Royal Caribbean announced it will offer cruise stops at the Tongan ports of Vava'u on December 12, 2016 and Nuku’alofa on December 13, 2016 for the very first time.

Radiance of the Seas will offer these new stops in the 2016/2017 cruise season, as part of a 13-night South Pacific, Fiji and Tonga journey.  The cruise begins in Sydney on December 3 2016, and calls at the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, Lifou in the Loyalty Islands, Suva and Lautoka in Fiji, as well as Tonga, before arriving in Auckland. 

The two new destinations offer a host of experiences unique to Tonga for guests to enjoy, such as the islands of Vava’u are renowned for their coral gardens and sparkling lagoons, while Nuku’alofa, capital of Tonga and home to the only royal family in the Pacific Islands, is a thriving hub of island charm and regal tradition. Guests will have the opportunity to explore the islands further with a range of optional excursions, including whale-watching and snorkeling in Vava’u and a cultural tour in Nuku’alofa.

"We’ve had our eye on Tonga as a destination for our guests for some time, with its vibrant culture, diverse marine life and stunning natural beauty," says Adam Armstrong, managing director for Royal Caribbean International in Australia and New Zealand.

"Radiance of the Seas is the perfect size for us to explore new ports in our region, paving the way for a number of new, exciting destinations for our guests."

The largest cruise ships in Asia, Ovation of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, will be back in Singapore from October 2016 through May 2017 to offer Royal Caribbean's longest-ever homeporting season in Singapore.  The season will run for eight months, totalling 55 cruises and will bring about 200,000 guests to ports in Southeast Asia.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

The 2016-2017 cruise season will see a 30% increase in Royal Caribbean's capacity in Southeast Asia over last year.

Ovation of the Seas, which is Asia's largest and newest cruise ship, will be back in March to April 2017 with a total of 10 new sailings, comprising three to five nights to Penang, Phuket, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and a 12-night one-way cruise to Tianjin with calls at Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My) for an overnight, Hue/Danang (Chan May), Hong Kong and Seoul (Incheon).

Mariner of the Seas will offer 39 sailings until next March, ranging from three to seven nights to popular destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Phuket, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My). The new itineraries for the season are the 3-night Penang Weekend Cruise which will feature night touring and the 4-night Phuket Cruise.

Voyager of the Seas is returning in May 2017 to offer six sailings of three to five night Southeast Asian itineraries to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Penang, Phuket and an 8-night one-way cruise to Hong Kong, with stopovers at Bangkok (Laem Chabang) for an overnight, Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My) and Nha Trang.

Royal Caribbean launched a new marketing campaign in Hong Kong, entitled "Cruise Extraordinary."

The new campaign is designed to show the cruise line's imaginative approach to cruising in the Chinese market and will be shown in targeted television and print ads.

Royal Caribbean wants to highlight the experiences guests can enjoy onboard that give are all about enjoying oneself on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

The new TV commercial was shot onboard Quantum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas during actual cruises.

The commercial includes a cast of 200 actors and cost tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars and is aimed at guests who are looking for a different vacation adventure.  

Balwin Yeung, director of sales and marketing of Royal Caribbean Cruises Hong Kong said, “As the market leader in Hong Kong, this year Royal Caribbean has adopted a more visible positioning on the market with aggressive advertising and sales strategies to appeal to customers looking for something truly special.”

The commercial will be aired in Hong Kong starting from today and will work hand in hand with messages in other media to create more touch points for consumers to get a taste of the cruising experience.

Royal Caribbean has cancelled a scheduled stop in Bali for Radiance of the Seas on Thursday, March 17, 2016, due to travel advisories that warn of a potential terrorist attack.

Instead of making the stop in Bali, Radiance of the Seas will remain at sea for an additional sea day.

Royal Caribbean issued a statement to guests that apologized for the change in itinerary.

"Our guests’ vacation time is precious and we did not take these decisions lightly. The safety of our guests and crew is always our foremost concern."

"We will continue to monitor the security situation in Indonesia and will notify guests or their travel agents if there are changes to future sailings that visit Indonesia."

A new report seems to indicate Royal Caribbean is making plans to have one of its Oasis class cruise ships make stops in Japan in 2018.

The Nikkei Asian Review is reporting that Royal Caribbean will have an Oasis class ship call in Japan.  Currently, there is no indication which ports will see this ship, since no ports can currently handle a ship of that size.

Royal Caribbean is feeling out various ports, such as Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, in western Japan, on their willingness to make upgrades.

Royal Caribbean Cruises currently owns two Oasis-class cruise ships and is scheduled to take delivery of two more -- one this year and the other in 2018.

Royal Caribbean is expecting to book 10,000 Indonesian cruise passengers next year, which would represent double-digit growth for the region.

The Jakarta Post reports Royal Caribbean saw 5,500 Indonesian passengers on its ships last year and has experience a growth rate of at least 5 percent in Indonesian passenger numbers since 2013.

Globally, Indonesia is the second-biggest cruise market after China although no cruise ships embark passengers there.

Most Indonesian passengers board a Royal Caribbean cruise at Singapore. Royal Caribbean managing director for Singapore and Southeast Asia Sean Treacy said Indonesians enjoy cruises that visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Phuket, Thailand.

The Transportation Ministry recently issued a ministerial regulation that finally allowed foreign cruise ships to pick up and drop off tourists in selected Indonesian ports, such as Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, and Belawan, North Sumatra in a bid to boost the tourism sector. 

Royal Caribbean has signed a multi-million dollar marketing deal with the Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group to promote cruises from Singapore.

The new deal runs between 2015 and 2018 and is expected to attract over 170,000 foreign visitors to Singapore to take a Royal Caribbean cruise, which should constitute growth of over 50 percent.

Royal Caribbean will be increasing the number of cruises from Singapore during this same period, to over 40 a year.  Mariner of the Seas is currently offering cruises from Singapore at a pace of about 30 cruises per year.

Mariner of the Seas' next Singapore season which will be the largest ever starting from this October, will feature more long cruises of seven to 15 nights, aimed at attracting more overseas fly-cruise guests.

The new marketing campaign will consist of research studies and channel development activities in markets around the world, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Europe and North America.

Royal Caribbean managing director for Singapore and Southeast Asia, Sean Treacy, commented on the deal, "Having deployed ships here regularly for the last seven years, Royal Caribbean now looks forward to its next phase of significant growth in Singapore. Our three-year deployment plan is our strongest commitment ever to this market and we see great potential in Singapore as a source market and regional cruise hub. We highly appreciate this collaboration which will be a tremendous support for our business goals in Singapore and Southeast Asia, as well as the strong efforts of the Singapore Government for being so proactive in driving the cruise business in the country."

Providing a link between Royal Caribbean International, Singapore and its regional neighbors is Changi Airport’s strong connectivity to 320 cities worldwide, along with some 6,700 weekly flights, giving Singapore a strategic advantage to effectively tap fly-cruise traffic from across the globe and serve as a cruise hub for Asia.

Royal Caribbean announced today it was promoting Dr. Zinan Liu as its new President for the China and North Asia Pacific region.

Zinan joined Royal Caribbean International in 2009 and has been spearheading all of Royal Caribbean's commercial and operational activities, and significantly growing the brand in the region, including opening offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and bolstering the brand's operations in Shanghai. 

Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley commented on the promotion, "These are exciting times for Royal Caribbean International as we continue to build our business in China.  I am confident that Zinan's expertise as a global travel veteran, his strong relationships in the region, and astute business acumen, will put us in a powerful position to reach our goals."

Zinan holds a doctoral degree in economics from the University of London, and also is Chairman of Cruise Lines International Association, North Asia, where he has been an influential spokesman for the cruise industry in the region.

Local media in Taiwan are reporting that Royal Caribbean plans to propose a development plan for the port of Penghu Jinlongtou, which could be a new homeport in Asia for the cruise line.

SinoShip News reports Taiwan minister of Transportation and Communications, Yeh Kuang-shih, has instructed Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) to coordinate with Royal Caribbean on the investment plan.

Jinlongtou port currently belongs to the Taiwanese navy, and the navy has agreed to hand over the port and transfer its base to another port.

Royal Caribbean is expected to propose a development plan by the end of January.

Speaking at the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) conference in Cartagena, Colombia, Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein and Chairman Richard Fain commented on the future of the cruise line in a number of directions.

Minuto30 covered the conference where Goldstein spoke about which parts of the world Royal Caribbean will focus its efforts in the coming years and mentioned they will strengthen its presence in the Caribbean, its natural destination, but is dedicated to recognizing "business opportunities everywhere."

"There are other regions like Asia-Pacific, also emerge as potential cruise," Goldstein added, stressing that these routes are also near the American public, who "will remain the largest source of world cruises".

Later Richard Fain addressed one of the thorniest issues surrounding this industry: safety.  He said that cruise ship safety is "essential" along with respect for the environment.