If necessity is the mother of invention, Icon of the Seas has a lot of children.

Royal Caribbean designed Icon as a "white paper cruise ship", which means it was build from start with no pre-conceived notions or basis on other ships.

In developing the ship, new ideas for Icon required changes and improvements to Royal Caribbean's standard operating procedure on other ships. As a result, a number of innovations and improvements came out of the process.

The ship's cutting-edge advances were heralded by Heather Bishop, VP, Digital Product at Royal Caribbean Group, and Jennifer Goswami, Director Product Development at Royal Caribbean Group. Both spoke at Seatrade Global conference in Miami earlier this week.

In recounting what makes Icon different, we counted 14 different improvements Royal Caribbean came up with just for Icon of the Seas.

Chat with Guest Services in the app

Making it easier for passengers is an overarching goal with these improvements, starting with giving guests a way to bypass the Guest Service line.

Within the Royal Caribbean app, guests can chat directly with Guest Services.

Before you get an officer, you'll first interact with an AI Bot, that can help answer the common questions guests want to know, like "What can my SeaPass do?" and "How do I access Wi-Fi?".

The "Human in the Loop"  features adds the ability to connect you to an actual agent, without having to physically visit Guest Services. 

Read more: Royal Caribbean's clever idea using AI to get help on the world's largest cruise ship

No photo kiosks

You'll notice there are no photo kiosks on Icon of the Seas, because everything is handled within the Royal Caribbean app.

Traditionally, there was a photo area to go and view all the photos you took with the ship's photographers.  That area has been repurposed for something else, and instead, you can view photos within the Royal Caribbean app.

"We were analyzing where there were points in the vacation where guests kind of had to stop what they were doing," Ms. Bishop explained. "One of those is typically towards the end of the sailing, as they've accumulated photos, they would have to go down to the kiosk. And so there was a large crowd of people at the kiosk towards the end of the vacation."

Moreover, the team felt most people wanted their photos on their phone to be able to easily share with friends and family. By removing the kiosks and making it digital, you could eliminate lines and get people what they ultimately want.

Another traditional kiosk that's been removed are the shore excursion kiosks.

Taking away that space allows for a larger Royal Promenade, which is one of the nice ancillary benefits many guests note with Icon.

Destination elevators

One of the most noticeable improvements is how efficient the elevators are on Icon of the Seas, thanks to the destination elevators.

"Elevators, while kind of not always the flashiest of technology, have been an absolute smash hit for Icon," Ms. Goswami stated.

"When you're waiting outside of an elevator for three, four, five minutes, we call them microwave minutes where they feel like the longest minute of your life," she said.

Instead of pressing a button to wait for an elevator, guests push a button for which floor they want to go to and are assigned an elevator.

The change improves upon a problem that has plagued all cruise ships, and Royal Caribbean knew they couldn't go with traditional elevators on a ship planned to be even larger than the Oasis Class ships.

Read more: Icon of the Seas vs other Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Aquadome

Royal Caribbean sought to create a neighborhood on Icon that "evolves throughout the day", and the Aquadome is the result they came up with.

Encompassing more than 33,000 square meters and extending from Deck 14 to 20, the AquaDome neighborhood is truly one-of-a-kind. 

"We wanted to have one space that feels completely different at 9 a.m. versus 9 p.m.," Ms. Goswami explained.

"When you walk into the Aquadome during the day, you hear the waterfall we have. All of our technology is actually off intentionally because we really want it to be a quiet space."

"As the day transitions, we really turn it on. It comes to life. It feels like a different space."

Overhead is the dome itself, and it weighs 367 tons and is comprised of 12 different modules that are made of steel, glass, and aluminum panels.

Though projection mapping isn’t new, they’ve enhanced it during Aquatheather shows.

"We've added so much more flexibility to create our entertainment programs within the Aquadome, because it's now an enclosed space."

Stateroom attendant app

One focus on Icon was providing crew members with products to help them be more efficient and provide better service.

A new stateroom attendant app replaces the pads of paper they would traditionally carry around to track their progress between cabins. 

"Now we have an application for them that they can use to keep track of what rooms have been cleaned, and they get an alert if our guests have requested an item for their stateroom," Ms. Bishop said.

Guests can scan a QR code in their stateroom to indicate if they need additional towels, if there's an issue with the plumbing in their room, and that will send an alert to the stateroom attendant app, and they'll be able to provide service right away. This avoids having guests trying to flag down their stateroom attendant, or trying to find a phone to contact somebody.

Express boarding

Royal Caribbean has been working on making the embarkation process as easy as possible, and Icon of the Seas offers an express boarding option.

If you complete all the pre-embarkation check-in steps via the Royal Caribbean app, you'll get an enhanced SetSail Pass that gets you through the check-in process even faster.

Read more: Royal Caribbean check-in process

To qualify for it, you need to do the following within the Royal Caribbean app (not the website):

• Scan your passport (don't manually enter it)
• Take a selfie photo
• Enter all the personal information, including a credit card
• Complete the health questionnaire

Then when you at the terminal ,you can go through our express boarding lanes.

Port agents with iPads

Speaking of a faster embarkation process, the port agents within the cruise terminal are now given iPads to help speed up the boarding process.

With up to 7600 guests coming through the terminal on embarkation day, the last thing Royal Caribbean wanted was people going up to a counter and forming lines.

These iPads can be used to view guest information, make updates, and get them checked-in.

"It also gives us the flexibility to move around and move the flow of guests around in the terminal," Ms. Bishop said.

Read more: 30 cruise ship embarkation day do’s and don’ts

Apple Pay

Something else new in the app is the ability to use Apple Pay and the ability to store up to four credit cards in a wallet.

"If you're laying in bed at night, like most of us probably do, thumbing through on your phone, dreaming about your vacation, now you don't have to get up to go find your credit card if you want to book a shore excursion or buy a beverage package, it's all right there in a couple of taps and really easy to do."

Virtual queues

Eliminating lines was something Royal Caribbean was targeting on Icon, and another area of improvement is for lines at NextCruise.

"Oftentimes, that area gets busy towards the end of the sailing, and so Jennifer's team looked at, how do we create this amazing, amazing lounge space for our company?"

The fix was to create a virtual queue, so if it does get busy (especially at the end of a sailing), the team working there can put guests into a virtual queue.

"You can relax comfortably in the chair with your drink and wait for your name to appear at the top of the board until you're until it's your turn."

"For you" section in the app

Something else you might notice within the Royal Caribbean app is a new button labeled "For You", and it makes personalized recommendations for things like shore excursions, beverage packages, onboard activities, etc.

It does things like suggest a beverage package if you haven't purchased one, or create shore excursion recommendations.

In addition, there are better push notifications in the app on Icon.

"If you're getting close to your vacation, we offer great deals, great cruise, and we don't want you to miss out on that. So we're doing a lot of personalization around our push notifications as well."

Leveraging AI

Artificial intelligence isn't new to Royal Caribbean, but it's being used more on Icon of the Seas.

"We've been using AI for things like food waste to make sure that we are doing modeling to make sure that we have enough food to keep our guests full and happy, but also reducing waste and not over, over ordering food," Ms. Bishop said.

Read more: How 6,000 Meals a Day Are Made on the World's Largest Cruise Ship

"We also use AI and generative AI now in our customer self-service... in order to provide the most efficient service for our guests, we want to get them the quickest answer as possible."

In short, it helps get guests answers to basic questions like hours of operation, or schedule of events.

Digitalized departure

The app on Icon of the Seas also helps make getting off the ship on the final morning easier.

Guests can make a departure time request within the app, and then they will see when it's their turn to depart the ship in the app.

Read more: 8 reasons to get off your ship as early as possible on disembarkation day

A better pool experience

Not everything new on Icon has to do with technology. One focal point for this ship was to provide more connectivity to the ocean.

In the planning process, Ms. Goswami's team discovered in their research passengers felt cruise ships didn't provide much of a way to enjoy the ocean, "One of the most fundamental things that I think caught everybody off guard was that guests, while they're on the ocean, don't feel connected to the ocean."

"So you will see that now, even from the Royal Promenade all the way up, you can see the water."

In addition, the team made another change compared to what you might find on the Oasis Class ships. Icon has a centralized hub for the pools.

"We also pushed our pools outward so that you can see the water while being in the water, but also creating different kinds of experiences."

"We do have one large pool when you want a party. We have smaller pools when you don't feel like a party. We've created different experiences that you can have across seven days."

A true crew neighborhood

Another important innovation for Icon was giving crew members a better experience.

Royal Caribbean centralized what crew members need while working and living onboard Icon, "They don't need to leave and go all the way aft for an experience. Everything that they have, their cafe, the food, the bars, they're all forward," Ms. Goswami described.

Royal Caribbean worked with crew members to better understand their needs and come up with what would benefit them.

Read more: Photos show the secret crew-only areas on Icon of the Seas

It's been an eventful 2025-2026 deployment season with many ships changing places and regions, and that trend continues with the new Australia plans.

Royal Caribbean released its latest deployment with 45 long and short cruises during the 2025-2026 season from Australia.

There will be two ships down under, with Anthem of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.

New arrival

Anthem of the Seas will sail from Australia for the first time when she calls Sydney her homeport.

The ship will offer a range of 3- to 18-night cruises to New Zealand, around Australia, and to the islands of the South Pacific.

Royal Caribbean is also going to offer more short cruises on Anthem when she arrives in Australia. There are five 2- to 4-night coastal cruises meant to be easy getaways.

There is also a 5-night getaway that visits Hobart, Australia.

The longer cruises will satisfy the needs of anyone that wants to explore more. There are 9- to 12-night cruises to New Zealand, including a pair of festive 9- and 11-night sailings for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

A returning favorite

Voyager of the Seas will come back to Australia in December 2025 and feature a stop in a new port of call, Luganville, Vanuatu.

Voyager's itineraries include 7- to 9-night cruises to Noumea, New Caledonia, and Port Vila, Luganville and Mystery Island, Vanuatu, which includes two 8- and 9-night cruises over Christmas and the New Year.

There are also longer 12-night sailings from Singapore to Australia in December. These sailings will visit places such as Benoa, Bali, and Darwin and Airlie Beach, Australia. Plus, there are as many as 10 shorter 4-, 6- and 7-night trips that visit Airlie Beach and Cairns, Australia.

Wiggly sailings

For the families out there, look for a series of Wiggly Cruises.

There will be six new Wiggly Cruises that are part of a new partnership between Royal Caribbean and The Wiggles.

The sailings are between November 2025 and April 2026 and feature the Wiggly Friends, which are a group of secondary characters in The Wiggles. 

Young kids and their loved ones can look forward to character events, live concerts, exclusive Royal Caribbean x The Wiggles merchandise and more.   

Open for booking now

The new 2025-2026 cruises are available to book immediately on Royal Caribbean's website or through your travel agent. 

One more deployment left

The 2025-2026 deployment season is coming to a close, with just one more deployment left to announce.

During the week of May 13, 2024, Royal Caribbean will reveal its Singapore sailings between October 2025 - April 2026.

The Royal Caribbean rumor mill has churned out a few intriguing possibilities this week.

In reviewing new trademark applications that Royal Caribbean has made with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, there's a few related the line's customer loyalty program that might indicate new options coming soon.

Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean filed a series of trademark applications for words and phrases that reference it's intended for the customer loyalty program.

Trademark applications are notoriously vague, but they give a general indication of which aspect of the business the word or phrase is intended for.

To be clear, Royal Caribbean hasn't announced anything related to this, and this post is merely speculating at a possible offering coming in the near future.

Trademarks for customer loyalty

A few of the trademarks are centered around being intended for customer loyalty program.

"Royal Rewards" and "Royal One" were registered on April 8, and they are described as, "trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of customer loyalty services and customer club services, for commercial, promotional and/or advertising purposes."

Another two terms were trademarked related to customer loyalty.

"Anchored", "Aspire" and "Boundless" were also registered on April 8, and, "intended to cover the categories of customer loyalty services and customer club services, for commercial, promotional and/or advertising purposes."

The last two terms are "Flagship Rewards" and "Flagship" and are described as, "intended to cover the categories of customer loyalty services and customer club services, for commercial, promotional and/or advertising purposes."

Royal Caribbean already has a customer loyalty program with its Crown & Anchor Society, which offers benefits for repeat cruisers.

There are six tiers to the program, with some of the best benefits coming at the upper echelon of the program, with complimentary drinks, free WiFi access, and even a free cruise.

There is also a casino rewards program for passengers who gamble in the ship's casino. The Casino Royale program also has multiple tiers that offer complimentary drinks in the casino, discounted and complimentary cruises, and other additional benefits.

Read more: I gambled enough in Royal Caribbean's casino to get free drinks and a cruise

These new terms may or may not have any relationship to the existing Crown and Anchor society or Casino Royale programs. 

Moreover, it could refer to a brand new program for something else completely.

Royal Caribbean has openly talked about the idea of merging its loyalty program with sister cruise line Celebrity Cruises.

Nothing has been announced, but Celebrity Cruises indicated there's an opportunity for combining the program.

Andrea Shay, AVP of Loyalty for Celebrity Cruises, took the reign on this question, responding by saying, "I'm so glad that this question came up, and it's something that members are asking for."

"We have some status match between the brands today, but there's such a huge opportunity for us to do more and really take advantage of the connection and us being part of the same family."

According to Shay, the status match doesn't thread the three Royal Caribbean Group brands together, so they're working with their sister brands. Hopefully, more will be revealed in the coming months. 

Online marketplace

There was one other trademark filed on April 8 that doesn't appear to be related to customer loyalty, but is equally intriguing.

"Royal Xclusive" has the following description:

"Trademark is intended to cover the categories of provision of an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of goods and services; retail store services; online retail store services; retail and online retail store services featuring a wide variety of consumer and commercial goods; Advertising; Advertising services; Online advertising services; providing product sales information; providing product sales rankings information; providing consumer product information; providing a website featuring ratings, reviews, and recommendations on products and services for commercial purposes posted by users."

Too early to know what it all means

These new trademarks are something to keep in mind, but far from any kind of announcement or confirmation of a change.

Royal Caribbean often files trademarks in batches, just in case they want to use the names later.  In many cases, they register a few trademarks with the idea they will end up using just one of them. Cruise ship names are often trademarked in this fashion as well.

As the cruise industry stands on the merits of multiple quarters of financial success, cruise line executives see a lot of reason for even better days ahead.

Speaking at Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami, Florida, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty joined a panel of other CEOs during the keynote "State of the Global Cruise Industry" session to share insight into where cruising is going next.

The overarching theme for the keynote is cruise lines see many opportunities ahead.

Trends favoring taking a cruise

Mr. Liberty sees good times ahead for the cruise industry, thanks to secular and demographic trends that are favoring going on a cruise.

Thanks to a very healthy U.S. consumer, Mr. Liberty thinks so many data points are leaning in the direction of cruises.

"The appreciation for building memories with your friends and family coming out of Covid is at extraordinarily high levels of cruise."

In addition, he talked about the wealth transfer going on between generations, "Grandparents wanting to see that wealth transfer live, watching their kids and their grandkids experience that is also at all time highs."

He seemed to agree a lot with Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein's outlook on state of the cruise product, "we have evolved our product and our experiences to be at the very forefront of what our different customers and their different segments are looking to achieve."

One interesting statistic mentioned was there was 30.7 million people cruise passengers last year, and Mr. Liberty said about a third of them were brand new to a cruise ship.

"And you think about 10 million new people, coming in and will that number will grow each and every year. They are 4 or 5 times more likely to cruise again once they've had the experience."

Ambitions to do more private destinations

One question asked of Mr. Liberty was for an update on destination developments.

While he did not announce anything, he did allude to the idea that Royal Caribbean wants to offer more of those experiences, "I think for us, between the Royal Beach Club and Perfect Days, we have ambitions to do more of that."

"It's by far our highest rated experience that happens on land and that connected to other destination visits to other places is what's winning for us."

People that go on a cruise want a story

Mr. Liberty thinks people are going on a cruise not just for the typical vacation reasons, but to be able to share a humble brag when they get home.

"Our guests want to walk away with a story and they want to build a story," Mr. Liberty explained during the keynote.

"They're less focused on city tours. They're more focused on those kind of immersive culinary experiences that might happen on land, and then they want to build memories on the ships."

Pushing the experience with innovation

When the topic of innovation within the cruise industry came up, all eyes turned to Mr. Liberty because of the early wins on Icon of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's first Icon Class ship has been a major innovation, setting a new standard for a family vacation and it was clear all the executives knew it too.

First and foremost, Royal Caribbean wants to ensure they are matching their customers' needs, "we all, I think, do is meeting our guests on the experiences that they're looking to deliver. Also meeting our guests when we think about in the dreaming and booking process, how do we take friction out of that customer experience, which I think is very important."

He also says while not necessarily super innovative, the progress with their land projects stands out, "you're seeing more immersiveness because the guests expectations of what their vacation experience should be like has broadened."

"If you want to compete with land, you want to take that share, and you need to have a product from end to end. You need to have an experience from dreaming to delivering that matches those expectations."

Nuclear power and the future of cruise ship fuels

How to make cruise ships more sustainable was a big topic of the keynote, with each executive talking about the challenges facing them. Supply of a next-gen fuel source seemed to be the overarching issue.

There are a number of options to help their cause, but cruise ships needs more options from suppliers. Shore power, marine bio fuels, and hydrogen are all options but severely lacking in availability.

Mr. Liberty pointed to the U.S. power grid as improving, but he wants more from it, "getting access to green sourcing, like nuclear as an example for shore power, we think is an important thing."

More importantly, he wants better access to cleaner fuel sources, "I think the key thing is bringing forward in the US to have those fuel sources, whether it's a green methanol or LNG, etc., available to us at the ports of call that we that we access and most of our bunkering takes place."

With reliable supply, then cruise ships can truly prepare for the future, "how do we make sure that when we come in and we fuel, we bunker our fuels, that those fuels are going to be available to us? And once we know that, then we can think about how do we retrofit our ships or what other actions can we be taking on the newer ships to get them ready to take on those alternative fuels into the future?"

Demand for China

When asked about future plans for China, Royal Caribbean Group has Spectrum of the Seas ready to go there now, with Anthem of the Seas going there in 2025.

Mr. Liberty said his company is "thoughtfully growing" in the Chinese market in order to return to their position there pre-2020.

"They are continuing to look for a Western experience that has the fine details of their Chinese culture and culinary etc. and we're all collectively very good at putting that together."

"We see very kind of prosperous future there, but we're going into it with a measured approach."

Ever since Brightline started offering train service between Orlando and South Florida, I've been hooked.

Not having to take the mind-numbing boring drive rife with traffic and slow downs is worth it every time, and I've become a convert to the train. I've taken at least a half dozen roundtrip rides, and it's an incredible innovation for anyone looking to get between the two areas.

Read more: I Rode on Brightline, Florida's New High-Speed Train

While I won't ever go back to driving myself, I did make one big change in how I approach my plans.

I started off always booking the Premium seats, but tried the economy Smart seats and don't see a good reason to go back.

Premium vs Smart tickets

Brightline has two classes of seats: Premium and Smart.  Think of them as business class and economy.

A Smart ticket gets you leather seats, complimentary WiFi and multiple power and USB connections at each seat.

Premium service adds complimentary snacks and beverages (including alcoholic beverages) and access to a Premium Lounge. Snacks and drinks are included both on the train and in the Premium Lounge.

In addition, the Premium car has a row of single seats, whereas the Smart cars are all double seating on each side of the aisle.

One other important difference is checked bags cost extra for Smart fares, but one bag is free per passenger with premium.

Depending on how far in advance you book your tickets and how much demand there is for that time, the prices can vary.

For a ride between Orlando and Miami, a one-way Smart ticket starts at $54 per person, while a one-way Premium ticket starts at $144 per person. I did find a 4:50am ticket going for $49 per person for a Smart fare, but the Premium was still $144.

If you book your ticket closer to the day of travel, or if there is high demand for a seat and tickets are selling quick, prices can go up quickly. I found peak pricing for a Smart fare to be $154 per person and $224 per person fo Premium.

Why Premium isn't worth it for me

My first few rides were all in Premium because I thought the added benefits were important to me.

Specifically, I booked it to get access to a single seat so I didn't have to sit next to anyone, along with the free food and drink that came with it.

I always enjoyed my rides in Premium, and the Premium Lounge was a nice touch when I got to the station early and had a lot of time to waste until the train left. 

After a few rides on Brightline, I started to consider if the benefits were really worth the extra cost.

I booked Smart fares for the last few rides on Brightline and I really don't see a good reason for me to go back.

While I have had to sit next to a stranger more often than not on my train rides while in Smart class, the reality is the person sitting next to me was only a necessity for the South Florida leg.  The vast majority of the ride (Orlando to West Palm or even Boca Raton) is quite empty.  Brightline hasn't made headways into the commuter market in Central Florida as it has in South Florida.  So at worst, I'm sitting next to a stranger for an hour of my 3 and a half hour ride.

The complimentary food and drink are nice, but I found the food choices to be nothing special. It's better than nothing, but it's just snacks and sandwiches I never thought much of.  

The included beers and cocktails are fun, but I'm certainly not drinking enough to "get my money's worth" out of it. Maybe one or two drinks, but I don't indulge on the train because I'm either driving when I get off the train, or I'm trying to do work.

One of the major reasons I love taking Brightline instead of driving is I get the commute time back to work on Royal Caribbean Blog and Cruise Blog. With the high-speed internet, it's like being in the office in terms of productivity. 

As for the luggage, the truth is I bring my luggage onboard with me to the train and there's no cost. I roll my full-size suitcase onboard, stick it in the luggage rack, and then take it off the train. Quite easy, and no need to check bags.

I quickly came to the conclusion that the Premium fare benefits are nice to have, but considering the cost difference you can expect, I don't see a need to book it.

The exception might be later this summer when I take my family on Brightline to go to Miami for our Icon of the Seas cruise. All those snacks and drinks make the ride more fun for the kids, and my wife prefers to check luggage when possible.

You shouldn't look at the Premium and Smart fares as being as different as coach and first class airfare. While the Premium benefits are nice, I find the Smart fares to be "good enough" and the added benefits not worth the price difference.

Before you book a cruise, you might want to compare the price of a shore excursion, drink package, or spa treatment.

Royal Caribbean's pre-cruise purchases are big business for the line, as it's a major source of revenue every quarter. But the price for these add-ons aren't the same across the board.

Royal Caribbean employs dynamic pricing for its add-on purchases, which means the price charged for the same shore excursion, drink package, or WiFi internet package could be different depending on which ship or sail date you go on.

In some cases, the price differences can truly be significant. 

As an example, for the May 20, 2024 sailing of Freedom of the Seas, the cost of an Overwater Cabana at Perfect Day at CocoCay is just $958. 

But on the June 29, 2024 sailing of Icon of the Seas, that same cabana is $4,999 (and sold out!).

The dramatic price differences could be a compelling reason to pick one sailing over another, especially if you're debating which week to book a cruise.

There's a hack you can use to preview the price of these cruise add-ons before you actually book a cruise.  

How to access the Cruise Planner without booking a cruise

This hack is pretty simple, you just need a web browser and a list of ship codes.

All you need to do is manipulate the website address of the Cruise Planner to see what's available.

Many thanks to Royal Caribbean Blog message board member ZBrady for outlining the instructions.

Step 1: Copy this URL

Use this URL and paste it into a Notepad or other blank document for easier editing:

https://www. royalcaribbean.com/ account/cruise-planner? bookingId=&shipCode=ZZ &sailDate=YYYYMMDD

Step 2: Find your ship code

You're going to need to replace the "ZZ" in the URL for "shipCode" to be the two letter ship abbreviation for the Royal Caribbean ship you want to sail on.

Adventure - AD
Allure - AL
Anthem - AN
Brilliance - BR
Enchantment - EN
Explorer - EX
Freedom - FR
Grandeur - GR
Harmony - HM
Icon - IC
Independence - ID
Jewel - JW
Liberty - LB
Mariner - MA
Navigator - NV
Oasis - OA
Odyssey - OY
Ovation - OV
Quantum - QN
Radiance - RD
Rhapsody - RH
Serenade - SR
Spectrum - SC
Star - ST
Symphony - SY
Vision - VI
Voyager - VY
Wonder - WN
Utopia - UT

Once you find your ship code, replace the "ZZ" in the URL with the exact ship code.  Yes, it needs to be capital letters.

Assuming you were looking for Wonder of the Seas, the URL would now be:

https://www. royalcaribbean.com/account/cruise-planner ?bookingId=&shipCode=WN &sailDate=YYYYMMDD

Step 3: Change the Sail Date

Then you need to change the sailDate value to be the first day of the cruise.

Let's assume you want to see what the December 1, 2024 sailing of Wonder of the Seas. 

You would need to enter 20241201 into the URL. The new URL would be: 

https://www. royalcaribbean.com/account/cruise-planner ?bookingId= &shipCode=WN &sailDate=20241201

Step 4: Enter the complete URL into private browser mode

As a matter of best practice, open an incognito or private browser window to and then copy and paste the URL and give it a try.

This hack appears to work only if you're not signed into your account, so it's easier and simpler to use an incognito window.

If you managed to enter the information correctly (i.,e. the right ship code and sail date), then it should work!

Why Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing

If you're wondering why the price of cruise add-ons costs more or less depending on the sail date and vessel, it's because this is more profitable for the line.

In general, newer cruise ships command higher prices. Not just for cruise fares, but also for the add-ons that come with it.

When demand for a sailing is higher, the price of the fare and the add-on generally goes up to match it. It's similar to how a baseball game ticket costs more for certain teams or airline tickets cost more over holidays.

On the flip side, if you happen to be on a sailing that has less demand and pay less than someone else does, it's not a bad deal. 

The price today could change later

Keep in mind that if you use this hack to preview the price of something, it could change at any time.

Royal Caribbean employs a pricing algorithm to its add-ons, and there are constantly new sales and promotions. This leads to price fluctuations all the time.

Your best bet is once you settle on a particular cruise to book, reserve any cruise add-on you absolutely want immediately to lock in the price.

All extras purchased on the Cruise Planner website are refundable up to the sailing, so if there's a better price at any point between when you make a reservation and your sail date, you can cancel and rebook at the lower price without any penalty.

This is one of our best tips for saving money, because with a little bit of vigilant checking, you'll end up with the lowest possible price for these items.

Alexa H. Bluth is a writer who lives in Sacramento with her husband, two sort of well-behaved teenage daughters, and two not-at-all well-behaved dogs. She took some time to write this guest post entry about what she's learned about cruising with teenagers and why they love taking Royal Caribbean cruises together as a family. You can check out a previous post she wrote about first time cruising here. 

If there’s one thing nobody wants to hear on a family vacation, it’s “I’m bored.”

So parents of teenagers might be hesitant to take them on a cruise. A common misperception is that cruising is only for senior citizens and parents wanting to drop their small kids at daycare to go drink rum punch by the pool (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).

You might be wondering, "Will my teenagers have fun on a cruise?"

The answer is a resounding YES. Cruise vacations are ideal for families with teenagers, with ships brimming with fun-filled activities and ports full of adrenaline-packed adventures.

What is there for teens to love about cruises?

Teen lounges

In addition to Adventure Ocean for younger kids, Royal Caribbean ships have teen areas on board for youth ages 12-17. 

They can come and go from these venues without signing in or out (unlike the younger kids). These offer a spot to meet new friends, chill out, play games, and more. The teen club staff typically hosts a bunch of activities, from scavenger hunts and game shows to karaoke and teen-only time on the FlowRider.

You’ll get a weekly schedule of teen activities in your room, or you can pick one up in the teen club.

Pro tip: Make sure your teen goes to the teen lounge on night one to sign up for activities and start making friends immediately.

Pools and hot tubs

While this is an obvious one, teens can spend hours basking in the sunshine and sea air and swimming in brisk, clear pools on a cruise ship. The pool deck offers a vibrant spot, often pulsing with pop music, for teens to hang out.

They can sip a mocktail or enjoy a snack or soft serve cone while they’re at it. And don’t forget the water slides that many new and amped-up ships boast!

Arcades

Most ships have arcades, offering a variety of games (for an extra charge). Teens can head there to enjoy a game of air hockey or Donkey Kong. Set a budget for them and let them enjoy!

Food

I mean, they’re teenagers, so this one is a no-brainer. Ships offer a vast variety of food, including grab-and-go items that teens can snag until the wee hours of the night.

My teens particularly love venturing out for quesadillas from El Loco Fresh, pizza from Sorrento's, desserts (plural) from the buffet, and soft serve on the pool deck.

Another bonus is that picky eaters often are willing to try new things on cruises because of the wide selection of foods available. You might even get them to try escargot in the Main Dining Room! Never say never.

Friendships

My kids always make friends in the teen areas with whom they meet up for the rest of the cruise. This is why having an internet package that allows them to message each other comes in handy. 

Don’t be surprised if your teen meets new friends that they stay in touch with long after the cruise.

If you have a shy teen, don’t fret. The teen club staff are particularly skilled at coaxing quiet kids into participating. Or, of course, there is plenty for them to do if the teen club is not for them.

Independence 

This is another of my kids’ favorite aspects of cruises. They don’t have to spend every moment with their parents and they have more freedom than on a land-based vacation.

They can hang out in the teen lounge or grab a slice of pizza at Sorrento's on their own. We typically let our kids have a fair amount of independence on cruises, but of course, it comes with a set of strict rules including never entering anyone else’s cabin, staying in populated public areas, behaving well, and not doing anything dangerous.

My eldest particularly enjoyed exploring the ship and going to game shows sans parents with their new-found friends and has even met up with one friend they met on a cruise who lives nearby. 

Port excursions

Port excursions are cruise highlights, for sure. What teen wouldn’t love horseback riding on a beach, zip lining through a jungle, rafting along the rapids of a glacial river, jet skiing through crystal clear water, or snorkeling in a sea teeming with colorful fish?

Port days will not disappoint, even if it’s a chill beach day of sunbathing and boogie boarding or a cultural tour through a historic city. These priceless days offer endless options of activities that will create lifelong memories for the entire family. 

Perfect Day at CocoCay

Need I say more? Royal Caribbean’s private island literally has an area called Thrill Water Park. If your itinerary includes a trip there, teens will dig the daring water slides, the massive wave pool, and the variety of food that is included in your cruise fare.

Your drink package will work on CocoCay, too, so if you’ve sprung for the deluxe soda package (which I recommend you do), teens can sip a soda or mocktail while they soak in the fun. 

Game and stage shows

The headliner shows on the main stage are often can’t miss, featuring everything from Broadway-style shows to juggling acts. The comedians on board often have a family-friendly show earlier in the evenings that teens can enjoy, too.

Meanwhile, teens tend to love trivia, “Name that Tune,” and other game shows. They might grumble about the idea at first, but trust me, once they’re playing, that competitive spirit will kick in and they’ll have a blast.

The cruise director staff’s enthusiasm is always reliably infectious. My teens tended to roll their eyes at the idea of “80s music trivia” but inevitably had fun with us trying to remember whether David Bowie or Billy Idol sang a song. If you really need a hook to get them to try it out, just tell them there are prizes. Teens love free stuff.

Activities

A scavenger hunt may sound cheesy to some teens, but you’d be surprised how much fun they’ll have racing through the ship searching for selfies with a couple with matching shirts, a crew member, or three generations of the same family. Plus, there are plenty more ship-sanctioned activities, such as silent discos and belly flop contests, that teens will love.

Many Royal Caribbean ships also have mini-golf courses, sports courts, and movies offered at the theater or by the pool. The newest ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet offer all sorts of incredible opportunities right on board. These include simulated skydiving, water slides, FlowRider surf simulators, bumper cars, ice skating, and water slides. Enough said. 

Family time

Family time, you say?! With teenagers?! Yep. There is something magical about cruising that truly does create memorable “together time.”

Don’t get me wrong, they will bury their faces in their phones, be embarrassed by everything you do, toss their soaking wet towels everywhere in the cabin, and glare at you when you wake them for an early port day. There will be many special moments, too, perhaps as you sail away from port with virgin daiquiris in hand and music blaring that makes it impossible not to be happy. 

You might also find that they enjoy dinners together in the Main Dining Room. They might also laugh at you screaming your head off while zip-lining on an excursion.

Their phones

Yep. Let’s be real, they’re teenagers. Get the internet package.

They will love posting selfies on Instagram and making TikToks at sunset. They can use the ship’s app to find out about activities or find their way around the ship.

And, as mentioned above, they can communicate and make plans with their new-found friends, and with their parents of course. 

Sunsets and sea views

Give teenagers some credit. They, too, will enjoy the spectacular ocean views and mesmerizing sunsets.

Encourage them to find a perch for the perfect sunset selfie or give them binoculars and designate them as the official family wildlife spotter.

I promise they will never forget these special moments on the vacation of a lifetime, and I guarantee that two words you won’t be hearing are “I’m bored.”

Watching your favorite team play doesn't take a break when you're on a cruise ship, and for those that are passionate fans, this means catching the game and rooting for their team no matter what.

Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade is Royal Caribbean's sports bar venue, and it features lots of televisions that show a variety of sports programming. For casual game watching, it's a hot spot and can get very busy when there are major events happening.

On Wonder of the Seas, Playmakers has the Owner's Box, which is a private VIP alcove you can rent for a few hours and I wanted to see what it was like to get this during the onset of March Madness in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Playmakers is known for being a sports lovers paradise

The first Playmakers opened on Symphony of the Seas when that ship launched, and it's become a favorite of cruisers for its a la carte menu, viewing opportunities, and causal atmosphere.

Now it's found on several ships across Royal Caribbean's fleet, including the brand new Icon of the Seas.

Read more: Icon of the Seas information, tips & tricks

The Playmakers Owner Box VIP Section costs $350

The seating in Playmakers is on a first-come, first-reserved basis. There's no ability to make advanced reservations, which can be problematic if you really want to see a particular game and many other passengers do too.

The newer Playmakers have the Owners Box, which you can book during the cruise to assure you of space for your group.

It's really meant as a group activity, with enough space for a dozen or so people. 

On our spring break sailing, I wanted to catch the opening of the basketball tournament to see the University of Connecticut play (Go Huskies!).

It costs $350 for 2 and a half hours, although the staff were adamant we could stay for as long as our game was playing.

You get two pitchers of beer, 12 wings, and 2 appetizers from the regular menu. The beer is limited to what's on tap.

The Owner's Box is located near the Boardwalk

A velvet rope sections off the Owner's Box from the rest of Playmakers, and you'll find the most comfortable chairs  surrounded by televisions.

The staff welcomed us in and the restaurant's manager came by to ensure the games we wanted to see were on the screen. There are two large televisions, along with a few smaller sets that line the walls. You can easily watch 3-4 games at the same time, although Royal Caribbean's satellite feed is not quite the same as at home.

Luckily, they had most of the games available to watch, so it was just a matter of having the staff change the channel on each television to match what we wanted.

The box is open air, which means noise from the Boardwalk can easily bleed through.  Moreover, while the restaurant is air conditioned, the open air nature of the restaurant means the outside heat and humidity certain seeps in.

When we sat down, there was a large family activity going on that was quite loud. Plus, I'd be concerned in the warmer months of the year how hot it gets in the venue.

There are sound bubbles

Noise bleed from around the bar and in the Boardwalk is going to happen, so Royal Caribbean installed what I call "sound bubbles".

These speakers in the ceiling have a plastic dome around them to direct the sound directly downwards to whomever is sitting below it.

They do indeed work, and it allows you to easily hear the game you want to watch, even if it's noisy around you.

Playmaker's food is just what you want on game day

Burgers, wings, nachos, oh my! 

Whether you're in the Owner's Box or not, the comfort food at Playmakers is your typical sports bar selections that hits the spot for most people.

A lot of the menu is great for sharing, which is conducive to a group experience in the Owner's Box. It's easy to get nachos, and place it in the middle to share.

Besides the snacks and beer included with the rental, you can order anything else you'd like off of the regular menu. 

I think the onion ring tower, nachos, and buffalo crunch rolls are all worth trying there.  Those are great for sharing, but order your own Campfire Cookie because you won't want to give any of that up.

We had fun, but I wouldn't rent the Owner's Box again

UCONN won its game, and we enjoyed all the food and drinks provided, but I'm not sure I need to experience this again.

At $350, it's not outrageously expensive for a large group, but I'm not sure I need to spend the money for a dedicated area again. 

If you're a die-hard fan and you're on a cruise for a critical game, then you might consider renting the Owner's Box for your group. It certainly is nice having reserved seats and space to spread out.

The bar's service was impeccable, and they did just about anything to ensure we got what we wanted.

I glanced around a few times and even though it was the NCAA tournament, there were still stools and booths available that we could have sat at for free to watch the game. Perhaps if the price was closer to $100, it might have been worth it.

The decision to rent the Owner's Box truly comes down to your passion as a fan, and how important it is to you to have a reserved section.