Corporate: ANTHEM / Caribbean On Sale June 16th, 2014

Hey Gang:

After Getting The Run Around From The Crown / Anchor Society Regrading The Anthem Winter 2016 Caribbean Trips Out Of Fort Lauderdale, (They Gave Me A "It's Been Pushed Back" Answer).

So, I Just Called Corporate To Ask If They Had Any Information, And "David" Told Me It Was Scheduled To Be Released On Monday, June 16th, 2014.

Yet Another Answer, Yet Another Push Back.

Is It Me...Or Is Anyone Losing Interest In The Ship / Booking Process? I Feel Like I / We Are Being Lead On A Scavenger Hunt, And The Company Keeps Moving The Finish Line.

Thoughts?

-Michael

That's highly disappointing to say the least.

Perhaps Dynamic Dining has had the opposite effect on bookings compared to what they had hoped so they are holding back the next round of dates until the entertainment announcements can help push them.

Yaaaawn I'm quickly losing interest in the Quantum Class with all this nonsense. Will definitely do Quantum, but may consider a less expensive alternative to Anthem.

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Perhaps Dynamic Dining has had the opposite effect on bookings compared to what they had hoped so they are holding back the next round of dates until the entertainment announcements can help push them.

Don't think that's the case at all. Quantum still seems to have high bookings judging by pricing.

Don't think that's the case at all. Quantum still seems to have high bookings judging by pricing.

I doubt that's it too but who knows. The implication of both ships certainly is odd.

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Don't think that's the case at all. Quantum still seems to have high bookings judging by pricing.

The prices were skyrocketing all through 2013 and have flat lined since January. There haven't been any price changes since before the Dynamic Dining announcement but the number of cabins available has increased. I doubt Royal Caribbean would be willing to drop prices now, it would send the wrong message. The rate at which they had been increasing has stopped though and the only visible impact of the last announcement is cancelations rather than bookings. Since the announcement I have seen tons of categories available that I hadn't seen since the first few days. High demand categories like studios, junior suites, and even lofts have been available since the announcement, but never in the 9 months leading up to it. That really does not sound like a successful announcement. With every announcement Royal is hoping for the available supply to go down and the price to go up, that has not happened here. When I was tracking the Oasis their was a noticeable jump in price within 48 hours of each announcement as you would expect and they were happening about every other month. With that sailing though our category was sold out before the last announcement so I have no idea how prices would have risen at this point in the timeline. When comparing the two Quantum should be sold out as well by now. Obviously Quantum is not on the Oasis's level in terms of historical size but she is a new class with fewer cabins to sell. I would not expect her to sell out now, but if that announcement did not drive sales and we know a lot of bookings are waiting to be transferred to the summer I doubt Royal Caribbean will be able to not drop prices when the next set of dates open up.

Quantum prices for 3 people in a D5 on the 11/23 and 12/1 sailings:

Interesting analysis. Anecdotally just based on our little focus group of cruising enthusiasts here on CC, there was a lot of enthusiasm almost perfectly offset by profound disappointment. I can certainly see how that would not move the ball forward for RCI, although I'd honestly be really surprised if the announcement was a net negative for them...

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The prices were skyrocketing all through 2013 and have flat lined since January. There haven't been any price changes since before the Dynamic Dining announcement but the number of cabins available has increased. I doubt Royal Caribbean would be willing to drop prices now, it would send the wrong message. The rate at which they had been increasing has stopped though and the only visible impact of the last announcement is cancelations rather than bookings. Since the announcement I have seen tons of categories available that I hadn't seen since the first few days. High demand categories like studios, junior suites, and even lofts have been available since the announcement, but never in the 9 months leading up to it. That really does not sound like a successful announcement. With every announcement Royal is hoping for the available supply to go down and the price to go up, that has not happened here. When I was tracking the Oasis their was a noticeable jump in price within 48 hours of each announcement as you would expect and they were happening about every other month. With that sailing though our category was sold out before the last announcement so I have no idea how prices would have risen at this point in the timeline. When comparing the two Quantum should be sold out as well by now. Obviously Quantum is not on the Oasis's level in terms of historical size but she is a new class with fewer cabins to sell. I would not expect her to sell out now, but if that announcement did not drive sales and we know a lot of bookings are waiting to be transferred to the summer I doubt Royal Caribbean will be able to not drop prices when the next set of dates open up.

 

Quantum prices for 3 people in a D5 on the 11/23 and 12/1 sailings:

Your comparing apples to oranges. Not only is quantum not on the same level as oasis or allure(biggest ships in the world) but quantum being based in NJ alone is reason enough that it wouldn't sell out like oasis or allure did. I am canceling my quantum cruise for anthem when the Caribbean routes finally open. Not because of dynamic dinning but simply because I don't really have any want or desire to sail out of NJ. Many more people see the appeal of sailing out of south Florida over NJ. A fair comparison will be when the anthem caribbean sales aRe released. I think you will see higher sales for anthem.

Definitely glad I went ahead and booked Freedom for Thanksgiving 2015 now. Will have to take a look and see what Anthem is doing for Springbreak 2016 if/when they ever release the itineraries and see whether it seems worth it.

The prices were skyrocketing all through 2013 and have flat lined since January. There haven't been any price changes since before the Dynamic Dining announcement but the number of cabins available has increased. I doubt Royal Caribbean would be willing to drop prices now, it would send the wrong message. The rate at which they had been increasing has stopped though and the only visible impact of the last announcement is cancelations rather than bookings. Since the announcement I have seen tons of categories available that I hadn't seen since the first few days. High demand categories like studios, junior suites, and even lofts have been available since the announcement, but never in the 9 months leading up to it. That really does not sound like a successful announcement. With every announcement Royal is hoping for the available supply to go down and the price to go up, that has not happened here. When I was tracking the Oasis their was a noticeable jump in price within 48 hours of each announcement as you would expect and they were happening about every other month. With that sailing though our category was sold out before the last announcement so I have no idea how prices would have risen at this point in the timeline. When comparing the two Quantum should be sold out as well by now. Obviously Quantum is not on the Oasis's level in terms of historical size but she is a new class with fewer cabins to sell. I would not expect her to sell out now, but if that announcement did not drive sales and we know a lot of bookings are waiting to be transferred to the summer I doubt Royal Caribbean will be able to not drop prices when the next set of dates open up.

 

Quantum prices for 3 people in a D5 on the 11/23 and 12/1 sailings:

You come to a point where you can't increase prices anymore. It has nothing to do with losing bookings or popularity or announcements. They have to keep competition with Breakaway. With Oasis and Allure, there is no competition because there is nothing comparable. If Quantum is $10k and Breakaway is $5k, what boat do you think most 1st time cruisers are going to choose?

Quantum is a little more expensive than Breakaway right now, but they can't exponentially raise the price because they will lose business to NCL.

My 1/11/2015 cruise has 1 $15,000pp suite open. I'm in a D7 and always look at cabins to move to. The choice right now is dismal because most are sold. It's foolish to think they are having a hard time selling this ship at the moment.

You come to a point where you can't increase prices anymore. It has nothing to do with losing bookings or popularity or announcements. They have to keep competition with Breakaway. With Oasis and Allure, there is no competition because there is nothing comparable. If Quantum is $10k and Breakaway is $5k, what boat do you think most 1st time cruisers are going to choose?

 

 

 

Quantum is a little more expensive than Breakaway right now, but they can't exponentially raise the price because they will lose business to NCL.

I agree with this. Even some experienced cruisers will scoff at Quantum if she gets too expensive relative to Breakaway... Having the two new ships competing in the same market is a good break for NYC-area cruisers.

It's entirely possible that RCI got a little unrealistic / overly ambitious with their pricing goals for these Quantum Class ships. It true, there will be a market correction. But, I will say that given how well Quantum sold at its initial pricing levels they seem to have read the market well.

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I'm waiting to see the summer prices/itineraries. I thought the opening prices for Quantum weren't bad but I booked in the dead of winter, 2 ports.

I think I would like to exchange for a summer cruise but it depends mostly on the prices.

Hey Gang:

 

After Getting The Run Around From The Crown / Anchor Society Regrading The Anthem Winter 2016 Caribbean Trips Out Of Fort Lauderdale, (They Gave Me A "It's Been Pushed Back" Answer).

 

So, I Just Called Corporate To Ask If They Had Any Information, And "David" Told Me It Was Scheduled To Be Released On Monday, June 16th, 2014.

 

Yet Another Answer, Yet Another Push Back.

 

Is It Me...Or Is Anyone Losing Interest In The Ship / Booking Process? I Feel Like I / We Are Being Lead On A Scavenger Hunt, And The Company Keeps Moving The Finish Line.

 

Thoughts?

 

-Michael

It's not pushed back anymore. Anthem will not be sailing from Ft. Lauderdale any more. Anthem is now going to sail from Bayonne when it comes to the US. Quantum is going to China year round in May 2015 and being replaced first by Liberty of the Seas and then Anthem.

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Well That's A Swift Kick In The Crotch.

We Live In Orlando And Were Looking Forward To The Anthem Out Of FLL For Two Years.

Sad, Sad Day :O(

-Michael

Well That's A Swift Kick In The Crotch.

 

We Live In Orlando And Were Looking Forward To The Anthem Out Of FLL For Two Years.

 

Sad, Sad Day :O(

 

-Michael

No kidding.

First all the hype...then this... :eek::mad:

No kidding.

 

First all the hype...then this... :eek::mad:

Yep, don't mind the decision but don't understand how you can do all the planning (presumably), make all the announcements, publish your deployment schedules (not meet them incidentally) and then pull this out of your hat.

I am sure it makes business sense and works out in the long run, but it just killed the Quantum class for me until Winter 2016 at the earliest ... not sure if I will have any interest in it by then, all the marketing buzz from the last couple of years will have definitely faded from memory.

Yaaaawn I'm quickly losing interest in the Quantum Class with all this nonsense. Will definitely do Quantum, but may consider a less expensive alternative to Anthem.

 

 

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Dave, you & I are on the same page. I just posted this on another thread.

With all the hype in the last year and now this it's sort of let the air out of my balloon for Quantum ships. I'm happy that Bayonne will continue to have a ship sailing year round. We have sailed on the Liberty and actually loved it. I'm just OVER all this now. Just my opinion. I have a Quantum cruise booked for Dec 2014 Florida/Bahamas and I'm going to cancel it. I really hate the itinerary and not sure when I'll rebook at this point. Need to sit down, look at the calendar and decide if I really want to cruise on Quantum or just wait for the Anthem. I will continue to cruise on Royal as I'm loyal. :cool:

Dave, you & I are on the same page. I just posted this on another thread.

 

With all the hype in the last year and now this it's sort of let the air out of my balloon for Quantum ships. I'm happy that Bayonne will continue to have a ship sailing year round. We have sailed on the Liberty and actually loved it. I'm just OVER all this now. Just my opinion. I have a Quantum cruise booked for Dec 2014 Florida/Bahamas and I'm going to cancel it. I really hate the itinerary and not sure when I'll rebook at this point. Need to sit down, look at the calendar and decide if I really want to cruise on Quantum or just wait for the Anthem. I will continue to cruise on Royal as I'm loyal. :cool:

Anne I agree with you that I'll continue to cruise on Royal because I like their product a lot(as evident by what will be soon my third sailing on the Oasis class)

As you know I have the 12 night Caribbean sailing booked on Quantum. Now this will be her second to last sailing out of Cape Liberty so I figure I better sail on Q to experience what the class has to offer. Because of my line of work and limited vacation time it might be a while before I can sail on Anthem or the third one in the class or even Oasis 3.

I think the biggest issue I have is they touted Quantum as sailing from CL year round and now it will only be just over 6 months. If they had planned this the whole time I think people wouldn't had an issue if they had just come out and said it.

Dave, you & I are on the same page. I just posted this on another thread.

 

With all the hype in the last year and now this it's sort of let the air out of my balloon for Quantum ships. I'm happy that Bayonne will continue to have a ship sailing year round. We have sailed on the Liberty and actually loved it. I'm just OVER all this now. Just my opinion. I have a Quantum cruise booked for Dec 2014 Florida/Bahamas and I'm going to cancel it. I really hate the itinerary and not sure when I'll rebook at this point. Need to sit down, look at the calendar and decide if I really want to cruise on Quantum or just wait for the Anthem. I will continue to cruise on Royal as I'm loyal. :cool:

Yep, I hear ya. My group will cruise Liberty in May 2015 instead -- I happen to love Liberty -- although DW isn't thrilled about losing out on Quantum, and I'm not either quite frankly. We'll sail Anthem when she comes over in late 2015. Guess we're saving on airfare next year! :p

Anne I agree with you that I'll continue to cruise on Royal because I like their product a lot(as evident by what will be soon my third sailing on the Oasis class)

 

As you know I have the 12 night Caribbean sailing booked on Quantum. Now this will be her second to last sailing out of Cape Liberty so I figure I better sail on Q to experience what the class has to offer. Because of my line of work and limited vacation time it might be a while before I can sail on Anthem or the third one in the class or even Oasis 3.

 

I think the biggest issue I have is they touted Quantum as sailing from CL year round and now it will only be just over 6 months. If they had planned this the whole time I think people wouldn't had an issue if they had just come out and said it.

Chris, I'm still debating whether to join you all on your cruise in April or not. I have some friends sailing with you already (Polly & Ken). I would be sailing alone since DD would still be in college. Not sure yet...may sail the same exact itinerary in January with DD instead. Decisions, decisions....:rolleyes:

Chris, I'm still debating whether to join you all on your cruise in April or not. I have some friends sailing with you already (Polly & Ken). I would be sailing alone since DD would still be in college. Not sure yet...may sail the same exact itinerary in January with DD instead. Decisions, decisions....:rolleyes:

Anne understand either way. You know we would welcome you to our roll call(again) and would be happy with you joined us.

By the way, our roll call is now on part three... :eek:

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I think the biggest issue I have is they touted Quantum as sailing from CL year round and now it will only be just over 6 months. If they had planned this the whole time I think people wouldn't had an issue if they had just come out and said it.

Yes....and adding in that they also promoted Anthem sailing from FLL for months in advance of people planning to book it.

Anne understand either way. You know we would welcome you to our roll call(again) and would be happy with you joined us.

 

By the way, our roll call is now on part three... :eek:

 

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Thanks Chris, I saw that, wow!! DD will be home this weekend. I plan on discussing our QOS cruise with her. If she doesn't want to go in Jan or at all, I will switch my Dec 2014 to your cruise. Not too many cabins left. I'd be happy with a balcony cabin if it's just me. Will keep you posted. Happy Easter!

Yes....and adding in that they also promoted Anthem sailing from FLL for months in advance of people planning to book it.

Yes very annoying. I think what happened was they couldn't get a definitive answer from Bermuda about making upgrades to allow QOS to sail there. So they quickly switched around the ships. Makes sense and I'm OK with it. I was disappointed at first but as long as they have a ship going out of NJ I'm good. Sorry for FL though...I know many were really looking forward to Anthem. Hopefully it will all work out.