Marc Walker headed to Harmony of Seas

[Bobal]

3 hours ago, steamboats said:

 Not sure whether there is really such a big demand for UK cruises to nowhere in May. They already have quite a few ships for the restart there (P&O, Cunard, Fred Olsen, Marella, Viking, MSC).

 

I said much the same thing on another thread but people disagreed.  I guess time will tell 

[Guest BigRoger]

Have you seen the Kevin Costner film ‘field of dreams...’ - ‘if you build it... they will come..’... on similar fashion for UK cruising this summer... ‘if it’s offered... they will come...’... rumours suggest interest in Princess cruises from Southampton going on sale tomorrow is bigger than P&O.... their pricing and all inclusive has generated lots and lots of interest.... to be fair this came from a travel agent...

 

 

[Norwich Cruiser]

57 minutes ago, Bobal said:

 

I said much the same thing on another thread but people disagreed.  I guess time will tell 

Some cabin grades have already sold out a massive interest in the cruises.

[steamboats]

13 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

There apparently is a massive demand as the P and O website has crashed and phone lines are permanently engaged with the number of people trying to book the cruises.

 

Yes, they were the first ones to open the bookings... Over here there bookings went from o.k. to pretty well but TUI Cruises was hardly ever fully booked (with a 60% allowance). Some cruises were sold within 24 hours - the 3 week cruise to nowhere to the Caribbean over Christmas/New Year. O.k., that cruise never happened as they didn´t get the permission of any German port (which they wanted as departure/arrival port).

 

Here in Germany I know a lot of avid cruisers who say I´ll better wait... I don´t like the idea of a cruise to nowhere where I have to wear masks... And I heard the same from my UK friends.

 

So far it´s something between 20 and 30% vaccinated people in the UK (how many got both shots?). There´s a large percentage of elderly people who don´t travel anymore... P&O and Princess do not allow (non vaccinated) kids onboard - so families are out...

 

Prior to the pandemic Germany had a little more cruisers than the UK (total number of cruisers per year). We never had more than 3 big ships running since July 2020. Add the MSC Grandiosa with a handful of Germans per cruise. Add the smaller Hapag-Lloyd ships.

 

If RCI wants to start out with the Harmony from Southampton... they should do pretty fast... all other cruise lines are already opening the bookings.

 

steamboats

[Biker19]

8 minutes ago, steamboats said:

If RCI wants to start out with the Harmony from Southampton

If any RCI ship would sail out of the UK it would likely be Anthem not Harmony. 

 

Biker, who thinks RCI is just lining up all the logistics before making an announcement.

[Norwich Cruiser]

38 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

If any RCI ship would sail out of the UK it would likely be Anthem not Harmony. 

 

Biker, who thinks RCI is just lining up all the logistics before making an announcement.

I’m sure you are correct with RCG lining up all the logistics but wondering why you think albeit you could well be right that it would be Anthem and not Harmony?

[Biker19]

6 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

 it would be Anthem and not Harmony?

UK weather.

[Roger88]

1 hour ago, steamboats said:

 

Yes, they were the first ones to open the bookings... Over here there bookings went from o.k. to pretty well but TUI Cruises was hardly ever fully booked (with a 60% allowance). Some cruises were sold within 24 hours - the 3 week cruise to nowhere to the Caribbean over Christmas/New Year. O.k., that cruise never happened as they didn´t get the permission of any German port (which they wanted as departure/arrival port).

 

Here in Germany I know a lot of avid cruisers who say I´ll better wait... I don´t like the idea of a cruise to nowhere where I have to wear masks... And I heard the same from my UK friends.

 

So far it´s something between 20 and 30% vaccinated people in the UK (how many got both shots?). There´s a large percentage of elderly people who don´t travel anymore... P&O and Princess do not allow (non vaccinated) kids onboard - so families are out...

 

Prior to the pandemic Germany had a little more cruisers than the UK (total number of cruisers per year). We never had more than 3 big ships running since July 2020. Add the MSC Grandiosa with a handful of Germans per cruise. Add the smaller Hapag-Lloyd ships.

 

If RCI wants to start out with the Harmony from Southampton... they should do pretty fast... all other cruise lines are already opening the bookings.

 

steamboats

I cant wait to see their booking offers. I am pretty sure that they will offer us some really good deals. I mean we ve been waiting for way too long =D 

[Norwich Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

UK weather.

Really.

 

June to mid September is normally pretty good even for a round Great Britain cruise.

 

I would hope whichever ship may cruise from Southampton would perhaps cruise over to the French or Spanish coast even for scenic cruising.

[Biker19]

9 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

June to mid September is normally pretty good even for a round Great Britain cruise.

Pretty good is not good enough for O class, besides, Anthem is already sitting right there off the coast ready to go.

[Norwich Cruiser]

9 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Pretty good is not good enough for O class, besides, Anthem is already sitting right there off the coast ready to go.

We will respectfully beg to differ on the weather.

[Biker19]

19 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

We will respectfully beg to differ on the weather.

Why do you think O class has never home ported out of a UK port? From the little I've seen over the years, the per day cost from UK is usually higher than in the Med, and RCI usually leans toward most revenue when they position their ships.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Biker19

[Norwich Cruiser]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

Why do you think O class has never home ported out of a UK port? From the little I've seen over the years, the per day cost from UK is usually higher than in the Med, and RCI usually leans toward most revenue when they position their ships.

I’ve honestly no idea but I take your points and would suggest if Harmony was sent for a season to Southampton they would have no problem with selling the cruises.

 

The revenue would be higher on Harmony than Anthem so I don’t get that point.

 

However I’m obviously willing to bow to your superior judgement.

 

Hopefully soon RCG will make a decision.

 

I’d be happy with either ship.

 

[sgmn]

2 hours ago, steamboats said:

 

So far it´s something between 20 and 30% vaccinated people in the UK (how many got both shots?). There´s a large percentage of elderly people who don´t travel anymore... P&O and Princess do not allow (non vaccinated) kids onboard - so families are out...

 

Prior to the pandemic Germany had a little more cruisers than the UK (total number of cruisers per year). We never had more than 3 big ships running since July 2020. Add the MSC Grandiosa with a handful of Germans per cruise. Add the smaller Hapag-Lloyd ships.

 

If RCI wants to start out with the Harmony from Southampton... they should do pretty fast... all other cruise lines are already opening the bookings.

 

steamboats

I believe its over 50% of adults have had first dose now. 85% of those 55 and above.  Second dose should start ramping up now (mine is due mid May). 

Also read today that vaccination of children may start in August. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55274833

Edited March 24, 2021 by sgmn

[FamilyCruiserUK]

The O class ships are more stable then anthem as they have a wider beam and more weight. The attraction of having that size of ship in the UK would sell easy in my eyes

[little britain]

1 hour ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

I’m sure you are correct with RCG lining up all the logistics but wondering why you think albeit you could well be right that it would be Anthem and not Harmony?

Because on Marc’s announcement he had a model of the ship and a red post box and he said he would be seeing a lot more of his mum ( who lives near Bournemouth ) ... and people put 2+2 together and said this meant cruising from UK! 

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

The attraction of having that size of ship in the UK would sell easy in my eyes

Unlike some on here who like to be pretend RCI CEO and itinerary planner, I have a bit of faith that RCI knows what it's doing when they plan ship schedules. If O class ships made sense to home port in the UK, they would have done it already.

 

While the current COVID situation has led to some unusual situations, one can usually rely on historical patterns to divine what may happen in the future.

[A&L_Ont]

4 minutes ago, little britain said:

Because on Marc’s announcement he had a model of the ship and a red post box and he said he would be seeing a lot more of his mum ( who lives near Bournemouth ) ... and people put 2+2 together and said this meant cruising from UK! 

That is exactly how I interpreted his FB post. 
 

[sgmn]

26 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

The O class ships are more stable then anthem as they have a wider beam and more weight. The attraction of having that size of ship in the UK would sell easy in my eyes

I understand why people may think Harmony is coming to UK, but I think I would prefer Anthem because its more suitable for cool weather cruising, with its big indoor pool and Solarium , plus the indoor sports deck and big indoor entertainment areas. 

[Roger88]

2 minutes ago, sgmn said:

I understand why people may think Harmony is coming to UK, but I think I would prefer Anthem because its more suitable for cool weather cruising, with its big indoor pool and Solarium , plus the indoor sports deck and big indoor entertainment areas. 

I also like Anthem way more than harmony. Its seems to me to be more cozy and more comfortable. I also like their refund policy. It appeals to me well

[Norwich Cruiser]

35 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

The O class ships are more stable then anthem as they have a wider beam and more weight. The attraction of having that size of ship in the UK would sell easy in my eyes

I totally agree

[A&L_Ont]

24 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Unlike some on here who like to be pretend RCI CEO and itinerary planner, I have a bit of faith that RCI knows what it's doing when they plan ship schedules. If O class ships made sense to home port in the UK, they would have done it already.

 

If she is indeed going then could this not a be a one off season?  I wondered if she might have just sailed Italy with only their residents.  That was until Marc Walker made his suggestive FB post. 

 

Quote

While the current COVID situation has led to some unusual situations, one can usually rely on historical patterns to divine what may happen in the future.

During Covid I’d say anything is on the table for revenue, especially when the CDC is black balling the lines in NA as case counts are currently dropping across America.  If other countries are allowing them to sail, and there have been a few of them recently, why would they not go to where they can even with limited capacity?  I see this as a one off season, unless the CDC has no NA cruises allowed into next year. 
 

As for the weather, didn’t Allure spend most of the fall and some of the winter months off the coast of England before she headed back to America?  I don’t remember, but did she not return home early in 2021?  Would that weather not have been harder on the plants of Central Park than a summer cruise season?  Other than the weather effect, on the plants and perhaps the ATS divers/performers, what else would be harder on the Harmony  than Anthem?  Would cooler weather effect the actual operations of the ship in relation to warmer weather,  as they were basically designed for Caribbean sailings.  
 

If they are only selling cruises to the UK the guests should be prepared for the weather?  Would the guests only be more excited to an O Class ship VS the ships other lines are offering?  The only thing that goes through my mind are ports of call, are there enough of them to handle an O Class ship so there is no tendering?  I would believe so, as they are an island nation. 
 

You are right though, O class isn’t better suited than Anthem.  However, maybe Anthem is headed to another country with a cooler climate for a one another off season.  Maybe Sweden or Iceland, with that announcement coming in the following weeks. 🤷‍♂️

Edited March 24, 2021 by A&L_Ont

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, A&L_Ont said:

As for the weather, didn’t Allure spend most of the fall and some of the winter months off the coast of England before she headed back to America?

Yes, but that was to resupply and easy crew replacements, not to sail from there.

[A&L_Ont]

16 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Yes, but that was to resupply and easy crew replacements, not to sail from there.

Yes, but times are different. Anthem basically sat beside Allure for that time frame and she still is there.  She would seem to be the obvious selection.
 

IMO I think they have Anthem earmarked for another country.  Maybe she has to go through the Suez, or it’s even cooler that England making her the more appropriate ship.
 

Maybe RC is using England for Harmony as their testing grounds in relation to Covid, for an O Class ship. Almost like a “test” cruise situation for the CDC, only in real life.  Until an announcement is made it’s just pondering by all of us.
 

Captain Johnny did say on Twitter that they were crossing with 300 crew on board. Previous to that they had under 100, and my memory thinks it was closer to 60 crew. At first I thought the added crew were going home for repatriation, but now I’m thinking are they are some of the crew needed for sailing in the UK.  If they can add more of them and purchase vaccines from a nation selling them they are good to go. 

Edited March 24, 2021 by A&L_Ont

[Milwaukee Eight]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

That was until Marc Walker made his suggestive FB post. 

Seems that post on his timeline is no longer there?