the whole project could have been put
OASIS III?
Royal Caribbean International’s chairman
on ice.
Nevertheless, while RCCL is not in any hur-
and CEO Richard Fain has commented that
Still, before the global recession there
ry to build new Oasis-class vessels, it has
larger doesn’t mean less personalised, but
was little reason to fear any setbacks. Af-
opted to make its other assets a lot more
instead the ability to make it more person-
ter all, up to that point worldwide cruising
like the two superstars of the fleet. “Oa-
alised. Against this backdrop, it is hard to
had grown annually to the tune of 7 % for
sisation” process of older ships, such as
imagine that RCCL has scrapped the plans
the previous 20 years. After recession hit,
Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the
for new Oasis vessels altogether – but the
however, cruise lines had to fill their ves-
Seas, has already started as RCCL will re-
comeback of the giants may not be in the
sels by offering steep price discounts. The
load the ships with a number of key inno-
cards until the 2020’s.
world bounced back from recession – on-
vations from Oasis.
ly to face the threat of another plunge, as
it seems right now.
42
seatec 1/2012
Will the Oasis twins be joined by
more siblings sometime in the future?
SAMI J. ANTEROINEN