The cruises of the American group are resuming: by the end of 2021 85% of the fleet will sail
Royal Caribbean group expects to have positive cash flow within six months, said Jason Liberty, senior vice president and CFO of the company.
Liberty noted that the third and fourth quarters of this year will continue to be “painful” and warned that 2022 will not be a normal year, although trends towards increased operations are expected to increase during the year.
The operational fleet
The group now has 29 out of 68 ships underway and will introduce seven more this month. By the end of the year, Liberty said, 85 percent of Royal Caribbean’s fleet should be able to sail. Management also noted that bookings and prices for 2022 are strong and “up from 2019”. As for the new builds, Liberty said they will be introduced to the market with a delay of 10 months from when they were originally supposed to go into service.
Fain: “Safe cruises, the protocols work”
Richard Fain, president and chief executive officer, noted how Royal Caribbean focuses on managing their cruises more safely than other vacation alternatives. “
The number one of the group underlined that the safety protocols work and that the ships allow almost total control of the environment: 100% of the crew is vaccinated and in July 92% of the passengers have been vaccinated.
“We’ve had positive people on the test, but since the people around them have been vaccinated, it means they are isolated cases,” Fain said. “Vaccines are the ultimate weapon and they work.
“In light of the Delta variant, we have further strengthened our protocols. Cruises have become an example of how best to deal with COVID-19, ″ added Fain.
Royal Caribbean also announced the test cruises will start to select volunteers, check the info on RoyalCaribbeanBlog.
