Currently, the cruise industry is sailing at an all-time high. And Royal Caribbean is adding more new ships to make the most of it. Not only that, the cruise line is scheduling shorter voyages that are jam-packed with more activities. But, are all these bells and whistles worth the price tag?
In February, Royal Caribbean had the maiden voyage of its new — and largest — of its ships, Icon of the Seas. Icon had a capacity of 7,600 passengers and was extremely well-received.
To expand on that success, the cruise line introduced Icon’s slightly smaller sister, Utopia…
Utopia was designed with Royal Caribbean’s new strategy in mind. That is to attract vacation travelers away from theme parks, resorts, and other competition.
As such, Utopia has some stellar amenities:
- 13 pools
- 21 dining areas
- 2 casinos
As we mentioned, cruise bookings are at their highest rate to date. (Per statements to CNBC)
So why is Royal Caribbean putting so much capital into new, upgraded ships?
Royal Caribbean New Ships Are a HUGE Investment
One can only imagine how much it costs to build a new cruise ship with 13 swimming pools. Similarly, it also takes approximately three to five years to deliver a vessel of that size.
These investments seem like a large risk when this travel is already on an upward trend.
Nonetheless, Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty believes that these new ships are vital to the company.
“When we look at what our guests are doing when they’re not with us, they’re going to Orlando, they’re going to Vegas, they’re going to all-inclusive resorts. What we’re trying to do is make sure that our experience, whether on the ship or at our private islands, is something that is highly competitive with land-based vacation.”
Thus far, these massive all-inclusive liners have worked out well for RC. Now, they are going to compete with the entire travel industry.
To that end it takes big risks to get big rewards.
And at this rate, they just might do it…
Be Great,
GCTV Staff
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