geoff2802

10 hours ago, springaussie said:

Princess and Virgin announced the replacement cruises in one go.

Why can’t Royal? 

Royal’s management in Miami seems to be disorganised in comparison to some of their competitors.  

2 minutes ago, springaussie said:

I have the feeling in a few weeks the Media Section in Miami will come out bragging about an Anthem voyage from London to Dubai around Africa.

In the meantime cruisers who have been booked to go on the original cruise for a year will have made other arrangements. 
 

Yes.  I’ll be surprised if Royal don’t try to get revenue.  
They may well organise amd release a revenue repo via Africa and then have to cancel the leg ending in Dubai and come up with plan C.  A nightmare for the people dealing with it in Miami and for booked passengers.  
 

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

It might not be practical to have passengers Ken.

It would probably be broken up into segments around Africa and there might not be enough flights to transfer passengers.

If you take Capetown,there might be 3,000 passengers getting off and another 3,000 getting on .

There wouldn’t be enough flights to handle a extra 6,000 people moving through Capetown.

I don’t think that would come into Royal’s thinking.  It would just be a matter of whether they could sell the cruises at good prices.  Plenty of people would stay in Cape Town for  a few days before (if cruising onward) or after (if coming from Europe).  

2 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

Putting out the African itinerary now for 2025 and make $$$$ would have been the smart thing to do! They are stupid not doing it!

Agree.  I think they could sell it.  2 legs.  
I for one would be keen on a cruise from Cape Town to anywhere in Australia.  

I’m wondering if cruise lines will start avoiding the Strait of Hormuz and thence Dubai.   

12 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

I think Dubai is becoming risky,that container ship was hijacked by Iran just the other day as it came out of Dubai on the way to India.

 

I haven’t thought about flights out Capetown ,they would be limited.

Qantas fly nonstop from Sydney to Jo’burg and then you’d take a domestic flight from there.  Not too bad.  
Would be a really good cruise from Cape Town to Freo if they stop in the right ports.  

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

I’m looking forward to Voyager’s hype also.

Going from a quantum,to a 20 year older voyager will be so exciting.

Maybe the hype will be about Lelepa.  They’ll want to have something to crow about! 

4 hours ago, eel said:

I wonder if they might replace a few cruises with revenue cruises around Africa to Dubai like the Serenade is doing this year?

Quite possibly.
We’ll see what they do with Anthem’s repo.   

1 minute ago, springaussie said:

Geoff Royal still hasn’t announced what is happening with Anthem repositioning Southampton to Singapore in October.

The whole situation is just a mess. 
The odds are the Voyager passengers will be in the same situation this time next year. 

The October Anthem cruises keep on appearing and disappearing on the website. It looks like they might be planning on still running the November Dubai to Singapore cruise. But leaving Southampton 2 weeks earlier by cancelling the Canaries cruise. 

Regarding Voyager…
I agree that the situation is likely to persist and that the Suez probably won’t be used for the Voyager repo.  
However, looking at the timing of Med cruises and Darwin & Brisbane port calendars, Royal has assumed the Voyager repo will go through the Suez.  
Obvious risk to tail end of Med season and start of Brisbane season.  
It’s a long way off and anything could happen.  

3 hours ago, Blue Eyed Belfast Belle said:

I disembark Voyager in Rome on 3rd Nov 2025...will that give her enough time to get to Darwin on 7 Dec 2025?

Assuming they can use the Suez Canal, yes.  
If not, there will be an impact on prior or subsequent cruises, or both.  

An entry has appeared in Darwin’s port calendar for 7 Dec 2025 in the name of Voyager of the Seas. 
There is no port calendar entry indicating an exit from Australia to Asia in 2026.  

9 minutes ago, geoff2802 said:

Thx for sharing. 
Wonder if we will see cruises from Cape Town to Perth to Sydney shortly. 
Or would they go via Singapore?  

Pls Delete.  
Wrong year.  

3 hours ago, springaussie said:

All Anthem 3 cruises in October 2024 have disappeared from the Royal website.

1 Canary Islands from Southampton 

2 Southampton to Civitavecchia

3 Civitavecchia to Dubai.

 

Dubai to Singapore still on sale. (Good ol Royal Caribbean Miami Office.)

Thx for sharing. 
Wonder if we will see cruises from Cape Town to Perth to Sydney shortly. 
Or would they go via Singapore?  

On 3/9/2024 at 12:19 AM, Biker19 said:

Look for possible Alaska ship changes in 2026:

 

"

The Seward Company recently released plans to design and build a new cruise terminal and pier at the Port of Seward in Alaska.

 

According to the company’s website, design and construction for the new facility is scheduled to start immediately, with completion expected by Spring 2026.

 

The Seward Company is working with the Royal Caribbean Group and Turnagain Marine on the public-private project, which aims to develop a new world-class cruise port in Seward.

Designed to welcome the largest ships currently cruising in the region, the new facility will replace the current Alaska Railroad cruise port facility, the Seward Company said.

 

According to the Alaska-based real estate development group, the 1965-built pier is now outdated and does not meet today’s cruise industry operational or safety standards.

 

A 2023 study showed that the port is on borrowed time, the Seward Company added, with its supporting piles degrading from unsafe towards complete structural failure.

 

The centerpiece of the project is a state-of-the-art floating double berth pier that measures 100 feet wide and 748 feet long, the development company added, noting that the facility will feature a portable shore-power system.

 

The pier will be able to operate with two ships docked simultaneously and was designed to host Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class.

 

The facility will also be equipped with a 200-foot-long split transfer span, ensuring safe and efficient embarkation and disembarkation of cruise visitors and provisioning vehicles.

Additionally, there will be a 41,500-square-foot cruise terminal providing indoor shelter for passengers and crew.

 

Designed for year-round functionality, the cruise terminal will be transformed into storage and community event space when not being used by cruise ships during winter months.

The new facility secures future economic impacts for the Seward community and the state of Alaska, the company said, while also assuring the long-term sustainability of the Alaska Railroad."

 

Seward Company Releases Plans for New Cruise Terminal in Alaska - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News

 

Thanks for sharing.  Good to see investment in the port. 
We might need to do the one way Alaska cruise again while there is still Radiance class doing the itinerary.  

59 minutes ago, eel said:

If your cruise left on a Sunday (as most do from Galveston) where did you drop off the car? All the car rental companies in Galveston seem to be closed on Sundays. 

I think the Avis at La Marque is open in Sundays.  Uber from there.  

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

There’s a couple of reports getting around,one on the blog ,the others on fb.

At a captains corner on Independence of the sea ,the Captain said if you want to experience Sydney harbour bridge at sail away. You had better do it soon because Royal Caribbean won’t be doing it anymore.

 

What that means, I’m not quite sure . It could be a move to another port like Port Kembla or Port Botany ???.

Some of those Captains corners can be non factual but there was an article before the pandemic Royal was looking at port Kembla.

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/port-kembla-port-5085

Drumming up business for Next Cruise?  
But seriously, successive NSW governments have failed to plan and now there is no viable solution.  I think sales would fall badly if they were to home port in Kembla. 

14 hours ago, arxcards said:

Their numbers show there isn't enough of a market. It is more about the Americans than it is about us. If they are flying 13 to 20 hours to cruise out of Australia, which port do you think they are choosing to cruise from - Sydney or Brisbane?

 

I would fly to Brisbane to do a cruise to nowhere on Wonder, but I wouldn't want to be 1:6000 sharing the tenders. All of the ports will be tender ports, and port amenities already struggle to handle 4000 passengers.

That preference for Sydney, together with the terminal capacity constraint, is reflected in cruise prices.  So Brisbane has to be a bit cheaper (and it usually is).  

Without Lelepa (and a suitable dock for Oasis class), it is not workable.  Tendering is bad enough on Quantum.  

1 hour ago, springaussie said:

Besides a booking for Carnival Splendor in Papette September 2025 I can’t recall Carnival companies ever doing bookings they are not going to use.

Guessing Royal Deployment is fun because they keep on changing what they are doing. It just goes on and on and on. 
Ovation 25  must have been allocated to California at one stage or still is. I did read a cruise magazine article about a year ago with the author saying he can’t understand why Quantum Class isn’t on Antarctica runs, 

Has Royal ever done Antarctica cruises?  

15 minutes ago, springaussie said:

Ovation just disappears Geoff after Easter 2025.

I would love to know to know the real status of China cruises.

Geoff do you have any guesses on what Royal could be selling up to October 2026 in the remaining deployment?

Normally nothing goes on sale after April for each deployment. 

 

 

I think cruise sales in China would be disappointing due to issues in their property sector and flow on effect to the wider economy.  Just a guess. 

My first thought on the deployment item showing through to Oct 2026 was that it was a typo!  However, there have been revisions to the deployment schedule in the mean-time and it’s still there.  Star perhaps?  

2 hours ago, springaussie said:

The current last cruise on sale finishes 4 April 2025.
Brisbane has a new port booking 6 April 2025 for Quantum.

Sydney has a new port booing for Quantum 8 April 2025.

So it looks like a 2 nighter 4 to 6 April 2025 from Brisbane.

Then Quantum goes on an adventure from 8 April 2025. Ovation’s Trans Pacific the most probable. 

Hey springaussie, Looks like you were right about Quantum taking over Ovation’s TP.  Made sense given the Alaska cruises on sale.  
Ovation has not appeared in Darwin’s port schedule but Asia seems most likely deployment.  

3 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Celebrity Edge in Sydney, Good to see a new Royal ship.

 

 

It would be good to go on Edge.  At least then you don’t have to look at it.  

1 hour ago, springaussie said:

The Captain Corner on Quantum was told tomorrow’s 6 night North QLD cruise is going to Sydney not Airlie,Willis Is and Yorkeys.

They are waiting final word from Miami. 

Yeah, I’m on Quantum right now.  I’ve been watching the depression brewing into a cyclone.  Given the forecast track I really doubt they will risk going north.  We’re disembarking tomorrow.  

1 hour ago, springaussie said:

It appears to be booked in Brisbane 25/26 Season!

Yes, it is.  Perhaps they have devided that Quantum is not suitable for the market here or the ports of call.  Wonder if she’ll get the rest of the “amping” or any other refurbishment.  Seems likely there will be a good repo.  

7 hours ago, springaussie said:

Alaska 2025 now getting loaded.

i can’t see any new repositioning cruises yet!

Anthem to repo via Japan?

On 10/5/2023 at 1:34 PM, arxcards said:

Great minds think alike. Today's Cruise Weekly cw051023.pdf (cruiseweekly.com.au)

Thx for sharing. 

Completed the survey.