Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas arrived in Sydney, Australia this week after the impact of Coronavirus in Asia forced Royal Caribbean to redeploy her away from the region.
Royal Caribbean announced two weeks ago it would reposition Spectrum of the Seas to Australia as a gesture to thank the humanitarian efforts put forth to combat the wildfires.
Aaron Armitage took photos of Spectrum of the Seas in Sydney Harbour, marking her arrival.
When circumstances improve in China, Royal Caribbean International president and CEO Michael Bayley said, Royal Caribbean International will dedicate a ship in China to a series of complimentary sailings to thank first responders and medical personnel for their heroic efforts to defeat the virus.
Should you book your shore excursions through Royal Caribbean, or should you book tours on your own? There are advantages to both strategies, as well as important considerations to be aware of as well.
There is a good argument to be made for doing either one, so here is what you need to know about booking shore excursions and if you are better off going through the cruise line.
Why you should book an excursion through Royal Caribbean
Booking your shore excursion through the cruise line provides the safety net of knowing a few important facts about any tour you choose.
Tours are vetted
Royal Caribbean stands behind the excursions they offer, which means they have certified the tour operator provides the proper equipment, performs the tour in a safe environment with proper gear, as well as providing an authentic experience.
If you are doing a tour that involves boats, airplanes or helicopters, the knowledge that Royal Caribbean stands behind this tour provides some guests with the good feeling that the operator has been properly vetted for safety.
Perhaps the most compelling reason to book a Royal Caribbean shore excursion is the promise if the tour runs late or is delayed, Royal Caribbean will get you back on the ship.
Royal Caribbean coordinates with the tour operators around the ship's schedule to minimize any risk of the ship needing to leave for the next destination without you onboard.
When you book a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean, they guarantee that if your tour is delayed, the ship will wait for you. In the unlikely event that your tour is significantly delayed, and the ship cannot wait, Royal Caribbean will make all the arrangements for you to return to the ship at no expense to you.
If you tour on your own, the ship will not wait, as it is your responsibility to be onboard before the ship's scheduled departure time.
Convenience
Booking a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean is super simple, with a one-stop shop for browsing tours via the Cruise Planner site.
You can view all the options in one place, and compare tour options before booking. You can even apply onboard credit towards a particular excursion!
As a consumer, it is very nice to have one place to see all the options presented in an easy-to-understand manner.
Why you should book excursions independently or tour on your own
Greater variety of choices
No matter what Royal Caribbean does, they can never match the amount of options you can consider by booking a tour independently or booking a shore excursion on your own.
In every port you visit, there are a multitude of tour operators available beyond what the cruise line can offer. Moreover, you may simply want to walk around on your own and forgo an organized tour. Either way, you will find more options and combinations if you book on your own than through the cruise line.
In the Caribbean, one of my favorite family excursions is to book an all-inclusive resort day pass [link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra!]. Not only are most of these unavailable through Royal Caribbean, they are great values and a lot of fun.
Lower prices
In general, you may be able to save money by booking similar tours to what the cruise line offers because there is "middle man". Royal Caribbean sells these tours, but they are operated by someone else, and that means Royal Caribbean is getting a cut of the profits.
With so many tour operators competing to offer similar excursions, booking a shore excursion through a third party means you may be able to find a lower price for the same trek.
As long as you research the company you are working with, and provide yourself enough time to get back to the ship on time, it can make a lot of sense to book an independent shore excursion that would otherwise cost you more money onboard.
Shore excursions sold by the cruise ship have a tendency to be large groups, which means you move at the group pace instead of your own.
By booking an independent tour, you may be able to find a tour with a smaller group or even a private tour all together. This means you may be able to see more, or at the very least get around at a faster pace.
Moreover, going with a private guide you can get more personalized information about where you are going, as well as catering to what you want.
It should be noted that Royal Caribbean does offer its own brand of private shore excursions, known as Private Journeys.
You prefer to walk around on your own
In some ports, getting around is very easy without any tour at all.
If your ship visits a city where you dock very close to the downtown area, it may be quite simple to bring a walking tour and explore on your own. Not only will this be cheaper than any tour, it allows you to easily get around to visit shops, museums, cafes or historic monuments.
Not all ports may qualify for this, but places like San Francisco, Old San Juan or Barcelona are excellent ports of call to go the DIY route.
Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!
Episode 343 is available for downloading, Kurt shares what it was like to go through the recent Coronavirus-delayed sailing on Anthem of the Seas.
A few weeks ago, Anthem of the Seas was delayed multiple days due to false reports of Coronavirus being on the ship. Looking back at the ordeal, this episode provides an opportunity to learn from what occured to assist anyone else dealing with a potential delay of this magnitude in the future.
Royal Caribbean has launched its Friend and Family Spring Sale, which offers cruises beginning at $249.
Friends & Family Spring Sale is valid for new individual bookings made between February 26, 2020 through March 1, 2020, and applies to select sailings departing between March 29, 2020 and May 24, 2020 across Interior, Ocean View, Balcony and Suite accommodations.
Offer applies to first two guests in the stateroom. Offer is not combinable with any other promotional offers.
Perfect Day at CocoCay is filled with great activities and things to do for the family. Chilling at the beach, going down water slides, dining around the island and more are part of a day at this private island.
Matt shares a look at the top ten things you might not be aware of prior to visiting Royal Caribbean's destination.
The parent company of Royal Caribbean International has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2020 World's Most Ethical Companies for the fifth year in a row.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has been recognized since 2015 and is the only honoree in the Leisure & Recreation industry.
"At Royal Caribbean ethical values have helped make us into who we are," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We value this honor and will work to demonstrate these core, ethical values day in and day out."
The World's Most Ethical Companies assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient®(EQ) framework, which offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized manner. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.
Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35 percent), culture of ethics (20 percent), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20 percent), governance (15 percent) and leadership and reputation (10 percent). All companies that participate in the assessment process receive their scores, providing them with valuable insights into how they stack up against leading organizations.
Royal Caribbean announced it has added 15 port visits to St. Maarten in 2020.
The new visits run between May 2020 and December 2020 on Freedom of the Seas sailings, and signifies a closer relationship between the cruise line and the Caribbean island.
We received reports from readers that a sea day on Freedom of the Seas has been replaced with a visit to Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
“In order to grow our partnership, we are taking the proactive step of enhancing our Eastern Caribbean itineraries by replacing a day at sea and adding a coveted visit to St. Maarten,” said Vice President of Port Development, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Joshua Carroll. “It’s part of our culture at Royal Caribbean to focus on continuous improvement and this extends to our relationships with destination partners. It makes perfect sense for us to embrace the win-win opportunities with the additional port calls by Freedom of the Seas that brings not only economic benefit to a great partner like Port St. Maarten, but also offer our guests an amazing travel destination.”
Freedom of the Seas is about to complete a $116 million amplification that will add a variety of new enhancements, including the Perfect Storm duo of waterslides, a redesigned Caribbean poolscape, a new take on a signature venue with Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and completely transformed kids and teens spaces.
The new visits will increase the number of cruise arrivals to St. Maarten to more than 68,000 guests.
Royal Caribbean's Save on Faves sale begins today with up to 30% off shore excursions, beverage packages, specialty dining, internet and more.
The new sale is available on to pre-cruise purchases made between February 25, 2020 – March 1, 2020 and before Booking Deadline stated in Cruise Planner, whichever is earlier.
It applies to select sailings departing March 2, 2020 – November 30, 2020.
Royal Caribbean states guests can expect to see:
BEVERAGE: Up to 40% off on select sailings
NEW! Dasani Water Cans: 30% off onboard prices. (Sailings 3/7/20 - 3/28/20, only on Vision of the Seas)
Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings & Spectrum of the Seas)
Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Spectrum of the Seas)
Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings & Spectrum of the Seas)
Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Spectrum of the Seas)
Evian Water Packages - 12 & 24 bottles: 30% off onboard prices. Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Spectrum of the Seas & Vision of the Seas)
SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 25% off
Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Spectrum of the Seas)
INTERNET: Up to 55% off
The Key: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings, Majesty of the Seas & Spectrum of the Seas)
VOOM Surf & Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Devices(s): Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Spectrum of the Seas)
VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Devices. Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Spectrum of the Seas)
DINING: Up to 55% off
Unlimited Dining Package on 3N - 9N sailings. Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Majesty of the Seas & Spectrum of the Seas)
ACTIVITIES: 10% off
All Access Ship Tour: 10% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings, Odyssey of the Seas & Spectrum of the Seas)
GIFTS & GEAR: Up to 20% off
Anniversary Decorations with Champagne: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Chocolate Covered Strawberries: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Happy Birthday Chocolate Cake and Strawberries: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Happy Birthday Vanilla Cake and Strawberries: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Inky Beach Set: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe): 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Inky Travel Set: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Red Wine and Cheese: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
Strawberries with Champagne: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
White Wine and Cheese: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Odyssey of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas)
PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 40% off
All Digital + Prints: Discount varies by ship. (Brilliance, Enchantment, Freedom, Rhapsody, Serenade of the Seas)
All Digital: Discount varies by ship. (Adventure, Allure, Anthem, Brilliance, Enchantment, Explorer, Harmony, Independence, Liberty, Majesty, Navigator, Oasis, Ovation, Odyssey, Quantum, Radiance, Rhapsody, Serenade, Symphony, Voyager of the Seas)
All Prints: Discount varies by ship. (Brilliance, Enchantment, Freedom, Grandeur, Jewel, Majesty, Empress, Radiance, Rhapsody, Serenade, Vision of the Seas)
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.
Royal Caribbean has updated its health screening protocols in an effort to combat Coronavirus (COVID-19) from impacting its cruise ships.
Until further notice, all ships in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. fleet will adopt the following health screening protocols:
1. Regardless of nationality, we will deny boarding to:
Any guest who has travelled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, South Korea, and the Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto in the past 15 days.
Any guest who has come in contact with anyone with 15-day prior travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, South Korea, and the Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto. The CDC characterizes contact with an individual as coming within 6 feet (2M) of a person.
Guests who report feeling unwell or demonstrate any flu-like symptom.
2. There will be mandatory specialized health screenings performed on:
Any guest who has travelled from, to, or through Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Italy (all regions other than Lombardy and Veneto) in the past 15 days.
Guests who are uncertain about contact with individuals who have traveled from, to, or through mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Italy in the past 15 days.
Guests presenting with fever or low blood oximetry in the specialized health screenings will be denied boarding.
All guests who are denied boarding due to these restrictions will receive full refunds.
In addition to these protocols, Royal Caribbean is also taking additional steps to stem the spread of coronavirus on its ships, including:
• Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing
• Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day
• Adding extra medical staff on each sailing
• Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew
• Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard
Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International
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