When do the Royal Carribean itineraries for the 2017/18 season get released?

[Mr&MrsCookie]

More itineraries released today into 2018! I booked the Navigator out of Miami to the ABC islands!:cool:

 

Not in Australia yet though from what I can see

[rkmw]

i just came across this http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/ItineraryLookup/tabid/2918/Default.aspx....just click on the drop down box

 

forget that one as the link didnt open up

Edited April 14, 2016 by rkmw

[wanderingoz]

Does anyone else find this extremely frustrating?

 

I'm sure they must lose business by not having their act together earlier. Many people have to plan their cruises more than 12 months ahead.

 

:(

Steve O

[wanderingoz]

From what I can find it seems RCCI have abandoned Australia between May - Nov in 2017.

 

Oh well, I'll take my money elsewhere.

 

Steve O

[cassamanda]

Does anyone else find this extremely frustrating?

 

I'm sure they must lose business by not having their act together earlier. Many people have to plan their cruises more than 12 months ahead.

 

:(

Steve O

 

This is nothing unusual. The original deployment dates are often pushed back for a variety of reasons. This one is obviously to do with the scheduling of Ovation of the Seas. No doubt tne new itinerary will be out as soon as that is sorted.

[The_Big_M]

This is nothing unusual. The original deployment dates are often pushed back for a variety of reasons. This one is obviously to do with the scheduling of Ovation of the Seas. No doubt tne new itinerary will be out as soon as that is sorted.

 

Agreed. It's much better to be more certain, than publish something early and then change their minds 9 months out... which they have done a few times lately, including with Ovation.

[Ned49]

Somebody on a different social media site said they had been told 21 st April. Keep your fingers crossed..

[Aussieflyer]

From what I can find it seems RCCI have abandoned Australia between May - Nov in 2017.

 

Oh well, I'll take my money elsewhere.

 

Steve O

 

Does RCI ever sail here between May and November? I thought ships were all deployed to the northern hemisphere during our winter.

Princess and P&O Aust seem to be the only ones plying our waters.

[avalon007]

From what I can find it seems RCCI have abandoned Australia between May - Nov in 2017.

 

Oh well, I'll take my money elsewhere.

 

Steve O

 

Royal have never sailed here in our cooler season - it's nothing new.

 

But it is likely now that Carnival have placed a ship here full time that they will follow suit sooner or later.

 

Royal are in the big picture fairly new to the Australian cruise market so will take time to develop their Australian market compared to say P&O who have been here for literally decades.

 

The fact though they are sending one of their newest ships here though shows they value the Australian cruise market. Ovation's Australian based cruises are basically sold out a year ahead & they have had to extend the maiden season, which shows Australian cruisers are keen to try what they have to offer. :)

[MMDown Under]

Royal have never sailed here in our cooler season - it's nothing new.

 

But it is likely now that Carnival have placed a ship here full time that they will follow suit sooner or later.

 

Royal are in the big picture fairly new to the Australian cruise market so will take time to develop their Australian market compared to say P&O who have been here for literally decades.

 

The fact though they are sending one of their newest ships here though shows they value the Australian cruise market. Ovation's Australian based cruises are basically sold out a year ahead & they have had to extend the maiden season, which shows Australian cruisers are keen to try what they have to offer. :)

 

Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas inaugural cruise to Australia was in 2007.

 

I am surprised that they have taken so long to base a ship here all year. Or Celebrity Cruises. Of course, they are all part of Carnival.

 

As you say, the demand is already here from both Australia/NZ and South East Asia.

 

Just don't send a fancied up rust bucket Down Under, with plumbing and air conditioning problems!

[ladybird1292]

Aka Legend of the Seas

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[avalon007]

Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas inaugural cruise to Australia was in 2007.

 

I am surprised that they have taken so long to base a ship here all year. Or Celebrity Cruises. Of course, they are all part of Carnival.

 

As you say, the demand is already here from both Australia/NZ and South East Asia.

 

Just don't send a fancied up rust bucket Down Under, with plumbing and air conditioning problems!

 

No they are not all part of Carnival.

 

Celebrity is owned by Royal which is not part of Carnival.

Royal also owns Azamara, Pullmantur & CDF Cruises.

Royal has in total about 40 ships including the 10 ships in the Celebrity fleet ,so we are lucky we have Solstice here considering - lovely ship.

 

Carnival owns lots of lines - AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Fathom, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia ,Cunard, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line & Seabourn with a total of around 100 ships in the fleet to choose from, so no surprise they can afford to leave some here year round.

 

With the arrival of Ovation for the first time us Australians will be getting a brand new ship for a change. Can't wait! :)

[MMDown Under]

No they are not all part of Carnival.

 

Celebrity is owned by Royal which is not part of Carnival.

Royal also owns Azamara, Pullmantur & CDF Cruises.

Royal has in total about 40 ships including the 10 ships in the Celebrity fleet ,so we are lucky we have Solstice here considering - lovely ship.

 

Carnival owns lots of lines - AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Fathom, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia ,Cunard, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line & Seabourn with a total of around 100 ships in the fleet to choose from, so no surprise they can afford to leave some here year round.

 

With the arrival of Ovation for the first time us Australians will be getting a brand new ship for a change. Can't wait! :)

 

Yes, you are correct. I forgot for a moment.

 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises, CDF Croisières de France, and TUI Cruises brand names. The Royal Caribbean International brand provides cruise itineraries ranging from 2 to 24 nights with options for onboard dining, entertainment, and other onboard activities to various destinations. The Celebrity Cruises brand offers cruise itineraries ranging from 2 to 18 nights to various destinations; and operates onboard upscale ships that offer accommodations, fine dining, personalized services, and spa facilities. The Azamara Club Cruises brand offers cruise itineraries ranging from 3 to 20 nights that serve the up-market segment of the North American, the United Kingdom, and Australian markets. The Pullmantur brand provides cruise itineraries ranging from 2 to 15 nights with food and entertainment options for families and couples. The CDF Croisières de France brand offers seasonal itineraries to the Mediterranean, Europe, and Caribbean markets. The TUI Cruises brand provides onboard activities, services, shore excursions, and menu offerings for the German cruise market. As of December 31, 2015, the company operated 44 ships with itineraries ranging from 2 to 24 nights on approximately 490 destinations worldwide. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

 

finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=RCL

[goodycruising]

Well at least they have released the 4 new Ovation itineraries for Jan Feb 2016, although no prices yet. The rest for the following season may be getting closer to release.

 

The thing that gets up my goat is that they advertised themselves back in about February in a schedule that they would release the 17/18 AUS/NZ/Sth Pac itineraries weeks ago. If I remember it was due mid to late March originally. It is not like someone else told them they had to release them, and they have had to say we can't meet someone else's deadlines. They have bookings at the Sydney OPT and other ports like Tauranga for years ahead, so it is not that they need to confirm the ports either.

 

What the hell is their problem? If this is a marketing ploy to build anticipation, it is not a very good strategy. Celebrity have had the 17/18 Solstice itinerary out for months, so at this stage Royal are just looking kind of weird in not releasing their 17/18 season for us. Is there maybe a level of booking for the 16/17 season that has not been reached?

 

The fact that Voyager and Explorer are total South Pacific & Fiji in 16/17 is going to make for some deep specials as the sail dates get closer in my opinion. I am calling that now! We will see :)

[MMDown Under]

Well at least they have released the 4 new Ovation itineraries for Jan Feb 2016, although no prices yet. The rest for the following season may be getting closer to release.

 

The thing that gets up my goat is that they advertised themselves back in about February in a schedule that they would release the 17/18 AUS/NZ/Sth Pac itineraries weeks ago. If I remember it was due mid to late March originally. It is not like someone else told them they had to release them, and they have had to say we can't meet someone else's deadlines. They have bookings at the Sydney OPT and other ports like Tauranga for years ahead, so it is not that they need to confirm the ports either.

 

What the hell is their problem? If this is a marketing ploy to build anticipation, it is not a very good strategy. Celebrity have had the 17/18 Solstice itinerary out for months, so at this stage Royal are just looking kind of weird in not releasing their 17/18 season for us. Is there maybe a level of booking for the 16/17 season that has not been reached?

 

The fact that Voyager and Explorer are total South Pacific & Fiji in 16/17 is going to make for some deep specials as the sail dates get closer in my opinion. I am calling that now! We will see :)

 

I suspect they may be considering redeploying ships. There are a lot of trouble spots in the world at present and Americans are not as adventurous travellers, as Australians. I well remember a London empty of foreign tourists after the London bombings.

 

I, for one, don't want to cruise to Med trouble spots, nor Belgium or France at present. etc. (have been to them all in the past). On principle, I don't want to cruise to Russia.

 

It must be difficult for cruiselines to second guess their passengers' ever changing cruising concerns, which is why I think Australia will become the flavour of the month before too long.

 

Royal Caribbean could take a leaf out of the two "Queens" cruising schedule, where Americans can cruise both way to and from Australia, without having to fly.

Edited April 16, 2016 by MMDown Under

[avalon007]

I think there is much that goes on in the process of where to deploy ships to that we can never fully appreciate.

 

They always release the Australian cruises after the US/Europe ones so nothing different, but agreed they shouldn't promise release dates that get changed, best to say nothing.

 

Throwing the rapidly growing Asian market into the mix the last few years has also complicated the job as well I'm sure, but ultimately benefits us as we get those ships in their off season.

 

The biggest challenges for Australian cruising is the lack of port facilities in Sydney - none of Royal's ships fit under the bridge so we only have the OPT at present & the lack of port facilities in much of the Pacific make it difficult. Lots of passengers grumble about tendering times etc so until proper docks are built it will hinder the larger ships especially doing many of those ports.

 

Seems Royal though with it's additional cruises for Ovation are trying out Noumea which should be fine & tendering at Mystery Island which could be slow, but it's a promising sign at least that Ovation won't be permanently stuck in the NZ/Tasmania itineraries.

 

Agreed we should see some cheaper deals on the Voyager class ships now they have announced Ovation will be returning for a second season - just got off VOS that was a good deal & really enjoyed the ship since it's make over - especially the new Diamond lounge.

 

My big hope is that Royal will throw in a few different itineraries in the next few years to shake things up, for example a 16 day cruise that goes to Samoa & also includes Tonga in the mix with Vila or Fiji etc would be great, or maybe a 21 day loop to Asia & back via QLD.

 

The senior staff/officers came & asked us several times on VOS in the Diamond Lounge what we think Royal can do better & most people said the same thing - new itineraries!

 

I see Radiance is doing one cruise to Tonga this year so seems like they are testing the waters there which is also promising.

 

Would also love to be able cruise to the USA or Asia & be able to actually return to Sydney a few weeks to months later, not have to wait 6 months for the next repositioning cruise.

 

The latest world political & social instability is but one of those thrown into the mix that affects ship deployment I'm sure. I agree that Australia being one of the most politically, socially & geographically safest places on the planet could well see a boom in tourism if the rest of the world keeps literally blowing up.

 

Although not so bad as Europe or the US, we also have an ever increasing terrorist threat from the prophets people here - my sister works at the Parramatta police admin where that poor guy was shot by the radical teenager - the public are not fully aware how many plots our excellent police force stop happening - and they only have to miss one....

[The_Big_M]

Well at least they have released the 4 new Ovation itineraries for Jan Feb 2016, although no prices yet. The rest for the following season may be getting closer to release.

 

The thing that gets up my goat is that they advertised themselves back in about February in a schedule that they would release the 17/18 AUS/NZ/Sth Pac itineraries weeks ago. If I remember it was due mid to late March originally.)

 

Unfortunately it's par for the course with them. Every year they have not met their originally announced target date here, pushing back by a month or more.

 

As for this year, the redeployments in Asia are the main issue, as seen with the recent change in Ovation. It's not just the Australian cruises, but the Asian cruise are similarly delayed. It's their first year for the Quantum class in Asia, which they've committed heavily and is a large increase in supply. They want to get the dates right as much as possible as to where they're placing them. As with the earlier release, getting the port access for Quantum class is also an issue due to size.

[Hazydavo]

Well the 15th has come and gone.

Let's hope at least that they have listened to the feedback and added some new interesting ports and itineraries for the 2017-18 season.

Tick tock tick tock...

Edited April 17, 2016 by Hazydavo

[Ned49]

Thursday seems to be the day with 4 ships returning. Waiting to see how much the cruise from Seatle to Sydney is on Explorer, they seem to be very popular.

[CroNich]

Im interested in the 8 night South Pacific cruise on OTS. Would prices be cheaper when they get released or closer to the cruise?

[avalon007]

Im interested in the 8 night South Pacific cruise on OTS. Would prices be cheaper when they get released or closer to the cruise?

 

There was no 8 night South pacific cruise for Ovation - the one they added was to Hobart & Adelaide, but that is already sold out according to the RCCL website.

 

Who knows what prices will do ongoing - if they sell out like the extended season cruises they just released then prices may well stay higher.

 

8-9 day cruises on her sister ship Anthem in the Caribbean start at around $1520 for inside cabins & $1950 for a balcony so cheaper than the Australian cruises by the looks of it.

 

But then again the Americans have a huge number of ships to choose from so that could drive prices down for US based cruises.

 

We will just have to wait & see, but by the rave reviews the inaugural Ovation cruise passengers are posting over in the Royal section of CC I'm thinking I may book her again as soon as the new 2017/18 season gets released. I can always change my booking later if a much better cruise deal on another ship comes along. :)

[Miamia65]

There was no 8 night South pacific cruise for Ovation - the one they added was to Hobart & Adelaide, but that is already sold out according to the RCCL website.

 

Who knows what prices will do ongoing - if they sell out like the extended season cruises they just released then prices may well stay higher.

 

8-9 day cruises on her sister ship Anthem in the Caribbean start at around $1520 for inside cabins & $1950 for a balcony so cheaper than the Australian cruises by the looks of it.

 

But then again the Americans have a huge number of ships to choose from so that could drive prices down for US based cruises.

 

We will just have to wait & see, but by the rave reviews the inaugural Ovation cruise passengers are posting over in the Royal section of CC I'm thinking I may book her again as soon as the new 2017/18 season gets released. I can always change my booking later if a much better cruise deal on another ship comes along. :)

 

They aren't sold out, it seems that RCI has loaded them and perhaps this is the only way their new website can handle the fact that they have opened for sale yet. It was posted on here or Facebook that the people who booked the repositioning back to Singapore that has now been moved out to a later date have first preference on the new date for the repositioning or another cruise on Ovation in the extended period.

 

The old website just used to say "N/A", but the new one uses "SOLD OUT" which isn't always correct. It has been posted on Facebook today that the itineraries will open up for sale on Thursday this week for the 17/18 season, not sure about the Ovation extended 2017 Jan/Feb sailings though.

 

We can expect the pricing to be high because people are booking and paying these highly inflated fares and while RCI can benefit from this they will, they are a multi-billion dollar corporation and operate on the stock exchange so need to ensure that they make their profits for their shareholders.

 

Unless the fares are reasonable we will continue to cruise on the other RCI ships. Sad to read that Legend isn't returning to Brisbane for the 17/18 season, but bigger plans are in place for a new Brisbane cruise ship terminal that will take the larger ships as a embarkation port, so we will just have to wait for that.

[Miamia65]

Edited April 18, 2016 by Miamia65

[Miamia65]

 

 

 

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[Miamia65]

Sorry for 2 posts, the images wouldn't load properly via the cruise critic app so I reloaded them via tapatalk!!!

Note the brochure cover says open for sale on 21 April [emoji3][emoji3][emoji1303][emoji1303][emoji171][emoji924]

 

 

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