Royal Caribbean Blog

Earlier this week, two cruise lines announced they would scale back their European cruises to only offer sailings from the United Kingdom, which prompts the question if Royal Caribbean would do the same.

Both Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises announced instead of sailing to destinations around Europe, they would offer sailings around the UK due to the global health crisis.

The Sky Princess, Regal Princess, and Island Princess will sail from Southampton and offer short sailings, with more details later.

P&O Cruises also announced new sailings around the British Isles for UK residents only.

Could Royal Caribbean follow suit and offer cruises from Southampton this summer to on the UK?

Royal Caribbean's vice president EMEA, Ben Bouldin, was interviewed by Travel Weekly about this very topic.

Mr. Bouldin says cruises around the UK could be done, but, "it's probably got limited appeal".

"Domestic cruising is probably looks and feels like the most likely opportunity in the short term based on the rhetoric we've had."

"I don't think Royal Caribbean for sure, is not a cruise line that wants to do that for too long."

Mr. Bouldin pointed out Royal Caribbean's cruise ships, namely Anthem of the Seas, is too large to go into many UK ports.

In terms of restarting cruises from the UK, Mr. Bouldin said they are "looking at a lot lots of options."

"I think all cruise lines are probably going to have to do some sort of test cruise. And we talked about the requirement for these test cruises previously, whether that's cruises to nowhere or whether it's cruises to a another U.K. port. I think there'll be some of those."

"It's not that we don't mind taking a bit of a punt and getting something up and running, but we need to know once we've started, there's so much cost involved in restarting that cruise program, we need to know we can continue it credibly. What we don't want to be in is this sort stop start pattern."

The topic of domestic cruising from the UK comes right after Royal Caribbean canceled its European cruise season for Odyssey of the Seas. Instead, Odyssey will sail from Israel during summer 2021.

Read more: Why can't cruise ships sail from other countries instead?

In terms of cruises in Europe in 2021, Royal Caribbean executives spoke on this topic during their fourth quarter 2020 earnings call with investors.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said that while cruises from the UK are not beholden to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the rules will likely be the same.

"We know that the operations in some of the European countries, particularly Germany, Italy, have been ongoing for the past couple of month... and those protocols that have government operations have basically been based on the Healthy Sail Panel or the CLIA member policies, and then overlaid with specific instructions by the National Health Authority."

"I think what we're going to see is very similar to what we're going to see in the United States, which is as we continue to see infections decline and vaccines increase, then we're going to move to protocols that probably are some kind of hybrid between vaccines and testing."

"We imagine that they'll be very similar to the guidelines that we'll get from the CDC."

Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship has a probable delivery date.

Odyssey of the Seas is currently scheduled to be delivered to Royal Caribbean from Meyer Werft on March 24, 2021.

Royal Caribbean International Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, Mark Tamis, told travel agents during a webinar that the date the new cruise ship will be handed over on March 24.

"Now, technically, the ship is still owned by Meyer Werft shipyard, and coming up in just a couple of weeks, I think, on the 24th of March, we'll take delivery and then we become the owners," Mr. Tamis said in the call.

Photo by Jeroen Houtman

Odyssey of the Seas just completed her conveyance down the Ems River from Papenburg, Germany to the North Sea.

With the ship in position on the open ocean, she is ready to begin her sea trials soon.

What are sea trials?

Sea trials are when a new cruise ship enters its final part of construction.

In these final steps, the ship gets its systems tested out in order to ensure all of its features work, as well as push speed and steering to their limits.

Sea trials range in duration, sometimes one or two sessions is common.

The sea trials are conducted with a combination of Royal Caribbean crew members, as well as shipyard workers. 

What's different about Odyssey?

Photo by Jeroen Houtman

When Odyssey of the Seas begins sailing from Haifa, Israel, she will offer a few firsts for a Quantum/Quantum Ultra Class ship.

The ship's pool deck has been reimagined to match Navigator and Oasis of the Seas pool deck designs, which feature a bright Caribbean vibe.

Most notably, the indoor pool feature for all guests is now open air.

Speaking of the pool deck, El Loco Fresh will be one of the new venues offered on the pool deck. 

Guests can enjoy complimentary tacos, burritos, salsa and more.

The SeaPlex is another area of the ship that is different from her sister ships.

Playmakers is coming to the SeaPlex, where beers, food, sports and more will be available behind a brand new backdrop.

The SeaPlex itself has been reworked to offer more to do, with the removal of pods and the addition of a large screen and new venues.

Adventure Ocean on Odyssey of the Seas will match the new amplified Adventure Ocean program first seen on Oasis of the Seas.

Another major change is the addition of Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar.

At the revamped Giovanni's, you can "enjoy rustic Italian dishes with a contemporary flair."

Photo by Jeroen Houtman

Mr. Tamis also told travel agents that the Solarium adults only area will have areas to cool down, but not a pool.

"Adults only pool, there is not."

This sounds similar to the Solarium set up on Harmony of the Seas, which does not have a pool in that Solarium.

One of the most popular types of cruises was just released by Royal Caribbean today.

As part of its new deployments, Royal Caribbean announced new 7-night Caribbean and Northeast cruises for winter 2022-2023.

Royal Caribbean’s 2022-2023 7-night Caribbean cruises open for bookings today, March 3. 

Symphony of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas will sail from Miami with stops in ports such as Costa Maya, Roatán, Philipsburg, Charlotte Amalie and San Juan. Most itineraries include a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay, and at least two sea days.

As we reported yesterday, Allure of the Seas will call Galveston home and sail from Texas in 2022 to the western Caribbean, Central America and the Yucatán.

Royal Caribbean’s new state-of-the-art cruise terminal will begin construction in April and is set to open in fall 2022. 

Voyager of the Seas will sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico in winter 2022-2023. She will offer 7-night sailings to the Southern Caribbean, with stops in St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados and St. Lucia.

Read more: What is the best time to cruise to the Caribbean?

Harmony of the Seas will continue to offer 7-night sailings from Port Canaveral to the eastern Caribbean.

Serenade of the Seas will sail from Tampa and offer western Caribbean cruises with stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel, Roatán, Bimini, and more. THere will also be a 10-night sailing along the Panama Canal with visits to unique ports in Colombia and Costa Rica. 

From Baltimore, Enchantment of the Seas will offer a 5-or 6-night getaway to Bermuda, including overnight stays in Kings Wharf. There will also be 8- or 9-night itineraries to the Caribbean that include stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay. 

In the fall, Enchantment will head north and offer an 8-night New England and Canada that visits Maine, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

View the full 7-night Caribbean sailings:

• Allure of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Serenade of the Seas
• Symphony of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

The release of the 7-night Caribbean Winter 2022-2023 cruises follows the release other deployments, including Short Caribbean, Northeast and China & Hawaii sailings a few weeks ago.

Over the next few weeks, more sailings will be released for the 2022-2023 season, although changes to the deployment schedule are possible.

Planning on booking a 2022 cruise? These stories will help:

• Eight Southern Caribbean Cruise Tips & Secrets
• Top 10 Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas hidden secrets
• The differences between Royal Caribbean's ships
• How to choose the right Caribbean cruise sailing

Royal Caribbean is set to announce Allure of the Seas will sail from Galveston.

According to the Port of Galveston, Royal Caribbean will announce on Wednesday that Allure of the Seas will begin sailing from Galveston, Texas in November 2022.

The information was divulged at a meeting of the Wharves Board of Trustees on Tuesday. More than likely, Allure's sailing from Galveston will be in tandem with the opening of the new cruise terminal that Royal Caribbean intends to build.

"Royal is going to announce tomorrow that sales will begin for the Allure of the Seas in November 2022," said Galveston Port Director Rodger Rees.

"So they're going to start selling for the Allure of the Seas, I got the email yesterday."

Back in December 2019, the plan was to have Allure sail from Galveston, but the delayed cruise terminal construction meant those plans had to be deferred.

It now appears those plans were deferred, but not denied.

The anticipated official announcement by Royal Caribbean tomorrow will likely coincide with Royal Caribbean's release of 7-Night Caribbean & Northeast (Phase 2) sailings.

Royal Caribbean plans to partner with Ceres Terminals Management to manage the new terminal and provide stevedore services at the pier.

Ceres would have 50% ownership in the terminal and Royal Caribbean would have the other 50%. Ceres is already approved to provide stevedore services at Galveston and provides similar services for Royal Caribbean at Port Canaveral, Port Everglades (Silversea), Tampa, Baltimore, and New Orleans.

Read more: Here are the two port projects Royal Caribbean intends to complete

Royal Caribbean is ordering two new gangways for the new terminal with a 2-year delivery time. They did not discuss whether the gangways would be available for the November 2022 terminal opening but some alternate method of embarkation would possibly be needed during the first few months of operation.

The new Galveston cruise terminal has been by a year due to the cruise industry shutdown, but Galveston officials claim Royal Caribbean has informed in February 2021 that they intend to begin construction in April 2021.

Galveston Port Director Rodger Rees said in that February meeting, "April 1, we're slated for construction to begin on the new cruise terminal."

The new Terminal 3 in Galveston will be built on 10 acres of land at Pier 10, and will be used exclusively by Royal Caribbean.

The new cruise terminal will be big enough to handle Royal Caribbean's largest cruise ships, including an Oasis Class ship or the new Icon Class ships.

The facility will feature state-of-the-art technology, including mobile check-in and facial recognition to expedite guest arrival. The terminal will be designed and developed sustainably to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental) certification standards.

Many thanks to RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Galveston Steve for helping with this post.

As we approach the one-year mark since cruises stopped sailing from North America, lines still find themselves passengerless, staffed by skeleton crews and clinging to revenue generated from bookings that haven't slowed, despite ongoing cancellations.

But booking revenue isn't enough, and parent companies of the world's most well-known brands have had to take drastic measures to avoid completely shuttering operations.

So, how do cruise lines make their money? Here, we'll take a general look at their sources of income and some of the options they have when traditional income sources dry up.

Note: Keep in mind that not all money generated is profit. Cruise lines have many expenses -- payroll, ship maintenance and upkeep, fuel, provisions, port fees and taxes, partnership fees, advertising and marketing costs -- that eat into their bottom lines.

1. Cruise Fares

For most lines, cruise fares -- the bare minimum base prices passengers pay to book cabins, with no extras -- are the main income driver. Rough estimates indicate that bookings usually account for about 75% of money brought in.

Unless a line has solo cabins available to book or there's a sale that discounts or waives single supplements, fares are based on double occupancy -- at least two people to a room.

That means when a line lists a fare for a particular cabin on a particular ship, it expects to receive double that amount when the stateroom is booked.

It's interesting to note that, although ships usually have fewer suites available than other types of accommodations, the money generated from a single suite booking can be the same as what the line makes through the booking of several less-expensive staterooms.

2. Onboard Purchases

Fares account for the majority of most cruise lines' gross income, but strong booking numbers aren't enough to keep the lines afloat without cruisers actually sailing in order to supplement fare-generated earnings with onboard spending.

These expenditures might include alcohol, alternative dining, spa treatments, casino play and Wi-Fi access, among other items that enhance the vacation experience.

Because this supplemental income is so essential, many lines have added lots of new ways for passengers to part with their cash, from arcade games and extra-fee ice cream to skydiving and escape rooms.

3. Add-ons

In addition to onboard purchases, there are plenty of cruise add-ons that passengers can book for use ashore.

Among these are shore excursions, cruise tours (including cruise line-affiliated hotels and train rides in some locations), wedding packages and transportation (such as pre- and post-cruise shuttles).

Combined with the above onboard purchases, these add-ons account for approximately 25% of cruise lines' gross income.

4. Investors and Shareholders

To keep a steady flow of cash that they can, in turn, reinvest back into their brands, publicly owned cruise line parent companies sell stocks -- small pieces of each company -- to shareholders.

On a larger scale, parent companies -- Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corp. and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, for example -- can bring on larger investors who back them financially in exchange for a substantial stake and, often, decision-making privileges.

5. Loans

Because 2020 was a year like travel has never seen, many lines' parent companies were forced to put themselves tens of billions of dollars in debt to cover operating expenses.

It's not a favorable option, but the cruise industry's recent reliance on credit has helped consumers to maintain confidence in their favorite lines, despite substantial hits that have caused cruise-relate stock prices to plummet.

6. Sales

It's not an ideal situation, but when circumstances warrant drastic action, cruise lines can sell their physical hardware -- ships, usually their oldest vessels -- to decrease operating expenses and bring in a small bit of revenue.

Sometimes those ships are sold to other lines, but often they are sent to scrapyards, where they're beached and crews dismantle them, piece by piece.

Parent companies can also resort to selling off entire fleets, along with the rights to the brand under which they sailed. We saw this happen in early 2021 when Royal Caribbean Group parted with Azamara Cruises, selling it to a private equity firm for just $201 million.

This month marks exactly one year since Royal Caribbean, and the entire cruise industry, shut down due to the global health crisis. As things have not changed, many cruise fans are wondering why other embarkation ports are not being used.

Each week I highlight a question from a RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader that I hope will be helpful to others wondering the same thing.

Why don't the cruise lines use Nassau as a home base to "skirt the CDC"? Close, large harbor that can handle multiple large ships, and larger airport. Seems like a no brainer to me. Am I missing something? - Joe M.

Joe's question is something that has gotten a lot of attention over the last few months.  If cruises are not able to restart in the United States, why not move the ships to another embarkation port and start cruises there.

To some extent, Royal Caribbean has been doing that when the opportunity is just right. 

Most notably, Quantum of the Seas was able to restart operations in Singapore after the government there approved that ship for pilot sailings.  Since then, Royal Caribbean cancelled the entire Alaska cruise season in 2021 for Quantum so that it could remain in Singapore longer.  

In addition, Grandeur of the Seas will begin offering cruises from Barbados in December 2021, which will be a brand new homeport for the cruise line.

And just this week, Royal Caribbean announced Odyssey of the Seas will sail from Israel in May 2021 for the summer, replacing the European cruise season.

So why not expand that concept to other ships and, as Joe suggested, begin sailing from other ports?

There are a couple of good reasons why that idea is not as simple or easy as it sounds.

First and foremost, the United States is the biggest cruise market in the world, and offering cruises from the U.S. is the most lucrative option for Royal Caribbean. Domestic travel for passengers is always going to be cheaper, easier, and more readily available than traveling internationally.

No matter which port you pick outside of the country, you are forgoing a large percentage of potential customers because many are either unwilling or unable to travel outside the U.S.

Not to mention the fact that whenever cruises are able to restart in the United States, suddenly sailings from other countries will be instantly not as profitable.

Even if you disregard the logistics involved in getting passengers to other countries, offering cruises from a place like Nassau is not necessarily possible.

To offer a cruise from any port, you need more than a pier and a deep harbor.

There needs to be facilities to accommodate embarkation, check-in, and security. There needs to be facilities to bunker fuel, remove waste, replenish supplies and more.

In the case of Nassau, the cruise docks are set up for ships to visit, but embarkation and disembarkation is a different story.

While I do not claim to have intimate knowledge of the inner workings of Nassau's port facility, I have not seen check-in desks, security, and other necessary functionality for a cruise ship of thousands to be processed.

Recently, the Mayor of Cozumel proposed cruise lines using that port as a new homeport.  

Cozumel is building a new pier that could have the necessary facilities for a cruise ship embarkation, but details were light from the Mayor.

Moreover, Cozumel has its own logistical challenges, such as very few direct flights.

Considering the orchestration required to get a new port set up, arrange new cruises, and market them for booking, it is no simple task.

In addition, the global health crisis finally seems to be getting better, and there is real talk of the cruise lines being able to move towards test sailings resuming.

With momentum starting to shift back towards cruises resuming, it seems to me trying to get new homeports set up outside the United States just isn't practical.

In the case of Odyssey, Grandeur, and Quantum, these situations seem to be more unique than planned.  

Grandeur of the Seas was recalled after almost being sold to Pullmantur Cruises after they went out of business and literally had no where to go.

Quantum of the Seas began sailing from Singapore during her scheduled season, but extended her stay because staying there was a sure bet in terms of revenue.

Just like the other ships, the opportunity to sail from Israel provided another safe bet for Royal Caribbean rather than waiting and seeing if scheduled Mediterranean sailings would or would not be possible.

In the case of all three ships, none were planned as a means to circumvent U.S. regulations.  It just worked out for different reasons why they could offer cruises, and offering cruises from outside the United States is not logistically simple.

Working towards getting cruises back in the U.S. and Europe is still the best strategy from a long term business perspective.

More mailbag questions:

• Should I book flights for my cruise if I'm not sure my cruise ships will sail?
• What are the chances my cruise will sail?
• What's worth paying extra for on a cruise?

Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship successfully reached the ocean to reach a major milestone in her construction.

Odyssey of the Seas completed her conveyance over the weekend, which means the ship is now in position to enter the open ocean.

Odyssey completed a journey that took over 10 hours to traverse 20 miles from Papenburg, Germany up the Ems River, to her current position in Eemshaven, Netherlands.

The conveyance is a process unique to ships built at Meyer Werft, as the shipyard is situated inland along the Ems River, and the ship must make the journey backward and down the river to get to the North Sea.

Fun fact: Now that Odyssey of the Seas has completed her conveyance, she can never return down the river back to the shipyard because of the added weight in new features, fuel and other enhancements.

Since arriving in the Netherlands, she has conducted a variety of work already, including pendulum slip tests and lifeboat tests.

Odyssey of the Seas is a 169,000-gross-ton ship that measures 1,138 feet (347 meters) long and 135 feet (41 meters) wide.

What's next for Odyssey

Now that Odyssey of the Seas is at the North Sea, she will conduct a few more tests and have some other work done onboard.

The next major milestone for Odyssey will be sea trials, where the ship will go out to sea to test out her engines and navigational ability.

If all goes well, delivery to Royal Caribbean would soon follow.

A big debut

Almost as significant as the movement itself, is the other big Odyssey of the Seas news that the ship will begin her career sailing with Royal Caribbean in Israel in summer 2021.

In lieu of her scheduled European season, she will shift her homeport to Haifa, Israel, where she will offer sailings beginning in May 2021.

Israeli residents will be able to choose from 3- to 7-night roundtrip cruises to the Greek Isles and Cyprus.

Photo by Jeroen Houtman

Odyssey will then cross the Atlantic to begin its inaugural North American season in November, offering 6- to 8-night itineraries from Fort Lauderdale and visiting far-flung destinations, including Curacao and Aruba. 

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain posted a new video update talking about a variety of topics, including if passengers will be required to get the Covid-19 vaccine to sail.

The debate among cruise fans of if cruise lines will or will not require a vaccine to cruise has been a hot topic, and it comes on the heels of Royal Caribbean announcing Odyssey of the Seas will sail from Israel this summer and require all guests to have the vaccine.

Read more: Royal Caribbean will debut new Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship sailing from Israel

Mr. Fain repeated the fact no decision has been made yet on if Royal Caribbean will require its guests to be vaccinated in order to cruise.

"So this raises the question of whether we will require vaccines on all of our sailings. The answer is, we don't know yet."

Mr. Fain is a major support of the vaccines, and believes they are the fastest and best method to get Covid-19 under control.

He added that all Royal Caribbean crew members will be vaccinated as well.

"Whether we will require vaccines of all of our guests on all of our ships hasn't been decided yet, but we are prepared to go where the science leads us."

The overwhelming message in his eight minute long video is not to prematurely start going back to normal and let a resurgence in the virus disrupt all the progress that has been made so far.

"These are the most hopeful days we have had in a long time. But as we get closer to our goal, we inevitably also get more impatient to reach it."

"I know that we thought we were closer to the end before, but the vaccines really have changed the game. And despite all the blows our industry has taken, it is clear that there will be a huge demand when we open our doors."

Mr. Fain sees "a rapid and dramatic decline in cases and fatalities", which he alluded to in his November update.

"It's exactly what we need to reopen society. However, this is the current trend and we need to be careful that we don't screw it up."

Mr. Fain sees the key to getting cruise ships sailing again is getting the disease under control, and the vaccines are the "ultimate weapon" to reach that goal.

Speaking of ships restarting, Mr. Fain reiterated cruise ships will be phased back into service slowly, instead of the entire fleet coming back at once.

"You will hear a growing cacophony of happy vacationers who can finally leave their homes as we gradually phase in more and more cruises."

So far Odyssey of the Seas is the first ship to require the vaccine for its sailings from Israel. Cruises on Quantum of the Seas from Singapore do not require the vaccine.

None of the other major mainstream cruise lines have committed to any decision on requiring a vaccine either, although some are also requiring their crew members to be vaccinated.

The global health crisis has wreaked havoc with Royal Caribbean's plans, including its schedule of new cruise ships.

One of the big questions throughout the cruise industry shutdown has been what impact will there be on new cruise ship orders.

As part of Royal Caribbean Group's fourth quarter 2020 earnings filing, the company included an updated schedule for new cruise ship deliveries.

For a while we have known Odyssey of the Seas was delayed until 2021, and Wonder of the Seas delayed until 2022. But what about the rest of the schedule?

Prior to the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean had orders placed for a number of new cruise ships, including a brand new class of ships, known as the Icon Class.

As of December 31, 2020 the schedule for new ship order delivery is as follows:

"Wonder of the Seas and our sixth Oasis-class ship, which are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2024, respectively, and the first three ships of a new generation, known as our Icon-class, which are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2023, and the second quarters of 2025 and 2026, respectively."

• Odyssey of the Seas delivery in 1st Quarter 2021
• Wonder of the Seas delivery in 1st Quarter 2022
• Unnamed first Icon class ship delivery in 3rd Quarter 2023
• Unnamed sixth Oasis class ship delivery in 2nd Quarter 2024
• Unnamed second Icon class ship delivery in 2nd Quarter 2025
• Unnamed third Icon class ship delivery in 2nd Quarter 2026

This filing confirms that orders are still in place for the three Icon Class ships, as well as a sixth unnamed Oasis-Class ship. Moreover, the original plans for these ship deliveries is essentially pushed back by a year across the board.

Read more: Why are new cruise ships still being built?

In addition, the filing adds some details about the next new class of cruise ship.

Ever since Royal Caribbean announced the Icon Class would be its next-generation of cruise ship, details have been scarce.

The Icon Class ships will be built at Meyer Turku and be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fuel cell technology.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is envisioned as the primary fuel for the new vessels, which would dramatically reduce or even eliminate emission of nitrogen oxide (NOX), sulphur oxide (SOX) and particulates, as well as cutting carbon dioxide (CO2). The ICON Class will also introduce fuel cell technology, which in combination with hull air lubrication means that the ships could potentially be some of the most fuel efficient cruise vessels ever constructed. 

With the new filing, we know its capacity will be 5,600. In the original announcement, Royal Caribbean said it would accommodate approximately 5,000 passengers. This would make the Icon class ships larger than the Quantum Class ships, but slightly smaller than the Oasis Class ships.

We now know which Royal Caribbean cruise ship will be the next to sail again, and it will be the newest ship in the fleet.

Odyssey of the Seas will join Royal Caribbean's fleet and offer her very first sailings from Israel in May 2021.

Royal Caribbean announced Israelis can sail on 3- to 7-night sailings departing from Haifa, Israel to the Greek islands and Cyprus. 

At this time, only Israeli residents living in Israel and who are vaccinated will be able to sail.

The new sailings will go on sale on Tuesday, March 9.

In addition, both guests and crew members above the age of 16 will be required to to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Royal Caribbean says more details on additional health and safety measures to be implemented will be announced at a later date.

"We are thrilled to debut Royal Caribbean cruises from Israel with our newest and most innovative ship, Odyssey of the Seas. Israeli travelers will be looking to get away, relax with total peace of mind, and enjoy the travel experiences they are missing dearly; and that is what we do best," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "Sailing from Israel is an opportunity we have had our sights on for quite some time. We greatly appreciate the government of Israel for their collaboration and confidence in us to deliver memorable cruise experiences to their residents, and look forward to delivering on that promise aboard our newest ship – the first 'Green Island' at sea." 

Royal Caribbean's announcement of Odyssey sailing from Israel comes a week after cruise line executives dropped a major hint the next ship to restart cruises would likely restart outside the United States.

According to Israeli travel agents, here are some of the sailings:

• 3 night seas days  only 4-June, 11 June
• 4 night seas days only  7-June
• 4 nights Haifa ,Limassol , Rhodes , Haifa 28-June
• 4 nights Haifa, Rhodes , Mikonos ,Haifa 14-June, 12-Jul, 27-Aug , 5-Sep , 9-Sep, 13-Sep , 22-Sep, 26-Sep
• 5 nights Haifa, Rhodes , Athens, Mikonos, Haifa 18-June , 2-Jul
• 5 nights Haifa, Athens  ,Mikonos, Haifa 23-June 17-Sep
• 5 nights Haifa , Rhodes, Santorini Athens, Haifa 7-Jul , 31-Aug
• 7 nights Haifa, Limassol , Athens , Santorini , Mikonos , Haifa  16,23,30 – Jul  6,13,20 Aug

Cancelled European season

As a result of the redeployment, previously scheduled Odyssey of the Seas sailings in Europe are cancelled.

Royal Caribbean issued this statement about making the change, "The current situation throughout Europe is still uncertain, and Israel has been praised for their effective COVID-19 management by global experts and communities, and thus is well-placed to resume cruise operations."

Guests currently confirmed on an impacted European cruise departing May 9 — October 28, 2021 will have the option to request a refund of the funds paid or leverage Lift & Shift to move to any 2022 sailing of their choice; otherwise, a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will be automatically administered.

A special $100 Onboard Credit per stateroom will be issued to those guests selecting a Future Cruise Credit or the Lift & Shift option. 

Hint of this news

During Royal Caribbean's fourth quarter earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty told investors a second ship could sail outside of the U.S. soon, "We are already operating Quantum of the Seas in Singapore, and our second ship in the water could also be outside of the US."

Jason Liberty told investors during the call his company is working with governments around the world about opening back up, "With regards to ship starting in Australia or China or Europe or elsewhere, for example, we literally are in discussions globally around the world with different governments and looking at where they are with COVID and vaccines, et cetera, et cetera."

"I think the point is that there's a lot of opportunity that's starting to open up globally in terms of what's occurring with COVID. And so we are in discussions around the world."

Odyssey of the Seas just completed her conveyance, marking a major milestone in her construction.

Odyssey of the Seas comes in at 169,000 GT and measures a length of 347.1 meters, and has a capacity of more than 5,000 passengers.

She is scheduled to come to the United States for her North American debut in November 2021, where she will sail from Port Everglades.