boston to bermuda new ship?

[GregD]

The Majesty is being replaced by the Dream.

 

NCL wanted to put the Dawn on the itinerary, but Bermuda told them they had to keep a small ship in St George's ergo.. the Dream.

 

What is your source for this? I find this hard to beleive. Bermuda had always been against the big ships in St.Geroge(e.g. NCL(Actualy it was Royal at that time) had to lobby bermuda for a good while to let the Norwegian (Royal) Majesty to doo weekly cruises there.

As for the Dream. The Dream will soon be Transfered out of the NCl fleet as is does not fit their "Freestyle" concept. NCL would want stability out of this route. Something It could do for years and years. It Could not do this with the Dream but the Dawn, but the Dawn wouldn't fit in ST.G. (Both the town cut and the turning basin)

-Greg

[ocngypz]

What is your source for this? I find this hard to beleive. Bermuda had always been against the big ships in St.Geroge(e.g. NCL(Actualy it was Royal at that time) had to lobby bermuda for a good while to let the Norwegian (Royal) Majesty to doo weekly cruises there.

As for the Dream. The Dream will soon be Transfered out of the NCl fleet as is does not fit their "Freestyle" concept. NCL would want stability out of this route. Something It could do for years and years. It Could not do this with the Dream but the Dawn, but the Dawn wouldn't fit in ST.G. (Both the town cut and the turning basin)

-Greg

 

 

NCL Business Development.

 

It's either the Dream... or nothing until such time Bermuda changes its mind.Do you really think NCL wants to pull the ship out of the Baltic in the summer.. when she's the smallest ship of the majors who can actually do the Kiel? It's either give up the Bermuda franchise... or the Kiel.

[GregD]

If the Dream isn't selling out I am sure they would have no problem moving her to a place where she would be. I am also sure that since she is the biggest ship that can transit the canal that that is a good selling point.

[electricron]

I could have sworn I heard that Celebrity was rolling out a couple of smaller ships about the size of the crown they may have gobled up these itineraries and put a squeze on norwegian to either get out of the way or build their own smaller ships.

 

It's true, Celebrity has gobbled up two R class ships recently when RCI Corp bought Pullmantur (a Spanish based cruise line). Going to Pullmantur this year will be Celebrity's Zenith, and next year sometime the Empress of the Seas.

Eight "R class" ships were built between 1999 and 2000. Later this year, Celebrity will be operating two, Princess three, and Regent Seven Seas three.

 

Stats for the "R class" ships.

30,200 tons, Length 594 feet, Beam 84 feet, Passenger Capacity 688 - 710

 

They are significantly smaller than both the Zenith and the Empress of the Seas.

 

Stats for the Zenith

47,255 tons, Length 682 feet, Beam 95 feet, Passenger Capacity 1,374

Stats for the Empress of the Seas

48,500 tons, Length 692 feet, Beam 100 feet, Passenger Capacity 2,020

Therefore, assuming both Celeberity's R class ships sail to Bermuda, which I doubt will happen, RCI Corp will be dropping passenger capacity from 3394 to 1420, to 42% they had last year. If only one 'R class" ship sails to Bermuda, RCI Corp will be dropping capacity to 21% they had last year. That's a significant drop in passenger capacity for a longer cruise to Bermuda.

When you consider that NCL has sold the Crown to Fred Olsen Cruises, which can carry over 1100 passenger, and if the rumors are true, the Majesty will leave the NCL fleet next year, a loss of another 1460 passengers, another total loss of 2560 passengers, the fare prices for Celebrity's Bermuda cruises should go sky high. The number of passenger capacity potentially drops to 12% of what it was last year.

 

When Bermuda is faced with the 88% loss in the number of extended stay cruise passengers every week, I have a feeling they will respond, either by building a new pier at King's Wharf, or opening Hamilton up for larger ships. I expect they will do both. Don't forget, the Explorer of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Norwegian Spirit and Norwegain Dawn were already sailing to Bermuda last summer, and will be this summer. There isn't a second berth for ships at King's Wharf - yet.

When they expand King's Wharf, or open Hamilton to larger cruise ships, they could negate the significant loss in extended stay cruise passengers, with those having shorter stays.