Deployment 2020-21 booking season begins

[essandjaybee]

Doesn't Carnival have the new Brisbane port tied up most of the time for their ships? I sure hope there is room for a RCI ship to be home ported there.

 

The ACCC, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, weren't happy with Carnivals initial plans to hog the dock and push out competition. Conditional approval was finally granted with Carnival having preferential berthing rights, gets it's choice of 4 days per week however they can't book more than 2 of the 3 weekend days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) in any given week. Guess that's fair...still plenty of space for Royal :D

 

 

 

 

Probbably what will be done with the Oasis Class ship it will be used for one week itinaries in direction New Caledionia, not sure how it will be handled logistically as Noumea currently is a tender port I thought?

 

Noumea has two area's for docking, small ships tie up at the port in the main street, larger ships in the ports working area - bus to town or bus to port gate then walk to town for pax .... pretty sure Ovation of the Seas docks:D The smaller islands off Noumea eg: Iles des Pins - stunning place, as well as most others in the South Pacific are tender.

A " Perfect Day" purpose built island venue will be a winner i'm sure..... last year we went to Carnivals Mahogany Bay- Roatan had a great day.. ;)

[baldilocks]

Since we are talking ships. Is RCI going to replace Radiance and Vision class ships with something? Poor Baltimore, only a Vision class ship can sail under the bridge. The other classes are too tall. The new ICON class will be something around the Voyager or Freedom class size from what I have heard.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Is RCI going to replace Radiance and Vision class ships with something? Poor Baltimore, only a Vision class ship can sail under the bridge. The other classes are too tall. The new ICON class.

No plans to do so.

 

My personal opinion: there will be no new 'small' ships built.

[Clarea]

Since we are talking ships. Is RCI going to replace Radiance and Vision class ships with something? ...

Doubtful, profits are much better with 6K+ guests on board.

[Biker19]

. The new ICON class will be something around the Voyager or Freedom class size from what I have heard.

 

 

Initial announcement from RCI mentioned a 200K GT ship so quite a bigger than even Quantum class.

[Kokomo91165]

Initial announcement from RCI mentioned a 200K GT ship so quite a bigger than even Quantum class.

 

And I believe will be LNG powered if I am not mistaken. That means they will need ports that can accommodate fueling. Port Miami apparently will have this capability by 2020 - as MSCs new ship will be based in Miami and be powered by LNG. RCLs new terminal has this capability already, opening 2018.

[dswallow]

From the Port of Gibralter web site schedule (http://www.gibraltarport.com/schedules):

 

Tuesday, May 5, 2020, 08:00-15:00 - Jewel of the Seas

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 08:00-16:00 - Anthem of the Seas

Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 11:00-16:00 - Independence of the Seas

Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 07:00-17:00 - Royal Class TBA 2020

Monday, July 6, 2020, 12:00-22:00 - Royal Class TBA 2020

Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 12:00-18:00 - Independence of the Seas

Wednesday, Aug 5, 2020, 13:00-20:00 - Anthem of the Seas

Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 11:00-16:00 - Anthem of the Seas

Friday, September 20, 11:00-20:00 - Brilliance of the Seas

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 11:00-17:00 - Independence of the Seas

Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 11:00-16:00 - Anthem of the Seas

[Roofire]

Following - pleased that Anthem is coming to Southampton in 2020 :D

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Don't think I saw this posted yet. French Riviera ports are showing their 2020 port calls.

 

Further confirms the Anthem and Indy Southampton seasons.

 

Jewel calling 3 times in April with no calls after that plus the 5/5/20 call at Gibraltar, further suggesting a move out of the Med like MADflyer mentioned in OP.

 

Brilliance calls through Sept/Oct confirm the mini-season similar to 2019 as mentioned in OP.

 

Rhapsody call on 5/17/20 suggests a Venice season again.

 

No port calls yet to indicate which ship will sail the 12 night from Barcelona or the 7 night from Rome.

[geoff2802]

Following

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[teasa31]

Anthem to Alaska after a winter in Asia/Australia maybe? Alaska seems to be a big pot of gold for new ships, especially with NCL’s push. No reason they wouldn’t have Ovation and Anthem there as they are both perfect for the climate.

 

I would love an Oasis class to come down to Australia, just can’t see it happening due to the fact it has to go two thirds around the world to get to the east coast of America unless it’s going to be in Asia as well. But with Spectrum coming it’s probably too much. Also, I don’t think it would be possible until they announce where the ‘perfect day’ island they have in Asia/Australia is and that would probably dictate where it is homeported.

[geoff2802]

The ACCC, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, weren't happy with Carnivals initial plans to hog the dock and push out competition. Conditional approval was finally granted with Carnival having preferential berthing rights, gets it's choice of 4 days per week however they can't book more than 2 of the 3 weekend days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) in any given week. Guess that's fair...still plenty of space for Royal :D

 

 

 

Also of note is that the ACCC ruling limits Carnival to 100 preferential berthing days a year. You'd expect these woud be taken on weekend days (2 per week).

The limits apply to all of Carnival's corporate brands in aggregate of course, not just ships carrying the Carnival name.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[geoff2802]

Brisbane Terminal will be able to handle Oasis Class and that is where they will go.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

It's hard to imagine Royal committing an Oasis or Quantum class to Brisbane for a full season without first establishing and building the market for a few years. Legend was so much smaller and long gone.

I do think Brisbane will get a home-ported ship from Royal, but more likely a smaller one initially and then building up.

This doesn't preclude a short season for a big ship nor regular port calls from multiple ships in the fleet; both are likely.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[IzznOll17]

I apologise if this has been posted before, but if someone fancies a little detective work then this site may help via cross referencing ships/ports and the like!

[Biker19]

I apologise if this has been posted before, but if someone fancies a little detective work then this site may help via cross referencing ships/ports and the like!

Missing link?

[Blue Eyed Belfast Belle]

Thanks Host Clarea Bob for the link to this thread :)

 

 

Keeping my fingers crossed for Allure to do a TA in 2020. Would much rather do Allure than Anthem or Indy, although I would do Indy in a pinch.

 

It all comes down to whether Allure or Anthem will only do one way TA and then have non revenue around dry dock. I would like to try Anthem as I missed her when she was here in Europe last time!

 

 

Since we are talking ships. Is RCI going to replace Radiance and Vision class ships with something? Poor Baltimore, only a Vision class ship can sail under the bridge. The other classes are too tall. The new ICON class will be something around the Voyager or Freedom class size from what I have heard.

 

I agree than once the newer ships come online then the older ones will be phased out. So my plan is Anthem TA in 2020, Grandeur in 2021 and then Vision in 2022. Then Symphony will be back for her European dry dock in 2023 and I might be able to afford her TA since this solo was outpriced for her TA this year! :cool:

[Biker19]

So my plan is Anthem TA in 2020, Grandeur in 2021 and then Vision in 2022. Then Symphony will be back for her European dry dock in 2023 and I might be able to afford her TA since this solo was outpriced for her TA this year! :cool:

TAs typically have big price drops inside final payment. You may want to move up your plans for older ships, Vision might not be in the fleet by '22.

 

Biker, who thinks at least one older ship will go by the time Icon arrives in '22.

[IzznOll17]

I apologise if this has been posted before, but if someone fancies a little detective work then this site may help via cross referencing ships/ports and the like!

 

http://ports.cruisett.com/

 

 

OOPS haha

[Aggiebuttercup]

A post on one of our threads here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56536537&postcount=3 makes it seem like there will be an Oasis-class ship will be in Galveston for the 2020 season.

 

The Galveston newspaper has been reporting for months that RCCL is pushing the port of Galveston to get ready for an Oasis-class ship, and it looks like the port and the cruise line are nearing a deal. No one has any insight into whether this would be an addition, or whether Liberty and/or Vision would leave.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

A post on one of our threads here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56536537&postcount=3 makes it seem like there will be an Oasis-class ship will be in Galveston for the 2020 season.

 

The Galveston newspaper has been reporting for months that RCCL is pushing the port of Galveston to get ready for an Oasis-class ship, and it looks like the port and the cruise line are nearing a deal. No one has any insight into whether this would be an addition, or whether Liberty and/or Vision would leave.

My guess: if an Oasis Class ship does indeed go to Galveston, it would sail the 7 night itineraries and replace whatever ship was doing them prior. Right now that would be Liberty.

[Blue Eyed Belfast Belle]

TAs typically have big price drops inside final payment. You may want to move up your plans for older ships, Vision might not be in the fleet by '22.

 

Biker, who thinks at least one older ship will go by the time Icon arrives in '22.

 

You may be right...Anthem will be around for a while but Grandeur and Vision may not be!

[springaussie]

From the Port of Gibralter web site schedule (http://www.gibraltarport.com/schedules):

Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 07:00-17:00 - Royal Class TBA 2020

Monday, July 6, 2020, 12:00-22:00 - Royal Class TBA 2020

 

 

 

This Royal Class could be Princess.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal-class_cruise_ship

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[geoff2802]

This Royal Class could be Princess.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal-class_cruise_ship

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

I'd say you are right.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[harz99]

Less bothered about the ship than itineraries, same old round trip stuff with wasted sea days getting back to Southampton doesn't do it for us.

 

Sent from my SM-J530F using Forums mobile app

[Biker19]

The company behind Mexico's Puerto Costa Maya has won the concession to develop a cruise port at Puerto Plata.

'This is a major project for the Dominican Republic,' said Robert Shamosh, head of commercial affairs for Mexico's ITM Group. 'Things are aligned. The cruise lines are coming. This location is very strategic for Eastern Caribbean itineraries of four, five and seven days.

'The demand is there. The [cruise] infrastructure in the US keeps expanding and growing, and new destinations are needed.'

New development Taino Bay

 

At the new Taino Bay, cruise passengers will arrive at an exciting development with elements related to the pre-Columbian Taino culture, plus an eco park, water slides, wildlife encounters, dining, shopping and other entertainment.

From there they'll have direct access to Puerto Plata's colonial core, much like in Old San Juan and Santo Domingo.

In its first stage Taino Bay will have a pier large enough to handle two ships of Oasis-class size. An 8.4-hectare/20-acre landside development features four areas.

Taino Village is themed on the culture of the pre-Columbian Taino people. Monkey Jungle will be an interactive eco park with capuchin monkeys, a botanical garden, aviary, reptile island, marine habitat and sustainability center. Shops, bars, restaurants, plazas for live entertainment and a museum comprise Buccaneers Village. Fort Cibao will be a theme park with waterslides, coasters and a lazy river, children's and VIP areas and swimming with rays and cat sharks. A multi-stage zip line will encircle the entire facility.

Taino Bay will replace Puerto Plata's old cargo port, putting cruise passengers within steps or a short boat ride of Fort San Felipe, a major historic site, and the colonial heart of Puerto Plata, where a 16-block area will be undergoing a major government-led renovation and upgrade.

ITM Group is also working with local companies to develop 30 shore excursions around the island.

Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages have expressed interest in the project.

Carnival Corp.'s Amber Cove nearby

 

Puerto Plata is already a proven destination. A little along the coast, Carnival Corp. & plc operates the thriving Amber Cove Cruise Center, which has helped drive the country's cruise numbers to new highs.

Mexico's ITM Group will be putting $80m into the first stage of Taino Bay's development, which includes the two-berth pier and landside facilites. Some dredging is required to bring the navigation channel and turning basin depth to 11.5 meters/38 feet, and an old power plant and fishing pier will be removed. The existing cargo finger pier will be expanded to 400 meters/1,312 feet, to enable a pair of Oasis-size ships alongside. In the second stage, an additional 300-meter/984-foot extension is planned so three Oasis-size ships could call simultaneously.

The president of the Dominican Republic is due to announce the project on July 30, and construction is set to begin in 60 days, Shamosh said.

'We have some ships scheduled for as early as winter 2019 even though the land facilities won't be ready, but the pier and some basic services will be there,' he said. The entire project, including the land side, is expected to be ready by summer 2020. A million passengers are projected during the 2020/21 season.

In a competitive bidding process involving 13 companies, ITM Group's Taino Bay was selected for providing the most complete and best integrated plan.

A new force in cruise port development

 

With this development, ITM Group, led by CEO Mauricio Hamui, emerges as a new force in cruise port development.

The company divested its hotels, shopping centers and convention center to focus on cruise ports, and is moving its headquarters from Mexico City to North Miami Beach. In this new phase of ITM Group's development, 20 executives in the areas of marketing, social media, finance and shore excursions will be based in an office near Bal Harbor.

'We have surrounded ourselves with a lot of talented people from many areas,' Shamosh said. 'Some are [former] cruise line executives. Now that we're moving to Miami, it will be easier to [recruit] people.'

Roatán expansion, second pier

 

A year ago, ITM Group bought the majority stake in Roatán's cruise port from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and is undertaking a major development there as well. The berth has already been expanded to handle an Oasis-size ship—Allure of the Seas has docked more than once.

An Oasis-size second berth is under construction for completion in winter 2019 and ITM Group envisions a vast expansion of attractions over five times the area that exists now.

Garifuna Village will offer a heritage exhibit, cooking, steel pan and dance workshops, a restaurant, a market and souvenir shops with items like textiles, banana-rum cake, art, musical instruments and cultured pearls. In the bay adjacent, a series of connected Adventure Islands will house a seafood restaurant, bars, swimming with rays, snorkeling, kayak rental, an aviary, rope courses and a zip line, among other attractions.

ITM Group will be investing about $30m, plus another $15m to develop shore excursions.

Roatán's passenger count went from 650,000 in 2017 to a projected 800,000 this year and 1m in 2019.

Carnival Corp.'s nearby Mahogany Bay Cruise Center is also flourishing.

Costa Maya's fourth berth, new archaeological site

 

Meanwhile, at Costa Maya, the coming months will see the completion of a fourth berth and the first tours to a major archaeological site, Ichkabal.

The new Berth 4 will extend 306 meters/1,004 feet. This will also stretch Berth 3 on the other side of the pier to 380 meters/1,247 feet, long enough to handle an Oasis-class ship. With this, Costa Maya will be able to serve two Oasis-size vessels simultaneously.

A tour to the recently uncovered Mayan complex, Ichkabal, is expected to become available to visitors by December, pending permission from Mexico's new administration. Ichkabal was identified and named in 1995, and excavations began in 2009. The site is believed to extend more than 28 square kilometers/11 square miles, and its largest structure rises 46 meters/151 feet.

Archaeologists think Ichkabal may hold clues to the origin of the Kaan dynasty, the most powerful of the classic Mayan period and represented by a serpent's head. It's also been suggested the site could confirm that the great ceremonial centers of the classic Mayan period did not collapse around 900 AD, as widely believed, but continued until European contact, centuries later.

Open to expansion beyond the Caribbean

 

With ITM Group's new focus, 'the idea is to keep expanding and growing in further ports,' Shamosh told Seatrade Cruise News.

Will all the projects be in the Caribbean?

'Not necessarily,' he said.

 

 

Not sure if any of this will affect itineraries in 2020.