Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd Speaks Excitedly About Celebrity Edge and Royal Caribbean Tech
Today Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, parent company to Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises had their first quarter earnings call, and in case your wondering, it seemed good news for shareholders. For cruisers there earnings calls don't generally offer much, so there wasn't any huge news, but interestingly, most non-financial comments were about onboard technology and Celebrity Edge...
Inspired by her mission and advances in furthering girl’s education, Celebrity has named 19-year old Nobel Laureate and U.N. Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai as the Godmother of their newest ship, Celebrity Edge, debuting late in 2018. In addition, the Miami-based cruise line announced a two-year partnership with the Malala Fund, an organization whose mission is to secure 12 years of safe, free quality education for every girl.
Oceania Cruises, known for for cuisine and dining experiences that stand out in the cruise industry, has introduced a large variety of options on new vegan menus as well as cold-pressed raw and vegan smoothie bars. This expands their already impressive menus and culinary crew which cater well to passengers with dietary restrictions. The juice bars are already available on the Marina and Riviera, while the new vegan menus are available across the fleet of six ships... 
Today Virgin Voyages, a new cruise line from Richard Branson's Virgin Group, cut steel on their first ship. The ceremony, which took place at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Genoa, Italy represents the brand "becoming real", as up to now the very real effort to create Virgin Voyages has been planning and marketing without the tease of an actual ship. Now, Hull 6287 (the name of the first Virgin Voyages ship... [click through for a video of the ceremony and more]
Just announced, "Top Chef's" Isaac Toupe will be featured on a new video series as he competes against tastemakers in a wide variety of culinary challenges while sailing the Caribbean on Celebrity Cruises. Viewers will catch appearances from the beautiful Celebrity Reflection and its team as well as Celebrity's own Michelin-starred chef, Cornelius Gallagher. Isaac's challenges vary from whipping up world-class omelets, creating specialty cocktails, to tacking Mofongo, a traditional Puerto Rican dish.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has penned a multi-year strategic partnership with Global Eagle, maker of in-flight entertainment systems. This agreement will bring enhanced internet and entertainment services to Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet of 14 ships. This is slated to include tiered plans for Wi-Fi, messaging services, and video. In the future, guests will be able to access an integrated portal from their own smartphones and tablets, which will allow access to live and on-demand TV programming, movies, and more. Further, the systems being put in place by Global Eagle will allow for dynamic adjusting on bandwidth for each ship based on demand. This comes only a week after announcing
Today in South Florida, Celebrity Cruises Chairman Richard Fain and President & CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo shared details of the 117,000 GT Celebrity Edge. From an elevating cantilever bar to Infinite Verandahs and her own tenders, "Edge Launches", everything on this ship seems to have been designed to look out to the water. This ship looks like it will really be something special. Now, while we go book a cruise on Edge, take a look below at just some of what she'll have to offer next year (be sure to check the gallery at the bottom) and look forward to more updates soon.
Norwegian Cruise Lines is brining new internet pricing models to the Escape and Getaway, and likely to the rest of the fleet in the coming months. The new "Freestyle Choice" plans allow for unlimited rather than metered use.
Imagine you walk into a port ready to cruise and you're greeted by name. The check-in process you're used to has transformed into a seamless stroll onto the ship. Once onboard every crew member knows your preferences, you never have to unlock your door or turn on a light, and the idea of handing over a card for a purchase seems pedestrian and laborious. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, Carnival Corporation announced their new Ocean Medallions, which promise just this on your next cruise experience.