Deployment 2025-26 booking season begins

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Jumping Cruiser said:

 

This is the deployment from Southampton since 2010. Every year that Independence was homeported in UK after 2012 she was accompanied by another ship, usually Voyager Class.

 

2010 - Independence

2011 - Independence

2012 - Independence 

2013 - Independence & Adventure

2014 - Independence & Adventure

2015 - Anthem & Explorer

2016 - Independence & Navigator

2017 - Independence & Navigator

2018 - Independence & Navigator

2019 - Independence & Explorer

2020 - Anthem (Covid - No Sailings)

2021 - Anthem

2022 - Anthem

2023 - Anthem

2024 - Anthem

 

 

So basically once CocoCay got a pier, SOU lost a ship.  Coincidence? 

[Jumping Cruiser]

5 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

So basically once CocoCay got a pier, SOU lost a ship.  Coincidence? 

 

Probably lots of factors, including PDCC and even the return to LA, plus the greater QC capacity. Although, if they focus itineraries on Perfect Day then they are getting revenue from both the ship itself and the destination, so it’s a win win for Royal!

[bigeck]

3 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

I can't remember how long ago but we had the Independence and a Voyager class ship out of Southampton for a season or two.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

2014 I done Adventure from Miami to Southampton and Indy to Fort Lauderdale in November

[GlasgowCruiser01]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

So basically once CocoCay got a pier, SOU lost a ship.  Coincidence? 

Most definitely not a coincidence since they took out Independence from Southampton in 2020 for that very reason - more CocoCay runs (though obviously never happened in the end).

[little britain]

On 8/18/2023 at 9:53 PM, springaussie said:

Chilli  my view is Singapore is the “As Required Port” for Spectrum for the middle of 2024. 
I am certain the Deployment Team has a list of cruises somewhere in the Miami Office as a plan B for Spectrum.

 

Any thoughts on potential Japan intensive itineraries? 
I’ve just booked a Celebrity 2025 round Japan trip but of course would prefer RCI ( points!) ..

There is a good one from HK in December 2024 so it can be done! 
 

Edited August 20, 2023 by little britain

[cublet]

18 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

No way! Royal is abandoning the British market - they don't want to compete there anymore.

Hello,

 

So following Carnival in more ways than one.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[cublet]

9 hours ago, GlasgowCruiser01 said:

Most definitely not a coincidence since they took out Independence from Southampton in 2020 for that very reason - more CocoCay runs (though obviously never happened in the end).

Hello,

 

One of the problems we, and Royal, have is the incompatibility of northern European weather and ship design. One of those Royal has no control over, the other it has - if only it chooses to do so.

 

I remember watching one of those 'banging the drum' promo films for the design/build of Voyager. Someone from the design team was giving a presentation and said something along the lines of  'we kept the decks open' (and this I remember exactly) "to maintain our relationship with the sea". Well whoopee for the Caribbean - but what about here and what about us?

 

If the ship(s) don't suit the weather, Royal is not going to get the load factor and therefore return they require to station (more?) ships here. Perhaps it's time for Mr Bayley to use what influence he as, if any, to have a ship designed specifically for this market.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[gumshoe958]

1 hour ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

One of the problems we, and Royal, have is the incompatibility of northern European weather and ship design. One of those Royal has no control over, the other it has - if only it chooses to do so.

 

I remember watching one of those 'banging the drum' promo films for the design/build of Voyager. Someone from the design team was giving a presentation and said something along the lines of  'we kept the decks open' (and this I remember exactly) "to maintain our relationship with the sea". Well whoopee for the Caribbean - but what about here and what about us?

 

If the ship(s) don't suit the weather, Royal is not going to get the load factor and therefore return they require to station (more?) ships here. Perhaps it's time for Mr Bayley to use what influence he as, if any, to have a ship designed specifically for this market.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

Isn’t the whole point of Quantum class that it’s more of an ‘indoor’ ship and WAS designed specifically for ‘cold’ markets like the UK? Yet we Brits still moaned about being sent Anthem every year despite her being a hugely impressive ship, second only to Oasis class which is clearly incompatible with the UK.
 

Fact is we’ll happily moan about whichever ship we’re sent, and maybe Royal’s had enough. It can make much easier money elsewhere and leave us to whinge to our heart’s content on P&O and MSC.

 

(Or - far simpler and probably more likely explanation - new CEO, different priorities. Fain saw potential for Royal to grow in the UK. Liberty doesn’t.)

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by gumshoe958

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Royals business model is quick 3-6 days to coco cay and Nassau. Turn around as many passengers they can. As such with the Carribbean weather their ships are more open deck then covered pools. 

The new ships they are building Icon class and even the Oasis class are destination ships. The ship is where people want to be with very limited port stops. 

Europe is a different animal, so many different cultures and countries that can be visited just by sailing around the med or from the UK for northern europe. Royals business model here is different to the big resort ships and quick 3-4 day weekend cruise. 

 

Also royal have a massive competition in europe the same as the competition European cruise companies have sailing from the US. 

 

People are entitled to moan if they dont like something and back it up with their facts or experiences. I dont like Anthem as i am sold on the freedom class and Oasis class. I just perfer the lay out and facilities. I found Anthem just too squished in esp in the atrium area. 

 

People enjoy change, well i do. I like to try new ships and interesting itinerary's. Collecting points or sticking to 1 cruise line is not for me. 

 

If Indy comes to Southampton and its value for money.......then i will book it. Will i book Anthem if theres a good deal.... sadly no. 

[Tatra603]

55 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Royals business model is quick 3-6 days to coco cay and Nassau. Turn around as many passengers they can. As such with the Carribbean weather their ships are more open deck then covered pools. 

The new ships they are building Icon class and even the Oasis class are destination ships. The ship is where people want to be with very limited port stops. 

Europe is a different animal, so many different cultures and countries that can be visited just by sailing around the med or from the UK for northern europe. Royals business model here is different to the big resort ships and quick 3-4 day weekend cruise. 

 

Also royal have a massive competition in europe the same as the competition European cruise companies have sailing from the US. 

 

People are entitled to moan if they dont like something and back it up with their facts or experiences. I dont like Anthem as i am sold on the freedom class and Oasis class. I just perfer the lay out and facilities. I found Anthem just too squished in esp in the atrium area. 

 

People enjoy change, well i do. I like to try new ships and interesting itinerary's. Collecting points or sticking to 1 cruise line is not for me. 

 

If Indy comes to Southampton and its value for money.......then i will book it. Will i book Anthem if theres a good deal.... sadly no. 

I too am baffled by the assumption by many that Quantum class are second only to Oasis.

I've never taken to the design, particularly indoors (there's a whiff of the shopping mall about it) and much prefer the design of Freedom class or especially Radiance class ships.

I'm not a moaner, but I think Anthem has definitely done her time in Southampton and a change is needed.

She might be an older ship, but I'm far more likely to book with Indy than Anthem.

[sgmn]

2 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Isn’t the whole point of Quantum class that it’s more of an ‘indoor’ ship and WAS designed specifically for ‘cold’ markets like the UK? Yet we Brits still moaned about being sent Anthem every year despite her being a hugely impressive ship, second only to Oasis class which is clearly incompatible with the UK.
 

Fact is we’ll happily moan about whichever ship we’re sent, and maybe Royal’s had enough. It can make much easier money elsewhere and leave us to whinge to our heart’s content on P&O and MSC.

 

(Or - far simpler and probably more likely explanation - new CEO, different priorities. Fain saw potential for Royal to grow in the UK. Liberty doesn’t.)

 

Just because people have strong opinions doesn't mean they are 'whinging' , just because they have a different opinion to you doesn't make their thoughts of less value. This is a discussion board. I'm a bit fed up of some fellow Brits always moaning about Moaning Brits 😂

Royal Caribbean sails from one UK  port with (at the moment) one ship, therefore the same one ship, year on year, same dining choices,  same shows, same ports does get a bit repetitive,  especially if you can't or won't fly for whatever reason (yes, I know you can get the ferry to Amsterdam ). 

I actually agree Anthem is best suited for our shores and I like the ship, and I also travel to Europe and USA for other ports/ships. But I'm not going to dismiss other people concerns who may not want to travel.

You say RC makes more money elsewhere  and maybe they do, but IMO cruises out of UK are set at a pretty high price

 

[twangster]

3 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

One of the problems we, and Royal, have is the incompatibility of northern European weather and ship design. One of those Royal has no control over, the other it has - if only it chooses to do so.

 

I remember watching one of those 'banging the drum' promo films for the design/build of Voyager. Someone from the design team was giving a presentation and said something along the lines of  'we kept the decks open' (and this I remember exactly) "to maintain our relationship with the sea". Well whoopee for the Caribbean - but what about here and what about us?

 

If the ship(s) don't suit the weather, Royal is not going to get the load factor and therefore return they require to station (more?) ships here. Perhaps it's time for Mr Bayley to use what influence he as, if any, to have a ship designed specifically for this market.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

 

Going back a decade they once said Voyager class will never leave the Caribbean.  

 

Freedom class is nothing more than a stretched Voyager Class, Voyager Ultra class.  

 

Since they have had them down under, across the pond, Asia and Alaska.  

 

4 hours ago, cublet said:

but what about here and what about us?

 

You biggest challenge is that Royal always somewhere else that can generate more revenue for a ship.  It's not that they can't make some money there, rather they make more money elsewhere.   They are not trying to dominate that market, other lines beat them to that and it would be a tall order to overcome that at this point.

[gumshoe958]

49 minutes ago, twangster said:

You biggest challenge is that Royal always somewhere else that can generate more revenue for a ship.  It's not that they can't make some money there, rather they make more money elsewhere.   They are not trying to dominate that market, other lines beat them to that and it would be a tall order to overcome that at this point.

Exactly. And as long as people are willing to pay $1500 for a covered chair on a beach or $200 for a couple of hours in a water park, right now that somewhere else is Coco Cay.

 

Sure, cruise fares are high out of Southampton. But if people aren’t buying drinks, spa treatments, speciality dining and excursions that means little.

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by gumshoe958

[Ourusualbeach]

On 8/19/2023 at 5:52 AM, Jumping Cruiser said:

But would they really have Icon and Icon 2 sailing to the same Caribbean ports? 

They did it for years with Oasis and Allure

[twangster]

15 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Exactly. And as long as people are willing to pay $1500 for a covered chair on a beach or $200 for a couple of hours in a water park, right now that somewhere else is Coco Cay.

 

Sure, cruise fares are high out of Southampton. But if people aren’t buying drinks, spa treatments, speciality dining and excursions that means little.

 

 

Plus it doesn't help the cause that an elevated number of UK cruisers remove the daily service fees a.k.a gratuity.  I don't mean to open that can of worms but at the end of the day it is part of the equation for the company and their bottom line when crewing ships for each market.

[sgmn]

41 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Plus it doesn't help the cause that an elevated number of UK cruisers remove the daily service fees a.k.a gratuity.  I don't mean to open that can of worms but at the end of the day it is part of the equation for the company and their bottom line when crewing ships for each market.

If it really is a bigger problem ex UK than other ports, then perhaps they should do what they do in some other ports and roll the gratuities up into the upfront fare 

[FionaMG]

18 minutes ago, sgmn said:

If it really is a bigger problem ex UK than other ports, then perhaps they should do what they do in some other ports and roll the gratuities up into the upfront fare 

 

I think they do that in Australia, don't they? But then the upfront fare would be higher and compare even more unfavourably with the competition. I'm not sure if there is a truly workable solution other than lowering the fares but I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

 

I've always thought that Royal's prices out of the UK were expensive in comparison to other European ports. I'm glad I was able to get my Canary Islands cruise last year at restart prices. It's much more expensive this year.

[cublet]

4 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

<big snip>

 

(Or - far simpler and probably more likely explanation - new CEO, different priorities. Fain saw potential for Royal to grow in the UK. Liberty doesn’t.)

 

Here is a question that only one person can answer for sure.

 

Cast your minds back to 2010 and the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull and the closure of European air space. Fain sent the brand spanking new Celebrity Eclipse to pick-up air passengers stranded in Europe. Not only that but he gave them $50 OBC to spend. Ever since the Brit's have loved it. After that intro here is the question: What would Liberty have done had he been CEO?

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[whitshel]

On 7/14/2023 at 1:12 PM, Jumping Cruiser said:

Reykjavik, Iceland - Port Bookings (Correct as of 14/07/23)

Only Brilliance booked into Iceland so far, which will likely replace Jewel from Amsterdam.

 

25th June 2025 - Brilliance OTS

30th July 2025 - Brilliance OTS

31st July 2025 - Brilliance OTS

3rd September 2025 - Brilliance OTS

4th September 2025 - Brilliance OTS

Brilliance to Europe in 2025, does that mean Serenade comes back to Alaska in 2025?

[Jumping Cruiser]

6 minutes ago, whitshel said:

Brilliance to Europe in 2025, does that mean Serenade comes back to Alaska in 2025?

Brilliance looks to be in Northern Europe (Amsterdam) over the Summer, while Jewel looks to be spending some time sailing from Fort Lauderdale. The only two remaining are Serenade and Radiance, so if Royal keeps up with their current pattern it definitely looks like both will be sailing in the region. 

[Jumping Cruiser]

39 minutes ago, cublet said:

What would Liberty have done had he been CEO?

Liberty would have sent them the one of (if not) the oldest ships in the fleet and charged them a horrendous amount for the privilege!
 

Does this thought remind you of something?  I’ll give you a hint… SOUTHAMPTON! 😂

[cruiseboy89130]

2 hours ago, cublet said:

What would Liberty have done had he been CEO?

A special TA on Indy at $1999 pp inside and 20% off a DXP @ $119 a day!

Edited August 20, 2023 by cruiseboy89130

[cruisin from florida]

10 hours ago, little britain said:

Any thoughts on potential Japan intensive itineraries? 
I’ve just booked a Celebrity 2025 round Japan trip but of course would prefer RCI ( points!) ..

There is a good one from HK in December 2024 so it can be done! 
 

We booked a 2025 "Best of Japan" trip on Celebrity in February. Like you, I wish Royal would 1) have similar itineraries, and 2) publish them if they do!

[ONECRUISER]

4 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

They did it for years with Oasis and Allure

Yup, same going way back with all Classes. Sovereign Class, from same Port one left on Saturday one on Sunday. When Voyager Class came out also

[craig01020]

9 minutes ago, cruisin from florida said:

We booked a 2025 "Best of Japan" trip on Celebrity in February. Like you, I wish Royal would 1) have similar itineraries, and 2) publish them if they do!

Hope you have better than I did. I also booked a 2025 10-day cruise on Celebrity Summit. This week they informed me that it is being cancelled so they can move the ship to Ft. Lauderdale for 7-day itineraries.