woodscruise

From reading through this topic, one thing comes to mind that you do not put all your eggs in one basket. With the Oasis and Icon ships, they are primary based in the Caribbean, and more recently in the New York region, with another doing a European season in conjunction with a dry docking. What happens if there is another financial crisis as we saw in 2008. By building these mega ships, Royal is limiting to where they can put their assets. I personally, cannot see an Oasis or Icon ship based in the Pacific region, unless China improves dramatically with the Spectrum and Ovation being based there from 2025.

From todays Cruise Weekly 18April 2024 Australia was the world’s fourth-largest cruise market last year, with 1.25 million passengers embarking in 2023. The Land Down Under finished behind the United States (16.9 million), Germany (2.5 million), and the United Kingdom (2.2 million) in terms of total pax, according to data released by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) (CW 16 Apr). The rise in short-break cruises being offered by lines is reflected in CLIA’s data, with the average duration of an ocean voyage taken by Australians last year being 8.1 days, down from 9 days pre-pandemic. The most popular region for Aussies to sail in, outside of Australia and the South Pacific, is still the Mediterranean, with 5.3% of passengers embarking on a cruise there last year, followed by Asia (2.5%), Alaska (1.9%), Northern Europe (1%), and the Caribbean (1%). Growing segments of the Australian cruise industry include trans-Atlantic and world cruises; Hawaii & and the West Coast of the US; and expedition cruises, which captured 0.8%, 0.7%, and 0.7% of the market respectively. “Australians have not just returned to cruising, they’ve come back with enormous enthusiasm and at a faster pace than in other markets worldwide,” said Managing Director Joel Katz (pictured). “Australia has long been one of the world’s most passionate cruise source markets, and these figures confirm an enduring love for cruising among Australian travellers,” he said. Katz said although demand for cruising is strong, close collaboration from Australian governments and ports is needed to support the sustainability of cruise tourism in the future. “To maintain our position as a leading destination and meet demand, it’s crucial that regulatory frameworks and port charges remain internationally competitive,” he said. “Balanced regulation and reasonable costs are fundamental to fostering a thriving cruise sector capable of contributing significantly to the Australian economy,” Katz added. MS

Phil, can you tell me the benefits of Sky Junior Suite. I notice this on Anthem's sailings.

Yes, apparently there is some sort of agreement with the Wiggles. ROYAL CARIBBEAN TEAMS UP WITH THE WIGGLES TO LAUNCH THE ULTIMATE WIGGLY ADVENTURE | Royal Caribbean Press Center

From todays Cruise Weekly: Two RCI ships in Australia in 2025-26 Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has announced its 2025- 2026 deployment in Australia, with two new ships, Anthem of the Seas (pictured) and Voyager of the Seas, set to cruise Down Under (CW breaking news). Anthem, which will make her Australian debut, most recently cruised in Singapore. She will join Voyager Down Under in Nov 2025, which had also been based in Asia. The new Australian ship will cruise “shorter and bolder” getaways from Sydney, while Voyager will make her longawaited return to her new home of Brisbane. The two ships will sail a line-up of 45 cruises to the New Zealand and the South Pacific between Nov 2025 and Apr 2026, and are now open for booking. They will replace Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas in Australia. “Between the excitement of Anthem of the Seas making its Australian debut, Voyager’s return Down Under, and more weekend getaways than ever before, the 2025-2026 summer season is one for the books,” Vice President & Managing Director Gavin Smith said. “Every kind of holidaymaker can make memories in more ways than one with a varied line-up, from short getaways to a longer sailing from Asia, and new experiences like the show-stopping ‘We Will Rock You’ musical production, iceskating shows and six exclusive family adventures created by Royal Caribbean and the Wiggly Friends,” he said. MS

Sydney ports daily movements is showing a departure time of 23:00

A youtube blogger in Australia is reporting that Voyager will come through the Suez Canel in November 2025. I guess we will have to see how this pans out. They mentioned that Anthem will be coming from Alaska via Hawaii and Tahiti.

With confirmation of Voyager and Anthem coming to Australia, Ovation presumably will go to Singapore, any thoughts on where Radiance and Serenade will be deployed too?

Sydney ports is showing Majestic Princess overnighting in Sydney with an arrival time of at Bradley Heads as 20:15

I think this would be better posted on the P&O UK site.

Any idea where Radiance will head too?

Also, only up to October 2025.

Ovation was released with Spectrum and will be in homeported in China.

Aren't 2 Radiance class ships still not allocated to a region after the AK season?

Geoff, If the Red Sea is still a no go, could they run it via South Africa directly to Brisbane, as an alternative (maybe non rev)?