Deployment 2018-19 booking season begins

Royal Caribbean has started to make some progress on their port bookings for the 2018-19 summer and winter seasons.

Deployment early booking indicators for the 2018-19 seasons are showing:

Vision to Barcelona and will take the place of Brilliance and do the 12 night Western MED sailing.

Rhapsody will return to Venice.

Jewell will sail from San Juan to Rome and do Western MED sailings from Civitavecchia..

No ship has, as of yet, replaced Freedom at Barcelona. Early speculation would indicate that Oasis IV would be most likely, but RCI have not scheduled summer sailings for Harmony calls at St. Maarten, which could mean Harmony will change itineraries for the summer of 2018. The move of NCL Breakaway to the Baltic could have RCI considering it's options for the region.

Navigator and Indy have not yet been booked for Northern Europe.

Brilliance or Serenade bookings for northern Europe have not started to appear. Serenade would seem to return to Copenhagen, while Brilliance now becomes a wild card due to her move from Barcelona.

Brilliance most likely returns to Tampa for winter of 2018-19.

Freedom returns to South Florida for winter 2018-19 and is speculated to be NE US based for summer.

Liberty remains year round at Galveston through 2019.

Rhapsody has not been booked for the Tampa sailings yet and may be heading elsewhere after the Venice season. This may just be that they have not finalized Tampa itineraries.

Anthem, Grandeur, Enchantment, Oasis, Allure and Adventure all should keep their year-round home ports based on port bookings.

Majesty ports do not report, but there is no evidence of her moving anywhere else.

Serenade returns to South Florida to do longer Southern and Eastern sailing for 2018-19.

Jewel returns to San Juan for the winter season after the summer in the MED.

Harmony returns to normal sailings from November of 2018.

Oasis IV is not showing any 'place holder' at Caribbean ports as of yet, unless it is as Oasis, Allure or Harmony on the booking schedules.

No sign of Quantum IV that should joint the fleet in early spring of 2019.

Empress will remain home-ported at Miami and is 'destined' for Cuba when that becomes a reality. RCI has port bookings in place for Havana sailings.

Hello MADflyer,

Thanks for opening the thread! [emoji4]

I have also seen that Brilliance is not going to return to Barcelona, so, maybe RCCL deploys two ships from Venice again...

Serenade is reported in Geirangerfjord and Bergen, so she must be the candidate for Scandinavia again: http://www.stranda-hamnevesen.no/cruise-calls

For Freedom and Anthem, reported at Portland, Maine, have a look here: http://www.cruiseportlandmaine.com/why-cruise-here/cruise-schedule/2018-2/

For Gibraltar, some ships, including RCCL, are listed: http://www.gibraltarport.com/schedules

Here's also the link for the French Riviera: http://www.riviera-ports.com/nos-services/croisiere/planning-escale

Vision is reported there very frequently, indicating on her Barcelona deployment.

Brilliance is not reported anywhere. So I could imagine her sailing from Venice or Copenhagen and Amsterdam, replacing Vision. But that's truly just guessing.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I have also started a thread in the Celebrity boards: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50846257

Sent from my iPhone using [url=https://siteowners.tapatalk.com/byo/displayAndDownloadByoApp?rid=764

It seems the trend is a reduction in the MED and I would not think that a second ship in Venice would be in the cards.

When Split or Dubrovnik open their ship scheduled bookings in November, the best clues will come.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam and Le Havre have not been booked or are not showing bookings yet.

It seems they are just starting with the MED and then will book northern Europe.

A wild card will be a match of the Norwegian Breakaway move with a large ship in northern Europe, but no signs of that yet.

I wonder if the schedule will indicate which ship is the next to leave the fleet? With two ships being added in 2018/19 I assume one of the older ones will go.

Looking out for new itinerary for New England/Canada fall foliage cruises but don't see them just yet!:( If anyone sees that, please post!;)

Any chance of a West Coast itinerary either from LA or SD.

 

It seems they are just starting with the MED and then will book northern Europe.

Serenade of the Seas is already showing up in Akreyri and Reykjavik:

http://www.port.is/index.php?pid=65&w=v - 01st Sep 2018, Akureyri

http://www.faxafloahafnir.is/cruiseships/index.php?pid=1&w=v - 03rd/04th Sep, Reykjavik

That looks like her regular Transatlantic from Copenhagen to Boston via Iceland.

Could well be RCCL is going to stagnate the Med capacities, the same seems to be true for Celebrity Cruises - two Millennium-Class ships (Infinity, Constellation) are listed for Mediterranean so far, the recent years there have also been two Solstice-Class ships in Med...

So if Brilliance does not return to Med and does not sail from Venice, IMHO Amsterdam and Copenhagen are most likely.

Which ones do you think will sail from Southampton summer 18?

I wonder if the schedule will indicate which ship is the next to leave the fleet? With two ships being added in 2018/19 I assume one of the older ones will go.

I would've thought Vision would be next, but the port bookings seem to indicate otherwise. Maybe Rhapsody, since she isn't showing anywhere. Majesty should be saying goodbye too...I'd rather see her go than the Vision Class, but obviously Royal feels otherwise.

I wonder if the schedule will indicate which ship is the next to leave the fleet? With two ships being added in 2018/19 I assume one of the older ones will go.

IMHO that's not easy to say.

Sometimes RCI made the decision of selling one ship even when the deployment for the season was confirmed for a long time (see Legend - her 2016/17 deployment was set by mid 2015, the full 2017 deployment by March 2016 - shortly after that RCL decided to transfer her to Thomson).

But in 2018 and 2019, Thomson Cruises (which got Splendour and will get Legend) will get Mein Schiff 1 and 2, currently operated by TUI Cruises.

So no idea, whether RCCL has plans to sell a ship in 2018 or 19 - time will tell...

@stamford: no official statements or even port reports for a Southampton deployment - but IMHO, Independence and Navigator are most likely again for Southampton.

Looking out for new itinerary for New England/Canada fall foliage cruises but don't see them just yet!:( If anyone sees that, please post!;)

You won't find 2018 Canada/NE cruises available to book until March/April of next year.

Indy and Navigator. Boring. Both great ships but practically the same as each other. Not exactly providing much variety to UK customers.

But, Indy's due for her next dry dock in 2018, so I wonder if she will get a similar refurb to Liberty.

So Vision won't stay in Galveston. Boo:(

So Vision won't stay in Galveston. Boo:(

Well she won't be there year-round, but she could always return to TX after her season in the Med.

Any chance of a West Coast itinerary either from LA or SD.

This is why I read this thread too. Let's hope!

Looking out for new itinerary for New England/Canada fall foliage cruises but don't see them just yet!:( If anyone sees that, please post!;)

Canada/NE Fall Foliage for 2018/2019 should be released March/April 2017.

Any chance of a West Coast itinerary either from LA or SD.

I always hope for RCI to return to the west coast...but sadly that seems unlikely at this point in time...:(

Indy and Navigator. Boring. Both great ships but practically the same as each other. Not exactly providing much variety to UK customers.

 

But, Indy's due for her next dry dock in 2018, so I wonder if she will get a similar refurb to Liberty.

IMHO there are less different possibilities.

The Quantum ships are in Asia or US East Coast, Oasis mostly Caribbean (Oasis 4 Med maybe), all the other Voyager class ships are serving Alaska, Australia, Asia and Caribbean, Freedom and Liberty are staying in US waters as well.

With Radiance and Vision class ships they would stagnate capacities and those ones are usable for more diverse itineraries...

So just Indy and Navi remain possible IMHO

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Royal Caribbean has started to make some progress on their port bookings for the 2018-19 summer and winter seasons.

 

 

 

 

 

Deployment early booking indicators for the 2018-19 seasons are showing:

 

 

 

 

 

Vision to Barcelona and will take the place of Brilliance and do the 12 night Western MED sailing.

 

 

 

 

 

Rhapsody will return to Venice.

 

 

 

 

 

Jewell will sail from San Juan to Rome and do Western MED sailings from Civitavecchia..

 

 

 

 

 

No ship has, as of yet, replaced Freedom at Barcelona. Early speculation would indicate that Oasis IV would be most likely, but RCI have not scheduled summer sailings for Harmony calls at St. Maarten, which could mean Harmony will change itineraries for the summer of 2018. The move of NCL Breakaway to the Baltic could have RCI considering it's options for the region.

 

 

 

 

 

Navigator and Indy have not yet been booked for Northern Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

Brilliance or Serenade bookings for northern Europe have not started to appear. Serenade would seem to return to Copenhagen, while Brilliance now becomes a wild card due to her move from Barcelona.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brilliance most likely returns to Tampa for winter of 2018-19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freedom returns to South Florida for winter 2018-19 and is speculated to be NE US based for summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Liberty remains year round at Galveston through 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhapsody has not been booked for the Tampa sailings yet and may be heading elsewhere after the Venice season. This may just be that they have not finalized Tampa itineraries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthem, Grandeur, Enchantment, Oasis, Allure and Adventure all should keep their year-round home ports based on port bookings.

 

 

 

Majesty ports do not report, but there is no evidence of her moving anywhere else.

 

 

 

Serenade returns to South Florida to do longer Southern and Eastern sailing for 2018-19.

 

 

 

Jewel returns to San Juan for the winter season after the summer in the MED.

 

 

 

Harmony returns to normal sailings from November of 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

Oasis IV is not showing any 'place holder' at Caribbean ports as of yet, unless it is as Oasis, Allure or Harmony on the booking schedules.

 

 

 

No sign of Quantum IV that should joint the fleet in early spring of 2019.

 

 

 

Empress will remain home-ported at Miami and is 'destined' for Cuba when that becomes a reality. RCI has port bookings in place for Havana sailings.

Are you thinking that harmony might return to the med? We had a great time on her this year but we were hoping for oasis 4 for summer 2018! Also hoping for quantum 4 from Southampton from 2019.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Brilliance might be based in Northern Europe as well.

Baltics, Norway and Iceland were commanding high prices this year.

Amsterdam is becoming popular for ships homeporting. Schiphol is ideal airport for flying into

Celebrity used Amsterdam this year

For several lines, Amsterdam has been a major turnover port, as well as Copenhagen, with great flight connections.

If the Northern Europe runs from Amsterdam and Copenhagen on Vision sell well in 2017, I could really imagine to have Brilliance there next year.

IMHO, the 2018 deployment in Europe could look like this:

-Oasis 4: 7 nights from Barcelona

-Indy, Navi: different lengths from Southampton

-Jewel: 7-10 nights from Rome

-Serenade: 7-13 nights from Copenhagen and Stockholm

-Brilliance: 7-12 nights from Amsterdam and Copenhagen

-Vision: 12 nights from Barcelona

-Rhapsody: 7 nights from Venice

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

For several lines, Amsterdam has been a major turnover port, as well as Copenhagen, with great flight connections.

 

If the Northern Europe runs from Amsterdam and Copenhagen on Vision sell well in 2017, I could really imagine to have Brilliance there next year.

 

IMHO, the 2018 deployment in Europe could look like this:

 

-Oasis 4: 7 nights from Barcelona

-Indy, Navi: different lengths from Southampton

-Jewel: 7-10 nights from Rome

-Serenade: 7-13 nights from Copenhagen and Stockholm

-Brilliance: 7-12 nights from Amsterdam and Copenhagen

-Vision: 12 nights from Barcelona

-Rhapsody: 7 nights from Venice

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

They haven't really been able to replace Harwich.

The TA from Copenhagen to Boston is the most expensive. They might try and add another from Amsterdam

They also might add a few British Isles trips like Princess has done for the last 5 or 6 years

Oasis 4 will be in Europe so will stay in Europe I reckon for summer much like Allure & Harmony.

RCL have already said a Quantum will be returning to Southampton just not when yet http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=6942

If I was going to use my crystal ball and predict the future. Oasis Class for Southampton 2020....presumably extensions at port should be complete. P&O big new ship & RCL have a history of trumping it...

Ventura..Independence put against it

Britannia..Anthem

Big P&O ship...even bigger Oasis class:D

Can we see Oasis 4 going to Asia after Barcelona?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk