WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.379 Welcome to Cruise News, your daily update on 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:04.960 everything happening at sea. Visit cruisenews 00:00:04.960 --> 00:00:07.540 .io to see today's stories and sign up for email 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:11.220 alerts. Hello everyone, it is Monday, January 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:14.779 19, 2026. Hope you had a great weekend. I am 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:17.140 really excited for today's deep dive because 00:00:17.140 --> 00:00:20.960 we have a stack of stories that I think really... 00:00:21.339 --> 00:00:23.839 paints a picture of where the industry is heading. 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:25.760 It feels like we're looking at three completely 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:27.820 different facets of cruising today, doesn't it? 00:00:27.899 --> 00:00:29.620 It really does. So here's what we've got. First, 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:32.600 we are heading to China. Adore Cruises is putting 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:35.759 up numbers that are just staggering. They're 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:37.979 about to hit a huge passenger milestone and they're 00:00:37.979 --> 00:00:41.359 building this new flower themed mega ship. Almost 00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:43.399 entirely homegrown, which is the key part of 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:45.759 that story. Exactly. Then we're going to look 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:47.960 at Royal Caribbean International's Star of the 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:50.000 Seas. It's been out for a few months, but we're 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:51.880 learning it's basically a floating laboratory 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:54.659 for energy efficiency. And finally, we'll switch 00:00:54.659 --> 00:00:56.740 gears completely to something a little more, 00:00:56.759 --> 00:01:00.329 you know, tangible for the guest. Princess Cruises 00:01:00.329 --> 00:01:03.590 just took home a major global award for its food. 00:01:03.750 --> 00:01:07.189 Right, so quick tone check. I am caffeinated 00:01:07.189 --> 00:01:09.829 and ready to geek out on these ship specs. And 00:01:09.829 --> 00:01:12.069 I am ready to explain why supply chains are actually 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:14.329 the most exciting part of that first story. Of 00:01:14.329 --> 00:01:17.409 course you are. Okay, let's unpack this. Adora 00:01:17.409 --> 00:01:20.459 Cruises. If you haven't been watching the Asian 00:01:20.459 --> 00:01:22.780 market, you might have missed just how fast this 00:01:22.780 --> 00:01:25.040 is all moving. I mean, it's incredibly fast. 00:01:25.379 --> 00:01:27.579 We are talking about a cruise line that launched 00:01:27.579 --> 00:01:30.260 less than three years ago, and they are already 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:33.040 closing in on their one millionth passenger. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:35.819 Which is a massive number in that time frame. 00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:37.920 You know, to start a cruise line from scratch 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:40.980 and hit seven figures that quickly is, well, 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:42.920 it's practically unheard of. It is. According 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:45.599 to their CEO, Roger Chen, they've carried nearly 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.019 a million people on 300 voyages. And here's the 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:52.239 stat that just blew my mind. They now hold 43 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:54.819 percent of China's cruise capacity. And that 00:01:54.819 --> 00:01:57.140 43 percent figure is really the headline here, 00:01:57.180 --> 00:01:59.459 isn't it? It has to be. Yeah, because the conversation 00:01:59.459 --> 00:02:01.439 a few years ago was all about the big international 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:03.939 alliance moving ships into China. What we're 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:05.959 seeing now is that the Chinese rebound is being 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:08.860 built on domestic ships. It's a localized product. 00:02:09.099 --> 00:02:12.199 A completely localized product. And speaking 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.240 of that, let's talk about the hardware. They 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:16.620 have the Adora Mediterranean. Which was the old 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:19.120 custom Mediterranean. Right. And the Adora Magic 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.460 City. But the real news is about ship number 00:02:22.460 --> 00:02:25.569 three. The Adora Flora City. Yes, the Flora City. 00:02:25.750 --> 00:02:29.770 It's targeted for delivery this December in 2026. 00:02:30.310 --> 00:02:32.469 And they aren't just, you know, copying the last 00:02:32.469 --> 00:02:35.629 design. It's going to be 17 meters longer. And 00:02:35.629 --> 00:02:37.789 the atrium, the central hub of the ship, is going 00:02:37.789 --> 00:02:40.949 to be twice the size. With a design concept centered 00:02:40.949 --> 00:02:43.389 on flowers, which sounds lovely. But you mentioned 00:02:43.389 --> 00:02:45.449 something about the supply chain being the real 00:02:45.449 --> 00:02:48.370 story here. Oh, absolutely. So usually when we 00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:50.389 talk about building these massive ships, we're 00:02:50.389 --> 00:02:52.710 talking about a European supply chain. Italy, 00:02:53.110 --> 00:02:55.449 Germany, Finland. Right. All the big shipyards. 00:02:55.509 --> 00:02:58.150 Exactly. The glass, the furniture, the systems. 00:02:58.449 --> 00:03:00.849 It's all coming from Europe. But Adore is just 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:03.229 flipping that script entirely. For the Flores 00:03:03.229 --> 00:03:05.530 City, Chinese suppliers are expected to provide 00:03:05.530 --> 00:03:08.650 85 % of the interior components. Wait, say that 00:03:08.650 --> 00:03:13.569 again? 85 %? 85%. And you compare that to maybe 00:03:13.569 --> 00:03:17.310 10 % on their earlier ships. They are actively 00:03:17.310 --> 00:03:19.669 trying to reduce their reliance on international 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:24.310 suppliers from 90 % all the way down to 15%. 00:03:24.310 --> 00:03:26.759 Wow. This isn't just about building a ship. It's 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:29.300 about building an entire industrial ecosystem 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:32.919 inside China. So they are manufacturing the experience 00:03:32.919 --> 00:03:35.319 from the carpet up. It's a move toward total 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:37.819 self -sufficiency. It is. And that plays right 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:40.159 into their deployment strategy, too. The CEO 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:43.080 is calling it the 1314 strategy. I do love a 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:45.500 good corporate strategy name. What does 1314 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:47.740 actually mean? It's all focused on the Greater 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:51.759 Bay Area. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong. The 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:54.240 idea is to have a regional base with year -round 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:56.039 sailing. They're moving ships around to just 00:03:56.039 --> 00:03:57.919 blanket the area. So they're covering northeast 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:00.740 and south China. That's the goal. But they do 00:04:00.740 --> 00:04:02.979 face this one huge challenge, and it's demographics. 00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:05.680 Okay. Chen noted that China's population, age 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:09.159 60 and over, has hit 310 million people. 310 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:11.300 million. That's almost the population of the 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:14.300 entire United States. Exactly. And Chen's argument 00:04:14.300 --> 00:04:16.879 is that the industry just can't scale there without 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:19.069 getting those seniors on board. It's all about 00:04:19.069 --> 00:04:21.889 the silver economy. Which makes sense. But they 00:04:21.889 --> 00:04:23.589 are also going after them in a way I've never 00:04:23.589 --> 00:04:25.949 seen before. This is where it gets really interesting. 00:04:26.269 --> 00:04:28.930 We know booking windows in the West can be a 00:04:28.930 --> 00:04:32.019 year out. In China... It's one to three months. 00:04:32.100 --> 00:04:34.939 Super last minute. Very impulse driven. So to 00:04:34.939 --> 00:04:37.259 lean into that, they're using live streaming. 00:04:37.860 --> 00:04:42.920 Adora tested a 24 hour TikTok or Douyin live 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.660 stream sales campaign. Like a 24 hour infomercial. 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:48.819 Yes. On TikTok. And it reached six million viewers. 00:04:49.019 --> 00:04:51.519 They are literally selling cruise cabins like 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:53.620 influencers sell makeup. Well, it makes sense. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:55.560 If your booking window is that short, you need 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:58.040 these high volume instant sales channels like 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:00.360 WeChat. It's a completely different model. Okay, 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:02.360 let's move from the east to the west, specifically 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:04.500 to Port Canaveral. We have to talk about Royal 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:06.759 Caribbean International and the Star of the Seas. 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:10.519 The second icon class ship, a monster of a vessel. 00:05:10.660 --> 00:05:13.379 It is. It entered service last August. It's a 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:18.319 beast. 250 ,000 gross tons, 5 ,600 passengers. 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:21.300 But what's interesting is Royal Caribbean isn't 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:23.459 just calling it a vacation spot. They're calling 00:05:23.459 --> 00:05:26.430 it an efficiency testbed. Right. And this is 00:05:26.430 --> 00:05:28.610 so important because the criticism of these huge 00:05:28.610 --> 00:05:30.949 ships is always their environmental footprint. 00:05:31.310 --> 00:05:33.850 Royal Caribbean is using this ship to prove they 00:05:33.850 --> 00:05:35.970 can scale cleaner cruising. And they're putting 00:05:35.970 --> 00:05:39.060 numbers on it. Nick Rose, their VP of environmental 00:05:39.060 --> 00:05:42.259 programs, said the ship is about 24 % more efficient 00:05:42.259 --> 00:05:44.639 than the Oasis -class ships. Which is a huge 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.279 jump. Usually you're fighting for 1 or 2%. So 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.339 how are they doing it? I mean, it can't be just 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:51.600 one thing. No, it's a marginal gains approach. 00:05:51.779 --> 00:05:54.860 Yeah. But the big headliner is LNG liquefied 00:05:54.860 --> 00:05:57.000 natural gas. And they're storing this fuel at, 00:05:57.100 --> 00:05:59.899 what, minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit? And that 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:02.060 is the key. They aren't just letting the coldness 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.199 from that fuel dissipate when they turn it back 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:07.149 into a gas to be burned. actually capturing that 00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:09.350 cold energy. Wait, so they're using the fuel 00:06:09.350 --> 00:06:11.269 to help air condition the ship before they even 00:06:11.269 --> 00:06:13.970 burn it to move the ship? In simple terms, yes. 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:16.620 They're harvesting the physics of it. They're 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:19.220 also capturing waste heat from the engines. It's 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:21.819 about squeezing every single drop of energy out 00:06:21.819 --> 00:06:23.819 of the entire system. And they're getting really 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:27.100 sci -fi with the waste, too. I'm seeing microwave 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:29.680 -assisted paralysis here. It sounds like something 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:31.459 from Back to the Future, doesn't it? It really 00:06:31.459 --> 00:06:34.519 does. But my favorite bit of tech is actually 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:38.220 in the cabins, this low port mode energy system. 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:40.519 Oh, the automation. This is brilliant because 00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:43.079 it solves a human behavior problem. Yeah. You 00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:44.600 know how you have to stick... your key card in 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:46.839 the slot by the door to keep the lights on. And 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:48.779 people just jam a business card in there so the 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:52.660 AC stays on all day. So wasteful. Right. Well, 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:55.399 Star of the Seas uses machine learning. It just 00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:58.079 knows when you leave the room, it powers down 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:00.639 the lights and HVAC automatically. It doesn't 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:02.420 need a key card. And that's where the industry 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:05.339 is heading, taking the human error out of energy 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:09.560 saving. We should also mention the water. It 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:12.389 produces 100 % of its own fresh water. And this 00:07:12.389 --> 00:07:14.550 isn't happening in a vacuum. I mean, Princess 00:07:14.550 --> 00:07:17.589 Cruises launched the LNG -powered Star Princess 00:07:17.589 --> 00:07:20.790 last year. Disney has new ships coming online. 00:07:21.310 --> 00:07:24.250 Everyone is upgrading. They have to. The regulations 00:07:24.250 --> 00:07:27.310 are getting tighter. And frankly, fuel is expensive. 00:07:27.889 --> 00:07:30.329 Efficiency isn't just about being green. It's 00:07:30.329 --> 00:07:32.850 about protecting the bottom line. That's true. 00:07:33.069 --> 00:07:36.050 OK, so we've got the Chinese flower ship. We've 00:07:36.050 --> 00:07:39.579 got the high -tech energy lab. Let's talk about 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:41.579 something a little closer to the stomach. The 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:44.660 Royal Princess. Yes. Princess Cruises just took 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:48.000 home a huge award. The Royal Princess was named 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:51.800 World's Best Culinary Cruise Ship for 2025 at 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:53.959 the World Culinary Awards. And this is a big 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.160 deal because the voters are a mix. It's culinary 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:59.160 pros, industry folks, and, you know, regular 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:01.980 consumers. It's a real validation. So why did 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:03.740 they win? What's happening in the dining rooms 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:06.069 that's so different? I think it signals that 00:08:06.069 --> 00:08:08.009 cruise lines are finally succeeding at selling 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:10.730 dining as the destination itself. They're moving 00:08:10.730 --> 00:08:13.189 away from the giant dining hall concept toward 00:08:13.189 --> 00:08:16.069 these specialized chef -led experiences. Okay, 00:08:16.110 --> 00:08:17.769 let's run through the menu because reading this 00:08:17.769 --> 00:08:19.970 made me hungry. First, you have the Crown Grill. 00:08:20.069 --> 00:08:22.689 That's their signature steakhouse. Premium aged 00:08:22.689 --> 00:08:27.209 beef, seafood, open kitchen. A classic, but executed 00:08:27.209 --> 00:08:31.089 perfectly. Then, Alfredo's Pizzeria, which has 00:08:31.089 --> 00:08:34.159 been voted best pizza at sea. And it features 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:37.100 pizzas by Chef Tony Gimignani. And if you know 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:39.580 pizza, that name means something. He's a world 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:42.220 pizza champion. They didn't just find a recipe. 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:44.559 They brought in a master. That's the difference. 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:47.559 Then there's Sabatini's Italian Trattoria. They've 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:50.000 partnered with the Frescobaldi wine family for 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.299 pairings. Again, it's not just Italianite. It's 00:08:53.299 --> 00:08:55.919 a curated event that could stand on its own on 00:08:55.919 --> 00:08:58.379 land. And for the really fancy night, there's 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:00.799 the chef's table Lumiere, where you dine inside 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:03.200 a curtain of light. Very theatrical. And they 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.600 have a Caymus winemaker's dinner, too. It seems 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:07.519 like they're targeting every type of foodie. 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:10.639 They are. And notice the itineraries. Royal Princess 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:13.440 is sailing from Los Angeles to Mexico and California, 00:09:13.700 --> 00:09:16.440 and then it's moving to Alaska. regions with 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:19.399 strong culinary identities. That geography really 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:21.679 matters. It does. They're aligning the award 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:23.740 -winning food with the local sourcing opportunities. 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:27.100 It's very smart. So if you're a foodie, it sounds 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:29.440 like Royal Princess is the ship to beat right 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:31.779 now. It definitely sets a high bar. Okay, so 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:34.120 let's just recap what we've learned today. We 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:38.080 have Adora Cruises in China building a self -sufficient 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:41.899 ecosystem with a new mega ship and a hyper -local 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:44.799 supply chain. A move that could honestly change... 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:47.519 global shipbuilding dynamics. Then we have Royal 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:51.679 Caribbean's Star of the Seas, basically a floating 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:54.179 computer using machine learning to get more efficient. 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:56.519 Proving that the biggest ships can actually be 00:09:56.519 --> 00:09:58.740 the most efficient per passenger. And finally, 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:01.019 Princess Cruises, proving you can win global 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:03.279 awards by focusing on the details of what's on 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:05.440 the plate. Proving that the way to a passenger's 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.720 loyalty is still through a really, really good 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:10.360 slice of pizza and a great glass of wine. It's 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:12.759 fascinating. And here's a final thought for you 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:14.799 to chew on. We talked about Adore's strategy 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:17.179 of hyper -localizing its fleet and its supply 00:10:17.179 --> 00:10:20.740 chain in China. My question is, how long until 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:23.840 we see that China model get exported? We see 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:26.879 it with electric vehicles. If Chinese shipyards 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:29.720 can build these ships with 85 % local parts, 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:32.320 cheaper and faster than Europe, how long until 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:34.480 a Western cruise line orders their next mega 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:36.779 ship from Shanghai? That is the multi -billion 00:10:36.779 --> 00:10:39.080 dollar question, isn't it? If the quality matches 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:41.639 the price, the whole center of gravity for shipbuilding 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:43.620 could shift east for good. Something to watch. 00:10:44.259 --> 00:10:46.559 That is all for today's Deep Dive. Thanks for 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:49.059 listening to Cruise News. Visit cruisenews .io 00:10:49.059 --> 00:10:51.059 to catch up on the latest updates and sign up 00:10:51.059 --> 00:10:52.000 for free email alerts.