We’re talking big cruise ships. Clockwise from top left, we’re Andrea Zelinski from Travel Weekly, Geoff Cox from KHM Travel, and your host Rebecca Tobin.
Earlier this year, Carnival ordered a fourth Excel-class ship, a 180,000-ton ship. A day later, Royal Caribbean International ordered a seventh Oasis-class ship. And after the episode was released, Carnival ordered a fifth Excel-class ship. These ships, which can accommodate more than 6,000 passengers, will join larger ships ordered and in service by MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line.
With Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class cruise ship Utopia of the Seas making its debut in Port Canaveral this week, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit this incredible cruise ship.
In this episode, host Rebecca Tobin, Cruise Editor Andrea Zelinsky and KHM Travel Group VP of Sales and Marketing Jeff Cox discuss what these ship orders mean for Carnival and Royal in terms of corporate direction and passenger demand, the general love affair with bigger ships and how far the industry has come since the Sovereign days.
This episode is part of our annual Summer series, featuring some of our favorite recent discussions from Folo by Travel Weekly. This episode was recorded on February 16th and has been edited for length and clarity.
Episode Sponsors:
This episode is sponsored by JOIA Aruba by Iberostar.
Related reports:
Utopia of the Seas: High-energy travel on Royal Caribbean’s short cruise ship
Cruise Insight: How Cruise Lines Are Organizing Their Megaships: Inside the “Zone” Trend
Carnival adds fifth Excel-class ship
Royal Caribbean orders seventh Oasis-class ship
Royal Caribbean Sets New Standards with Icon of the Seas
KHM Travel Group
