I recently had the unique opportunity to sit down with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President of Sales, Vicki Freed for a very special and candid interview.
1.I am very excited for the arrival of Allure of the Seas. What can you tell us that is different on Allure than on the Oasis of the Seas?
Everyone at Royal Caribbean is thrilled to welcome the Allure of the Seas. Though Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas are sister ships, each ship’s distinctive onboard experience will offer guests a wide selection of choices that appeals to every age and lifestyle. The features being introduced aboard Allure of the Seas include a 3-D Movie Screen, as well as a new Broadway musical: Chicago. There will be also some exciting differences to dining such as Rita’s Cantina, a new Mexican restaurant in the Boardwalk neighborhood, where adults and kids alike will enjoy some of their favorite Mexican fare. The Solarium Bistro will serve light, healthy fare during the day and then turn into the Samba Grill at night, a hearty authentic Argentinean steakhouse, or churrascaria. Allure will also feature some exciting new retail venues including one of the world’s most recognizable fashion apparel companies, GUESS, as well as the first Britto Concept store at sea by pop culture icon and artist, Romero Britto.
Cruisers of all ages will soon delight in interacting with some of DreamWorks Animation’s most beloved characters when a variety of new shows, activities and offerings are introduced on our ships. Year round, “celebrity” characters from Shrek®, Madagascar®, Kung Fu PandaTM, and How to Train Your Dragon will engage guests of all ages, day and night, with unique experiences, including exclusive special events and energetic parades, as well as through interactive character meals in the main dining room, and of course plenty of photo opportunities. Our younger guests who are participating in our award-winning Adventure Ocean children’s program will enjoy a variety of activities, games and adventures themed around the popular DreamWorks Animation® movies.
3. I often times hear from some of our clients or even Facebook fans, that the ships are just too big. How do you best describe the experience to someone who is leery of cruising on such large ships?
While it is true that the Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas are the biggest ships in the world, the interior of this class of ship is designed in such a way that you don’t feel like you are on a large ship. By breaking it up into seven neighborhoods and offering unique amenities and activities in each neighborhood, it really helps to distribute the guests around the ship so everyone is not in one place at one time. The Allure and Oasis also features a variety of smaller venues for guests who prefer smaller and more intimate entertainment experiences.
4. On most cruise vacations, the embarkation process can take forever it seems. Recently I noticed that it took my family and I less than 12 minutes to check in, take our picture, and board. Has RCCL taken steps to improve the embarkation process?
The guest’s cruise vacation starts at the pier, so we wanted to set the stage for them to have an incredible experience right from the start. We partnered with Port Everglades to expand and renovate Terminal 18 especially for the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas to ensure that the check-in goes as quickly and smoothly as possible. It takes on average 15 minutes from the time you walk into the terminal to the time you step foot on the ship. Glad to hear that your experience was only 12 minutes!!
5. Recently we released the Top 10 ships page on CruisesOnly.com. These are the ships our customers gave the highest ratings to. Did you know that 5 out of 10 ships are Royal Caribbean Ships? The Oasis of the Seas is rated #2.That is so exciting! Social media and customer review sharing have become more important than ever in the purchase decision process, and it’s great to see Royal Caribbean ranked so highly among your customers. Although I’m not surprised…we do offer the best vacation experience in the industry in my opinion.
6. What is it about a Royal Caribbean Cruise that our customers love most that in turn rate their vacation so high?
While our incredible ships and first-ever onboard amenities are important, I think the most critical aspect to earning those top marks is the service they receive onboard, which is delivered by every member of our friendly and engaging staff and crew. The onboard staff across our entire fleet is second to none, and really make the experience for our guests. Whether it’s the waiter who has your favorite beverage waiting for you every night at dinner, to the stateroom attendant who greets you by name every time they see you, our guests will be wowed by the level of attention they receive each time they sail with us.
7. On my last cruise, I noticed a lot of families onboard. RCCL does an amazing job catering to families. What unique programs do you offer for families on board?
We are constantly working to improve and evolve our family programs onboard to ensure that all our guests, including families have the best cruise vacation possible. Our main program for our younger cruisers is our Award-winning Adventure Ocean® Youth Program, which is offered complimentary on all Royal Caribbean ships. These programs are designed to engage and entertain our youngest cruisers, and feature age appropriate activities for guests as young as three years old. We even have the Royal Babies and Royal Tots program for babies as young as six months old. It doesn’t stop there as there are also activities such as My Family Time Dining, Family Karaoke, Family Wii Tournaments and that is just to name a few!
One of the most popular features for families, particularly those with young children, on the Oasis class of ships is the Adventure Nursery. The Nursery allows parents to drop off their children as young as 6 months old for babysitting services. This feature is so popular; we were thrilled to announce that the Adventure Nursery is being added onto the Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas in 2011! I wish they had this feature when my kids were young!
9. I sailed on Liberty of the Seas last year, and the entertainment was superb. A few months later on Oasis of the Seas, I was so impressed with the entertainment. It seems as if though it just keeps getting better and better. Has RCCL made huge investments in its onboard entertainment?
We are constantly raising the bar when it comes to onboard entertainment, and the introduction of the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas has given us more opportunity to really take it to the next level. The AquaTheater, our outdoor amphitheater on the Oasis and Allure, is such a unique venue and really provides a great space for spectacular performances, both during the day and at night. We are also the first cruise line to feature the first full-length Broadway musicals at sea – Hairspray on Oasis of the Seas, Chicago: The Musical on Allure of the Seas and just announced Saturday Night Fever on Liberty of the Seas.
10. I read recently that RCCL has a test kitchen. Can you give us a little insight on what goes on inside the Test Kitchen? Gordon Ramsey isn’t hiding out in there is he?
We do have a test kitchen in our headquarter offices in Miami, Florida. This is where our culinary team creates new recipes and tests new concepts, many of which get worked into the menus on our ships. This is also where our cookbook, Savor, was created. I haven’t seen Gordon Ramsey in there but I have been able to enjoy a taste test or two!
11. What can our customers expect to be new for 2011?
While we are incredibly excited about welcoming the Allure of the Seas, we are just as excited to be enhancing two of our other guest-favorite ships, the Freedom of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas. Several amenities made popular on the Oasis will be added to the Freedom and Liberty in early 2011. These include the 3-D movie technology in the main theaters, the way-finding LCD systems, the Cupcake Cupboard, the Adventure Nursery and also, the recently announced Saturday Night Fever musical production.
12. Many of our customers like to wait for the last minute deal. What are your thoughts on waiting for a last minute bargain?
I think that the people who wait in hopes of getting a last minute deal are going to find themselves disappointed most of the time. They will not be able to get the best stateroom in the best location as they will already be sold. Also, we are seeing more often price increases rather than price decreases on our sailings. This is of course not always the case, but it is most of the time. So the people that waited are now looking at higher prices instead of lower prices. We also have a price protection policy which allows guests to get a refund to their credit card or in the form of an onboard credit should their stateroom price decrease prior to making final payment. So there really is no reason to wait longer to book – the earlier the better.
13. In 2011 will Royal Caribbean be doing any new itineraries, or visiting “Must See” ports of call?
Did you know that in 2011, Royal Caribbean will have a record number of ships in Europe – 11 – that is half of our fleet! Combine this with 117 different itineraries ranging from 3 - 15 nights in length and visiting 34 countries and 85 ports, there will be even more choices for guests wishing to visit this historic and cultural part of the world.
14. Before I leave I have to ask, have you tried Zip lining on the Oasis of the Seas?
I have to admit, I actually have not tried the zipline. I sailed on the Oasis during Christmas last year with my family and I very much enjoyed watching them riding the zip line. That’s the great thing about many of the activities onboard the Oasis and Allure - they are just as much fun to watch as they are to participate in!
Vicki, I want to thank you again for taking time out to spend with me and sharing the exciting things happening at Royal Caribbean.
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