Could the 2021 Alaska cruise season be salvaged after all?

Two U.S. Senators, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced a bill to Congress to allow foreign flagged cruise ships to sail to Alaska without having to stop in Canada.

The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act is meant to alleviate the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) restrictions for cruise ships transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska.

Canada has banned cruise ships for at least a year, which means when cruise ships can restart sailings, they would be unable to legally offer cruises to Alaska due to U.S. laws.

Canada’s ban prohibits cruise ships from navigating, mooring, anchoring or berthing in Canadian waters until February 28, 2022 or until the Canadian Government lifts the prohibition. 

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley took to social media to voice his support of the bill, "If passed, this would represent a step in the right direction for the Alaskan communities that depend on the tourism industry."

"If you support the bill, please reach out to your representatives to make your voice heard!"

Congress has been busy working to find a way for cruise ships to sail to Alaska in 2021 ever since Canada's cruise ship ban was announced.

The entire congressional delegation from Alaska sent a joint statement in February criticizing the decision to ban ships.

A few weeks later, members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent a bipartisan letter to the Canadian Ambassador to the United States that sought to find a solution to the problem.

Senator Murkowski sees a need to allow cruise ships to visit Alaska in 2021 in order to provide much needed relief to Alaska's local economy.

"We have seen double-digit employment declines in Southeast and a more than 30 percent drop in revenue statewide. Missing another cruise season would only compound the economic fallout that has been devastating for so many families,"  Senator Murkowski said in a statement.

"By providing this technical fix to the PVSA for Alaska-bound cruise ships from the State of Washington, we are taking significant steps towards safely resuming cruise ship activity and economic certainty at a time when Alaskans need it most."

The problem with not being able to visit Canada

Foreign flagged cruise ships (which are all of Royal Caribbean's ships) are required to make a stop in a foreign port when sailing roundtrip from the United States.

The law is part of the Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) of 1886, and if left in place, cruises to Alaska from Seattle, Washington would not be able to legally sail.

The justification for both the PVSA is to protect the U.S. Merchant Marine (the licensed (officers) and documented (trades) personnel on the ships) and to protect U.S. shipyards that both build and repair the ships.

By Canada denying entry into their waters, that leaves no foreign ports for cruise ships to sail to within the vicinity of Alaska or New England.

Thus far, Royal Caribbean has not canceled its 2021 Alaska or New England cruises (except for Quantum of the Seas, which is staying in Singapore).

Instead, the cruise line is placing these sailings on hold while it hopes legal action, such as this bill, will provide a means for ships to sail this year.

In the meantime, guests booked on 2021 Alaska cruises have the option to leave their bookings as-is, or cancel them.

Royal Caribbean announced expanded senior discounts on select cruises for sailings next year.

Royal Caribbean has expanded senior discounts of up to 15% off across many Caribbean itineraries departing between fall 2021 through spring 2022.

The senior prices are available on selected sailings exclusively for guests who are 55 years of age and older. 

The new prices are available to book between now through Friday, March 19, 2021.

Up to 15% off clients who are 55 years old or above:

• 7-night Caribbean: Allure of the Seas (departing from Fort Lauderdale)
• 7-night Caribbean: Symphony of the Seas (Miami)
• Short Caribbean: Navigator of the Seas (Fort Lauderdale)
• Short Caribbean: Freedom of the Seas (Miami)

Exact prices and discounts will vary, but be sure to ask your travel agent to compare the senior citizen rate compared to the standard rates.

Read more: 7 ways to get a discount on your Royal Caribbean cruise

New senior discounts are in tandem with Royal Caribbean's comments during its recent earnings call with investors that the group they are seeing a lot of new bookings are seniors.

Bookings have risen by about 30 percent in the first two months of this year compared to the last two months in 2020, and many are guests aged 65 and above.  It appears there is a correlation between getting the Covid vaccine and wanting to plan a cruise.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley told investors, "One of the things we’ve seen after the holidays is a proportional increase in the number of guests booking that are 65-plus, and that has continued to increase."

"I believe the 65-plus are getting vaccinated and obviously becoming more comfortable in booking."

"As the vaccine spreads down into the population by age, we'll see that probably accelerate."

Cruise ships come in many sizes, so how do you know which size is right for you? And is there such thing as "too big"?

You can go on cruise ships with as few as a few dozen people, and as many people as 6,000. Ship size reflects a cruise line's plans for the number of activities offered onboard, types of staterooms to offer, and the economics of the market the ship is intended for.

With Royal Caribbean, you will find a great deal of variation between ship sizes that caters to different tastes and offerings.

If you are trying to figure out whether or not a big ship or a small ship is right for you, here are the important considerations.

What makes a ship big or small?

If you stand next to almost any cruise ship, they all look big, so what makes one truly a big ship or a small ship?

The answer is relative, as cruise ship designs and sizes have changed over the years.  Measuring cruise ship size is less an exercise in arithmetic, and more a consideration of how it stacks up to other vessels.

For the sake of argument, here is a breakdown of Royal Caribbean cruise ship classes to get a sense of how they stack up.

Small ships

• Vision Class
• Radiance Class

Medium ships

• Voyager Class

Big ships

• Freedom Class
• Quantum Class
• Oasis Class

Read more: Best Royal Caribbean ships and cruise guide

The bigger the ship, the more to do onboard

Generally speaking, the larger the ship, the more space the cruise line has to add things to do while you are onboard.

Space is always at a premium on a cruise ship, so if a ship is bigger, it has more room to offer more activities.

Royal Caribbean has always separated itself from other cruise lines by offering incredible new activities onboard, such as rock climbing walls, a zip line, Central Park, Flowrider surf simulator and much more.  In order to have these kind of activities, you need a bigger ship.

If you sail on some of the smaller ships in the fleet, you will not have nearly as many whiz-bang amenities on your ship. For some guests, this matters more than for others.

Read more: 15 really cool things to do that you can only find on Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Dining

These days, the amount of choices you have of where to dine on your cruise ship matters a lot more than a decade ago or longer.

Every ship has a main dining room, Windjammer buffet, and at least a few specialty restaurants.

Just like activities, big ships offer more specialty restaurant choices. 

It may not seem like diversity of restaurants matters that much, but some cruisers prefer to have more choice in where they dine. Others love the main dining room and that works too.

Of course, specialty dining costs extra and while it is nice to mix up your dinner setting, it will mean a higher vacation cost to do so. Investing in a specialty restaurant package is a good workaround to mitigate the extra costs.

Read more: Royal Caribbean specialty dining packages guide

The latest and greatest go on big ships

When you watch a television commercial for a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, almost everything you see in that advertisement is on a new and big ship.

Nothing captivates the attention of the public like a big new ship, and the bigger the ship is, the more attention it gets.

New cruisers often are enamored with the appeal of experiencing all the amazing things cruise ships have to offer, and the absolute best of it goes to new ships.

Part of the reason is the ships have the space for it, and part of it is being newer, engineers incorporated these concepts in the design. It is much easier to offer Flowriders, water slides, and expansive entertainment venues when you build it into the design of the ship.

Read more: What is the worst Royal Caribbean ship?

Where the ship goes matters

No matter which ship you sail on, you will be going somewhere to visit different cities, islands, or scenic landscapes. There is no denying that smaller ships can fit into far more ports than big ships.

Cruise ships have been around for decades, and many cruise ports were designed for cruise ships of a different era. Basically, cruise ship size has outpaced cruise port accommodations.

Certainly many ports have upgraded their facilities to be able to handle bigger ships (especially in the Caribbean), but if you have your heart set on seeing some of the most beautiful and breathtaking places on a cruise ship, a smaller ship will get you there.

A great example is Alaska, where Radiance Class ships can visit more glaciers and far flung ports than the big ships can. Cruisers who have been to Alaska will always recommend a small ship to see Alaska "the right way".

The same argument for small ships can be made for many ports in Europe, including the Eastern Mediterranean, Baltics, and Scandinavia.

Read more: How to choose the right Alaska cruise itinerary

Price

It always seems to come down to cost, right?

Generally speaking, a smaller Royal Caribbean cruise ship will probably cost you less than a bigger one because smaller ships tend to be older.

Royal Caribbean puts a premium price tag on its newest ships, and since its newest ships are big ships, you will find lower prices with the smaller vessels.

While prices will vary from sailing to sailing, some of the best values can be found with smaller cruise ships. This means being able to afford a bigger cabin on a Radiance or Voyager class ship than a similar sailing on an Oasis Class ship.

However, do not book a cruise purely on price.  One big mistake a lot of first time cruisers do is chase the lowest price and ignore what the ship does and does not offer, leaving disappointment when they get onboard and realize there are no water slides or sushi restaurant.

Read more: How to get cheap cruise deals

The only thing better than a new cruise ship are great photos of a new ship.

Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas just finished her conveyance to the North Sea, and with the ship in port it has given plenty of photographers the chance to see the new ship up close.

One of my favorite cruise ship photographers is Jeroen Houtman, who has been taking photos of new ships for many years.

He took some fabulous photos of Odyssey of the Seas while docked in Eemshaven, Netherlands, which deserve to be showcased.

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 will not claim the title of the largest, because Odyssey is smaller than the Oasis Class cruise ships, which currently hold the title for the largest in the world.

Read more: What Is the Biggest Royal Caribbean ship?

Odyssey of the Seas will be the second Royal Caribbean cruise ship to sail since the cruise industry shutdown, when she starts her inaugural season from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The new ship will set sail from Fort Lauderdale on new 6- and 8-night Caribbean cruises.

Here are a list of the major features on Odyssey of the Seas that we know about:

• SkyPad bungee trampoline experience 
• SeaPlex - the largest indoor space for recreational activities at sea
• Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade with club-level views of the SeaPlex
• Reimagined Adventure Ocean kids program and a maxed-out teen lounge with gaming consoles, music and movies
• Teppanyaki restaurant
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar
• Two-level pool deck will feature two open-air, resort-style pools and four whirlpools with shady casitas and hammocks
• FlowRider surf simulator
• Skydiving with Ripcord by iFly
• North Star glass capsule
• Robot bartenders at Bionic Bar

Over the last few weeks, Royal Caribbean has been releasing new sailings in 2022-2023, and this is actually the best time to book new cruises.

It's difficult to plan any trip more than a year and half away, especially when we are still dealing with a cruise industry that is shutdown due to the global health crisis, but if you are looking for the best prices on a cruise vacation, planning early is the best strategy.

There is a lot of renewed optimism about the trajectory of where things are headed in terms of a cruise industry and societal recovery, and with that in mind, getting a jump start on your cruise planning now may save you money later.

The rule still applies

One of the best tried and true strategies for getting the lowest price on a cruise is booking as early as you can.

For years, expert cruisers knew to jump at the opportunity when new sailings are released to get the best prices, especially on high demand staterooms.

Prices for cruise fares tend to go up over time, so booking early ensures you get a good price now, and can reprice the cruise later if there is a sale or price drop.

With the cruise industry shut down and no window of time when they might restart, it seems as though perhaps this rule would not apply any more.

However, booking trends have not changed, and surprisingly, prices are still going up for cruises in the future.

Royal Caribbean Group executives have talked about the fact that prices for cruises in 2022 and beyond are rising compared to what they were in 2019.

So why are prices still going up year over year, despite a horrific year for cruises?

First, pricing has always tended to go up each year to match demand.

Second, demand is still very present despite the cruise industry's recent struggles, largely because of a lot of people are eager to move past the global health crisis and begin planning their lives going forward.

Royal Caribbean has referred to this as "pent-up demand", which comes from everyone essentially wanting to make up for the lost time of little to no vacation in 2020.

During Royal Caribbean Group's fourth quarter 2020 earnings call, bookings for 2022 were once again brought up as being very much in demand.

The increase in bookings point to a "pent-up demand for vacations," noted Chairman and CEO Richard Fain. "People are clamoring for opportunities to have experiences outside their home."

Bookings for future cruises increased 30% since the beginning of 2021 compared to November and December, when the global health crisis was getting worse.

The trends "are building confidence that we’re getting closer to the other side of this and people are beginning to realize that travel should be here sooner rather than later," said Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group Chief Financial Officer.

The smart way to book cruises early

When Royal Caribbean releases new sailings, you want to take advantage of good prices, but not paint yourself into a corner either.

First and foremost, book refundable cruise fare whenever possible.  While suites require non-refundable fares, if you are booking anything else, the flexibility of refundable fares are a must-do.

Plans change all the time, and when trying to pick a sailing for 18-24 months from now, it is more likely that you will change your mind than not.  

While the potential savings of going with non-refundable cruise fare are attractive, your best bet is to book refundable just in case.

In addition, I always recommend anyone booking a cruise work with a good travel agent to ensure the booking process is smooth.

Moreover, there is a good chance you might have a future cruise credit laying around from all of these cancelled cruises, so a travel agent makes redeeming them very easy.

What to do if the price is lower later

Booking now is a solid strategy for locking in a good rate, but inevitably prices do fluctuate and sometimes do go down.

The good news is you can always reprice your cruise if there is a lower price later without penalty.

Traditionally, this option was limited to residents of North America and a few other countries.  However, one of the new policies added during the global health crisis has been an expanded and improved Best Price Guarantee program.

It allows everyone to take advantage of a better price up to 48 hours before your sail date, even residents of countries where this did not apply before, such as the U.K.

If there is a better price, you can contact your travel agent or Royal Caribbean and have the new price applied.

If there is a price drop and you re-price the cruise, you will receive the difference as a non-refundable onboard credit inside final payment or rate adjustment outside final payment.

Read more: How Royal Caribbean will let you take advantage of a price drop up until 48 hours before your cruise

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.

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?