Cruise line invests $120 million to upgrade part of fleet

Cruise line invests $120 million to upgrade part of fleet

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has injected $120 million into renovating a 15-year-old ship that will be used for excursion trips to The Bahamas.

Upgrades to the ‘Mariner of the Seas’ boast contemporary features in an effort to attract a younger demographic market.

According to a press release on the cruise line’s website, the main purpose for the upgrade was because millennials want shorter, more frequent, yet still “Instagrammable” vacations; spending the exorbitant amount to renovate the ship to give them just that.

The ship now vaunts five new entertainment additions focusing on virtual reality experiences such as a gravity-defying sky pad, trampoline zone paired with virtual reality goggles and an escape room.

“After looking at the short break cruise market, which is about 20 per cent of the entire cruise industry in the United States (U.S.), we realized that most of the markets were older ships with the least features,” according to President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal Caribbean Michael Bayley.

Mariner of the Seas will be the largest ship used for short Caribbean trips, according to a spokesperson for the company at 1,020 feet long with 15 decks and a passenger capacity of 4,000.

The cruises will leave from Port Miami and stop in Nassau and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination. The first four-night trip departed Monday with a price tag beginning at $200 for interior cabins.

Although the cruise ship is not a new ship, Royal Caribbean is “treating it like it is.”, the cruise line’s press center indicated.

“Using a ship of this size to do shorter excursions filled with the same technology and luxury will hopefully attract more people to take more trips,” Royal Caribbean’s spokesperson Celia de la Llama added.

Moreover, the ship’s renovations are part of Royal Caribbean’s $900 million commitment to upgrading 10 ships in four years.

“We sail with more than five million guests worldwide each year and recognize the need to always innovate and stay ahead of the curve,” Bayley noted.

“We have designed this program to wow our loyal guests while also attracting the next generation of adventurers.”