Cruise Line Success Story

We mentioned in an earlier message about the success that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line had last year, and really in the past 2-3 years. We reported in that report that Royal Caribbean and their sister Celebrity reported in the third quarter $1.3 billion in profit from a revenue of $6.8 billion. That represented a 19.7% profit margin. Thirty years ago, their annual profit was $14 million.

What a contrast since 2008!!! Back then they laid off 400 shore-side employees as a cost-cutting move. The shareholders that year received no dividend at all as another cost-cutting measure. But the change was coming!!! In 2008 they introduced the first, at the time, the largest cruise ship ever built, the Oasis of the Seas, which was configured to carry 5,400 passengers. Others soon followed.

As Tom Stieghorst commented in a recent post in Travel Weekly, “the most telling figure is in the growth of the RCCL fleet over the past 10 years. While it has added a net of 12 ships to go from 38 to 50 vessels, it expanded berths by 30% to 102,720, giving it the capacity to carry nearly 6 million vacationers a year.”

For the past 4 years we have had groups on one of the Royal Caribbean ships sailing out of Galveston, and we'll have another one this year on September 9. The current ship sailing for 7 days out of Galveston is the Liberty of the Seas, a 154,000 ton ship. She was built in 2007 and refurbished in 2016 a few months before we were on it. A very nice ship that holds a capacity of 3,634 passengers, but you really don't realize there are that many folks until you begin getting off at the end of the cruise.

They have weekly alternating routes into the Western Caribbean. One week they will make a port stop in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth Jamaica. The next week they will port in Roatan Honduras, Costa Maya Mexico, and Cozumel. The interesting port at Falmouth was a cooperative project between RCCL and the Jamaican government, and in my opinion it is a resounding success. Of course RCCL ships are the only lines that call at that port and compared to Montego Bay or Ocho Rios, it wins in a landslide.

Our group this September 9 will make calls on the Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel itinerary, and return to Galveston on September 16. At this time, we have the best rates we have ever had for our guests on this itinerary. For an inside room, the cost is only $600 a person as long as there are two persons in the room.....for 7-days!!!...you can't stay home that cheaply!!! And even better, with a large window looking down on the Promenade that houses shops, eating places, entertainment areas, and lounging areas, the cost is only $594 a person. Ocean view rooms on the first two floors cost only $711 a person, and balcony rooms range between $780 and $910, depending upon availability. There is still availability in all categories, however right now our inventory for the promenade rooms and the least expensive balcony rooms are limited.

The entertainment package on the Liberty of the Seas is worth the price alone. They will have a show in the main theater every night, then there will be live music in one of the lounges and a disc jockey in one of the entertainment centers to the wee hours of the night. You can't beat the fine dining options either which are all included in the price, so give the experienced agents at The Travel Factory a call and join a group of Abilenians who have already paid their way on. We are at 698-1421 or come by our office at 4150 Southwest Drive. Further details are on our website under 'cruises' at: www.thetravelfactoryabilene.com.