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the newest ships are NOT sailing from FL

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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You can't just move a ship to Asia just for the season. The ships that are there are geared specifically for what the market demands over there, way too costly to change over and change back and too hard on the staff.

 

Doesn't one of the Quantum ships go over to Australia for a few months. Those have got to be completely different markets.

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Aquahound

Aquahound

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Posted
Have you booked any Vision NOLA cruises yet? I have two! :)

 

No, not yet. I don't know how long I can tolerate NOLA. ;)

 

But that said, if I'm still here a year and half from now, you better believe I'll be a Vision sailor.

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CruisinCons

CruisinCons

Posted
Posted
Explorer OTS was home based in Bayonne, NJ. In the colder weather months, passengers had to stay indoors until the ship got farther south. The Solarium pool is indoors but that pool tends to be restricted to Adults. The ship itself needs to be low enough to pass under the Varrazano bridge.

 

Royal paid attention to those conditions and built the Quantum class to address indoor activities that could be enjoyed by passengers in those colder months while keeping the ship low enough to pass under the bridge. These requirements are not necessary for ships home based in Florida.

 

I've sailed out of Bayonne twice, once on Explorer in November and once on Quantum in March. Even though November is on the warmer side than March (for NJ weather) the Quantum was a much better first couple of days than Explorer, cause even though the week before there was frost on the balcony doors, we were in the pool on Day 1. I personally love all the different activities that the Quantum offers, makes the ship more exciting and not like every other Caribbean cruise. Sooooo over rock walls.

 

I'd love to have one of the big ships (Oasis class) show up, but no one is raising the Verranzano Bridge anytime in the next few decades so we'll take what we can get. It's nice to not get an old leftover for once.

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CruisinCons

CruisinCons

Posted
Posted
You can't just move a ship to Asia just for the season. The ships that are there are geared specifically for what the market demands over there, way too costly to change over and change back and too hard on the staff.

 

I was on Quantum shortly before she moved to China, and the sailing was in staff transition. It was interesting to have such a heavy Asian crew on board, as most didn't speak a lot of English. We heard a lot from the current crew on what changes were being made to the ship, and they were a lot. Making the casino bigger, getting rid of bars and the music hall...making it more Asian market friendly. It was going to be a pretty big undertaking; there is no way they can have a ship switch back and forth from China to the US.

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lucymorgan

lucymorgan

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I believe a big factor is the opportunity for growth in the Asian and Australian markets. Perhaps the cruise industry in Florida is already saturated with not much room for more growth. Thus the cruise lines can increase their reach and profits in Asia and Australia, hopefully without annoying their committed Florida cruisers too much.

 

Many Aussies have only shifted to cruising as a holiday in the last 10 years as there used to be views that cruises were 'party holidays', full of drunks and loud music, and many people didn't want that sort of holiday. The cruise lines have done a good job of changing that perception through offering many different types of cruise experiences. (Edit: I still remember in 2007 when researching a family vacation being surprised that there were cruise lines like RCL which actually catered to families - this led to our first cruise)

 

Here is an excerpt from a report which shows the level of growth (and thus opportunity for the cruise lines) in Australia (I suspect but haven't looked that it is a similar or even better story in Asia):

TWELVE YEARS OF GROWTH

 

Since the first economic impact of the cruise industry in Australia, compiled in 2004-05, there has been significant growth in the industry. From 2003-04 to 2015-16:

 The number of ports/destinations visited has more than doubled from 16 to 40.

 The number of cruise ships visiting has doubled from 23 to 46.

 The passenger capacity of visiting ships has doubled from 24,380 to 72,951.

 The number of cruise ship visits has grown from 325 to 1,015.

 The percentage of turnaround visits to transit visits has grown from a low of 32% in 2007-08 to a high of 105% in 2015-16.

 Total passenger days in port has grown more than six fold from 366,322 to 2.762 million.

 Estimated passenger expenditure has increased nearly twelve fold to reach $1.071 billion.

 Total industry expenditure is estimated at $1.737 billion, increasing from $155 million in 2004-05.

 

GROWTH POTENTIAL OF THE CRUISE INDUSTRY

Ports and destinations around Australia continue to improve their facilities in response to increased frequency of visits and size of cruise ships. The biggest announcement was that for a $100 million mega ship cruise facility at Luggage Point at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Newcastle and Melbourne also upgraded their facilities for larger ships.Meanwhile ever larger ships will visit Australia including:

 Pacific Explorer (P&O Australia, 77,000GRT, 2,000pax).

 Norwegian Star (Norwegian Cruise Line, 91,740GRT, 2,348pax) will commence visits in 2016-17.

 New P&O Australia ship ordered for 2020 (135,500GRT, 4,200pax).

 Norwegian Jewel (Norwegian Cruise Line, 93,502GRT, 2,376pax) will commence visits in 2016-17.

 

After recording growth of 15.9% in 2015-16, cruise ship visits to major Australian ports are expected to increase by approximately 250 visits (24%) that will flow onto an estimated 1,260 ship visits in 2016-17, which is higher than the growth trend over the last decade. Preliminary estimates for 2017-18 at this stage indicates a further 10% growth.

 

http://www.tourism.australia.com/documents/Industry/ACA_Cruise_EIA_2015-16_Executive_Summary.pdf

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Ashland

Ashland

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It seems, from what I have been reading anyway, that the Asian market is more into gambling and shopping. You don't really need an Oasis class ship with Boardwalks, Central Parks, large solariums, and a lot of pool deck space to accommodate their needs and wants over there. I also am not sure that the Asian market would appreciate the Broadway shows playing on those ships. Those are just some thoughts.

We've sailed on Mariner Singapore-Shanghai (disappointed RCI doesn't have that option now) and you're correct the casino was always packed and smoke filled....however...the high end shops onboard were empty...the only time I saw mass shopping was the $10.00 table nights...it was a "frenzy"...and yes no problem with chair hogs the pools were empty.

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lucymorgan

lucymorgan

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Oh, and I remember one thing. Please don't be offended if you are an Asian cruiser and I am wrong. None of my Asian friends (Chinese, Vietnamese etc) likes suntanning. They think it is not very healthy... So I don't think they will love Oasis class in South Asia.

 

Many Aussies don't like tanning also. The skin cancer risk has been drummed into us since childhood and almost all Australian schools insist on children wearing hats outside. I have an annual checkup with my doctor to burn off skin cancers so that they don't become dangerous (very fair skin). :(

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Thetrail

Thetrail

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Posted
I have been spoiled for the decade I've lived in Florida: RCCL's newest/best ships always sailed from FL, always had wonderful sunkissed itineraries. I've had wonderful fun without having to switch cruiselines.

 

But in the last couple years, the newest ships are serving other parts of the world instead.

 

Quantam sails from Shanghai China since 2015.

Anthem sails from New Jersey, USA since 2015.

Ovations sails from China & from Sydney, AU since 2016.

Passion will sail from Asia in 2019.

Pulse will sail in 2020, TBD.

 

Royal Caribbean is not putting its best wares on sale in Florida, for sure!!!

 

I can assume from these stats that more money is generated from Asian cruisers than from U.S. cruisers. Therefore all the best products will service Asia first, and eventually when the ships suck all the money out of Asia, they'll dock out of FL. There's no crime in that... capitalism dictates that companies will cater to the best markets. But it appears that Floridians are going to have to wait a long time to get a ride on the newest ships again. FL used to rule the cruise market. Now FL does not.

Uh check your ships, you missed few.
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alfaeric

alfaeric

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Again, do you REALLY think a new and different Quantum ship will both be cheaper than an Oasis ship AND have a totally different itinerary? I don't see that what so ever. The new ships will have higher prices than Oasis for at least 3 years, and given the Freedom Class 7 night itineraries that have been sailed- you'd get to add ONE island that is different.

I'm going to re-post this question AGAIN.

 

Nobody complaining about the lack of new ships in Florida even bothers to address this elephant in the room.

 

New ships will certainly be MORE expensive than Oasis.

 

And will likely sail the same routes as Freedoms class ships did- which are largely what Oasis ships do + 1 port.

 

So even with new ships- the problems people are complaining about will remain, and more of it.

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Tatka

Tatka

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Posted
Many Aussies don't like tanning also. The skin cancer risk has been drummed into us since childhood and almost all Australian schools insist on children wearing hats outside. I have an annual checkup with my doctor to burn off skin cancers so that they don't become dangerous (very fair skin). :(

 

 

 

I understand. We also gave campaign against skin cancer here in North America, but I believe it is connected to different predisposition to skin cancer for different races.

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MacMarauder

MacMarauder

Posted
Posted
Oh, and I remember one thing. Please don't be offended if you are an Asian cruiser and I am wrong. None of my Asian friends (Chinese, Vietnamese etc) likes suntanning. They think it is not very healthy... So I don't think they will love Oasis class in South Asia.

 

Well they are right! Pretty much any dermatologist will tell you that tanning is not good for your skin. I've had a nice tan a couple times in my life and enjoyed it so I'm not "sun shaming" anyone, but facts are facts. My wife and son both have very light complexions, we do hang out on the top decks but only for a couple hours at a time and with plenty of sunscreen!

 

Anyway I do get what you are saying, in most Asian countries a fair complexion is seen as more desirable. It would be interesting to see some of the differences on an Asian based cruise, maybe they don't have the same problem with chair hogs near the pools.

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masteradept

masteradept

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Posted
I believe a big factor is the opportunity for growth in the Asian and Australian markets. Perhaps the cruise industry in Florida is already saturated with not much room for more growth. Thus the cruise lines can increase their reach and profits in Asia and Australia, hopefully without annoying their committed Florida cruisers too much.

 

Many Aussies have only shifted to cruising as a holiday in the last 10 years as there used to be views that cruises were 'party holidays', full of drunks and loud music, and many people didn't want that sort of holiday. The cruise lines have done a good job of changing that perception through offering many different types of cruise experiences. (Edit: I still remember in 2007 when researching a family vacation being surprised that there were cruise lines like RCL which actually catered to families - this led to our first cruise)

 

I think this is also true, at least in the Singapore market. For a long time all we had was Star Cruises, which were essentially gambling ships. Once RCCL and other lines started coming in and showing people what cruising could be like, the market really took off. Ovation of the Seas in particular seems to have generated a lot of interest recently, and it's really a shame that next year she's only going to be here for one cruise.

 

I think it's a little unfair to think of the "Asian" market as an "Asian" market which seems to be the popular opinion. While it may be true that shopping and gambling are popular among the Chinese market from Shanghai and Beijing, it's probably somewhat different out of Singapore and Dubai. Many of us, especially the younger generation, do appreciate stuff like Broadway shows and activities, although it's true that the more mature crowd does enjoy gambling a lot. I think it's going to be a growth cycle where more exposure to cruising = more demand for new ships with more than just casinos = more new ships here.

 

To be fair, at least in 2018, aside from the one trip on Ovation, the closest new ships are Quantum and Ovation (5 hours flight away) and it's probably a minimum of 25 hours' flight to get anywhere near an Oasis class ship so I'd still say Florida has it quite lucky in that respect!

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

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Posted
I know, I was hoping someone would create a progress thread like the ones for the new ships.

 

Port Canaveral had a dedicated webcam during the construction of T1.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

 

 

I remember that, and checking it frequently. I keep checking the port's website and see nothing there.

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

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Posted
I know, I was hoping someone would create a progress thread like the ones for the new ships.

 

Port Canaveral had a dedicated webcam during the construction of T1.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

 

 

I did email the contact info on the port's website asking for any info, nothing back.

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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Allure's first cruise from Miami is scheduled for November 5, 2018.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Scheduled to be done in October, cutting it close. :eek:

 

Press release says groundbreaking was March 8, 2017 :confused:

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