Jason Liberty News

Royal Caribbean Group announced to has tapped Bert Hernandez to succeed Barbara Muckermann as president of its Silversea brand.Most recently serving as senior vice president, international, Hernandez has been with the Royal Caribbean Group for the past 20 years. He previously served as president of China operations for Royal Caribbean International and was chief operating officer for the group’s former luxury cruise line, Azamara.Muckermann is departing Royal Caribbean Group after 14 years with Silversea to pursue other opportunities…

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…

“Turku is building the real big ships,” said Meyer Turku CEO Tim Meyer.Meyer is not exaggerating. The yard’s latest newbuild, Icon of the Seas—the first ship of Royal Caribbean’s Icon class—is 248,655 GT, making it the largest cruise ship ever constructed.In general, the cruise ships rolling out of the nearly 300-year-old Finnish shipyard have been steadily increasing in size since the Meyer Group took full ownership in 2015. “We are proud to say Turku has been a first-mover in building these big new classes for Royal Caribbean…

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku on Monday delivered the world's largest cruise ship, the 248,655 GT Icon of the Seas, to U.S.-based Royal Caribbean International.The 365-meter-long cruise ship has 20 decks (including 18 guest decks) and surpasses the previous world's largest, Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class Allure of the Seas. With 2,805 staterooms, Icon is able to carry 5,610 passengers at double occupancy, or up to 7,600 passengers if every cabin is maxed out—another cruise industry record.

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 is removing Israel from its 2024 itineraries due to the Israel-Hamas war, according to an email sent to travel agents on Thursday seen by Reuters, making it the second major U.S. cruise operator to alter its plans over the conflict.The Miami, Florida-based cruise operator is modifying itineraries as late as October 2024 for its Royal Caribbean International unit that stops in Israel, the email said.Travel has declined sharply across Israel and the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

Royal Caribbean Group on Thursday lifted its full-year profit forecast for a third time and said bookings for the next year were "significantly outpacing" pre-pandemic levels by a wide margin, sending its shares up about 3%.Cruise operators are reaping the rewards as travelers gravitate to cruise vacations that are cheaper compared to taking a land-based holiday.This has given the companies the ability to hike itinerary prices, especially in North America and Europe, as occupancy…

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft announced it has delivered the new environmentally advanced cruise ship Silver Nova to Royal Caribbean's luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises."We are very pleased to once again deliver a ship that will set new standards on the way to climate-neutral cruising. With the propulsion system, a combination of LNG, fuel cell system and batteries, the ship has the best possible measures to reduce emissions," said Jan Meyer, managing director of Meyer Werft.A…

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.

Royal Caribbean Group named Palle Laursen as executive vice president, head of marine, effective May 1, 2023. Laursen will report to Royal Caribbean Group’s President and CEO Jason Liberty and will join the company’s Executive Committee.With this newly created position, the company will centralize its global and brand marine operations functions under Laursen. He will oversee all marine operations for the company’s entire fleet, as well as strategic oversight of marine operations of its TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises…

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.

One of the world's largest cruise companies Royal Caribbean Group announced it has signed a declaration with the aim to chart the way forward for innovative and sustainable shipbuilding in Finland.The declaration, signed with the Finnish government, represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) and shipbuilder Meyer Turku Oy, has been signed with the goal to advance innovation, strengthen competitiveness and bolster the maritime industry's ecosystem, U.S.

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…

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'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 Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd on Wednesday extended the suspension of voyages by another month until July 31 amid sailing curbs imposed to check the spread of the coronavirus.The cruise industry has faced the brunt of the health crisis as major outbreaks in ships were blamed for spreading the disease, resulting in government-mandated “no-sail” orders and trip cancellations.Royal Caribbean, which warned of a second-quarter loss in the face of a mounting debt…

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd forecast higher-than-expected adjusted earnings for 2017, helped by a strong start to bookings for Caribbean cruises, putting the No. 2 U.S. cruise operator on track to beat its own forecast of doubling profit from 2014. The company's upbeat forecast sent its shares to more than a year high and also lifted rivals Carnival Corp and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. "While trends have been strong from our key sourcing regions, we are particularly encouraged by what we are seeing in North America…

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, the world's second-largest cruise operator, said its quarterly profit fell by two-thirds as costs rose and six cruises were canceled or shortened due to several mishaps. Shares of the company, whose cruise lines include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruise, fell as much as 3.2 percent in early trading. The company shortened or canceled six cruises during January-March, typically the strongest season for cruise operators. Voyage disruptions hurt yields, which include ticket sales and spending on board, by about 0.5 percent in the first quarter ended March 31. Royal Caribbean said its cruise operations were hurt by several mishaps in the first quarter.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has quantified the financial impact of the recent fire on board their 'Grandeur of the Seas'. The cruise ship, Grandeur of the Seas, experienced a fire in an industrial area on the aft of the ship. The company has taken the vessel out of service and expects that it will take approximately six weeks to complete the repair efforts. The company estimates that the direct financial impact of this event, net of insurance, is a reduction of $0.10 per share.

Royal Caribbean Cruises's Brian Rice has been promoted to Vice Chairman and CFO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. In this expanded role, Rice will continue to oversee the finance function, but also take on responsibility for the company's supply chain department, as well as focusing more on strategic issues. Rice will continue to report directly to Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO. Rice has been with Royal Caribbean for over 20 years, most recently as Executive Vice President and CFO. Prior to that, Rice has served in a variety of senior management positions, including Senior Vice President, Revenue Performance, where he was responsible for revenue management, air/sea, groups, international operations, decision support, reservations and customer service.