Royal Caribbean Blog

When I go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I look forward to trying out new activities and exploring the ports of call we visit.  I also relish revisiting favorite cruise traditions that my family has established over the years.

In today's video, I am sharing eight of my must-do activities on every cruise.  These are my favorite cruise traditions, and I hope a few of these can be a source of fun for your family as well!

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

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So check out the video and then let us know: What are your favorite cruise traditions and must-do activities on every sailing? 

For the second consecutive year, Royal Caribbean will bring three ships to Alaska, as the cruise line opened up bookings for its 2021 Alaska itineraries.

New Alaska, Hawaii and Transpacific sailings are now available to book, with three ships offering varying 7-night itineraries sailing from Seattle, Vancouver, British Columbia; and Seward, Alaska.

Beginning in April 2021, Radiance of the Seas will offer a 17-night Transpacific Tahiti & New Zealand cruise.  It will begin in Brisbane, Australia and visit destinations in New Zealand, Tahiti and French Polynesia before arriving in Oahu (Honolulu), Hawaii.

Similarly, Serenade of the Seas will sail from Sydney, Australia in April 2021, and embark on a transpacific cruise that will go to Hawaii.

Ovation of the Seas will sail from Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan, and begin a 14-night Japan, Russia & Alaska cruise.  It will conclude in Seattle, Washington.

In May 2021, Serenade of the Seas will offer an 11-night Hawaii cruise that begins in Oahu (Honolulu), Hawaii and will visit a few Hawaii islands before concluding in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  Radiance of the Seas will offer a similar sailing, a 10-night Hawaii cruise that begins in Oahu and ends in Vancouver.

The 2021 sailings to Alaska show three ships will offer sailings: Ovation of the Seas from Seattle, and Radiance of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas from Vancouver.

At the conclusion of the Alaskan cruise season, Radiance of the Seas will offer a 10-night Hawaii cruise that begins in Vancouver, and then concludes in Oahu (Honolulu), Hawaii.

All three ships will debut Royal Caribbean’s spa staterooms. The brand-new lineup of balcony accommodations will allow guests to relax in between adventures with an array of amenities and perks, including priority spa reservations, lush bedding and bath products, tranquil décor, daily delivery of tea, water and coffee; and priority boarding at embarkation.

Be sure to consult the Royal Caribbean website or your travel professional for further assistance with itinerary options and booking.

Royal Caribbean released a new drone video of Oasis of the Seas as it goes through a $165 million amplification.

The ship is in Cadiz, Spain, where it will receive a number of new upgrades prior to her return to service on November 24.

You can read all about what Royal Caribbean is changing on Oasis of the Seas, as well as look at a deck-by-deck list of changes.

There is plenty to spend your money on during the course of a Royal Caribbean cruise, but today I am sharing my top choices for things are worth every penny!

Dining, excursions, activities and more are all available to try on a Royal Caribbean cruise.  Many of these things to do are included with your cruise fare, but there are some extras you can opt to try.  In this video, I have listed the four things I think are always worth the extra cost.

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 things that cost extra on Royal Caribbean do you think is worth paying for?

Royal Caribbean is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and a great deal of Royal Caribbean's legacy is based in the culinary offerings. Dining on Royal Caribbean has transformed over the years, with more and more new options, innovations and approaches to delivering outstanding cuisine. From the dining rooms, to the buffet, to the pizza and even robot bartenders, Royal Caribbean is never one to shy away from pushing the envelope with what can be delivered to ships.

At the heart of Royal Caribbean's food and beverage operations is Linken D'Souza, Global Vice President Culinary, Dining & Beverage. 

He and his team have the task of making the food, drinks and meals onboard an unforgettable experience for guests. Mr. D'Souza has worked for Royal Caribbean in this capacity for about two and a half years, and his team carries a tradition of striving to serve up the best dining experience.

"What hasn't changed is the ability of our staff to produce just an amazing product, amazing service to along with it, and I think that's what has kept us so strong as an organization."

"I think the key to research is to understand the guests, creating a product that they really want, and then taking their feedback. We're in the process of creating the new Giovanni's restaurant that will launch in the next little while, and in fact yesterday, we did a tasting onboard the ship with our guests to really get a sense of what they liked, what they didn't like. That's just one step. We'll go through three or four iterations before we launch Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar on Freedom of the Seas."

Of course, plenty has changed in Royal Caribbean's 50 years of operations, and the options guests have to dine at has grown every year.

"If we wind back time to 1969 with the Song of Norway, and you think about the two venues we had onboard, which was the dining room and the Windjammer, which was essentially a window that served burgers and hot dogs, to Symphony of the Seas, our flagship here in the United States. Sixty-five food and beverage venues onboard, that's a huge evolution."

To commemorate Royal Caribbean's 50 years, a limited edition hardcover book was created and given to guests sailing on Symphony of the Seas this week as part of the 50th Anniversary Birthday Cruise.  All guests can read the book for free by downloading the eBook.

Mr. D'Souza looked at the evolution of dining, explained the research that goes into a new restaurant and even talked about they pick a featured dish that eventually ends up on the menu. Listen to episode 327 of our interview with Linken D'Souza in its entirety below.

Be sure to subscribe to the RoyalCaribbeanBlog Podcast at Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, and Stitcher.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas is undergoing a $165 million amplification in Cadiz, Spain, and today we have a look at the progress being made onboard with the addition of new slides for guests to enjoy.

The transformation of Oasis of the Seas will add a variety of new activities, venues and options.  This will include the addition of the Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea.

Thrill seekers will also love the new trio of water slide sbeing added, known as The Perfect Storm.

Oasis of the Seas is also set to receive Splashaway Bay kids aqua park, a reimagined Caribbean pool deck, the cruise line's first barbecue restaurant, Portside BBQ, and more. You can view the deck-by-deck changes to Oasis of the Seas.

The amplified Oasis will set sail on November 24, 2019, beginning 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Terminal A in Miami. 

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley announced to a theater full of cruise fans the next President's Cruise will be held on the October 25, 2020 sailing of Allure of the Seas.

Allure of the Seas will sail a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona, Spain and visit the ports of Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Provence (Marseille), France; Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; and Naples (Capri), Italy.

The President's Cruise has become an annual Royal Caribbean tradition that invites fans of the cruise line to sail with the cruise line's CEO, and enjoy a series of special events, surprises and offerings.

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!