Royal Caribbean International officially took delivery of the 26th ship in its fleet, Spectrum of the Seas, in a ceremony held in Bremerhaven, Germany. The first in the Quantum Ultra class of ships, Spectrum will homeport from Shanghai starting June 2019.
Royal Caribbean is offering up to $300 instant savings, kids sail free and 50% off the second guest with its Royal Refund Sale.
The Royal Refund Sale applies to select new bookings made between April 11 – 15, 2019 on sailings departing on or after May 11, 2019.
The offer includes:
BOGO and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as with Instant Savings Offer, 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. Instant Savings Offer is combinable with promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers and Free Upgrades but not combinable with 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, 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.
Royal Caribbean took delivery today of its first Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas.
At a ceremony in Bremerhaven, Meyer Werft shipyard handed over Spectrum of the Seas to Royal Caribbean's leadership team.
The first cruise ship of the Quantrum-Ultra class has a rating of 169,000 GRT; it measures 347.1 m in length and 41.4 m in width, with capacity for 4,246 passengers.
As a further development of Quantum-Class, Spectrum of the Seas is fitted with state-of-the-art emission control systems such as the a hybrid scrubber. Energy-efficient technical systems, optimized hydrodynamics, heat recovery and exceedingly effective underwater paintwork together with an extremely energy-saving LED lighting system result in considerable energy savings. A diesel/electric pod drive, extensive alarm and safety systems, interactive communication systems and the very latest stage equipment guarantee safety and entertainment on board in accordance with the highest technical standards.
Photos provided by Meyer Werft
The cruise ship has 18 decks with 2,137 cabins offering space for 4,246 passengers in double occupancy.
After being handed over to the shipping company, Spectrum of the Seas will be leaving Bremerhaven. The maiden voyage to Asia will begin in Barcelona on April 18.
Royal Caribbean has posted its 2020-2021 sailings from Hong Kong on Spectrum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas to destinations in Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and more.
Beginning July 2020, Voyager of the Seas will offer 4 and 5 night sailings, along with 9 night immersive Japan journeys.
The brand new Spectrum of the Seas, the first Quantum Ultra Class ship offers Asia cruises to Nagasaki, Osaka, Okinawa and beyond for a limited-time, from November 2020 through January 2021.
You can view sailings scheduled for Spectrum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.
These newly announced Hong Kong sailings are available to book immediately.
Included with the recent update to Royal Caribbean's app is the option for guests to initiate group chats while on their cruise.
In addition to the one-to-one guest chat feature that is being tested on Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the 1.16.0 version of the app comes with a group chat feature.
Thanks to Jody Finds The Travel Deals for providing the screenshots.
The chat feature is currently only available on Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas while it is being developed and tested. Eventually, all Royal Caribbean ships will have access to the app, along with chat, however there is no timetable provided for when each ship and/or feature will be released.
There is no cost to use Royal Caribbean's app while onboard and you do not need an internet package to use the app either.
The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
Royal Caribbean will introduce a new dining package that includes the most specialty dining options of any of its dining packages.
The Unlimited Dining Package will replace the Ultimate Dining Package, and be available pre-cruise on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner on Friday, April 12th.
Like its predecessor, the Unlimited Dining Package will allow guests to enjoy their meals at specialty restaurants as many times as
they’d like, based on availability. For instance, if they want to eat at the same restaurant twice in one night, they can.
Pricing for the Unlimited Dining Package will be very similar to what pricing for the Ultimate Dining Package was previously. Pricing will vary by sailing and ship class and will start around $24 per person per day for a 7 night sailing.
For specialty restaurants with a la carte pricing, the Unlimited Dining Package allows a $35 food credit per person for each visit.
Chef’s Table and culinary activities are excluded. Johnny Rockets is included in the package. However, beverages are not.
Package does not include beverages, but does provide 40% off bottles of wine under $100, and 20% off bottles over $100.
For Dining Packages, children ages 12 and under are excluded from offer; children ages 6-12 can be added to reservation for a $10 cover change once onboard. Not available on holiday sailings.
Royal Caribbean has released version 1.16.0 of its new smartphone app, which adds maps and information about Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The release notes indicate the maps of CocoCay are available for ships that visit the island. The interactive maps for Perfect Day at CocoCay will be turned on later in May, when ships begin to visit the island following the Perfect Day launch.
The new app is available on these ships:
The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
It appears Royal Caribbean has temporarily shut down its SkyPad bungee trampoline experience on its cruise ships pending a review of the safety of the ride.
Guests who recently sailed on Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas reported the SkyPad was closed for the duration of their cruise. Royal Caribbean confirmed via Twitter that the SkyPad is indeed closed for now.
Photo by Michelle May
Hi, Becky. The SkyPad is temporarily unavailable. We're currently conducting a review as the safety as part of our commitment to safety for all of our guests. I'm very sorry for any disappointment this has caused. -Alexis
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 7, 2019
We're still running reviews and inspections. We'll be sure to reach out if there's an update.
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 7, 2019
Royal Caribbean's review of the experience follows recent litigation that was filed against the cruise line that involved a guest who was injured while on the SkyPad.
The SkyPad is currently available on Independence of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean has selected Harry McNulty as its next world explorer meets social media champion.
McNulty was named by Royal Caribbean UK as the winner of its Shore Explorer contest. The Shore Explorer's job is to discover fun and incredible experiences around the world that will ultimately influence the brand’s shore excursion offerings.
A HUGE congratulations once again to our Shore Explorer winner, Harry McNulty! Here’s his jaw-dropping winning entry: https://t.co/gzZiRxNHya Make sure to check out & follow his Instagram page to see his incredible content where he’ll be posting content from his epic adventures!
— Royal Caribbean UK (@MyRoyalUK) April 8, 2019
Harry will visit places such as Japan, Alaska, Europe and the Middle East, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, opening next month.
Harry is 26 years old and from Dublin, Ireland. He was one of 37,000 UK and Irish applicants for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s shore explorer position.
Royal Caribbean opened the contest up earlier this year, and apprenticeship applicants were required to post an image, video or story on Instagram that showed an ability to capture a moment and tell a story.
They say April showers brings May flowers, but Sundays bring you a round-up of all of this week's Royal Caribbean news!
The big news this week surrounded the unfortunate accident involving Oasis of the Seas while in Freeport, Bahamas for scheduled maintenance. A construction crane fell and struck the ship, causing damage and injuries to eight workers.
As a result of the accident, Royal Caribbean canceled the next three sailings of Oasis of the Seas.
After assessing the damage to Oasis of the Seas, the cruise line found damage to the Aqua Theatre and some suites.
The 296th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, featuring a look at how to plan a Royal Caribbean cruise with friends and family.
The appeal of going on a cruise with members of your family and/or friends is a great idea, but planning a group sailing comes with its own set of challenges. Matt and Rebecca share tips from their own experiences on how to avoid some common pitfalls.
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.
One of the best ways to learn about what sort of events a cruise ship offers is to consult a past Royal Caribbean Cruise Compass. Here is a look at recent Cruise Compasses we have added.
Royal Caribbean wrote about the realities of seasickness.
Cruise Industry News highlighted the first Asian Captain for Royal Caribbean.
The Sun Sentinel wrote about an 80's themed cruise planned on Explorer of the Seas.