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First time cruisers: Getting ready for your first Royal Caribbean cruise

In:
14 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

After you book your first Royal Caribbean cruise, you may realize that sail away is not too far away and you would like to be prepared for an awesome first cruise experience. There are a few easy steps you can take in the weeks and months leading up to your cruise to ensure it starts off quite well.

Gather your documentation

In order to go on your Royal Caribbean cruise, you will need to have the proper documentation to actually board the ship.  Depending on which country your cruise begins and ends in, the exact documentation will vary.

A good starting point is to make certain you know exactly where everyone's passport, birth certificate and/or state issued identification is located.  Moreover, check expiration dates of these documents and verify that they will not be expiring anytime soon.  Keep in mind that some countries require passports not to expire within six months of visiting (such as Cuba). 

If you are wondering if you need a passport or visa to cruise, here is what you need to know.  U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notarized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

If you're flying to a port overseas, a passport is almost always needed.

Regardless of the rules, we recommend everyone (including U.S. residents on cruises from the United States) get a passport.  It is simpler and safer, and a fantastic investment for any traveler.

Online check-in

At ninety days prior to your cruise, you can log into Royal Caribbean's web site and complete the online check in.  

The online check in will save you a lot of time at the pier, as well as provide you with the necessary paperwork to expedite your cruise boarding procedure.

You will need a copy of everyone's documentation (passport or birth certificate), travel plans and a credit card to store for incidental charges.

You do not need to do this immediately at 90 days prior to your sailing, but make sure you complete this at least 3 days prior to your sailing.

Pre-cruise purchases

Royal Caribbean allows guests to purchase drink packages, spa appointments, shore excursions, internet packages and more prior to your cruise. In fact, on Oasis and Quantum Class ships, you can even pre-book select entertainment on your ship.

It is a really good idea to purchase anything you can prior to the cruise for two basic reasons: it is often cheaper to book these options before the cruise (instead of onboard) and it helps break up the total cost of the cruise. 

In many cases, Royal Caribbean promises a discount on select pre-cruise purchases compared to the price onboard.  Periodically, Royal Caribbean will run sales on its pre-cruise purchases, which can yield higher savings. The discounted savings can vary, with the price of drink and internet packages varying from ship to ship and sailing to sailing. 

When you purchase anything before your cruise via the Cruise Planner site, you will be required to pay for it at the time of purchase.  This provides the ability to break up the total cost of the cruise.

When you make purchases onboard your cruise, at the end of the cruise you get a final bill with all of the charges tallied up.  By pre-purchasing certain items, you can pay off parts of the cruise months or years in advance, allowing you to reduce the cruise bill at the conclusion of your cruise.

An intangible benefit to pre-purchasing anything is it saves you time onboard from doing the exact same thing, which means more vacation time back to you.

Taking the time to purchase anything onboard does not take very much time, but every little bit helps, and some purchases on the first day of the cruise can require waiting in a line, such as drink packages.

Packing

Packing for your cruise vacation is something some folks really enjoy and others lament.  Regardless, we all have to do it.

Where your cruise sails to will determine what exactly you need to pack, so it may be a good idea to research the weather in the ports you will be visiting, as well as figuring out if there will be any formal nights or themed nights on your sailing (more on formal nights and themed nights later).

This is also a good opportunity to check your luggage is good to go (i.e. no holes or rips).

In addition, you should start thinking about what clothing and outfits you want to bring with you.  This may trigger a memory that you wanted to replace a suit or shirt or get new shoes.

If you are looking for a good packing list, we recommend one from Cruise Habit or Cruise Tips TV.

What am I not allowed to bring?

You should definitely be aware of the kind of items you are prohibited from bringing on your Royal Caribbean cruise.  Some are pretty obvious (no baseball bats), while others are surprising (no surge protectors or clothing irons).

Refer to Royal Caribbean's list of prohibited item list, as their list changes from time to time.

We should mention a really common question we get asked about bringing and that is drinks and alcohol.

You cannot bring beer, spirits, alcohol, booze, liquor, moonshine or anything else of that ilk on your Royal Caribbean cruise. However, you can bring up to two bottles of wine per stateroom onboard on embarkation day only.

In terms of soda and bottled water, this is where things get a bit confusing.  Royal Caribbean lists that guests may not  bring soft drinks or bottled water on their cruise, however, it has been our experience that they tend to look the other way when it comes to guests bringing soda or water onboard.  If you would like to bring soda or bottled water, put it in your carry-on luggage (not the luggage you give to the porters) and do not mention it unless someone asks about it.  Admittedly, this is a gray area of the rules but it does work.

Making special requests

If you have dietary, dining, special needs or other requests, be sure to make it in the weeks and months before your cruise to be certain they are on record and taken care of prior to your cruise.  A common mistake we see is guests waiting to make these requests onboard the ship.

Dietary requests

For any and all dietary requests, contact your travel agent or Certified Vacation Planner and request that the remark be noted in your reservation details. If you made your reservation online at royalcaribbean.com you may add your request to the "update personal information." section. You may also send an e-mail request to [email protected]; please include in the e-mail the guests' names, booking number, ship name and sail date. E-mails will receive an automated response.

Main dining room table requests

If you prefer to dine alone, you can also email Royal Caribbean your table request. Send an email 3 to 4 weeks prior to your cruise to [email protected].

Special needs

If you have a special need, such as wheelchair assistance, service dog, difficulty going up or down steps, hearing troubles, sign language interpretation and more, be sure to fill out the Guest Special Needs form on Royal Caribbean's website. 

Royal Caribbean recommends you do this no later than 30 days prior to your sailing, except for sign language interpreting requests which must be submitted 60 days prior to sailing.

Cribs or pack and plays

Don't worry about bringing a Pack 'n Play, Royal Caribbean provides one for your child to sleep in, free of charge .

While the pack 'n play does come with a mattress, we've found it more comfortable for our child to take a comforter and fold it up to place on top of the mattress to act as a small mattress topper.  The difference was quickly evident in how much longer our daughter would stay asleep versus the mattress alone.

Make sure you or your travel agent reserve a Pack 'n Play in advance so it is waiting in your stateroom when you embark on the first day.

Read a past Cruise Compass

Earlier in this post, we talked about packing for themed nights and formal nights. You might be wondering how to know exactly what to expect, and the simpler answer is there is no definitive way to know.  However, veteran Royal Caribbean cruisers will tell you a great strategy is to read a past Cruise Compass from the ship and itinerary you are sailing on to get a ballpark idea of what to expect onboard your cruise.

Royal Caribbean does not post or publish Cruise Compasses for upcoming sailings in advance. Nor do they publish their entertainment schedules prior to a cruise. There is no way to know in absolute terms what your upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise will or will not offer, but Royal Caribbean insiders will consult past Cruise Compass' to see what was available on those similar sailings to get an idea of what to expect.

Generally speaking, Royal Caribbean sailings on a particular ship do not change that much from week to week in terms of the activities or entertainment offered.  There will be some discrepancies, but an old Cruise Compass can give you a good ballpark of expectations to plan around.

By reading an old Cruise Compass, you can prepare yourself for activities and events that you might want to participate in, such as themed dance parties, sporting events and anything in-between.

You can reference our Cruise Compass archive for a listing of past Cruise Compasses that we have found.

Consider travel insurance

Insurance is one of things that you do not think of until you need it and then it is worth every penny.  The thing is, not everyone needs travel insurance but you should look into what travel insurance offers and if you are at an elevated risk and would benefit from it.

Royal Caribbean offers travel insurance, as well as many third party companies.  Read exactly what the insurance covers and the scenarios in which you can make a claim.  It is important to be aware that travel insurance does not cover every scenario, but issues such as personal illness, death of a family member, airline delays, lost baggage and more are common times when insurance will be of great benefit.

There is no easy way to determine who does and who does not need travel insurance, but you should at least consider the option now to safeguard yourself in the future.  Consider your risk tolerance, health concerns, and of course look at policies and prices to see if it makes sense for you.

Book pre-cruise transportation and lodging

Planning is the key to a fabulous vacation, but despite all your best efforts, there are just some factors that no one has any control over: weather, car break downs, flat tires, etc. If you ask seasoned travelers how they get around these obstacles, the answer is often to give yourself more time.  Instead of arriving to your departure city on the day of your cruise, get in early!

By planning to arrive to your departure port at least one day early, you assure yourself that a travel delay will not impact your ability to get on your cruise. Having an extra day or two provides a buffer to account for travel delays.  You really do not want to be that person in the airport losing their mind because the latest delay means the entire vacation is in jeopardy.

As an added bonus, by arriving to your embarkation port at least a day early, that means you get to start your vacation sooner!  And in many cases, the port you are departing from has its own cultural and historical attractions that you can explore.

More planning resources

In the grand scheme of planning and preparing for your first Royal Caribbean cruise, there are more things you can do to be ready for a great first cruise.  Here are a few more resources to check out:

Your thoughts

Did we miss any critical steps to complete prior to a cruise? Any other tips? Any questions? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Analyzing the Perfect Day at CocoCay offerings on Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

In:
13 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 254 is available for downloading and features an in-depth discussion of the prices and options available at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Last week, Royal Caribbean announced prices for all the new things to do at Perfect Day at CocoCay and this week, Matt and Billy discuss the prices and policies announced.  

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 254. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSSStitcher or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Royal Caribbean announces features coming to Spectrum of the Seas

In:
12 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Royal Caribbean announced the new features and amenities that will be offered on the newest, largest and most expensive cruise ship in Asia, Spectrum of the Seas.

Spectrum of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean's first Quantum Ultra Class ship, and will boast the cruise line’s first private enclave for suite guests, new stateroom categories, innovative dining concepts, and stunning features and experiences – many of which have never before been seen at sea.

Spectrum of the Seas will be able to accommodate 4,246 guests at double occupancy and 1,551 crew members and will sail from Shanghai starting in June 2019.

As we reported earlier, Spectrum of the Seas will offer a number of innovative features onboard. Here is a rundown of what will make Spectrum different from other ships.

Onboard activities

Custom built for the Chinese market, Spectrum of the Seas will feature bold and unexpected experiences, including the iconic Sky Pad, a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience located on the aft of the ship.

Guests will strap in and don their VR headset to transport them to another time and planet. The out-of-this-world experience is for guests of all ages, and also can be enjoyed without headsets, for those who prefer to look out over the ocean as they leap toward the sky.

A brand new experience to any Royal Caribbean shop is Star Moment, which is described as a lively and energetic karaoke venue where family and friends can belt out and sing like stars.

The cruise line also will enhance SeaPlex – the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea where families can enjoy bumper cars, roller skating and basketball – with new augmented reality walls and floors, providing guests with thrilling, high-tech interactive experiences.

Spectrum of the Seas will also offer other signature Quantum Class offerings, such as the North Star observational pod, RipCord by iFly sky diving simulator and the FlowRider surf simulator.

The popular Two70 venue will also be available on Spectrum of the Seas and will feature the Vistarama technology, which transforms the panoramic windows into a projection surface more than 100 feet wide and over 20 feet tall showcasing spectacular digital shows. The innovative Vistarama is complemented by six agile Roboscreens, measuring over 7 feet tall and controlled by powerful, yet nimble robotic arms that create scenes as they soar and twist solo or as one.

Private Suite Enclave

Spectrum of the Seas will offer Royal Caribbean's first exclusive suites-only area, which will feature the exquisite Golden and Silver suite accommodations in a private enclave at the forward end of the ship on decks 13 through 16.

Guests booked in these type of suites will have special keycard access, a private elevator and a dedicated restaurant and lounge. In addition to a range of exclusive amenities, guests will have access to The Balcony – a private outdoor space for sunbathing and relaxing – that offers the best views on board; and The Boutique, a shopping area where travelers can book private shopping experiences.

Spectrum of the Seas will introduce the two-level, 2,809-square-foot Ultimate Family Suite, accommodating up to 11 guests. The three-bedroom suite, which will include a master bedroom with a bathroom that extends over the side of the ship to provide unparalleled ocean views, along with two additional suites for grandparents and other family members. Kids have their own kid-friendly space on the upper level, complete with an in-suite slide that will transport them to the living area below. Everyone in the family can enjoy time together in the recreation room, featuring surround-sound equipment for a night of karaoke, movies or video games.

Dining

Royal Caribbean will offer a three-level main dining room on Spectrum of the Seas with a capacity of 1,844 guests.  The cuisine served in the main dining room will serve a variety of Chinese and Western a la carte options that rotate each day of the sailing. 

Royal Caribbean will offer the Windjammer Marketplace as a more casual option.  On Spectrum, the Windjammer will be 20 percent larger than those on Quantum Class ships and feature a buffet selection of Chinese and Western dishes, including noodles, pizza, Japanese teppanyaki and mini hot pot.

Sichuan Red will be a new specialty restaurant, located in the Royal Esplande, and will serve authentic cuisine from the Sichuan province of China.

Royal Caribbean’s popular signature restaurants, including Wonderland’s Dadong – a new outpost of Chinese chef Dong Zhenxiang, renowned for his much-coveted roast duck dish; Jamie’s Italian by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver; Izumi Japanese cuisine; and Chops Grille will join the lineup as well. In addition, the new Leaf and Bean traditional tea room and café parlor will debut on the Royal Esplanade. The quaint spot will offer a range of authentic Chinese teas, classic coffee drinks as well as freshly baked Chinese and Western desserts and pastries.

Itineraries

When Spectrum of the Seas debuts in April 2019, she will sail a 51-night Global Odyssey from Barcelona, Spain to Shanghai, taking vacationers to 13 countries. Guests with limited time also can choose to sail one or more of the five separate segments of the Global Odyssey. When Spectrum arrives at her new home in Shanghai in June 2019, she will introduce new itineraries with visits to new ports, such as Hakodate and Niigita, Japan; Ilocos, Philippines; and Vladivostok, Russia. In winter 2019, the ship will reposition to Hong Kong to offer special holiday cruises.

These new itineraries and more are now open for sale.

Royal Caribbean reveals first look at Spectrum of the Seas

In:
11 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Royal Caribbean updated its website today with details of what guests can expect to find on Spectrum of the Seas, the first Quantum Ultra Class ship.

Being the first of her kind, Spectrum of the Seas will offer high-flying virtual reality thrills in the Sky Pad and custom juice drink creations crafted by robots at the Bionic Bar, to revolutionary Golden Suites accommodations with exclusive amenities like private dining rooms, lounges and a Solarium. Not to mention karaoke performances in your own private 3D cinema in the brand new Ultimate Family Suite.

Some of the revealed highlights include:

Sichuan Red 

Sit down to an authentic Sichuan feast with ocean views for the whole table at Sichuan Red.

Sky Pad

Spring yourself into a virtual world on a new bungee trampoline experience — Sky Pad.

Splashaway Cafe

Treat your little ones to a snack-a-thon made just for them at the poolside Splashaway Café.

North Star

Ultimate Family Suite

The Spectrum of the Seas Ultimate Family Suite is two expansive stories of awesome thrills on every level, from your very own in-suite slide where there’s never a line to a private 3D cinema that’s perfect for karaoke nights and making family memories.

Golden Suites

Choose from two tiers of luxury and unlock exclusive access to the Golden Suites — a world of inclusive amenities and standard-setting service.

Royal Caribbean also released a full assortment of Spectrum of the Seas deck plans.

In addition, Spectrum of the Seas sailings are now available to book on Royal Caribbean's web site.  These newly added sailings offer regular departures from Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Shanghai (Baoshan), China. Prior to arriving in China, Spectrum of the Seas will sail a 16-night cruise from Barcelona, Spain to Dubai via the Suez Canal on April 18, 2019.  This will be followed by a 14 night "Spice Route Cruise" from Dubai to Singapore on May 4, 2019.

UPDATE: Royal Caribbean has announced more Spectrum of the Seas details that you can read about right here.

CocoCay construction progress photo report

In:
11 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Royal Caribbean is actively working on building a new pier at its private island of CocoCay in the Bahamas, and we have some new photos to share of the progress being made.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Jason Percival shared with us these photos of the progress, as seen earlier today during a stopover on Adventure of the Seas.

The new pier is scheduled to open in November 2018, and is the first phase of a massive $200 million Perfect Day at CocoCay makeover.

InterContinental Miami Hotel Review

In:
11 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

The InterContinental Miami Hotel is located in Downtown Miami, just across the bay from PortMiami and where Royal Caribbean sails its cruise ships.  This review covers our stay at the hotel, featuring room photos, thoughts on the InterContinental's amenities and our general thoughts for anyone considering staying here on their next pre or post-cruise visit.

The InterContinental is directly downtown and overlooks Biscayne Bay.  It is a 35-story tower on the eastern edge of downtown Miami, near Bayfront Park.  According to the hotel's website, it was built in 1982 by famed architect Pietro Belluschi and has 641 guest rooms. The hotel's exterior, porte cochere and lobby were redesigned by architect Thomas Roszak, of Lohan Anderson + Roszak in 2012.

We selected the InterContinental primarily for its proximity to PortMiami.  You can not only see PortMiami quite well, but Royal Caribbean's corporate headquarters faces the hotel from across Biscayne Bay.

We also picked the InterContinental because it offered suites in addition to standard hotel rooms, which was important to us because it meant our two children could sleep in a seperate room from us.  Moreover, the suite included concierge lounge access for happy hour drinks each evening (5pm-7pm), as well as a complimentary breakfast set up in the morning from 7am to 11am.  We considered other hotels too, but either the price was higher, location further away, or simply sold out.

We drove to the hotel from Central Florida, so getting to Miami was easy enough via the Florida Turnpike.  Once in Miami, you take the appropriate exit and drive into the city to the plaza that the InterContinental is located.  Like any major American city, once you are in the city, there are many intersections and streets to navigate. More than likely if you are flying into Miami or another nearby airport, you will be taking a taxi or ride sharing service to the hotel, which means navigating to the hotel is someone else's problem.

Overnight valet parking is available at the hotel, as well as street parking nearby.  We used the valet parking option for simplicty and the service was prompt and efficient. It cost about $38 for 24 hours, and that is about what valet parking at any hotel in a city costs in my experience.  

We booked a Club Intercontinental Suite 1 King room. With taxes and fees, it came out to $324.17 for a one night stay.  Not the cheapest hotel we have ever stayed at, but it did include concierge lounge and most importantly, provided us with two sleeping areas.  All suites include high-speed Wi-Fi, Health & Spa Access, and Club Lounge Access.

Speaking of the room, the room was massive. It features a living area with pullout Queen sofa bed, as well as a bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms.

Depending on your room location, you will either have a view of Biscayne Bay or downtown Miami.  My kids loved watching the bustle of the city from our 31st floor vantage point.

Each room had a flatscreen television, which meant the kids could watch whatever weird shows they were into and I could watch something that would result in my feeling less inclined to claw out my own eyes.

The room was immaculate and we had no concerns about anything there.  Being a building built well over 30 years ago, you can tell the building is older, especially if you have stayed at the current generation of suite hotels around the country.  However, the hotel is well-maintained and showing no signs of its age. I felt like the age of the hotel meant that we got more square footage for the room compared to hotel suites I often find in hotels built much more recently.  

The InterContinental has a large pool area with ample seating all round.  In fact, the sheer amount of seating is quite impressive.

The only complaint you could make about the pool is that being in South Florida, passing thunderstorms and rain showers are quite common and there is little to no cover when one rolls past. 

In the morning, breakfast is served in the concierge lounge from 7am to 11am.  In the grand scheme of complimentary hotel breakfasts, this was pretty darn good.  The selection of hot food, cereals, breads and fruit was wide enough to satisfy our family.  In fact, I was impressed by how much was offered.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the InterContinental Miami since it provided the sleeping arrangements we wanted along with some nice extras in the form of concierge lounge. The location of the hotel and its proximity to PortMiami make it a fabulous hotel for before or after your cruise, especially if you enjoy watching the cruise ships leave.

I felt like the InterContinental is a safe bet for somewhere reliably upscale and well-maintained to stay in downtown Miami.  I might have been able to get another suite hotel for slightly less per night, or I could have compromised on the location of the hotel or certain amenities included.  Part of the appeal of the InterContinental it being a solid choice for somewhere to stay.

Your thoughts

Have you stayed at the InterContinental Miami? What did you think of the experience? Is this a hotel at which you would consider staying? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas makes a double maiden call in the Philippines

In:
11 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas made her first visit to two different ports in the Philippines this weekend, Subic Bay and Manila. This is the largest ever cruise ship to call at any Filipino port, and with the highest number of guests onboard totalling close to 4,600 from around the world. She is currently on a 5-night cruise from Hong Kong.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

To celebrate the maiden call at Subic Bay, a traditional plaque exchange ceremony was held onboard between Ovation of the Seas’ Captain Flemming Nielsen and local officials namely Atty. Wilma Eisma, Chairman and Administrator of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Mr Roberto Alabado III, Assistant Secretary of Department of Tourism. Senator Richard "Dick" Gordon and Ms Ma. Cristina Garcia, Vice Governor of Bataan were present at the event as well.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

A similar ceremony was held to celebrate the ship’s maiden call in Manila, with Captain Nielsen and Mr Mancile Francisquiel, Port Manager of Philippine Ports Authority, Mr Pocholo Joselito Paragas, Chief Operating Officer of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) – Department of Tourism, and Atty. Solfia Arboladura, Director of Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau presented the “key to the City of Manila” to the ship's Captain.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Ovation of the Seas is the largest cruise ship to enter the Philippines.

Friday Photos

In:
08 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Happy Friday and welcome to the weekend! Each week, we share our reader's favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos for everyone to enjoy.

Our first photo this week is by Tom Geyer, and it is of Port Everglades as Oasis of the Seas returned home.

Nikki Nothstein sent in this photo of Allure of the Seas docked in Old San Juan.

Bob Carpenter took this photo from his Navigator of the Seas stateroom.  His stateroom attendant, Donna from St. Vincent, had a great sense of humor.

Our next photo might make you hungry.  Tammy took this photo from Sabor on Harmony of the Seas.

Bill Barber snapped this photo of Empress of the Seas in Cozumel.

Here is a look at Grandeur of the Seas, as seen from CocoCay.  Photo by David Epstein.

Our final photo this week is by Jason Nolan of the Carousel on Harmony of the Seas at night.

Thanks to everyone who shared photos with us this week. You can always send in your favorite photos to be shared on a future edition of Friday Photos!

Royal Caribbean offering up to 30% off excursions, drink and internet packages during weekend sale

In:
08 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Royal Caribbean's Summer Countdown Cruise Planner sale begins today, with up to 30% off shore excursions, drink packages and internet packages.

Offer applies to new purchases made June 8 - June 11, 2018. Discount applies to shore excursion, beverage, and internet purchases on select sailings departing 6/15/2018 - 12/15/2018.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site to view any available offers.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

Royal Caribbean will stop using plastic straws by end of 2018

In:
08 Jun 2018
By: 
Matt Hochberg

All of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships will eliminate the use of plastic drinking straws by the end 2018 in an effort to reach a comprehensive plastics elimination program.

The policy will be mirrored with sister brands Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, TUI Cruises, and Pullmantur Cruceros.

Royal Caribbean has already implemented a "straws upon request" policy, and this new policy will go a step further to eliminate the plastic option all together. That program will be taken a step further by the start of 2019, when guests requesting a straw will receive a paper straw instead of a plastic one. Guests also will begin seeing Forrest Stewardship Council-certified wood coffee stirrers and bamboo garnish picks as part of the plastic reduction strategy.

After straws, stirrers and picks, the company's next efforts will focus on other single-use plastics such as condiment packets, cups, and bags. A full plastics audit is underway, with the overall plan to be completed in phases by 2020.