Royal Caribbean Blog

There's no doubt that Celebrity Cruises broke the mold when it launched Celebrity Edge in 2018. Its sleek exterior design houses many surprises for cruisers. 

As the namesake vessel of the line's Edge Class of ships, Celebrity Edge introduced several industry firsts, including a top-deck garden, a new type of balcony cabin, unique acrobatic performance art and an outdoor bar that moves up and down the side of the ship.

If you're considering a cruise on Celebrity Edge, check out this guide, which highlights everything from dining and cabins to entertainment and activities. 

Dining and Restaurants

Celebrity Edge boasts more than a dozen dining venues, plus room service (which is free, except for late-night deliveries which levy a small surcharge). Here are some -- but not all -- of the key options.

Note: Celebrity now includes a basic beverage package in most of its fares, meaning that passengers no longer have to shell out additional money for soda, juice, specialty coffees, bottled water or alcohol.

Main Dining Rooms

Edge has four main dining rooms, all of which are included in the price. If you opt for set-seating dining at dinner, you will be assigned to a specific time and table at which to eat in Cosmopolitan, the closest thing the ship has to a traditional dining room. 

Passengers can also find breakfast served there every day, along with lunch on sea days. 

Those who, instead, opt to have dinner on their own schedule can head to any of the four MDRs, with or without a reservation. 

The other three include Normandie, which is French themed; Tuscan, featuring Italian fare; and Cyprus, which focuses on Mediterranean cuisine, with an emphasis on Greek food. 

Although one section of the menu stays the same daily across all four dining rooms, each offers a section with items specific to each eatery -- French, Italian, Mediterranean or contemporary.

Buffet Dining

The Oceanview Cafe is Celebrity Edge's buffet, which offers free food galore. Cruisers will find everything from eggs, bacon and pancakes for breakfast to sandwiches, salads, carving stations, Asian stir-fry, pizza, roasted vegetables and much more for lunch and dinner. 

We also have to shout out the standalone ice cream stand, which serves up free soft-serve in cones or bowls, along with a selection of hard ice creams and toppings for an extra fee. 

Near the buffet entrance, Celebrity has also included a massive handwashing station -- a convenience before the pandemic and an absolute godsend now. 

Special-Access Dining

The ship houses two complimentary dining rooms that are exclusive to travelers booked in select staterooms. 

The first is Blu, which is reserved for anyone staying in an AquaClass spa cabin or a suite. It focuses on healthy fare and is open for dinner only.

The second is Luminae, which can be accessed only by cruisers in suites and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While breakfast is fairly standard, the lunch and dinner menus are small but impressive, and they rotate daily.

Fine Dining

Fine Cut is the ship's added-fee steakhouse, featuring a variety of cuts, as well as chicken, fish and a selection of sides. 

If you're more a fan of seafood, check out Raw on 5, which sells a la carte items like lobster, crab, oysters, clam chowder, lobster rolls, sushi, caviar and more. 

Quirky Dining

Eden is one of the ship's most notable areas. It functions as a lounge during the day and a nightclub with performance art by night. With a spiral walkway around the outside -- an homage to the Fibonacci Sequence -- it also encompasses a bar with creative drinks, a gratis lunchtime deli and a pricey restaurant that's open for dinner. 

We highly recommend splurging and reserving a dining time that will coincide with performances by acrobats and a sitar player. The menu, themed around the elements, offers tasty dishes that are prepared in ways that are curious but genius.

Le Grand Bistro is a French-themed alternative eatery that is open for brunch on select days, as well as dinner, when the space presents Le Petit Chef. Between courses, projections of miniature chefs appear on your tabletop to compete in a whimsical cooking competition. 

The interactive experience offers a set menu, which coincides with the show, and an alternate menu for pickier eaters.

Dinner on the Edge is a special (and expensive) option that's offered on the Magic Carpet, an exterior open-air room that looks out over the water and moves up and down the side of the vessel to serve different functions -- bar, lounge, restaurant and tender platform, depending on the conditions. 

Because the platform can't be raised when the ship is at sea or when the weather is particularly windy, passengers can never be certain when Dinner on the Edge will be available for booking.  

Grill Fare

For those seeking more outdoor options, free grill fare can be found at the Mast Grill (by the main pool), while the Rooftop Garden Grill features a wider range of barbecue choices for a charge during lunch and dinner.

Snacks and Coffee

There are various locations on Edge to snag a nibble when you're feeling hungry between meals. They include the Spa Cafe, which puts on a spread of free healthy food. It also sells juices and smoothies. 

Additionally, Cafe al Bacio showcases complimentary pastries, cakes and cookies, along with specialty coffee drinks and premium teas. The Grand Plaza Cafe also presents gratis pastries and finger sandwiches, as well as coffee.

Activities

Shows

Eden's nighttime performances are, by far, the most noteworthy onboard. They involve heady, artistic performances that center on acrobatics (some aerial), dancing and feats of strength, often set to sitar music in dimly lit surrounds on a tiny center stage called the nucleus. 

The storyline is loosely based on Adam and Eve and the sensual temptations they experienced in -- you guessed it -- the Garden of Eden. 

The performers, known as Edenists, might try to interact with you and draw you into the fun. If you're not interested, sit farther away from the stage, or simply politely decline as they approach.

Edge's main theater consists of several stages backed by giant screens used for high-tech laser projections. A ticket of several shows runs throughout each sailing, with two performance times per night. 

Most are high-energy song and dance shows that highlight contemporary music that appeals largely to Generation X and Millennials. 

Live music and smaller-scale performances can be found in The Club. 

Pools 

Celebrity Edge has one long main pool surrounded by loungers and two martini glass-shaped hot tubs a deck above. There are also six cabanas for rent nearby, but they come at a premium, and if you don't reserve one early, you'll be out of luck.

Those seeking respite from the elements or the usual pool deck hubbub can check out the covered adults-only Solarium, which comprises a pool, hot tub and lounge chairs. 

The only other onboard pool is exclusive to cruisers booked in The Retreat, the ship's private suite enclave. The space also includes a hot tub and plenty of seating. 

Signature Attractions

We've already filled you in on the Magic Carpet, the ship's swath of movable open-air deck, which shows up on different decks to serve a variety of purposes, from bar and lounge to restaurant and tender boarding platform. If nothing else, it's an engineering marvel, so pay it a visit, even if just for the views. 

For an outdoor lounge space that features private alcoves and leafy greenery, you can't do better than the Rooftop Garden. Tables and chairs abound in cozy nooks, making the venue perfect for hosted games like Jenga and nighttime live music or films on the nearby outdoor movie screen. 

Celebrity Edge's spa is one of the most impressive at sea, with a variety of treatments. Passengers can also purchase cruise-long access to the thermal suite, which comprises tile loungers and areas for aromatherapy, salt and crystal therapy and a hammam. 

If fitness is your forte, you won't want to miss a trip to the onboard gym, which is stocked with Technogym equipment, free weights and even Peloton bikes, all of which passengers can use on their own for free. Organized exercise classes are scheduled, and you can sign up for a fee. 

What also sticks out to us is Edge's jogging track. What's special about it is that it's huge, looping around the ship's top decks in a figure-eight layout, part of which is on an incline. Whether you prefer to walk or run, the change in scenery is a welcome change from typical cruise ship tracks. 

Staterooms

Celebrity Edge offers the same standard types of cabins you'd find on any mainstream ship: insides, outsides, balconies, mini-suites and suites. However, there are a few that stand out from the crowd. 

Infinite Verandas 

These are 131- to 200-square-foot balcony cabins that, instead of traditional verandas, each have a floor-to-ceiling window you can raise and lower with the touch of a button, allowing fresh air into the stateroom without taking away any interior space. 

The area near the window offers a couple of chairs and a small table, as well as clear partitions that allow space to be sectioned off from the rest of the room so the open window won't affect the climate control. 

Instead of curtains, these cabins are outfitted with blinds that can be controlled with a switch on the wall or by using the Celebrity cell phone app. Sometimes the blinds get stuck or don't work properly, which has been a complaint of many cruisers.

For those who don't think they'd like the setup, the ship does offer regular balcony accommodations.

Edge Villas 

Celebrity Edge offers six Edge Villas -- the first of their kind in the fleet. What makes them special is that they offer 739 square feet with a walk-out balcony that's more than 200 square feet. 

The room is a two-deck setup with an upstairs and a downstairs that encompasses one bedroom, two bathrooms and a living room are. 

Edge Villa residents also have exclusive access to a private plunge pool, sun deck and lounge, as well as the Blu and Luminae restaurants.

Other perks include premium canapes, two bottles of premium spirits, complimentary laundry, unlimited specialty dining, butler and concierge service, priority embarkation and tendering, upgraded toiletries, onboard credit, and the highest-tiered Wi-Fi and beverage packages. 

Iconic Suites 

Even more coveted are Edge's two first-in-class Iconic Suites, featuring 1,892 square feet and a nearly 700-square-foot balcony. They're located directly above the bridge; anyone staying in one of these suites will see a view that's similar to the captain's.

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom setup makes these digs great for family travel, as well. Also included are a living area, a whirlpool-style bathtub, dining in Blu and Luminae, and access to a reserved lounge and sun deck. 

Because these rooms are part of The Retreat, passengers staying there are also entitled to the services of a butler and concierge; priority check-in, boarding and tendering; onboard credit; the highest-tiered drink and Wi-Fi packages; unlimited specialty dining; upscale toiletries; and a welcome bottle of Champagne among other amenities.

Technology

Edge is one of the most technologically advanced vessels afloat, offering interactive dinners (Le Petit Chef), impressive theater shows and a cell phone app that allows passengers to unlock their cabin doors, raise and lower the blinds, and control the TV and air-conditioning. 

Additionally, it employs digital signage to help cruisers find their way around, and as mentioned above, the vessel's theater productions use a specially designed stage and cutting-edge laser projections as backdrops. 

Kids Programming

Camp at Sea, Celebrity's program for kids, is divided into several age-appropriate groups: Stay and Play (younger than 3), Shipmates (3 - 5), Cadets (6 - 9) and Captains (10 - 12). 

Parents must sign kids into and out of the kids club on each visit, with the exception of Stay and Play, where parents are required to stick around the whole time. 

The Basement is the dedicated space for cruisers aged 13 to 17. Teens are allowed to come and go as they please. 

New cruises were just announced for sailings out of the northeast United States.

Royal Caribbean pushed up its Northeast 2022-2023 deployments and released the new sailings for guests to book today.

Three ships - Adventure, Anthem and Voyager of the Seas - will sail from Cape Liberty and Boston.

Today's release is phase one of the northeast sailings, and a phase two is still to be announced later.

The array of new sailings include 4 to 11 night cruises to destinations in Bermuda, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and New England.

The new sailings from the Northeast departing from May 2022 to April 2023 are now open for sale.

Adventure of the Seas will transition from Galveston to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey and sail a combination of itineraries to Bermuda, the Caribbean and Canada. Cruises to Bermuda will include overnight stays in Bermuda.  New for summer 2022 are Adventure’s 9-night Eastern Caribbean sailings that will visit St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Bermuda and Royal Caribbean’s private destination, Labadee, in Haiti. The ship will also offer 4- and 9-night cruises heading up the east coast to visit Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; Boston; Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine.

Anthem of the Seas will resume sailings from Cape Liberty when she returns from Southampton, England in October 2022. Anthem will also sail 11-night southern Caribbean sailings to destinations such as SanJuan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John’s, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; and Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis.

Voyager of the Seas will cruise for the first time from Boston, where she will offer 7-night cruises to Canada that will visit Saint John, Halifax, as well as Bar Harbor and Portland. Voyager will also sail to San Juan on a 7-night cruise with stops in the Dominican
Republic and St. Thomas and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Voyager will arrive to the U.S. to start her season in Boston following a 14-night Arctic Crossing from Copenhagen, Denmark, which will bring guests to the wild landscapes of Iceland and Greenland along the way.

View all of the sailings here:

• Anthem of the Seas
• Adventure of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

This is the second 2022 deployment released as part of the winter release of new deployments, with China & Hawaii sailings released a few weeks ago. 

Over the next few weeks, Royal Caribbean will release additional sailings to fill out the rest of the 2022-2023 schedule.

Keep in mind that the deployment schedule is subject to change.

Planning on booking a 2022 cruise? These stories will help:

• 5 things to look for before you book a cruise
• What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?
• Should I take a short or a long cruise?
• Why you shouldn't book the cheapest cruise you can find

When Royal Caribbean introduced the Bionic Bar with its one-armed robot bartenders 7 years ago, it turned heads. 

Now, there's a new bartender in town.

MSC Cruises announced today the first humanoid bartender will be found aboard its MSC Virtuosa cruise ship.

Known as "Rob", the bartender will be part of the MSC Starliner One bar experience, which is themed to a futuristic spaceship.

Rob can mix and serve cocktails (with or without booze) and personalize drinks as well. He can even talk to guests in 8 languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese). His LED face can convey a variety of emotions.

This humanoid robotic bartender moves his arms, body and head in a highly natural way, all collaborating to give the impression that a real bartender is preparing the cocktail - a very unique engineering feature. Different facial expressions and a voice have been designed to give Rob a human-like personality.

Parallels between Rob and Royal Caribbean's Bionic Bar started almost as soon as MSC made the announcement.

Beginning on Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean introduced the first robotic bartenders in 2014.

The Bionic Bartenders are not humanoid. Instead, they are a robot arm that can make drinks based on orders placed by guests via tablets.

The Bionic Bar concept has spread to a number of cruise ships in the fleet since the debut, including other Oasis and Quantum class cruise ships.

Ordering drinks

Guests will place orders for drinks in specifically designed vertical digital cockpits. 

Guests can monitor the status of their drink while Rob makes it through digital monitors within the area and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the robotic island.

The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic souvenir glasses.

Between making drinks, Rob can interact with guests and change his facial expressions or even dance.  He is capable of telling jokes, riddles and space trivia.

The MSC Starship Club

In addition to Rob, the bar has 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and a 12-seater infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the possibility to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour.

MSC said they have spent almost six years developing the space, and worked hard to push the boundaries of engineering.

During this time, MSC Cruises has worked with leading experts from companies specializing in robotics and automation, interior design as well as entertainment and digital experience solutions to create a custom designed entertainment venue with a humanoid robot as the star.

The robotic island solution is completely automated and integrated with all the catering machines and tools needed for the end-to-end drink preparation and delivery. Safety glass and the 2-level safety laser barriers have been installed to avoid any mishaps.

Human bartenders will be always be on-hand to assist and prepare unique beverages too as part of the overall experience.

The MSC Starship Club also offers an extensive futuristic menu served from the human bar in addition to the cocktails served by Rob These cocktails are not included within the drinks packages.

MSC Virtuosa is the newest cruise ship for MSC Cruises anbd after completing a few three, four and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean, MSC Virtuosa will be deployed to Northern Europe in summer 2021 with a range of itineraries to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capital cities.

It appears Royal Caribbean will be the next cruise line that will vaccinate its crew members.

An email was sent to crew members to inform them that Royal Caribbean expects to vaccinate its crew once sailings restart.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog was able to confirm that emails had been sent to various crew members to inform them that vaccines would be required for them.

"So far, several vaccines have shown to be effective at preventing both mild and severe symptoms of COVID-19, and we intend to make them a key component of our healthy return to service," the email to crew members states.

"Therefore, we expect vaccinations will be required for our crew as part of our plan for your return to working on our ships."

The cruise line does not yet know how or when the vaccine would be distributed to crew members, as it may depend on the country of residence, the timing of the next contract and whether the crew is already on board or traveling. 

Royal Caribbean's decision to vaccinate its crew members follows Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. decision to do the same.

The email did not mention at all if guests would be required to get the vaccine.

The decision was originally reported by Crew-Center after they shared the contents of the email.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reached out to the Royal Caribbean Group for confirmation that crew members will indeed be vaccinated. They shared this statement.

"We have been working in collaboration with government authorities, medical professionals and experts to continue to develop our plan to keep our guests, crew and communities we visit safe. The new COVID-19 vaccines present a new opportunity to do just that. The vaccines are a way to build protection for everyone involved and we continue to look into all options that will assist in keeping people safe. "

Whether or not guests will have to be vaccinated is a decision that Royal Caribbean will look to the Healthy Sail Panel to make.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain shared a video update in January 2021 that a decision on that should be made "reasonably soon".

Mr. Fain's response put the decision on if requiring the vaccine is a good idea on the panel of experts so that the cruise line can make the best decision based on the panel's guidance.

"We have the experts and we'll let them guide us."

Reader opinions

RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers have already begun sharing their opinions on the crew being vaccinated on our message boards.

Twangster wrote, "No surprise really.  Personally I think they'll leave guest requirements to public health agencies but ultimately vaccines will be required."

"I can see many countries around the world establishing a vaccine requirement for international visitors.  Pick a popular ship destination.  If this vaccine requirement becomes real even for one stop of a cruise itinerary that will mean guests and crew are required to be vaccinated. "

Monctonguy thinks this is part of many changes the world will undergo, "Vaccine cards/passport will be the norm in the next couple years for flying, cruising, hotels stays concert events."

Cruise ships have not been able to sail for a year from the United States and many cruise fans think cruise lines should do more to try to fight the ban.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) implemented a ban on cruise ships in March 2020, and has yet to approve any ship to resume service.

Lawsuits, press conferences, social media call-outs and even protests have all been suggested by cruise fans who think the cruise lines are being held to a double standard by the CDC compared to other travel industries.

Cruise lines were the first industry to voluntarily shut itself down at the beginning of the global health crisis, and they are the only industry that has not had the opportunity to reopen since.

All cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, have been very leery of negative statements towards the CDC. This has left a lot of fans, travel agents, investors, and industry insiders confused why more is not being done to highlight the problem.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, answered this topic directly after one travel agent brought it up as a concern.

The question raised was why hasn't Royal Caribbean been more aggressive with the federal government.

Ms. Freed's response was, "When you're working with the government, it has to be a partnership and it's not one sided. We can't push them to make a sale. It is has to be jointly agreed upon."

"We have to tread with them very carefully and we want to work with them as a good partner. So we don't we we don't have answers yet because we're waiting for answers."

The topic of if the CDC is holding up cruise lines has been brought up a number of times over the last year.

Just last month, one Wall Street analyst asked repeatedly Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald if the CDC was delaying test cruises beginning. Mr. Arnold tip-toed around the answer.

Analyst: "So it sounds like you're waiting specifically for the CDC to issue some specific guidance around the test cruise timing."

Donald: "To answer your question about specific timing on test cruise, yes, we would be waiting."

At a meeting in September 2020, Miami-Dade officials called out the CDC for being slow to get cruises to restart.

"While other industries have been allowed to reopen in phases, the cruise industry remains totally shut down," said Vice Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa at the meeting. "In April, the CDC gave the cruise industry seven days to come up with a lay-up plan, and the cruise industry worked tirelessly and gave them the plan in seven days. The CDC took 14 weeks to somewhat respond to the plan that was presented."

"The problem is that's not fair, that the CDC is not paying attention and communicating with the cruise industry on the plans that they are created so they can tell them this is right, this needs more work, so they can be prepared."

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain spoke a bit about the CDC in a video update he released in November, saying he was determined to work with the agency to get cruises back up and running.

"We are determined to work with the CDC to implement, adjust and clarify all those requirements so that we can meet the goal of safe and healthy sailing."

"It won't be easy and it won't be quick, but it will be thorough and it will be effective."

It has been almost a week since Canada banned cruise ships for one year, so why hasn't Royal Caribbean cancelled those sailings yet?

Many cruise fans have been asking this question, and the answer appears cruise lines are still exploring alternative options to allow these cruises to go.

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, addressed this concern with travel agents during an online webinar.

She said she had a conversation with Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley about the topic, and he indicated they are looking for other ways to get around the ban.

"We don't have information and we don't have answers yet. But we're looking at maybe there's an opportunity for an exemption, maybe there's not."

"We are committed to sharing our plan with you once we've evaluated all options for the impacted itineraries to Alaska and also those departing from the northeast. So more details to come."

The exemption that Ms. Freed referred to is the idea that the Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) of 1886 could be temporarily waived for cruise ships in 2021.

Sometimes erroneously called the Jones Act, the PVSA requires foreign flagged cruise ships to make a stop in a foreign country when operating closed-loop cruises from the United States.

In addition to cruise line's efforts to get a waiver, two U.S. Senators and one Congressman announced they are "exploring all potential avenues, including changing existing laws."

Moreover, Canada did leave open the possibility of rescinding the ban if the global health crisis improves before the ban is set to expire.

Royal Caribbean could be holding off canceling Alaska cruises because of optimism related to the distribution of vaccines in the United States and Canada. By summer, the situation could be vastly different than today, which could open the door for a limited cruise season.

In the meantime, Royal Caribbean has already pulled down the 2021 Alaska and New England sailings from their website.

While the 2021 cruises are not yet cancelled, you can no longer book the sailings either via the cruise line website.

There are still a few months before Royal Caribbean's cruise season in Alaska would begin, and the fallout of Canada's ban is starting to get attention.  So there is still a lot of runway left for cruise lines to determine if there are any options left for them to salvage the Alaska cruise season in 2021.

What should you do if you have a 2021 cruise booked?

At this point, if you have a 2021 cruise to Alaska or New England booked, my advice is to hold onto it.

It is far more lucrative to have Royal Caribbean cancel the cruise than for you to cancel it on your own. By waiting for Royal Caribbean to cancel, you will get the option for a full cash refund, 125% onboard credit, or even Lift and Shift.

If you cancel on your own, you are subject to the standard refund policies.  For those with non-refundable cruise deposits, this means a penalty for canceling the cruise.

The only Royal Caribbean cruise ship able to sail right now will continue calling Singapore home for a few months longer.

Royal Caribbean announced that Quantum of the Seas will remain in Singapore until June 2021 to continue offering cruises for three additional months between March 22, 2021 and June 21, 2021.

Quantum was deployed to Singapore in December 2020 to offer cruises exclusively to residents of Singapore.  

Just like the original sailings, these new sailings will be "cruises to nowhere" with no port stops. 

Now available for bookings, these 2-, 3- and 4-night Ocean Getaways will continue to operate with the same set of comprehensive health and safety measures in place, such as mandatory testing, reduced sailing capacity and strict physical distancing measures.

"We are thrilled to announce the extension of the sailing season and look forward to having guests experience first-hand our signature cruise vacation that has wowed local cruisers already, with many booking repeat visits," said Angie Stephen, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Royal Caribbean International. "Our close partnership with the Singapore Government has played an instrumental role in the success of these pilot cruises, and we remain committed to safeguarding the health and safety of our guests and crew during these additional sailings."

The additional sailings have been added following the cruise line's decision to cancel all of the scheduled sailings to Alaska for Quantum of the Seas so that the ship could remain in Singapore.

These new cruises are only available to residents of Singapore.

Success in Singapore

Quantum of the Seas has been able to restart cruises successfully in Singapore in a world where much of the cruise ship industry remains shutdown.

For two months now, Quantum of the Seas has been able to sail and avoided any outbreaks on the ship.  Despite a false positive scare, the ship has been able to operate under Singapore's pilot program, which allows cruise ships to sail with comprehensive protocols.

In order to offer cruises in a safe manner, Royal Caribbean came up with sweeping changes to its ship that would facilitate all the necessary new protocols.

These multilayered health and safety measures were created based on science, data driven and developed with expert guidance from the Healthy Sail Panel, Royal Caribbean Group’s Head of Public Health and Chief Medical Officer and the Singapore Ministry of Health. 

Quantum of the Seas has a reduced capacity onboard, and has implemented mandatory universal testing during embarkation and debarkation, and enforced mask wearing, physical distancing and enhanced cleaning practices across the ship, among other required practices.

New to the cruise experience is Royal Caribbean’s Tracelet, a custom wearable required for all guests and crew on board Quantum of the Seas. The technology helps monitor physical distancing and the cruise line’s contract tracing procedures.  

For a healthier and safer adventure for all, guests and crew must wear masks on board and during signature experiences.

Canada's decision to ban all cruise ships for a year is not sitting well with the state of Alaska.

Following Canada's Ministry of Transport decision to ban cruise ships from its waters until February 2022, lawmakers are looking for ways to salvage a critical piece of Alaska' tourism industry.

Without access to Canadian ports, cruise ships cannot legally sail to Alaska due to U.S. maritime law. 

In a joint statement, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, called the Canadian cruise ship ban, "unacceptable" and said they are looking for answers as to why the ban had to be so long.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan

The joint statement criticizes Canada's decision without first discussing the matter with the Alaska delegation, "Canada’s announcement to ban all cruise sailings carrying 100 people or more traveling through Canadian waters, without so much as a courtesy conversation with the Alaska Delegation, is not only unexpected—it is unacceptable—and was certainly not a decision made with any consideration for Alaskans or our economy."

"We expect more from our Canadian allies."

Since the ban was announced, the Senators and Congressman have reached out to American and Canadian authorities to get a better sense of why the ban had to be so long.

"We are exploring all potential avenues, including changing existing laws, to ensure the cruise industry in Alaska resumes operations as soon as it is safe. We will fight to find a path forward."

On Twitter, Senator Sullivan said he was "stunned" by Canada's ban.

"I was stunned by Canada's decision to ban cruise vessel crossings in Canadian waters for another full year—a decision made without consultation or notice of Alaskans. This is unacceptable, and not in keeping with the cooperative relationship we’ve had with our Canadian neighbors."

I was stunned by Canada's decision to ban cruise vessel crossings in Canadian waters for another full year—a decision made without consultation or notice of Alaskans. This is unacceptable, and not in keeping with the cooperative relationship we’ve had with our Canadian neighbors. https://t.co/9zCep5DomW

— Sen. Dan Sullivan (@SenDanSullivan) February 5, 2021

Why can't cruises sail without Canada?

Canada's ban will prevent Alaska sailings out of Seattle via Canada because of maritime law.

Most countries, including the United States, have cabotage laws designed to protect the U.S. maritime industry.  

The Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) of 1886 requires foreign flagged cruise ships to call on a foreign port if sailing a closed-loop cruise form the United States.

This means, cruise ships cannot sail from Seattle and only visit Alaska ports.  It must make a stop outside the country, and Canada is the only place between Seattle and Alaska for that.

The justification for both the PVSA is to protect the U.S. Merchant Marine (the licensed (officers) and documented (trades) personnel on the ships) and to protect U.S. shipyards that both build and repair the ships .

The cruise industry has been shutdown for an entire year and losing billions of dollars each quarter. So why are cruise ships still being built?

If you read just a few articles about what is happening in the cruise industry, you would know the industry is facing its most dire circumstances, perhaps ever. With mounting loses, debt piling up, and very few ships actually sailing, you might be wondering why cruise ship orders are still being filled and new ships launching.

It's a good question given everything happening today, and the answer lies has less to do with today and more to do with tomorrow.

A number of new cruise ships were delivered in 2020, and more will be delivered in 2021.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, and many more lines took delivery of ships and even announced new ships that will be built in the next few years.

Royal Caribbean has plans for Odyssey of the Seas to join the fleet in Spring 2021 and Wonder of the Seas sometime in 2022. There are orders on file for other new ships in the coming years too.

On top of that, quite a few existing cruise ships were sold to be scrapped many years sooner than likely would have happened if there had not been a global health crisis.

Moreover, these ships were scrapped because of the lack of need for these ships right now, the high costs of maintaining them, and the lack of buyers to transfer the ship to their fleet.

It would seem given the mounting debts and financially motivated scrapping of existing ships that building new cruise ships would be the last thing cruise lines would want to do.

So why are cruise ships still being built?

First, cruise ships are ordered many years in advance and they get financed just as early.

As an example, Odyssey of the Seas, which was set to debut in 2020 but had to be pushed back to 2021 due to the global health crisis, was ordered back in November 2015.

Construction of Odyssey began in earnest on February 1, 2019.

Wonder of the Seas, the next Oasis Class cruise ship, was ordered on May 25, 2016 and construction began on April 24, 2019.

Basically, cruise ships we are seeing coming out of shipyards today were ordered many years ago.

Similar to when you buy a car and finance it, you place the order and agree to pay it off over the course of many months.

The second reason why ships are still being built is the cruise industry being shutdown and health crisis has lead to the ability to delay these new ship deliveries.

Ordinarily, a new cruise ship delivery is rarely delayed much, but the unprecedented situation that the entire cruise industry is under has opened up many more possibilities.

Between the cruise lines and shipyards, new ship orders have been delayed in order to space them out better and provide more time for cruise lines to secure additional funding, as well as become situated in a better position.

Odyssey of the Seas was delayed from an original delivery date in 2020, and Wonder of the Seas was similarly pushed back a year.

Read more: Top 5 things Royal Caribbean had planned for 2020 that got delayed

Thus far, orders for new ships have not been completely cancelled, but instead put off to a further date with the hope things will improve financially for cruise lines. Because of the long amount of time needed to build a ship, even a ship that begins construction today, will not be ready for at least a couple of years.

If all of that makes sense, then why are cruise lines building new ships at the same time they are scrapping and selling off many other ships?

The answer boils down to the economics of operating cruise ships.

New ships run more efficiently than older ships because of a combination of new design trends, more berths, and revenue opportunities onboard.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty told investors that the company could break even with use of fewer, but newer cruise ships, in lieu of older ships.

"For our newer ships, you need about 30 percent load factors to kind of break even. And then they skew to about 50 percent load factor on onto our older ships."

In addition, selling older ships is something that always happened.  Granted, some ships that got scrapped in 2020 might have been sold to another operator if there had not been a global health emergency, but the fact is cruise lines sell ships when the time is right.

Mr. Liberty also said that Royal Caribbean typically sells one to two ships per year.

So the shutdown may have accelerated plans to sell off ships and in some cases, caused vessels to be scrapped instead of sold to another company.

Lastly, cruise ships are still being built because cruise lines are also looking at the big picture.

In the long term, a return to cruising means meeting the pent-up demand for travel that everyone will want to embark on once things start moving back in the direction of normal.

Prior to the shutdown, the cruise industry was extremely profitable, and new ships sell extremely well.

So new cruise ship orders are not being cancelled because there is still a great deal of optimism for what the future holds, while also coming at the expense of older and less efficient/profitable ships.

As the cruise industry reaches the one year mark of being shutdown, Cozumel has proposed it transition from port of call to homeport.

During a radio interview, the mayor of Cozumel proposed allowing cruise ships to sail from the island so that cruises could restart in the Caribbean more easily.

Riviera Maya News posted the transcript of a radio interview by Pedro Joaquín Delbouis, where he said he has reached out to at least one cruise with the proposal.

In his frustration that the cruise industry remains shutdown, Mayor Delbouis thinks cruises could sail from Cozumel to destinations in the Caribbean.

Read more: Things to do in Cozumel on your Royal Caribbean cruise

"There is constant communication with the United States authorities and the Caribbean Cruise Association and there is nothing scheduled for this first quarter, so together with the Secretary of Tourism, we propose that we be a home port."

"There is still no answer with the US lines, but we are in talks with the MSC, which managed an itinerary through the Caribbean without touching North American soil."

"If they cannot leave from the United States, let them make a route to the Caribbean sailing from Cozumel."

Cozumel has long been a destination for cruise ships to visit, but sailing from the island would present a series of challenges, including facilities for embarkation, supplies, and getting passengers easily to the island.

Mayor Delbouis added he thought sailings could include stops in places such as Havana, Cuba or Progreso, Mexico.

His idea is to have, "one or two weekly departures from here."

Read more: Best Cozumel beach resorts

The Mayor did concede that the plan would not be easy to get started, "We know that supply logistics is not easy at all, and more so from an island, but it can be done."

In a separate statement, Mayor Delbouis called on Mexico's federal government to provide support for the plan, "The cruise ships could sail from Cozumel, but we need the support of the federal government."

The key to having cruise ships sail from Cozumel is based on the construction of the fourth cruise ship dock in Cozumel, which began work in October 2020.

This infrastructure is among the 39 projects that make up the Agreement for the Economic Reactivation that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed with the Private Initiative (IP) in October 2020.

Mayor Delbouis said the dock could be the perfect facility for Cozumel to transition from port stop to embarking passengers.

On social media, Mayor Delbouis insisted this idea needs both federal and state government support so that the port could make cruise lines see Cozumel as their port of departure for Caribbean sailings.