How Cruise Lines Innovate When They Keep Building the Same Type of Ship
Photo Credit: The Ultimate Family Suite is a new feature on Royal Caribbean International's Symphony of the Seas, which is the fourth Oasis-class ship. Cruise lines are trying to deliver wows even when their new ships are familiar. Royal Caribbean International / SBW - Photo
Skift Take
Cruise lines are constantly trying to come out with more impressive bells and whistles, even when the type of ship has been around for years. Consumers appear to be responding, so don't expect the game to change.
Royal Caribbean International's Oasis of the Seas inspired awe — and many headlines — when it launched in 2009 as the world's largest cruise ship with 2,742 staterooms, nearly two dozen restaurants, seven neighborhoods, and a Central Park.
More than eight years later, Royal Caribbean is still launching Oasis-class ships, and still commanding headlines for the latest "world's largest cruise ship." That would be Symphony of the Seas, the fourth and slightly larger version of Oasis, which started sailing earlier this year.
"The public reaction to Symphony of the Seas was surprising, even to us," Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain said during an earnings call last month. "Even though she's the fourth in the amazing Oasis class series of ships, she has so many new amenities and attractions that our guests and the media were simply blown away. Rarely has a sister ship received such press and rarely has it been so deserving of it."
In the cruise world, the brightest light
