Latest news with #JaySchneider
Cision Canada
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cision Canada
ROYAL CARIBBEAN WILL AMP UP MEMORY-MAKING ON OVATION, HARMONY AND LIBERTY OF THE SEAS IN 2026
The three game-changing ships will be decked out with bolder thrills, unmatched chill and more ways to dine and drink MIAMI, June 18, 2025 /CNW/ -- Royal Caribbean is tripling the adventure in 2026 when it debuts three newly amplified vacations on Ovation, Harmony and Liberty of the Seas. The fan-favorite ships are set to be reimagined with bold new experiences while visiting must-see destinations across Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean. Vacationers have more choices than ever before for all-out adventures starting spring 2026 and can book the vacations now on Royal Caribbean's website. "Royal Caribbean continues to raise the bar on delivering the best of every vacation with revolutionary ships and top-rated exclusive destinations. The Royal Amplified program gives our guests the best of Royal Caribbean with new-to-class culinary options and experiences, entertainment and thrilling adventures, paired with the hospitality and service Royal Caribbean is known for," said Jay Schneider, chief product innovation officer, Royal Caribbean. "After seeing incredible success and guest satisfaction with the amplification of Allure of the Seas, we're excited to bring three new amplifications to our fleet in 2026." With new thrills and laidback chill, bolder ways to dine and drink, leveled-up nightlife, and more ways to stay, families and adventurers can max out memories on a lineup of unmatched experiences: Ovation of the Seas Vacationers can go all out with amplified experiences on Ovation, including a revamped pool deck with private casitas and a new whirlpool. To refuel, there's a variety of international cuisine to indulge in from Tuscan favorites at Giovanni's Italian Kitchen to hibachi at Izumi Teppanyaki. The celebrations continue with tropical cocktails at the Pesky Parrot tiki bar, making its Quantum Class debut; dancing at the brand-new Sound Cellar; and more slots and games at the expanded Casino Royale. Along with new accommodations like the Ultimate Family Suite and Panoramic Suite, the upcoming experiences join a lineup of returning Quantum Class favorites like the Ripcord by iFly skydiving simulator and SeaPlex, the largest indoor activity space at sea. Ovation will take adventure to the next level at sea and on land with getaways to Alaska, where vacationers can take in the wonders of the Last Frontier on 7- to 13-night Alaskan adventures starting spring 2026. Plus, Ovation returns to the region as the first in the action-packed Quantum Class lineup to deliver immersive adventures on land with multi-night Cruisetour experiences. Harmony of the Seas Making its way to Harmony is a new Caribbean-inspired pool deck with tropical sips at the new The Lime & Coconut, as well as a refreshed adults-only Solarium. Adventurers can dive into bold bites at more than 20 venues, including Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade for gameday favorites, El Loco Fresh for Mexican delights and the new Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse. Plus, new ways to stay like the Ultimate Family Suite and even bigger nightlife at the largest Casino Royale in Royal Caribbean's fleet create more ways for all kinds of vacationers to make memories. Harmony will kick off its summer glow-up in Europe before the Oasis Class vacation calls Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, home. Starting winter 2026, vacationers can get away to the Caribbean on 5- and 7-night vacations to locations like Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Falmouth, Jamaica. Adventurers can also visit the vacation brand's top-rated Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas and purchase their day passes to the all-inclusive Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, debuting December 2025. Liberty of the Seas Families are in for all-new experiences for all ages with unmatched chill at the completely reimagined pool deck with The Lime & Coconut and new casitas, and thrills at an all-new Royal Escape Room concept coming to Liberty. There are flavors for all tastebuds from Japanese cuisine and hibachi at Izumi Teppanyaki to tacos and more at El Loco Fresh, along with a new-to-ship Starbucks. It's all combined with returning favorites on deck, like The Perfect Storm waterslides, crave-worthy restaurants and show-stopping entertainment. Sailing from Southampton in summer 2026, vacationers on Liberty can explore European hot spots with 7-night adventures to places like the awe-inspiring Norwegian fjords, the medieval streets of Bruges, Belgium, and the rich culture of Copenhagen, Denmark. Then, Liberty will head to Galveston, Texas, for the winter season, unlocking more ways for vacationers to explore the Western Caribbean at spots like the vacation brand's Royal Beach Club Cozumel, delivering the ultimate beach day in Mexico when it opens in 2026. Following the newly reimagined Allure of the Seas, the three soon-to-be-amplified vacations are the latest in the award-winning fleet to be transformed as part of Royal Caribbean's Royal Amplified program, first introduced in 2018. Royal Caribbean continues to deliver the best vacations to more than seven million people annually with visits to 300-plus destinations across 28 ships, with four more on order. Plus, the vacation brand will continue to expand its destination lineup in the next three years with the addition of four exclusive experiences, including the next bold adventure in Perfect Day Mexico in fall 2027. Joining the lineup are Royal Caribbean's new Royal Beach Clubs in Paradise Island in The Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico, along with exclusive beach destinations in Labadee, Haiti, and Lelepa in the South Pacific to deliver more ways to bask in paradise. More information about Royal Caribbean's leading vacations and growing lineup of ships and destinations can be found on Royal Caribbean's website. About Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean, part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL), has delivered memorable vacations for more than 50 years. The cruise line's game-changing ships and exclusive destinations revolutionize vacations with innovations and an all-encompassing combination of experiences, from thrills to dining and entertainment, for every type of family and vacationer. Voted "Best Cruise Line Overall" for 22 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards, Royal Caribbean makes memories with adventurers across more than 300 destinations in 80 countries on all seven continents, including the line's top-rated exclusive destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas. Media can stay up to date by following @RoyalCaribPR on X and visit For additional information or to book, vacationers can visit call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN or contact their travel advisor. *Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release relating to, among other things, expectations on timing and investments in the Royal Amplified Program, specific entertainment and culinary offerings, and future deployment plans constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "will," and similar expressions are intended to help identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations, are based on judgments, are inherently uncertain and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements. Examples of these risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, those included under the caption "Risk Factors" in the most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other SEC filings, copies of which may be obtained by visiting our Investor Relations website at or the SEC's website at Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this release, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cleanup underway after straight-line winds cause damage to trees, cabin at Devil's Den State Park
WEST FORK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Cleanup is underway at Devil's Den State Park after straight-line winds damaged parts of the park over the weekend, according to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. A spokesperson for the department said in a statement on Thursday that more than 100 trees were downed due to the winds. 'Cleanup efforts are ongoing, with approximately 80% of debris expected to be removed by [Friday],' the spokesperson said. Hot rotisserie chicken not yet approved in Arkansas SNAP waiver Cabins 1 through 10 at the park are closed because of ongoing renovations by a professional contractor and will remain off-market until renovations are complete. No word was given if those cabins suffered damage. The spokesperson said Cabins 11 through 20 were in use during the storm. After closing and inspecting those cabins, Cabin 12 will be closed due to storm damage. The park temporarily lost water after the storm, but service is expected to be restored by Thursday evening, according to the spokesperson. Park Superintendent Jay Schneider said all camping areas and restrooms are open. The pool, park store and café remained closed on Thursday and are expected to reopen on Friday, Schneider said. Five of the park's 11 trails are currently open: Yellow Rock Trail Devil's Den Trail CCC Trail Lake Trail Yellow Horse Trail No details were given on when the other trails will 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Travel Weekly
10-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Royal Caribbean and the latest on cruising's exclusive destinations
Clockwise from top: Teri West, Travel Weekly's cruise editor; Jay Schneider of Royal Caribbean Group; and Folo host Rebecca Tobin talk about the latest in private and exclusive cruise destinations. We're returning to a subject that we've talked about before on the Folo, but that just keeps continuing to grow and evolve, that's cruise companies' private islands and destinations. On the podcast this week is Jay Schneider, the chief product innovation officer of Royal Caribbean Group. Royal Caribbean has been at the forefront of these discussions with its Perfect Day projects and now is moving forward with a destination in the South Pacific and a hotel in Chile for Antarctica guests on its Silversea brand. In this episode, cruise editor Teri West and Schneider talk about the inspiration for Royal's thrill-and-chill vibes, competition and the evolution of land-and-sea vacations in the Caribbean. This was recorded May 29 and has been edited for length and clarity. Episode sponsor This episode was sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands Related links Perfect Day Mexico: Royal Caribbean previews its next frontier of fun The Grand Lucayan overhaul is an $827M bet on cruise tourism Royal Caribbean expects to open its South Pacific destination in early 2027 Holland America Line reveals plans for an upgraded Half Moon Cay MSC Cruises will develop a private island adjacent to Ocean Cay Carnival Corp.'s private-destination plan: Update, build and promote NCLH starts construction of a pier on Great Stirrup Cay The evolution of cruising's private islands
Travel Weekly
15-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Royal Caribbean expects to open South Pacific destination in early 2027
Royal Caribbean International has targeted an early 2027 opening for its first South Pacific private destination. The beach getaway on Lelepa, an island in the Vanuatu archipelago, will be designed to be a serene, nature-forward experience, said Jay Schneider, chief product innovation officer at Royal Caribbean International. A rendering of the arrival bar on Lelepa. Photo Credit: Royal Caribbean "Connection to the nature is critical to our South Pacific guests, and we're playing with the natural beauty of this amazing island in the South Pacific," he said. "What you'll see is nothing but incredible beach, great food, a floating bar, local retail, nature trails and so much more." Lelepa will be on itineraries for sailings from Australia, which is about 1,000 miles west of the island. Lelepa will have a floating bar in the lagoon. Photo Credit: Royal Caribbean
New York Times
12-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Private Islands and Beach Clubs: The Newest Cruise Offerings Are on Dry Land
Opposite the bustling Nassau Bahamas Cruise Terminal, where it is not unusual to see four or five passenger ships docked at once, is a slice of tropical paradise with miles of white-sand beaches and turquoise water. Once dotted with mansions, the 17-acre expanse on the western end of the Bahamas' Paradise Island, has been acquired by an unlikely developer: the Royal Caribbean cruise line. After the success of its Bahamian private island, CocoCay, the company is expanding its land-based offerings with a beach club scheduled to open in December. The projected $165 million project will have three swimming pools, the world's largest swim-up bar and themed beach zones. 'We are creating the ultimate beach day with the authentic vibe, colors and flavors of a lost Bahamian beach club,' Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's chief product innovation officer, said during a tour of the construction site. 'There will be local art, music and locally inspired cuisine balanced with American comforts.' Many cruise lines own private Caribbean islands, but the exclusive beach club concept is part of a new trend amid record demand for cruises and the seemingly nonstop rollout of megaships. Carnival is also building a beach club called Celebration Key, expected to open in July on Grand Bahama Island. Royal Caribbean is developing two beach destinations in Mexico that will open in 2026 and 2027. Not everyone is enthusiastic about the cruise lines' real estate portfolios. Some Bahamians say they are fed up with being priced out of their land by foreign investors and are concerned that the new attractions will divert tourism dollars away from excursions run by local vendors. 'The tourists will go from cruise ship to the private club back to the ship without spending a dime in the real Nassau,' said Ray Jacobs, a market vendor and boat captain. To mitigate these grievances, Royal Caribbean has teamed up with the Bahamian government for its beach club project in a partnership that will give Bahamians a 49 percent equity ownership stake. Another 1 percent of gross profits will go toward improving local attractions, the company said. 'We want to connect locals to big projects to make sure everyday Bahamians have access to tourism opportunities,' said Latia Duncombe, the director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation. Among those opportunities are the approximately 400 jobs that will be filled by Bahamians at the beach club, Royal Caribbean said. Local businesses will be awarded lucrative contracts for food and beverages, excursions, security, entertainment and other services. The cruise line also said it would adhere to its companywide sustainability principles, teaming up with Bahamian companies on recycling, waste reduction programs and environmental protection. 'They just swept in' Despite the potential to boost tourism, some Bahamians think the government has been overly accommodating to outsiders. Toby Smith, a local entrepreneur, applied to lease public land on the western tip of Paradise Island in 2012 for a beach club project that would include the restoration of the Hog Island lighthouse, which has been in disrepair since the 1980s. After a drawn-out process, Mr. Smith finally received approval in January 2020. A month later, after hearing rumors that Royal Caribbean had shown interest in the same land, Mr. Smith approached the government for clarity, but never heard back. In March 2020, most of the land promised to Mr. Smith was awarded to Royal Caribbean. 'I spent eight years negotiating and waiting for the lease of my sustainable, scaled and cultural beach club project, and they just swept in and got there in six weeks,' Mr. Smith said. 'It's a disgrace.' Dionisio D'Aguilar, the tourism minister at the time, acknowledged that Mr. Smith had been sent a lease for the land before Royal Caribbean applied for the same plot. 'Royal Caribbean came forward with an attractive proposition for the Bahamian people — a deal that seeks to create a number of entrepreneurs in a number of service areas,' Mr. D'Aguilar said during a 2021 television interview on Eyewitness News Bahamas. 'It's a harsh environment out there, and you've got to have some long dollars,' he added. Mr. Smith started a legal battle against the government and, last year, was granted the right to take his case to the Privy Council in London, the highest court for the Bahamas, a former British colony. In the meantime, Royal Caribbean amended its lease with the government in April 2024 so that it does not include the overlapping acres of land that were promised to Mr. Smith, and built a wall on the construction site to separate the two plots. Lounging like a 1 percenter Avid Royal Caribbean cruisers are excited about the beach club and are mostly unaware of the local tensions it has created. 'We've probably been to Nassau more than 20 times and done all the excursions, so we usually stay on the ship when we stop there,' said Alan Rivera, 47, a car salesman from Tampa, Fla., who was recently celebrating his anniversary with his wife on board Utopia of the Seas. 'The beach club is a great idea because when you've done all the excursions, all you really want to do is lie on the beach,' Mr. Rivera said. 'We'll be back to try it out.' A day earlier, Utopia of the Seas docked at Royal Caribbean's private island for its 'Perfect Day at CocoCay.' The experience gives a taste of what the beach club offering might be like. When the gangway hit the pier at 8 a.m., a flood of guests made their way across the island to the themed sections that seemingly offered something for everyone. Many of the attractions are included in the fare: the pristine beaches, the freshwater pool and eateries. For an extra fee, there is the adults-only Hideaway Beach; the Coco Beach Club, with over-water cabanas and private butlers; and a water park with the largest water slide in the region. 'Private islands are usually reserved for the 1 percent,' said Priscilla McKenzie, 33, sipping a margarita as she sat in the crystalline waters of Hideaway Beach. While CocoCay feels almost like an extension of Royal Caribbean's ships, the company says that the new Paradise Beach Club will feel Bahamian and focus solely on the beach club experience. Capacity will be capped at 40 percent of cruise ship volume, with tickets offered on a first-come-first-served basis. The limit, the cruise line said, will ensure that excursions and local attractions will continue to draw passengers. Mr. Schneider, of Royal Caribbean, said the company looked at two core metrics when devising itineraries and investing in destinations: 'high appeal and high satisfaction.' The Greek island of Santorini, for example, has very high appeal, but it has low satisfaction because of overtourism. Nassau, with a generally low satisfaction and appeal rate among passengers, is still strategically an important destination for Royal Caribbean. Recent company surveys have found that Nassau had lost appeal for cruisers who had already experienced the major sights and activities; those who gave low satisfaction ratings were looking for a wider variety of activities. 'With the beach club and the revenue it will raise for broader tourism investments in Nassau, we believe it will play a role in raising its appeal and satisfaction for our guests,' Mr. Schneider said. But many ordinary Bahamians working at the port, local market and restaurants are unconvinced. 'The only chance we have to sell tours is when the cruise passengers come out of the port,' said Doug Nance, an independent tour guide and driver. 'When the beach club opens, they're just going to get on another boat and go in the opposite direction.' Mr. Jacobs, the boat captain, recently visited the construction site by boat and said he was shocked to see that the land had been razed and the trees ripped out. Royal Caribbean said it had removed 75 percent of the plants considered invasive species by the government and was preserving 30 percent of the native trees during construction. The company said all those plants and trees would be replanted alongside new native species. Driving across the coast, John McPhee, the president of the transportation company Ride Bahamas, said that despite the government's efforts to team up with Royal Caribbean, the fact that Mr. Smith was not allowed to execute his vision demonstrates the systematic failures with the country's tourism model, which tends to cater to foreign investment. 'I learned as a young boy that whenever a piece of land juts out into the ocean, it creates a conflict,' Mr. McPhee said. 'A disturbance in currents, where smaller fish get trapped, and the bigger fish come and feed off them.' 'Royal Caribbean has taken advantage of this,' he added. But some are optimistic. Derek Schofield, 55, who works in logistics for several excursion companies, said that the creation of new jobs is beneficial for the growth of the tourism industry. 'Some of us may go home with fewer dollars in our wallets at the end of the day,' he said. But, he added, 'if we look at the bigger picture, this project will boost the tourism economy and open up opportunities for many Bahamians, putting more food on the table for Bahamian families.'
