Visit our travel agent friends at MEI Travel

Royal Caribbean Cruises Chairman offers outlook on the cruise industry during the current Coronavirus crisis

In:
01 Apr 2020

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain shared a brand new video on how he sees the current COVID-19 climate, and what his outlook on the situation.

Mr. Fain begins his video paralleling the current crisis with the timeline of a typical hurricane, and how things look bad before they get better.

"There's a reason for the old sailor's expression that it's always darkest before the dawn; It is darkest before the dawn, but we're not yet in the darkest part of the night. But, we're beginning to approach that period and we will have to prepare ourselves for two things."

"Firstly, we need to prepare ourselves for getting ready for that dark period, and secondly, we need to prepare ourselves for emerging into the dawn that follows."

Mr. Fain also talked about Royal Caribbean's dedication to the travel agent community, and the launch of RCL Cares. The support program helps small businesses navigate the government's CARES Act in a time when businesses are hurting all over.

"We hope these benefits can help your business not only recover, but prepared to charge ahead when we return to service."

"In these times, you can never have too much support and together we will get through this and back on the track to success."

Mr. Fain has been producing videos on a near-weekly basis, and you can check out each of his powerful and insightful takes on the situation:

"As Americans, we have a history of grit and resilience, and both will be needed as we deal with the rising devastation this diseases is bringing."

Royal Caribbean Cruises Chairman offers update on the state of cruise business

In:
25 Mar 2020

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain has shared another video speaking to travel professionals on the current state of the cruise industry while in the midst of a prolonged shutdown.

Speaking from his backyard, Mr. Fain filmed his message with his phone on an iPad, dressed more casually, and offering words of encouragement. 

His message comes less than a day after Royal Caribbean announced it would extend its global suspension of cruises for an additional 30 days.

"We all came to work in January ready for a truly gangbuster year, and look where we are today. But even against that very serious backdrop, the work goes on here in Royal Caribbean."

"Our immediate focus is on keeping our guests and our employees safe and healthy, even while the last few ships are returning to port. But you should also know that we're putting just as much effort and just as much focus into making sure that from the day we begin sailing again - and it won't be that long before we do - we're able to offer our guests safe, healthy, and enjoyable cruises from day one."

Mr. Fain explained he believes lots of people will want a vacation escape once the current crisis improves, and Royal Caribbean has "teams studying to make sure that health and sanitation procedures are best in class and make use of the hard lessons we've learned over these last few months."

This is one of many videos Mr. Fain has recorded in the last few weeks that offer comfort, inspiration and a dash of humor.

Mr. Fain also touted the fact Odyssey of the Seas is coming, which is Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship and set to debut in November.

"Better days may seem far away right now, but they're coming sooner than you think."

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman offers message of support to travel industry in midst of Coronavirus pandemic

In:
13 Mar 2020

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain reached out to travel agents to offer words of encouragement during a time when Coronavirus is dominating the news, and many people's travel plans.

"I just want to say one thing: breathe. Step back, shake a little stress out of your shoulders, and breathe. All of us in the cruise industry are working as hard as we can to help get us through this difficult time."

In a recorded video, Mr. Fain spoke to the current situation, and offered words of encouragement to continue on, and that this will all eventually pass.

"It's a long road ahead on the home front, and it's important to keep your focus on helping each other get through this challenging time."

This is the second video Mr. Fain has produced that is aimed at the travel partners that Royal Caribbean relies on, although his message is more universal than just travel professionals. Earlier this month, Mr. Fain shared a video message to reassure everyone that the Coronavirus threat will eventually pass.

Royal Caribbean Chairman shares reassuring message in midst of Coronavirus outbreak

In:
02 Mar 2020

The travel industry has been hit particularly hard by the Coronavirus outbreak, and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain appealed directly to the travel agent community to remain vigilant.

Mr. Fain sent a video to travel agents who sell cruises on Royal Caribbean, as well as her sister brands, and urged despite the tumultuous situation at hand with the Coronavirus, better times are still to come.

"This is a tough time - a really tough time - and all of us know it, because all of us are going through it together."

"After reading enough of the endless media reports about Coronavirus, it's really easy to think that the world is coming to an end. Well, I have a spoiler alert: it's not. We're all spending time worrying, and that's natural, because we're in a storm, and when you're in the middle of a storm, it certainly feels like it'll never end. But as with most storms, it gets worse before it gets better, but it's hard to remember that this too shall pass. And while the virus is something to be taken seriously, it's not a cause for panic - not in a personal sense, and not in a business sense either."

"As far as the business impact on our business, it ain't pretty. In fact, to use a technical term I learned in business school, it sucks."

"We've absolutely sailed through rough waters like this before, and we've weathered every storm side-by-side with you. We all vividly remember dealing with all the impacts of 9/11 had on revenue, and on our operations. And remember the last pandemic, the H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009? Or the Ebola scare? In each case, it felt to me at least, like the rough seas were never going to end. But in each case, they did."

"We are a strong and growing company in a strong and growing industry, and that's the walk we're walking. Because when this is finally behind us, and it will be behind us, we are going to be in a position to take advantage and to move forward at a fast pace."

"The bad news is that we're in a tough patch. The good news is that we're in it together, and together, we'll get to the better part sooner than you think."

While the video is directed to travel agents, I believe it is a good reminder to us all that, as Mr. Fain said, this too shall pass. 

Royal Caribbean chairman defends cruise line screening processes

In:
27 Jan 2014

Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain spoke to CNBC about the recent bout of sickness that spread to over 600 passengers onboard Explorer of the Seas that is believed to be Norovirus.  He defended the way Royal Caribbean looks for passengers who may be sick prior to cruising to prevent them from infecting others.

"We screen our passengers as best we can," Richard Fain told CNBC in an interview.

“It’s a very unfortunate inciden. Our people responded quickly and aggressively.”

Fain also noted the recent cold temperatures in the northeast may have played a part, with the cruise originating from Bayonne, New Jersey.

Future bookings wouldn't be affected, said Fain. "Most people understand just how common a thing this is," he said.

Fain stood on the company's record in response to incidents like these. “We do an amazing job of helping guests when they do get sick and then cleaning after," he said.

Royal Caribbean officials talk of cruise line plans for the future at conference

In:
03 Oct 2013

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.

Royal Caribbean Chairman: Increased revenue & efficiency

In:
25 Jul 2013

During Royal Caribbean's second quarter financial results conference call, Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain credited an increase in revenue in part due to its newer ships being more efficient and generating revenue at a faster pace.

According to Fain, cruise ships built since 2006 are generating 25% more revenue per berth than their older sister ships.  Moreover, operating costs for older ships are more than 20% higher per berth.

To that point, Fain pointed out that Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are the most efficient ships in the fleet, with 25% lower fuel consumption per berth than the rest of the fleet.  Fain expects Quantum of the Seas to follow the Oasis-class path by doing even better, and should set a new standard.

Fain also mentioned an emerging technology that Royal Caribbean has been testing with sister-brand Celebrity Cruises that use bubbles to lessen hull friction in the water.  Tiny bubbles stick to the bottom of the ship's hull so the ship literally is sailing on a cushion of air.  The technology is working so well that Fain expects to roll it out to other ships in the fleet, "in due course".

Royal Caribbean chairman hints at new ship order possible

In:
30 Jul 2012

During the Royal Caribbean second quarter 2012 financial results conference call, Royal Caribbean chairman hinted at the possibility that Royal Caribbean could order a new ship for either Royal Caribbean or its sister company, Celebrity Cruises.

Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain spoke about the possibility, "We clearly are looking at that sort of thing. "I think what we're looking at is, we see that even in this market, we could get some very attractive returns from some of our vessels that have performed well."

"From 2012 through 2016, our berth capacity growth is less than 3%, and in fact, we don't have any ship deliveries in 2013 at all," he said. "But as we said before, we also can't stagnate. Given the long lead time for a new vessel, we're approaching the point where a new order could not be delivered until the middle to late 2016, by which time, we will be enjoying much better profitability and much improved credit metrics."

Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain awarded Personality of the Year

In:
15 May 2012

Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain was awarded the Seatrade Personality of the Year 2012 award at a dinner held at London's Guildhall.

About 400 people witnessed the 24th annual Seatrade Awards, which is a shipping industry event that recognizes companies in the areas of safety at sea, clean shipping and innovation, as well as individuals that make significant contributions to the shipping industry.

Seatrade chairman Chris Hayman spoke about why Fain deserves the award, "through his exceptional leadership and perseverance Royal Caribbean has blossomed in different directions to become a global cruise company operating 40 ships under the Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisières de France brands."

Fain was praised for two achievements at Royal Caribbean: Overseeing the remarkable development in the hardware of the product, ‘not just size and volume but the transformation of the onboard experience incorporating elements that no one would have even dreamt about 25 years ago’; and secondly globalisation, both in deployment of cruise ships and sourcing of passengers. ‘Under his leader ship the company has moved ships to Asia, Middle East, South America and other parts of the world which are now all considered as major destinations and sources of passenger growth,’ he added.

Fain accepted the award and offered a few words of thanks for the honor, "I take this award with great humility. To receive this honor from Seatrade, handed to me by the IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, is very much a reminder of how important it is that each and every one of us in this great industry to which I have devoted my business career, maintains a high level of excellence."

"I am unusual in this room in that there are not many people who have crossed over from real shipping to cruising. When I first joined Royal Caribbean 90% of our ships sailed from Miami, within a few minutes reach of our offices, now more than 50% of our business is coming from outside the US."

New Singapore cruise terminal ready for Voyager of the Seas

In:
26 Jan 2012

Royal Caribbean's Chairman Richard Fain has personally looked around the new International Cruise Terminal in Singapore and likes what he sees.

Fain has been told that the new terminal will be ready for the arrival of Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas when she arrives on May 26 for her debut in Asia.  Previously the Singapore Tourism Board had only indicated that the new terminal would be ready in the second quarter of 2012.

"Because the ship is coming in late May, I was assured the terminal would be ready for the voyage of the ship," Fain said. "It's also very efficient. That's important in the cruise industry. It's gratifying to see how well-thought through the logistics are: How passengers come in, how luggage is handled, the supplies to the ship. There are commodious areas to handle all the activities that need to be attended to. They are all well-thought out in a progressive way."

Voyager of the Seas' first cruise from Dubai to Singapore is already sold out, which has exceeded expecations according to Fain.

Subscribe to Richard Fain