In his latest message to travel advisors, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain says the company is focused on building stability to create the conditions for a strong 'Wave' selling season in early 2022.
As the "roller-coaster ride" of 2021 nears an end, Fain says the remainder of the year will be spent bringing ships back into service and trying to inject some normalcy and certainty to the business.
"By December, we want stability - none of the confusion and endless changes that we've been experiencing - and that is so frustrating to you and your clients," Fain said.
"By the end of this year, we want virtually all our ships to be operating and operating seamlessly in all of our key markets. Your clients need to know that we're back, and they need to know that the turmoil of the last 18 months is behind us."
The cruise industry restart has been positive in many ways, but it has also been confusing and disruptive, with health protocols changing from week to week, frequent cancellations of port calls and sailings and a general air of uncertainty.
"Every day seems to bring dramatic news of one kind or another. Some positive, some negative, but it's always dramatic," said Fain.
"We were despondent at the beginning of the year when the pandemic was at its height. Then we got excited when we started reopening in June and bookings matched our euphoria. Then came the delta variant which has caused such turmoil and hurt our bookings so much," Fain added.
"My personal view is that while some things will get better and some things will get worse, overall the trajectory remains firmly on course."
Fain says there are two overriding goals for the near-term.
"Key to our success in 2022 will be 'Wave' period. To have a good 'Wave,' we need to show that we go into (it) with a solid and stable operation. We're stepping up our marketing to prepare."
Another key goal, says Fain, is to "show in a tangible way" how safe cruising is with the many precautions and protocols taken by the industry.
"We're doing that today, not by theory, not by predictions, but by actual operations. We've carried over half a million guests and only had 141 cases amongst those 500,000 people. Because of our protocols there haven't been any big outbreaks. And the few cases we have seen have been managed quickly and effectively."
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