FORM 6-K
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
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PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-16 OR 15d-16 OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of March, 2002
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ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
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1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, Florida 33132
(Address of principal executive offices)
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.]
Form 20-F x Form 40-F
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[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.]
Yes No x
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[If "Yes" is marked indicate below the file number assigned to the
registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-_____.]
Contact: Lynn Martenstein
(305) 539-6570
Michael Sheehan
(305) 539-6572
For Immediate Release
ROYAL CARIBBEAN AND CELEBRITY ANNOUNCE KEY APPOINTMENTS,
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DEDICATED SALES STAFF
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MIAMI -- March 11, 2002 -- Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises
announced two key appointments today and revealed plans to provide the Celebrity
brand with a dedicated sales staff. Jack Williams, president and chief operating
officer for both brands, named industry veterans Dietmar Wertanzl and Rod
McLeod, to two new posts created to build service quality and improve outreach
to travel agents. Williams also outlined the new sales organization, in which
Celebrity gains its own sales force to support its top-producing accounts.
Williams tapped Wertanzl to lead Celebrity's Fleet Operations, assigning
him responsibility for the brand's hotel and marine operations. Named senior
vice president of Fleet Operations, Wertanzl joins Celebrity from Crystal
Cruises, where he was senior vice president of Hotel Operations, and widely
credited with both elevating and cementing Crystal's luxury standing. Wertanzl's
appointment follows a 25-year career in high-end lodgings and travel, which
includes nine years at Crystal and six years at Royal Viking Line. He also was
involved in the initial start-up phase of Celebrity.
Williams named McLeod senior vice president of Travel Industry Relations,
giving him chief responsibility for liaising with travel agencies and supporting
travel agents' and clients' needs. McLeod returns to Royal Caribbean after a
six-year hiatus working elsewhere in the cruise industry. Most recently, McLeod
headed American Classic Voyages as president and chief operating officer.
Previously, he led a multiple-brand campaign for Carnival Corporation as senior
vice president of marketing for Carnival Corp.
"I am overjoyed that these two gentlemen are joining our team," Williams
said. "Individually, they are exceptional in their field, both recognized and
dedicated professionals. Together, they are a testament, I believe, to the
zealous commitment this company has to providing extraordinary service to our
guests and unparalleled support to our travel agents."
Wertanzl and McLeod were also enthusiastic about their new employer.
"I am honored to join this company and this management team," said
Wertanzl. "I am particularly pleased to be rejoining Celebrity, which has grown
significantly in size and stature. Having worked with other high-quality brands,
I know Celebrity has a tremendous product and the ability to further enhance its
reputation as the flagship of the premium cruise market."
"In returning to Royal Caribbean, I return to my first love," echoed
McLeod. "I actually grew up in this company and now I look forward to helping it
grow to its next level of excellence. And that level will only be achieved if we
continue to build strong relationships within the travel agency community."
Williams also outlined the new sales structure, which, for key accounts,
moves from a single sales force representing both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity
to separate sales personnel dedicated to each brand.
In describing how the new sales structure gives Celebrity a new voice and
new strength, Williams said, "With the launch of Constellation this spring, our
final Millennium-class ship, we will have completed the first phase of
Celebrity's growth plan. The brand is much larger and more established, and now
warrants its own independent sales voice in the agency community."
While some details of the new sales organization are not yet finalized,
Williams noted that smaller agencies would continue to be serviced by sales
staff representing both brands.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that
operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Celebrity
Tours. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have a combined total
of 22 ships in service and six under construction or on firm order. Royal
Celebrity Tours operates land-tour vacations in Alaska and Canada utilizing the
world's largest glass-domed railcars. Additional information can be found on
www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com or www.rclinvestor.com.
Contact: Lynn Martenstein or Erin Williams
(305) 539-6570 or (305) 539-6153
For Immediate Release
ROYAL CARIBBEAN PROVIDES "WAVE" UPDATE
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MIAMI - March 14, 2002 - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL) today
provided an update on the status of its bookings during "wave," the cruise
industry's strongest booking period. Following the tragedies of September 11,
bookings throughout the cruise industry were disrupted. In recent months, the
situation has begun to stabilize, allowing a clearer picture of likely booking
patterns.
As previously reported, booking volumes this year have been strong,
especially for close-in sailings. Pricing, although still behind last year's
levels, continues to improve. As a result, the company currently expects first
quarter yields (net revenue per available berth day) will be down approximately
7-8% on a year-over-year basis and that the earnings per share will be in the
range of $0.25 - $0.30.
Pricing in the second and third quarters, while also improving, is still
expected to be lower than pricing in 2001. In addition, yields for these two
quarters will be affected by the redeployment of four ships out of their
originally scheduled European itineraries to lower-yielding markets. Estimates
are that these redeployments will negatively affect second quarter yields by 2%
and third quarter yields by 4%. Therefore, current expectations are that the
yield change for the second and third quarters will also be down in the range of
7-8%.
"We are obviously pleased that the first quarter yields and earnings are so
much better than we originally anticipated," said Richard Glasier, executive
vice president and chief financial officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We
are also providing our first guidance on second and third quarter yields, based
on what we've seen so far during wave. However, the shift in demand to close-in
bookings means that visibility is lower than in prior years. This makes our
ability to project yields more difficult than in other years at this time. We
will be reporting our first quarter results at the end of April, and will give
another update then."
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that
operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Celebrity
Tours. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have a combined total
of 22 ships in service and six under construction. Royal Celebrity Tours
operates land-tour vacations in Alaska and Canada utilizing the world's largest
glass-domed railcars. Additional information can be found on
www.rclinvestor.com, www.royalcaribbean.com and www.celebritycruises.com.
Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements.
Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may
cause the actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in such
forward-looking statements. Such factors include general economic and business
conditions, changes in cruise industry competition, reduced consumer demand for
cruises as a result of any number of reasons, including armed conflict or
political instability, availability of air service, the delivery schedule of new
vessels, unplanned service outages of vessels, changes in interest rates or oil
prices and other factors described in further detail in Royal Caribbean's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The above examples may not
be exhaustive as we operate in a continually changing business environment, and
new risks emerge from time to time. We undertake no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
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Contact: Lynn Martenstein (305) 539-6573
Michael Sheehan (305) 539-6572
For Immediate Release
CELEBRITY CRUISES CANCELS SUMMIT, INFINITY SAILINGS
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MIAMI -- March 20, 2002 -- Celebrity Cruises will send two ships, Summit and
Infinity, into unscheduled drydocks March 29 and April 13, respectively, to
repair propulsion pods. Both ships are operating safely today but at a lower
cruising speed.
Summit will cancel a March 29 sailing from Fort Lauderdale, and an 11-night
cruise April 8 will be shortened to a seven-night sailing April 12. Guests on
the shorter voyage will receive a 50-percent refund.
Infinity will miss her April 13 and 20 sailings from San Juan. In addition,
Infinity will modify two itineraries. The April 6 sailing, originally a
roundtrip from San Juan, now will originate in San Juan and terminate in Fort
Lauderdale. The April 27 Transcanal sailing, originally from San Juan to San
Diego, now will operate from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego.
The problem with the pods involves ball-bearing units that are wearing out
prematurely. Consequently, ships must reduce their cruising speed, potentially
falling behind schedule on port calls. By making repairs as soon as possible,
Celebrity will avoid further changes in itineraries.
Both ships will be drydocked at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport,
Bahamas.
"Disrupting a guest's vacation experience is not the business we are in,
and this announcement is painful for all of us, " said Celebrity President and
Chief Operating Officer Jack Williams." The ships are operating safely, but
unless these repairs are made, we cannot guarantee the integrity of our
advertised itineraries."
Guests booked on the cancelled sailings will receive a full refund and a
voucher for a 50-percent discount on any seven- to 15-night Caribbean,
Transcanal or Hawaii cruise, originating before May 31, 2003, excluding
Christmas and New Year's 2002 sailings.
Travel agents will have their original full commission protected, plus a
$50 rebooking fee per booking when their clients reschedule their cruise.
Celebrity has established a special Help Desk to assist guests and travel
agents with rebooking, air transportation and other issues. That toll free
number is 1-888-305-4626.
The cancelled cruises are expected to have a negative impact on the earnings of
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. of $.06 per share.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that
operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Celebrity
Tours. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have a combined total
of 22 ships in service and six under construction or on firm order. Royal
Celebrity Tours operates land-tour vacations in Alaska and Canada utilizing the
world's largest glass-domed railcars. Additional information can be found on
www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com or www.rclinvestor.com.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
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(Registrant)
Date: April 1, 2002 By: /s/ BONNIE S. BIUMI
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Bonnie S. Biumi
Vice President and Treasurer