Empress of the Seas to Return to Royal Caribbean Fleet

Unless you are a stockholder or industry watcher, cruise line earnings calls don't hold much interest. However, in between profit-and-loss and yields, there is often a gem revealed for consumers. Last week, Royal Caribbean's earnings call contained just such a treasure. While discussing the disappointing performance of the company's Spanish brand Pullmantur Cruises it was mentioned that the line's capacity would be adjusted by transferring the MS Empress out of the fleet. What that means for the North American market is the return of Empress of the Seas to Royal Caribbean International.

You may remember the ship was launched in 1990 as Nordic Empress and renamed Empress of the Seas in 2004 to conform to the "of the Seas" ship name branding adapted by Royal Caribbean. In 2008 she sailed off to join the Pullmantur fleet. A smallish ship by today's standards at 48,563 tons, she accommodated 1,600 passengers in double occupancy (with a maximum capacity of 2,022) and 685 crew members. An "extensive" dry-dock that Royal Caribbean plans before the ship enters service as Empress of the Seas in 2016 should freshen up the public areas and perhaps add some new features. Sadly, the tiny staterooms won't likely receive more than cosmetic upgrades. While no deployment has been announced, we predict that Empress of the Seas will revive her short cruise getaway schedule of 3- and 4-night sailings for which the ship is ideally suited.

Image Courtesy WikiEK