Empress of The Seas

[John&LaLa]

8 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

 

I'm in this drama right now.  Not going well.  They are refusing to L&S to Odyssey even though others have been doing it regularly.  If they don't allow me to L&S to Odyssey I will just CWC and take the FCC.  Frustrating.  Better luck to you.

 

Does yours have casino credit attached to it?

[RFerrington]

3 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Does yours have casino credit attached to it?

No

[ken4556]

I wonder if they are waiting until after the election to make a decision.  Who wins the election will probably determine whether Cuba remains closed or opens up again to American visitors.  With the breakers busy on four ships already, there may be no hurry to decide and, instead, take a wait and see attitude until early November.  Just a thought....

Edited August 20, 2020 by ken4556
spelling

[Rocket3D]

>>>>  Ya... time will tell.  >>>>

 

As much as I enjoyed the Empress, I remember the

saying, “Don’t believe what they say, watch what they do.”

 

Business being bu$ness, they have focused (in Florida)

on big ships (economy of scale), traveling to closer/cheaper

destinations (ferry service to their private island, Coco Cay),
and targeting young families (kids sail free), gamblers

(free or discounted cruises).

 

Don’t forget, the Empress was bailed out (Bayleyed out)

of an earlier retirement for the Cuba cruises which ceased

for political reasons.  Execs then dumped the Empress

problem on marketing, who decided to try to schedule a few

lesser visited ports such as Virgin Gorda.  Nice idea, but after

an early tendering issue (running into a reef), VG said no more.

 

Oh, remember those cost reductions that eliminated C&A

events, DL, CL etc on Empress and also Majesty?  I personally

know that many D, D+, Pins won’t cruise on either ship because
of this.    As for families….hmmmmm… small pool, not much

for the kids to do.  So, anyway, re-read this in 2021 sometime

to see if ‘business is still bu$iness’.

If so, this is/was a short eulogy for Empress.

 

Cheers!

 

 

[twangster]

50 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

You obviously aren't counting the numerous sources on CC that indicate sale and then scrap.

 

You're right I don't count users on the CC message board as a valid data source.  If I did... -1.  

Edited August 20, 2020 by twangster

[ipeeinthepool]

10 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

You're right I don't count users on the CC message board as a valid data source.  If I did... -1.  

 

I trust you'll offer an apology to these CC sources when they beach the Empress.

[Rocket3D]

Fun to speculate.

 

Remember that everything written on CC (or anywhere) is either:

 

1.  Just 'ancient history'  from the 'golden age of cruising'

       (before mid-March 2020).

 

-or-

 

2.  Speculation.

 

Speculation varies from pie-in-the-sky, to more serious extrapolation of the past.

Keep in mind that the only empirical data available is what they actually did in the past.

 

Hoping for the best.

[RFerrington]

40 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Does yours have casino credit attached to it?

 

We did get a nice $410 military discount on it though

Edited August 20, 2020 by RFerrington

[twangster]

8 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I trust you'll offer an apology to these CC sources when they beach the Empress.

 

If you re-read my posts I've never stated it isn't going to happen.  Until Royal announces it, wild speculation while all Royal sources say it isn't happening is just guessing even if it's a self proclaimed award winning writer guessing it.   

 

At some point if cruises are cancelled through all of 2021 Radiance class may be gone as well.  If there are no cruises through the end of 2022 then some Voyager class may be gone too.  There is little point speculating on what might happen and claiming it as fact.

 

Hindsight will remain as always 20-20.  

[Pratique]

11 hours ago, twangster said:

Stating a ship is for sale isn't misleading investors, to the contrary actually.  Carnival made that clear prior to sending their ships to scrap.

Royal apparently hasn't committed to retiring Empress yet, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. If they are seeking some new way to finance the ship then I suspect that they might want or need to keep it under wraps until the deal is done.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, RFerrington said:

No

 

Bummer, just got mine approved 

 

[John&LaLa]

44 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

If you re-read my posts I've never stated it isn't going to happen.  Until Royal announces it, wild speculation while all Royal sources say it isn't happening is just guessing even if it's a self proclaimed award winning writer guessing it.   

 

At some point if cruises are cancelled through all of 2021 Radiance class may be gone as well.  If there are no cruises through the end of 2022 then some Voyager class may be gone too.  There is little point speculating on what might happen and claiming it as fact.

 

Hindsight will remain as always 20-20.  

 

I'm doubling down on 2022

[John&LaLa]

17 minutes ago, Pratique said:

Royal apparently hasn't committed to retiring Empress yet, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. If they are seeking some new way to finance the ship then I suspect that they might want or need to keep it under wraps until the deal is done.

 

Every new booking I make is on Empress, then L&S to a proper ship. This is costing them tens of thousands of dollars just from me.

[molly361]

5 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Bummer, just got mine approved 

 

L and S??

[James_TheVirus]

The Majesty is now reportedly heading to Dover, then on to Greece for storage; similar to Empress.

 

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by James_TheVirus

[twangster]

18 minutes ago, Pratique said:

Royal apparently hasn't committed to retiring Empress yet, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. If they are seeking some new way to finance the ship then I suspect that they might want or need to keep it under wraps until the deal is done.

 

Royal has used their ships as collateral in various forms of credit lines.  They might not be able to sell her if she was used for this purpose without negotiating something in her place.  

 

They've already projected that when new builds are acquired (Odyssey) they will be in a position to use it in some capacity for the same goal - collateral on a line of credit.  That was specifically mentioned on the investors call.   

 

There are a lot of moving pieces we don't see.  Tomorrow's another day.  Perhaps they'll have moved some chess pieces around by then so it open the doors to deal with an Empress or Majesty.

 

Having sailed both numerous times last year I can tell you that Empress is in much better shape compared to Majesty.  With a brand new galley and updated guest areas including new hand washing stations if a ship belongs on the beach there is another that makes more sense.    

[molly361]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Every new booking I make is on Empress, then L&S to a proper ship. This is costing them tens of thousands of dollars just from me.

Are you on the Harmony 1/9/22 on one of the L and S??  We are on that sailing

[John&LaLa]

3 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Are you on the Harmony 1/9/22 on one of the L and S??  We are on that sailing

 

Yep, but not an OS

Connecting CP views

Edited August 20, 2020 by John&LaLa

[irishgal432]

2 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Are you on the Harmony 1/9/22 on one of the L and S??  We are on that sailing

In an OS?  I am on 1/2 but l/s from an Allure sailing in an A2. 

[molly361]

Just now, irishgal432 said:

In an OS?  I am on 1/2 but l/s from an Allure sailing in an A2. 

Yes L and S from Jewel. 

[John&LaLa]

32 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Yes L and S from Jewel. 

 

Only 6 bar stools on Harmony😉

[molly361]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Only 6 bar stools on Harmony😉

That's where we were when we met you😇

[Pratique]

44 minutes ago, twangster said:

Royal has used their ships as collateral in various forms of credit lines.  They might not be able to sell her if she was used for this purpose without negotiating something in her place.

I thought she had already been listed for sale $30m.

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, molly361 said:

That's where we were when we met you😇

 

We should ask Betty from Pt St Lucie to make us something that looks like a Genie towel to save our seats

[keyboardjunkie]

12 hours ago, wildbill437 said:

https://www.portalworldcruises2.com/2020/08/empress-of-the-seas-e-descomissionado-na-grecia.html

 

Here is the translation of this article:

 

Without operating commercially since March, Empress of the Seas is awaiting its destination in Greece. The smallest and oldest member of Royal Caribbean International's fleet, the ship has been in Europe since May, when it was used to repatriate crew.

 

According to the Arxipelagos portal, the vessel will remain decommissioned at the port of Souda, on the island of Crete, for an indefinite period. The Greek website says that the stopover Empress made recently in Heraklion, another port in the country, served for the final preparations for decommissioning.

 

Also according to the publication, the ship can remain in place until cruise operations are resumed.

 

Once decommissioned, a ship is effectively taken out of service. Without the prospect of returning to sailing in the short term, its maintenance cost is reduced, with machines stopped and crew considerably reduced.

 

In the case of cruises, the interiors are partially disassembled and packaged, guaranteeing the conservation of upholstery and carpets as well as other materials.

 

Meanwhile, British TradeWinds claims that Empress of the Seas was sold by Royal Caribbean International on Tuesday. Citing a source ‘familiar with the matter’, the website says the vessel was passed on to an undisclosed owner.

Limbo in Europe and scrap rumors

 

Operating in the Caribbean when the cruise industry stopped in March, Empress has been in European waters since May. On that occasion, he left Miami for Southampton, England, where he arrived at the end of that month.

 

The less stringent travel restrictions in the European country have allowed hundreds of Royal Caribbean crew members to use the country's airports to return home.

 

After the operation, the ship had remained out of service in the United Kingdom, along with other units of the fleet. By the end of last month, the Empress had been anchored in places like Bournemouth Bay, docking in English ports on time for refueling.

 

On July 31, the ship left for Marsaxlokk, in the Mediterranean. The Maltese commercial port was the last destination for Monarch and Sovereign, former Pullmantur ships that are currently being dismantled in Turkey. At the site, the vessels went through the last procedures before being stranded for dismantling.

 

This fact gave rise to rumors that the Empress could follow the path of its former fleet companions, also being dismantled early.

 

This stop in Malta, however, was shorter and appears to have involved only routine procedures. Instead of going to Turkish scrap dealers, the ship went to Heraklion, where it was in the first week of August.

 

At the time, Empress had 82 crew members on board, according to the Greek website Parakritika. Under normal conditions, the ship's crew consists of about 700 people.