He said 2017, its 10th anniversary year in Singapore, saw record sales with Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas operating their longest season in SE Asia.
‘Despite this record year, we know we are still just scratching the surface of the potential of what is possible for us in Singapore. Tonight I would like to draw our attention to the future, the next wave of cruising with Royal Caribbean, and how our partnership will grow to greater heights as we work together to further develop the demand for cruising in Singapore,’ he said.
The night's grand party prize was a preview of RCI’s latest newbuild Symphony of the Sea sailing out of Barcelona. ‘As your guests experience cruising on Royal Caribbean out of Singapore we believe the demand for cruising further afield in Europe and Alaska will only grow as they search for new destinations on a brand they enjoy,’ he said in his pitch to agents to help grow the company's outbound Asia market.
‘Our next wave kicks off in April with the launch of Symphony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. Symphony will have many of the same popular features as her sister Harmony including the Ultimate Abyss largest slide at sea and the trio of Perfect Storm water slides, in addition the ship will launch new firsts such as the Ultimate Family Suite, the next generation of family accommodations,’ he described.
Symphony is proving popular with Singaporeans: ‘we are pleased to see that bookings for Symphony are double to that of Harmony out of the Singapore market,’ said Treacy.
Voyager of the Seas will call Singapore home in May and June and will return for a 10-month Singapore season in September.
Voyager of the Seas, which is larger than Mariner of the Seas which it is replacing, has a total capacity of 4,200 and will enhance capacity in the region and also offer more features.
‘Voyager went through a US$80m drydock in 2014 here in Singapore which allowed us to add features that are not available on Mariner of the Seas - the FlowRider Surf simulator, Virtual Balconies, Panoramic Staterooms and Izumi Japanese restaurant ,’ said Treacy.
‘While we have already announced Spectrum of the Seas as the next new ship coming to the region the addition of more ships in the coming years means we can expect the arrival of more innovative and exciting ships coming our way to Singapore. To do so we must be ready for this next wave.’
Turning to the issue of supporting infrastructure Treacy pointed to Royal Caribbean's plans for a joint venture that would increase the capacity in Penang Port.
‘We hope to have more destinations enhancing infrastructure in the coming years. We will also invest in new marketing and communications tools to assist you in generating demand for our product,’ he told agents.
He also talked them through some initiatives they have in store for guests, including a guest empowering app, frictionless check in, revolutionary guest accommodations and sensory virtual reality dining.
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