Royal Caribbean offering special onboard credit offers for November cruises

In:
01 Nov 2014

Royal Caribbean is beginning a brand new promotion for the month of November, where guests can get up to $1500 to spend onboard.

Those that book select cruises will receive the following onboard credit amounts per stateroom:

3/4-Night Bahamas & 4/5-Night Caribbean

  • Suite: $400
  • Balcony: $200
  • Ocean View: $100

6+ Night Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, Dubai, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Transatlantic, Repositioning, Asia

  • Suite: $1000
  • Balcony: $600
  • Ocean View: $400

Europe, Alaska, 7+ Night Australia

  • Suite: $1500
  • Balcony: $1000
  • Ocean View: $600

Cruises must be booked between November 1 and 16, 2014.  It's available on all open deployments excluding China departures and Quantum and Anthem of the Seas.

Onboard credit will be applied automatically at time of booking to all eligible reservations and displayed as per person amounts for 1st and 2nd guests, totalling the per stateroom value.

Offer is combinable with current standard/full fare rates and NextCruise offers. Offer is not combinable with restricted rates (including, but not limited to, seniors, residents, military), Interline, Travel Agent Rates, Travel Agent Friends and Family Rates, Going, Going, Gone Sales Events, Net Rates, Crown & Anchor Discounts, or Shareholder Benefits.

New Royal Caribbean cruise terminal in Port Canaveral delayed

In:
31 Oct 2014

The new Cruise Terminal 1 in Port Canaveral will be delayed by more than a month due to construction problems on the terminal's waterside area.

Florida Today is reporting that Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Walsh says the new terminal will open December 27.

The change will force cruise ships originally slated to use the new terminal during November and December to shift to other cruise terminals.

Royal Caribbean was planning on using Cruise Terminal 1 for Enchantment of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. In addition, Quantum of the Seas would be stopping in Port Canaveral as part of its Bahamas itinerary.

Reporter Dave Berman cites among the issues plaguing the construction site is it's taking longer than expected to remove 90-foot-deep piles that are remnants from former cargo piers that were on the site.

Royal Caribbean releases first photos of finished Quantum of the Seas

In:
31 Oct 2014

Royal Caribbean has released the first batch of official photos showcasing many new areas of Quantum of the Seas.

The new ship is being unveiled to the public and media in the United Kingdom today and this is the beginning of a media push to show off this amazing new ship.

Check out our photo gallery below with all the new photos!

99 days of Quantum: Photos of Quantum of the Seas arriving in Southampton

In:
30 Oct 2014

With Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, launching very soon, we're counting down each day with a brand new blog post all about this amazing cruise ship.

Photos of Quantum of the Seas arriving in Southampton

Yesterday Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas arrived in Southampton, England to prepare for its trans-Atlantic ocean voyage.  As you might imagine, a lot of people were excited about Quantum's arrival.

We scoured Twitter to find the better photos out there to share with everyone of Quantum of the Seas arrival. Enjoy!

A photo posted by lyan10 (@lyan10) on

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!

Royal Caribbean selects L-3 Marine Systems to provide third Oasis-class navigation system

In:
29 Oct 2014

Royal Caribbean has awarded L-3 Marine Systems International the contract to provide its NACOS Platinum navigation system for the third Oasis-class ship that is being build by STX France.

The navigation equipment for the new vessel includes L-3 SAM Electronics’ NACOS Platinum navigation system, comprising five X- and S-band radars linked to 9 Multipilot workstations for the combined display of ARPA radar, ECDIS and conning functions. 

L-3’s NACOS Platinum series will also include an advanced dynamic positioning system, developed by L-3 Dynamic Positioning & Control Systems, and features four multifunction touch screen consoles, one CP1 DP controller, and interfaces for required environmental and position reference sensors. Positioning software, specifically developed for critical cruise ship station-keeping operations, is designed to significantly reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

The third unnamed Oasis-class ship is scheduled for delivery to Royal Caribbean in spring 2016.

99 days of Quantum: FlowRider champ tests out FlowRider on Quantum of the Seas

In:
29 Oct 2014

We're counting down the days until Quantum of the Seas debuts later this year with our 99 days of Quantum blog series. Each day we will post something about Quantum of the Seas to share with all of you!

FlowRider champ tests out FlowRider on Quantum of the Seas

Everything on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas needs to be tested and that includes the FlowRider surf simulator.  FlowRider employee and flowboarding legend Sean Silveira, who is a five time world champion, went aboard to put the final touches on the ride and train the sport staff on the wave.

“It was fun training with the sport staff; they are a great group of individuals who were stoked on riding,” Silveira said.

Royal Caribbean has had a long-term relationship with FlowRider, having brought the simulators onboard its cruise ships since the Freedom class of ships. 

“Customer Intimacy is is not just two words – it is a mindset throughout our organization and one concept that we live day in and day out” explained FlowRider COO Marshall Myrman. “We want to create the best experience for not only our customers, but also our clients customers, and everyone else associated with our value chain” added Myrman.

"Having Sean onboard the ship provided a great opportunity for their staff to get excellent hands on training and catch a glimpse of world class riding. It is important for the attraction staff to be knowledgeable and experience the thrill of the wave, so they can better relay the experience to guests."

Quantum of the Seas will feature the FlowRider Double, which is the most popular FlowRider.

Royal Caribbean tech with CIO Bill Martin on Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

In:
29 Oct 2014

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 65 is available for downloading where we look at the "art" of booking back to back Royal Caribbean cruises.

Matt looks into Royal Caribbean's history of tech innovation with Royal Caribbean's Chief Information Officer, Bill Martin.  Bill takes us through how Royal Caribbean leverages technology to make the cruise ship experience better for its guests. It's an insightful look behind-the-scenes of Royal Caribbean's strategy.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 65. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSSStitcher 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 aiming to eliminate last-minute cruise discounts

In:
29 Oct 2014

Royal Caribbean is working towards getting rid of those last-minute deals on cruises in order to promote more long-term cruise planning.

Royal Caribbean Chairmand and CEO Richard Fain spoke to analysts during last week's earning call, “Last-minute discounting is a significant source of discontent to many of our early-booking guests."

Fain indicated that a “more consistent approach on pricing” has been reached because of reducing of cabin capacity in 2015 when Royal Caribbean will have more of its cruise ships based in Asia.  This will reduce the supply of available staterooms in the Caribbean, which Royal Caribbean hopes will increase the profitability of each sailing.

This may in turn lead to less passengers depending on how aggresively Royal Caribbean prices itself.  Fain believes in the long term, it will work out, “we think it will raise the satisfaction level of our guests and strengthen the perception of our brand superiority.”

The big question is if Royal Caribbean can actually achieve this sort of change, which Fain cites will be “a source of quite a bit of upset” for early birds. For Royal Caribbean to make this work they will need industry capacity to remain stable in any region as well as avoiding the big PR nightmares that can sour market demaind.

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