Royal Caribbean Blog

If you are headed on a Royal Caribbean cruise this summer from Bermuda, The Bahamas, or somewhere else, you can expect to get a negative Covid test before your cruise ends so you can go home.

One of the many extra steps required to cruise in 2021 is upon returning to the United States on an international flight, you need a negative Covid test result.  

Current U.S. requirements stipulate that returning international travelers must get tested no more than 3 days before re-entering the United States. 

Disembarkation day is difficult enough with everything going on, so how would cruise passengers find time to get a negative test before heading to the airport for a flight home?

It appears Royal Caribbean will take care of this for guests.

Read more: Here's what you need to do before going on your Adventure of the Seas cruise from The Bahamas

A new update to the cruise line's website indicates guests will undergo an antigen test onboard the ship at no additional cost so that its results can be used to re-enter the United States.

This test would only benefit someone flying home within 24 hours of departing the ship, for the test result to be within the valid window. 

Royal Caribbean says guests staying after their cruise will need to get their own test at their own expense.

The new printed policy follows up on a verbal promise to travel agents last week by Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed.

Ms. Freed said, "We will be providing those tests on board the ship at no cost to the guests so that they can re-enter the U.S."

The CDC requires anyone must have a negative COVID-19 test result before they board a flight to the United States and get a COVID-19 test 3 to 5 days after returning from international travel.

Earlier today the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provided technical instructions for cruise lines, and it now appears test cruises are next.

In a press release that followed the new technical guidance, the agency confirmed simulated voyages (aka test cruises) will be next as part of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO).

"The next phase of the CSO will include simulated (trial) voyages that will allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers."

No timeline was provided with that statement on when Phase 2B might commence.

Test cruises are when cruise lines can operate ships with volunteer passengers in order to prove their new protocols work.

While phase 2A of the CSO did not include much in the way of tangible steps forward, the possibility of test cruises on the horizon gives hope change is on the horizon.

In its statement, the CDC said it is "committed to working with the cruise industry and seaport partners to resume cruising when it is safe to do so, following the phased approach outlined in the CSO."

Read more: Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean test cruises

In addition, the CDC specifically mentioned Covid-19 vaccines are being "critical" in allowing cruises with passengers to begin.

"COVID-19 vaccination efforts will be critical in the safe resumption of passenger operations.

"As more people are fully vaccinated, the phased approach allows CDC to incorporate these advancements into planning for resumption of cruise ship travel when it is safe to do so."

"CDC recommends that all eligible port personnel and travelers (passengers and crew) get a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available to them."

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

The agency also added that it recognizes cruise ship operations can be conducted "safely and responsibly during a global pandemic."

"While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, following the phases of  the CSO will ensure cruise ship passenger operations are conducted in a way that protects crew members, passengers, and port personnel, particularly with emerging COVID-19 variants of concern."

Why test cruises are so important

In late October, the CDC issued the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order that said any cruise line that wants to restart from the United States needs to apply for a conditional sailing certificate 60 days before a voyage. But before that happens, they need to run test sailings with volunteers — and must provide written notice 30 days in advance.

All volunteer passengers and crew members must follow testing protocols, which include rapid testing prior to both embarkation and disembarkation.

Simulated sailings will need to meet CDC expectations for certification, which includes passengers wearing masks, wash and sanitize hands, and practice social distancing. 

Read more: Top 14 things the CDC requires cruise ships do on test sailings

Disappointing update

The CDC released technical instructions earlier on Friday, but the update was far from what most cruise fans were hoping for.

The Phase 2A instructions included new requirements related to bringing crew members and other workers onboard, as well as testing requirements, but nothing substantially different.

After waiting months for any update, the CDC's news landed like a lead balloon. Many felt it was more of the same with little indication cruise ships might be able to sail from United States anytime soon.

This result was something Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley warned earlier this week was likely.

Mr. Bayley used the word, "worried" to describe what the CDC may tell cruise lines to do if they actually provided any kind of guidance.

"We're worried that the guidance that we're going to get is going to be pretty outdated."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued one part of its new technical instructions for cruise lines to move towards cruise ships sailing again from the United States.

Five months after the CDC issued its Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO), there has been no additional information provided for cruise lines to progress further.

An update to Technical Instructions for Mitigation of COVID-19 Among Cruise Ship Crew now includes, "CSO Phase 2A Routine COVID-19 Screening Testing of All Crew."

Essentially, the new instructions address crew members currently onboard ships sailing with more stringent and quicker pace of reporting to the CDC.

This will allow the CDC to more closely monitor ships and assign the proper color code to signify the ship's health status. 

In order to do this, the CDC requires daily submission of the “Enhanced Data Collection (EDC) During COVID-19 Pandemic Form”. This form is used by the CDC to monitor reports and outbreaks of Covid-19 on a ship.

The CDC also told cruise lines to "explore options to vaccinate crew for Covid-19", which is something Royal Caribbean and other lines have already committed themselves to doing.

A great deal of the instructions in Phase 2A deal with what cruise lines need to do when bringing new crew members onboard, as well as visitors or overnight contractors.

The color codes the CDC uses to categorize ships based on their health status has also changed, expanding their color code system include a new orange level that is between green and yellow.

Orange ship status in the absence of pre-existing Red ship status or a case report on the same day that would change the ship’s status to Red.

What about test cruises?

The new update only mentions simulated voyages once in the document, noting that in order for a cruise ship to get permission to board "non-essential crew", the CDC must verify that the cruise ship operator has documented the approval of all U.S. port and local health authorities where the ship intends to dock or make port during one or more simulated voyages or restricted passenger voyages. 

What this means is a cruise line must have an agreement with the U.S. port it will sail from that it has the capability for screening & testing of embarking crew and the quarantine and isolation of crew.

However, the CDC did include in its press release that the next phase of the CSO will include test cruises.

"The next phase of the CSO will include simulated (trial) voyages that will allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers."

Read more: Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean test cruises

New changes after public pressure

It is hard to ignore the fact these changes come after a whirlwind week of government officials and industry leaders calling on the CDC to act and allow ships to sail again.

A variety of public statements, as well as the cruise industry calling on the public to tell elected officials to allow ships to sail again has come leading up to today's new instructions.

Most notably, Florida's Governor threatened to sue the CDC if things did not change, and the cruise industry organization set up a way for cruisers to contact legislators to ask for action.

The serious double standard remains

While today's action is a step forward in the academic sense of the word, cruise lines remain hopelessly shutdown for more than a year while every other facet of travel remains unhindered.

Airlines, theme parks, casinos, trains and more are allowed to operate as they see fit, with minimal Federal requirements to basic needs.

In fact, the airlines have rebuffed every attempt to institute testing of passengers onboard domestic flights, which is something cruise lines have committed to do since October 2020.

The CDC even acknowledged earlier today that fully vaccinated people have a low risk in terms of travel.

Meanwhile, cruises that have been able to restart sailings in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific have carried  almost 400,000 passengers and had fewer than 50 based on public reports. 

Could this be a major step towards getting cruise ships sailing again?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued new guidance on Friday that people that are fully vaccinated can safely travel at "low risk".

The new advice comes after months of the CDC urging all Americans to avoid any kind of non-essential travel.

The CDC’s new guidance says fully vaccinated people do not need Covid-19 tests before international travel unless it is required by the international destination and vaccinated people returning from foreign travel do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States, unless required by state or local authorities.

Grandparents that have been fully vaccinated can fly to visit grandkids without getting a Covid-19 test or self-quarantining as long as they follow CDC advice for traveling safely.

Specifically, the CDC provided the following guidance:

• Fully vaccinated people can travel internationally without getting a COVID-19 test before travel unless it is required by the international destination.
• Fully vaccinated people do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States, unless required by a state or local jurisdiction.
• Fully vaccinated people should still have a negative COVID-19 test result before they board a flight to the United States and get a COVID-19 test 3 to 5 days after returning from international travel.
• Fully vaccinated people should continue to take COVID-19 precautions while traveling internationally.

Why the change? Studies show the "real-world'' effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines.

There is no change on guidance for people that are not fully vaccinated. The CDC discourages non-essential domestic travel by those who are not fully vaccinated.

This announcement comes on the heels that the CDC will be issuing new guidance to cruise lines very soon so that they can resume service.

Apart from cruise lines, no other sector of travel has been subject to actually adhering to the CDC's guidance. Airlines, theme parks, casinos and hotels have all been able to do whatever they want in regard to their operations.

Meanwhile, the cruise industry remains shutdown in the United States due to CDC regulations.

Cruise lines have already committed themselves to 100% testing for all passengers and crew, enhanced HVAC and air circulation, and a multi-faceted approach to mitigate the risk of spread on a cruise ship.

Believe it or not, it looks like perhaps the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) may be giving cruise lines instructions on how to resume sailings.

Miami-Dade mayor Daniella Levine Cava posted on social media that she had a conversation with the CDC Director, who informed her the agency will be providing cruise lines "shortly" with new guidance.

"We are excited that the CDC will shortly be issuing new guidelines for a restart of cruising," Mayor Cava said in a statement.

It does not appear the CDC will go as far as to scrap the Framework for Conditional Sail Order(CSO) all together, as the cruise industry as hoped. Rather, guidance for the next phases, including how Covid-19 vaccines will be accounted for, will be issued in the next few days.

I was very encouraged by my call today with @CDCgov, & excited to learn they will be issuing new guidelines for a safe restart to cruising. Miami-Dade is ready to partner with the CDC to make sure the Cruise Capital of the World can lead the way to rebuild this critical industry. pic.twitter.com/fOhnayqXzq

— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) April 1, 2021

"We are excited that the CDC will shortly be issuing new guidelines for a restart to cruising, taking into consideration the advancements made possible by the vaccine, and we are eager to work with the CDC and cruise industry as a positive partner and a resource. Some may want to sue, but we want to sail, and we are ready to collaborate to make sure the Cruise Capital of the World can lead the way to rebuild this critical industry. "

More than a week ago, Mayor Cava sent a letter to the CDC in order to get an answer about when cruises might restart

Her letter, along with a flurry of statements and letters from other politicians and cruise industry officials, have been a vocal show of support for cruise lines that remain shutdown for well over a year due to CDC regulation.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava

The issue many, including Mayor Cava, have pointed out is the fact cruise lines were given a four phase plan to restart cruises in October 2020, and are still stuck in phase one.

Cruise industry organization Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has been leading the charge lately to get cruise ships going again by imploring the public to reach out to elected officials to compel the CDC to open things up.

CLIA's goal was to get the CSO lifted so that cruises could resume in July.

Update: The CDC has updated the Conditional Sail Order with new instructions

Cautious optimism

Mayor Cava's statement is refreshing, but cruise lines are far from able to announce a restart of sailings from the U.S. yet.

Ever since the CDC replaced the No Sail Order with the CSO in October, there have been many points along the way that seemed to indicate cruise ships might get the green light, only for those hopes to be dashed when nothing happened.

A very public example of this was back in February 2021 when Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley told investors he was expecting technical instructions from the CDC for the next phase of operations "any day".

"We're literally expecting the technical specifications any day soon," Mr. Bayley told investors.

While Mayor Cava's statement is encouraging, there has been no official statement by the CDC regarding anything related to cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean wants to be your hometown cruise line.

The cruise giant registered a new trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the phrase "America's Cruise Line".

The new registration was created on March 27, 2021, and contains a description that seems to indicate it is related to computer software.

Computer software for use with travel, namely, for searching databases of entertainment information, and organizing, planning and scheduling of entertainment activities, containing information about casinos, restaurants, bars and hotels, for making reservations and bookings for restaurants, transportation and entertainment events and activities, for viewing available entertainment activities and planning and scheduling of entertainment activities, for viewing and tracking details of travel charges and purchases, containing maps and location information and providing directions thereto, to authenticate users of online chat rooms for social networking; Downloadable software for use with travel, namely, software for obtaining boarding passes, for searching databases of entertainment information, and organizing, planning and scheduling of entertainment activities, containing information about casinos, restaurants, bars and hotels, for making reservations and bookings for restaurants, transportation, spa, excursions, and entertainment events and activities, for viewing available entertainment activities and planning and scheduling of activities, for viewing and tracking details of travel charges and purchases, containing maps and location information and providing directions thereto, and to authenticate users of online chat rooms, for social networking

If the description does not provide a great deal of insight into what the intended use of this trademark is, you should not be surprised.

Update: In a twist, it appears Carnival recently used this phrase and perhaps Royal Caribbean jumped at the opportunity to coin the term.

Last week, Carnival Cruise Line CEO Christine Duffy said in a video, "I've always said Carnival Cruise Line is America's cruise line."

Other companies that have famously referred to themselves as America's favorite include:

• "America's Team" - Dallas Cowboys
• “America's Airline to the World” - Pan American Airlines
• "America's Hometown" - Plymouth, Massachusetts
• "America Runs on Dunkin" - Dunkin Donuts

Quite often Royal Caribbean trademarks words and phrases with little to no detail on how it may or may not be used.

In fact, it is common for a trademark to be filed but never actually reach the consumer for many reasons.

Ship names, new products, and concepts related to cruising are just some of the use cases for a new trademark.

In April 2020, Royal Caribbean registered a name for its own brand of face mask, as well as "make ship happen" slogan.  Thus far, none of these have been used.

However, they did trademark other names that ended up being used, such as the tracelet and emuster.

With Royal Caribbean taking delivery of its final Quantum Class cruise ship, the cruise line is starting to look to the future with its next new class of ships.

Following the delivery of another Oasis Class ship next year, Royal Caribbean is poised to welcome the first of its Icon Class ships in 2023.

During a webinar with travel agents on Wednesday, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO talked a little bit about the Icon Class, calling it "a real game changer".

"We have the brand new Icon class coming, which is going to be a real game changer."

Mr. Bayley compared the Icon Class to the impact on the industry the Oasis Class had.

"We're not at the point where we're going to say anything about Icon, but we've been designing, concepting, and working on Icon Class now for ...three to four years."

"When you think about what a game changer Oasis class was and is, Icon is the next generation the evolution of Oasis."

When Royal Caribbean released its earnings statements to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in December 2020, an updated delivery schedule indicates the Icon Class is scheduled to debut:

• Unnamed first Icon class ship delivery in 3rd Quarter 2023
• Unnamed second Icon class ship delivery in 2nd Quarter 2025
• Unnamed third Icon class ship delivery in 2nd Quarter 2026

Mr. Bayley spoke of the basis on which the Icon Class ships are planned around, "It is based upon the three kind of design principles of our ships, which is tradition, evolution and revolution."

"We are very respectful of all of the elements of the experience that our guests truly love, and we don't mess with certain things."

"And then we know that many things need to evolve because of changing customer needs and wants and desires. And then we always have to add elements to the completely revolutionary, and Icon will deliver on all three of those."

What we know so far about Icon Class

Few details are publicly known about the Icon Class, but it is the name of the next new class of cruise ships Royal Caribbean has in store.

The ship will be built in Finland (Meyer Turku shipyard). Each ship will be powered by a combination of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fuel cell technology.

At 200,000 tons, the as-yet-unnamed vessels will be bigger than Royal Caribbean's Quantum class ships but not as big as the Oasis class ships.

In addition, Royal Caribbean filed a trademark for Icon of the Seas, which could be the name of the first ship.

Quantum of the Seas is doing so well in Singapore that she will stay there even longer.

Royal Caribbean announced on Thursday Quantum of the Seas will remain in Singapore through October 2021, marking 11 months sailing from her homeport.

This is the second time Royal Caribbean has extended her cruise season from Singapore, which was slated to end in June 2021.

In partnership with the Singaporean government, Quantum of the Seas has been allowed to cruise through a series of strict protocols and safety requirements.

Exemplifying the hard work and effective protocols is the fact Quantum has had over 50,000 guests sail onboard with zero positive Covid-19 cases to date.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley is extremely proud of how safe and successful these sailings have been, "Royal Caribbean’s 30-plus sailings in Singapore offer a real-life, validated model of how cruising can be a unique, safe vacation beyond what many other travel options can offer."

"I'm confident we'll continue to see how successful cruising can be through a combination of our proven, healthy and safe practices, which are informed by the Healthy Sail Panel’s 74 recommendations, and the rollout of vaccines around the world."

Read more: How cruising changed on Royal Caribbean's first cruise back

The new sailings will include 2-, 3- and 4-night cruises to nowhere, where the ship makes no port stops along the way.

These new sailings will be available to Singapore residents and open to book on April 13, 2021.

The layered approach to health of crew members and guests will continue, such as COVID-19 testing, reduced sailing capacity, physical distancing measures, enhanced cleaning and sanitizing processes, and industry-leading contact tracing.

Read more: CDC asks Royal Caribbean to share covid safety technology from its cruise ships

Quantum has been a shining light for Royal Caribbean while the rest of the fleet remains dormant.

In the meantime, the sailings from Singapore have been an invaluable source to demonstrate proof of concept approaches for safe sailing.

Angie Stephen, vice president and managing director, Asia-Pacific, Royal Caribbean International, added that with the new protocols in place, guest satisfaction actually went up, "We have seen guest satisfaction ratings jump since we started sailing this past December."

Thanks in part to the success of Quantum of the Seas in Singapore, Royal Caribbean is planning to restart other ships around the world, including Adventure of the Seas from Nassau and Anthem of the Seas from Southampton.

The entire cruise industry has been on the offensive over the last few weeks to compel the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to lift its ban on cruise ships, perhaps to avoid belaboring new requirements.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley urged travel agents to tell their government representatives to allow cruise ships to sail again because he fears what may come next.

Mr. Bayley used the word, "worried" to describe what the CDC may tell cruise lines to do if they actually provided any kind of guidance.

"We're worried that the guidance that we're going to get is going to be pretty outdated."

He noted that it has been, "many, many months since we've had any guidance", and added "we're kind of concerned".

This concern has compelled Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines to ask U.S. citizens to write to their elected officials to ask them to call on the CDC to allow cruise ships to sail again.

Through the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), there is an easy form anyone can use to email, call, and/or tweet elected officials with a short message to voice their support for getting ships to sail again.

"Just put in a little bit of information and then it automatically populate your local representative, elected officials basically saying, come on, let's get this cruise restarted."

Mr. Bayley's words follow months of inaction by the CDC to provide any kind of information to cruise lines that would allow them to resume cruises.

Cruise ships have been shutdown in the United States since March 2020, when the cruise industry volunteered to stop cruising in the early days of the global health crisis.  Since then, the CDC instituted a ban on cruise ships.

The hope is a write-in program that CLIA has set up will allow cruise ships to sail again from the United States as early as July.

CLIA President and CEO Kelly Craighead believes strict health protocols and the rapid pace of vaccination are what is needed for cruise ships to safely return to service, " the successful resumption of cruising in other parts of the world demonstrates that a return to cruising can and should occur here as well."

Lifting the CSO

The Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) is the policy instituted by the CDC that prevents cruise ships from sailing in U.S. waters at this time.

By lifting the CSO, cruise lines would not have to conduct test sailings, or any of the other requirements outlined by the CSO. Instead, cruise lines would implement new health protocols and rule changes aimed at making ships as safe as possible.

By keeping cruise lines shutdown, CLIA claims it has cost jobs and revenue to the U.S. economy.

CLIA estimates restarting cruises as part of the broader travel industry will provide a much-needed boost to the U.S. economy—with the cruise industry supporting nearly 450,000 American jobs and contributing over $55.5 billion annually, prior to the pandemic.  

Odyssey of the Seas was delivered today to Royal Caribbean, and we have our first look at some areas around the ship.

The 25th ship in the fleet, Odyssey was handed over today during a virtual ceremony.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International Michael Bayley, and Master of Odyssey of the Seas Captain Per Kristoffersen received the new ship from Meyer Werft Yard’s Managing Partner Bernard Meyer and Managing Director Jan Meyer in the customary handover ceremony with a virtual twist.

The new ship weighs 169,000 gross tons and measures 1,138 feet (347 meters) long and 135 feet (41 meters).

Sneak peek around Odyssey

Royal Caribbean will celebrate the delivery a bit later today, but the excitement has already started with new photos from onboard.

Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft shipyard shared a sneak peek at a few areas of the ship.

First up is North Star, the observational pod on Odyssey of the Seas that lifts guests 300-feet above the ocean.

Guests board an all-glass observation capsule that takes them for a short ride up in the air to enjoy some incredible views.

One noticeable difference on Odyssey of the Seas compared to other ships is the color of North Star's Arm.  On Odyssey it is white and lime green, whereas other ships have a white and navy blue motif.

North Star on Quantum of the Seas

North Star is a complimentary activity, and can be booked onboard the ship or prior to the cruise via the Cruise Planner.

Your best bet is to book North Star before your cruise, because reservations go quickly due to high demand.

Next, is a look at Royal Caribbean’s first Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar.

Royal Caribbean has reimagined its classic Italian specialty restaurant, which will debut on Odyssey of the Seas. The photo shared has a look at the pizza menu.

According to Royal Caribbean, the new restaurant will serve up " rustic Italian dishes and a contemporary flair."

No Royal Caribbean cruise ship is complete without a rock-climbing wall.

Ever since rock-climbing walls first debuted on Voyager of the Seas in 1999, all ships have featured this signature activity.

Guests can choose to climb up different paths based on their difficulty, with the goal of reaching the top and ringing a bell.

Last, but not least, we have a look at the Sky Pad.

Another complimentary activity, the Sky Pad is a virtual reality, bungee trampoline adventure. Guests put on a VR headset, and then get strapped into a bungee harness that allow them to easily jump on trampolines while traversing a virtual world only they can see.

Another signature venue of any Royal Caribbean ship is the Schooner Bar.

Featuring a nautical theme, the Schooner Bar is where you can go to enjoy live music, cocktails, and many events throughout the day

Delivery today

Royal Caribbean will celebrate the delivery of Odyssey of the Seas with a special online event for cruise fans on March 31, 2021.

Meyer Werft Executive Director Jan Meyer celebrated the launch of the last Quantum class ship, "We have now successfully delivered the third cruise ship from Papenburg to our customers during the pandemic. This is an important sign of the strength of our yard and the entire industry."

You can tune into the live feed via Royal Caribbean's Facebook page beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

The event will feature Odyssey of the Seas' ship's blessing, and a performance from onboard the show in Two70.