Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  entered into a deal with Madrid based  private equity firm  Springwater Capital in May to  sell a 51% stake in Pullmantur  and Croisières de France (CDF)  cruise brands. Under the agreement,  the two parties will form a  joint venture dedicated to bringing  cruise experiences tailored  to Spanish and French tourists  through the management of the  two brands. Furthermore, RCL  will have a 49% stake, and  retain full ownership of the ships  and aircraft currently operated  by Pullmantur and CDF, which  will be leased into the joint venture.  RCL will also provide  marine operations services to  Pullmantur and CDF through a  management agreement. The  joint venture is expected to be  completed later in 2016, subject  to customary conditions and  regulatory approvals. Just three  days after the Harmony of the  Seas had made her debut at  Southampton, Royal Caribbean’s  Strategic Operation  Officer, Mike Jones and  Managing Director of UK and  Ireland, Stuart Leven, announced  a seven-year deal with the  port of Southampton, worth  £200 million to the local economy,  at the official Plaques and  Keys ceremony aboard the  Harmony of the Seas. The deal  secures Southampton’s City  Cruise Terminal as the official  UK home of Royal Caribbean  International and secures £5.5  million’s worth of investment  from the cruise company. The  investment has so far enabled  Associated British Ports (ABP),  owner and operator of the  Southampton port, to prepare  the terminal for a new generation  of ships heralded by the  arrival of the Harmony. The  improvements made to the terminal  have been designed to  enhance the embarkation experiences  for both passenger and  crew. New paperless check-in  for passengers and a kerb-to gangway  processing of only 10  minutes makes it the fastest  route from home-to-international  holiday for holidaymakers.

Other upgrades include  improvement to layout and  security screening areas, free  wifi throughout the terminal,  step-free-access to ships up to  Royal Caribbean’s Quantum  Class, as well as the addition of  digital signage. New air-conditioning  has been installed  throughout the terminal and port  staff will welcome improved  logistics enabling the port to  handle up to 500 tonnes of  stores. On 25th May the company  announced that it had signed  a memorandum of understanding  with French Shipbuilder STX  France to build a fifth Oasis class  ship for delivery in the  Spring of 2021 plus two additional  Edge-class ships for  Celebrity Cruises, scheduled for  delivery in the autumn of both  2021 and 2022. The first Edge class  vessel is still over two  years away from delivery with little  detail about the class available  thus far. The order process  is contingent upon the completion  of customary conditions,  including documentation and  financing. Final contracts, which  include the definitive payment  schedules, were expected to be  completed within the same quarter  of 2016. That same day  Royal Caribbean confirmed six  extra Australian cruises in 2018  on board the new Ovation of the  Seas due to “unprecedented popular  demand.”

The 137,276gt/2001 built  Adventure of the Seas will  emerge in November following a  $61m revitalisation. The updates  will include new dual racer  waterslides, Cyclone and  Typhoon, the popular Flow Rider  surf simulator, and a children’s  aqua park, Splashaway Bay.  Guests will enjoy a new line-up  of culinary and entertainment  venues with Izumi Japanese  Cuisine, the brand’s signature  steakhouse, Chops Grille and  Boleros Latin Lounge being  added. The ship will also receive  more than 100 new staterooms,  a refresh of all existing staterooms  and a brand new Suites  Lounge for the luxury traveller.

The now baby of the RCI  fleet, the 48,563gt/1990 built  Empress of the Seas was on  refit until 28th May prior to taking  up her scheduled itineraries.  The ship arrived back at Miami  on 25th May after the $50 million  overhaul with the first itinerary to  the Bahamas departing two  days later. When RCI gets the  green light to cruise to Cuba, it is  most likely that the Empress will  undertake these sailings.

The announcement came  on 2nd June that the  69,472gt/1995 built Legend of  the Seas is to be sold to  Thomson Cruises in 2017, joining  sister Splendor of the Seas  (now TUI Discovery). The  Legend of the Seas’ final sailing  will commence on 13th March  2017, and all officers and crew  will remain with the company.  The ship shares her birthplace  with Harmony of the Seas,  namely Chantier’s de L’Atlantique,  now STX France. The  90,940gt/2001 built Celebrity  Infinity got herself into trouble on  3rd June when she hit the No.3  berth at Ketchikan’s cruise terminal,  Alaska. The weather was  scene was reported to be gusting  at 45-miles per hour when  the incident occurred and considerable  damage was done to  shore side infrastructure. The  Singapore Tourism Board (STB)  has signed a partnership with  Indian travel agency TIRUN  Travel Marketing under the  recently-enhanced Cruise Development  Fund (CDF), according  to a news release. Under the  partnership, TIRUN will charter  Royal Caribbean International’s  138,194gt/1999 built Voyager of  the Seas for sailings out of  Singapore, targeting the Indian  market. Guests can cruise from  Singapore to popular destinations  such as Kuala Lumpur,  Phuket, Bangkok, Hong Kong,  Nha Trang in Vietnam, and  more.