RCI's Miami comeback: a look at the line's new terminal

As it marks 50 years in 2018, Royal Caribbean is on the rise, with several major projects under construction.

In an exclusive interview with PAX, RCI’s National Accounts Manager Eric St-Pierre (better known as ‘Eric of the Seas’), shared details of the developments RCI has planned for its glittering Terminal A in Miami.

"50 years is a very interesting age for RCI. We announced a very ambitious plan in which we will build one new vessel per year over the next 10 years. We are even working on the creation of a new model of ships for 2022, the Icon class, whose size will be halfway between the Oasis and the Quantum, which are designed to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible.”

READ MORE: A closer look at Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas

A comeback in Miami

Having relocated some of its departures to other Florida ports (namely, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades) in recent years to better achieve their goals, Royal Caribbean is making a comeback in Miami.

"Miami is our home. Our head office is still there, so it went without saying. Coming back to the port of Miami with our next-generation, very large capacity ships makes us extremely proud."

But this big comeback does not mean a decline in capacity elsewhere in Florida. On the contrary, according to St-Pierre, who explained that with the operation of seven Oasis-class ships, both Miami and Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral will be at full capacity.

Boarding in 5 minutes

While Oasis class ships are exceeding expectations and breaking records, the operational management of 6,000 passengers is a challenge.

"When we started the Oasis class, it was important to make sure people did not wait too long when they checked in and boarded. With Port Everglades Terminal 18, it was done in 15 minutes."

In the age of facial recognition, the process is again reduced, this time to just a few minutes. The traditional check-in counters are gone ... and the long queues, too.

"People can upload a photo of themselves in their online profile; when they are at the terminal, they will only have to stop in front of a kind of mirror that will recognize them, to read their credit card to open their bill of expenditure on board ... it’s all done in five minutes.”

Terminal A

Already known as the "Miami Crown" because of its distinctive shape, it will have an area of 170,000 square feet. Few details are known about the equipment and services, except that it will be one of the architectural emblems not only of Miami but of the maritime world as a whole.

It is expected that work will be completed in October 2018.

Once construction of the new terminal is complete, it is expected that Royal Caribbean will fly at least 1.8 million passengers from the Port of Miami, representing 30 per cent of the port's projected passenger traffic.

Best-selling itineraries from Florida

Eastern Caribbean

"I believe that CocoCay will become a forward seller, just as Labadie was for our western routes. Having CocoCay on our itineraries in the Eastern Caribbean will generate a natural demand."

READ MORE: Royal Caribbean welcomes Symphony of the Seas, details private island plans

West Caribbean

"We will also add destinations like St. Kitts and even Punta Cana next winter! In addition, of all our Caribbean ports, Labadie is the port which gives the best satisfaction rate of all our destinations."

Southern Caribbean

"We have two ships from San Juan, a seasonal (Serenade of the Seas) and an annual (Freedom of the Seas). We have been operating from San Juan since December 2017 and everything is going well. Seven-night itineraries in the Southern Caribbean are gaining popularity among travellers who have already seen many of the more popular Caribbean destinations. They are taken to Martinique, Aruba overnight, even Bonaire and Curaçao, in conjunction with Labadie, for example. We really make an effort to offer different itineraries. And the consumer is looking for more and more."