Royal Caribbean is launching a new TV commercial with music from "We Will Rock You," the Queen musical now playing onboard Anthem of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean senior vice president of sales Vicki Freed describes the new commercial as, "It's kind of hip and edgy, and appeals both to Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers, and even millennials are attracted to it."
Royal Caribbean is working on a new inclusive amenity program for passengers that book a suite aboard select Royal Caribbean ships.
Speaking at cruise3sixty, the conference sponsored by Cruise Lines International Association, Royal Caribbean senior vice president of sales Vicki Freed made the announcement that would expand suite-only perks beyond the exclusive restaurant, Coastal Kitchen, offered on several ships.
"We really want to make it a wow," Freed said. "The announcement should come this fall to roll out in 2016."
"It will include private areas just for suite guests and a more inclusive vacation experience," she said, declining to reveal more at this time.
But she noted that Royal Caribbean ships have many more suites than people might realize.
"We have more suites on our ships than any one all-suite ship has," she said. "People would not normally think of Royal Caribbean as being top-heavy with suites, but Oasis and Allure of the Seas have 260 suites in six categories."
Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas is packed with new innovations, entertainment and more technology than you can throw a stick at, but we spotted something pretty darn cool to look for onboard too: a "stowaway" piano player.
The idea is there is a piano player with a far-out piano that will move around the ship and perform for guests but encouraging guests to not report him.
The piano is no ordinary piano. It has hidden compartments and functions and can dispense various things, such as lollipops for kids or appear to overheat because of "intense" piano playing.
This neat form of street theater will appear around the ship at different times during the cruise.
Royal Caribbean Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, came up with the concept for the "stowaway piano player" and it's yet another example of unique entertainment you can only find on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Do you want to find the stowaway piano player? Let us know be leaving a comment!
This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 90 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.
This week, Matt looks at the top 5 things to do aboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. This ship changed the definition of what a cruise ship can offer and Matt has sifted through everything onboard to find the top 5 experiences he enjoys the most.
There's also lots of reader emails to share this week about everything Royal Caribbean.
Here’s the podcast page for Episode 90. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or on iTunes!
Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!
Royal Caribbean hosted a spectacular naming ceremony onboard the world’s most innovative ship, Anthem of the Seas led by Godmother Emma Wilby. Wilby is a British travel agent who was selected for the honor in a singing competition for travel agents.
During its first quarter financial results call yesterday with analysts, Royal Caribbean announced it was doing away with the last-minute cruise discounts on cruises more than two to four nights in length.
The definition of last minute cruises are cruises that might be 10, 20 or 30 days from the sailing date.
Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain called the long-held practice “disruptive” to loyal customers and travel agents during a conference call on first-quarter earnings.
“We think that getting our customers out of this used-car salesman kind of mentality will be overall good for the brand, good for their experience,” Fain said.
Fain did concede the new strategy could have a negative impact in the short term because guests who would have been driven by late discounts would not have incentive to book.
“Obviously, the reason that we have been doing last-minute discounts is because the ship wouldn’t otherwise be absolutely full, and so while the number is small, we’ve used it to top up,” he said. “There’s less topping up, so you don’t get the revenue from those last passengers. It may take a little while for travel agents and consumers to understand just how serious we are about this.”
The news is not a shock, considering Royal Caribbean has indicated a number of times over the last year that they aim to eliminate last minute cruise discounts.
Royal Caribbean had its newest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, formally christened today at a ceremony in Southmapton, UK.
At the naming ceremony, the ship's godmother, Emma Wilby, performed the honor of naming the ship and then pressed a button that released a bottle of champagne that broke across the ship's hull.
Wilby, a travel agent that was selected to be the ship's godmother as part of a talent search, also sang the hit song "Firework" that was made famous by Katy Perry.
Anthem of the Seas is hosting members of the media and other VIPs for a short 2-night cruise before she embarks upon her first regularly scheduled cruise on April 22nd.
Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas has arrived and it is already generating a lot of buzz and interest. She has a ton of amazing innovations, entertainment, dining choices and more, but what we really love is just how pretty she is, especially at night.
Check out these photos of Anthem of the Seas after the sun goes down to get a good appreciation for Anthem's beauty when the lights come on.
All photos by Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean reported its 2015 first quarter earnings today that came in notably higher than expected.
Royal Caribbean's adjusted net income was $45.2 million, or $0.20 per share, versus a forecast of $0.10 to $0.15 per share. Results were approximately $0.08 better than the mid-point of guidance, despite a $0.05 currency and fuel headwind.
Overall booking volumes during the first quarter were higher than prior year levels even after adjusting for an increase in capacity. Caribbean itineraries enjoyed particularly strong demand, and bookings were also up year-over-year for Europe and China itineraries.
More recently, Royal Caribbean has taken further steps to improve the integrity of its pricing model including steps to eliminate last minute discounting.
European itineraries in general are booked at a higher load factor than last year. Western Mediterranean itineraries have been booking well, while trends have been a little weaker for Eastern Mediterranean itineraries, particularly those that turn in Turkey.
Demand for China remains strong and bookings have been outpacing expectations despite the significant capacity growth in the region.
Stay up-to-date with all the Royal Caribbean news from this week with our roundup of all this week's news.
There's no doubt the big news this week is Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas made her grand debut in Southampton, UK this week, marking the arrival of the cruise line's second Quantum-class cruise ship.
Anthem of the Seas will have her official inaugural ceremony tomorrow but already she's offering a pre-inaugural 2-night cruise as we speak and that means we have a lot of photos from onboard Anthem of the Seas to share.
Check out our photos from all over Anthem of the Seas, as well as a video of her arrival into Southampton.
The eighty-ninth episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week we are reviewing Royal Caribbean's Dynamic Dining program.
In this episode, Matt and Don discuss what Dynamic Dining is, as well as how well it works and what they like about it and don't like about this new take on cruise ship dining.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
We're so excited to announce the next group cruise for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboard Allure of the Seas! This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on a fantastic Allure of the Seas sailing on an 7-night cruise to the Western Caribbean.
This Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is all about enjoying a fun Royal Caribbean cruise along with other fans who are big fans of Royal Caribbean. Don't miss this opportunity to check out the amazing ship as well as be a part of exclusive events for those that book with our group!
For more details on booking the cruise, the itinerary and prices, check out the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise page and if you have any questions, email me!
Forbes interviewed Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about the growth and popularity of Royal Caribbean.
World of Cruising discussed life on board Anthem of the Seas with cruise director Joff Eaton.
The Motley Fool has a look at how Royal Caribbean plans to get U.S. and European cruisers to China.
Mirror reports when Thomson's acquires Splendour of the Seas, she will be renamed Thomson Discovery.