RCI Announces Nine Ships in Europe for Summer 2013

Summer 2013 will see Royal Caribbean International deploy nine ships in Europe to offer 276 sailings to 88 ports on 58 European itineraries. By summer 2013 seven of the nine Europe-based ships will have completed a multi-million dollar re-fit and re-design. ‘Independence of the Seas’ recently visited Cobh, while ‘Azamara Journey’ visited Waterford.

The European deployments include Liberty of the Seas sailing from Barcelona, Spain, and Splendour of the Seas sailing from Venice, Italy, fresh from a recent makeover with many enhancements including iPads in all staterooms and new entertainment options.

There will be an expanded selection of ships sailing from Southampton in the UK. New two-night and three-night itineraries onboard Independence of the Seas will help to increase the market by enabling agents to target ‘new-to-cruise’ clients with ‘taster’ sailings. The range of consumer incentives includes reduced-cost flights from €119 and on-the-ground transfers from Southampton and London Heathrow Airports.

To mark the launch of the 2013 summer sailings, Royal Caribbean International will also be supplying agents with a new dedicated preview consumer brochure that is being distributed to trade partners to rack in store.

Jo Rzymowska, Associate Vice President and General Manager, UK and Ireland, Royal Caribbean International, said: “2013 is a landmark in the history of Royal Caribbean International with nine ships across Europe during the summer. We have listened to agents and are offering some fabulous sailings featuring increasingly popular destinations such as the Baltics and the Norwegian fjords, and favourites such as the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean. What’s even more exciting for agents is that most of the ships will have undergone extensive enhancements with many features from the popular Oasis-class ships now included across the fleet. So now all our ships are our best ships!”

2013 European Highlights

Royal Caribbean International’s summer 2013 Europe portfolio highlights include:

• Liberty of the Seas – Sailing from Barcelona, Spain, the ship will offer a selection of five- and seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises. The ship includes features from an exclusive Dreamworks Studios partnership and the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ broadway-style theatre show.
• Splendour of the Seas – Sailing from Venice, Italy, the ship will offer a selection of seven-night Adriatic and Greek Isles sailings. Newly installed features include flat-screen televisions, additional dining options including the exclusive Chef’s Table, and the new R-Bar as well as a reinvented Centrum.
• Serenade of the Seas – Sailing from Barcelona, Spain, the ship will offer a selection of 12-night Mediterranean Greek Isles and Mediterranean Venice itineraries.
• Independence of the Seas from Southampton will offer a series of new itineraries including more and shorter cruises such as two-night cruises Le Havre for Paris and three-night cruises to Le Havre for Paris and Zeebrugge for Bruges. The ship will also offer eight-night cruises to Norway, 14-night Norway and Cork cruises (featuring a call at Cobh), various 14-night Mediterranean cruises, and 12-night Canary Islands cruises.
• Brilliance of the Seas from Harwich, UK, will sail to Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea on 11- and 12-night cruises.
• Adventure of the Seas from Southampton will offer a series of seven, 12, 13, 14 and 16-night cruises to Norway, France and Spain, Baltics and the Mediterranean.
• Vision of the Seas will alternate seven-night Norwegian Fjords and Scandinavia & Russia itineraries from Copenhagen, Denmark, in May and August. The ship will also offer seven-night Scandinavia & Russia sailings from Stockholm in July. Two ‘Ultimate Scandinavia and Russia’ itineraries each feature two overnights in St Petersburg, one sailing on 19^th June 2013 from Copenhagen on an 11-night itinerary that concludes with an overnight at Stockholm, and the second on 28^th July 2013 from Stockholm on a 10-night itinerary that concludes with an overnight at Copenhagen. Additionally, holidaymakers can select an 11-night sailing on 8^th June 2013 that sails up the Norwegian Coast and beyond Latitude 66 North into the Arctic Circle.
• Legend of the Seas, from May until August, the ship will sail seven-night Western Mediterranean itineraries, calling at Genoa, Italy; Provence (Marseilles), France; and Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Valencia, Spain. A nine-night circumnavigation of the Italian peninsula, departing 31^st August will bring Legend of the Seas to Venice, where the ship will offer holidaymakers a pair 10-night Greek Isles and 11-night Greece and Turkey itineraries in September and October.
• Navigator of the Seas sailing from Italy will offer seven-night Eastern Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises.

Cobh and Waterford Visits

RCL Cruises helped to get the 2012 season of cruise ship visits to Ireland off to a sailing start over the last Bank Holiday weekend with two ship calls. Lorraine Quinn and Jenny Rafter were joined by agents onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas when the ship made a two-day visit to Cobh on 7^th May. They also welcomed another group of agents to Waterford where Azamara Club Cruises’ Azamara Journey visited Dunmore East on 8^th May.

Agents on Independence of the Seas were treated to a tour of the ship for a taster of its many innovative onboard features such as the rock climbing wall and FlowRider surf simulator. Similarly, agents visiting Azamara Journey were treated to a taster of the destination-immersive cruise line for upmarket travelers’ boutique hotel-style ambience with a ship tour followed by afternoon tea.