A new ship update and two major renovations lead this week’s news in the cruise industry.
This week the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection announced it will begin construction on its second yacht this year, with delivery slated for 2021. The first yacht for the new luxury cruise brand is currently under construction at H.J. Barreras Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, with delivery scheduled for later this year. The second ship will follow the same styling and design as the first one, and it will be built at the same shipyard.
In renovation news, this week Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox wrapped a 29-day drydock, the first in the cruise line’s $500 million Celebrity Revolution fleet upgrade project designed to bring its ships more in line with the recently launched Celebrity Edge. The renovations added a new The Retreat area for suite guests and updated a number of the ship’s food and beverage venues, including the addition of Qsine, which will host the line’s new Le Petit Chef experiences that bring animated characters to life on the tabletop using 4K projection mapping technology. The ship also received a number of other tech updates, including RFID locks, improved wi-fi, and facial recognition capabilities for the Celebrity Cruises app designed to speed up the boarding process.
Oceania Cruises also completed a major renovation project this week, on the Riviera. The drydock, which took place in Marseille, France, added a new coffee bar area and a new lounge with sweeping sea views on Deck 14 and refreshed all of the ship’s staterooms and suites.
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