Royal Beach Club Antigua??

[Kbiechy]

At one point in time Royal was talking about building a beach club in Antigua and update the area to eventually handle Oasis class ships. Has anyone heard any talk about this or did Covid kill this idea? Would love to visit Antigua some day!!
 

https://cruiseradio.net/cruise-lines-antigua-beach-club-2024/

[smokeybandit]

Surely doesn't seem worth the squeeze for as few ships go to Antigua vs. Bahamas/Cozumel

[Kbiechy]

You are 100% correct there. Guess it was just wishful thinking that if they were working in improving the port to accommodate larger ships and thinking about building a beach club there that Royal may begin sending more and more ships to that destination. 

[jwmiller1728]

With Paradise Island a little over 6 months away from opening and details of Cozumel being announced, do we think this may be revisited?  

[Thumper44]

I think that would be amazing; I'm really excited about the land destination announcements and think this direction is a fantastic development for cruising.

In an ideal world there would be a royal beach club or a perfect day in every region, although the realities of geography, violence, politics, etc etc will prevent this from ever happening completely.   There are whole swaths of Mexico and Haiti and Cuba that, in a different reality, would make amazing cruise destinations.

But on the other hand, locations that are inaccessible now might make more distant places (Antigua) more viable.

 

 

[Matt]

I think the Antigua beach club is best case scenario paused, but I haven't heard a peep about it so I think it's probably not happening anymore.

[Southern Dan]

I hope a few more islands down in the Caribbean become Oasis/Icon Class compatible over the next 3-5 years.  Would create for more options when choosing itineraries…

[smokeybandit]

You have to think that if they were doing anything with Antigua in the next 5 years, it would have been announced in the recent flurry of news.

[Rackham]

Royal is probably waiting to see how their current beach club and Lelepa projects turn out before committing to something new. They might also be watching how other lines giant ship game impacts the ports available to Royal. 

[Thumper44]

5 hours ago, Southern Dan said:

I hope a few more islands down in the Caribbean become Oasis/Icon Class compatible over the next 3-5 years.  Would create for more options when choosing itineraries…

That's actually newsworthy info that might not get the attention it deserves… what ports around the Caribbean (and around the world) are expanding to become Oasis/Icon/MSC World compatible?  Is there a list somewhere on some random port construction website?

[Rackham]

3 hours ago, Thumper44 said:

That's actually newsworthy info that might not get the attention it deserves… what ports around the Caribbean (and around the world) are expanding to become Oasis/Icon/MSC World compatible?  Is there a list somewhere on some random port construction website?

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2025/04/global-ports-holding-big-investments-in-cruise-port-portfolio/

Tarragona Cruise Port (Spain): GPH’s newly inaugurated sustainable terminal at Moll de Balears, a 2,200m² facility designed with energy efficiency and self-sufficiency in mind.
Alicante Cruise Port (Spain): A highly anticipated terminal modernization project, scheduled for completion by April 2025, focused on improving passenger flow and port experience.
Las Palmas Cruise Port (Canary Islands): Completion of a sustainable terminal, set to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships and serve over 1.6 million passengers annually, with completion expected by September 2025.
Antigua Cruise Port (Caribbean): A substantial upland development project, which will include a state-of-the-art cruise terminal and expansion for new retail stores, launched in February 2025.
Nassau Cruise Port (The Bahamas): An exciting pool project and yacht marina expansion plan, which is set for completion by March 2026.
San Juan Cruise Port (Puerto Rico): A significant infrastructure enhancement programe, which began in September 2024, with an additional funding provided for Pier 3 upgrades.
Saint Lucia (Caribbean): Investments include significant berth enhancements, a new boardwalk, and the creation of a Fishermen’s Village at Banannes Bay. Additionally, Saint Lucia Cruise Port will construct a new tender dock and upland facilities at Soufriere.
 

Looks like Antigua might be getting something which could handle Royal's largest without Royal investment. This might be playing a role in not moving forward with their project at this time.

[Thumper44]

20 hours ago, Rackham said:

Looks like Antigua might be getting something

Awesome summary!  Great job!!!  

[JasonOasis]

On 5/20/2025 at 9:31 AM, Southern Dan said:

I hope a few more islands down in the Caribbean become Oasis/Icon Class compatible over the next 3-5 years.  Would create for more options when choosing itineraries…

I think there are enough Oasis and Icon Class ships slated for the Caribbean Market.  What I'm hoping for is with the LA market going from basically 1 ship Navigator, too at times 2 Quantum Class ships I'm hoping Royal is taking a hard look at if an Oasis Class ship can set sail out of San Pedro World Cruise Terminal and what improvements can be made to destinations on the Baja (Western) side of Mexico to get a Oasis Class ship sailing out of Los Angeles.   If none of the ports from LA through the Baja peninsula aren't capable of handling an Oasis Class ship I would hope together with local and government officials projects would be in the works to rectify it.  Imagine an Oasis Class ship setting sail from LA, I'm still holding out hope that one day Oasis Class will make her West Coast debut.

[Southern Dan]

2 hours ago, JasonOasis said:

I think there are enough Oasis and Icon Class ships slated for the Caribbean Market.  

I’m not saying more Oasis/Icon ships for the Caribbean, I’m saying I hope more ports in the Caribbean on different islands become possible destinations for said ships through improved infrastructure. 

[Thumper44]

2 hours ago, Southern Dan said:

I’m saying I hope more ports in the Caribbean on different islands become possible destinations for said ships through improved infrastructure

This, emphatically.  Well said.

[Thumper44]

4 hours ago, JasonOasis said:

 Imagine an Oasis Class ship setting sail from LA

Cabo is a tender port and Oasis class ships either don't or can't tender.  Does someone have a definitive answer on Oasis class ships tendering?

If I had to guess, I'd guess that Mazatlan can handle bigger ships but maybe Puerto Vallarta can't (not sure but Navigator seemed pretty wedged in there).  Do we know for sure?

I'd love a run down on Ensenada, SD, Catalina, and other west coast ports all the way up to Vancouver (SF, Astoria, etc.).  And Honolulu?  Can any of these ports handle an Oasis/Icon/MSC World class right now? 

[Rackham]

1 hour ago, Thumper44 said:

Cabo is a tender port and Oasis class ships either don't or can't tender.  Does someone have a definitive answer on Oasis class ships tendering?

If I had to guess, I'd guess that Mazatlan can handle bigger ships but maybe Puerto Vallarta can't (not sure but Navigator seemed pretty wedged in there).  Do we know for sure?

I'd love a run down on Ensenada, SD, Catalina, and other west coast ports all the way up to Vancouver (SF, Astoria, etc.).  And Honolulu?  Can any of these ports handle an Oasis/Icon/MSC World class right now? 

I was curious, but not enough to do my own research. The attached PDF is several deep research responses from Perplexity. Links to its sources are included.

Summary:

Basically, Oasis class can tender, but they really prefer not to.

Port: Can it handle Oasis-class based on depth (and ignoring all other considerations)?

Ensenada: Yes

San Diego: No, but possible with dredging.

San Francisco: No

Catalina Island: Yes, if Royal's able to cut through the related red tape related to tendering at Catalina.

Puerto Vallarta: Yes, but would need high tide to be sure of making port.

Vancouver: Yes, high tide only.

Honolulu: Yes

Astoria: Yes

Mazatlán: Potentially. A new cruise terminal has been approved which would increase the depth at port and add enough port infrastructure to handle Oasis.

Cabo San Lucas: Yes, if Royal was willing to tender Oasis class.

 

West Coast Port Capabilities for Large Cruise Ships.pdf

[smokeybandit]

Vancouver at high tide wouldn't work since they'd need low tide to get under the bridge 

[bcarney]

On 5/19/2025 at 11:18 PM, Thumper44 said:

I think that would be amazing; I'm really excited about the land destination announcements and think this direction is a fantastic development for cruising.

In an ideal world there would be a royal beach club or a perfect day in every region, although the realities of geography, violence, politics, etc etc will prevent this from ever happening completely.   There are whole swaths of Mexico and Haiti and Cuba that, in a different reality, would make amazing cruise destinations.

But on the other hand, locations that are inaccessible now might make more distant places (Antigua) more viable.

I'm of the exact opposite opinion. One of the things about cruising that appeals to me is visiting other nations and being exposed to different cultures.  These "Perfect Day at Whatever" amusement parks have absolutely no interest for me. We've actively avoided cruises that go to places like Labadee whenever possible (been there twice which was one time too many), but with RC including those type stops on so many cruises, we've been forced to look at other lines unfortunately. 

[Thumper44]

18 minutes ago, bcarney said:

I'm of the exact opposite opinion.

I get what you're saying about the amusement park vibe -- not everyone wants that at every port.  

On the other hand, I've visited some of these places as a missionary and spent time in the worst poverty-stricken places.  I'll bet 99% of vacationers would rather have "safe and clean" rather than be exposed to the actual unvarnished culture.  Even at home, restaurants and entertainment venues are putting on a presentation rather than letting you see the ugly truths

Just my opinion.  

And maybe (not joking, I'm totally serious here) you'd enjoy spending a week working in an orphanage or digging wells instead of going on a cruise.  It's actually quite fulfilling and can change your whole outlook on life!

[Thumper44]

On 5/19/2025 at 10:18 PM, Thumper44 said:

I think that would be amazing; I'm really excited about the land destination announcements and think this direction is a fantastic development for cruising.

Let me clarify, I'm not just thinking about Perfect Day Wherever from the cruiser's point of view.  I like it from the economic development end of things.  Cruise money going into local development means jobs and civic pride and security. That investment brings a lot of positives and only a few negatives.  And I would argue that the negatives are outweighed by the negatives of when the outside development money stops flowing in.  There are some places where healthy tourism and development that partners with the locals could really turn a community around.