Royal Caribbean International is “comfortable” with bookings for 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas even though it has not managed to fill the ships’s inaugural sailing on December 5.
Royal Caribbean Cruises associate vice-president and general manager Jo Rzymowska, speaking during a three-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale for international trade partners, said: “Some 40% of all our Caribbean sales for 2010 are for cruises on Oasis of the Seas. That shows there is a lot of interest in the ship.”
She added that the company is getting up to 50% premiums for Oasis on prices for Freedom of the Seas. Freedom, weighing 160,000 tons, has just relinquished the title “world’s biggest cruiseship” to Oasis, which is 225,000 tons.
Rzymowska said: “Are we on track with bookings? Yes. We are comfortable with where they are. But are we resting on our laurels? No.”
She said she was confident that the 250 UK agents, including top-level owners and managers, Royal Caribbean has brought out to see the ship this week will help increase sales when they get home.
She said: “We are giving them time to enjoy themselves and enjoy the ship because if they are wowed, they will pass that message back to their staff. That word of mouth is important and I am sure we can only do well from it.”
Rzymowska admitted that Oasis’ size could putsome people off, but said that is also a selling point. “The reason many people give for not cruising is they don’t want to be cooped up with lots of people. The height, space and openness on Oasis means you are anything but cooped up.”