Royal Caribbean 2018/19 Deployment

This article was just posted suggesting that both Voyager of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas will not be returning to Sydney due to lack of port infrastructure

AUSTRALIA’S biggest cruise companies have made the extraordinary move to pull some of their biggest ships out of Sydney because of an *“extremely frustrating” lack of prime dock space.

 

In a major blow to the country’s fastest-growing tourism sector that will have major economic ramifications for NSW, cruise companies are bypassing our city in favour of Melbourne and Brisbane, New Zealand and even further afield in Asia *because Sydney Harbour’s Overseas Passenger Terminal is at capacity.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the country’s second biggest cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises will no longer send its 15-deck Voyager of the Seas ‘mini-city’ to Australia because of the issue. Instead the major cruiseliner will remain in Singapore and China for a year-round season.

Cruise companies are bypassing Sydney because the Harbour’s Overseas Passenger Terminal is at capacity.It’s the first time in 10 years a major cruise operator has cut a service.

Managing director Adam Armstrong also said its 12-deck ship Radiance of the Seas will also no longer stop in Sydney, bypassing the Harbour City for Melbourne and New Zealand. “We’ve been talking about one day Sydney will be full. That day has come,” he said. “Sydney will lose 65,000 guests a year from Voyager of the Seas and around $32 million in passenger spend.”

Mr Armstrong said China and Singapore will benefit from having the Voyager in their markets rather than in Australia. “It’s extremely frustrating. There is no berthing solution in Sydney. In the interim, Singapore, Hong Kong and China have all built world-class terminals,” he said.

“Brisbane will have a solution *before Sydney does.”

Pacific Pearl arrives to a beautiful sunset on the Harbour. Picture: John GraingerCruising is Australia’s fastest growth tourism industry, worth $5 billion to the NSW economy and supporting 20,000 jobs. In 2015-16, there were 325 cruise ships visiting NSW.

Australia’s biggest cruise company, Carnival Australia, which represents seven cruise brands in the market, *including P & O Cruises and Princess Cruises, is also struggling to berth in Sydney, with some ships moving to Brisbane and Melbourne. Carnival Legend will have 10 voyages from Melbourne in 2018 that could have been in Sydney.

Carnival Australia will base Queen Elizabeth in Australia for a record two months between February and April 2019 — it’s the longest time any of its current fleet of Queens have been in Australia. But, while the company’s preference was to set sail from Sydney, there were no berths available and, so for the first time, three of its cruises will be from Melbourne.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/cruising-for-a-bruising/news-story/efa1107f951c7810cfd0b53f0587b819

This is very frustrating if true. The NSW/Federal Government need to act now by either setting up a permanent berthing facility at Botany Bay or look to come up with a plan to eventually move the Navy for Garden Island.

Does anyone have any more info about 2018/19 deployment?

Hi, on Radiance at the moment. Head office keeps changing the release date, was supposed to be released on this journey and were looking forward to making a booking or two, but now postponed once more until late May. Papeete tomorrow..

Trouble.;p;p

I think these recent threats to withdraw ships is a big con. Sydney wharves are near empty of overseas ships for most of the year. It is only a small period, when it has reached capacity, because the ships choose to cruise south in the northern winter (which is not the best time to cruise in Australia, because it is our cyclone season).

They will continue to cruise to Sydney (with more appropriate sized ships) because the demand to visit Sydney by overseas passengers is there.

Sydney Harbour is the jewel of Sydney to be enjoyed by all, not just mega cruise ships.

Hi, on Radiance at the moment. Head office keeps changing the release date, was supposed to be released on this journey and were looking forward to making a booking or two, but now postponed once more until late May. Papeete tomorrow..

 

Trouble.;p;p

It seems that the release dates for deployment is postponed EVERY year.

Email just come through supporting some of the story. Three ships.

No more Voyager. Radiance will do ONE trip based from Melbourne.

Brings in more one-way options between Oz and NZ.

I think these recent threats to withdraw ships is a big con. Sydney wharves are near empty of overseas ships for most of the year. It is only a small period, when it has reached capacity, because the ships choose to cruise south in the northern winter (which is not the best time to cruise in Australia, because it is our cyclone season).

 

They will continue to cruise to Sydney (with more appropriate sized ships) because the demand to visit Sydney by overseas passengers is there.

 

Sydney Harbour is the jewel of Sydney to be enjoyed by all, not just mega cruise ships.

OPT is very busy half the year, from Nov to Apr, hardly a small period.

No one is saying we need to turn Sydney harbour into a port for cruise ships, we just need a solution other than turning away ships and limiting our tourist industry. This solution might be a new terminal, or something else entirely.

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Looks like i can stop waiting in anticipation for the 1018/19 cruises to be released! All was really looking for was a New Zealand cruise on either Voyager or Radiance leaving out of Sydney :(

A little more information, thanks to the RCL page Deployment thread ..... :D

https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1317/royal-caribbeans-newest-quantum-ultra-class-ship-to-sail-from-asia-pacific-in-2019/

Not cool!!

Well looks like the rumours are partly true, just got the email, very disappointing for those of us in Perth.

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com.au/media/pdf/reports/RCI_201819_ProgrammeRelease_FA_Final.pdf

No top end cruises or starting/finishing in Fremantle. :(

No more Voyager.

Sydney is the cruising "HUB" of the South Pacific. It always has been and always will be.The current press releases are a political ploy on behalf of the cruise lines to get the locals to build the necessary infrastructure rather than having to build it themselves,

Carnival rattled the sabre at Brisbane and threatened to withdraw Cunard and P&O and as a result got a Multi use terminal built for them at the Grain Terminal, Fishermans Island , at the taxpayers expense.

So what they are really saying is...

come on taxpayers , front up with something for Sydney.

Here's our story. We've also asked Royal Caribbean what will happen to all the Voyager bookings in Sydney for that season and beyond. (OPT berths currently booked until 2020).

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/news/news.cfm?ID=7769

Time to head back to Carnival perhaps?

Well just got the email from Royal and it looks like i can still get my hopes up a little, Radiance will have quite a few sailings out of Sydney going to NZ 😊

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RCL has been trying to exert pressure for NSW Govt to commit to a joint venture with them to build a new terminal at Port Botany.

I think this is all in preparation for some of the bigger RCL (and affiliated lines) ships relocating for the Australian summer and hanging around longer for southern winter tropical sailings.

Expect more moves in this chess game!

 

So what they are really saying is...

 

come on taxpayers , front up with something for Sydney.

Some sources seem to claim RCI is willing to pay (at least partly) for a new terminal. The exact amount and how much it will actually cost is up to anyone's guess, but it's not like they aren't helping.

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Here's our story. We've also asked Royal Caribbean what will happen to all the Voyager bookings in Sydney for that season and beyond. (OPT berths currently booked until 2020).

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/news/news.cfm?ID=7769

I am just off Explorer and tried to book the Radiance Transpacific from Hawaii for 2018 but was told the itineraries were not being released until 30 April - apparently now 16 May. Any news on whether Radiance will still be doing this repositioning or will be doing an Asian itinerary?

I really wanted to do Bora Bora and love this itinerary! :loudcry:

On sale 16 th May 2017 . Radiance ots 17th sep 2018 Honolulu to Best harbour in the world Sydney :) 18 nights French Polynesia ,South Island

Trouble

The real reason Voyager is leaving Sydney is because Mariner of the Seas is leaving China/Asia and going to Miami.

Royal are replacing Mariner with Voyager for the Singapore season.

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The real reason Voyager is leaving Sydney is because Mariner of the Seas is leaving China/Asia and going to Miami.

Royal are replacing Mariner with Voyager for the Singapore season.

Correct. The first Quantum Ultra-class will also be based in Asia-Pacific in 2019 so ships have to be shifted.

And Ovation will arrive earlier in November when Voyager stays in Asia.

Correct. The first Quantum Ultra-class will also be based in Asia-Pacific in 2019 so ships have to be shifted.

I predict Royal will remove another ship if that happens.

Big questions need to be asked about why Royal are not sending Mariner to China. 2018

Princess and other companies have cut capacity in China also after announcements.

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First it was the much loved Rhapsody, then the unloved Legend and now Voyager. While the new class of mega ship are a technological marvel, not all of us want the big 4000+ ship but prefer the mid size Vision and Radiance class.

At least for the time being we still have Radiance of the Seas, but for how long????

If Royal reduce their cruises into Syd, I have little doubt other cruise lines will snap up those slots at the OPT in order to keep it full.

It's a bit like primetime landing slots at London Heathrow, always a waiting list when one operator sells their slots.

I think these recent threats to withdraw ships is a big con. Sydney wharves are near empty of overseas ships for most of the year. It is only a small period, when it has reached capacity, because the ships choose to cruise south in the northern winter (which is not the best time to cruise in Australia, because it is our cyclone season).

 

They will continue to cruise to Sydney (with more appropriate sized ships) because the demand to visit Sydney by overseas passengers is there.

 

Sydney Harbour is the jewel of Sydney to be enjoyed by all, not just mega cruise ships.

Agreed. It's just lobbying to get public support for improved facilities for them.

With 6 years here, Voyager is well due for rotation out, just as Rhapsody was, since she's subsequently been replaced by 2 equal or larger ships.

We're also a secondary market for China for RCL. They always decide first what capacity they need there, then what they can spare and will be profitable gets placed here. So any ship movements are dictated by their deployments there. That's how Ovation got here, and why Voyager is being returned.

Bit unimpressed with the spin they've given to News Limited though... they've been ramping it up for the past year, but it's turning me off.