Royal Caribbean Blog

The next sale on pre-cruise purchases begins today.

Royal Caribbean has a new sale on pre-cruise purchases, including drink packages, shore excursions, wifi and more.

The "Dive Into Savings" sale runs between April 14, 2021 - April 20, 2021 and is valid on all ships (except Spectrum & Quantum of the Seas) sailing June 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022.

The sale is valid on Quantum of the Seas sailings between April 26, 2021 - March 31, 2022.

The sale is not valid on Spectrum of the Seas or Charter sailings.

Here is what is included during the sale:

BEVERAGE: Up to 45% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% off onboard prices.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 35% off onboard prices.
• Dasani Water Cans: 45% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: 30% off onboard prices
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 30% off onboard prices
• Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 40% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship

INTERNET: Up to 50% off

• The Key: Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.

DINING: Up to 60% off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship. 

ACTIVITIES: Up to 20% off

• All Access Ship Tour (Excludes Grandeur of the Seas)

Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off

• Anniversary Decorations with Champagne
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries
• Inky Beach Set
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe)
• Inky Travel Set
• Red Wine and Cheese
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel
• Strawberries with Champagne
• White Wine and Cheese

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 70% off

• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Picture This Private Studio: Discount varies by ship.

Will this sale save me money?

In general, cruise planner sales have the potential to save money, but exact savings differ from sailing to sailing.

Royal Caribbean does not apply a flat discount across its sailings, but many items are cheaper to buy online before the cruise than once onboard.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

More helpful information

• Should you buy pre-cruise purchases now or wait to buy it onboard?
• 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How much should I budget for a cruise?

The CDC may be dragging their feet on providing cruise lines a path forward, but their warning to the public to avoid cruise ship travel has been updated.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated their "COVID-19 and Cruise Ship Travel" webpage with recommendations for anyone going on a cruise this summer.

In November 2020, the CDC warned the public to avoid going on any cruise ship because of "very high level of COVID-19". That warning has not changed, and the agency provided advice for anyone that does so anyway.

"At this time, CDC still recommends avoiding any travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide, because the risk of COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high."

"It is especially important that people with an increased risk of severe illness avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises. Cruise passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships because of their congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads easily."

The CDC maintains its Level 4 warning for cruise travel, while not recommending unvaccinated people avoid domestic air travel at all. It's advice for international air travel for unvaccinated people is to get vaccinated without any high level warning at all.

The CDC's "congregate settings" description of cruise ship travel is the same definition it uses for prisons, nursing homes, workplace settings and more.

Read more: 5 ways the CDC proves it doesn't understand cruise ships

CDC's advice for anyone going on a cruise this summer

If you choose not to heed the CDC's advice, the agency did update its recommendations for cruise travel.

Before you travel:

• Get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if a vaccine is available to you.
  • People are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after a single dose in a one-dose series or last dose in a two-dose series.
• Get tested with a COVID-19 viral test 1–3 days before your departure, even if you are fully vaccinated.
  • If you test positive, isolate and do NOT travel.

While you are traveling:

• Stay at least 6 feet/2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who is not traveling with you. It’s important to do this everywhere—both indoors and outdoors.
• Wear a mask to keep your nose and mouth covered when you are in shared spaces. Masks are required on planes, cruise ships, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports, seaports, and train and subway stations.
• Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
• Avoid contact with anyone who is sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• If you have symptoms of COVID-19, stay in your cabin, and notify the onboard medical center immediately.

If you are returning to an international port or disembarking an international river cruise:

• Your return travel plans may be impacted. Foreign health officials may implement formal quarantine procedures if they identify a case of COVID-19 aboard your cruise ship.
• If you travel on a cruise ship or river cruise and disembark in a foreign port, you might not be able to receive appropriate medical care or be medically evacuated if you get sick.
• Some countries might refuse to dock your ship or allow passengers to disembark.

If you return to the United States by air:

• All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens and fully vaccinated people, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 3 days before travel or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months before they board a flight to the United States.

After you travel:

If you are fully vaccinated: 

• Get tested 3–5 days after your trip.
• If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days after travel; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.
• You do NOT need to stay home and self-quarantine aftr cruise travel.

If you are not fully vaccinated:

• Get tested 3–5 days after your trip.
• If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
• Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days after travel; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.
• Stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days after cruise travel, even if you test negative.
• If you do not get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after cruise travel.
• Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.

Cruise lines new health protocols

Reading through the warning, the CDC makes no mention of any new health protocols and essentially talks about going on a cruise in the same manner they existed before the pandemic began.

Other than recommending getting fully vaccinated before the cruise (which is something many cruise lines are requiring this summer), there is no mention of enhanced cruise ship protocols aimed at preventing the spread onboard.

Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings teamed up to form a panel of scientists and public health experts to craft a strategy for cruises to sail as safe as possible during the global health crisis.

The Healthy Sail Panel that created these new rules is chaired by Governor Mike Leavitt, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Recommendations include testing, the use of face coverings, and enhanced sanitation procedures on ships and in terminals. 

The Healthy Sail Panel identified five areas of focus every cruise operator should address to improve health and safety for guests and crew, and reduce the risk of infection and spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships:

• Testing, Screening and Exposure Reduction
• Sanitation and Ventilation
• Response, Contingency Planning and Execution
• Destination and Excursion Planning
• Mitigating Risks for Crew Members

Moreover, Norwegian Cruise Line petitioned the CDC recently to only allow fully vaccinated people onboard its ships this summer, to which they have not received an answer yet.

Royal Caribbean is requiring all adults on its ships be fully vaccinated to sail this summer (except Quantum of the Seas from Singapore).

Sailings are officially open for booking for Royal Caribbean's first west coast cruises in over a decade.

Navigator of the Seas sailings from Los Angeles starting in November 2021 are now available to book via Royal Caribbean's website.

The new sailings include mostly 3-, 4- and 5-night itineraries to Catalina Island, California and Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – plus, select winter holiday 7-night sailings.

The new bookings are available to book immediately, beginning with the November 19 sailing. Sailings between November 2021 and January 2022 are open for booking.

You can view the full list of sailings here.

Royal Caribbean had to delay the opening of the new bookings by a couple weeks after the cruise line revealed it would start sailing from Los Angeles earlier than planned.

Instead of beginning in summer 2022, Royal Caribbean will now begin offering sailings in November 2021.

A return to the west coast

The new sailings are the first for the cruise line in over a decade.

The last ship to sail from Los Angeles regularly was Mariner of the Seas in 20211.

Royal Caribbean pulled out of West Coast cruises due to a combination of violence in Western Mexico, and did not return primarily due to concerns over profitability of routes there.

Royal Caribbean's absence on the West Coast did not go unnoticed by cruise fans, who perennially asked when sailings might restart.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared how proud he was for a return, "California was calling us home once again, and what better way to reintroduce Royal Caribbean than to bring our next-level cruise vacations to the City of Angels and make it a year-round adventure starting just in time for summer."

A new piece of legislation has been introduced by Senators from Florida and Alaska that would allow cruise ships to start sailing without the CDC's interference.

The ‘‘Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements Act’’ or the ‘‘CRUISE Act’’ was introduced on Tuesday as a new bill by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar is leading this legislation in the House of Representatives.

The purpose of the bill is to end the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC)'s Framework for Conditional Sail Order (CSO) by July 4, 2021 so that cruise lines can restart sailings from the United States.

The CSO is what is preventing cruise ships from sailing again, and to date, has been incomplete in terms of providing all the necessary steps for cruise lines to accomplish in order to receive approval to sail.

If the Cruise Act were passed, it would override the CSO.

"Not later than July 4, 2021, the Secretary shall revoke the order entitled ‘‘Framework for Conditional Sailing and Initial Phase COVID–19 Testing Requirements for Protection of Crew’’, issued by the Director on November 4, 2020 (85 Fed. Reg. 70153), under the authority of sections 361 and 365 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 264; 268), and any other order or regulation that prohibits the operation of all cruise ships in United States waters, requires such ships to obtain approval from the Director prior to operating, or otherwise acts as a de facto prohibition for cruise ship operations in the United States."

The bill also proposed the creation of an interagency working group, which would issue recommendations for how to mitigate the risks of COVID–19 introduction, transmission, and spread among passengers and crew on board cruise ships and ashore to communities.

In a statement, Senator Scott talked about why this bill was introduced, " While many sectors of the economy have been safely operating for months under CDC guidelines, Floridians, and those across the nation that rely on the cruise industry for work, continue to wait for updated guidance from the CDC."

"The CDC's refusal to properly address this shutdown is wrong and it’s time to get the cruise lines open safely. Our bill, the CRUISE Act, says we’re not waiting on the CDC any longer. Cruises can and should resume, and we’re going to do everything we can to bring back our cruise industry safely."

Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar pointed out the good this bill will do, "This legislation will fix the CDC’s arbitrary guidelines and give clarity and fairness to the industry that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout Miami’s entire tourism economy."

What the Conditional Sail Order requires

The Framework for Conditional Sailing order is a phased approach to cruises restarting that is administered by the CDC.

Before cruises can fully resume, the CDC has outlined a series of steps that need to occur before cruise ships can begin taking passengers onboard.

The framework for conditional sailing is meant to potentially allow cruise ships to sail again while not putting the public health at risk.

First, ships must implement testing and other protocols for the safe return of crew. Non-revenue test sailings will follow, with vessels then required to request and receive approval to resume sailing with passengers onboard.

On its website, the CDC says the instructions are meant to ensure health and safety protections for the crew prior to resuming passenger operations in a way that mitigates the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Past attempts to get ships sailing

This is the third bill introduced to Congress in an effort to get cruises going again.

On September 16, 2020, Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio introduced the "Set Sail Safely Act", which died after not receiving a vote.

On March 6, 2021, Two U.S. Senators, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan introduced a bill to Congress to allow foreign flagged cruise ships to sail to Alaska without having to stop in Canada.

This bill is still waiting to be considered by committee before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.

Going on a Royal Caribbean cruise means a lot of things, including eating some incredible foods along the way.

Royal Caribbean has steadily increased the quality and variety of its food choices over the years to bring some interesting and assorted options to try.  Not to worry, the staples of any cruise vacation are still on the menu, but if you are looking for something a little bit different, you will find some tasty alternatives.

Here is my list of the top 10 unique Royal Caribbean foods worth trying out.

Escargot

Escargot is hardly limited to Royal Caribbean, but these days it is one of the few places I ever see it regularly offered on the menu and it has become a signature dish of the main dining room.

If you are not aware, escargot is an appetizer of cooked edible land snails. I know it sounds gross, but it is really tasty (primarily because it is saturated in garlic and butter).

A French delicacy, you can order it every day in the main dining room and combined with a roll, tastes great.

Seafood tower

Chops Grille is Royal Caribbean's signature specialty restaurant, and from time to time they modify the menu to try to tweak its offerings.  One of their newest creations has been a real hit with clam, mussels and crab claw fans.

An optional add-on, the seafood tower is a multi-story serving of shrimp, clams, lobster, crab and more.

For shellfish lovers, this is a popular option and it is easy to share among the people at your table.

It comes in two sizes: Grande and Imperial and served with traditional garnishes and sauces.

Lobster roll

Royal Caribbean's latest specialty restaurant, Hooked, has a good mix of options, but their lobster roll is definitely the signature dish.

Lobster rolls are one of the great American foods, and Hooked serves up Maine Lobster rolls is everything a lobster roll should be: heavy on the lobster, light on the mayo, and served on a grilled bun with a side of homemade chips

Beef tenderloin for two

If you asked me where you can find the best steak on Royal Caribbean, I would point to the beef tenderloin for two at 150 Central Park.

A holdover from the "old menu", this dish is recommended for two people, but easily enjoyed alone as well.

The tender cut of beef is terrific, and I like that the waiter will prepare and carve it at your table.

Almost anything served at Chef's Table

There is no culinary experience on Royal Caribbean quite like the Chef's Table.

You don't have to be a super foodie to enjoy Chef's Table, as it is more of a guided eating experience than a serving of the most exotic foods one can find. That being said, you wont find pizza or chicken nuggets on the menu either.

The fixed menu serves each dish with an accompanying glass of wine that the host as picked out to be the perfect pair. 

I was leery of the experience at first, but it turned out to be a very interesting and satisfying meal. Keep your calendar open, because a meal at the Chef's Table can easily last 4 hours.

Read more: Royal Caribbean Chef's Table dinner review

Antipasti planks

From the first day Jamie's Italian opened on a Royal Caribbean ship, the antipasti planks were the breakout hit.

A terrific appetizer, you will find cured meats, pickles and tempting cheeses, pumpkin panzerotti, Prawn linguine that everyone at the table can pick from.

Giovanni's Table also has its own Cheese and Cured Meat Plank to consider as well.

Hot rock

Not a sushi fan? You can still enjoy a great meal at Izumi with the hot rock dinner choice.

Hot rock (Ishiyaki) plates are rocks that are heated to 575 degrees °F, where guests take raw meat and vegetables and cook them on the rock, right at your table.

You have the choice of mixed seafood, chicken breast, chicken and beef skewer rock or beef tenderloin.

Izumi Ryu Futomaki roll

If you love sushi, and want to try the ultimate roll on the menu, my suggestion is the Izumi Ryu Futomaki roll.

This is a really big roll that could easily be your meal. Located on the Chef's Signature Rolls part of the menu, it is comprised of assorted sashimi, scallions, scallions, spicy aioli, cream cheese, wakame salad, house ginger teppan dressing and a spicy chili thread.

Not only is this a giant sushi roll, it is also a deeply satisfying roll and the kind of thing to order when you really want a filling meal. 

Ice cream in a football helmet

You can never really go wrong with ice cream, and Royal Caribbean's ice cream sundae in a football helmet is as good as it looks.

Served in a souvenir helmet, the "Touchdown Sundae" has five scoops of ice cream with just about every syrup you'd want on top, complete with whipped cream and other toppings.

Another good sharing dish, it is something unequaled elsewhere onboard.

Sabor guacamole

There is almost an art to guacamole, and Sabor's offering is consistently one of the best out there.

Prepared fresh after you order it, the guacamole is worth the price of dining at Sabor alone.  In fact, Sabor's recipe has become our family's preferred guac recipe at home because it seems to balance the ingredients just right (although we like to go heavy on the lime juice).

Definitely not out of a jar, the guacamole should be a must-order item to share, and do not be afraid to ask for more when your group wipes the bowl clean.

Another state may sue the federal government in order to get cruise ships sailing again.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) said a lawsuit is a "real possibility" when asked if he would look to legal action to get ships sailing again.

In a television interview with Fox News, Gov. Dunleavy explained the plight of Alaskans who are facing a second year in a row without any cruise ship tourism, and the associated spending they bring in.

When asked if Alaska would join Florida in suing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Gov. Dunleavy did not rule out such an action as well if things do not change, "If we don't get, I think, a positive dialogue here this week, that's a real possibility because the again, the decision will be crushing to Alaska."

Florida Governor Ron Desantis (R-FL) announced last week his state has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC, demanding cruise ships be reopened immediately.

Florida's lawsuit is an attempt to get the CDC to drop the Framework for Conditional Sail Order (CSO), which is not allowing cruise ships to sail despite airlines, theme parks, casinos, and rail to operate without any hindrance.

Gov. Dunleav says over the course of the lost 2020 and 2021 cruise seasons, Alaska will have a $3.3 billion loss in Alaska, "that's in a state with about a fifty six billion dollar GDP, so it's going to be significant."

"We're going to lose millions of dollars in local revenue for our communities, especially along the coast. Unemployment rates will remain stubbornly high when we can actually lower them through this process."

Gov. Dunleavy points to the fact his state is among the best in the nation in terms of vaccination rates and low case counts, and wants the federal government to let the states work with the cruise lines.

"If you look at Alaska's numbers, if you look at our data, we're doing this better than anybody. We know what we're doing. All we want is the opportunity to work with the industry."

Alaska's legislators have been vocal in their support for cruises to resume operations.

A Congressional delegation from Alaska sent a letter with colleagues to the White House COVID Response Coordinator, urging the Biden administration to be more transparent and timely in their efforts to develop guidance for the resumption of operations for the cruise ship industry.

In February, Alaska's representatives asked Canada to re-evaluate their ban on cruise ships. Then in March, they introduced a new bill to allow cruise ships to sail without having to stop in Canada.

Royal Caribbean has not officially cancelled its Alaska cruises for 2021 beyond June, but the entire season is in limbo while the cruise industry tries to find a solution to salvage at least part of it.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain compared the year-long shutdown of cruises to a basketball game, where the most activity occurs at the end of the game.

In a new video update, Mr. Fain talked about the major milestones happening right now, and how it all correlates to getting cruise ships back into service.

"Like the frenetic last minutes of that basketball game, and I think that there are signs that we are approaching the end," Fain said in his remarks.  "We all want the same thing, safe and healthy cruising."

Included in his comments was mention of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recent update to its Framework for Conditional Sail Order (CSO), which Mr. Fain characterized as, "tougher restrictions on cruising out of U.S. ports."

He talked about the fact the CDC said they see a way to restart in the U.S. as early as July, which he added Royal Caribbean Group is "eager to work with them towards that goal."

"My fondest desire is that we can follow President Biden's target of July 4th as a major reopening milestone. The evidence is that we can do it. Now is our opportunity to work together towards that common goal."

"We look forward to such a constructive dialogue with the CDC and others to make that success even broader."

Positive signs happening now

Richard Fain sees a lot of key milestones happening now that point to the fact things are moving in the right direction.

First, he sees the fact almost 45% of eligible Americans have already received at least their first dose of the vaccine is exciting.

Second, the cruises Royal Caribbean Group has been able to carry out abroad has provided a lot of valuable data for crafting a safe way to offer cruises going forward.

"We're able to see what actually happens and draw conclusions based on empirical evidence rather than random hypotheses. And that empirical evidence is overwhelmingly positive."

Third, combination of widespread testing and effective contact tracing gives Mr. Fain the confidence that they can, "reduce the risk of an outbreak on a ship to levels below that on land."

Fourth, people are frustrated with the restrictions of life right now due to the virus.

Another cruise line relying on the Healthy Sail Panel will require all of its passengers to be fully vaccinated.

SilverSea, a luxury cruise line part of the Royal Caribbean Group, announced it will require all guests and passengers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

An update on its website notes the new requirement, "All embarking crew and guests must have been fully vaccinated prior to sail date in order to board our ships. This requirement may differ according to region and country obligations."

SilverSea is now the second cruise line with ties to the Healthy Sail Panel that plans on allowing only fully vaccinated guests, following Norwegian Cruise Line's proposal to the CDC to do the same last week.

The Healthy Sail Panel is an independent group of scientists and public health experts, which is a joint venture of the Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

Royal Caribbean International has not proposed to require all guests be fully vaccinated on its ships.  In fact, Royal Caribbean has only committed itself thus far to requiring the vaccine for adults on select ships restarting sailings this summer.  Children can sail with a negative Covid test.

Read more: Everything we know about if Royal Caribbean will require a vaccine

SilverSea has other protocols listed that are similar to Royal Caribbean's plans, including:

• Pre-embarkation health screening
• COVID-19 test prior to boarding
• Potential reduced capacity during first months returning to service
• Shore excursions only booked through the cruise line
• Masks in all indoor public areas
  • Masks will not be required while seated in restaurants, at tables in bars, and in outdoor areas in which physical distancing can be maintained

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has banned cruise ships from sailing from the United States since March 2020 due to operating a cruise ship during the global health crisis.

Cruise lines have been doing just about anything they can in order to get permission to sail again from U.S. waters. Proposals like NCL and SilverSea are seen by some as a move to do everything they can to cater to the CDC's concerns.

On April 3, the CDC released a small update to its recommendations for cruise lines that want to restart operations in U.S. waters, but there was not much hope in the update that cruises sailing again was coming soon.

Spring is here and it is also Sunday, which means we are celebrating warm(er) temperatures and Royal Caribbean news from this week!

The state of Florida on Thursday sued the federal government in order to get cruise ships started up again.

Florida Governor Ron Desantis announced on Thursday the state is filing a lawsuit against the federal government, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC, demanding cruise ships be reopened immediately.

The CDC has been blocking most cruise vessels from sailing in U.S. waters since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic in March of 2020, citing COVID-19-related risks.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean cancels most cruises in June
• Royal Caribbean sends cruise ship to assist in volcano evacuations in St. Vincent
• Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line CEOs call for cruises to be allowed to sail
• Cruise industry rejects new CDC technical instructions & calls them "unworkable"
• U.S. Transportation Secretary: Cruises could restart by midsummer
• New Anthem of the Seas summer 2021 cruises from UK available to book now
• Royal Caribbean is working to get more flight options to the Bahamas
• CLIA asked why CDC is holding cruise ships to a double standard
• 5 ways the CDC proves it doesn't understand cruise ships
• How to tell your Congressperson you want the CDC to let cruise ships sail
• Michael Bayley addresses concerns of requiring Covid-19 vaccine on Royal Caribbean ships
• Carnival cancels June 2021 cruises
• NCL follows Royal Caribbean's lead and announces cruises outside U.S.
• NCL submits plan to CDC how it can restart cruises by July
• Four Royal Caribbean cruise ships will get dry dock work in Spain

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 401st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, featuring a listener's recent cruise on Allure of the Seas.

James shares his cruise story from Liberty of the Seas, where he tried out a new ship after finding a great deal.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

New RCB Video: 10 mistakes cruisers make & how to fix them!

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — 10 mistakes cruisers make & how to fix them! — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean will start West Coast cruises earlier than planned, beginning in November 2021

Royal Caribbean will start its West Coast cruises earlier than expected.

Instead of beginning cruises from Los Angeles, California in June 2022, Royal Caribbean has moved up the start date to November 2021.

Navigator of the Seas will operate short three- and four-night sailings calling on Ensenada, Mexico, and Catalina Island. There will also be several five-night sailings that will also include a stop in Cabo San Lucas, and select weeklong voyages will include an overnight stay.

Royal Caribbean was among the first companies to step up and assist the people of St. Vincent after a volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.

Serenade of the Seas was dispatched to assist residents of the island, and we have our first look at the ship's efforts to help.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared photos of Serenade in St. Vincent following the eruption Friday of La Soufrière.

This is the first time La Soufrière has erupted since 1979, which as covered homes and the countryside in ash, along with a strong sulfur smell.

Mr. Bayley praised the efforts of his crew in assisting, "Love and huge respect to our crew who, as always, come together in unimaginable ways. Over the next few days, they’ll be welcoming guests, preparing provisions, and providing medical attention."

"I am so proud of our team and all the teams behind the scenes from Royal, Celebrity, and Carnival Cruises working day and night to make sure we assist the people of St.Vincent in any way we can."

In addition to Serenade of the Seas, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Reflection is also helping out from the Royal Caribbean Group.

Carnival Cruise Line sent Carnival Legend and Carnival Paradise to assist in the efforts.

The cruise ships are ready to take evacuees to nearby islands.

Serenade of the Seas will not be able to handle as many evacuees as normal due to the fact the ship is minimally staffed due to the global health crisis.

Royal Caribbean also confirmed it is evacuating anyone, not just vaccinated people. 

Mr. Bayley confirmed they would evacuate all people that can pass a Covid test, "We have stated that all passengers to be evacuated will need a negative Covid test."

As a result of the cruise industry being shutdown, the ship is is at "minimum manning", meaning there is just enough crew to keep the ship functional.

The Associated Press reports about 16,000 people have had to flee their ash-covered communities after the volcano erupted.

Photos taken by The Curious Lens of Martina from Argentina

Officials are trying to figure out the best way to collect and dispose of the ash, which covered an airport runway near the capital of Kingstown, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south, and fell as far away as Barbados, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) to the east.