Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Hatches Plan For Cage-free Eggs

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will provide guests with cage-free eggs over the coming years. The cruise company is committing to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2022, building on an initiative that first introduced cage-free eggs into its supply chain in 2010.  “By moving to 100 percent cage-free eggs we are not only delivering quality food, but acting responsibly when it comes to the welfare of animals in the food system,” said Mike Jones, Vice President, Supply Chain, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  In recent years the cruise company has undertaken significant efforts to provide sustainably sourced food for guests including sourcing pork from gestation crate free suppliers. “Royal Caribbean supports the continual movement of the food service industry in this direction, and remains committed to keeping the treatment of animals in consideration when supplying its fleet with food.”

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RCCL keeps pricing in tact, does not lower

FORT LAUDERDALE — Richard Fain, chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said that the company’s 9-month-old price integrity policy had not been violated by its recent Wave kickoff sale, which offers up to $300 in onboard credit for cruises departing as soon as Dec. 10. Fain said the policy evolved to curb “super steep” discounts on the last 2% of empty cabins that didn’t raise “bupkus” in revenue but “antagonized the people who were most important to us — our travel agent partners and our customers.” Fain said the policy varies from banning discounts within 10 days of sailing for a five-day Caribbean cruise to 30 days for certain two-week European sailings.  The whole idea was to stop passengers from comparing prices and being penalized for booking early.  “We were creating a great deal of dissatisfaction for a relatively small group that from our point of view were gaming the system,” Fain said.
Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of sales, trade support and services, later said the line’s latest sale is really a buy-one, get-one promotion, in which buyers of a cruise get discounts of 25% or 50% on fares for second, third and fourth passengers in the cabin. Prices on the cruises would not be lower than those paid by guests who had booked earlier, she said.
On the subject of Internet at sea, Fain said that Royal’s Voom high-speed service now on Quantum- and Oasis-class ships should be rolled out to the entire fleet by the end of 2016. He said interest in Cuba alone is creating new demand for other Caribbean itineraries.  “All the publicity about Cuba has raised the level of awareness in the U.S. about cruising to the Caribbean,” Fain said.
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Royal Caribbean testing charge for RFID wristbands

Royal Caribbean International has begun charging $4.99 on the Anthem of the Seas for radio-frequency identification (RFID) wristbands. Branded Wow bands, the colored, rubberized wristbands are a substitute for SeaPass key cards. Royal said the charge is a test of a new pricing strategy for the bands, which had been distributed for free up to now on Quantum-class ships.  Using the bands, passengers can access their cabins and pay for onboard purchases.  Royal had discussed a $2 charge for the bands when they were introduced on Quantum of the Seas, but it was never implemented.
Guests in Junior Suites and above on Anthem will continue to get the bands free in their staterooms upon boarding.
The Anthem, newly arrived in the U.S., sails year-round from Bayonne, N.J.
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Two Celebrity Cruises ships to get new outdoor venue

Celebrity Cruises will create a new outdoor area for two of its Millennium-class ships. The Infinity and Summit will get the new Rooftop Terrace, featuring “chic, comfortable furniture and unique artistic elements.” At night, guests will be able to watch movies on a large outdoor screen. Celebrity Cruises made a video about the ship changes, starring the captains of the Infinity and Summit: Nikolaos Frantzis and Kate McCue, respectively.  “Rounding out the unique outdoor experience will be a variety of specially curated food options available for purchase and presented in unique serving vessels, inspired by the entertainment content, the destination, or the occasion,” Celebrity said.
The Rooftop Terrace will be located to the aft of Deck 12.  Celebrity also said Tuscan Grille will replace the S.S. United States restaurant on the Infinity and the Normandie restaurant on the Summit, with artifacts from the two namesake vintage ships being relocated to other display space.
Other changes include removing the themed décor from the casino, creation of an enclosed portrait studio and makeovers of the Penthouse and Royal level suites. Renovations are scheduled for Oct. 15 to 29 for Infinity and Feb. 27 to March 12 for Summit. The Rooftop Terrace is scheduled to open on the Infinity on Dec. 5. 
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Liberty of the Seas to get 'boomerang style' water slide

Royal Caribbean International will install a first of its type water slide on Liberty of the Seas during a month-long renovation scheduled for February 2016.  Royal Caribbean said a collection of water slides called the Perfect Storm will include one called Tidal Wave, described as the first “boomerang style” slide at sea. The slide features a steep drop that propels riders up a near-vertical wall for a moment of weightlessness and into free fall. The pool deck will also include two new racer slides called Cyclone and Typhoon and the Splashaway Bay kids area.  The Harmony of the Seas, an Oasis-class ship due to enter service next May, also will have a Perfect Storm trio of slides: the Cyclone, Typhoon and Supercell (featuring a champagne-bowl slide). That ship will also have a thrill slide called Ultimate Abyss will stretch 10 stories. The 3,634-passenger Liberty begins sailing from Galveston, Texas, in November.
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Will the Travel Industry Shift Its Focus from Millennials to Seniors?

A lot of attention has been placed on millennials in the travel industry today—and for good reason—but one potentially highly valuable and highly lucrative segment of the population may not be getting the attention it deserves. “Senior Travelers,” or those 60 years of age or older, are only growing in numbers, as Anita Mendiratta of CNN Task Group pointed out, per eTurboNews. The global share of seniors, in proportion to the world’s population, increased from 9.2 percent to 11.7 percent from 1990 to 2013, in large part due to a decrease in mortality rates and a decline in fertility rates, according to the United Nations World Population Report on Ageing. By 2050, seniors are expected to make up 21.1 percent of the world’s population, according to the same report, growing from 841 million people in 2013 to 2 billion. Seniors are expected to exceed the number of children for the first time ever in 2047. Also, as Mendiratta pointed out, a recent list sheds even more light on the world’s ageing population. According to investment group Moody’s list of “Super-Aged Societies By 2030,” Japan is the leading ageing nation. Its current population of 26.4 million elderly people (65 years of age and older) is expected to grow to 30.7 million by 2030. Germany, Italy, South Korea, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States (from 14.7 million to 20.1 million), Australia and China follow, in that order.
But it’s not just about the numbers—Senior Travelers tend to have higher levels of disposable income and stay for longer periods of time when traveling, Mendiratta writes. They are a notably big customer base for the luxury and cruise segments. They also tend to bring along their children and grandchildren, as well as form travel clubs and relationships, meaning greater potential for higher revenue per available room (RevPAR) across the travel industry. But there’s another interesting thing about Senior Travelers. In a fast-paced, technological world, they are on the other end, preferring better one-on-one personalized service to instant gratification. As Mendiratta writes, “These are the people who not only keep destinations buoyant in the off-seasons, they are the travelers that remind us that, for all of the technology at our fingertips, ours is a service industry based on sharing, caring and delivering a personally enriching experience.”  So, as millennials change the travel industry by demanding more technology and faster service, there’s a chance that trend could be subdued in the next few decades if the travel industry decides to focus more attention on the growing senior segment. Things might actually slow down. Additionally, travel companies that are mobility-friendly (rather than mobile-friendly) and offer exceptional health and wellness services could benefit greatly.
The world may be moving at lightning speed now, but there’s a chance it may slow down for seniors in the coming years, especially when it pertains to the travel industry.

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Disney Cruise Line Announces Early 2017 Voyages

It's only 2015, but it's never too early to get excited about upcoming cruises to the Caribbean.
Disney Cruise Line unveiled details of its scheduled ports and itineraries for early 2017, which include voyages to the Bahamas and other Caribbean destinations from Florida, Puerto Rico and the Gulf Coast. Disney will sail several cruises from Florida's Port Canaveral in early 2017. The cruise line will offer three-four- and seven-night voyages to the Caribbean, each of which will include a day spent at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. Port Canaveral is located just an hour east of the Walt Disney World Resort. The 4,100-passenger Disney Fantasy will sail weeklong voyages from Port Canaveral to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, while the 4,100-passenger Disney Dream will embark on three- and four-night cruises to Nassau and Castaway Cay.  The 2,400-passenger Disney Wonder will also sail out of Port Canaveral beginning in late January 2017. Guests will also be able to sail Disney from Miami in 2017, with the 2,400-passenger Disney Magic offering cruises to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean that range from three to five nights.  The Disney Magic will also sail limited-time voyages from San Juan, Puerto Rico. In April 2017, the ship will depart on four seven-night cruises to the Southern Caribbean that will include calls in Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, Antigua and St. Kitts. Meanwhile, the Disney Wonder will sail two seven-night voyages to the Bahamas from Galveston, Texas in January 2017. Those cruises will feature stops in Key West, Castaway Cay and Nassau. Afterward, the ship will sail a six-night voyage to San Juan, making stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth, Jamaica. The Disney Wonder will conclude January 2017 with a three-night cruise from San Juan to Port Canaveral.
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