Since it returned to sailing in July 2021 after a roughly 16-month shutdown, Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) has focused mostly on two things -- getting people on board and returning operations to normal as quickly as was safely possible.
It has been incredibly successful with both of those. The cruise company's namesake line has been sailing close to or above capacity for the past quarter and that should only improve with the holiday season. In addition, aside from seeing some passengers and crew still wear masks in certain situations, cruising on a Royal Caribbean ship has fully returned to prepandemic normal.
These are major accomplishments, but now that they have been achieved, Royal Caribbean has turned its attention to other priorities. That's a big positive for the cruise line (and its shareholders) but it's likely to lead to some 2023 changes that passengers won't be thrilled with.
Image source: Royal Caribbean
1. Prices Probably Will Be Higher
When the goal was simply getting people onto its ships, Royal Caribbean used low pricing as a draw. That paid off as ships filled up and precruise and onboard spending was higher than it was in 2019, before the pandemic.
Now, Royal Caribbean believes it can raise ticket prices, President Michael Bayley told TheStreet.
"I am more optimistic about pricing now than I'd been before. I think we've seen ourselves, our load factors are back, our bookings are solid, and our pricing is recovering," Bayley said.
That does not mean every cruise in 2023 will cost more. In a broad sense, newer ships and holiday sailings come at the highest prices while there may still be excellent deals on older ships or non-peak sailings.
And older, it should be noted, does not mean sacrificing a lot. The Oasis of the Seas may lack a few of the bells and whistles that the newest Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, offers, but it's still a very comparable experience.
2. Main Dining Room Menus Will Shrink
Royal Caribbean in November began testing some main dining room changes on Symphony of the Seas. That included offering slimmer menus that don't include the "classics" section that's currently offered every single night.
That section offered a few basic items -- New York strip steak, spaghetti bolognese, a basic chicken, and a few others. Dropping it takes away a key option for people who aren't that daring or those that simply like simple and familiar.
The cruise line has said it's making the move to simplify service, cut waste, and speed up the dining process. Royal Caribbean has not released the new menus, but each night will have a theme like "Italian" or "Mexican" with the chef's recommendations appearing at the top of the menu.
While the reasons behind the changes make sense, at the end of the day passengers will have fewer choices. The revised menus will begin rolling out in January but may not hit the full fleet until the end of the year.
3. Beverage Packages, Internet Likely to Cost More
Royal Caribbean uses variable pricing for its Deluxe Beverage Package, which makes it hard to know exactly when the cruise line has raised prices. Prices for the unlimited-beverage offer have been broadly higher for the past year and there's no reason to expect that to change.
Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), which have fixed beverage package prices, both raised their prices toward the end of 2022. Royal Caribbean's increase may not be as clear (or as absolute) but the trend is clearly higher.
Royal Caribbean has also been installing Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink internet on its entire fleet. That will improve internet speeds for passengers, which could come with a price increase. The cruise line has not commented on any potential price increase, but better service generally comes with a higher price.
