IN JANUARY, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas began her second consecutive Gulf season with longer sailings. In addition to nine seven-night sailings from Dubai around the region, this year sees two new 12 night voyages, calling into three Indian ports – Mumbai, Goa and Cochin.
“We are extremely excited about our new sailings into India. The market has great potential and once again we will be the first cruise liner offering this sailing to guests,” says Lakshmi Durai, executive director for Royal Caribbean Cruises in the Middle East.
Last season (2009-2010) the company saw a 63 per cent increase in bookings from the region. “We have seen consistent growth of 30 per cent year-on-year. Today we cover six GCC and three Levant countries, and all of them have witnessed remarkable growth. The sailings see about 70 per cent Arab guests and 30 per cent expat population,” said Durai.
“However, European sailings remain the popular choice among the Middle Eastern guests which is why Royal Caribbean International is deploying a record 11 ships sailing from 11 popular and historic European ports in summer 2011.”
The cruise line’s 2011 Europe cruise and cruise tour season is the biggest ever European deployment and will offer 109 unique itineraries, ranging from three to 15 nights and visiting 27 countries and 78 ports.
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Back in the region, due to Brilliance of the Seas’ successful first season and with booking cycles for 2011 looking very promising, the ship will return in November 2011 for an even longer season until April 2012.
Onboard Royal Caribbean ships, families form the majority of guests and thus the liner has various activities for children of different ages. The company has signed up with DreamWorks, which performs parades, shows and interacts with kids.
Besides the Mediterranean, there is also a lot of demand on the Caribbean and Scandinavian sailings. “The Caribbean sailing saw a drop in demand post 9/11, but today we are close to reaching our previous figures,” said Durai.
Royal Caribbean has also enhanced its Crown & Anchor Society guest loyalty programme. The updated programme creates a new way to earn membership status with two new tiers which include additional benefits and a more personalised member section on the website.
In 2011 Royal Caribbean sails the biggest ship in the Mediterranean with the Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas will set sail from one of four ports in the Caribbean.
The Liberty of the Seas will operate her maiden European season from Barcelona and Grandeur of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean’s first ship to homeport at Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Independence of the Seas will continue its year-round service from Southampton, UK. Navigator of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas (summer season after sailings in Dubai) and Splendour of the Seas will sail a variety of Mediterranean itineraries, while Jewel of the Seas and Vision of the Seas will sail in Northern Europe.