Royal Caribbean Has Sold Empress and Majesty

 

 

 

Letter from President & CEO Michael Bayley to Crown & Anchor members:

It’s my hope that you and your family are staying safe and healthy.

As a valued Crown & Anchor Society member, I’m reaching out to make sure you
were the first to know the latest news about our beloved Empress of the Seas and
Majesty of the Seas. After more than 30 years with Royal Caribbean, having launched in 1990 and 1992 respectively, Empress and Majesty will be leaving our fleet.

We know this news is bittersweet as many of you have sailed on these ships, and they hold a special place in your hearts thanks to the countless memories you’ve made with your families and friends while on board. The news hits close to home for me as well as I was part of the crew on Nordic Empress (as Empress was formerly called) and Majesty of the Seas when we introduced her to the world.

Both ships made an indelible mark on the cruise industry, helping us to continually raise the bar on the cruise experience and leaving a lasting mark on our brand.

Empress was the first ship specifically designed for short, 3- and ‌4-night‌ itineraries, with her first cruises visiting The Bahamas from Miami. This was an important milestone in our brands history as we were able to attract new and younger cruise guests to the industry by introducing quick getaways. Empress also made history as the first cruise ship to sail out of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, when we opened our terminal in 2004. Even just three years ago, in 2017, Empress took center stage once again when she set sail on Royal Caribbean’s inaugural cruise to Cuba. It’s been an incredible journey and one that’s influenced our brand tremendously.

Majesty also played a crucial role in our commitment to continuously redefine the
cruise industry. As the third ship to round out the impressive Sovereign class ships, Majesty was more than twice the size of the average cruise ship at the time — and was the biggest ship in our fleet when she debuted. She started her adventures with ‌7-night‌ western Caribbean cruises from Miami and quickly blossomed into one of our guests’ favorite ships.

Empress and Majesty’s departures are a major moment in Royal Caribbean history. No doubt, they will be dearly missed — they may be small, but their lasting impact is mighty.

Decisions like these are difficult, but they are part of our necessary evolution to
continue introducing new ships and bring you, our guests, the most innovative ships in the industry.

I know many of you may wonder about the crew members you may fondly remember from your time onboard Empress and Majesty. There is no need to worry. They are still part of the Royal Caribbean family and will be reassigned to other ships once we are back to sailing again.

We know this marks a new chapter in our history, and we are excited about what the future holds, but we cannot forget our past and what made us who we are today. I encourage all of you to share your memories of sailing on Empress and Majesty on my Facebook page; I’d love to see the amazing experiences you had while sailing with these two ships.

As I’ve said before, we miss sailing with every one of you. But calmer seas are ahead, and we can’t wait for that day. Thank you for being a loyal member of our family. Please continue to take care of yourself and your loved ones. Until next time!

All my best, 

Michael Bayley
President and CEO
Royal Caribbean International
“Loyal to Royal” 

Odyssey of the Seas floated out

 

 

On a positive note, Odyssey of the Seas was floated out of drydock this week.  There is still much work to do before she is completed sometime next year, but she's getting closer.

Here is a short video from  Meyer Werft:

This nails the CDC's hypocricy right on the head

 

 

Another great post from the Royal Caribbean Blog:

 

CDC ignores crowded airports while holding cruise ships to double standard

 

I've said it before, there is definitely a bias again the cruise industry.  They are held to an impossibly high standard while the airlines, who are most responsible for the spread of this disease, get to operate without restrictions.  

 

Royal Caribbean accepting applications for test cruises

 

 

Royal Caribbean has received so much interest from people asking to be part of their test cruises they have created a new dedicated Facebook group, Volunteer of the Seas, and a way for people to sign up to be considered for these cruises.  If you're interested, you can sign up HERE.

More info from the Facebook group:

Royal Caribbean has some of the most loyal guests in the cruise industry, and we have been overjoyed with their interest to take part in our simulated trial sailings. This week alone, we have received more than 3,000 emails, not including the tweets, comments, and messages across our social channels.

 

While we review the requirements proposed by the CDC and consider when we can host our simulated trial sailings, we are gathering information from those who have shown interest. Our priority is to ensure that we can exercise our comprehensive set of measures in a safe and healthy manner while making sure we provide a memorable vacation experience. This group will serve the community of adventurers who are excited and ready to be the first back at sea. Get ready to dust off your suitcase and get back to adventure!

CDC has lifted the no sail order. Phased restart approved.

 

 

Finally!

 

According to reports, the CDC has decided not to extend the no sail order and has published their "Framework for Conditional Sailing Order." which “introduces a phased approach for the safe and responsible resumption for passenger cruises.”

 

According to USA Today, "the first cruises to leave port will be simulation sailings designed to show that ships and crews are in compliance with CDC standards and able to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 onboard".  “During the initial phases, cruise ship operators must demonstrate adherence to testing, quarantine and isolation, and social distancing requirements to protect crew members while they build the laboratory capacity needed to test crew and future passengers."

 

Full article at USA Today

 

More info at the Royal Caribbean Blog

 

It's a start at least.

 

 

"No Sail" order extended....sort of

 

 

 

Seeing reports this morning that the CDC will extend the "No Sail" order until the end of October, however that's not what they wanted.  Apparently, the CDC wanted to extend the ban until February of next year but they were overruled by the White House.  

Extending it to February is ridiculous, are they intentionally trying to bankrupt the industry?  Extending it to the end of October is in line with what the cruise lines had already voluntarily suspended operations until so this would not have any additional effect except making it "official".

Apparently there will be a meeting of cruise industry reps at the White House on Friday to go through their plans for a healthy return to operations. 

There is mounting pressure from the public as well as industry and Government officials to get the cruise lines back up and running as soon as possible and as safely as possible.

"Anti-cruise" group trying to get the CDC to extend the no-sail order against cruise lines

 

 

 

This is just nuts!  Apparently, an "anti-cruise", environmental group, has instructed it's members to flood the CDC's open comments site to try to get them to extend the no-sail order against cruise lines.

Matt over at the awesome Royal Caribbean Blog, has more info and links to where you can add your comments for the CDC.  The open comments period ends on Monday so get them in now!

Royal Caribbean CEO warns anti-cruise group is flooding CDC to extend no-sail order

FL Senators introduce bill to restart cruising in the U.S.

 

 

Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have introduced a bill called the Set Sail Safely Act to develop a plan to return the cruise industry to operations.  With support from many industry organizations including the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), the bill calls for U.S. agencies to work with the cruise industry to come up with a plan for the safe return to cruise operations along with a timeline for implementation of any recommendations and a return to service.

Cruise lines bring in huge amounts of revenue to the economy, especially the state of Florida.  In 2018, the cruise industry contributed close to $53 Billion to the U.S. economy (CLIA article) and they employ thousands of workers here in the U.S.  For some reason it has been singled out by the CDC and has not been allowed to resume operations while most other industries have returned to service or were never even shut down.

Hopefully this gets things moving in the right direction.

Links to more articles regarding this announcement:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/09/16/us-senators-introduce-bill-allow-cruise-lines-restart

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/senators-introduce-bill-to-safely-bring-back-cruising-in-us/ar-BB1999Il

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/23514-set-sail-safely-act-established-by-florida-senators.html

Wonder of the Seas floated out

 

 

Some good news this week, Royal Caribbean's next Oasis Class ship, Wonder of the Seas was floated out today.  The float out is an important milestone in the ship construction process as it marks the completion of the ship's superstructure and hull.  

 

Wonder was moved to Basin C at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, with the help of 7 tugs as she has no engines yet. There is still a lot of work to be done on the ship which will enter service in 2022.

Royal Caribbean Extends Most Cruise Cancellations Until October 31, 2020

This Sucks!

Royal Caribbean announced further cancellations through October 31, 2020 due to the COVID situation.  Basically everything except Australia sailings are affected.  China sailing cancellations were extended to September 13, 2020, the remainder of the Europe 2020 season is done as well as the Fall Transatlantic sailings.  The 2020 Presidents Cruise on Allure of the Seas has also been cancelled.

Here is a letter sent out to the Crown & Anchor members:

Dear Crown & Anchor Member –

Back again so soon, I know.

I always look forward to keeping in touch with you as often as I can and typically with good news. Today, however, is a difficult day, and I wanted you as one of our most loyal guests to hear the news from me first. This morning, we announced the extension of our voluntary pause on cruises through October 31 in many places around the world. This was a challenging decision in and of itself, and it was even tougher this time around because it means we must cancel this year’s President’s Cruise on board Allure of the Seas.

This is disappointing news for you and me. The President’s Cruise is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate the cruise line we love, our incredible crew and each other – something we have been doing since 2016. I am personally disappointed in having to cancel this year’s cruise as it is a highlight of the year for me. I will miss our cocktail hours, sharing our favorite Royal memories and all of the fun times we have together. As I’ve said many times, you play a special part in making Royal Caribbean what it is today, and your loyalty and support mean the world to us.

If you were booked to sail with us on the President’s Cruise or back to back on a second cruise, you will receive a separate email with information on your reservation and options available to you.

Now, we wouldn’t be Royal Caribbean if we weren’t looking at ways, we can make the best out of every situation. We’ve been hard at work coming up with new ideas on how we can continue to bring our tradition to life within our current environment. I can’t spoil the surprises we are planning, but I would encourage you to keep an eye out for some fun, creative ways we will celebrate together. In fact, I would say I’ll meet you on the “virtual seas” soon.

Thank you for your continued support. As I’ve said before, there are smooth seas ahead.

All my best,
Michael Bayley
President and CEO
Royal Caribbean International
“Loyal to Royal”