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Utopia of the Seas to operate short Caribbean cruises on market strength

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 21 June 2023 21 June 2023

Royal Caribbean International will operate the sixth Oasis class ship, to be called Utopia of the Seas, on three and four night cruises in the Caribbean when the ship will enter service next year.

While it is unusual that a brand new major ship would be employed on the short cruise market that is usually catered for by older ships replaced on key markets by newer tonnage, the move comes after the Royal Caribbean Group had reported very strong demand for cruises in the Caribbean.

“As the first of the game-changing Oasis Class ships to offer short getaways when it debuts, the next big thing coming to vacations sets the stage to make more memories in one short trip than ever before. Starting July 2024 from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, Utopia (of the Seas) will introduce unmatched weekend energy across a combination of more than 40 ways to dine and drink, more pools than the days to count, ways to thrill and chill, and more of all the above at Perfect Day at CocoCay – Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas – including its new adults-only Hideaway Beach opening in early 2024,” the company said in a statement.

At the first quarter conference call of the Royal Caribbean Group, CEO Jason Liberty said that strong demand for Caribbean itineraries had translated into higher load factors at better-than- expected pricing for both ticket and onboard. “Our yields are now exceeding record highs, and we expect this trend to continue for the rest of the year and beyond,” he said at the conference call after the publication of the results.

“While demand has been strong across all products and markets, we continue to see exceptional strength from the North American consumer. This strength, in combination with the incredible Perfect Day of CocoCay has resulted in record yields for our Caribbean sailings,” Liberty stated.

Image: Royal Caribbean International web promotion of Utopia of the Seas

Strong performance of cruise to drive Saga’s profit higher

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 June 2023 20 June 2023

Saga plc, the UK based and listed company that sells ravel and financial services to those over the age of 50, says its cruise business is developing well and the 2024/25 ocean cruise programme had met record demand at launch.

“Four months into the financial year, we have continued to build on the momentum in our Cruise and Travel operations, while making further progress in our growth agenda through the development of our newer businesses. Year-end underlying profit is expected to be well ahead of the prior year,” Euan Sutherland, Saga Group Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement.

The group’s financial year ends ion 31 January 2024. It has two high end of the market deep sea cruise ships and it also operates two owned and a number of chartered river cruise vessels.

"We have taken strong bookings for our ocean cruises with a load factor that is ahead of the same point in the prior year, and our River Cruise and Travel businesses are on track to return to profitability in line with previous guidance,” Sutherland said.

The booked Ocean Cruise load factor for 2023/24 at 18 June 2023 was 79%, seven percentage points ahead of the same point last year. At the same date, the per diem was £338, which was six percentage points ahead of the same time in 2022.

The full year load factor projection is in line with previous guidance of at least 80% and we remain on-track to deliver £40 million EBITDA per ship (excluding overheads). Due to expected seasonality in the late summer, this will be weighted towards the second half of the year.
The launch of the 2024/25 Ocean Cruise season was the strongest on record, already having secured a booked load factor of 34% and per diem of £342 at 18 June 2023.
The booked River Cruise load factor for 2023/24 at the same date was 74%, with a per diem of £293. This equated to revenue of £39 million, which was 37% ahead of the same point in the prior year.

Cruise Saudi to launch own brand Aroya Cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 June 2023 20 June 2023

Cruise Saudi, which is a government owned organisation in Saudi Arabia, has decided to launch its own cruise brand that will be called Aroya Cruises, Saudi Press Agency reports.

Lars Clasen, CEO of Aroya Cruises, was quoted as saying: “This momentous step marks a historical milestone in Cruise Saudi’s ambitious strategy to create a premium cruise ecosystem in Saudi, in line with Vision 2030. Aroya Cruises will be operating as an autonomous brand within the Cruise Saudi portfolio, aiming to provide experiences and services specifically designed to embrace Arabian preferences.”

In March, Cruise Saudi bought the 2017 built World Dream from the creditors of the failed Genting Hong Kong group for $330 million. The 150,695 gross ton ship has since been renamed Manara.

Ponant to operate winter cruises in St Lawrence River in 2025

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 June 2023 20 June 2023

In 2025 an international cruise ship will sail the waters of the Saint Lawrence in the heart of winter when Le Commandant Charcot of the French expedition cruise line Ponant is scheduled to make four 12-night sailings between late January and early March, Cruise St Lawrence said in a statement.

This is the first time a cruise ship would operate in the river in the winter.

“Several Saint Lawrence member ports of call appear on the scheduled itinerary, including Îles–de–la–Madeleine, Gaspé, Sept-Îles, Saguenay and Québec. Embarkation and disembarkation operations will be shared between Québec and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon,” said the organisation that promotes the river for the cruise industry.

To enable passengers to immerse themselves fully in regional offerings in winter, the cruises may include longer stopovers of at least one overnight stay.

René Trépanier, Executive Director of Cruise the Saint Lawrence (CSL, said: "For almost a decade, we have repeatedly promoted unparalleled winterscapes and winter season shore activities with expedition cruise operators. Our efforts appear, at long last, to have begun to pay off with the announcement of this exciting North American premiere.”

UPDATED- Tourist submarine goes missing in North Atlantic - BBC

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 June 2023 19 June 2023

It has now been reported that Titan has been lost, with all hands, following an implosion that scattered debris some 500 metres in front of the wreck of Titanic.

The small submersible called Titan that went missing in the North Atlantic on Monday belongs to a US based company called Oceangate and it was scheduled to visit the wreck site of Titanic, media reports say. Contact with the craft was lost on Monday, when it had been one hour and 45 minutes to the dive. It has air for up to 96 hours.

The vessel has five people onboard, including two Pakistani and one British passenger, plus two crew members. Titan had been lowered into the water from a ship called Polar Prince that had sailed from Halifax in Newfoundland, Canada.

A search and rescue effort is in progress, involving US and Canadian authorities.

The wreck of Titanic lies in the depth of about 3,800 metres, where the water pressure is equal to about 385 kilograms per square centimetre, reports say.

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A submarine used to take tourists to view the wreck of the Titanic has gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean, sparking a search and rescue mission, the BBC reports on its website.

“The Boston Coastguard told the BBC a search operation for the submersible was under way on Monday. It is not clear how many people, if any, were on board at the time it went missing, the report said.

Small submersibles occasionally take paying tourists to visit the wreck of the Titanic, it concluded.