Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean has officially cancelled its May cruises, further extending its voluntary shutdown until at least June.

Royal Caribbean made the announcement that none of its May cruises will be able to sail in order to provide more time to prepare to restart cruise operations.

This means its voluntary cruise shutdown extends through May 31, 2021.

There are few exceptions:

• Quantum of the Seas from Singapore
• Odyssey of the Seas sailings from Israel
• China Spectrum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas sailings from April 30 through May and beyond

The decision to cancel cruises by Royal Caribbean matches other cruise lines that have cancelled their May sailings already, including Carnival Cruise Line,  Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line.

Cruise operations had been suspended through the end of April 2021, but will now be extended an additional month.

Read more: What you should do now that Royal Caribbean cancelled your cruise

Compensation

Guests affected by the cancelled cruises between May 1 - 31,  2021, have three options for compensation.

Lift & Shift: On or before March 23, 2021, move to a qualifying 2022 sailing on the same itinerary, sailing length, embarkation port, stateroom category and departing within 2-weeks of the original sail date and your client's cruise fare/promotion is protected.

125% Future Cruise Credit: To account for the inconvenience this has caused, guests are eligible for a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) that is based on the total cruise fare paid at the guest-level if neither of the other options is selected. This will be automatically issued on or before April 16, 2021 if no other option is selected.

Taxes and fees, as well as any pre-purchased amenities or onboard packages, will be automatically refunded to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancelation date.

Additionally, if you redeemed your Cruise with Confidence Future Cruise Credit on a sailing that is now cancelled, their original FCC will be reinstated, plus 125% of any amount paid by the guest on the cancelled reservation.

Refund: If you prefer a cash refund, you can do so by requesting this option on-or-before June 30, 2021.

You can expect their refund to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancellation date. 

If you redeemed a Cruise with Confidence Future Cruise Credit on an impacted sailing and would now prefer a refund instead, Royal Caribbean will process this request in the amount of any new funds paid above the original certificate and, in turn, will reinstate the Cruise with Confidence FCC for future use.

Cruise Planner Purchases: If you had purchased any cruise add-ons, such as shore excursions, drink packages, wifi and more, you could opt to convert your Cruise Planner purchases  to an Onboard Credit valued at 125% of the total amount paid. This offer expires on March 23, 2021.

Still more time needed

Why are cruises being cancelled still?

There are a few reasons, but the most visible rationale is cruise lines are still waiting to begin test sailings.

Before Royal Caribbean can start offering cruises again, it needs to hit all of the steps outlined by the CDC.

The CDC added all of these requirements to allow the cruise lines to test out its proposed new protocols, while protecting the health of the public in the interim period.

The three phases of getting permission to restart passenger cruises are:

1. Testing crew members
2. Simulated cruises to test out new protocols
3. Apply for a Conditional Sailing Certificate

It is unknown how long it will take Royal Caribbean to complete all of the necessary steps and subsequently obtain permission to cruise again.

On February 22, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley told investors that Royal Caribbean has been in "regular communication" with the CDC and expects to get technical instructions on what each ship needs to do in order to prepare itself for test cruises.

He also added that they were expecting instructions from the CDC soon, "We're literally expecting the technical specifications any day soon."

RoyalCaribbeanBlog has reached out to the CDC for an update on technical instructions but has not received any response.

Hope for the future

While May cruises seemed like an inevitably they would be cancelled, there is a lot of optimism among cruise fans that we are closer to cruises restarting that not.

Mr. Bayley's comments about the CDC provided a boost to many that the cruise lines are not getting the "cold shoulder" from the CDC.  While "any day" did not specify exactly when technical instructions might arrive, the sentiment echoed by him points to a fruitful relationship.

Moreover, the rollout of the vaccine to Americans has been impressive, and case numbers are down across the board. With the global health crisis heading in the right direction, this adds more clout to the notion that perhaps the public's appetite for things to open back up is increasing.

Just yesterday, Royal Caribbean sent an email survey to many guests asking about their comfort level with going on a cruise given the current situation.

Royal Caribbean sent out a survey to a large collection of guests with a cruise booked in the future to get a better sense of their comfort level given the current global health crisis.

Throughout Monday, many Royal Caribbean cruise fans reported receiving a survey in via email that asked many questions about a specific upcoming cruise they have booked, and their thoughts on why they booked, as well as expectations for the cruise.

Many of the questions asked guests about their feelings on if they will be vaccinated, why they booked, protocols onboard and more.

Royal Caribbean uses guest surveys quite a lot to get feedback from guests.  This particular survey seemed to be sent to a very wide range of guests, as opposed to many surveys in the past which were far more targeted.

There were many questions, but here is a look at the ones that were specific to the Covid-19.

First, they wanted to know what compelled you to book a particular cruise.

The survey also asked what level of Covid-19 protocols do you feel will be in place on the cruise.

Then the survey went into greater detail to determine which health protocols you expect to find onboard.

The role of the vaccine came up in the survery, asking if you plan to get the vaccine.

As well as if you plan to get the vaccine as soon as you can.

Lastly, the survey wanted to know if you expect to be vaccinated by the time the cruise sails.

The survey also asked questions about general travel plans coming up in the next year, as well as what someone looks for in a cruise.

The survey did not ask any questions that hinted at protocol changes. Rather, it seemed to be geared towards "taking the temperature of the room".

The survey comes after it was revealed the Healthy Sail Panel is re-evaluating its health protocol recommendations.

Perhaps no single change has provided as much optimism that cruise ships might be able to sail again than the rapid roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine, and it looks like the rules might be changing as quickly as the vaccine gets into the public.

It now appears the group of public health experts assembled by Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings may be re-thinking their protocols.

According to an article by CruiseCritic, Royal Caribbean's vice president EMEA, Ben Bouldin, said the impact the vaccine has had prompted the cruise line to ask the Healthy Sail Panel to go over their recommendations.

"We have asked the Healthy Sail Panel to go back and revisit their findings in light of the improvements and the encouraging news vaccines provide."

"I think for all of us we'd like to get to a world where we don't have to wear masks, and for sure, on a cruise vacation, I think everyone would feel the same."

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reached out to the Royal Caribbean Group for clarification on what, if any, revisions are being made to the Healthy Sail Panel recommendations but have not received a response yet.

The Healthy Sail Panel crafted its protocols back in the summer of 2020 and they did not take into account the impact of vaccines, because at that time no one really knew what to expect.

When the Healthy Sail Panel released its 74 recommendations, it acknowledged their protocols were meant to provide guidance at that time, rather than wait for the vaccine later.

Read more: Royal Caribbean new cruise ship health protocols include masks, social distancing, testing and more

"The Panel acknowledges that its recommendations regarding testing may change over the coming months as the testing landscape evolves, and particularly once an effective vaccine is widely available. However, given the uncertainties around the timing, availability, and performance of a vaccine, the Panel recommends waiting until there is more certainty about these issues before recommending changes to the testing protocols based on vaccine availability."

Just last week, Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said no decision has been made yet if passengers will be required to get the Covid-19 vaccine to sail.

"Whether we will require vaccines of all of our guests on all of our ships hasn't been decided yet, but we are prepared to go where the science leads us."

Read more: 5 things you've probably overlooked with the new cruise protocols

Meanwhile, at least one Royal Caribbean cruise ship will require the vaccine for its adults.  Odyssey of the Seas will begin sailing from Israel in May 2021, and everyone above the age of 16 will be required to be vaccinated from Covid-19 in order to sail.

The vaccine requirement comes from the State of Israel, as opposed to a new policy crafted by Royal Caribbean.

In conjunction with Israel’s health and tourism authorities, Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated sailings. Details on the additional health and safety measures to be implemented by Israel and Royal Caribbean will be announced at a later date.

If you are among the many that dream of Royal Caribbean returning to the West Coast of the United States, there is a brand new juicy rumor perfect for you.

The Port of Los Angeles website shows regular sailings for Navigator of the Seas in November and December 2021.

Mostly three and four night sailings are listed (with at least one 7-nighter in late November), with sailings beginning October 29, 2021 and going through the end of December 2021.

The Port of Los Angeles schedule does not have the 2022 schedule online yet.

Royal Caribbean has not made any announcement about returning to Los Angeles, but the schedule might shed light onto what could be coming.

Furthermore, Navigator of the Seas has been conspicuously absent from any of the new 2022-2023 itineraries that Royal Caribbean has released thus far.

Want more circumstantial evidence?

Royal Caribbean tweeted out a photo on March 1 of El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, on Mexico's west coast.

Some places just hit different. pic.twitter.com/DX6JiHQJWs

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) March 1, 2021

It has been 10 years since Royal Caribbean offered regular sailings out of Los Angeles. Mariner of the Seas was the last Royal Caribbean cruise ship to be based in Los Angeles, and she was repositioned in 2011 due to bigger profits elsewhere and violence in Mexico.

Before we get too ahead of ourselves, this is not the first time the Port of Los Angeles website has shown a Royal Caribbean ship on the schedule.

Back in January 2020, Voyager of the Seas appeared on the schedule beginning in June 2021 and running through December 2021.  Those sailings have since been pulled down, and Royal Caribbean never confirmed plans for Voyager to call Los Angeles home.

Why isn't Royal Caribbean cruising from the West Coast?

It has been 10 years since Royal Caribbean offered regular cruises from somewhere in California, so why is that?

There are a few reasons, but it mostly has to do with logistics and profits.

During the 2017 Royal Caribbean's President Cruise, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley answered this exact question about returning to California.

He talked about the challenges of offering cruises from the west coast.

"When you look at, for example, consumer research on how people view some of that, some of these destinations, which we do, then there's a little bit of concern over going to some of the destinations that we can go to if we sailed out of L.A."

"To move the ship through the canal around South America, leaving it in California to sail out of, say San Francisco going north, we don't think there's enough demand for that."

"We think it would work for one or two cruises. But you've got to move the ship back. And, you know, we've got big ships. So they believe the costs of operating these ships is phenomenal."

The cruise industry remains shutdown, but regular maintenance continues for ships to keep them operational when cruises do begin again.

Ovation of the Seas is in dry dock currently in the Tuas Shipyard in Singapore for her routine refurbishment.

Unlike amplifications, this is a "technical dry dock", where the ship undergoes maintenance work to ensure she can continue to operate normally. Every five years, cruise ships go in for this sort of maintenance.

Ovation of the Seas was launched in 2016, so it is her turn to undergo work now.

Our friends at Singapore Cruise Society found photos of Ovation of the Seas entering dry dock and shared a glimpse of Ovation in position to get work done.

Pictures By Vincent CLS and shared by Singapore Cruise Society

No changes have been announced for the ship as part of this refurbishment, and I expect this will be just "under the hood" type maintenance, similar to when you bring a car in for a tune-up.

While Royal Caribbean has put all Royal Amplifications on hold indefinitely, scheduled maintenance work continues on its cruise ships.

So far Anthem of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, and Explorer of the Seas all had their five year dry docks take place while the cruise industry was shutdown.

Welcome to March! We hope you are having a great weekend and are ready to sit back, relax and catch up with all the latest Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean made headlines this week when it announced its newest cruise ship will be redeployed to Israel.

Odyssey of the Seas will enter service in May 2021 with cruises from Haifa, Israel on a variety of 3- to 7-night sailings that visit the Greek islands and Cyprus.

These cruises are only available to be booked by residents of Israel, and all guests above the age of 16 will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean announces its 7-night Caribbean Winter 2022-2023 cruises
• New bill introduced allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska without stopping in Canada
• Allure of the Seas will be homeported in Galveston beginning November 2022
• Royal Caribbean Group CEO says no decision yet if passengers will need to get vaccine to cruise
• Royal Caribbean UK Boss: UK only cruises have "limited appeal"
• Royal Caribbean expands senior rates on select fall 2021 - spring 2022 cruises
• Why you should be thinking about booking a cruise for 2023 now
• Odyssey of the Seas completes journey to the sea
• Odyssey of the Seas scheduled for delivery to Royal Caribbean on March 24
• Comparing the biggest cruise ship in the world vs. Titanic
• What’s the difference between a large and small cruise ship?
• 13 Beautiful photos from Odyssey of the Seas conveyance
• How do cruise lines make money?
• Mailbag: Why can't cruise ships sail from other countries instead?

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 396th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, which takes a deeper look at where Royal Caribbean will be sailing from first.

In this episode, Ashley and Matt talk about the first ships to restart cruises are all from non-traditional cruise ports. Is this a coincidence or new trend?

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

New RCB Video: Where are Royal Caribbean's cruise ships right now?

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — Where are Royal Caribbean's cruise ships right now? — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean updates new cruise ship delivery schedule

Perhaps nothing is as exciting in the cruise industry as when new cruise ships are built, and we have an updated look at what Royal Caribbean has planned.

One of the big questions throughout the cruise industry shutdown has been what impact will there be on new cruise ship orders.

As part of Royal Caribbean Group's fourth quarter 2020 earnings filing, the company included an updated schedule for new cruise ship deliveries.

Could the 2021 Alaska cruise season be salvaged after all?

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

The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act is meant to alleviate the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) restrictions for cruise ships transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska.

Canada has banned cruise ships for at least a year, which means when cruise ships can restart sailings, they would be unable to legally offer cruises to Alaska due to U.S. laws.

Canada’s ban prohibits cruise ships from navigating, mooring, anchoring or berthing in Canadian waters until February 28, 2022 or until the Canadian Government lifts the prohibition. 

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley took to social media to voice his support of the bill, "If passed, this would represent a step in the right direction for the Alaskan communities that depend on the tourism industry."

"If you support the bill, please reach out to your representatives to make your voice heard!"

Congress has been busy working to find a way for cruise ships to sail to Alaska in 2021 ever since Canada's cruise ship ban was announced.

The entire congressional delegation from Alaska sent a joint statement in February criticizing the decision to ban ships.

A few weeks later, members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent a bipartisan letter to the Canadian Ambassador to the United States that sought to find a solution to the problem.

Senator Murkowski sees a need to allow cruise ships to visit Alaska in 2021 in order to provide much needed relief to Alaska's local economy.

"We have seen double-digit employment declines in Southeast and a more than 30 percent drop in revenue statewide. Missing another cruise season would only compound the economic fallout that has been devastating for so many families,"  Senator Murkowski said in a statement.

"By providing this technical fix to the PVSA for Alaska-bound cruise ships from the State of Washington, we are taking significant steps towards safely resuming cruise ship activity and economic certainty at a time when Alaskans need it most."

The problem with not being able to visit Canada

Foreign flagged cruise ships (which are all of Royal Caribbean's ships) are required to make a stop in a foreign port when sailing roundtrip from the United States.

The law is part of the Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) of 1886, and if left in place, cruises to Alaska from Seattle, Washington would not be able to legally sail.

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.

By Canada denying entry into their waters, that leaves no foreign ports for cruise ships to sail to within the vicinity of Alaska or New England.

Thus far, Royal Caribbean has not canceled its 2021 Alaska or New England cruises (except for Quantum of the Seas, which is staying in Singapore).

Instead, the cruise line is placing these sailings on hold while it hopes legal action, such as this bill, will provide a means for ships to sail this year.

In the meantime, guests booked on 2021 Alaska cruises have the option to leave their bookings as-is, or cancel them.

Royal Caribbean announced expanded senior discounts on select cruises for sailings next year.

Royal Caribbean has expanded senior discounts of up to 15% off across many Caribbean itineraries departing between fall 2021 through spring 2022.

The senior prices are available on selected sailings exclusively for guests who are 55 years of age and older. 

The new prices are available to book between now through Friday, March 19, 2021.

Up to 15% off clients who are 55 years old or above:

• 7-night Caribbean: Allure of the Seas (departing from Fort Lauderdale)
• 7-night Caribbean: Symphony of the Seas (Miami)
• Short Caribbean: Navigator of the Seas (Fort Lauderdale)
• Short Caribbean: Freedom of the Seas (Miami)

Exact prices and discounts will vary, but be sure to ask your travel agent to compare the senior citizen rate compared to the standard rates.

Read more: 7 ways to get a discount on your Royal Caribbean cruise

New senior discounts are in tandem with Royal Caribbean's comments during its recent earnings call with investors that the group they are seeing a lot of new bookings are seniors.

Bookings have risen by about 30 percent in the first two months of this year compared to the last two months in 2020, and many are guests aged 65 and above.  It appears there is a correlation between getting the Covid vaccine and wanting to plan a cruise.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley told investors, "One of the things we’ve seen after the holidays is a proportional increase in the number of guests booking that are 65-plus, and that has continued to increase."

"I believe the 65-plus are getting vaccinated and obviously becoming more comfortable in booking."

"As the vaccine spreads down into the population by age, we'll see that probably accelerate."

Cruise ships come in many sizes, so how do you know which size is right for you? And is there such thing as "too big"?

You can go on cruise ships with as few as a few dozen people, and as many people as 6,000. Ship size reflects a cruise line's plans for the number of activities offered onboard, types of staterooms to offer, and the economics of the market the ship is intended for.

With Royal Caribbean, you will find a great deal of variation between ship sizes that caters to different tastes and offerings.

If you are trying to figure out whether or not a big ship or a small ship is right for you, here are the important considerations.

What makes a ship big or small?

If you stand next to almost any cruise ship, they all look big, so what makes one truly a big ship or a small ship?

The answer is relative, as cruise ship designs and sizes have changed over the years.  Measuring cruise ship size is less an exercise in arithmetic, and more a consideration of how it stacks up to other vessels.

For the sake of argument, here is a breakdown of Royal Caribbean cruise ship classes to get a sense of how they stack up.

Small ships

• Vision Class
• Radiance Class

Medium ships

• Voyager Class

Big ships

• Freedom Class
• Quantum Class
• Oasis Class

Read more: Best Royal Caribbean ships and cruise guide

The bigger the ship, the more to do onboard

Generally speaking, the larger the ship, the more space the cruise line has to add things to do while you are onboard.

Space is always at a premium on a cruise ship, so if a ship is bigger, it has more room to offer more activities.

Royal Caribbean has always separated itself from other cruise lines by offering incredible new activities onboard, such as rock climbing walls, a zip line, Central Park, Flowrider surf simulator and much more.  In order to have these kind of activities, you need a bigger ship.

If you sail on some of the smaller ships in the fleet, you will not have nearly as many whiz-bang amenities on your ship. For some guests, this matters more than for others.

Read more: 15 really cool things to do that you can only find on Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Dining

These days, the amount of choices you have of where to dine on your cruise ship matters a lot more than a decade ago or longer.

Every ship has a main dining room, Windjammer buffet, and at least a few specialty restaurants.

Just like activities, big ships offer more specialty restaurant choices. 

It may not seem like diversity of restaurants matters that much, but some cruisers prefer to have more choice in where they dine. Others love the main dining room and that works too.

Of course, specialty dining costs extra and while it is nice to mix up your dinner setting, it will mean a higher vacation cost to do so. Investing in a specialty restaurant package is a good workaround to mitigate the extra costs.

Read more: Royal Caribbean specialty dining packages guide

The latest and greatest go on big ships

When you watch a television commercial for a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, almost everything you see in that advertisement is on a new and big ship.

Nothing captivates the attention of the public like a big new ship, and the bigger the ship is, the more attention it gets.

New cruisers often are enamored with the appeal of experiencing all the amazing things cruise ships have to offer, and the absolute best of it goes to new ships.

Part of the reason is the ships have the space for it, and part of it is being newer, engineers incorporated these concepts in the design. It is much easier to offer Flowriders, water slides, and expansive entertainment venues when you build it into the design of the ship.

Read more: What is the worst Royal Caribbean ship?

Where the ship goes matters

No matter which ship you sail on, you will be going somewhere to visit different cities, islands, or scenic landscapes. There is no denying that smaller ships can fit into far more ports than big ships.

Cruise ships have been around for decades, and many cruise ports were designed for cruise ships of a different era. Basically, cruise ship size has outpaced cruise port accommodations.

Certainly many ports have upgraded their facilities to be able to handle bigger ships (especially in the Caribbean), but if you have your heart set on seeing some of the most beautiful and breathtaking places on a cruise ship, a smaller ship will get you there.

A great example is Alaska, where Radiance Class ships can visit more glaciers and far flung ports than the big ships can. Cruisers who have been to Alaska will always recommend a small ship to see Alaska "the right way".

The same argument for small ships can be made for many ports in Europe, including the Eastern Mediterranean, Baltics, and Scandinavia.

Read more: How to choose the right Alaska cruise itinerary

Price

It always seems to come down to cost, right?

Generally speaking, a smaller Royal Caribbean cruise ship will probably cost you less than a bigger one because smaller ships tend to be older.

Royal Caribbean puts a premium price tag on its newest ships, and since its newest ships are big ships, you will find lower prices with the smaller vessels.

While prices will vary from sailing to sailing, some of the best values can be found with smaller cruise ships. This means being able to afford a bigger cabin on a Radiance or Voyager class ship than a similar sailing on an Oasis Class ship.

However, do not book a cruise purely on price.  One big mistake a lot of first time cruisers do is chase the lowest price and ignore what the ship does and does not offer, leaving disappointment when they get onboard and realize there are no water slides or sushi restaurant.

Read more: How to get cheap cruise deals

The only thing better than a new cruise ship are great photos of a new ship.

Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas just finished her conveyance to the North Sea, and with the ship in port it has given plenty of photographers the chance to see the new ship up close.

One of my favorite cruise ship photographers is Jeroen Houtman, who has been taking photos of new ships for many years.

He took some fabulous photos of Odyssey of the Seas while docked in Eemshaven, Netherlands, which deserve to be showcased.

Odyssey of the Seas comes in at 169,000 GT and measures a length of 347.1 meters, and has a capacity of more than 5,000 passengers.

She will not claim the title of the largest, because Odyssey is smaller than the Oasis Class cruise ships, which currently hold the title for the largest in the world.

Read more: What Is the Biggest Royal Caribbean ship?

Odyssey of the Seas will be the second Royal Caribbean cruise ship to sail since the cruise industry shutdown, when she starts her inaugural season from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The new ship will set sail from Fort Lauderdale on new 6- and 8-night Caribbean cruises.

Here are a list of the major features on Odyssey of the Seas that we know about:

• SkyPad bungee trampoline experience 
• SeaPlex - the largest indoor space for recreational activities at sea
• Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade with club-level views of the SeaPlex
• Reimagined Adventure Ocean kids program and a maxed-out teen lounge with gaming consoles, music and movies
• Teppanyaki restaurant
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar
• Two-level pool deck will feature two open-air, resort-style pools and four whirlpools with shady casitas and hammocks
• FlowRider surf simulator
• Skydiving with Ripcord by iFly
• North Star glass capsule
• Robot bartenders at Bionic Bar