Last week, Royal Caribbean revealed that starting later this year, one of its giant Oasis-class ships will sail short trips year-round, something that none of the ships have done since their introduction 14 years ago.
The second ship in the ground-breaking five-ship series, the 225,282-ton Allure of the Seas, will switch from performing seven-night sailings to trips of three and four nights full-time starting on October 30 through at least early 2025, according to the world's largest cruise line.
The ship, along with its four sister ships, has previously spent the majority of its days on seven-night voyages.
The Oasis-class ships from Royal Caribbean are the largest and most luxurious ships in the world, and cruisers are very interested in them.
They are also some of Royal Caribbean's most current ships, along with the Quantum-class ships that were just launched.
Major cruise companies like Royal Caribbean have historically reserved their biggest and newest ships for seven-night sailings, which are more lucrative, and placed smaller and older ships on shorter trips.
After departing from Port Canaveral, Florida, in October to begin its never-ending series of quick voyages, Allure of the Seas will change its hub to Miami in July 2024.
Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, will be a stop on both the three-night and four-night itineraries that Allure of the Seas will offer from the two ports.
Stops in Nassau, Bahamas, will also be included on the journeys.
Now stationed in Galveston, Texas, Allure of the Seas offers seven-night cruises to the Caribbean.
There is really nothing quite like the Oasis-class ships for big-ship aficionados because, as was already noted, they are larger than any other cruise ship now in the water.
A kiddie splash area, a surfing simulator, a miniature golf course, a basketball court, and even a zip line are all featured on each Oasis-class ship.
And that only applies to their upper decks.
Large casinos, spas, and showrooms with Broadway-style entertainment are all inside the ships, along with more lounges, bars, restaurants, and stores than you can think.
If you want to channel your inner Michelle Kwan, they even have indoor ice skating rinks.
Also, four out of the five ships have enormous slides.
Unfortunately, the only Oasis-class ship that is lacking them is Allure of the Seas.
When the COVID-19 outbreak forced the closure of cruises for more than a year, Royal Caribbean revealed intentions to install waterslides to Allure of the Seas. However, the plans were shelved.
Royal Caribbean has experimented with placing some of its newer and bigger ships on similar itineraries in recent years, though it stopped short of sending an Oasis-class ship to the routings. Cruise lines frequently place older, smaller ships on their shorter trips.
A major action at the time was the line's deployment of the recently renovated but still sizable Navigator of the Seas to Miami in 2019.
Short cruises from Florida are popular with a local market that isn't seeking for something too spectacular because they are typically inexpensive and simple to do on the spur of the moment.
They just want to get away for a short, cheap trip.
Yet, first-time cruisers from all over the country who want to give cruising a try without making a significant commitment also find short excursions from Florida to be incredibly popular.
They are popular among millennials as well since they value quick getaways.
Those two categories are getting more and more important to impress if you're a cruise company looking to expand your business, as Royal Caribbean president and CEO Michael Bayley told me in an interview at the time of the Navigator of the Seas deployment to Miami.
You want them to visit again.
Due to this, Royal Caribbean had to reconsider its short-haul approach.
When we realized it, we said to ourselves, "Hold on a second, why have we been putting our oldest, tiniest ships in this short-cruise space?"
said, Bayley.
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