Is this the new Sunshine?

[UCF_Knight]

It does not indicate that it is a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

You mean except for the Crown and Anchor logo on the stack, right?

[bigque]

I lke this rendition better!

 

Royal Caribbean's Project Sunshine - July 13th 2011

 

 

 

 

[tahqa]

I lke this rendition better!

 

Royal Caribbean's Project Sunshine - July 13th 2011

 

 

 

 

 

Now THAT looks like an RCL ship and I can easily see something like this happening! :):)

[tahqa]

I lke this rendition better!

 

Royal Caribbean's Project Sunshine - July 13th 2011

 

 

 

 

 

Now THAT looks like an RCL ship and I can easily see something like this happening! :):)

[tahqa]

...duplicate post...

[gaylemh]

Gayle

 

Hopefullly you'll get to sail her out of Bayonne if she is indeed a Sunshine class.

 

How are you doing , almost a year now since Bermuda.

 

Bryce

 

 

Hi Bryce, I don't want to hijack this thread. I sent a F B friend request.

Talk to you soon.

[negc]

There has been so much speculation on this new class and it must be amusing for the RCCL insiders who are aware of all the guessing, discussions and rumors that are flying in every direction.

 

I was told by an employee that the new ship will be named Journey of the Seas and that she will be ready in 2013 -- ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

 

I have a feeling this new ship will be home ported somewhere in Europe. As a Diamond+ member, I may have a chance to sail the inaugural but my decision will be based on how high the prices are since sailing from across the pond is an expensive cruise vacation.

 

Sylvia

Considering that RCI and other lines are indicating that they will reduce the number of their ships in Europe next year and in following years, barring a dramatic improvement in that region of the world, why do you feel that they would base their newest ship, and one which they promise to be extremely innovative, there, rather than bring it to the US where they will practically be guaranteed that they can charge full tariffs and fill the ship on a regular basis? They have already repositioned Independence from Europe to the US so the trend of bringing ships back to the US or deploying them in other regions of the world would seem to argue against your feeling.

[BillOh]

Considering that RCI and other lines are indicating that they will reduce the number of their ships in Europe next year and in following years, barring a dramatic improvement in that region of the world, why do you feel that they would base their newest ship, and one which they promise to be extremely innovative, there, rather than bring it to the US where they will practically be guaranteed that they can charge full tariffs and fill the ship on a regular basis? They have already repositioned Independence from Europe to the US so the trend of bringing ships back to the US or deploying them in other regions of the world would seem to argue against your feeling.

 

 

Finding no fault with that logic as it exists today. It was just a year or two ago they were moving ships the other way. Perhaps one reason they aren't saying where this ship will port is so that they can remain flexible. Something could change dramatically in the next 12-24 months. With Oasis they had to tip their hand early regarding home port and destination ports because of its size.

 

(Total speculation on my part)

[I Church]

We are planning on being on the Sunshine ship or ships Inaugural when and wherever she sails.

 

Irene & Miles

[jonbgd]

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I havnt seen a great looking RCCL ship since the Radiance class.

 

But I dont cruise for what the cruise ship looks like either. So if this is close to what the new Sunshine is I cruise on it. It looks fine

[negc]

Finding no fault with that logic as it exists today. It was just a year or two ago they were moving ships the other way. Perhaps one reason they aren't saying where this ship will port is so that they can remain flexible. Something could change dramatically in the next 12-24 months. With Oasis they had to tip their hand early regarding home port and destination ports because of its size.

 

(Total speculation on my part)

You are absolutely correct. Things change and it is difficult to predict what conditions will be 12 or 24 months from now which is why the cruiselines have such an advantage since they can adjust their itineraries on fairly short notice to reflect changing conditions. With so much still to be revealed about the Sunshine project ships, I somehow think that where they will be based isn't high on their priority list for announcements.

[phish tales]

too boxy for my taste as well. looks like a mix of epic and oasis to me.

 

please don't try to combine RCL with NCL. Royal is a top notch terrific, wonderful cruise line and NCL is the bottom of the barrel. :eek::eek::eek:. NCL is the pits.:eek:

[Elizanessie]

With so much still to be revealed about the Sunshine project ships, I somehow think that where they will be based isn't high on their priority list for announcements.

 

One of the first things they announce when they have a new ship being built is ...where her homeport will be.:D

 

I don't think the first one will be homeported in Europe...but I think the second one (2015) will be. :D

[webgal318]

I just wonder about the lack of information we are receiving about this ship that's all.

What you and BillOh posted makes sense and home porting her here would be great, especially if it is in my home state of Florida.

I think keeping tight lipped does offer RCI flexibility.

[negc]

I just wonder about the lack of information we are receiving about this ship that's all.

What you and BillOh posted makes sense and home porting her here would be great, especially if it is in my home state of Florida.

I think keeping tight lipped does offer RCI flexibility.

 

Not to worry. When the RCI publicity machine decides to roll out more information about this new class of ship, there should be more than enough news to occupy our discussions for a good amount of time. Right now they seem more interested in talking up the refurbishments of the ships already in their fleet. In the past the line has shown good judgement in timing its release of information on their newest ships to maximize interest and to create enthusiasm for booking and sailing on them. Expect to see a similar pattern as construction of the first ship begins and as we get closer to a time when it will be possible to book.

[macruisefan]

I think keeping tight lipped does offer RCI flexibility.

 

No. I doubt it's about flexibility, but rather marketing. No sense in giving their competitors a leg up on what they are planning. They know that there are enough "loyal to Royal" cruisers out there to fill a new ship for a long time at premium prices. No reason to release any teasers too soon.

 

As for "flexibility", I suspect RCI has the first 24-36 months of this ships delployment already clearly spelled out. There is way more finance involved than we can fathom. Probably a room full of actuaries looking at a myriad of graphs and tables and spreadsheets. They've figured out when she'll debut, where' she'll port, and where she'll sail. That way they already know what kind of money she'll generate.

 

No way RCI is financing hundreds of millions of dollars and telling their financiers "we haven't given out details to the public yet, because we don't know what we're gonna do with her!".

[VFL Cruiser]

My God, that is one Fugly looking ship! Way too boxy looking

 

Jim

[UNV-IT!!!]

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I havnt seen a great looking RCCL ship since the Radiance class.

 

But I dont cruise for what the cruise ship looks like either. So if this is close to what the new Sunshine is I cruise on it. It looks fine

 

Your sig proves that. Lol;)

[maxxedout2]

It's another container ship design...contain as many pax as

possible. They are all starting to look the same.

 

It doesn't look as bloated as the Oasis/Allure.

Those two set a new standard for fugly big ships

(but the Epic made them look good).

 

It'll be interesting to know where Sunshine's home

port will be.

 

:cool:

[wolfcathorse]

having the MDR all the way aft with floor to ceiling windows is what Empress of the Seas had...I would like that. Only problem is there is a lot of "motion of the ocean" back there and any motion sensitive person won't be able to enjoy their meal! It would be neat to have the VCL face aft too!

[dz9yvr]

I agree, that concept drawing is one ugly ship. It would be nice if the RCCL ships were more like the beautiful Disney ships

[PeterPan]

I'm not convinced this rendering is even real. RCI has been particularly secretive on Project Sunshine. I find it difficult to believe this picture just showed up on one blogger's site, and has not appeared anywhere else (except CC!):D

[scandinavianvoyager]

It’s been great to hear everyone’s opinions and thoughts.

If the rendering hadn’t had the late date as it had it could had been one of several versions they worked on, but since it’s dated March this year I guess this is close to the finish design (if it now is project “Sunshine”).

 

The rendering is indeed bent so it’s somewhat difficult to judge the final appearance and how “elegant” the ship will be.

 

As someone interesting in ship design it is always fun to speculate what new innovations we will see on the new ship. If this is the project “Sunshine” I think the side of the ship shows us some of these. This is though pure speculation at the end.

 

Someone mentioned the big glass area at the back guessing it might be the main dining room. I could though be something else. “Breakaway” will have and the latest CCL ships have an outside promenade above the lifeboat deck, but “Sunshine” seems not be having it. Looking at the aft of the ship which is similar to “Oasis” and “Allure” makes me think they keep the split structures, but covered in glass with an indoor garden (maybe retractable roof) with a “lake” type of pool surrounded by cafés and bars. By this the usual space for the Solarium on the top deck can be used for something else.

 

Looking at the top deck on the rendering shows what I’m guessing is some new thinking about top decks. The front part doesn’t have any superstructure and the Viking Crown is situated at the back of the funnel. Also the windows on decks below the lifeboats are placed in a regularly pattern so they might be outside cabins instead of public spaces (often the lower deck of the dining room etc). These public spaces might instead be placed on the top decks totally enclosed by glass which can be open in warmer climates.

 

The ship is built to cruise in colder climates so more glass enclosed spaces make sense, but the rendering shows no such thing on the lower decks like eg Brilliance of the seas. So these might be on the top decks instead.

[eroller]

I absolutely think this rendering is legit. It's too detailed and professional to be some random amateur playing around on home software.

 

Besides that, I see many design similarities from previous classes of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships (Freedom, Oasis, Solstice). Personally I think this ship (Project Sunshine) is more attractive than the Oasis Class. As much as I love to sail on OASIS and ALLURE, I've never found them particularly attractive on the exterior. Also, what we see here is typical of all mass-market new builds. Every inch maximized to accommodate as many balconies as possible. The aft end looks interesting. Perhaps there will be a mini-Boardwalk or some new innovation.

 

There is one thing that all the new mass-market designs share (ROYAL PRINCESS, NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY, and Project Sunshine), and that is higher density. It's all about maximizing efficiencies which equates to increased revenues and greater ROI. Of the three new designs, I believe Project Sunshine actually has greatest space ratio and is also the largest. Deck plans are already released for NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY and ROYAL PRINCESS. There is nothing really groundbreaking but they look like nice enough ships. I'm placing my bets on Project Sunshine, as based on past history Royal Caribbean seems to put the most effort and resources into creating really unusual and innovative vessels. The passenger flow is always well thought out and the ships feel much more quality driven regarding design than the ships of competitors.

 

Remember you can't always judge a book by it's cover.

 

Ernie

[hydrojim]

I absolutely think this rendering is legit. It's too detailed and professional to be some random amateur playing around on home software.

 

Besides that, I see many design similarities from previous classes of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships (Freedom, Oasis, Solstice). Personally I think this ship (Project Sunshine) is more attractive than the Oasis Class. As much as I love to sail on OASIS and ALLURE, I've never found them particularly attractive on the exterior. Also, what we see here is typical of all mass-market new builds. Every inch maximized to accommodate as many balconies as possible. The aft end looks interesting. Perhaps there will be a mini-Boardwalk or some new innovation.

 

 

Ernie

 

 

I agree Ernie. I'd be surprised if this isn't the Sunshine project. It looks different from the outside than my minds eye had anticipated. I thought there would be more large glass windows to the interior of the ship like the Radiance class. A 3 story glass window letting light into the royal promenade with exterior elevators was what I had envisioned. Not so in this rendering.

 

My guess is a mini Oasis in someway. The question is how they can do this with the limited width Meyerwerft can build. I'm not sure the shipyard could go any wider than the Voyager/Freedom class of ships. There are some things about this rendering that remind you of the Solstice class in a way.

 

Miss reading your posts at CT.

 

Jim