Royal Caribbean Cruises’ boss plans to increase the capacity of Perfect Day in CocoCay after its “resounding success” since its launch.
Richard Fain also said he could not remember any ship or new feature proving as popular in its opening weeks within the cruise industry.
To meet customer demand, Royal Caribbean International announced last week that Independence of the Seas would reposition from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, next year to sail itineraries, calling at Perfect Day.
The $250million island in the Bahamas can comfortably hold 6,500 people each day. In 2019, more than one million people will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Currently, the site, which opened this month, covers just one third of the island and is served by 11 Royal ships.
Fain, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ chairman and chief executive, said that the island’s current capacity would increase when asked, before issuing a warning.
Speaking as Celebrity Cruises’ new ship Celebrity Edge arrived in Southampton, he said: “We are using only a fraction of the island so there is lots of space if we want to expand, but we want to keep the quality up, so we would only add some guests if we were able to accommodate them properly.”
Asked if Celebrity Cruises would call at Perfect Day as well as sister line Royal Caribbean International, Fain said: “Maybe, but not today. It is available, it is our island.”
Reflecting on Perfect Day’s launch, Fain said: “I have been fortunate to be involved in many successful changes in our industry. If I look back, one of the successes has been [Celebrity ships] Edge or Flora, but it is hard to remember one more successful that Perfect Day.
“People are overwhelmed and amazed. Normally, when things start out you need to tweak it, but this thing sang from the very first day. It was a resounding success from the very start.”