Royal Caribbean Reveals Wonder of the Seas Details
Royal Caribbean has announced that its fifth Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, will have not seven, but eight neighborhoods.
The Suite Neighborhood will be Royal Caribbean’s take on an exclusive ship-within-a-ship area, accessible only to passengers who are booked into one of its suites.
The concept isn’t new, having been first rolled out on Norwegian Cruise Line as The Haven.
The vessel is currently under construction in Saint-Nazaire, France, and will be the first of its kind to call China home when it debuts in March 2022.
STORY: Royal Caribbean Introduces ‘Suite’ Neighborhood on Newest, Biggest Cruise Ship
Cruise CEO Has Optimistic Message
In his weekly update video for travel advisors, Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain had an optimistic message for viewers.
“You all know about the changes in the science: the vaccines, the testing, and the contact tracing. They’ve all dramatically improved and that improvement has driven a fresh look at the state of affairs. Add in the arrangements we’re making with the local communities to deal with an incident if it occurs and you have a dramatically improved situation.”
The CEO spent a large chunk of the video talking about the data that has been gathered from ships that have already been sailing around the world, and how it is aiding in discussions and protocols with the CDC and other health authorities.
Just as the video started, Fain ended the video on a positive note: “Things are decidedly looking up. Our dialogue with the CDC has improved significantly, and the data we have obtained from sailings abroad is driving increased confidence.”
Royal Caribbean has launched cruises from Nassau, Bermuda, and Greece starting in June.
STORY: Cruise Line CEO: ‘Our Dialogue With The CDC Has Improved’
Survey Says Cruisers Are Most Concerned About Health and Safety
A recent survey of more than 3,000 past cruisers listed the top factors that people are concerned about when booking a cruise in 2021.
The six factors are:
- Being able to cancel without a cancellation fee
- Being able to travel back to my home country in case of COVID-19 infections among guests/crew
- Safety precautions to limit COVID-19 exposure at the destination
- Health insurance that covers medical bills
- How the included destinations have handled infection numbers, safety protocols etc.
The least of passengers concerns? The ability to get a cheap cruise.
STORY: Survey Shows Cheap Cruises No Longer Top Priority for Passengers
