“She really is the best thing to ever happen to Australian cruising.”
It may sound a bit dramatic (considering we’ve had a five ship spectacular in Sydney and are patiently awaiting our first ever new-build), but when you’re talking about a ship as grand and equipped as Ovation of the Seas some might say it’s perfectly fitting.
The bold declaration was made by Royal Caribbean’s smooth Managing Director Australia and New Zealand, Adam Armstrong, who feels (unsurprisingly) strongly about the impact the 4,180-passenger beauty will have on the local sector.
Speaking at a trade product update in Sydney last night, Armstrong along with Key Account Manager, Mark Rheinbay, said that the ship will be the ‘jewel’ on Royal Caribbean’s local crown because she will reset cruising standards with her onboard features, help break new records with her size and surprise locals.
“Australians just have no idea what they’re about to experience.”
Mark Rheinbay, Royal Caribbean Key Account Manager
“The records that ship will break, the standards it will reset. It truly is the redefining of cruising in Australia.”
Now only 83 days from her Australian debut, Ovation has the entire Royal Caribbean office buzzing with contagious levels of excitement that’d even convert the cruise haters (are there many of those left?).
During the forthcoming international wave season, Royal Caribbean alone will have five ships sailing from Australia, while Celebrity Cruises will kick off the season with the arrival of Celebrity Solstice on 8 October and Azamara debuts Azamara Journey.
According to Armstrong, since opening the Royal Caribbean office in Australia seven years ago, the company has seen its passenger numbers jump from 30,000 to 300,000 per year.
In total, the business has carried five million Australians over the last seven years, which means “quite a large number of people have taken a holiday” with the group.
