See how science communicator Kevin Lieber, host of YouTube channel Vsauce2, experienced his first total solar eclipse onboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.
This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 212 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.
This week, Matt and Len Testa talk about Royal Caribbean's Price Integrity Policy and how it, and the cruise industry, are changing the price of cruise vacations.
Here’s the podcast page for Episode 212. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS 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!
Hi Royal Caribbean Blog readers, its Michael Poole and here I am with my next live blog.
In January, I did a 10 night live blog on board Majesty of the Seas, so be sure to check that out. This time I’m headed back to Majesty of the Seas for a quick 3-night weekend getaway. This cruise set sails this Friday, August 25th. Since I couldn’t wait for the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise on board Harmony of the Seas, I had to add something. On this sailing I’ll be cruising with my good friend, Nick Vitani who spends almost every weekend on board.
This quick 3-night cruise will be visiting Nassau, Bahamas and Royal Caribbean’s private island Coco Cay.
In Nassau we plan to go visit the new resort Baha Mar on the other side of the island, which is know as Cable Beach.
For Coco Cay, no real plans but total relaxation. I do plan to take a lot of photos of all the construction of their new pier and report back how things are going on the island. I’ll be returning to Coco Cay in mid October so it will be nice to see the progress being made of the next few months.
For this cruise, I’ll be staying in a superior ocean view cabin on deck 9. The actual cabin number is 9078, which is aft. I like the location a lot because it’s right beside the spa and gym, so I might fit one workout in! If you are looking to cruise on Majesty of the Seas, I highly recommend the superior ocean view cabins. Since this ship doesn’t have balcony cabins (other than suites) this is the largest cabin option without spending a lot of cash.
For this cruise we have decided to dine in Chef’s table. This is a specialty dining option that ranges from $85-$95 per person, depending on the ship. If you are flexible with time and date they are usually running a discount on board to book the first night. In all my cruises I’ve never had dinner in the Chef’s table, so I’m really looking forward to the experience. One perk of this dining option is the wine pairing, is included in the cover charge.
On this cruise I’ll be passing on the drink package, it was $170 for the weekend in the cruise planner. I’ll be spending most evenings in the Viking Lounge watching sunsets and that’s where the diamond lounge is on Majesty. We will see how this goes paying for drinks as I go.
Well friends it’s almost cruise time, please let me know if there is anything you would like to see on Majesty of the Seas. Feel free to comment below on my live blogs and I’ll respond during my cruise. I’ll also be doing live streams on the periscope app, so be sure to follow me @mpoole3.
If you are in the market for a fantastic guilty pleasure for your next Royal Caribbean cruise, be sure to check out the Thermal Suite in the Vitality Spa. This ultimate adult retreat offers unlimited access to warm loungers, steam and sauna rooms, and more. It is a fantastic way to relax while at sea.
Royal Caribbean offers a Thermal Suite on some of its ships, including Harmony of the Seas. While aboard Harmony of the Seas, we took at tour of the venue to get a sense of what this is all about.
Royal Caribbean sells a limited number of passes to the Thermal Suite on every sailing. Passes can be purchased onboard the ship at the Vitality Spa, and provide unlimited access to the facilities included with the spa.
The thermal suite is made up of a few areas that allow for relaxation as you see fit. Unlike a massage, facial, or other service in the spa, guests can come as often as they like to take advantage of the thermal suite benefits. It is the perfect way to relax and treat yourself at the same time.
The thermal suite has the following amenities that can be used only by those that purchase a pass.
Thermal loungers
Steam room
Sauna room
The thermal suite comes in three options:
Keep in mind that while the pricing refers to "couples", in reality, it means any two guests can take advantage of it. Friends can book the couples option and take advantage of reduced pricing.
Guests can purchase their thermal suite passes from the desk at the Vitality Spa. It is best to purchase them on embarkation day.
Bonnie Tyler performed a duet with DNCE of the Welsh singer's hit song, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" during a total solar eclipse.
The artists shared the AquaTheater stage aboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas as part of the Total Eclipse Cruise. The performance coincided with the Great American Eclipse that was 99 years in the making.
“As if moving our ship to sail along the eclipse’s path of totality to give our guests 100 percent visibility of this phenomenon wasn’t enough, we wanted to take it to another level – just above ‘out of this world’,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Royal Caribbean is known as the most innovative cruise line, always pushing to create bigger and bolder adventures for vacationers. We’re excited to have DNCE and Bonnie on board, and even more thrilled to have seen the looks on our guests’ faces when she was brought on stage to sing ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ This is what we live for – to make unforgettable memories. ”
As the moon made its way to cover the sun for the celestial event of the century, DNCE took center stage in Oasis of the Seas’ open-air AquaTheater, performing the band’s chart-topping hits, including “Kissing Strangers,” “Body Moves” and, of course, “Cake by the Ocean.” The concert culminated in the ultimate performance by DNCE and the Welsh-born singer. All eyes were on Joe Jonas and Tyler, alongside DNCE bandmates Cole Whittle, JinJoo and Jack Lawless, as they sang a powerful remix of Tyler’s classic, paying tribute to the solar eclipse.
Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet and Oasis of the Seas Captain Per Kristoffersen collaborate to navigate toward the path of totality for the Great American Eclipse – a celestial phenomenon 99 years in the making.
Royal Caribbean has offered cabanas at its private destination of CocoCay for years, but these cabanas have lacked direct ocean access. A new set of cabanas have been relocated that remedy that issue and provide waterfront access.
The waterfront cabanas at Water Sports Beach provide direct water access and Royal Caribbean Blog reader Nick Vitani shared photos of these cabanas.
The cabana relocation is part of Royal Caribbean's island-wide updates that are in the process of being implemented.
Welcome to this week's edition of the Royal Caribbean post round-up, where we summarize all of the Royal Caribbean news and information from this week into one handy-dandy post! There is plenty of great content to enjoy, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's round-up!
This week, Royal Caribbean was forced to make changes to upcoming Allure of the Seas itineraries due to a speed restriction.
It seems one of the propellers is damaged, which necessitated a reduction in speed and that resulted in more time to get from one port to another.
In addition, Royal Caribbean cancelled the January 21, 2018 sailing in order to take time to fix the cause of the speed restriction. The work will take one week, and cruises will resume with the January 28, 2018 sailing.
The 211th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we share an overview of dining on Royal Caribbean ships.
There is a lot of great dining opportunities on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and this week, Matt talks about the different food available to enjoy on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
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.
PR Week shared the inside story of how Royal Caribbean managed to get Bonnie Tyler to perform onboard.
CNBC interviewed Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain learned to protest in college.
Travel Weekly reported Royal Caribbean upgraded its online booking tool for travel agents.
Skift shares how cruise lines are dealing with customers booking earlier than ever.
The weekend is here and every Friday, we share our readers' favorite Royal Caribbean photos so that we can all enjoy a quick "virtual trip" back on a cruise. If you want to share your Royal Caribbean photos, use this form to send them in!
Our first photo this week is by Ken, taken on Freedom of the Seas from deck 4. This is a great spot for walking, and Ken really enjoys this area too.
Here is a photo of Thomas Lemmer from Wonderland on Anthem of the Seas.
Pascal Everard shared with us this photo of Radiance of the Seas in Moorea, an island in French Polynesia.
Jenn Ullram took this photo of the aft of Anthem of the Seas from Cafe Two70.
Here is a great shot of the FlowRider on Independence of the Seas, taken by David Donnelly.
Gary Lorenz took this photo of sunrise on Liberty of the Seas, as the ship was on her way back to Galveston.
Our final photo this week is from Robert Young of Rhapsody of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas side by side in Cozumel.
Thank you to everyone that sent in their Royal Caribbean photos and if you want your photos featured here, be sure to send us your favorite photos with this form!
Royal Caribbean's Pre-Sail Save on Faves Sale is offering up to 30% off select pre-cruise purchases made via the Cruise Planner.
The weekend sale is available for guests on select sailings, and offers discounts on services, such as unlimited drink packages, internet packages and even some shore excursions and spa treatments.
The exact discount available will vary from sailing to sailing.
Based on the countdown clock, it appears this promotion ends at midnight on August 20, 2017.
To check what items are on sale for your sailing, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site to see any available offers.
If you have already prepurchased something on the Cruise Planner that is now less expensive, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same service under this promotion.