woodscruise

3 minutes ago, Pushka said:

So, I've just switched to a private VPN so Cruise Critic thinks I'm in the USA. The pop up has gone. They are only doing it to Aussie internet users. Shameful. 

I have done the same, and switch to the USA. The pop-up is very annoying.

8 minutes ago, colourbird said:

With recent cruise cancellations on Radiance, I'm sure they are working on plans to replace her. It will likely take several years until replacements for that class are in service. I doubt they will want to keep her going for 30 years.

After the 2025 Alaska season, Radiance and Serenade are still not deployed anywhere. Considering that most of the deployment has been released until April 2026, one has to wonder what is behind Royals thinking here.

Norwegian Cruise Line will not base a ship in Sydney for the 2024/25 wave season, opting instead to sail from Melbourne as part of a temporary adjustment to its presence in Australasia. The strategic shift was picked up by Cruise Weekly in the line’s reveal of maiden itineraries for Norwegian Sun between Mar and Oct 2025, which will see the ship return to Far North Queensland for the first time since 2019. Prior to that, the 1,936-guest Norwegian Sun will offer five oneway sailings between Melbourne and Auckland from Dec 2024 to Mar 2025, with the ship making just one visit to Sydney on 13 Jan during one of these itineraries. Norwegian Spirit, which recently left Sydney on charter operations for next summer, will return to Sydney from late 2025. The brief adjournment marks the first time Norwegian Cruise Line has not based a ship in Sydney since the brand debuted in Australia in 2017, excluding the pandemic when all cruise ships were locked out of Australia. Instead, Norwegian Sun will begin a new series of 14 cruises in the Asia Pacific region, including three sailings between Cairns and the Fijian port of Lautoka, the first time NCL has used either city as a turnaround point. The Mar-Oct season will also see NCL make maiden visits to Port Douglas and Townsville as part of this schedule. Additional maiden calls for Sun will include Mystery Island, Port Vila, Dravuni Island and Noumea. Travellers will be able to explore the South Pacific in greater depth, with Sun to offer three islandhopping itineraries between Fiji and Tahiti which also call in Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. The revised deployment also confirms the operations of Norwegian Sun after NCL last year cancelled seven months’ worth of sailings as a result of a “fleet redeployment” (CW 27 Nov 2023). Norwegian Sun is the slightly larger and younger fleet-mate of Norwegian Spirit and offers 15 dining options including French, Italian, Brazilian, Japanese and other Asian cuisine options. ML

Source Cruise Weekly 30April 2024

9 hours ago, colourbird said:

 

It's possible Anthem will stay in Sydney all year round in a couple of years time as her last scheduled cruise isn't the usual repositioning cruise, but a return to Sydney in April 2026.

I thought RCCL would have also had the transpacific reposition cruises released at the time of the AU 2026 season end, however RCCL has not released any cruises past April 2026. In the past the Ovation has repositioned to Alaska for the season, and the last 2 years they have had 2  Quantum ships there as well as 2 Radiance class. I cannot see Ovation going back to Alaska in 2026, I think it will remain in Asia, however I cannot see where they will downgrade the premium Alaska, so I think Anthem will continue with the current rotation. It will be interesting to see if they do move Quantum to Alaska in 2026.

My feeling is if any ship will be based in Australia year-round then it will be Voyager.

From reading through this topic, one thing comes to mind that you do not put all your eggs in one basket. With the Oasis and Icon ships, they are primary based in the Caribbean, and more recently in the New York region, with another doing a European season in conjunction with a dry docking. What happens if there is another financial crisis as we saw in 2008. By building these mega ships, Royal is limiting to where they can put their assets. I personally, cannot see an Oasis or Icon ship based in the Pacific region, unless China improves dramatically with the Spectrum and Ovation being based there from 2025.

From todays Cruise Weekly  18April 2024

Australia was the world’s fourth-largest cruise market last year, with 1.25 million passengers embarking in 2023. The Land Down Under finished behind the United States (16.9 million), Germany (2.5 million), and the United Kingdom (2.2 million) in terms of total pax, according to data released by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) (CW 16 Apr). The rise in short-break cruises being offered by lines is reflected in CLIA’s data, with the average duration of an ocean voyage taken by Australians last year being 8.1 days, down from 9 days pre-pandemic. The most popular region for Aussies to sail in, outside of Australia and the South Pacific, is still the Mediterranean, with 5.3% of passengers embarking on a cruise there last year, followed by Asia (2.5%), Alaska (1.9%), Northern Europe (1%), and the Caribbean (1%). Growing segments of the Australian cruise industry include trans-Atlantic and world cruises; Hawaii & and the West Coast of the US; and expedition cruises, which captured 0.8%, 0.7%, and 0.7% of the market respectively. “Australians have not just returned to cruising, they’ve come back with enormous enthusiasm and at a faster pace than in other markets worldwide,” said Managing Director Joel Katz (pictured). “Australia has long been one of the world’s most passionate cruise source markets, and these figures confirm an enduring love for cruising among Australian travellers,” he said. Katz said although demand for cruising is strong, close collaboration from Australian governments and ports is needed to support the sustainability of cruise tourism in the future. “To maintain our position as a leading destination and meet demand, it’s crucial that regulatory frameworks and port charges remain internationally competitive,” he said. “Balanced regulation and reasonable costs are fundamental to fostering a thriving cruise sector capable of contributing significantly to the Australian economy,” Katz added. MS

Phil, can you tell me the benefits of Sky Junior Suite.

I notice this on Anthem's sailings.

13 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Wiggly Friends?

Yes, apparently there is some sort of agreement with the Wiggles.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN TEAMS UP WITH THE WIGGLES TO LAUNCH THE ULTIMATE WIGGLY ADVENTURE  | Royal Caribbean Press Center

From todays Cruise Weekly:

Two RCI ships in Australia in 2025-26

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has announced its 2025- 2026 deployment in Australia, with two new ships, Anthem of the Seas (pictured) and Voyager of the Seas, set to cruise Down Under (CW breaking news). Anthem, which will make her Australian debut, most recently cruised in Singapore. She will join Voyager Down Under in Nov 2025, which had also been based in Asia. The new Australian ship will cruise “shorter and bolder” getaways from Sydney, while Voyager will make her longawaited return to her new home of Brisbane. The two ships will sail a line-up of 45 cruises to the New Zealand and the South Pacific between Nov 2025 and Apr 2026, and are now open for booking. They will replace Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas in Australia. “Between the excitement of Anthem of the Seas making its Australian debut, Voyager’s return Down Under, and more weekend getaways than ever before, the 2025-2026 summer season is one for the books,” Vice President & Managing Director Gavin Smith said. “Every kind of holidaymaker can make memories in more ways than one with a varied line-up, from short getaways to a longer sailing from Asia, and new experiences like the show-stopping ‘We Will Rock You’ musical production, iceskating shows and six exclusive family adventures created by Royal Caribbean and the Wiggly Friends,” he said. MS

Sydney ports daily movements is showing a departure time of 23:00 

29 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

But no word yet on how Voyager will get from Rome to Singapore, just that it will take 28 days. Interesting to see whether the repo’s announced tonight/tomorrow, or whether Royal will wait a bit longer to see how things pan out in the Red Sea.

A youtube blogger in Australia is reporting that Voyager will come through the Suez Canel in November 2025. I guess we will have to see how this pans out. 

They mentioned that Anthem will be coming from Alaska via Hawaii and Tahiti.

With confirmation of Voyager and Anthem coming to Australia, Ovation presumably will go to Singapore, any thoughts on where Radiance and Serenade will be deployed too?

• Sydney ports is showing Majestic Princess overnighting in Sydney with an arrival time of at Bradley Heads as 20:15

I think this would be better posted on the P&O UK site.

2 hours ago, springaussie said:

Has a few visits in St Maarten 25/26. 

Any idea where Radiance will head too?

44 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

I'm only seeing Ovation up to October 2025, nothing beyond that. That's on the US site, though. Are you seeing it for further ahead on the Oz site?

Also, only up to October 2025.

20 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

Still missing the same five ships: Anthem, Ovation, Radiance, Serenade and Voyager, with Australia currently scheduled for release the week of 18th April and Singapore the week of 13th May.

 Ovation was released with Spectrum and will be in homeported in China.

3 minutes ago, springaussie said:

Putting a Radiance Ship on Brisbane 25/26 would make more sense. It could even do a lap or 2 of Oz. 

Aren't 2 Radiance class ships still not allocated to a region after the AK season?

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

We are talking late 2025, but if Voyager is coming via Europe they will need to have resumed cruising through the Red Sea for Singapore to be included. I wonder if they will announce a plan B itinerary or a ship shuffle from the get-go.

Geoff, If the Red Sea is still a no go, could they run it via South Africa directly to Brisbane, as an alternative (maybe non rev)?

58 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Can any of you guys tell me what ship is booked in to Darwin Sat 18th April 2026, it says Vista (new build) there is info when you click on the name, but not enough for me to work out what it is.

 

Port of Darwin shows that it is flag in the Marshall Islands.

44 minutes ago, Blue Eyed Belfast Belle said:

For those of you that can see the Australian port bookings is Voyager still showing there in Dec 2025? I am on the current last sailing on Voyager from Ravenna Oct 2025 and if she has to go around Africa she will not make it on time

 

I have a feeling they are going to replace her with either Radiance or Sereande

Yes Brisbane Ports is still showing Voyager arriving 13December 2025

Port of Los Angeles shipping schedule is show Quantum and Navigator both sailing from Los Angeles from October - December 2025. There is no advance port booking for 2026.

Confirmed: RCI developing new ship class Royal Caribbean International (RCI) Chief Executive Michael Bayley (pictured) has confirmed the veracity of swirling rumours the cruise line is currently working on a new class of ships to follow its high-profile Icon-class. Bayley said the next phase of RCI’s ship development plan, currently in preliminary plan stages, will be to ultimately replace its ageing Vision- and Radiance-class vessels with a revamped model. “They are beautiful ships and beautifully constructed but like me and others they are getting older so we are now concepting thoughts and ideas about how we are going to replace those ships with a new class for Royal Caribbean,” he added. “We have already done a fair amount of work within the brand in terms of the concepting process, but these still have to go through the corporate machine, through the board and through a process, but we are actively working on trying to figure out what that would look like”. Bayley added from what he has seen from the early planning phases, the new class of RCI ships “look fantastic”. “We really do have some great ideas on the table and I could tell you a few now but I’m not going to,” he quipped. At a later immersion session, RCI Chief Product and Innovation Officer Jay Schneider declined to be drawn on the exact size of the new class, but confirmed it won’t be as large as the Icon class. “The new class of ships will not be the world’s largest class of ship, we are starting smaller and have not put a size to it yet but it will definitely be a ‘mic drop ship’ [like Icon],” Schneider noted. “It will take the same attention to detail [of Icon], that same level of focus on experience to achieve something like this but just at a different scale,” he added. RCI has two more Icon-class ships on order to launch next year (Star of the Seas) and in 2026. Schneider said the name of the third vessel has been chosen (CW 16 Jan), but has not yet been released to the public. 

Source Cruise Weekly 23January 2023

Confirmed: RCI developing new ship class Royal Caribbean International (RCI) Chief Executive Michael Bayley (pictured) has confirmed the veracity of swirling rumours the cruise line is currently working on a new class of ships to follow its high-profile Icon-class. Bayley said the next phase of RCI’s ship development plan, currently in preliminary plan stages, will be to ultimately replace its ageing Vision- and Radiance-class vessels with a revamped model. “They are beautiful ships and beautifully constructed but like me and others they are getting older so we are now concepting thoughts and ideas about how we are going to replace those ships with a new class for Royal Caribbean,” he added. “We have already done a fair amount of work within the brand in terms of the concepting process, but these still have to go through the corporate machine, through the board and through a process, but we are actively working on trying to figure out what that would look like”. Bayley added from what he has seen from the early planning phases, the new class of RCI ships “look fantastic”. “We really do have some great ideas on the table and I could tell you a few now but I’m not going to,” he quipped. At a later immersion session, RCI Chief Product and Innovation Officer Jay Schneider declined to be drawn on the exact size of the new class, but confirmed it won’t be as large as the Icon class. “The new class of ships will not be the world’s largest class of ship, we are starting smaller and have not put a size to it yet but it will definitely be a ‘mic drop ship’ [like Icon],” Schneider noted. “It will take the same attention to detail [of Icon], that same level of focus on experience to achieve something like this but just at a different scale,” he added. RCI has two more Icon-class ships on order to launch next year (Star of the Seas) and in 2026. Schneider said the name of the third vessel has been chosen (CW 16 Jan), but has not yet been released to the public. 

Source Cruise Weekly 23January 2023

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2976685-carnival-says-goodbye-to-melbourne/page/1/#comment-66522734:~:text=goodbye to Melbourne-,Carnival says goodbye to Melbourne,-By bazzaw%2C