Celebrity News

Singapore-based Seatrium has secured a series of major contracts for vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions, set for completion by the end of 2025.With an aggregate value of S$350 million ($259 million), the contracts have reinforced Seatrium’s reputation as a one of the market leaders in vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions.The diverse range of complex contracts secured by Seatrium Repairs and Upgrades include the upgrades and conversions of Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRU)…

Royal Caribbean Group announced it has entered into an agreement with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique to order a seventh Oasis Class ship for delivery to its Royal Caribbean International fleet in 2028.“While we eagerly anticipate the debut of Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas this summer, we’re already dreaming up her sister ship and the next installation in the brand’s extremely popular Oasis Class,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group.

Royal Caribbean Group projected 2024 profit above Wall Street expectations after robust demand for cruise vacations and steeper ticket prices helped it beat fourth-quarter earnings estimates on Thursday.With travelers opting for cruises instead of more expensive land-based vacation options, operators are experiencing record levels of bookings compared to pre-pandemic levels, giving them enough room to mark up ticket prices."2023 was an exceptional year, propelled by unmatched demand for our brands from new and loyal guests…

Advanced water treatment systems are just the start of the cruise industry’s circular waste processing ambitions.Advanced wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) were revolutionary in their day. Indeed, they still are today, but with 77% of the CLIA fleet (202 ships) already using them, and another 40 specified for vessels on order, even more ambitious waste management is coming.Martin Shutler, Principal Engineer, Product Development, at Wärtsilä Water and Waste, notes that in recent…

Celebrity Cruises announced it has taken delivery of its latest newbuild, the 141,420 GT Celebrity Ascent, built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. The fourth cruise ship in the line's Edge Series, Celebrity Ascent is 1,073 feet long with a 128-foot beam, 27-foot draft and capacity for up to 3,260 passengers. Equipped with Wärtsilä engines and ABB Azipod propulsion, the vessel cruises at speeds up to 22 knots."Celebrity Ascent features all the innovative and award-winning Edge Series signature experiences that launched a new era in cruise ship design…

Royal Caribbean Group announced Laura Hodges Bethge will take over as president of its Celebrity Cruises brand, succeeding Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who will transition to vice chair, external affairs for Royal Caribbean Group, effective May 1.Hodges Bethge, currently Celebrity Cruises' executive vice president, shared services operations, has been with the company more than 23 years and has held senior positions in many different areas including product development, hotel and marine operations, sales, marketing, product innovation, market development and investor relations.

Wärtsilä will supply methanol dual-fuel engines for Celebrity Cruises’ latest ship, the fifth vessel in the company’s Edge Series.The OEM will convert two Wärtsilä 46F engines to allow them to utilize methanol as fuel - the second such conversion it has undertaken and the first for this engine type. By adding methanol as a fuel option, emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter are significantly reduced.The full Wärtsilä scope includes two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 46F engines capable of operating with methanol as fuel…

Barbara Muckermann, currently chief commercial officer at Silversea Cruises, will become the company’s next president and CEO, and will join parent company Royal Caribbean Group’s executive committee, effective January 1.Muckermann will succeed Roberto Martinoli, who will assume the role of senior advisor to Royal Caribbean Group president and CEO Jason Liberty.She becomes the second woman to lead one of Royal Caribbean Group’s three wholly-owned brands, and joins Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, and Royal Caribbean International president and CEO Michael Bayley.

RWO recently completed two installations of its next-gen advanced water treatment system (AWTS); the CleanSewage Membrane Reactor (CS-MBR), for Celebrity Cruises. The sewage treatment plant on the Celebrity Solstice-class vessels, Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Reflection, have been upgraded to the CS-MBR system, with an additional three orders placed to complete the fleet-wide upgrade.RWO’s CS-MBR is a sustainable biological treatment technology that has been designed to minimize a vessel’s impact on the environment…

Royal Caribbean Group this week revealed it will be the industry's first cruise ship operator to implement SpaceX’s Starlink for onboard broadband internet service for guests and crew fleetwide.The cruise giant said on Tuesday it will immediately begin installing Starlink high-speed, low-latency connectivity on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of its brands going forward. Initial installations…

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group (RCL.N) on Thursday reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss as bookings rebounded and travelers splurged on cabanas, spa treatments and watches while onboard.The world's second-largest cruise line operator is the latest company to report good results as travelers, free of restrictions related to COVID-19, spend heavily on rental cars, airline tickets and hotels."Despite concerns about the U.S. and global economy, high inflation and amid geopolitical uncertainty…

Celebrity Cruises’ newest cruise ship Celebrity Beyond has departed the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France en route to Southampton, U.K. where the newbuild is slated to commence its maiden voyage later this month.The third in a series of five Edge Series luxury cruise ships ordered by Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Cruises—each reportedly worth $1 billion—the 140,600 GT Celebrity Beyond was delivered on April 6 and departed France on April 15.The 327-meter-long vessel was ordered in 2016…

Arnold W. Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation & PLC, has been selected as the recipient of Seafarers’ House International Golden Compass Award for 2022. The award is given each year to those who have achieved distinction in the maritime world, those whose vocation or avocation has been the sea, or those who have ministered to or otherwise assisted seafarers.Donald grew up in the Ninth Ward in New Orleans with 27 foster brothers and sister. His parents’ generosity made a significant impact on his life.

Cruise operators Royal Caribbean Group and Viking Cruises canceled sailings to Russia on Wednesday, joining their rivals and many Western brands in suspending operations in the country after its invasion of Ukraine.Celebrity Cruises, owned by Royal Caribbean, said it was removing Russian port city St. Petersburg from upcoming itineraries, adding that it would visit other Scandinavian ports in its place.Silversea Cruises also said it would re-route summer voyages scheduled to stop in Russia and Ukraine, while Royal Caribbean International said it had canceled its visits to St.

Chris-Marine USA, LLC reports it has been chosen by Royal Caribbean Group (RCG) to supply critical engine maintenance machines for several Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises vessels throughout 2022.The Scope of Supply includes over 65 Chris-Marine machines such as CPM (Surface Grinding Machine), VRL (Valve Seat and Recess Lathe), VSL (Valve Seat Lathe) and DGL (Deglazing Machine) which are critical to proper engine maintenance on board the ships.“We are very proud that Royal Caribbean Group has selected us as one of their partners in engine maintenance…

The U.S.

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group said on Friday the lightning spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant would delay its return to profitability by a few months, another blow for one of the companies worst affected by the pandemic.The bleak prediction, as well as a larger-than-expected quarterly loss, sent Royal Caribbean's stock down 4% and also weighed on shares of rivals Carnival Corp and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.The Omicron surge has in recent months forced cruise operators to change their trip itineraries and even cancel voyages…

Royal Caribbean Group said on Thursday it was grappling with a drop in bookings and a rise in cancellations as COVID-19 cases surge in the United States, driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.U.S. cruise ships have been gradually returning to the seas since late June, but an increase in Omicron cases has sparked calls for a temporary ban on cruising, including from Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.Since the Celebrity Cruises parent resumed operations from U.S.

Royal Caribbean Group's Chief Executive Officer, Richard Fain, is stepping down after more than three decades with the U.S. cruise operator that is still recovering from the slump caused by the coronavirus crisis.Finance chief Jason Liberty will takeover as CEO, Royal Caribbean said on Tuesday, and will be tasked with taking the company back to pre-pandemic levels as sailing operations slowly restart more than a year after operations were suspended.Fain was one of the key leaders…

Royal Caribbean Group missed market estimates for quarterly revenue on Friday, as people were apprehensive about going on cruises due to the fast-spreading COVID-19 Delta variant.Cruise ships have been sailing from U.S. ports again since late June with mostly vaccinated guests and crew, but some onboard cases and a spike in COVID-19 infections have raised worries about the industry’s fortunes in the near term.Regular testing has helped cruise lines ensure isolated cases of the novel coronavirus do not become a full-blown outbreak, even as the response to resumption of U.S.

Royal Caribbean International said on Tuesday it would require unvaccinated guests over 12 years of age traveling from Florida to show proof of insurance that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, quarantine and evacuation.The new policy comes after two unvaccinated teenagers tested positive on its Adventure of the Seas ship and two others were infected on its Celebrity Millennium earlier this month, for which the cruise line took care of expenses.One of its trips, aboard the brand ship Odyssey of the Seas…

Royal Caribbean Group said on Thursday two guests on its cruise liner, Adventure of the Seas, had tested positive for COVID-19.Both guests were not vaccinated and had been quarantined before they disembarked on Thursday in Freeport, The Bahamas, Royal Caribbean International, a unit of the company clarified in a statement.The news comes a week after the company said it would delay the launch of its new cruise liner by nearly a month after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19.Cruising companies…

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eased its warnings for cruise ships from level 4, the highest, to 3 as operators prepare for summer trips from U.S.