Royal Caribbean Blog

In addition to Royal Caribbean's Black Friday sale on cruise fares, there will be an additional sale on pre-cruise purchases.

The Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals will be offered between November 25, 2020 - December 1, 2020 and is valid on cruised departing January 1, 2021 - December 1, 2021.

As is the case with any Cruise Planner sale, availability of offers varies by eligible ships and individual tours. Spectrum of the Seas sailings are completely excluded, as are charter sailings.

Remember, this sail does not begin until November 25, 2020.

Here is a look at what will be discounted during this Black Friday sale:

Beverage: Up to 50% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship. 
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: : Discount varies by ship.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship.
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship.
• Refreshment Package: Discount varies by ship. 

Shore Excursions: Up to 50% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship. 

Internet: Up to 65% Off

• The Key: Discount varies by ship. Excludes Majesty of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas
• 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 55% Off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship. Excludes Majesty of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas
• Chops Grill: : Discount varies by ship. Excludes Majesty of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas

Gifts & Gear: 40% Off (excludes Voyager of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas)

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

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. 

Spa: Up to 30% Off

• Services: Discount varies by ship.

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.

Caribbean cruises are some of the most popular types of cruises available, so how do you choose the right sailing for your family?

Royal Caribbean offers cruises to every corner of the Caribbean, and that means a lot of choices to consider. Eastern, Western, Southern or even Bahamas sailings are available year round on Royal Caribbean.

Regardless of which region of the Caribbean you pick, you will find beautiful beaches and warm temperatures. The region enjoys fantastic weather for an escape during all months of the year.

Before you book a Caribbean cruise, here is what you need to know about what each region is known for and what you should look for in a cruise.

Eastern Caribbean

Cruises to the Eastern Caribbean will take you to a wide variety of beautiful places to visit.

In fact, the Eastern Caribbean ports are best known for their beaches, with many cruises visiting different Virgin Islands, as well as the far reaches of the East Indies. 

The Eastern Caribbean is also home to very popular cruise ports, such as San Juan which offers rich culture and history among many different types of shore excursions.

If your cruise happens to visit some of the further out ports in the Eastern Caribbean, you will have the opportunity to see some of the more exotic cruise ports in the region. Usually cruises to this area require a longer sailing, but the scenery is among exquisite.

Top Eastern Caribbean ports

• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Philipsburg, St. Martin
• Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Read more: Things to do in Old San Juan

Western Caribbean

The Western Caribbean is filled with some of the friendliest people you will find, with some lovely ports of call.

Many Western Caribbean cruises will visit at least one port in Central America.  Cozumel, Progreso, Costa Maya, Belize or Roatan are very popular cruise ports and offer some the widest variety of things to do.

Not only do Western Caribbean cruises have beautiful beaches, they rich history and cuisine of the area stand out as favorites. The Western Caribbean is also where you will find the rich history of Maya, with Mayan ruins available to tour in the mainland ports.

In addition to the mainland, ports in Jamaica and Grand Cayman round out a good variety of port visit options.

Whereas the Eastern Caribbean tends to be a bit more "beach day" heavy than the Western Caribbean, you will find a great deal of fun activities for all ages (including going to the beach).

Top Western Caribbean ports

• Cozumel, Mexico
• George Town, Grand Cayman
• Roatan, Honduras

Read more: Fun things to do on a cruise to Mexico

Southern Caribbean

If your goal is to find the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, look no further than the Southern Caribbean.

Islands in the Southern Caribbean have some of the best variety of water color, temperature, and clarity that you will find in the entire region.  Moreover, the Southern Caribbean is almost always quite warm, with temperatures dropping rarely below the 80s Fahrenheit.

Since the Southern Caribbean islands are a bit further away from the United States than other parts of the Caribbean, the ports you visit will seem a little less built up and less crowded.

The Southern Caribbean ports also tend to retain more of their European influences than other Caribbean islands.

Cruises to the Southern Caribbean tend to mostly sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico, although Royal Caribbean does sometimes offer longer sailings from Miami.

Top Southern Caribbean ports

• Oranjestad, Aruba
• St. John's, Antigua
• Willemstad, Curacao

Private destinations

In addition to the different Caribbean islands you will visit on any of these cruises, Royal Caribbean will also mix in visits to one of its private destinations.

These ports are only open to Royal Caribbean cruise ships, and it offers a relaxing and fun beach day where the cruise line takes care of just about everything.

Most of each destination is included in your cruise cost, although there are some extras you can opt to purchase to enhance your visit.

Perfect Day at CocoCay

The crown jewel of Royal Caribbean's private islands is Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas. Royal Caribbean recently upgraded the entire island and enhanced the offerings from end to end.

Guests can choose between a variety of beaches, the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, water park and even a private beach club.

In short, CocoCay stands out because of the variety of choices that appeals to just about anyone and any age.

Available on Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.

Labadee

Located in Haiti, Labadee is a private enclave where you can kick back with a relaxing beach day.

While Labadee does not have all the bells and whistles of CocoCay, it delivers exactly what most cruisers want: a slice of paradise with relaxing beach choices, coupled with add-on excursions if you wish.

Labadee is best known for the Dragon's Breath zip line, which is a 2,600 foot zip down a flight line at speeds that reach 40-50 mph.

Available on Western Caribbean cruises.

Which Caribbean cruise should you choose?

Ultimately, there is no bad choice to be made, and the decision boils down to what type of vacation you are leaning towards.

Any of the regions of the Caribbean offers its fair share of beautiful Caribbean beaches, and you are splitting hairs about which beach looks more pristine than the other.

The Western Caribbean offers more history and Mayan culture in Mexico and surrounding areas.

You might pick the Eastern Caribbean if you prefer beaches over port exploring, as well as if you are looking for a Caribbean cruise longer than a week.

The Southern Caribbean is stunning, but it will almost certainly require you to fly to Puerto Rico to begin your cruise, which can be a dealbreaker for some people.

More Caribbean planning articles:

• What is the best time to cruise to the Caribbean?
• Eight Southern Caribbean Cruise Tips & Secrets
• What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?

Attention Black Friday shoppers, here is what Royal Caribbean has in store for guests next week.

Royal Caribbean's Cyber Week Sale will run between November 24 - December 1, 2020 and offer a bundle of savings, with up to $550 off cruise fares.

The cruise line will change the name of the promotion over the course of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but the promotional offer is the same for each named offer.

Royal Caribbean Black Friday 2020 details

Dates: November 24, 2020 – December 1, 2020

Instant Savings up to $400 per stateroom on select sailings departing on or after January 1, 2021.

• Sailings 5 nights or less, $75 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $200 for Suites
• Sailings 6 nights or longer, $100 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $150 for Balconies and $400 for Suites
• Instant savings do not apply to China departures

November savings up to $150 instant savings:

• Sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and Suites
• Sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies, and $150 for Suites

60% off second guest: 60% off second guest when booking a cruise departing on or after January 1, 2021

Kids Sail Free: Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger as of cruise departure date, booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests in a triple or quad-occupancy stateroom.

• Kids Sail Free applies to select 3-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, and Repositioning sailings departing between December 1, 2020 – December 17, 2020 and January 8, 2021 – December 17, 2021.
• Offer excludes 2021 President’s Day Sailings (Sailings between February 12 – 15, 2021), 2021 Spring Break and Easter sailings (Sailings between March 13 – April 4, 2021), 2021 Thanksgiving Sailings (Sailings between November 19 – 26, 2021), SR and RD Cruisetours.

BOGO60 and Kids Sail Free + Summer are combinable with each other as well as promotional OBCs, NextCruise o­ffers, instant savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven o­ffers, Free Upgrades, Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Cyber Week Sale is combinable with BOGO60 and Kids Sail Free + Summer as well as with promotional OBCs, NextCruise o­ffers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven o­ffers, Free Upgrades, Shareholder Benefits, but not combinable with Crown and Anchor discounts. Resident rates apply to select states on select sailings; valid address must be entered at time of booking to redeem savings. O­ffers are not combinable with any other o­ffer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates. Promo Code driven o­ffers are based on select ships and sail dates and must be applied at time of booking; limit one promo code per booking. 

Offer available to residents of United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select countries in the Caribbean. 

What you should do right now to prepare for Black Friday

If you are looking over this Black Friday offer and thinking it sounds like a great deal, you should still book something right now.

One of the best strategies for saving money on a cruise is to book early and re-price it if there is a price drop.

Booking a cruise today will lock in the current price.  When the Black Friday sale begins next week, if there is a better price, you can have the cruise repriced for you under the Best Price Guarantee.

Up until Final Payment date, you can reprice the price of a cruise as many times as you want if you happen to spot a lower price.

With the enhanced Cruise with Confidence program, this opportunity is available to all guests, not just North Americans.

By booking a cruise now, you can ensure you have the lowest price.  If the price on Black Friday is lower, you can reprice at the lower price.  If the price happens to go up, you already locked in the lower rate and are set.

The strategy of booking early and then taking advantage of price drops ensure you always have the lowest price, as opposed to trying to time a price drop later (which may or may not happen).

How to check if the price is lower

The most straight forward method for seeing if there is a price drop is to go to Royal Caribbean's website and do a mock booking. 

Be sure to go through as much of the checkout process as you can to ensure you are comparing exactly what you have booked, as things like cruise fare (refundable vs non-refundable), gratuities, taxes and other fees may not be levied until later in the checkout.

Another option is to let you travel agent handle this for you.  Some travel agents (the really good ones) will take it upon themslves to check for lower prices on behalf of their clients.

I recommend this travel agency for booking a Royal Caribbean cruise, and they will reprice for you during sales like this. If you are not convinced using a free travel agency right for you, read this post discussing the benefits travel agents offer.

The City of Key West officially certified the results of a recent referendum that limits cruise ship traffic to Key West.

The residents of Key West voted on November 3 to approve three proposals that would effectively ban large cruise ships from Key West, and the results of the voting were certified this week by Monroe County Supervisor of Elections R. Joyce Griffin.

The voter-approved amendments to the City Charter have now been authenticated by Mayor Teri Johnston and filed with City Clerk Cheryl Smith.

The final tally for the three new laws of Key West are as follows:

Limiting persons disembarking from cruise ships to 1,500 per day.
YES: 8,186 (63%)
NO: 4,743 (27%)

Prohibiting cruise ships with a capacity of 1,300 or more persons.
YES: 7,852 (61%)
NO: 5,087 (29%)

Prioritize cruise lines with the best environmental and health records.
YES: 10,587 (81%)
NO: 2,453 (19%)

The group behind the proposal, Key West Committee for Safer Cleaner Ships, celebrated the certification with its backers and vowed to defend the new laws against any legal challenges, "After 30+ years of rising dissatisfaction with the effects of unregulated cruising, the people of Key West have spoken loud and clear.

"And while we expect corporate powers to challenge the new laws in court and in the monied halls of Tallahassee, one thing is certain: the City Commission now has an unquestionable mandate to defend this legislation against any and all opponents."

How will this affect Royal Caribbean cruises?

The newly certified laws will prohibit any Royal Caribbean ship from being able to visit Key West, since the capacity of even the smallest Royal Caribbean International ship exceeds the prohibition set forth by the prohibition on a ship with a capacity of more than 1,300 passengers.

The bigger question is what legal hurdles will these new laws face, as even the Safer, Cleaner Ships organization recognizes private businesses in Key West (such as the owner of the pier) may challenge these laws.

A few Royal Caribbean ships were small enough to dock in Key West, such as Brilliance of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas.

There has been no official word on what might happen to these itineraries, and if visits to Key West will be replaced by another port visit or a sea day.

In 2019, Key West had its busiest year with 417 cruise ship visits that brought 965,000 passengers.

Cruise fans not happy with new laws

Cruise fans that enjoyed being able to visit Key West on a cruise without the long drive from Miami shared their displeasure with the new laws on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards.

karl_nj lamented that he may never visit Key West as a result of the laws, "I had always wanted to visit Key West, but never got around to it.  I figured visiting via cruise ship would have been my best bet; i don't really envision myself flying to Florida, renting a car, and driving all the way down to Key West.  Oh well,  plenty of other places to visit and spend money."

FManke was surprised any city would want to turn away business given the current economic climate, "With what's going on these days and the uncertain future, I can't see anybody turning away business."

There is plenty of uncertainty about Royal Caribbean cruises and their restart plans, but besides when cruises might resume, there are some questions cruise fans have been asking for a while without any clear answers.

Of course everyone wants to know when cruises will be able to restart, but an explanation of some other major concerns is among the most frequently asked questions.

Here are the top six questions we are all waiting on Royal Caribbean to answer.

What are all the new rules for cruises in North America and Europe?

Before Royal Caribbean can restart cruises, they have to announce all the new rules and protocols we can expect for cruises sailing from North America or Europe.

There are new rules announced for Quantum of the Seas cruises from Singapore, but the cruise line has not yet announced changes for other markets.

Just yesterday, Royal Caribbean's Public Health & Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Calvin Johnson said the cruise line is still working on converting the Healthy Sail Panel recommendations into rules.

"The way that we at a Royal Caribbean group have moved to operationalize those has been through creating very, very specific and detailed operational protocols, how we will do things as a cruise line in order to make sure that we're focusing on those safe aspects and those elements that will help make cruising safer."

Dr. Johnson said Royal Caribbean came up with 122 specific protocols and almost 300 specific policies, but the public is curious what all of these changes will be exactly.

How will Royal Caribbean select volunteers for test cruises?

Ever since Royal Caribbean began taking sign ups for volunteers for its test cruises, the most frequently asked question is how volunteers will be picked.

In just over a week, Royal Caribbean has gotten over 100,000 people sign up to help test out the cruise line's new rules, but there has been absolutely no indication how volunteers will be chosen.

The only requirement listed when signing up was you had to be 18 years old.

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, said that test sailings will be conducted with a combination of Royal Caribbean employees and volunteers, although they are not sure how volunteers will be picked yet.

What  is the status of delayed ship upgrades and new Perfect Day islands?

The combination of the voluntary cruise shutdown and billion dollar loses each of the last few quarters meant Royal Caribbean had to cut out capital spending, which has left many questions surrounding the status of these projects.

Scheduled upgrades to four Royal Caribbean ships remaining in the Royal Amplified program, as well as the future of Perfect Day at Lelepa and upgrades to Labadee remain ambiguous at best.

Royal Caribbean has not said much about these projects since announcing it could cut capital spending projects.

Prior to the shutdown, Royal Caribbean had announced a new Perfect Day island in the South Pacific, confirmed upgrades to Labadee, and announced new port projects in Antigua, Freeport and Nassau.

Which ships will sail first?

No one knows when cruises will restart, and Royal Caribbean has not even divulged which cruise ships will start first.

The cruise line has confirmed whenever cruises do start up again, the entire fleet will not begin at once.  Rather, a few ships will begin sailing and other ships will come back into service at a later time when it is practical.

Royal Caribbean has not announced which ships might start up first, only hinting "Deployment of spring is expected to be highly focused on short sailings from key drive markets in both the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions."

Will future cruise credits be extended?

As the cruise shutdown drags on, the window of opportunity to redeem a future cruise credit becomes smaller and smaller.

Every future cruise credit has an expiration date, and as of this week, all Future Cruise Credits will expire no sooner than December 31, 2021. 

What happens if this shutdown goes continues on? What about newly announced 2022 cruises? Will Royal Caribbean extend FCCs to provide more time to use them?

Will cruises still be fun after all of these changes?

This may seem like a silly question, but there is merit in wondering how all of the changes will impact the onboard experience.

Objectively speaking, new protocols and rules will change aspects of the cruise.  That does not mean every change is a bad change, but cruising will not be the same when it restarts as it was before cruises shutdown.

The answer to this question will vary from person to person, and it is not specifically a concern Royal Caribbean can answer to everyone's satisfaction. 

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said during a conference call with investors in August. "We will not rush to return to service until we are confident that we have figured out the changes that we must make to offer our guests and crew strong health and safety protocols with the enjoyable experience that they rightly expect."

What are you still wondering?

There are plenty of unanswered questions, and I will certainly do my best to share answers here as soon as I get them.  

It is important to note that Royal Caribbean is not ignoring these concerns. This is uncharted territory, and they are taking things one day at a time in order to best deal with the changing landscape of the cruise business.

Do you have questions about the short-term future that Royal Caribbean has not answered? Ask them in the comments!

If you have ever wanted to visit Bermuda on a cruise without going out of the Northeast, 2022 might be the year for you.

Royal Caribbean released its 2022 Caribbean cruises earlier this week, and included with the array of choices is a new itinerary that offers an overnight stay in Bermuda from Port Canaveral.

Mariner of the Seas will introduce sailings from Florida to Bermuda, which is something that has not been offered in any recent memory.

These 8-night cruises will include two days in Kings Wharf, before heading to Nassau for a late night stay and then a full day at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Here is a list of the Bermuda cruises available on Mariner of the Seas:

• May 15, 2022
• May 28, 2022
• June 5, 2022
• August 21, 2022
• September 3, 11, 2022
• October 8, 16, 2022

Traditionally, Bermuda cruises are only offered from ports in the Northeast, such as New York or Baltimore.

These new cruises are available to book immediately, and part of Royal Caribbean's summer 2022 deployments that were just announced. The cruise line will announce its remaining Caribbean summer 2022 deployment early next year.

More summer 2022 cruises

In addition to the Bermuda sailings, Royal Caribbean highlighted a number of new cruises available to book across six ships in total.

Symphony and Harmony of the Seas will sail Eastern and Western Caribbean 7-night itineraries from Miami and Port Canaveral, respectively.

New for 2022, Symphony will double the number of Eastern Caribbean sailings and tout evening stays in Puerto Rico on select cruises throughout the summer. Harmony will visit island gems such as St. Thomas, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Falmouth, Jamaica, as well as Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Oasis of the Seas will return to Cape Liberty, New Jersey to offer 7-night cruise vacations to Florida and The Bahamas. She also has a cruise to Canada mixed in.

Explorer of the Seas will sail from Miami to offer alternating 8- and 6-night itineraries to the Western and South Caribbean.

Liberty will continue to homeport in Galveston, Texas and offer 7-night Western Caribbean itineraries to the beautiful beaches of Belize City, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico.

Royal Caribbean's Public Health & Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Calvin Johnson, spoke to travel agents on Wednesday about what the cruise line has to do in order to obtain approval to start sailing again.

In a webinar, Dr. Johnson spoke about what the new “framework for conditional sailing” order by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) means, and what steps are required to be completed.

Dr. Johnson said the first phase of the framework is to establish a baseline for cruise lines and their ships to demonstrate that the ships are free of the virus onboard.

Another step is the requirement to have simulated voyages, that allow Royal Caribbean to test the new protocols that are going to be put into place.

Dr. Johnson and his team worked very hard in order to take the Healthy Sail Panel's 74 recommendations and turn them into cruise line specific rules for any sailing.

"The way that we at a Royal Caribbean group have moved to operationalize those has been through creating very, very specific and detailed operational protocols, how we will do things as a cruise line in order to make sure that we're focusing on those safe aspects and those elements that will help make cruising safer."

Dr. Johnson said these operational protocols fall into five large categories:

1. Prevention: What you do up front to make sure as best you can to keep the virus from ever even getting on the ship.

"Being one hundred percent in keeping virus out of anywhere is is a daunting task and may not happen. But what you can do is minimize the risk of a virus spreading it."

2. Mitigation efforts: What do you do if the wind virus is on board? How quickly can you identify it?

"How do you identify them? How do you identify those who they may have been in contact with? How do you contain them and then get them to the appropriate level of care, isolating them from being able to to spread or infect others and ultimately inappropriately getting them off the vessel and into the appropriate level of care, whether that is just quarantining or isolating at home or in a hotel or if they're sick and getting them to hospital and appropriate medical care."

3. Protecting the destinations: How do we ensure that we're protecting the destinations and those nations in those ports that we that we sail to?

"We don't want to bring any illness or disease or risk to our partners. That requires and working on on both on both ends, their responsibility and our responsibility to ensure that we're creating a safe environment for all involved."

4. Mobilization: How do you effective and appropriately then get folks to the care that they need?

5. Validation: How do you ensure that they're actually being done properly and actually making a difference?

In going through those five key areas, Dr. Johnson said Royal Caribbean came up with over 122 specific protocols to move towards safer sailing.

"One hundred twenty two protocols and actually almost three hundred specific policies added on, in addition to to what we already had some policies improved to change."

Dr. Johnson also echoed a sentiment shared by other Royal Caribbean Group executives that cruises will only begin when the cruise line feels it is safe to do so, and there is no rush back.

"That means not going back to sailing before we're ready to go back to sailing, not going back to sailing before we feel it is is safe to do so."

Vaccine outlook

Dr. Johnson was asked about his thoughts on some of the amazing trial results two different vaccines have reported recently.

Dr. Johnson said the vaccines have a long history of being "transformative in terms of both health, health care and public health," and thinks what is currently happening with the trial vaccines is "an incredibly exciting time".

"The fact that vaccines have we've gotten to this point in terms of vaccine development... is very, very encouraging."

"Those protections and processes that have been in place for vaccines in the past, still looking to ensure through the data that that these vaccines that are moving forward now are, in fact, safe and effective."

He added that there is still more information we can learn in the last phase of the vaccine development that we should pay close attention to, "to ensure that these vaccines continue to be safe and that their effectiveness seems to continue to be such that they will have an impact on limiting the severity and the duration of this illness."

Carnival Cruise Line announced today it has cancelled all sailings into February, and even some into March, but Royal Caribbean has no plans yet to match those dates.

Nearly as soon as Carnival Cruise Line made the announcement it would cancel all of its sailings through January 31, 2021 and select cruises in February and March, many cruise fans were wondering if Royal Caribbean would do the same.

Carnival announced it would extend its cancellation for all vessels through at least January 31.

In addition, Carnival canceled all sailings out of Baltimore; Charleston, South Carolina.; Jacksonville, Florida; Long Beach, California; Mobile, Alabama.; New Orleans; and San Diego through the end of February.

Sailings out of Tampa on the line’s Carnival Legend were canceled through March 26.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service Vicki Freed said there was no decision made 

"At this point in time, we've only canceled sailings through the end of December."

"We're staying very fluid with the situation. And if we do need to cancel, we will certainly give everybody a heads up. But right now it's just through the end of December of 2020."

Royal Caribbean's current global cruise suspension expires at the end of December (except for Quantum of the Seas in Singapore), with a January 1, 2021 date to resume operation for the majority of the fleet.

Since the cruise industry have shut down operations in March, the "big three" cruise lines of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group have had a tendency to match each other with cruise cancellation announcements. While this pattern is far from an absolute guarantee, it has been the dominant pattern.

Time needed to prepare

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted the No Sail Order at the end of October, but replaced it with a complex road map for cruise lines to follow if they wish to restart operations.

There are multiple phases to restart, which include preparing ships now to ensure they are free of any virus, conducting test cruises, and applying for a Conditional Sailing Certificate.

None of these steps is simple or quick, and it could take many more weeks or months to go through all the steps.

Royal Caribbean has not provided any kind of guidance of how long they estimate it may take before cruises resume, but executives have been insistent that they will take their time in order to get it right.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain has said they want to have a good plan in place before starting back up.

"We have said that we're not sure when we're coming back. We won't come back until we're absolutely sure that we've done everything we can to work to protect the safety of our guests and crew."

"We will work with the authorities. We will work with all the experts that we have asked to help us on this, to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect our guests and crew."

One of the signature features of Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas has arrived at the shipyard to be installed on Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship.

The North Star is a glass observational pod attached to a giant arm that guests can board to get 360-degree views from 300 feet above sea level.

Odyssey of the Seas is a Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship, and the North Star is a signature activity found only on Quantum and Quantum Ultra class cruise ships.

North Star was transported on barge that arrived at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

The North Star for Odyssey is painted with lime green and light blue stripes, similar to the concept art for the ship. All other Quantum Class ships have a North Star that has a navy blue striped motif.

Part of that design choice appears to be to better match the Lime and Coconut tropical design that the rest of the pool deck features.

Odyssey of the Seas concept art

Spectrum of the Seas

North Star is complimentary outside of China.

Odyssey of the Seas is due to be delivered to Royal Caribbean in Spring 2021. 

Once complete, Odyssey of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean's second Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship, sailing from Rome in Summer 2021.

After her inaugural season in Europe, Odyssey will then continue its inaugural year in Fort Lauderdale, FL with 8- and 6-night Caribbean itineraries.

Odyssey has been under construction since the steel cutting ceremony in February 2019, but delivery was delayed due to the impact of the global health crisis.

When you book a cruise, is there such thing as a bad stateroom to book?

The last thing anyone wants to do is make a mistake that they will have to live with for the entire length of their cruise, and which room you pick is a major decision in your cruise plans.

The good news is picking a cabin is less "hit or miss" when it comes to Royal Caribbean cruises compared to perhaps other cruise lines. In addition, modern cruise ship design has paid closer attention to room locations to avoid some of the issues of the past.

If you are booking a cruise and want to know how to pick the perfect cabin (and which rooms to avoid), here is what you need to know.

Location, location, location

If you are worried about picking a bad room, the question you really should be asking is what is your stateroom near and far away from?

Just like buying a house, the location of your cabin has implications for convenience, neighbors, and what the room has to offer.

The first thing you want to do is pull up a deck plan for your ship to see where your room is located on the ship.  

You will want to check the deck plans for what is one deck above or below your cabin. Ideally, you want a room that has no public spaces (pools, restaurants, venues, etc) above or below your room to mitigate the chance of noise bleed.

If there is a public venue above or below your room, don't assume you are in for a disaster. This is more of a best practice, and Royal Caribbean cabins are generally speaking well insulated from noise.

You may also want to pay attention to distance from your room to elevators or staircases.  On larger cruise ships, the walking distance to an elevator from rooms at the end of a hallway can be lengthy, so anyone with mobility issues or simply wants to reduce the "commute time" should look for a room closer to an elevator.

One other consideration is if you are worried about getting seasick.  To minimize the sensation of movement, pick a room that is as close to the ship's center, and on the lowest possible deck.

Private balcony

Another consideration is if you want a room that has its own private balcony or not.

Booking a room with a balcony means you get not only fresh air whenever you need, but also your own private space to enjoy during the cruise.

First time cruisers may quickly dismiss booking a balcony or suite in order to save money, but a common regret is from people who book interior rooms and later wish they had a balcony.

Of course, you can have a great cruise without a private balcony, but it is something you should absolutely consider.

Does the side of the ship matter?

Another vestige of the old days of cruising is picking which side of the ship your cabin is located in order to get a better view.

For Caribbean and Alaska cruises, the side of the ship your room is located is irrelevant because the views are pretty much the same, and there is no advantage to being on one side or another.

Ships do not dock on the same side of the dock each time they visit a particular port, so it is impossible to guess the direction your ship will be. Depending upon winds, tide, and other ships in port, the same ship could change sides within the same port from trip to trip.

In general, I do not think it is worth worrying about which side of the ship your room happens to be on, and instead consider the other factors, such as proximity to elevators and what is above or below your room.

Guarantee rooms

As you go through the booking process, you will run across an option to let Royal Caribbean pick your specific cabin, which is known as a guarantee cabin.

This means Royal Caribbean will charge you less money for booking a particular category in exchange for giving up the ability to choose your specific stateroom.

This means once you book, you do not know the exact room assignment. At some point in the weeks leading up to the cruise, Royal Caribbean will assign your stateroom.

If you are not picky about your exact room location, you could opt into a guarantee room to potentially save hundreds of dollars.

Which cabin is the best location on a cruise ship?

There is no objective answer to the "best" location on any ship. Your room selection is a combination of availability and personal preference.

In general, the cabin location and cost are the major considerations when you book a cruise. 

You have to weigh the considerations outlined in this post and decide which is most important for you.

More stateroom booking articles:

• What is the best room on a cruise ship?
• Should I book a guarantee stateroom on a cruise?
• Is a suite on Royal Caribbean worth it?
• Avoid these mistakes when picking a cruise ship cabin