Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean announced a new cruise cancellation policy that will go into effect on all bookings made on or after April 8, 2018.

The policy change is aimed at encouraging guests to finalize their bookings earlier.  The cancellation policy adjustments announced, "were decided upon in an effort to better align with industry standards and to make the schedule simpler and more concise."

The change impacts both individual, NextCruise, and group reservations created on or after April 8, 2018.

Royal Caribbean last updated its cancellation policy in February 2016.

Royal Caribbean informed guests booked on an upcoming Radiance of the Seas sailing their sailing has been cancelled as a result of needed repairs.

The cruise line announced the upcoming 11-night cruise on Radiance of the Seas departing April 6, 2018 will be cancelled in order to conduct necessary repairs on the ship's Azipod propulsion system, which impacts the ships’ speed and ability to deliver future scheduled cruises.

Repairs to Radiance of the Seas will take place from April 6 to April 17.

Royal Caribbean will release this week its Seasonal Caribbean & Northeast cruises.

Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society members can begin booking sailings on April 3, 2018, with the general public available to begin booking on April 4, 2018.

• Adventure of the Seas
• Brilliance of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Rhapsody of the Seas
• Serenade of the Seas
• Vision of the Seas

Vision of the Seas will offer double the Panama Canal offerings before heading to San Juan for her Caribbean adventure, including stops at a new destination for Royal Caribbean, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Adventure of the Seas will visit the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, with 6 and 8 night itineraries to destinations like Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, San Juan and beyond.

Explorer of the Seas will return to the United States, offering 5 night Western Caribbean and 9 night Southern Caribbean adventures sailing from Miami.

Both Anthem of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas will offer stops at the newly refurbished CocoCay, with 7 and 8 night itineraries in Fall 2019.

Watch a timelapse video of the world's largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, sail away from Barcelona, Spain for the first time.

No fooling here, we have a round-up of all of this week's Royal Caribbean cruise news!

WIthout a doubt, this week's Royal Caribbean news can be summed up in one word: Symphony. 

Royal Caribbean took delivery of its fourth Oasis Class cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, this week at a ceremony at STX France in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Symphony of the Seas is the 25th ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet, and is listed at 228,081 gross registered tons, measures 238 feet tall and spans 1,188 feet long. She will welcome 5,518 guests at double occupancy in 2,759 staterooms, including 28 additional balcony rooms that overlook the ocean or signature Boardwalk neighborhood.

Symphony of the Seas' first sailing took place on March 31, 2018.

Royal Caribbean News

• We shared as many new photos from all over the ship as we could find.
• Royal Caribbean released a video commemorating the delivery of Symphony of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean released new aerial photos of Symphony of the Seas at sea.
• Royal Caribbean released a new smartphone app update this week.
• Entertainment will be at the heart of the fun things to do onboard Symphony of the Seas.
• A video sneak-peak look at the Flight show on Symphony of the Seas shows what makes this show so cool.
• Check out this photo tour of the Ultimate Family Suite on Symphony of the Seas.
• Ovation of the Seas is helping to test a new navigational system.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 243rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, and we are reviewing Matt's cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt is back from Rhapsody of the Seas and talks about what he thought about his first time on a Vision class ship, the activities he tried onboard and how is shore plans worked out.

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.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Ship Monk shared a photo tour of Symphony of the Seas.

Page Six reported on Star Jones' wedding, which took place on Anthem of the Seas.

Cruise Habit took an in-depth (kale infused) look at cruise ship safety.

Happy Friday! This may be a holiday weekend for many of our readers, so grab your matzah or chocolate bunny and let's enjoy some great Royal Caribbean photos that our readers have shared!

Kinny Lee found this photo while on a scavenger hut on Allure of the Seas.  This looks like one of the Small Wonders hidden on Allure.

Twangster shared this photo from Harmony of the Seas of the Ultimate Abyss entrance.

Kathy Harris took this photo during her Mediterranean cruise.

Arnt Jakobsen took this photo from Labadee, while visiting on Labadee.

Don and Meg shared this photo from their Oasis of the Seas excursion at Almaplena Eco resort in Costa Maya, Mexico.

Here's another photo by Don and Meg of Freedom and Oasis of the Seas while in Cozumel.

Allen Shaffer took this photo during a beautiful day in Skagway, Alaska.

Thank you to everyone for sharing these great photos.  If you want to share your own photos for a future blog post, use this form to send them in to us!

Royal Caribbean's sale offer for April offers guests buy one guest, get second guest 50% off. Plus, bring the whole family because kids sail for less.

The new offer can be combined with the weekend Springtime Sale, where guests can save an additional $100 in instant savings.

Cruises booked March 29 – April 30, 2018 on sailings departing on or after April 29, 2018 qualify for this offer.

Offer details:

• Buy One Guest, Get Second Guest 50% Off
• 25% Savings for 3/4 guests
• Balcony & Suites Bonus
  • Booking Window: March 29 – April 30, 2018
  • Sailing Window: All sailings departing on or after April 29, 2018.
  • Offer details: $100 instant savings on all Balconies and Suites
• Springtime Sale
  • Valid on bookings made March 29 – April 2, 2018.
  • Up to $100 instant savings ($200 when combined with Balcony & Suites Bonus)
  • 5 nights or less:
    • Interior/Oceanview: $25
    • Balcony: $50
    • Suites: $75
  • 6 nights and more:
    • Interior/Oceanview: $50
    • Balcony: $75
    • Suites: $100

BOGO and Balcony & Suites Bonus are combinable with each other as well as with NRBD OBC, promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. All 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.

Offer available to residents of United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select countries in the Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean has released version 1.6.2 of its new official Royal Caribbean International app, which locks down the app to select ships, introduces a login feature, and opens the app up a bit more to two ships.

With the 1.6.2 release, guests on Allure of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas have access to improved guest accounts, and can make reservations for specialty dining restaurants.

Guests on Symphony of the Seas may now take advantage of the app’s online check-in functionality.

The app is now available on Allure of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Symphony of the Seas. 

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

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

Episode 243 is available for downloading where Matt shares his thoughts on his recent cruises aboard Rhapsody of the Seas.

Matt experienced a lot onboard Rhapsody of the Seas, and this week, he dives into what makes Rhapsody of the Seas different, and discusses the aspects of dining, entertainment and accomodations that stood out and why.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 243. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher 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!

Get a look at the real-life inspiration behind Royal Caribbean’s newest original show, Flight: Dare to Dream, a chronicle of the evolution of air travel and an imaginative take on what the future may hold. Follow the show's creators as they visit Space Center Houston in Texas to gather ideas and develop the vision for the first theater production to be set in space.