Royal Caribbean Oz growth plans
By: Louise Goldsbury and Bruce Piper, Cruise Weekly

There's likely to be more choice of cruising in Australasian waters, if Royal Caribbean Cruises has further deployments here.

Royal Caribbean Cruises is one of the world's largest cruise operators, with a fleet of 20 vessels and a further two gigantic ships under construction.

The company set up an office in Sydney seven months ago, and ceo Adam Goldstein was in town last week to check out what might be on the horizon.

Next summer Royal Caribbean will operate its Rhapsody of the Seas down under, and Goldstein told CW the company is currently planning its deployments for 2011-12, which will be officially announced early next year.

"We've made it clear that it's our ambition to grow in this market," he said.

Goldstein said the company, which includes Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and the upmarket Azamara Cruises - was very pleased with its relationships with travel agency groups and expected travel agents to continue to be Royal Caribbean's primary means of distribution in Australasia.

There's major excitement about the upcoming launch of Oasis of the Seas later this year, which will operate Caribbean cruises out of the US, and then at the end of 2010 her sister ship Allure of the Seas.

The two ships will be the biggest passenger cruise vessels ever built, with capacity for 5400 guests each.growth plans Also new for the company is Celebrity Equinox, which will target the UK market alongside its Independence of the Seas - the current biggest cruise ship in the world - which will operate from Southampton.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean is lobbying Australian governments to improve cruise infrastructure, with local office head Gavin Smith sitting on a committee advising on NSW cruise options.

"There needs to be development in Sydney in order to allow the full potential of the cruise market here to eventuate."

"We will have 22 ships by the end of next year, of which just two will fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge," Goldstein said, with Royal Caribbean clearly favouring a terminal on the eastern side of the bridge.

Goldstein emphasised that Royal Caribbean is keen to work constructively with authorities, adding that NSW "is not unique in this respect - lots of Asia-Pacific ports such as Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong are all thinking through and planning for further cruise growth."

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