Ovation of the Seas to China ??????

[MADflyer]

it is a good deployment this year. Very interesting shifts happening. Sad to see Vision leaving Florida

 

I somewhat feel the same way, but that addition of Navigator at Miami and with Harmony at both Barcelona and PE and Oasis at PC, they certainly tried to give the deployment a good balance.

 

I am somewhat hoping that as mentioned on another thread they send Mariner to Dubai and then keep South America with Vision.

[CRUISEBOY305]

I somewhat feel the same way, but that addition of Navigator at Miami and with Harmony at both Barcelona and PE and Oasis at PC, they certainly tried to give the deployment a good balance.

 

I am somewhat hoping that as mentioned on another thread they send Mariner to Dubai and then keep South America with Vision.

 

I'm sooooooooo doing the 9 nighter on Navigator.

 

I'm considering Harmony or Anthem. all will depend on price.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I'm sooooooooo doing the 9 nighter on Navigator.

 

I'm considering Harmony or Anthem. all will depend on price.

 

And I sooooooo wish I could do that Navigator cruise! Lol. I won't be cruising in spring 2017, so I won't have it as an option, but I'm crossing my fingers that they keep those itineraries through spring 2018... (I know, I know, that a long way off! :eek:;))

Edited March 14, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[reedprincess]

Hello C.

 

I think the deployment this season is fairly balanced as well.

 

This is Brad by the way, I assume you remember me from the Oasis TA.

Thanks for keeping things 'balanced' and providing much entertainment at that fantastic table in American Icon last October.

 

BRAD!!! Hi there! Absolutely remember you, great times at that table.....one of the best.

I do think RCI is doing a great job of balancing out their ships against rising demand in new markets...it's a tough balancing act for sure.

So good to "hear" from you....

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I'm sooooooooo doing the 9 nighter on Navigator.

 

I'm considering Harmony or Anthem. all will depend on price.

 

That 9 night itinerary may just be enough for me to reconsider trying another Voyager class vessel. After a less than wonderful cruise on Mariner from PCN years ago I swore off of any ship of that design and have been a firm Vision/Radiance class cruiser w/ RCCL since. Perhaps it's time for me to reapproach the bigger ships with an open mind :D.

[CRUISEBOY305]

That 9 night itinerary may just be enough for me to reconsider trying another Voyager class vessel. After a less than wonderful cruise on Mariner from PCN years ago I swore off of any ship of that design and have been a firm Vision/Radiance class cruiser w/ RCCL since. Perhaps it's time for me to reapproach the bigger ships with an open mind :D.

 

Wow. Sorry to hear about your experience on Mariner. I have yet to sail on any voyager class ship however I have sailed on Liberty and Independence a few times and each cruise has been wonderful. I love Freedom Class.

[glituner32]

China has a huge going market for cruising, and people there will pay for it. I have some family members over there and paying normal price on a cruise is still cheap for them compared to US prices.

[roquejo]

Woo!!! That completely caught be by surprise.

 

But why 2 Quantum classes in Asia? If I have my way, I just put an Oasis class instead of Ovation and pull out one Voyager class.

 

That way, there is more variety of ships per region.

[CRUISEBOY305]

Woo!!! That completely caught be by surprise.

 

But why 2 Quantum classes in Asia? If I have my way, I just put an Oasis class instead of Ovation and pull out one Voyager class.

 

That way, there is more variety of ships per region.

 

I'm certain that is the plan for Oasis 4

[Deptacon]

wow....you know what RCCL....screw you. 3 new innovative ships and almost all of thier iteneries....BLAH. New Jersey to Bermuda? To Boston? Really? Who take a cruise to boston?

 

Then all the china, Japan, Korea...I understand the emerging market....blah blah blah.

 

Those of us who cruise all the time, would like to go on ship in the fleet that doest look and feel like all the other ones (like all of your other ships)>

 

Im not flying up to New jersey to go on the cruise that spends 4 of its days trying to get down to the Caribb. Whenever I search Anthem, Quantum cruises....its a big bowl of not doing any of that.....

[Deptacon]

The other 17+ plus ships in the fleet.

 

The other 17+ ships that look and feel the same to each other?

[LXA350]

 

The problem is that people like you and most others that are in driving range of a port and will only cruise at discounted rates are not the ones who generate the necesary revenue for RCCL. Someone has to pay for the new ships, and to be fair in the last years this is probably not anymore the Florida Caribbean market which is swampt by the strongest cruising competition worldwide. If the market out of Bayonne or Asia will generate higher yields for a Quantum Class ship than out of FL RCCL has to position the ships in those markets. As it looks 2/3 Quantum Class ships will be based in Asia and possibly when the 4th Oasis Class ship will be constructed in 2018 also at least one Oasis Class ship. If Asia will continue it's growth and the yields will be kept at relative high levels we might see even more of the newest generation of ships transferred from the Caribbean to that region.

[Deptacon]

The problem is that people like you and most others that are in driving range of a port and will only cruise at discounted rates are not the ones who generate the necesary revenue for RCCL. Someone has to pay for the new ships, and to be fair in the last years this is probably not anymore the Florida Caribbean market which is swampt by the strongest cruising competition worldwide. If the market out of Bayonne or Asia will generate higher yields for a Quantum Class ship than out of FL RCCL has to position the ships in those markets. As it looks 2/3 Quantum Class ships will be based in Asia and possibly when the 4th Oasis Class ship will be constructed in 2018 also at least one Oasis Class ship. If Asia will continue it's growth and the yields will be kept at relative high levels we might see even more of the newest generation of ships transferred from the Caribbean to that region.

 

There is nothing wrong with having ships in New Jersey, China. The New Jersey port operns the market to others who dont want to fly and then cruise...they can drive to the port like I can from Alabama. The problem I have is taking all of those new ships, and putting them in that new market/area and ignoring the FL ports and the Caribbean.... There are many ships that have been in FL that can be rotated to those markets, include some large (and fast) Freedom class ships that can make the same runs.

 

I mean COME ONE....IT SAYS CARIBBEAN ON THE SIDE OF THE STINKIN SHIP! ....Yet here we have a brand new innovative ship sailin out of New Jersey to go to Maine, Boston....and Bermuda....

 

And the other two? Going over to Royal Pacific Cruise lines.

 

At least Carnival had the sense to have alternate brand names for alternate markets (P&O, Costa, etc)....and they dont ignore other markets because they can make 5 cents more a share in a new one....

Edited March 14, 2015 by Deptacon

[shipfriend_max]

I mean COME ONE....IT SAYS CARIBBEAN ON THE SIDE OF THE STINKIN SHIP! ....Yet here we have a brand new innovative ship sailin out of New Jersey to go to Maine, Boston....and Bermuda....

 

Do you also want to say that all NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE SHIPS have to sail to Norway, and CARIBBEAN Princess by Princess cruise lines just should operate in Caribbean? :D

 

RCI is a revenue-oriented cruise line, and simply deploys ships where the money and the demand are - and if the two Quantum Class ships are highly demanded by Chinese market, higher than in Americas, Caribbean and Europe, it is logical that Ovation (and Quantum) will be sent to China... ;)

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

There is nothing wrong with having ships in New Jersey, China. The New Jersey port operns the market to others who dont want to fly and then cruise...they can drive to the port like I can from Alabama. The problem I have is taking all of those new ships, and putting them in that new market/area and ignoring the FL ports and the Caribbean.... There are many ships that have been in FL that can be rotated to those markets, include some large (and fast) Freedom class ships that can make the same runs.

 

I mean COME ONE....IT SAYS CARIBBEAN ON THE SIDE OF THE STINKIN SHIP! ....Yet here we have a brand new innovative ship sailin out of New Jersey to go to Maine, Boston....and Bermuda....

 

And the other two? Going over to Royal Pacific Cruise lines.

 

At least Carnival had the sense to have alternate brand names for alternate markets (P&O, Costa, etc)....and they dont ignore other markets because they can make 5 cents more a share in a new one....

 

Harmony, the BRAND NEW Oasis class ship (that apparently blends Oasis & Quantum) will be based in FLL, and the Oasis will be going to PC and will be "new" to them. Yet Florida doesnt get any new ships :rolleyes:

 

And, from the beginning, Quantum class ships weren't even built for the Florida market, they're cold weather ships!

[Deptacon]

Harmony, the BRAND NEW Oasis class ship (that apparently blends Oasis & Quantum) will be based in FLL, and the Oasis will be going to PC and will be "new" to them. Yet Florida doesnt get any new ships :rolleyes:

 

 

 

And, from the beginning, Quantum class ships weren't even built for the Florida market, they're cold weather ships!

 

 

Lol cold weather ships

[Deptacon]

And i dont care about another oasis classes that goes to the same 3 boring stops we have all been to

[CRUISEBOY305]

 

And, from the beginning, Quantum class ships weren't even built for the Florida market, they're cold weather ships!

 

not sure i agree that Quantum class ships are "cold weather" ships. one could say the same about Radiance class. Yet Brilliance and Serenade are based in Florida for part of the year and Jewel in San Juan.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

And i dont care about another oasis classes that goes to the same 3 boring stops we have all been to

 

If you want a different class of ship that goes places you have not been to then may I suggest the Serenade 10/11 night cruises from FLL? Radiance class are beautiful ships and she does some great itineraries!

Edited March 14, 2015 by scottamiller

[shipfriend_max]

And i dont care about another oasis classes that goes to the same 3 boring stops we have all been to

 

Calm down! :D

 

I think we all, especially Floridians and cruise passengers regularly sailing from Florida got used to the luxury that nearly every cruise line sends their newest ship to Florida, at least relatively shortly after delivery (NCL Getaway, Regal/Royal Princess, Celebrity Solstice Class etc...) - and surely they all expect this pattern again and again, and seeing Florida still as THE cruising market as such.

 

But times are changing - the Caribbean/Floridian market seems to be saturated slowly, with all the huge ship coming to Florida in past years, and other markets, especially China, are emerging unexpected rapidly, maybe we all under-estimate such markets... ;) - so it seems to be quite logical that cruise lines intend to invest in such growing markets.

 

And maybe Quantum Class is not succeeding well enough to sent Ovation to US/Florida, in China, she would be much more profitable - so it is just logical to send her to China. RCI simply seems not to see any sense to deploy any Quantum Class ship out of Florida - also not out of Europe in 2016, you see, Anthem is not returning to Southampton - apparently, in US and Europe, Quantum Class would not be as successfull as desired/expected by RCI!

Asia/China, however, seem to work quite well!

 

On top of that, also other competitors (such as Princess) send more and more ships to Asia, but not their newest ones - RCI with sending both Quantum and Ovation to Far East, they surely want to have a competitive advantage over others.

 

Finally, you cannot please everyone - I personally regret to see Harwich and Canada/NE sailings with Quebec to be dropped, others (such as you, Deptacon) are upset about Ovation heading to China. [emoji5]

Edited March 14, 2015 by celebrity_fan

[LXA350]

[emoji5]

 

You got it right :D

 

If you want to take the lead in developing a market you need to attack with the best products you have. Sad to say, but in the caribbean market the price is probably one of the key drivers to determine if a cruise should be booked. If at the end you will cruise on a Voyager Class ship instead of a Quantum class ship you will book the cruise anyhow. However in a market like China where the people are willing to pay a higher price, they also expect to get the most innovative products for it.