Revolution Plans

[mikepmcm]

I have not sailed on the recently Revolutionized Celebrity Summit and Millennium but the reviews have been outstanding, the Cruise industry should take note on how to properly refurbish an older ship, especially not forgetting the cabins. So my question is are there plans to Revolutionize the two other Millennium-class 91,000 tons ships Constellation and Infinity. These ships are a nice size with 2,200 passengers for people wanting a more personal experience and I know that they're getting close to that 30-year longevity mark.

 

Maybe you should request that Royal Caribbean transfer the four Radiance Class ships 90,000 ton (Radiance, Brilliance, Jewel and Serenade) to Celebrity to be Revolutionized and be re-branded as Celebrity Ships since they seem to be so focused on Mega Ships. I'm sure they would be stunning with your designers.

 

I am assuming the all of the Solstice class ships will eventually be refurbished since they are much younger.

 

Thank you for your reply in advance

[Laura Hodges Bethge]

Thank you so much for the compliment!  We are glad to hear that Summit and Millennium are receiving positive reviews. While I cannot talk specifically about Constellation and Infinity, we have a long-term plan to ensure we are continuously making improvements to our fleet to meet your needs and improve the overall experience onboard.
 

We agree midsized ships are and will continue to be our sweet spot. Our Edge Series is similar in size to our Solstice series. This allows us to offer more of what we are known for at our core; elevated hospitality, dining experiences and accommodations. 
 

Stay tuned for announcements about our modernization plans. We are dreaming them up and I can’t wait to share them with all of you.

[ggo85]

I think the above (non-answer) means they will be selling off the unrevolutionized ships and giving us more Edge class.🙁

 

Trying to convince us that E class will give us what we love in S.  

 

Note the above is ONLY MY INTERPRETATION.  

[D. B.]

1 hour ago, ggo85 said:

I think the above (non-answer) means they will be selling off the unrevolutionized ships and giving us more Edge class.🙁

 

Trying to convince us that E class will give us what we love in S.  

 

Note the above is ONLY MY INTERPRETATION.  

You are not alone in that Interpretation.

 The E class ships are not much bigger than the S class but X crams in more guests. That alone makes them less desirable to Me. The real deal breaker is the lack of my favorite feature of the M and S class ships. The Forward-facing Sky Observation Lounge.

   The motivation to have More guests Per Tonnage is a fact of life for all but the super expensive cruise lines (Carnival has ordered 3 8000 capacity ships and MSC packs them in) I Love the M and S class ships but their uncrowded vibe will never be built again in the X price range.

  I have sailed with Silversea, Crystal, Azamara and Oceania but it seems the more you spend the less Fun there is. 

 

[mikepmcm]

1 hour ago, D. B. said:

You are not alone in that Interpretation.

 The E class ships are not much bigger than the S class but X crams in more guests. That alone makes them less desirable to Me. The real deal breaker is the lack of my favorite feature of the M and S class ships. The Forward-facing Sky Observation Lounge.

   The motivation to have More guests Per Tonnage is a fact of life for all but the super expensive cruise lines (Carnival has ordered 3 8000 capacity ships and MSC packs them in) I Love the M and S class ships but their uncrowded vibe will never be built again in the X price range.

  I have sailed with Silversea, Crystal, Azamara and Oceania but it seems the more you spend the less Fun there is. 

 

I think both of you are right, but for the wrong reasons. the smaller Millenium class ships are also the oldest in the fleet all over 20 years and the magic longevity number was 30 years, but that was before COVID when there was a secondary market for  used cruise liners. The phrase "You can dress up a pig, but it's still a pig" meaning a refurb might look great but underneath it's still dated and inefficient mechanically. 

The new Edge class ships sport a new design parabolic ultra-bow (same bow at the Virgin Atlantic Lady Class, MSC World Class, NCL Leonardo Class, and the new RCL Icon of the Seas),  that translates to a 25% fuel savings. I doubt there is any retro-fit that will give anything near that fuel savings. 

Celebrity sold the 77-gross ton Galaxy and Mercury in 2009 that were refurbished and re-branded under the German Mein Schiff brand, both are now sailing in 2023 as the Marella Voyager and Explorer.

[D. B.]

18 minutes ago, mikepmcm said:

I think both of you are right, but for the wrong reasons. the smaller Millenium class ships are also the oldest in the fleet all over 20 years and the magic longevity number was 30 years, but that was before COVID when there was a secondary market for  used cruise liners. The phrase "You can dress up a pig, but it's still a pig" meaning a refurb might look great but underneath it's still dated and inefficient mechanically. 

The new Edge class ships sport a new design parabolic ultra-bow (same bow at the Virgin Atlantic Lady Class, MSC World Class, NCL Leonardo Class, and the new RCL Icon of the Seas),  that translates to a 25% fuel savings. I doubt there is any retro-fit that will give anything near that fuel savings. 

Celebrity sold the 77-gross ton Galaxy and Mercury in 2009 that were refurbished and re-branded under the German Mein Schiff brand, both are now sailing in 2023 as the Marella Voyager and Explorer.

The M class ships have a unique propulsion system. Originally built with 2 Gas Turbine (Jet) engines to drive the electric generation system because Alaska was talking about banning Oil burning cruise ships. When that didn’t happen Celebrity Installed a Diesel generator between the Turbines and usually runs off 1 Turbine and the Diesel unit.

  The ships have been very reliable and I would rather sail ok one of those old lipstick Pigs than any Edge class ship.

if they remain Profitable they could be around a while.

the generation of ships built Before the M class ships like Mercury and Century were sold off but still sailing.

[kellyclayt]

Not really sure why she “can’t” speak specifically about Constellation and Infinity.  Before covid there was a schedule.  Understandably, it got thrown out the window with covid, but they’ve been sailing full for a while now so I would think they could put one out.  Btw, I have sailed on both Millenium and Summit and they did a great job refurbishing them.  

[ggo85]

She CAN speak to them; she opts not to. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, ggo85 said:

She CAN speak to them; she opts not to. 

They could be in talks with another RCG cruise company to take them over 

I bet it is Pullmantur Cruises 2

😁

[NMTraveller]

On 7/23/2024 at 1:09 PM, Laura Hodges Bethge said:

Thank you so much for the compliment!  We are glad to hear that Summit and Millennium are receiving positive reviews. While I cannot talk specifically about Constellation and Infinity, we have a long-term plan to ensure we are continuously making improvements to our fleet to meet your needs and improve the overall experience onboard.
 

We agree midsized ships are and will continue to be our sweet spot. Our Edge Series is similar in size to our Solstice series. This allows us to offer more of what we are known for at our core; elevated hospitality, dining experiences and accommodations. 
 

Stay tuned for announcements about our modernization plans. We are dreaming them up and I can’t wait to share them with all of you.

Millenium is my favorite ship.

 

E class ships on the other hand feel more crowded,  loud and shouty,  due to their design.  And then you have the dreaded IVs...  A noticeable downgrade IMHO...

Edited July 27 by NMTraveller