Empress Returning to RCCL?

[LovesCruising]

She was one of our favorite ships as well

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

In réponse to your point #4, the short cruise market is already filled with ships of the EMPRESS' vintage and they do quite well. MAJESTY OF THE SEAS is still going strong, and Carnival has 8 Fantasy Class ships still operating mostly in the 3, 4, and 5 day cruise market. I'll point out the Fantasy Class has even fewer balconies than EMPRESS and are just as dated as EMPRESS if not more so. The later builds of the Fantasy Class were outdated before they were even completed as the balcony craze had already taken hold.

 

So I feel EMPRESS could easily return to Royal Caribbean, but I'm guessing she will have a new purpose and that is Cuba. She is the perfect size to fit in the mostly undeveloped ports of Cuba and no, right now you won't see any Oasis sized ships visiting Cuba. That will take some time to build up the infrastructure. In the meantime we will see smaller ships like EMPRESS on the run, and it will be nice to see some get a second life so to speak.

 

It's also possible Royal might have something else completely in mind for EMPRESS. None of us know for sure. Just fun speculating at this point.

 

All good info. I'm in agreement with your Cuba comment. That seems like the only realistic option for the Empress, if she really is returning to the RCI fleet. I think that any cruise offered on the Empress will have to be more about the ports than the ship (obviously). They could also be planning on some sort of extended/world voyages, but I find Cuba to be more likely. It will be very interesting to see what is actually going to happen.

 

With that said, I think the only way any of those things would work is if Empress gets completely overhauled. Rooms would need to be gutted and redone, and public areas would have to be refreshed. The pool deck would need to be redone, and they would need to find a place to add a specialty restaurant or two.

 

Would an extensive overhaul like that be worth it to RCI? I guess it depends on how much they want to sail to Cuba, and how quickly they want to do it.

Edited October 23, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[eroller]

 

Would an extensive overhaul like that be worth it to RCI? I guess it depends on how much they want to sail to Cuba, and how quickly they want to do it.

 

 

 

I'm guessing they have little choice honestly. She can stay with Pullmantur and continue to lose money, or an investment can be made in her future that will hopefully pay off.

 

Unfortunately there is not much of a market for this type of second hand tonnage. It used to be that cruise lines could send these ships to second tier brands like Pulmantur and emerging markets like China and Australia. That is becoming less and less of an option as these markets quickly mature and demand newer ships. Carnival actually shut down its Spanish brand Ibero Cruceros which probably gave Pullmantur a little more life, but they are still struggling.

 

So the alternative is to refit the ships to make them more appealing and competitive. We are seeing more and more of that. Carnival has had a much bigger dilemma with the Fantasy Class. They really had no where to send them to, so they implemented a pretty extensive refurbishment program. They are still dated ships with few balconies, but at least they can hold their own in less competitive markets out of "homeports" like New Orleans, Mobile, Jacksonville, and Charleston. There are even some in Miami still, just like the good ole MAJESTY OF THE SEAS. In fact MAJESTY is a good example. She is the same vintage as EMPRESS and normally at this stage in her career would be sent off to a second tier brand like Pullmantur or an emerging market. This really isn't an option anymore so RCI is breathing new life into her with an extensive refit adding slides and other amenities that consumers expect these days.

 

Cuba will be an emerging market and initially will require smaller ships. The major cruise lines don't build smaller ships, so perhaps these dated and smaller ships will be just the ticket to build up the market.

Edited October 23, 2015 by eroller

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

.

 

Cuba will be an emerging market and initially will require smaller ships. The major cruise lines don't build smaller ships, so perhaps these dated and smaller ships will be just the ticket to build up the market.

 

That's what I'm thinking. IMO, its going to be pretty long time before any mega-ships will be able to call at Cuba. Empress might be the answer for Royal!

[eroller]

That's what I'm thinking. IMO, its going to be pretty long time before any mega-ships will be able to call at Cuba. Empress might be the answer for Royal!

 

 

Now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak, and all reports suggest the transfer will take place in early 2016, I would expect to hear official news from Royal Caribbean relatively soon.

[Canadian Tyler]

Confirmed, Spring 2016 to Royal Caribbean with extensive refurbishment.

 

Edited October 23, 2015 by Canadian Tyler

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Confirmed, Spring 2016 to Royal Caribbean with extensive refurbishment.

 

 

Wow! This is definitely surprising, but I'm excited!

[Tagsalong]

I have recently met and have spoken directly to someone (so this is heresay, not 1st hand knowledge from me directly!) who is presumably in direct dealings with Cuba on various business and investment activity. I asked him specifically about travel and even more specifically about cruising... he said no doubt within 12 months there'll be USA cruise ships there. Take that for what it's worth... maybe I can look back on this post in a year and say "You heard it here first from me" :eek::D Note... new RCL deployment will be next spring for 2017/18.

 

Btw it's just not travel/cruising, various large US corporations also... the flood gates may be opening up very quickly from what I've been told. I guess we'll all see soon.

 

So... Enchantment for 7 day Cuba itinerary out of Miami??

I'm in!!!!!!! :D

(Empress takes over 3/4 day Bahamas??)

 

On Freedom in September of this year, had "meal with an officer" and our officer table mate was a very high ranking member of the marine team. (I will never name names of my sources.) He/she said Royal Caribbean is currently working out the details to send the Majesty of the Seas to a port of call in Cuba starting some time in 2016. Many things must fall into place to meet their target date (unspecified).

 

Of course the ship to Cuba could change with the return of the Empress, but I personally doubt this will be the case.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

On Freedom in September of this year, had "meal with an officer" and our officer table mate was a very high ranking member of the marine team. (I will never name names of my sources.) He/she said Royal Caribbean is currently working out the details to send the Majesty of the Seas to a port of call in Cuba starting some time in 2016. Many things must fall into place to meet their target date (unspecified).

 

Of course the ship to Cuba could change with the return of the Empress, but I personally doubt this will be the case.

 

So maybe Empress will replace Majesty on the 3/4 night itineraries? But Majesty will be up in PC, which wouldn't be an ideal homeport for a Cuba-bound ship. Or maybe they realized that Majesty wouldn't be able to call at Cuba yet (size), but Empress could. Just thinking out loud here...

Edited October 23, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[ryano]

I love seeing pics of the older ships but all I see is smaller cabins, cramped spaces and very little accessibility. Although I enjoyed my cruise on Monarch, Sovereign class is bad enough with only 4 accessible cabins. I wont be rushing to get on Empress :) I doubt she will come to PC, Tampa or PE so that puts me out anyway.

[MADflyer]

That's what I'm thinking. IMO, its going to be pretty long time before any mega-ships will be able to call at Cuba. Empress might be the answer for Royal!

 

With the destination focus that Cuba is going to allow, early passengers will place very little demand on the facility of the ship offered.

 

Even though it is still unclear if this is for a Cuban product, the concept works with all port intensive sailings.

 

The announcement yesterday by Thompson Cruises that they will be using Discovery, the former RCI Splendour of the Seas, on a series of port intensive sailings from Barbados with no sea days was of interest.

 

They are basically going to be offering an 'All-inclusive' product, which adds perceived value with beverages and Wifi included, but then the ship is going to be in port with such frequency that it will reduce associated costs of operations and service.

[negc]

The Empress of the Seas was our favorite RCCL ship. We were on one of the last sailing of the ship (Philadelphia to Bermuda) before she was booted from the fleet. She had already undergone "improvements" to bring her in line with other RCI ships.

 

Gone were the lounge areas on each cabin deck next to the open Atrium. They had been replaced by children play areas, a game area (the game room and library having been taken over by a pay for restaurant) and various other functions that had been squeezed out of their dedicated areas by an increase in the number of cabins.

 

She was a sad shadow of her former self and the overall cruise experience did deteriorate due the disappearance of formerly available public space and the increase in the number of passengers. No longer the "yacht" of the RCI fleet, she become the now typical RCCL cattle car with too many passengers.

 

So for anyone with fond memories of long ago cruises on the little beauty that was the Empress, that cruise experience will not reoccur unless a complete restoration of the ship before the "improvements" is done.

Why not tell us how you really feel about RCI ships? The term "Cattle car" isn't something that immediately comes to mind when we think of Royal Caribbean ships and even their largest ships seem to handle what you describe as "too many passengers" very well.

Bringing back this ship to the RCI fleet sounds like it could possibly work quite well for shorter cruises from a variety of ports.:)

[Canadian Tyler]

I wonder if it will join the Monarch class, or be a class of its own. Looking forward to more details about the refurb and itinerary. Has to be soon if it's launching spring 2016.

[garnetpalmetto]

I wonder if it will join the Monarch class, or be a class of its own. Looking forward to more details about the refurb and itinerary. Has to be soon if it's launching spring 2016.

 

One can't "join" a class you weren't part of to begin with and there is no Monarch class. She's of a fundamentally different design than the Sovereigns therefore she's not a Sovereign class ship. She's a one-off in a class unto herself.

Edited October 23, 2015 by garnetpalmetto

[Debitoo]

Just got an email update from one the industry newsletters that stated the following:

 

Pullmantur is refocusing on Europe after concentrating passenger sourcing efforts on Latin and South America after the Spanish market went soft.

 

The company is also shedding a ship, with the Empress reportedly going back to Royal Caribbean.

 

Pullmantur did not respond to several inquiries for comment, but issued a press release in Spain, outlining that the Monarch will head for Europe in 2016, helping the company to concentrate on the Spanish and French markets.

 

The Monarch had previously been deployed on a year-round itinerary in the Southern Caribbean sourcing passengers from Latin America.

 

The 1990-built Empress will head back to the Royal Caribbean brand early next year, said Pullmantur.

 

This will be very interesting if true.

Thanks for the heads up Dave. Very interesting. I'll keep my eye on this one. I'd LOVE to go to Cuba. ;)

[Canadian Tyler]

One can't "join" a class you weren't part of to begin with and there is no Monarch class. She's of a fundamentally different design than the Sovereigns therefore she's not a Sovereign class ship. She's a one-off in a class unto herself.

 

Oh dear...very sorry to have bothered you with such a silly question then ;)

[Susie51]

The Empress of the Seas was our favorite RCCL ship. We were on one of the last sailing of the ship (Philadelphia to Bermuda) before she was booted from the fleet. She had already undergone "improvements" to bring her in line with other RCI ships.

 

Gone were the lounge areas on each cabin deck next to the open Atrium. They had been replaced by children play areas, a game area (the game room and library having been taken over by a pay for restaurant) and various other functions that had been squeezed out of their dedicated areas by an increase in the number of cabins.

 

 

It seems a lot of ships in various cruise lines have turned public areas into specialty restaurants and cabins.

 

Does the Empress have balconies? Newer ships have lots of balconies which passengers enjoy.

[garnetpalmetto]

Oh dear...very sorry to have bothered you with such a silly question then ;)

 

Not a silly question at all, just providing an answer. The only real exception to what makes a "class" is the Vision class, but otherwise each member of a class is generally built to the same specification - all Radiances are roughly similar, all Sovereigns are roughly similar, etc.

[MADflyer]

While they have confirmed that Empress is returning to the RCL Fleet, has it actually been confirmed that she is returning to RCI?

 

I have not listened to the financial Q3 Financial podcast yet, but what is written only confirms that they have done a $399.3 million write down on Pullmantur and removed all intangible assets (goodwill, trademarks...) along with 'a reduction in the carrying value of select vessels in the Pullmantur fleet'

 

This $399.3 million write down was taken against record profits for RCL and results in a direct tax benefit to RCL of $12 million.

[alfaeric]

Confirmed, Spring 2016 to Royal Caribbean with extensive refurbishment.

 

 

Edit- can't direct link to RCI blog site- but in the royal caribbean blog this is the end you can copy /2015/10/23/royal-caribbean-confirms-empress-of-the-seas-will-return-fleet

 

Saying the same things, basically. Just using more words... :D

 

So the big question is- what is "extensive refurbishment" ?

 

The port speculation is interesting- with Cuba being so close to Miami- it's not hard to imagine a 7 night 5 or even 6 port cruise. Circle Cuba, and there's so much we don't know about. And the small ship does mean the ports don't need huge development to fit.

 

One can even wonder if the refurbishment will include two new life boats that can double as tenders.

Edited October 23, 2015 by alfaeric

[skyking]

It seems a lot of ships in various cruise lines have turned public areas into specialty restaurants and cabins.

 

Does the Empress have balconies? Newer ships have lots of balconies which passengers enjoy.

 

Very interesting move that is for sure, and yes she does have some balconies.

[CT Sean]

Confirmed, Spring 2016 to Royal Caribbean with extensive refurbishment.

 

 

Can't wait to see what they'll do with her.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

While they have confirmed that Empress is returning to the RCL Fleet, has it actually been confirmed that she is returning to RCI?

 

I have not listened to the financial Q3 Financial podcast yet, but what is written only confirms that they have done a $399.3 million write down on Pullmantur and removed all intangible assets (goodwill, trademarks...) along with 'a reduction in the carrying value of select vessels in the Pullmantur fleet'

 

This $399.3 million write down was taken against record profits for RCL and results in a direct tax benefit to RCL of $12 million.

 

I cannot confirm, but according to a certain blog, it was specifically mentioned that her name will be changed back to "Empress of the Seas". Assuming that that statement came from someone at Royal Caribbean Corp, it would confirm that she is returning to Royal Caribbean International.

[alfaeric]

I cannot confirm, but according to a certain blog, it was specifically mentioned that her name will be changed back to "Empress of the Seas". Assuming that that statement came from someone at Royal Caribbean Corp, it would confirm that she is returning to Royal Caribbean International.

 

That is in the unlinkable royal caribbean blog (dot) com. Take the spaces out.

[eroller]

I wonder if it will join the Monarch class, or be a class of its own. Looking forward to more details about the refurb and itinerary. Has to be soon if it's launching spring 2016.

 

 

She is one of a kind. A class all her own with no sister ships.