Could Royal Caribbean sell more ships? It's not off the table
Royal Caribbean Group might not be done selling ships.
The parent company of the world's largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean, as well as Celebrity Cruises and Silversea, is taking an "opportunistic" approach to ship sales as it navigates the unprecedented shutdown of most of its operations worldwide, one of the company's top executives said this week.
The company already has reduced the capacity of its 26-ship Royal Caribbean fleet by selling two older ships in December, and just last month it sold its entire three-ship Azamara brand to a private equity company, Sycamore Partners.
"This opportunity came our way here with Sycamore [that] gives Azamara an opportunity to grow, and I think ... it'll do quite well under ... this other venture," Royal Caribbean Group CFO Jason Liberty noted this week during a conference call with Wall Street analysts. "Moving into other ship sales and so forth, we remain opportunistic."
Liberty suggested that Royal Caribbean was looking hard at how the company should be positioned when it comes to ship numbers and types when the year-long shutdown to most cruising worldwide finally ends.
"We have really tried to be opportunistic and strategic and look at ... how do we want to prioritize, whether it's how we're investing or how we're supporting on our resource base."
Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises
Royal Caribbean Group has had to raise billions of dollars to stay afloat over the past year as most of its ships remained idle. It's losing hundreds of millions of dollars per month. But Liberty suggested that the ship sales the company has done weren't so much about raising cash as about setting up the company's brands for success in a post-coronavirus world.
"I think we need to remember that, pre-pandemic, all of these ships generated quite a bit of cash flow and so ... for us, typically, the tests on [whether to sell a ship] is a little bit less about the cash that we would receive," he said. "It's more strategic on whether we think this ship, whether in its current state or through some moderate investment, is something that fits our brands."
Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean
With the sale of two ships in December, Royal Caribbean Group's Royal Caribbean brand now has 24 ships. Its Celebrity brand has 12 ships. The Silversea brand has nine vessels.
That's 45 ships in all at wholly-owned Royal Caribbean brands, down from 50 just a few months ago.
Royal Caribbean Group also owns a 50% stake in two German lines, TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, that together own 13 more vessels.
Liberty didn't say which ships the company might be willing to sell in the coming months if the right offer came around. But typically cruise lines only sell their oldest, least-efficient vessels.
The oldest vessels in the fleets of the Royal Caribbean brands include the four Vision Class ships at Royal Caribbean (unveiled between 1996 and 1998) and Silversea's Silver Wind, Silver Cloud and Silver Explorer (all built between 1989 and 1995).
Related: Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean cabins
The two Royal Caribbean ships the company sold in December -- Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas -- were built in 1990 and 1992. The three Azamara ships the company sold date to 2000 and 2001.
Liberty noted that the Azamara ships were less efficient when it comes to costs on a per passenger basis than the average vessel in the Royal Caribbean fleet due to their small size. The three ships hold just 700 passengers each.
The sale was "[good] on the cost standpoint because, you know, [Azamara's] ships were smaller [and] for spreading of costs were not as efficient," Liberty told the Wall Street analysts on the call.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.