There's a new video that shows a few of the Quantum of the Seas bow sections being towed into the German shipyard where Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship is being built.
Cruise Ind reports that two of Quantum of the Seas' bow sections were outsourced to be constructed at Marine Projects Ltd. in Poland.
Quantum of the Seas will officially launch in Fall 2014 and be based in New Jersey.
Hope you had a great week (maybe one week closer to your next Royal Caribbean cruise?) and you had a chance to keep up with what's new with Royal Caribbean this week. But if not, here's a roundup of this week's news.
This big news this week is Royal Caribbean's CEO Adam Goldstein spoke to CNBC about what Royal Caribbean and the cruise industry have been doing to keep passengers safe.
Goldstein says the negative events of the last two to three years have been "an anomoly" and in his more than two decades at Royal Caribbean, safety has always been a big priority.
"And so there's no question in our minds, in my mind, that the last two or three years have been an anomaly, and that given the foundation of discipline and attention to detail, the cruise industry will resume its long-term very safe track record. "
The twenty third episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're previewing a listener's cruise on Liberty of the Seas.
In this episode, Matt is joined by Chad from Kentucky, who is sailing on Liberty of the Seas this week. Todd shares why he booked his first Royal Caribbean cruise, his plans for things to do onboard and what he hopes to do when they visit ports. Matt also has lots of great listener emails, tweets and Facebook posts to share.
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.
The Motley Fool thinks Royal Caribbean's stock is looking good, thanks to Quantum of the Seas anticipation.
CruiseRadio has a new podcast episode with a review of Allure of the Seas.
The Economist claims Royal Caribbean and Carnival's market share has dropped from 77% to 72% in last few years.
Sherry Laskin has an introduction to nine popular cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean.
Adam Goldstein's Blog post last week speaks about the importance to Royal Caribbean of shipyard visits.
Thank you to bobinfl for providing this cruise compass
Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein spoke with CNBC about safety in the cruise industry as part of an effort to set the record straight.
Royal Caribbean has had some negative attention lately after two cruise passengers went overboard from their cruises.
In an exclusive intereview with CNBC, Goldstein spoke about the work Royal Caribbean's crew does every day to provide a safe cruise experience for its guests, "I having been in this cruise business for over 25 years now, my frame of reference is two and a half decades of an, extraordinarily safe of track record of great duration. Tremendous attention to detail and training that prepares the crew and the officers to do everything that they need to do from to delivering satisfaction to the guests to being extremely safe and environmentally responsible. "
"And so there's no question in our minds, in my mind, that the last two or three years have been an anomaly, and that given the foundation of discipline and attention to detail, the cruise industry will resume its long-term very safe track record. "
Goldstein's reaction to the negative news forced Royal Caribbean and the whole cruise industry to change how it looks at the guest experience, "It was very off base and we don't want to see it anymore. The cruise industry, as a whole, has stepped forward as worked together in a different and better way than before the sequence of incidents. We are much more proactive as an industry on the safety front.
"The second thing though that we took from the sequence of incidents that occured in the industry is to do even more to ensure guest comfort while we were keeping them safe. We looked for redundancy of comfort systems, making sure the air conditioning, the heating, the toilet systems, the food provision, everything could continue even under very difficult circumstances. "
"And we've made progress in that regard, and i think the whole industry has."
If you're ready for a mental escape to a Royal Caribbean cruise, then you're at the right place because we have some great Royal Caribbean photos our readers have sent in. Each week we ask our readers to send us their best Royal Caribbean photos to showcase right here on the blog so be sure to send yours in too!
Let's see the photos we have for this week.
First up is a photo from Kayla, taken in Skagway, Alaska as part of her Rhapsody fo the Seas cruise. Kayla wrote, "I have never seen such beautiful scenery!" I have to agree, this looks like an amazing view.
If I gave out prizes for these photos (and I don't), this photo by Gary Garcia would win because it's a fantastic photo of Liberty of the Seas in Cozumel, Mexico with a full rainbow behind her. Wow!
Salem Sue sent us this next photo of the al fresco dining area of Chops on Oasis of the Seas, overlooking Central Park and the Rising Tide Bar. Central Park is such an amazing feat and I never get tired of admiring how pretty it looks.
Next we have a photo by Jane Gabrielle and it's of guest and crew with zombie face paint on for a "Thriller" dance lesson. Jane notes she was the onboard face painter and so was responsible for painting the cast. You can now all imagine me doing the Thriller dance as I post this photo.
Our next photo is of one of my favorite places to visit. Stephanie Fike sent in this photo of El Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, taken on the way out of the channel on Explorer of the Seas.
Johnpaulla sent us this photo from Mariner of the Seas for the New Year's balloon drop. He notes there were hundreds of balloons slung up for the 2014 New Year count-down along the Royal Promenade onboard the Mariner of the Seas.
Is your photo missing from here? Well, send all your Royal Caribbean photos in right nowand we can use it for upcoming Friday Photo blog posts!
Last week we posted Royal Caribbean's Wave season deal of offering up to $300 in onboard credit for cruises in 2014 for cruises to Bahamas, Bermuda, Caribbean & Transatlantic Sailings. Royal Caribbean now has a deal for those looking to cruise to Europe in 2014, with up to $400 in onboard credit.
Book a 6-night or longer Europe sailings in 2013 and receive up to $400 in onboard credit per stateroom. You must book by February 28, 2014.
For cruises outside of Europe, subtract $100 and refer to this original posting.
This onboard credit offer is valid on cruises booked between January 1 and February 28, 2014. Cruise must be 6-nights or longer on sailings departing March 1 - December 31, 2014, excluding Quantum of the Seas. Promo Code: YOURWOW is required and must be presented at time of booking.
Royal Caribbean has appointed Ben Bouldin as its new director of sales for the UK and Ireland.
Travel Weekly reports that Bouldin will be in charge of the 18-person sales team. The hiring of Bouldin fills a newly created position to help with sales of Royal Caribbean cruises in the region. He will now work alongside Jo Briody, who has been appointed director of marketing and public relations for the cruise line.
Before being hired by Royal Caribbean, Bouldin had spent 15 years at PepsiCo International.
Bouldin's boss, Stuart Leven, managing director for UK and Ireland, commented on the hiring to Travel Weekly, "With a new brand structure in place and the recent announcements confirming Anthem of the Seas deployment to the UK in 2015, Ben joins the Royal Caribbean business at an exciting time.
"I look forward to working alongside him and am confident that with his exceptional experience working with high profile international brands he'll be able to build on the team's industry leading track record within the cruise sector."
Royal Caribbean has begun its revitalization effort on Navigator of the Seas that will refurbish the Voyager-class cruise ship.
Amy Mumford posted this photo of the work being done on the Royal Promenade yesterday, which gives us a glimpse at the scope of work being done.
Photo by Amy Mumford
For a full list of what is being changed on Navigator of the Seas, check out our deck by deck comparisson.
Navigator of the Seas first cruise after refurbishment will be a 5-night sailing from Galveston, Texas followed by 7-night cruises thereafter. Royal Caribbean Blog will be posting LIVE coverage from her first 7-night sailing on February 9.
Gianni Rotondo, Royal Caribbean's general manager in Italy is happy with the recent numbers the cruise line has seen in the country.
"The January-March quarter saw an increase in passengers by 20%, with an 8% increase in average revenue, "says Rotondo, noting an increase in price as a customer's propensity to choose the more expensive cabins.
"In 2013, we exceeded the levels of profitability by not only 2012 but in 2011, recording the highest margin ever in Italy."
While still in winter, Royal Caribbean Italy is already looking ahead to the summer season and has launched a new promotion called "Room with a discount", which returns after a good showing last year.
This week's Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for all you commuters, runners, listening-at-work'ers and everyone else!
Episode 23 is now available for downloading where we are previewing one of our listener's upcoming Liberty of the Seas cruise.
In this episode, Matt is joined by Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast listener Chad, who is sailing on Liberty of the Seas next week on a 5-night cruise that was one of those last-minute cruise deals. Chad discusses why he booked the cruise, what his plans are during the sailing and gets some help with what to expect. Matt also shares as many listener feedback messages this week as possible.
Here’s the podcast page for Episode 23. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher 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!