Royal Caribbean has announced that for the first time, one of its cruise ships will homeport out of Bermuda starting in June 2021. This follows the cruise line detailing plans on restarting operations in several countries outside the United States. Cruising is back, but not from the U.S.
Vision of the Seas to Homeport in Bermuda
Royal Caribbean has been busy behind the scenes with several recent new homeport announcements. And today, the cruise line revealed that Vision of the Seas would begin cruises out of Bermuda.
The ship will sail 7-night itineraries starting in June through August 2021. This will include an overnight in Bermuda along with a full day at Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, said:
“We are thankful to the government and people of Bermuda for welcoming us to their beautiful island nation with open arms as Vision of the Seas’ new homeport. This is another step in our safe and measured return to sailing beginning in June.”
“Travelers are eager to venture out gradually and start cruising again. By adding a second unique option to sail the Caribbean from a destination as rich and vibrant as Bermuda, we’re offering guests choice in how they can enjoy their well-deserved vacations this summer.”
Related: IDEAL Things to Do in Bermuda
The new summer itineraries will be open for bookings on Monday, March 29 and the first voyage will depart on June 26 out of the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda. The cruise line will only accept vaccinated guests and those with a negative test of under 18 years old.
Premier the Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP, Bermuda, said:
“Bermuda has safely and responsibly managed the reopening of its tourism economy by air, and we will meet the challenge of doing the same for the cruise industry. We look forward to homeporting Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas this June as part of the island’s strategic tourism recovery planning which, as always, is guided by science.”
A Shift Away From the U.S.
Royal Caribbean has made it clear that it’s not betting on the U.S. cruise industry opening up any time soon. The focus is well and truly on introducing new homeport options out of other countries such as Israel, the Bahamas and now, Bermuda. Even sister line Celebrity Cruises will homeport out of St. Maarten.
Also Read: The Cruise Industry Is Looking Elsewhere
As we get closer to Summer, the CDC is making the situation even more confusing, especially with the latest answers from the CDC Director in a recent senate hearing.
This might not be the end of new alternative homeports for Royal Caribbean. There have already been rumblings of Cozumel becoming a homeport, and there are plenty more Caribbean islands that would no doubt be happy to have more cruise ships to help their economy.
Cruising really is coming back, but not in the usual way. Domestic low-key sailings are the way to go at the moment. The UK has already announced its plan for allowing cruises to sail from May 17 but around the UK only.
More Cruise Lines out of Bermuda
In fact, just hours before this news came from Royal Caribbean, Cruise Hive reported on Bermuda becoming a possible homeport. Mr. W. Lawrence Scott, Minister of Transport has already confirmed that they are in discussions with other cruise lines too.
Now we know Vision of the Seas is one of those ships. We also know that there possibly another 900 passenger vessel that will homeport out of Bermuda. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Main Photo Credit: StudioPortoSabbia / Shutterstock.com
