Royal Caribbean Blog

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

Episode 321 is available for downloading, where Matt and Brandon review their recent cruise on Mariner of the Seas.

Matt and Brandon were guests invited to a wedding that took place at Perfect Day at CocoCay, along with a reception back onboard the ship. The guys discuss what a wedding on Royal Caribbean is like, and share what their experiences onboard.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 321. 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!

Ahead of its 2020 goal, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced it now offers  1,400 sustainable tours are now available for booking. 

Offered by certified sustainable tour operators, these special tours are available across Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s (RCL) family of brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara — and are available around the world.

Back in 2016, Royal Caribbean set up a goal to match the 2020 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) target to offer guests 1,000 tours provided by operators certified to the UN-created Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) standard. Royal Caribbean believes by reaching this goal one year ahead of schedule, it clearly demonstrates its, "commitment to operate sustainably and provide its guests with responsible options while ashore."

GSTC standards, known as the GSTC Criteria, are organized around four main themes: effective sustainability planning, maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage, and reducing negative impacts to the environment.

Our guests are eager to explore and discover new cultures and places, and we want to do our part to ensure those destinations continue to thrive," said Roberta Jacoby, Managing Director, Global Tour Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  "Achieving this goal was a truly collaborative process with our motivated tour operators and with the dedicated team at Global Sustainable Tourism Council."

Royal Caribbean's WOW Sale is back beginning today, with 50% off second guest, Kids Sail Free, and bonus onboard credit.

The WOW Sale is valid between September 25-29, 2019 on on select sailings departing on or after October 25, 2019.

Here is what the offer includes:

• 50% savings off the price of cruise fare of second guest booked in the same stateroom as first, full-fare paying guest. 
• 25% cruise fare savings for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests. 
• Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, and Repositioning sailings departing between October 25, 2019 – May 15, 2020 and August 31, 2020 - December 17, 2020.
  • Offer excludes 2019 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 23 - 30, 2019), Holiday sailings (Sailings between December 15, 2019 – January 3, 2020), President’s Day sailings (Sailings between February 14 – 17, 2020), Spring Break sailings (Sailings between March 14 – 23, 2020), Holy Week/Easter sailings (Sailings between April 3 – 17, 2020) and 2020 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 21 - 27, 2020).
  • Kids Sail Free applies to all Serenade of the Seas Alaska 2020 sailings. 
• WOW Sale offers up to $300 to spend at sea on select sailings departing on or after October 25, 2019.
  • OBC amounts are per stateroom and determined by category booked and sailing length:
    • On sailings 5 nights or less, $50 OBC for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $150 for Suites
    • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $75 OBC for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $300 for Suites
• Oasis and Allure Summer Bonus
  • OA and AL Summer Bonus offers instant savings up to $100 per stateroom on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas sailings that are 6 nights or more departing between January 1 – December 31, 2020.
  • Savings amount determined by stateroom category booked:
    • $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View
    • $100 for Balconies and Suites
• Deck the Holiday Deals applies to new bookings made between September 25 - 29, 2019. Deck the Holiday Deals offers instant savings of up to $100 per stateroom on select sailings departing between December 2 – 31, 2019 and November 30 – December 31, 2020.
  • Savings amount determined by category booked and sailing length:
    • On sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $50 for Balconies and $50 for Suites
    • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $100 for Suites. 

BOGO50, OA and AL Summer Bonus, and Deck the Holiday Deals are combinable with each other as well as with Alaska Cruisetour 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.  BOGO50 and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as with 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.  Kids Sail Free and Deck the Holiday Deals are combinable with each other for sailings departing December 2-14, 2019 November 28 - December 17, 2020 only.  WOW Sale is combinable with BOGO50, OA and AL Summer Bonus, Deck the Holiday Deals, Kids Sail Free as well as with promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers Free Upgrades and Shareholder Benefits but not combinable with Crown and Anchor discounts.  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, and 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 announced $110 million in upgrades and enhancements to Explorer of the Seas coming in 2020.

The bow to stern refurbishment will prepare Explorer of the Seas for a summer 2020 season in the Mediterranean and include a number of big changes. Beginning May 7, 2020, Explorer – the first amplified ship to cruise from Rome (Civitavecchia) – sets sail on 7- and 9-night itineraries to the best of Italy and the Greek Isles, from Santorini to Mykonos and Crete.

The announced changes to Explorer of the Seas include:

• Perfect Storm waterslides: Two high-speed racer slides.

• Reimagined poolscape: New, resort-style look is coming to the pool deck. Hammocks, daybeds, casitas and in-pool loungers will be added.
• The Lime & Coconut is Royal Caribbean’s signature, poolside bar. The three-level venue is at the heart of the new pool deck and features a rooftop deck.
• Rejuvenated adults-only Solarium.

• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen: New refresh of Royal Caribbean's signature Italian restaurant. The reimagined trattoria will welcome guests to a casual setting and offer classics with a contemporary flair. From hand-tossed pizzas fresh out of the oven and made to order, to charcuterie delights, the elevated menu caps off this “Sunday supper” experience with a wide selection of wines and limoncellos from many of Italy’s well-known regions.
• Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, the high-energy spot where guests can root for their home team as the game plays across 52 TVs. On offer will be an extensive menu of bar fare favorites with a twist and ice-cold brews, games of all kinds – arcade classics, trivia, tournaments and pool – and the Owner’s Box VIP area.
• Johnny Rockets Express will be added to the pool deck to serve up classic American fare, including spiked milkshakes.
• A standalone Starbucks comes aboard with its signature menu of drinks and pastries.
• Glow-in-the-dark laser tag: Coming to Studio B, guests can fight in the Clash for the Crystal City and pit the Yetis and Showshifters against each other for, "the ultimate faceoff to escape extinction"

• Revamped Adventure Ocean: A major makeover to the cruise line's award-winning program for younger guests and their families.  It will feature an open, imaginative layout with whimsical and immersive activities. Kids 6 to 12 years old can choose their own adventure, while babies and 3- to 5-year-olds enjoy specially designed spaces for each age group

• An exclusive teens hangout will sport a whole new look and features, including the latest in movies, gaming and music, and the addition of a private outdoor deck.

While Explorer of the Seas is in the Eastern Mediterranean, she will be joined by Allure of the Seas in  the Western Mediterranean from Barcelona.

Following her European season, Explorer of the Seas will set course for the Caribbean. Guests can choose from 5- and 9-night Eastern and Southern Caribbean sailings, roundtrip from Miami, including visits to Royal Caribbean’s new private island destination – Perfect Day at CocoCay. 

Explorer of the Seas is the fourth ship in the Voyager Class to be transformed as part of the cruise line’s Royal Amplified fleet modernization effort. 

Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship has changed itineraries to avoid the path of Tropical Storm Karen.

Guests sailing onboard Symphony of the Seas have been informed of a change in their sailing that will skip scheduled stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten and insyead visit Cozumel and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Thanks to @FmtTony for providing this photo

Symphony of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas have now had their itinerary changed to avoid Tropical Storm Karen.

Royal Caribbean has rerouted Harmony of the Seas to avoid the path of Tropical Storm Karen.

Sheri from Cruise Tips TV shared an update from Harmony of the Seas to indicate an announcement was made onboard that the ship will change from an Eastern to a Western Caribbean itinerary.

Itinerary update from #Harmonyoftheseas - rerouted to Coz & Costa Maya. Thank you @HarleyCaptain for the timely and professional communication and @JamesVanFleet for keeping us ahead of this thing ??? pic.twitter.com/5ssBwVSBfy

— Sheri Griffiths (@CruiseTipsTV) September 23, 2019

Instead of visiting St. Thomas San Juan, the ship will head to Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico.

In the wake of Royal Caribbean's recent announcement to cancel complimentary perks for Oasis Class neighborhood balcony staterooms, the cruise line announced it is extending the grandfathering in of guests who booked these rooms prior to the announcement.

Royal Caribbean cited guest feedback regarding compensation related to the end of this program, and decided to allow guests that are currently booked in a neighborhood balcony departing from January 1, 2020 through April 30, 2021, that they’ll have the option to either  (1)receive a $50 non-refundable onboard credit per stateroom, or (2) choose their original package. Guests will receive an email from Royal Caribbean International and once they make their selections, their reservations will be automatically updated.

This is eligible only to those guests booked before September 18th, 2019 on sailings departing on-or-after January 1st, 2020. 

In a statement, Royal Caribbean reiterated its pride on "pushing the boundaries of innovation and constantly creating amenities and experiences that exceed the expectations of our guests, and we look forward to introducing new amenities and programs that will delight them during their cruise vacations."

Royal Caribbean has expanded its new app to include support for Ovation of the Seas.

Ovation now appears in the list of supported ships that can be found from within the app.

The new app is being actively developed, which means not all features area available on the app yet.  Moreover, the cruise line is slowly rolling out support for more ships.

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

Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Photos, where we showcase our readers favorite Royal Caribbean photos.  If we all cannot be on a Royal Caribbean cruise at the moment, then the next best thing is to look at photos of a cruise longingly as a means of getting a "cruise fix."

Our first photo is from Brett Howe, and it is an Instagram-worthy shot of Anthem of the Seas in Bar Habor, Maine.

Next up is a photo of Radiance of the Seas "posing" with an eagle statue in Ketchikan, Alaska. Photo by Michael Kho.

Here is a photo of Brilliance of the Seas in Queensferry, Scotland, taken by Jennifer Potter.

Daryl Daley sent in this photo of Freedom of the Seas in Antigua.

Mariano Jimenez stopped to take this photo of Navigator of the Seas at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Here is a photo of Allure of the Seas in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo by Brent Cohen.

Our final photo this week is by Jason Peterson and it is of Mariner of the Seas' helipad.

That wraps up this week's edition of Friday Photos. If you want your Royal Caribbean photo featured here, use this form to send them in!

Royal Caribbean's unlimited drink packages offer a tremendous value and budget-friendly option for guests to enjoy all the beverages they care for while on their cruise vacation.

If you are on the fence about whether or not to get a drink package, here are some helpful do’s and don’ts.

5 Drink Package Do's

• Pre-purchase: The best way to get the lowest price on an unlimited drink package is to buy it before the cruise. Royal Caribbean regularly offers pre-cruise discounts via its Cruise Planer site. Plus, you can cancel and rebook if the price drops before your cruise!
• Do your research: Before you decide to buy a drink package, have an honest conversation with yourself if you will be able to drink enough, everyday of your cruise to make the investment worthwhile. Drink packages offer a great value, but it requires you to drink enough every day of your cruise to make it a good buy.
• Specify the liquor brand: When you order any drink, be sure to specify the liquor. In lieu of ordering "a bloody mary", say "a bloody mary with Grey Goose". Your unlimited alcohol package includes quite a variety of liquor, so do not settle for the first bottle available to the bartender.
• Try new drinks: One of the best reasons to get a drink package is to be able to try out a new drink. It is completely acceptable to try drinks and not finish them, so feel free to experiment!
• Use it at Perfect Day at CocoCay & Labadee: Royal Caribbean's drink package benefits work at both of its private destinations.  Your drink package value will dramatically increase if your cruise visits one of these spots.

5 Drink Package Don'ts

• Share the package: The cardinal faux pas of any drink package is to share its benefits with other guests. Drink package benefits are only for the person that buys it, so do not share it with anyone else. Period.
• Overtip: Your drink package purchase covers gratuity for any and all drinks you order with it.  While you can tip extra if you so choose, you should be aware that your drink package orders already account for gratuity.
• Assume you need one: Drink packages get a lot of attention online among cruisers, and as a result, many new cruisers seem to feel they need to get one because of all the talk they get.  The reality is you do not need a drink package.  There are lots of complimentary beverages included with your cruise, and drink packages are a nice to have splurge, but far from a necessity.
• Overlook non-alcoholic beverages: If you have the Deluxe Beverage Package (also known as the unlimited alcohol package), be sure to take advantage of all the non-alcoholic beverages included. Lattes, bottled water, soda, espresso, juice and more are included with the Deluxe Beverage Package and just as important as the booze that comes with it.
• Forget your drink package works at specialty restaurants: Royal Caribbean's specialty restaurants have their share of signature cocktails, as well as a full array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and your drink package works in these restaurants too.

Want to learn more about drink packages?

Here are a few more helpful resources on everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean's drink packages.

• 2020 Royal Caribbean Drink Package Info, Tips, Pros & Cons
• Are Royal Caribbean's unlimited drink packages worth it?
• Avoid these 4 Royal Caribbean drink package mistakes
• Royal Caribbean drink package prices