Royal Caribbean Blog

Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany announced it will shutdown for six weeks due to the current global health crisis.

DisneyCruiseLineBlog spotted the news of the shutdown, which will last until August 30, 2020.

 The shipyard is facing financial hardships due to a lack of demand for new cruise ships, so beginning on Monday DW is reporting Meyer Werft will halt production and suspend operations for six weeks.

Meyer Werft is where Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ships is being built, Odyssey of the Seas.

On June 30,  Royal Caribbean announced Odyssey of the Seas will be delayed due to a combination of the global health crisis, delays in the supply chain, and fires at the shipyard compounding other shipyard issues.

Just like Royal Caribbean, Meyer Werft is facing its own financial difficulties because of cruise lines delaying projects or delaying delivery of new ships. In either case, it means longer periods of time without being paid.

Shipyard owner Bernard Meyer said the current situation is "precarious", and that Meyer Werft needs to save €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) to stay solvent. It looks like the shipyard may benefit from local and federal funding from the German government.

Reports out of Germany only mention the P&O Iona and Saga Cruises Spirit of Adventure. With Odyssey already officially delayed until next year, the six week shutdown this summer is not likely not a short-term factor.

Odyssey of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean's second Quantum Ultra Class ship and will come in at 168,000-gross-tons.

Odyssey recently reached another construction milestone when she was moved about 150 meters from a dry construction dock to a flooded construction dock.

Royal Caribbean's next new Oasis Class cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, has been officially delayed from her scheduled 2021 arrival.

Royal Caribbean China posted an update in Chinese on its website that the next new Oasis Class cruise ship will not arrive as scheduled.

"The construction of the new Oasis Class Wonder of the Seas was delayed due to the impact of the shipyard operation. Royal Caribbean had to delay the deployment of the Wonder of the Seas from a Chinese home port. However, we look forward to the arrival of the Wonder of the Seas after the epidemic has been brought under control as soon as possible."

Screenshot of the translated announcement on Royal Caribbean China website

There is no new timeframe for when Wonder of the Seas will sail.

Wonder of the Seas is the second cruise ship under construction to be delayed, following the announcement that Odyssey of the Seas will be delayed until April 2021.

Dr. Zinan Liu, Chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Asia commented on the announcement, "Royal Caribbean always firmly believes that the fundamentals of China’s economy have not changed due to the epidemic and that the trend of the cruise market will continue to develop. After the public health risks are controlled, people pursue social interactions. The instincts of reunion and leisure will not change, or even be strengthened. Royal Caribbean has prepared three lines of defense for the health and safety of tourists and crew under the new normal of epidemic prevention, including source control of viruses, multiple monitoring on board, prevention and isolation measures and emergency plans in case of an outbreak. We are fully prepared to show the public that the Royal Caribbean Cruise is a safe place."

Prior to this announcement, Wonder of the Seas was due to arrive in 2021 as the world's largest cruise ship and first Oasis Class ship to sail the Asia Pacific.

The new ship is currently under construction in Saint-Nazaire, France.

"Royal Caribbean is known for its innovation and constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and an Oasis Class ship in China is proof of that," said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Wonder of the Seas will redefine the ultimate vacation and be revolutionary in her own right, and she marks one of Royal Caribbean’s most exciting chapters to come."

In early May 2020, Royal Caribbean told its investors it believes COVID-19 has impacted shipyard operations and will result in delivery delays of ships previously planned for delivery in 2020 and 2021.

Eating on a Royal Caribbean cruise is just as enjoyable as any shore excursion, performance or activity. Royal Caribbean puts a great deal of effort into its onboard dining options, and I have a few ways you can maximize these choices with some dining hacks!

These tips are all about giving you a little bit more out of your dining experience onboard, and giving you a leg up on other guests.

Order off-menu food in dining room

Each evening in the main dining room, there is a printed menu that guests can order from, but there are many more options you can consider beyond what is written on the menu.

The main dining room dinner menu is designed to appeal to a great majority of guests, but perhaps you have a dietary restriction, or you just really want something else.

Guests can ask to speak to the head waiter at any point and order something special, provided the chef in the galley has the ingredients to make it.  

The example I often share is Royal Caribbean used to offer Indian dishes on its old main dining room dinner menus, but the current version does not offer it.  As a result, I always speak to the head waiter and ask to have an Indian dish prepared for me each evening.  Sure enough, my waiter brings me that special dish every night.

Ice cream in a cup

This tip is something I learned from someone on Periscope, and it is sheer genius for someone that loves ice cream.

On all Royal Caribbean ships, there is complimentary soft-serve ice cream on the ship.  Usually, it is near the pools and there are ice cream cones available to pour the ice cream onto.  Ice cream cones are great and all, but you really cannot load them up too much without an incredibly elevated risk of it falling over and you becoming that guy.

For those that want to load up on ice cream without multiple trips to the machine, grab a drink cup from somewhere onboard.  Usually, the water cups in the Windjammer are perfect for this.  Take the cup and fill up the cup with as much ice cream as you can handle.  The result is that ice cream fix you have always dreamed of!

If you want to take it to the next level, grab a soda with your drink package and make an ice cream float!

The secret menu at Perfect Day at CocoCay

If your cruise visits Perfect Day at CocoCay, be sure to stop by the Snack Shack not only for the awesome food on the menu, but a few added items not listed there too!

Known colloquially as "the secret menu", you can ask for a chicken parmigiana sandwich, which is essentially a cross between the crispy chicken sandwich, mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce that are on the menu.

Not only is this an added menu option most guests do not know about, but it is really tasty!

Make your own pizzas

While Sorrento's Pizza offers slices of pizza all day, you might not have known you can customize your pie at a special station.

You can place an order (no additional cost) for a pizza with just the toppings you like, and have a a custom pie hot and ready to eat fairly quickly.  Moreover, you can also request a gluten-free crust option.

After you place the order, head across the Promenade to the pub and enjoy a drink while you wait.

Stock up on cereal for excursion snacks

If you have kids, be sure to grab a few extra boxes of cereal from the Windjammer to bring back to your room.

Boxed cereal is a tasty and portable snack that works really well for shore excursions. Whether the kids want something to munch on during the bus rides, or at the beach, cereal will not go bad in the heat, and travels well.

What is your favorite dining hack?

Do you have a dining trick on Royal Caribbean not on this list? Share your food ninja tips in the comments!

Following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement it has extended the "No Sail Order" until September 30, Royal Caribbean has extended its voluntary cruise suspension through the same time period.

Royal Caribbean confirmed on Friday that its new target date to resume operations is October 1, 2020.

Royal Caribbean's website has been updated to reflect the new dates.

In statement on the Royal Caribbean Group website, the cruise line will indeed match the CDC's guidelines.

The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is our top priority. As we work with the CDC and others toward this shared goal, Royal Caribbean Group will be extending the suspension of sailings to include those departing on or before September 30, 2020.

CDC's ban was set to expire on July 24, although most other cruise lines had already extended their voluntary cruise suspensions through the end of September.

Compensation

Guests affected by the cancelled cruises between September 16 - 30, 2020 have three options for compensation.

Lift & Shift: Select next year’s sailing with the same itinerary type, sailing length, stateroom category, and within the same 4-week window of the original cruise date, and you can take your existing reservation and move it to next year.Option expires on August 5, 2020.

125% Future Cruise Credit: To account for the inconvenience this has caused, guests are eligible for a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) that is based on the total cruise fare paid at the guest-level and will be automatically issued on-or-before July 31, 2020 — if neither of the other options is selected.

Taxes and fees, as well as any pre-purchased amenities or onboard packages will be automatically refunded to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancellation date. 

If you previously opted to take advantage of our Cruise with Confidence policy, the 100% FCC will stand, and this new option is ineligible.

Additionally, if you redeemed your Cruise with Confidence Future Cruise Credit on a sailing that is now cancelled, their original FCC will be reinstated, plus 125% of any amount paid by the guest on the cancelled reservation.

A FCC will be automatically issued on or before August 26, 2020, if no other option is selected.

Refund: If you prefer a cash refund, you can do so by requesting this option on-or-before December 31, 2020.

You can expect their refund to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancellation date. 

If you redeemed a Cruise with Confidence Future Cruise Credit on an impacted sailing and would now prefer a refund instead, Royal Caribbean will process this request in the amount of any new funds paid above the original certificate and, in turn, will reinstate the Cruise with Confidence FCC for future use.

Cruise Planner Purchases: If you had purchased any cruise add-ons, such as shore excursions, drink packages, wifi and more, you could opt to convert your Cruise Planner purchases  to an Onboard Credit valued at 125% of the total amount paid. This offer expires on August 5, 2020.

Inside the No Sail Order

The CDC announced its extension of the order as a means of preventing cruise ships from sailing out of concern cruise ships would spread COVID-19.

In the No Sail Order, the CDC Director outlined the rationale for the order being concern of the impact of infected cruise passengers creating problems after the cruise concluces.

The CDC's Director specifies information from epidemiologic and other data found in March and April 2020 determined that measures taken by State and local authorities regarding COVID-19 onboard cruise ships were "inadequate to prevent the further spread of the disease".

The regulation chiefly responsible for preventing cruise ships from resuming sailing in the United States has been extended once again, this time through the end of September.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday it has extended its no sail order for cruise ships through September 30, 2020.

Prior to this extension, the "No Sail Order" was set to expire on July 24, although Royal Caribbean had already voluntarily cancelled most of its cruises through September 15, 2020, with the intention to possibly resume September 16.

Royal Caribbean has not yet commented or announced changes as a result of today's announcement.

This is the second time the "No Sail Order" has been extended, after first being implemented on March 13.

The CDC extended its policy to prevent cruise ships from sailing out of concern cruise ships would spread COVID-19, despite airlines operating flights, Las Vegas hotels and casinos re-opening, major theme parks re-opening, and other tourist destinations resuming operations.

In fact, by late January 2020, the RAND National Security Research Division found, "infections of COVID-19 were likely being exported from China, via commercial air travel, on a daily basis."

To date, the CDC has not shut down any airline operations.

What is the No Sail Order?

The No Sail Order and Suspension of Further Embarkation is a policy of the CDC that restricts the embarkation of passengers on top cruise ships in the United States due to the global health crisis.

Like the previous orders, this order will remain in effect until one of the following occurs:

• The expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency,
• The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations, or
• September 30, 2020.

Royal Caribbean's plan

The extension of the "No Sail Order" is probably not a surprise to most, and Royal Caribbean already has a plan in place to protect guests and crew on its ships, as well as address the CDC specifically.

Royal Caribbean's Healthy Sail Panel is a blue ribbon panel of health experts that are tasked not only with creating policies and procedures for its ships, but satisfy the concern of the CDC that people can go on a cruise vacation safely.

A majority of the panelists have worked at the United States Centers for Disease Control, providing the group with insight into what the CDC will be expecting.

Furthermore, the CDC has been made aware of the panel and even invited to observe the planning and creation of procedures. They will apply the best available public health, science and engineering insights. 

Ultimately, the Healthy Sail Panel will be working to address any and all concerns the CDC might have that would prevent Royal Caribbean from starting cruising again.

If you are booking a Royal Caribbean cruise from the cruise line website, expect a new look to the process.

Royal Caribbean rolled out an update to its website on Thursday, which has a cleaner look to the booking process.

Once you select a particular sailing, the steps involved in booking the cruise have a new design to them.

Old look to booking site

New look to booking site

Select a stateroom

Choose stateroom assignement

Guests information

Payment information

So far, the new look begins to appear once you select a sail date.  In addition there are certain updated room descriptions as well more virtual tours.

The new look to the booking engine follows Royal Caribbean's last booking site design update in August 2017.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers shared their opinions of the new site design on our message boards, and generally were happy with the new look.

Razorrayy commented, "I absolutely love the new booking tool on Royal Caribbean website, just being able to get more details on your itinerary is awesome!"

WAAAYTOOO found a small functionality lift, in addition to the new look, "The only improvement that I can see so far is that you can now review the itinerary once you are in the mock booking.  Before you could never see the itinerary once you started looking at cabins."

With new change, comes also critique for how to make the site even better. SpeedNoodles wished for a change in booking terms up front, "When will they change it to show us the refundable price before we have to enter name/address/signooverfirstbornchild?"

After weeks of speculation, Royal Caribbean is in the process of selling two former cruise ships.

Monarch and Sovereign are currently part of Pullmantur Cruises' fleet, but originally sailed as part of Royal Caribbean International.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain confirmed the ships' fate during a call with travel agents.

He indicated that there are no plans to sell any ships right now, apart from the Pullmantur ships.

"The one exception would be the Pullmantur ships, which are now in the process of being sold."

On June 22, Spanish cruise line Pullmantur Cruises announced it was filing for reorganization, which is a form of bankruptcy.

Pullmantur's board of directors make the decision following the "unprecedented impact" made the decision necessary.

A piece of history

Sovereign of the Seas plays a significant role in the history of Royal Caribbean, as the first mega ship to ever launch.

Sovereign of the Seas is one of three Sovereign Class cruise ships (along with sister ship Monarch of the Seas), and was operated by Royal Caribbean beginning with her maiden voyage on January 16, 1988 from PortMiami.

Sovereign of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature the now well-known suffix "of the Seas".

At 73,192 tons, the ship featured a five-deck Centrum, glass elevators, fountains in marble pools, and sweeping staircases. She completely dwarfed every vessel of her time, coming in double the size of Royal Caribbean's Song of America. A ship that large, with those kind of features was unheard of at the time.

Sovereign of the Seas demonstrated that it is possible for a modern cruise ship to offer a balance of beauty and function and be something more than a container carrier or a ferry. 

Sister ship Monarch of the Seas was built in 1991 and was the second Sovereign Class ship to be built.

At 73,941 tons, Monarch was one of the largest cruise ships in the world at time of her completion.

With the end for Sovereign and Monarch, this will leave Majesty of the Seas as the last Soveriegn Class ship.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain answered some of the hottest questions the public has been wondering about the state of the cruise industry.

In a webinar with travel agents, Mr. Fain responded to questions about a variety of topics related to Royal Caribbean cruises and what the cruise line is doing now, and what it plans to do to get back resuming sailings.

Former Monarch and Sovereign of the Seas will be sold

Ever since Pullmantur Cruises announced it was entering bankruptcy, many have wondered about the fate of the former Royal Caribbean ships sailing in the fleet.

Mr. Fain answered a question if Royal Caribbean has plans to sell ships in its fleet, saying simply there are no plans, but it is a consideration.

"There are no plans, but there are consideration," Fain said. "I think we will look at that somewhat opportunistic basis."

While there are no plans right now to sell its ships, the Pullmantur ships will be sold off due to the financial issues that cruise line is facing.

"The one exception would be the Pullmantur ships, which are now in the process of being sold."

Capacity of ships will be reduced initially

Echoing earlier statements, Mr. Fain talked about reducing capacity on its ships in order to implement social distancing.

"It is likely that when protocols are implemented, at least at the beginning, the capacity of the ships will will be reduced."

In terms of how many less guests, Mr. Fain talked about starting up in Europe as an example.

"It's likely we'll start out at lower capacity in Europe, the capacity levels for the starting up or at 60 to 70 percent potential load factors. And obviously that's quite a bit less than we're used to."

"But I think over time, particularly as treatments and pervasiveness of the disease and especially vaccines, that will then go back up. So there's a cost in the early period which hopefully will disappear fairly quickly."

Royal Caribbean Group name change

One of the early questions Mr. Fain touched upon was about the name change for Royal Caribbean's parent company, which has shifted from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to Royal Caribbean Group.

Mr. Fain was quick to point out that the legal name of the company is still Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and was not sure yet if that will ever change.

"There was confusion sometimes between the brand Royal Caribbean International and the group of brands, which covers all six of the different brands. It was a little bit confusing to some people. And so we wanted a name for the for the parent company that was clear it wasn't the operating entity"

"I think under normal circumstances, we would have had a big announcement and a big rolling out of thi, but in a in a post-COVID world or in our current COVID world, we are being a lot more quiet about the whole thing."

Global operations update

A large part of Mr. Fain's comments were about providing a global update on where Royal Caribbean is currently in terms of getting ready to resume cruises.

Mr. Fain saw many positive signs, including its German brand, TUI Cruises, resuming cruises on July 24.

In addition, the new Healthy Sail Panel is going above and beyond the standard responses on land.

"The ship has special features, somethings make it more challenging, but some things provide real opportunities, and so they're really looking at it with an open mind and with an imaginative core. So I'm really quite excited about how that's going to work."

In terms of getting cruises back in the United States, Mr. Fain thinks a lot hinges upon how quickly cases can be reduced.

"A key factor will be how quickly we are successful in bringing the prevalence of it in society down. And you're seeing the impact in Europe where they have been successful in bringing it down and in much of Asia."

Why Royal Caribbean partnered with Norwegian Cruise Line

One question asked to Mr. Fain was why Royal Caribbean partnered with Norwegian Cruise Line and not other cruise lines.

"The truth is that we started out with the idea of doing a panel just of our own," Mr. Fain recalled, "I did call around other other cruise line CEOs, not just let them know what we were doing. And when I spoke to Frank Del Rio of Norwegian, he said and well, that's a coincidence because we have been working with a guy by the name of Scott Gottlieb."

"And so at that point, I quickly said, well, wow, if we're both doing the same thing, wouldn't we be more impactful together? And it really has been a wonderful experience."

Crew repatriation update

Like all cruise lines, Royal Caribbean has struggled with repatriating crew members due to increasingly strict local laws that prohibit anyone, including citizens of that country, from getting home.

"It's been it's been horrific for the crew members who are stuck and haven't been able to get home, and it's been very wrenching for us, to know that and not to be able to solve the problem."

"Ninety seven percent of our crew are safely home with their family and their loved ones."

"The people who are remaining are mostly from two countries which have sent severe restrictions on allowing anybody to come into the country, even their own citizens."

The four tiers of making cruise ships safe

In terms of keeping guests and crew safe onboard once cruises resume, there appears to be four tiers of planning required to make any new procedures as effective as possible.

"We really need to be able to address all four of those. You probably have some ideas by seeing what's happening elsewhere, but we have some really cool, innovative ideas coming out of the committee."

Mr. Fain outlined them as:

Screening

"You take steps to make it harder for the disease to get onboard in the first place."

Steps onboard the ship

"You have steps onboard the ship, which would include lower capacities, probably not self-service buffets, etc."

Destinations ships visit

"To make sure both that we're not doing anything to bring the disease to the destinations and conversely, that the destinations would not be a source of contagion to our guests."

What if there is a case on a Royal Caribbean ship?

How do you make sure that you can handle that in a way that basically handles it smoothly and efficiently on board and and to get the people home safely. 

Royal Caribbean has made great strides in getting the average time it takes to process refund time, getting the average under a month.

Ever since Royal Caribbean suspended its global sailings in March, the cruise line has been swamped with refund requests, resulting in significant delays processing refunds.

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, told travel agents that the average refund request is now 23 days.

Moreover, there are about 1,000 bookings that are still over 30 days waiting for a refund, but all of them should be processed by this Sunday.

"We also want to report some great news, and that is that our average refund is twenty three days," Freed said in a webinar.  "Now, we do have about a thousand bookings that are over 30 days waiting for a refund. And we should have those process by Sunday this weekend.

Tackling the problem

Processing refunds has been a sore subject for Royal Caribbean, with refunds taking much longer than expected.

Refunds were originally expected to take 30 days to process, but some refunds were taking up to 45 days or longer. 

In April, Royal Caribbean apologized to guests for the delays after hearing from so many guests how long things were taking.

To help speed things up, the cruise line rehired over 100 employees that were laid off in April 2020 in order to help with the significantly long phone hold times.

Royal Caribbean is offering up to 45% off pre-cruise purchases beginning today on add-ons such as drink packages, shore excursions, dining packages and more.

The Save on Cruise Faves sale applies to new purchases made July 15 ‑ July 22, 2020. 

Discount applies to shore excursion, beverage, dining and internet purchases on select sailings departing September 16, 2020 ‑ April 30, 2021.

Offer details:

BEVERAGE: Up to 45% off on all sailings.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 40% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)
• Dasani Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings, + SC)
• Refreshment Package: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 40% off
• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)

INTERNET: Up to 65% off
• The Key: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings, MJ & SC)
• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings + SC)

DINING: Up to 55% off
• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes Charter Sailings, MJ & SC)

ACTIVITIES: 20% off
• All Access Ship Tour: 20% off onboard prices. (Sailings from 9/16/20 - 12/31/20, Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN & SC)

GIFTS & GEAR: Up to 20% off
• Happy Anniversary Decorations with Champagne: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes. Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• Inky Beach Set: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe): 20% off onboard prices.(Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• Inky Travel Set: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• Red Wine and Cheese: 20% off onboard prices. ( (Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel: 20% off onboard prices.(Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY )
• Strawberries with Champagne: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY)
• White Wine and Cheese: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes Charter Sailings, OY, QN, SC + VY )

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 45% off
• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 print and/or digital options: discount varies by ship. (Sailings from 9/16/20 - 4/30/2021; See full terms for exclusions)

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

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.