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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

December 2013 Edition

Anthem of the Seas may stay in UK year around in future as RCCL invests in growing British business

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Royal Caribbean International (RCI) may at some point retain Anthem of the Seas in the UK year round, although at this point there are no such plans, said Dominic Paul, vp international at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), parent company of RCI "We need to look at where the ship would be most popular and where it can obtain the bet yields,"

The RCCL group has invested heavily in the past several years to develop its business in the UK and it plans to continue to do so also in the future. Celebrity Cruises, the group's premium market brand, has performed well in the UK and Paul said it has found "a soft spot" in the heart of the British customers. The company operates Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Infinity from Southampton and Harwich, respectively, for most of each year.

As far as base ports are concerned, Paul said that Southampton as the principal turnaround port in the UK was a natural choice as the British home port of Anthem of the Seas, while Harwich that hosts one Royal Caribbean International and one Celebrity Cruises vessel, is convenient for passengers arriving from North America and a good base port for cruises heading north from the UK.

Looking further ahead, Paul said it is possible that ships of the RCCL group may sail from other turnaround ports in Britain as well, although at this point in time no decision has been made to post ships in other ports beyond Southampton and Harwich.