Royal Caribbean Blog

With November here, time is running out of 2019 and we cannot help but look forward to some of the exciting cruises coming in 2020.  By the looks of it, things are shaping up to be a big year for Royal Caribbean.

If you are considering booking a Royal Caribbean cruise for 2020 and want to be a part of Royal Caribbean taking a step forward, then consider these cruises (assuming there's still availability).

Odyssey of the Seas inaugural sailings

With the arrival of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ship, there is little doubt that 2020 will be the year of Odyssey of the Seas. 

Odyssey of the Seas will be the second Quantum Ultra Class ship, and will debut in November 2020 from Fort Lauderdale, FL.

For her inaugural season, Odyssey of the Seas will kick off in the Caribbean’s clear blue waters with 8- and 6-night itineraries to the Caribbean. Odyssey will then sail to her homeport of Rome in May 2021 and become the first Quantum Ultra Class ship to cruise Europe for the summer.

Allure of the Seas Amplification

In 2020, Allure of the Seas will undergo a $165 million transformation that will add signature feats and innovative experiences to the ship.

Guests will be able to enjoy a wide variety of new offerings with Allure’s upcoming lineup of new features, including the Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea; The Perfect Storm trio of water slides, completely redesigned Adventure Ocean kids and teens spaces, the first Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, and Quantum Class original Music Hall. 

Allure will open its season of 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises from homeport Barcelona, Spain on May 10, 2020.

Freedom of the Seas Amplification

Continuing Royal Caribbean's Royal Amplified program, Freedom of the Seas will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to be amplified in 2020.

Beginning March 8, 2020, the reimagined Freedom will sail 7-night, roundtrip Southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan. The year-round itineraries are set to visit tropical locales in the region, including Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Castries, Saint Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; Saint Johns, Antigua; and Kralendijk, Bonaire.

The ship will receive a number of new features, including The Perfect Storm duo of water slides, a redesigned Caribbean poolscape, a new take on a signature venue with Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and completely transformed kids and teens spaces. 

Oasis of the Seas sails from the New York area

Summer 2020 is going to be a fun time with Oasis of the Seas sailing out of the Big Apple, starting in May 2020.

Oasis will become the largest ship to sail from the Northeast. An amped up Oasis of the Seas will sail from Cape Liberty, New Jersey with itineraries that visit The Bahamas all summer with 7-night itineraries, as well as a select number of short cruises north to New England and Canada.

Return to New Orleans in 2020

Photo by Michael Hicks

Royal Caribbean will sail year-round from New Orleans when Majesty of the Seas arrives to her new homeport in January 2020.

Majesty will take guests on 7-night sailings to destinations in the Caribbean and Bahamas, including Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Now that you booked a Royal Caribbean cruise, you might be wondering if there is an option to upgrade your stateroom to a larger, better or conveniently located room. 

Perhaps the price dropped, or your financial situation has changed, or perhaps you simply want to splurge. Whatever the reason, here are the ways to upgrade your cabin.

What to know about Royal Up

Royal Caribbean has introduced a new way to upgrade rooms with its Royal Up program.  This is a blind stateroom upgrade bidding program, where close to your sail date you can let Royal Caribbean know how much you would be willing to pay if an upgrade situation presented itself.

With Royal Up, there is a suggested bid price for an upgrade, but there is no way to know how much to bid beyond that. Moreover, Royal Up's options are not indications of an actual cabin upgrade availability.

How to upgrade the traditional way

My preferred way to upgrade a stateroom is to call a travel agent and have them price out the room upgrade choices and then make the switch. 

If you booked with a travel agent, you have to go through your travel agent to contact Royal Caribbean to upgrade you.  

Your travel agent will give you the new price and apply payments you have made towards the new stateroom.

If you booked your cruise on your own directly with Royal Caribbean, you can call Royal Caribbean directly and give them your reservation number and tell them you want to upgrade.

The Royal Caribbean operator will price the new stateroom out for you and tell you what the new price will be.  Any payments or deposits you've previously made can be applied to the new reservation.

How to upgrade with Royal Up

Prior to your cruise, you may have the option to place a bid with Royal Up to get a room upgrade.

Check on the Royal Up website to determine if you are eligible for an upgrade.

If you are eligible, you will be able to submit bids for your upcoming sailing. The bid amount is per person for the entire duration of the cruise. Offers are based on two occupants per stateroom - only the first and second guest will be charged. 

Once your bid is accepted, your card will be charged immediately, and the upgrade amount paid is final and non-refundable. Moreover, the cabin location is not something you can choose and subject to availability.

You may modify or cancel your offer up until 2 days prior to departure, provided that your offer has not already been accepted.

Your offer can be accepted anytime from the moment it is submitted up until 2 days prior to voyage departure. 

Upgrading your stateroom onboard

It is possible, though unlikely, that you can upgrade your stateroom on the day you sail onboard your ship.  

Since Royal Caribbean cruise ships sail full regularly these days, availability for upgrades is slim, however, there may be an opportunity to upgrade if there is an open stateroom.

You can go to Guest Services to speak with them immediately upon boarding but I would not bet on this being an option at all.  

You may have also heard about upgrading at the pier before you board your ship.  Years ago this practice was more prevalent and you could get some decent discounts for these literally last-minute staterooms.  However, ships are sailing full and the practice in general has been abandoned.

If upgrades are available, they will be at a reduced cost by speaking with the Pier Coordinator.  There is no harm in asking but upgrades are rarely available these days.

In celebration of Royal Caribbean's 50th Birthday, the cruise line is offering a free download of its commemorative Food & Beverage ebook.

"Taste of History" is a journey through time to learn surprising facts about Royal Caribbean's culinary history, learn some trivia and find recipes to create these favorite dishes and beverages at home.

Royal Caribbean offered a copy of this ebook to its guests as part of the cruise line's 50th Birthday celebration.

What is your favorite restaurant or bar on Royal Caribbean? Let us know in the comments!

Happy Sunday! November has arrived, and we hope you had a great week with friends, family, and plenty of food.  Each week we summarize all of this week's Royal Caribbean news, just in case you missed any of it.

The big news this week was Royal Caribbean's announcement of the first Royal Beach Club coming to Antigua in 2021.

Curated as the ultimate beach experience, the Royal Beach Club Collection will bring the unique features and flavors of each destination to life. In Antigua, guests can take in the island’s exceptional views from private cabanas or plunge into a stunning pool and swim up to the bar to order a classic rum punch.

The Royal Beach Club concept builds on the remarkable success of Royal Caribbean’s new Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas but will be a distinctly different experience for guests.

Royal Caribbean News

• A new fixed priced specialty restaurant lunch experience is coming soon.
• Royal Caribbean delayed its 2021-2022 deployment schedule by a week.
• The grandfather was charged in the death of a toddler who fell from Freedom of the Seas.
• We shared a first look at the Ultimate Panoramic Suite on Oasis of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean executives talked about the impact of Hurricane Dorian on revenue, ship upgrade impact, Lelepa and more.
• 15 free things to do on Mariner of the Seas.
• Our guide to Royal Caribbean WiFi.
• We shared a video of the weird things people that cruise a lot do!
• A new November sales promotion began this week.
• Royal Caribbean will give you 4 rewards after just one cruise.
• Just in case: How to cancel a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Save up to 30% off pre-cruise purchases through November 7.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

Are you wondering what to do in the city you are staying the night before your cruise?

In this week's podcast episode, Matt shares the popular things to do in embarkation cities the day before a cruise begins.

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: What's included (and costs extra) at Perfect Day at CocoCay

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 — What's included at Perfect Day at CocoCay — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

People Magazine wrote how to eat your way around Symphony of the Seas.

Cruise Fever reported on Royal Caribbean looking to add more visits to St. Maarten.

Cruise Critic shared a look at the refurb progress being made on Oasis of the Seas.

Blooloop wrote how today's destinations are trying to do it all.

Cruise&Ferry reported on how cruise likes like Royal Caribbean have signed a commitment to reducing air emissions.

Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Photos, where we showcase our readers favorite Royal Caribbean photos.  If we all cannot be on a Royal Caribbean cruise at the moment, then the next best thing is to look at photos of a cruise longingly as a means of getting a "cruise fix."

If you want to submit your photos for a future Friday Photos post, be sure to send them to us via this form.

We begin with this beautiful photo of Perfect Day at CocoCay by Colin C.

Next up is a photo by Joe Moran taken on a sunset catamaran in Bermuda during an Anthem of the Seas sailing.

Frankie C. sent in this photo of Mariner of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas docked in Nassau, Bahamas.

Here is a photo of Mariner of the Seas docked at Terminal A in PortMiami. Photo by Dave Horn.

Peter Kelley snapped this interesting shot while on Symphony of the Seas of someone enjoying their morning coffee from their balcony.

Our next photo is by Thomas Schauer, and it is of Harmony of the Seas docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Our last photo this week is by Gabrielle Owens, and it the view from her balcony on Symphony of the Seas.

That wraps up this week's edition of Friday Photos. If you want your Royal Caribbean photo featured here, use this form to send them in!

Royal Caribbean has revealed its Autumn Adventure Sale, which offers 60% off the second guest, kids sail for less and up to $150 instant savings.

The new sale is valid on cruises booked between November 1 — 3, 2019 and applies to sailings departing on or after December 1, 2019.

It includes:

• 60% savings off the price of cruise fare of the second guest booked in the same stateroom as first, full-fare paying guest.
• 30% cruise fare savings for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests. 
• Instant savings of up to $150 USD per stateroom on select sailings departing on or after December 1, 2019.
  • Savings amount determined by category booked and sailing length:
  • Sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $50 for Balconies and $75 for Suites
  • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $150 for Suites

BOGO60 is combinable with Autumn Adventure Sale 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. 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. 

After taking just one cruise, Royal Caribbean gives its guests a fair amount of benefits and rewards to enjoy. Cruise line or not, the Crown and Anchor Society customer loyalty program offers its guests incentives to return time and time again.

While some of the most lucrative benefits are reserved for the top tiers of the program, today we have a look at what everyone can expect after just one Royal Caribbean cruise!

Priority check-in

When you arrive to the cruise terminal to check-in for your cruise, there will be a special line just for you as a Gold member of Crown and Anchor Society.

In fact, each tier of Crown and Anchor Society has its own line to check-in with the pier agents.  This means less waiting in line with the vast majority of guests, who are new to Royal Caribbean.

Private departure lounge with continental breakfast

On the last day of the cruise, Royal Caribbean sets aside a special area for Crown and Anchor guests to wait for their luggage tags to be called.

This is a quieter area, reserved just for those that have cruised before, and it includes complimentary coffee, juice and a few choice items to enjoy while you wait.

Onboard offers loaded on SeaPass Card

Arguably the best reward by Royal Caribbean for cruising again with them are the onboard offers you will receive pre-loaded onto your SeaPass card.

When you arrive to your stateroom on the first day of the cruise, there will be a letter waiting that lists every benefit you are entitled to enjoy while onboard.  Each guest has their own set of rewards, and these include perks such as BOGO deals on alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, discount at the Vitality Spa, Voom internet discount and more.

Here is an example of the Gold-level list of discounts from a recent cruise.

Priority access to new itineraries and offers

When new itineraries are released, or a new cruise ship is announced and open for booking, all members of Crown and Anchor Society are entitled to a head start on these bookings, ahead of the general public.

Usually, this comes in the form of new itineraries open to Crown and Anchor Society members a day in advance, and then it gets opened up to the general public after that.

This means priority access to these new bookings and an edge on getting lower prices and stateroom options.

What is your favorite perk of Crown and Anchor Society? Which benefit do you use the most? Share with us in the comments!

Staying connected while on your Royal Caribbean cruise is easier and faster than ever. Here is your guide to being online while on your Royal Caribbean cruise.

How can I get internet access on my Royal Caribbean cruise?

Guests with Wi-Fi enabled devices may connect at any time for "stem to stern" coverage from anywhere, including your stateroom.

Connecting to Royal Caribbean's Wi-Fi is just like at anywhere on land:

1. Log on to the to the network "royal-wifi" using your device.
2. Open a web browser and attempt to visit any web site.
3. The Royal Caribbean WiFi login page will appear, with options to purchase an internet package or allow guests that already have a package to login.

What is Voom?

You might hear and read about something called, "Voom," which is what Royal Caribbean calls its onboard internet service. Unlike traditional internet options at sea, Voom utilizes a different kind of satellite technology to provide much faster connectivity.  

Voom offers guests the ability to stream music and movies, upload pictures, video chat with family and friends using FaceTime or Skype, check their email, lookup their stock prices, surf the web and stay connected with work via VPN.

In fact, on Oasis and Quantum class ships, you can easily stream video from services like Hulu or Netflix, or engage in Facetime and Skype video calls.

Some other ships, notably Royal Caribbean ships that spend time outside the United States, the speeds may not be quite as fast, but fleetwide, the Voom service is significantly better than onboard internet available through other cruise lines.

How do I sign up for Wi-Fi?

Your access to the internet onboard your Royal Caribbean ship is tied to your stateroom and account you create.  

When you first logon to Royal Caribbean's Wi-Fi, you will see an option to create an account and there you can sign up for a plan or pay for the internet by the day.  In either case, the charge for internet usage will be applied to your stateroom account.

Alternatively, you can pre-purchase your wifi package and have it prepaid for your cruise.

If you buy it in advance via the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner website, then log on to the wifi network onboard your ship and instead of being charged, you will see the prepaid plan ready to activate.

Can I use my Wi-Fi internet package at Perfect Day at CocoCay?

Yes, your Wi-Fi package works at Perfect Day at CocoCay for no additional charge.

What devices can access the internet? 

Any internet device that can access a 802.11b wireless connection can connect to the internet.  This include most smart phones, laptops and tablets.  

Royal Caribbean does provide workstations that are shared and available on a first-come, first served basis but we have found the workstations to be slow in terms of performance.

How fast is Royal Caribbean's Wi-Fi?

Let me be frank, internet access on a cruise ship will never be quite as snappy or responsive as it is on land.  However, Royal Caribbean's Voom packages are serviceable, and on the newer ships, pretty fast.

A number of factors can influence how fast the ship's internet is, including how many guests are using it, natural barriers and the ship's latitude.

Speeds vary by two levels of plans available.  

• “Surf” is good for basic needs.  
• “Surf and Stream” is faster.  

Typical Surf & Stream is 4Mbps down & 2 Mbps up per user.  

Speeds don’t vary much between ships but newer ships have newer technology with lower latency so it seems faster. 

How much does internet access cost?

The cost of a Wi-Fi internet package varies depending on the number of devices and the service package purchased. 

Royal Caribbean offers unlimited plans that can be purchased onboard the ship or pre-purchased prior to the cruise. 

Without a doubt, you will save money by pre-purchasing your Voom internet package via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site.

If you wait to book onboard, here is a copy of Voom prices from Odyssey of the Seas in 2022, which should be about the same across the fleet.

Can I switch between devices while using a Voom package?

Yes, you may use as many devices as you like, but whichever plan you purchase will limit you to the number of devices that may be connected at the same time.  

To change devices, first log off the first device by typing logoff.com into your web browser.  This will log your first device out.  Afterwards, log back in with the other device.  You can do this as many times as necessary.

Is your Royal Caribbean cruise visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas, and you are trying to figure out what costs extra and what is included with your cruise fare?

Many families are curious what Royal Caribbean offers at no additional cost at Perfect Day at CocoCay, and what experiences or activities will cost extra.  We have a look at all the complimentary offerings, and what will require you to pay extra in this video.

And if you love this video, we have lots of other great cruise videos to watch on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single video!

So check out the video and then let us know: What are you planning to do on your visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay?

During an earnings call with investors today, Royal Caribbean's executives discussed a variety of topics related to the company's financial success in the third quarter. Part of those discussions shed some light into various plans and progress being made by the cruise line that guests may find intriguing.

Hurricane Dorian cost Royal Caribbean $27 million

Anytime a hurricane disrupts cruise itineraries, there is an impact on Royal Caribbean's bottom line, but Hurricane Dorian caused the largest impact of any hurricane in Royal Caribbean's history.

Royal Caribbean Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty characterized Hurricane Dorian's unusual, one-time impact on Royal Caribbean's financial performance.  Three main Florida embarkation ports closed on a weekend as a precautionary measure.  These measures impacted 16 sailings and made this the most disruptive storm in the company's history. 

The financial impact was particularly large because the affected ships included the very successful Oasis-class, because Perfect Day at CocoCay was closed for 10 days, and because of the cruise line's extensive relief efforts.  The combination of guest compensation, the closure of Perfect Day at CocoCay and the relief efforts negatively impacted the third quarter by $27 million.

Guests love the upgrades and enhancements

Royal Caribbean's investments in destinations and ships continue to be a hit with guests who are booking cruises to experience them.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain spoke about this effect, "Perfect Day at CocoCay continues to amaze our Royal Caribbean International guests, and boost our bottom line. Our vessel modernization program is driving strong results. These upgrades are expensive, but our guests love them and reward us accordingly."

"Or take our investments in technology, which are beginning to bear fruit. These investments are expensive, and demanding, but they improve the experience for crew and guest alike. They make us more attractive, or more efficient. "

Perfect Day at Lelepa will built with sustainability in mind

Royal Caribbean recently announced a new Perfect Day island destination in Vanuatu, and the island will be powered by renewable sources of energy to ensure it is carbon footprint is reduced.

Mr. Fain spoke about their plans for Lelepa, "There's also one, very special aspect of this project that is also worth noting. Lelapa will be the first private cruise destination in the world that achieves carbon neutrality. All of the energy consumed will be generated from renewable sources. Accomplishing that requires both major investment and major innovation, but Perfect Day at Lelapa will be rich in both."

A look at how many guests are experiencing Perfect Day at CocoCay

You do not have to listen to earnings call with investors to know Perfect Day at CocoCay has been a giant hit with guests.

Mr. Liberty mentioned at one point in the call, more than 70% of Royal Caribbean's guests sailing on a Caribbean cruise will experience Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Plans for Perfect Day at Lelepa

Royal Caribbean International CEO and President Michael Bayley provided a few details on Perfect Day at Lelepa in Vanautu during the call.

Mr. Bayley indicated Perfect Day at Lelepa should open in late 2021 or early 2022.

He also said that guest volume for Perfect Day at Lelepa will be less than Perfect Day at CocoCay, "The volume will be less less than Perfect Day at CocoCay, which I think at its peak in a few years will get to close to 3 million people going there. The number for Vanuatu, I think, reaches close to 750-800,000 is currently in our plans."