News

Strategic decision in changing world to send Quantum of the Seas to China

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 17 April 2014 17 April 2014

The decision to send Quantum of the Seas to China in May 2015 was based on strategic considerations in a changing world, said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, svp operations at Royal Caribbean International, the contemporary market unit of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL).

"The world is changing, this ship appeals to guests from all over the world and we need to take a balanced view where our hardware is based," she said in as conference call. Ship deployments are not always based on prospects regarding revenue, but also strategic objectives of the company in the long term. "The decisions where to sail from are also of strategic, not always financial nature," she stated.

Certain modifications will be required in retail offerings, galleys and menus before the 167,800 gross ton Quantum of the Seas will be introduced on the Chinese market, with Shanghai as its base. The company would unveil its 2015-16 Asia-Pacific programmes at a later stage, said Chris Allen avp of global deployment and itinerary planning, declining to comment on questions regarding whether Quantum of the Seas would operate cruises from other ports than Shanghai.

Allen said that the Chinese market had seen an acceleration on business following the introduction of Voyager of the Seas and then Mariner of the Seas there and that the company has a lot of confidence in this market and its potential.

Royal Caribbean officials that hosted the conference call said that the deployments of the third Oasis class and third Anthem class ships had not been decided yet, but that a balanced view with regards of what the company can offer to its customers in various parts of the world plus what is in the interest of the company itself would determine these deployments.

The decision to base Quantum of the Seas in Shanghai resulted in a number of other changes in ship deployments, the most important of which being the transfer of Anthem of the Seas, the second unit of the Anthem class from Ft Lauderdale in Florida to Cape Liberty in the New York region for the 2015-16 winter season.

Quantum of the Seas to be homeported in Shanghai

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 17 April 2014 17 April 2014

Royal Caribbean International today announced that its newest ship, Quantum of the Seas, will make its home port in Shanghai (Baoshan), China, bringing the company's most innovative ship to the world's fastest-growing cruise market. The ship will reposition to China in May 2015, following her inaugural winter season sailing out of New York Harbor to the Caribbean. In China, Quantum of the Seas will join Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas in Asia, increasing the company's capacity in the region by 66 percent.

"Consumers in China have grown to expect the best the world has to offer, and Quantum of the Seas meets that standard like no other ship," said Adam Goldstein, President and COO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We are ready to accelerate the growth of this vital market with a ship that will capture the imagination of travelers looking for a one-of-a-kind vacation experience."

"Every trend we are seeing in China tells us we can achieve real long-term competitive advantage and appealing returns on our investments in this fast-growing market by accelerating our presence there," Goldstein said. "We will have to be nimble, but the ability to move fast is one of our strengths."

Goldstein said the company was able to make the move because its new-ship pipeline will keep the New York region supplied with top-rate ships as well.

"We are very mindful of the importance of New York, which is why we are bringing Liberty of the Seas and then Anthem of the Seas to this market."

Quantum of the Seas will debut in November 2014, and will spend its inaugural season sailing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J., before repositioning to China in May 2015. Beginning late June 2015, the ship will sail three- to eight-night itineraries year-round from Shanghai to Japan and Korea. Liberty of the Seas will then arrive to Cape Liberty to sail to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Canada and New England for the 2015 summer and autumn seasons. The Freedom-class ship will be the company's newest and largest ship to offer cruises to Bermuda from the New York-metropolitan area. Finally, Quantum of the Seas' sister ship, Anthem of the Seas, which launches in April 2015, will complete her inaugural Europe season from London (Southampton), U.K., before arriving to Cape Liberty in November 2015 to continue Quantum-class cruising to the Bahamas and Caribbean for the winter 2015-16 season.

"These incredible ships will meet the sophisticated expectations of consumers in Shanghai, New York and London. Our mantra for the new Quantum class of ships is 'this changes everything' – and upping our game in these key markets achieves just that," said Dominic Paul, Vice President, International, Royal Caribbean International. "Our distinctive style of high quality innovative cruises has become known to travelers around the world and we will continue to deploy our most technologically advanced ships where the demand is, with the expectation of winning new converts to cruising."

The groundbreaking Quantum-class ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, will debut a new set of first-at-sea onboard experiences, such as Ripcord by iFLY, a heart-pounding skydiving experience; North Star, a thrilling adventure that transports guests more than 300 feet in the air on a breathtaking journey; cutting-edge transformative venues including SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line's largest and most advanced staterooms ever. Guests also will enjoy the new Quantum-class "Dynamic Dining," a completely new culinary experience that offers a landscape of 18 restaurant concepts as vast and varied as dining in the world's most cosmopolitan cities, including specialty restaurants created with partner-chefs Jamie Oliver, Devin Alexander and Michael Schwartz.

The Quantum Class spans 18 decks, encompass 167,800 gross registered tons, carry 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms. More information on Quantum class is available at http://www.RoyalCaribbean.com/QuantumoftheSeas. Media can find more details, images and videos at http://tinyurl.com/n6fmy5k.

TUI Travel expects online to account for half of 2014 bookings, to generate £1.8 billion in turnover

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 10 April 2014 10 April 2014

TUI Travel, the London based tour operator, expects online sales will hit 50% of total sales this year, worth £1.8 billion in turnover, Travel Weekly reports in a daily newsletter.

The company is a major retailer of cruises and owns Thomson Cruises that operates five ships on the British market.

A quarter its bookings in the first quarter of this year came via tablets or smartphones, the company has revealed. This represents a 78% increase in bookings made from mobile devices between January and March last year. In the same period, 49% of total web traffic came through smartphones.

TUI UK and Ireland managing director Dave Burling said: "This shows the investment we have made in these devices. Customers want to research these holidays on the devices of their choice."

Burling added: "We have got a huge online business. This January we had half a million browsers of our hotel videos on our website; this gives you an indication of the scale of the business.

“The biggest trend online has been the move towards developing sites which can work not just on desktops but on tablets and smartphones. We are continually looking at investing in this business and in terms of the quality and service we give,” he was quoted as saying.