Royal Caribbean & Celebrity: Strategic Deployment Demystified

According to Marc Miller, the director of deployment and itinerary planning at Royal Caribbean Group, the Caribbean’s overall strength has been a significant factor. He pointed out that there has been an increase in capacity in the region for both Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.
For Royal Caribbean, the new Icon debuted in Miami earlier this year. The Utopia will follow from Port Canaveral this summer, and the new Star of the Seas will also sail from Port Canaveral when it arrives in 2025.
“Perfect Day at CocoCay has been a real game changer and allowed us to amplify our itineraries,” noted Miller. “Celebrity will be going there for the first time this year.”
In the premium brand’s new short cruise program out of Port Everglades, the private destination will be included, with the Celebrity Reflection operating on a three- and four-night rotation. Additionally, the Beyond, another Celebrity ship, will be in the Caribbean this summer, sailing from Port Everglades on longer cruises.

Best Destinations
In essence, Miller said the company seeks the best destinations for its ships.
“Whether that is long cruises, short cruises or seven-night sailings,” he said. “We are leveraging all factors like guest experience, ratings, revenue and more, we put all that together and determine the best place to go.”
Other updates include an expansion on the West Coast, with the Navigator of the Seas being joined by the Quantum in Los Angeles. The Quantum, built in 2014, will offer short cruises from the California port.
In South America, Celebrity will skip the 2024-25 season but return for 2025-26, according to Miller.
“The Mediterranean is a big piece of our deployment we are really trying to spread out and differentiate our itineraries”, Miller said. New cruises aboard the 2,850-guest Celebrity Equinox will include stops in Portugal, Spain, and France.
In Northern Europe, with Russia out of the Baltic equation, Royal Caribbean is focusing more on Norway, the UK, and Iceland. Miller mentioned a new Celebrity program roundtrip from Reykjavík, homeporting there for a mini-season.

Looking Ahead
With shorter cruises, the availability of berths becomes even more critical.
Miller noted that the ports are expanding. A big project was recently completed in Nassau, which has helped accommodate upwards of 3 million guests through Perfect Day.
Planning is being done well into the future. Large ships don’t offer as much flexibility, and it’s acknowledged that they are not the only ones with large ships.
While some itineraries are planned a couple of years ahead, it was mentioned by Miller that in certain cases, plans are made 10 to 15 years in advance for deployment.
He further explained that it’s about anticipating the growth of their brands, identifying areas of congestion, and where investments may be needed.
The importance of future-proofing itineraries was emphasized by Miller, which includes assessing potential port infrastructure.