Maria Lenhart, Skift
A growing number of travel advisors are offering mystery vacations, created by keeping trip details a secret from clients until the departure date. It puts the surprise element back in travel, which is something often lost these days, but the challenges for advisors are many.
2 months ago
Hannah Sampson, Skift
Royal Caribbean has spent more than a decade in China building a reputation and customer base. Now that work appears to be paying off in a global way.
2 months ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
These were the 10 biggest deals in travel in 2018. Were they the smartest decisions? We'll know in a few years. Hospitality-related acquisitions dominated our list; the online travel agencies made some big investments, but were absent as big buyers.
3 months ago
Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg
When a cruise line can fit more than 6,000 passengers on a single ship, it needs to know how to keep them happy. Royal Caribbean International has been building the world's largest vessels for several years; this story looks at how the company is innovating beyond just going big.
3 months ago
Hannah Sampson, Skift
Royal Caribbean is investing left and right in technology, new ships, new features on land, and even an entirely new brand. That means costs are up, but the company expects to see those investments pay off.
5 months ago
Hannah Sampson, Skift
Royal Caribbean Cruises wants to be a bigger player in the luxury and expedition cruise space. One surefire way to do that, now that it owns a majority stake in Silversea: build more ships.
6 months ago
Hannah Sampson , Skift
It's not often these days that a cruise company singles out China as a highlight; the market has been too volatile. But for Royal Caribbean Cruises, China was one of several positive pieces that added up to an unexpectedly good quarter.
8 months ago
Hannah Sampson , Skift
It's probably good news that the first move Royal Caribbean made after closing its majority stake in Silversea was announcing improvements to its fleet. We'll be curious to see what those upgrades include — and how the experience changes for passengers.
8 months ago
Hannah Sampson, Skift
Cruise lines are confident that people will fill the ships they order, and shipbuilding yards are packed with business for years to come. Will Wall Street shake off its worries that demand won't keep up?
9 months ago
Fran Golden, Bloomberg
Shiny new megaships get a lot of attention, but cruise lines aren't forgetting about the rest of their fleet. Older ships can be just the ticket for emerging markets, quick weekend trips, and ports that can't handle giant vessels.
10 months ago
Hannah Sampson, Skift
No one doubts that Cuba will continue to grow as a cruise destination. The question is how that growth will be managed — and whether the island can cope with the influx of additional daily visitors.
10 months ago
Christopher Jasper , Bloomberg
Cruise lines say interest is still high for Cuba, especially because so many U.S. travelers have been forced to stay away for decades. But visits have been limited for capacity reasons. With more room for ships, will the destination become a Caribbean cruise staple — and will the island's infrastructure be able to handle the crowds?
10 months ago