Royal Caribbean to focus on luxury

That was the message from Ben Bouldin, associate vice-president and managing director for the UK and Ireland, who told TTG he believed investment in luxury cabins and the creation of the line’s double-floor Ultimate Family Suite, set to debut onboard Symphony of the Seas this year, emphasised its high-end offering.

“It’s very easy to pigeonhole Royal as the family brand that’s got loads of cool, exciting activities and innovations, and I think people forget that you can go and have a very high-end experience onboard our ships,” he said.

“I don’t think there are many lines in the world that give you that [amount of] square footage with that dynamic feel and have you within arm’s reach of such a world of entertainment – we just have to do more to promote it.”

The Ultimate Family Suite was shown during the line’s pre-launch tour of Symphony, which when completed will feature a Lego wall, slide, 3D television, gaming table and hot tub.

Royal Caribbean said the suite had sold out for this year. “Now we can show what it looks like, we’re in a much better place to build a proper training programme around it,” Bouldin added.