-unexpected-move?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

[Xaa]

Nice article, but I much prefer this one.

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/07/24/royal-caribbean-building-new-smaller-cruise-ship-deeply-our-consideration

[smokeybandit]

During a question and answer session on the ship, Bayley was asked by a travel agent whether the company would ever consider building new, smaller ships, Matt Hochberg of the Royal Caribbean Blog reported.  

 

Great, quoting random sources. Oh wait.

[Wheeler825]

Spoiler alert: They might, but didn't commit.

I doubt they do, they're making all their money on the monster ships.

[RCIfan1912]

1 hour ago, Wheeler825 said:

Spoiler alert: They might, but didn't commit.

I doubt they do, they're making all their money on the monster ships.

I agree for the most part but don't they at some point have to build "smaller" ships? I maybe not 90 thousand tons but to replace Freedom class and Vision clas ships? Freedom, Liberty, Indy getting up there. Same with the Vision class, Explorer and Adventure. They are gonna need 140 thousand ton ships at some point right? 

[Wheeler825]

4 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I agree for the most part but don't they at some point have to build "smaller" ships? I maybe not 90 thousand tons but to replace Freedom class and Vision clas ships? Freedom, Liberty, Indy getting up there. Same with the Vision class, Explorer and Adventure. They are gonna need 140 thousand ton ships at some point right? 

You'd think, but they could also let the smaller port market go to other cruise lines, who can and do charge an even higher premium.  I guess it depends on the RCCL business decisions they make

[Rackham]

29 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I agree for the most part but don't they at some point have to build "smaller" ships? I maybe not 90 thousand tons but to replace Freedom class and Vision clas ships? Freedom, Liberty, Indy getting up there. Same with the Vision class, Explorer and Adventure. They are gonna need 140 thousand ton ships at some point right? 

They don't have to, but the flexibility these ships offer for deployment and repositioning is a very much in support of keeping them around. They provide options for Royal to zig and zag depending on the company's needs, which Oasis-sized ships simply do not. I expect we'll hear something about them from Royal within a decade, if not within the next 5 years.

[TimeRacer]

I've only ever sailed on a Radiance Class ship (Serenade) but I loved it. It was a perfect balance of laid back and busy for my style. I'm honestly worried about sailing on a larger ship because I'm worried I'll get overwhelmed and disappointed. It would be nice to see the older, smaller ships get a better refresh if not a a completely new running mate.

[F1guynz]

Given Royal are only just starting to consider it at this point, it would appear that a decision is still far away. With the building of the new icon ships, restart of amplifications and lead time to design and build a new ship it seems that it will be towards the end of the decade before there is any chance of a smaller ship being built.

As Royal is firmly a family cruise line it would also appear that a small ship would struggle to fulfill the large range of activity requirements, so I think the reality is a small ship of the future will be a Voyager or Freedom class size.

Celebrity would be the best fit for smaller/mid-size ships as they are more traditional cruise experiences.

[Al Miller]

I wonder if there is a reason, other than being Panama Canal compliant, that smaller (IE shorter) ships can't be built wider? Similar to Oasis/Icon ships. Probably not as wide as Oasis class, but wider than is currently the norm for a smallish vessel. I realize that more than just height is a limiting factor in some ports, but for a lot of debarkation ports bridge clearance is the largest issue. Do the stacks have to be as high with LNG engines since there is less soot and what-not to worry about? A 12 or 13 deck ship that was wider than Vision or Radiance class but still shorter than Voyager or Freedom class could still have a lot of the newer amenities and support a Royal Promenade. And maybe a scaled down 270 or Eden style lounge. Just thinking of some of the newer venues that could be scaled to smaller ships. Maybe a more prominent Promenade deck like Prima/Viva? It would be nice if Tampa, Baltimore and other ports could get some newer ships.

[KevinK]

On 7/27/2023 at 10:38 AM, Wheeler825 said:

Spoiler alert: They might, but didn't commit.

I doubt they do, they're making all their money on the monster ships.

For me personally, I love the midsize ship.  Like ovation or Anthem..  Liberty & adventure also good..   Oasis..  hmm I am ok with it..  I will be on Oasis again this Oct.  Hopefully it will give me a better impression than the first time..