Royal Caribbean International Executive Dinner: Line hosts top UK cruise


Royal hails ‘halo effect’ of Icon of the Seas on fleet’s 2023 sales


R


oyal Caribbean chiefs claim putting newest ship Icon of the Seas on sale has created “a halo effect” for


2023 business and revealed that deployment of the second Icon- class vessel was still “up for grabs”. Ben Bouldin, the line’s vice-


president for the EMEA region, said conversations about where to base the next Icon ship were ongoing, adding that Barcelona was a “terrific” port. Bouldin said: “Year after year,


[Barcelona] has been an Oasis-class destination but [deployment of] ‘Icon 2’ is up for grabs and conversations are happening about where we should put it.” He said Southampton was


“equally great” but pointed out that the weather could mar enjoyment. “The issue is that for half the


season, you’re heading out of Southampton in the rain,” he said, adding that Quantum-class ships, such as Anthem of the Seas, were perfect for the UK. But he went on to say that increasing capacity out of the UK was “in scope”.


Crew no


longer need to wear masks


Icon of the Seas is due to enter


service in January 2024. However, senior vice-president of


international sales Bert Hernandez said launching Icon had “brought cruise to the forefront of the vacation narrative”, adding that bookings had increased across the brand “even outside of Icon”. He added: “We saw an immediate


uplift in 2023 bookings. Customers must have seen all the promotion around Icon and said ‘I’m going to have a look at that company’.” On UK booking volumes, he


noted: “We have a volume expectation that we’re trying to hit and things are


The US is smashing


it right now, but if the UK continues to book the way it is, we’re going to have a good year


going in the right direction.” Even though the pound had


declined “dramatically”, onboard spend had “held up”, he said, adding: “We are encouraged by that.” Bouldin added: “The US is


smashing it right now, but if the UK Icon of the Seas


continues to book the way it is, we’re going to have a good year. “Add to that the fact that air


scheduling is more reliable, protocols are relaxed, capacity is reasonable and the value proposition of cruise, which comes more to the forefront in an economic climate like the one we have currently, and we remain confident.” Meanwhile, Hernandez ruled out


Icon of the Seas calling into the UK en route to the US from the shipyard where it is being built next year. But he said the line was working


through plans to get hundreds of UK and Irish agents on board.


Bouldin: Protocols are back to normal


Royal Caribbean is to communicate with trade and customers that onboard protocols are “back to normal” following Covid rules, according to EMEA boss Ben Bouldin. He said a “large chunk of the population”


still wasn’t sure what Royal’s protocols were. Royal scrapped mask-wearing for crew at


the end of September, meaning “things are indistinguishable now from pre-pandemic”, said Bert Hernandez, senior vice-president of international sales. Extensive testing carried out by the line


14 10 NOVEMBER 2022


over several months had revealed Covid cases did not increase if crew did not wear masks, Hernandez said. He said: “For repeat customers especially,


it’s a huge thing for them to be able to see the crew they know and have grown fond of.” Hernandez added that the line had


seen a “massive jump” in demand when vaccination status no longer prevented people from taking a cruise, acknowledging that Covid protocols had been a significant barrier for some.


travelweekly.co.uk


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