Royal Caribbean announced it will return to the Persian Gulf to offer cruises for the 2015-2016 cruise season.

Royal Caribbean will send Splendour of the Seas and offer 16 roundtrip cruises on a weekly basis from December 2015 to March 2016 and will dock at ports in Dubai, Oman and Abu Dhabi.

Royal Caribbean left the Gulf region in 2013 due to a lack of revenue but clearly feels now is the right time to return.

Helen Beck, Royal Caribbean regional director, commented on the return, “Following on from positive and collaborative discussions with our key partners in the region, we are pleased to announce our return to cruising in the Arabian Gulf for the winter of 2015 / 2016.  This is a welcome step in continuing to promote the economic and touristic benefits of cruising and I’m sure the season will be very successful.”

Royal Caribbean wrapped up its third and most successful cruise season in the Persian Gulf with nearly all sailings fully booked.

Royal Caribbean Regional Director International Representatives of Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented on the good season, "We are very happy to see the success of Brilliance of the Seas sailing in the region. The sailings attracted large numbers of group bookings from Northern Europe, Russia, South Africa and China. With nearly every sailing fully booked we are proud that we brought around 40,000 guests to the region supporting tourism in the ports of calls."

One change that has occurred during the season was improving the safety of Royal Caribbean's ships. Ali Al Daboos - Executive Director of Operations for Dubai Maritime City Authority spoke about what Royal Caribbean has done, "On Brilliance of the Seas, we observed best management practices. For example, guests are immediately informed to proceed to the emergency areas and not back to their cabins. Children who are part of the children care programme receive colored bands immediately so that staff know to which area to bring them to in case of an emergency, while staff wear bright reflective vests and hats so that they can easily be found if someone needs assistance etc. We were very impressed by the professionalism and how safety and security was handled by the captain and staff of Brilliance of the Seas."

Thanks to an increased demand in the Persian Gulf region, Royal Caribbean has decided to extend its third consecutive season in the Gulf to six months.  This will run from November 2011 through April 2012 and will be the longest season ever for Royal Caribbean in the region.  

Cruises during this season will be comprised of 18 round trip 7-night sailings and two Dubai and India 12-nights sailings.  Brilliance will starts her 7-night itineraries in Dubai, then sail to Fujairah and dock in Muscat, where guests can enjoy an overnight stay in the port. Brilliance then continues with a sea day, via Abu Dhabi and then back to Dubai.

In addition, Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line in the region that will offer two new 12-night sailings that include stops in India.  Coming from Dubai, Brilliance of the Seas will spend three days at sea before stopping in Goa, New Mangalore and Cochin before docking in Muscat and then sailing back to Dubai.