Empress OTS to be home-ported at Miami

[ADS94]

That would not surprise me at all.

 

From what I've been seeing and hearing, Voom is supposed to be on all ships sailing in the Caribbean by mid-2016. I know Majesty and Enchantment are going to be getting it. If they make it free, I could imagine they'd do it just for April, May, June to get people on the mixed itineraries before they start her normal schedule.

[Clarea]

From what I've been seeing and hearing, Voom is supposed to be on all ships sailing in the Caribbean by mid-2016. I know Majesty and Enchantment are going to be getting it. If they make it free, I could imagine they'd do it just for April, May, June to get people on the mixed itineraries before they start her normal schedule.

The Voom is supposed to be free on Majesty, though we don't know how long that will last.

[ADS94]

Hmm... looks like Empress itinerary will be announced soon, from what we've seen with all the bookings in Key West and Grand Cayman. Empress now also shows up on RCCL's ChoiceAir website to select.

 

[Big Beer Gut]

Do we have any information and timing for a drydock retrofit for the Empress? I would imagine she will need an extensive upgrade to be comparable to the current RCL ships

[MisterFidgetpants]

Do we have any information and timing for a drydock retrofit for the Empress? I would imagine she will need an extensive upgrade to be comparable to the current RCL ships

 

Mid Feb-March 2016

[garnetpalmetto]

Hopefully it is just mis-titled and they aren't planning on stretching her and turning her into a Sovereign class.

 

One can't turn a ship from one class to another. It's built as a certain class or it isn't. You couldn't, for instance, hack Oasis to pieces and she suddenly be a Sovereign class ship no more than you could stretch and add onto Majesty to make her an Oasis class.

[Clarea]

Do we have any information and timing for a drydock retrofit for the Empress? I would imagine she will need an extensive upgrade to be comparable to the current RCL ships

No details as to exactly what will be done during the dry dock.

[Firefighterhoop]

I thought I had found something interesting here, but it's just a mis-titled page for Majesty:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?br=R&shipClassCode=NE&shipCode=NE

 

My head is spinning after looking at and reading that :eek: Good find!

 

Will be interesting to see what happens. I'd assume that is Majesty... but we all know what happens when we start to assume stuff!

[MADflyer]

Some information about Empress of the Seas may be included in a 'End of Year Webcast' for travel agents tomorrow at Noon EDT.

 

They have added a link to for agents that is not open yet, where they state

 

 

WELCOME BACK EMPRESS OF THE SEAS

.

We are thrilled to announce that Empress of the Seas® will be returning to our fleet in Spring 2016 for a new adventure!

[MADflyer]

The maiden call of the re-named Empress of the Seas at Key West has now been booked for the 31st of March. The ship comes directly from Miami and the sail date would most likely be Wednesday the 30th of March.

 

They could always do a run to Nassau from Miami the weekend prior that does not stop at Key West as the inaugural sailing.

 

It appears no news leaked out from the travel agent webcast yesterday.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

The maiden call of the re-named Empress of the Seas at Key West has now been booked for the 31st of March. The ship comes directly from Miami and the sail date would most likely be Wednesday the 30th of March.

 

They could always do a run to Nassau from Miami the weekend prior that does not stop at Key West as the inaugural sailing.

 

It appears no news leaked out from the travel agent webcast yesterday.

 

Interesting. Thanks for the info, as always.

[MisterFidgetpants]

So approx 100 days until first unconfirmed sailing.

 

Mad flyer do you have info as to when it goes on sale?

[ADS94]

Just a wild guess from me, but considering travel agents have been informed, ports are booked, and the webpage on choice air is made, and the webpage on RCCL's website is there (but not updated) I personally strongly think it will be sometime in 2015. Could come out tomorrow for all we know.

[John&LaLa]

One can't turn a ship from one class to another. It's built as a certain class or it isn't. You couldn't, for instance, hack Oasis to pieces and she suddenly be a Sovereign class ship no more than you could stretch and add onto Majesty to make her an Oasis class.

 

You could bolt Sovereign and Monarch together and have something similar to Oasis. A giant catamaran. The current port and starboard sides could make up the promenade

[MADflyer]

So approx 100 days until first unconfirmed sailing.

 

Mad flyer do you have info as to when it goes on sale?

 

No inside info. I was hoping agents would leak info as well. As they have to sell a lot of last minute space, they could really put some interesting offers together.

 

This is interesting historically as RCI had even less time to plan sailings the last time they 'acquired' Empress as Future Seas from Admiral in the merger that almost turned into the Carnival takeover of RCI as Royal Admiral.

 

It was a good thing they were able to fight that takeover and Nordic Empress played a role in creating the modern RCI.

[MADflyer]

Just a wild guess from me, but considering travel agents have been informed, ports are booked, and the webpage on choice air is made, and the webpage on RCCL's website is there (but not updated) I personally strongly think it will be sometime in 2015. Could come out tomorrow for all we know.

 

I think you are correct, but RCI is sure always full of surprises. I think they only win now by getting these sailings deployed ASAP.

[garnetpalmetto]

You could bolt Sovereign and Monarch together and have something similar to Oasis. A giant catamaran. The current port and starboard sides could make up the promenade

 

LOL. And each side can have their own captain, CD, etc so that fans of one particular captain or CD can choose which one to book on or go between. And one can have Dynamic Dining and the other traditional. Or just have them sail *really* close together in precision formation. Hey, if the Air Force has the Thunderbirds and the Navy has the Blue Angels, surely Royal could have a precision sail demonstration team :p

[cruiserdudebobby8]

i wonder if she will end up doing Cuba cruises?

[MADflyer]

i wonder if she will end up doing Cuba cruises?

 

Coming soon. What the ship will be doing following the introductory season from April to June is unclear.

 

The 9/5 schedule or the 5/5/4 schedule that is coming in July would surely allow for that, but only 'purpose' driven travel to Cuba is currently allowed for a Miami based ship operated by an America based company.

 

Tourism is not an allowed 'purpose' for travel to Cuba at this moment, but those policies can change very quickly.

[LMaxwell]

those policies can change very quickly.

 

It's coming. Won't be long now...

 

Commercial air travel routes coming back.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-aviation-idUSKBN0U01XZ20151218

[MADflyer]

It's coming. Won't be long now...

 

Commercial air travel routes coming back.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-aviation-idUSKBN0U01XZ20151218

 

I find it interesting how MSC is approaching Cuba. They are basically using the ship as a hotel for the first 3 nights of the 7 night sailings. Due to the lack of infrastructure and all the burdensome regulations put on tourism most activities are centered only around Havana.

 

While tourism is denied currently as a reason for travel to Cuba from the USA, RCI could start working with group travel for education, conferences and humanitarian travel to Cuba and do whole ship charters for these purposes.

[MADflyer]

While the normal port schedule for Key West now shows the maiden call for the Empress of the Seas on March 31st, 2016, they have oddly added a call for the Legend of the Seas 10 days prior on the 21st of March, 2016.

 

When checking the port agent schedule, they have also added the Legend call, but went further to show the ship coming to Key West from New Orleans and then going to Nassau, Bahamas following the call.

 

This may be some sort of place holder for another ship or Empress, but it is certainly an odd addition.

[ADS94]

The Legend OTS? Hasn't Legend been in Asia for awhile now?

 

If Royal had no problem booking the Empress for the other times, I don't see why they would suddenly book the Legend OTS there. My only other guess would be that a Vision class ship is slated to take the Legend OTS planned stops there.

 

Grandeur is locked into Baltimore.

 

Enchantment services Orlando/Miami.

 

Rhapsody is off in Europe for the first part of 2016.

 

Vision is sailing from Tampa during the first part of 2016, then leaves and Rhapsody takes its route.

 

Splendour is the direct sister to Legend. Maybe smoke and mirrors by RCI to keep Splendour in the fleet?

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

The Legend OTS? Hasn't Legend been in Asia for awhile now?

 

If Royal had no problem booking the Empress for the other times, I don't see why they would suddenly book the Legend OTS there. My only other guess would be that a Vision class ship is slated to take the Legend OTS planned stops there.

 

Grandeur is locked into Baltimore.

 

Enchantment services Orlando/Miami.

 

Rhapsody is off in Europe for the first part of 2016.

 

Vision is sailing from Tampa during the first part of 2016, then leaves and Rhapsody takes its route.

 

Splendour is the direct sister to Legend. Maybe smoke and mirrors by RCI to keep Splendour in the fleet?

 

I highly doubt that. Bear in mind that Splendour isn't going to Pullmantur, so I doubt that she's going to be brought back.

 

As to why they used "Legend". I have no clue, but the fact that it is stated to come from New Orleans, is very odd. Something surprising could be going on.

[ADS94]

I highly doubt that. Bear in mind that Splendour isn't going to Pullmantur, so I doubt that she's going to be brought back.

 

As to why they used "Legend". I have no clue, but the fact that it is stated to come from New Orleans, is very odd. Something surprising could be going on.

 

Yeah, I highly doubt Splendour is staying too - that was the only link I could feasibly make between "Legend" in Key West and actual ships available.

 

In terms of surprising, it could be the first cruise by the Empress, maybe drydocks somewhere in the New Orleans area? Repo cruise from New Orleans to Miami?

 

I'd love to see Monarch or Sovereign brought back to do 5/6 day schedule out of New Orleans.

 

But, who knows what RCCL is doing. We'll find out sometime.