Royal Caribbean kicked off its cruise season at the weekend with the company reporting sales in line with expectations as it grapples with capacity growth of 40%.
Managing director Gavin Smith said such a hike in available cabins – it has 200,000 beds to fill across its four ships – “had not been easy”.
But sales and yield has been strong, he told Travel Today.
“Through the combination of Americans, Brits and Australians, the product is selling well and is line with expectations and sufficient to maintain our continued investment and deployment in Australia,” Smith said.
“Yields are also good. They could always be better, but they’re good.”
He admitted that such an increase in capacity has been a challenge but the program had been “well planned with good itineraries”.
Sales efforts will now focus on filling cabins in February, school holidays in late March in the run up to the Easter.
Smith predicted families will start contemplating booking in that period over the next six weeks.
The Radiance and Rhapsody of the Seas both embarked on their inaugural summer cruises over the weekend.
Voyager of the Seas meanwhile – the largest ship ever to be based in Sydney – will make its first Australian port of call in Port Hedland on November 2 before arriving in Fremantle on November 5 and Sydney on November 22.
Celebrity Solstice will arrive in Darwin, its first Australian port on November 30, Brisbane on December 7 and Sydney on December 9.
