Royal Caribbean Blog

Whether New Year's Eve, July 4th, Arbor Day, or really any celebration, we have some cocktail recipes to share that you can sample between Royal Caribbean cruises from the comfort of your own home.

LIME MARGARITA

• 1/2 oz House Tequila
• 1/2 oz Triple Sec
• Margarita Mix
• Salt Rim 

Shake and strain over fresh ice for On the Rocks or Blend 

ROYAL GOLD RITA — ROCKS

• 1/2 oz Patron Anejo
• 3/4 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
• Margarita Mix

Shake and strain over fresh ice for On the Rocks and float Grand Marnier or Blend and float Grand Marnier 

TEQUILA SUNRISE

• 1 1/2 oz House Tequila
• Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz Grenadine

Shake and strain over fresh ice 

GREEN MEXICAN 

• 3/4 oz House Gold Tequila
• 1/4 oz Peach Schnapps
• 1/4 oz Banana Liqueur
• 1/4 oz Blue Curacao
• 3 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1/4 oz Sugar Syrup 

Shake and strain over fresh ice 

CUBA LIBRA

• 1 1/2 oz House White Rum Top with Coke 
• Fresh Lime Wedge 

PINA COLADA

• 1 1/2 oz House White Rum
• Pina Colada Mix Blend
• Pineapple & Cherry 

ULTIMATE MAI TAI 

• 3/4 oz Pyrat XO Rum
• 1/2 oz Amaretto Disaronno
• 1 oz Orange Juice
• 1 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Sweet & Sour
• 1/2 oz Grenadine
• 3/4 oz Myer's Rum 

Shake, strain, and pour over fresh ice.

Float Myer's Rum 

STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI 

• 1 1/2 oz House White Rum
• Strawberry Mix

Blend

ULTIMATE BLOODY MARY 

• 1 1/2 oz Stoli Elite
• Spices to taste
• Top with tomato juice
• Lime
• 2 Olives

Shake and pour over fresh ice

CARIBBEAN COOLER 

• 1 oz Grey Goose
• 1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
• 3 1/2 oz Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz Grenadine
• Top with Sprite 
• Pineapple 

Shake and strain over fresh ice 

MADRAS 

• 1 1/2oz Vodka
• 1 1/2 oz Orange Juice
• Top with Cranberry Juice 
• Lime Wedge 

CAPE COD

• 1 1/2 oz House Vodka
• Top with Cranberry Juice 
• Lime Wedge 

GIN COOLER 

• 1/2 oz House Gin
• 1/2 oz Peach Schnapps 
• 1/2 oz Blue Curacao
• 1/2 oz of Pineapple Juice 
• Pineapple & Cherry 

Shake and strain over fresh ice 

ROYAL SINGAPORE SLING 

• 1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
• 1/2 oz Blackberry Brandy
• 1/2 oz Grenadine
• 2oz Sweet & Sour
• Soda Water

Shake and strain over fresh ice and top with soda pour Grenadine on top to float down

TOM COLLINS

• 1 oz House Gin
• 2 1/2 oz Sweet & Sour
• Soda Water 

Shake until frothy, strain over fresh ice, and top with soda

RASPBERRY COLLINS 

• 2 oz New Amsterdam Gin
• 3/4 oz Raspberry Mix
• 1 1/2 oz Sweet & Sour
• Soda Water 

Shake and strain over fresh ice and top with soda

WHISKEY SOUR

• 1 1/2 oz House Whiskey
• 3 oz Citus Mix Shake until frothy, strain over fresh ice
• Lemon & Cherry 

OLD FASHIONED - ROCKS

• 1 1/2 oz House Whiskey
• 1 x Orange Slice
• 1 x Cherry
• 1 x Sugar Sachet
• 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 oz Soda 

Muddle orange, cherry, sugar & bitters. Add liquor, stir, add ice, and top with soda 

LYNCHBURG LEMONADE

• 1 oz Jack Daniels
• 1/2 oz Triple Sec
• 3 oz Sweet & Sour
• Sprite 

Shake until frothy and strain over fresh ice. Top with Sprite 

RUSTY NAIL - ROCKS

• 1 oz House Whiskey
• 1/2 oz Drambuie 

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

• 2oz Strawberry Mix
• 2oz Lemonade Mix
• Top with Soda

Shake and strain over fresh ice and top with soda. Stir as required.

RED DELIGHT

• 2oz Strawberry Mix
• 1 1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• Top with Red Bull (Regular)

Shake and strain over fresh ice, top with soda. Stir as required.

ISLAND FUSION

• 1 1/4 oz Pina Colada Mix
• 1 1/4 oz Passion Fruit Mix
• 2 1/2 oz Orange juice
• Slice of pineapple and Cherry

Shake and strain over fresh ice

SLUSHY COCO LOCO

• 4oz Red Bull Yellow Edition
• 2 oz Pineapple juice
• 1 oz coconut cream/Pina colada mix
• Slice of pineapple

Blend

APPLETINI

• 2oz Tito's Vodka
• 1oz Sour Apple Pucker
• Cherry

Shake and strain into a Martini glass or on the rocks

MANHATTAN 

• 2 oz Buffalo Trace
• 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
• Dash Angostura Bitters
• Bar Spoon of Cherry Juice
• Cherry

Guest preference: stir, shake, and strain 

ZACAPA DREAM

• 1 1/4 oz Ron Zacapa
• 1/2 oz Baileys
• 1/2 oz Kahula
• 1/2 oz Amaretto
• 1/2 oz Heavy Cream
• 1/4 oz Sugar Syrup 

Shake and strain 

ULTIMATE COSMOPOLITAN 

• 2oz Grey Goose Vodka
• 1/2 oz Cointreau 
• 1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
• 1 Lime Wedge Squeezed 
• Lime Twist 

Shake and strain 

MELON MOJITO COSMO 

• 1 1/4 oz White Rum
• 3/4 oz Midori
• 1 oz Mojito Syrup
• 4 oz Soda 
• Mint Sprig & Lime 

Build ingredients and stir through, top with soda 

STARBOARD MADRAS COSMO 

• 2 oz House Vodka
• 3 oz Orange Juice
• 2 oz Cranberry Juice
• 1 oz Sprite 
• Orange Wedge 

Shake all ingredients except Sprite. Strain over fresh ice and finish with Sprite 

CARIBBEAN SLING COSMO 

• 1 1/4 oz Spice Rum
• 3/4 oz Blackberry Brandy
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• 3 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Orange Juice 
• Pineapple Wedge 

Shake all ingredients and strain over fresh ice 

MAI TAI

• 1 1/4 oz House Dark Rum
• 3/4 oz Disaronno
• 3 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Orange Juice
• 1/4 oz Grenadine 
• Slice of pineapple & cherry 

Shake all ingredients except grenadine. Strain over fresh ice 

PORT SIDE PUNCH 

• 1oz House White Rum
• 1/2 oz Malibu
• 1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• 3 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Cranberry 
• Pineapple Cherry 

Shake all ingredients except cranberry juice. Strain over fresh ice and finish with soda 

CITRUS COOLER 

• 1 1/4 oz House Vodka
• 3/4 oz Triple Sec
• 4 oz Orange Juice
• 1 oz Sprite
• Orange Wedge 

Shake all (except Sprite) and strain over fresh ice. Then top with Sprite 

MARGARITA AZUL PILSNER 

• 1 oz House tequila
• 1/2 oz Triple sec
• 1/2 oz Blue Curacao
• 2 oz Margarita Mix
• 2 oz Sprite 
• Lemon wedge / Half Salt Rim 

Shake and strain over fresh ice. Filled pilsner glass top with Sprite 

ROYAL LEMONADE

• 2 oz House Vodka
• 2 oz Lemonade mix
• 4 oz Sprite 
• Lemon wedge 

Build ingredients in glass over fresh ice and stir 

WOO WOO

• 1 1/4 oz House Vodka
• 3/4 oz Peach Schnapps
• 1 oz Sour mix
• 4 oz Cranberry Juice 
• Lime Wedge 

Build all ingredients in a glass

CAPTAINS COLLINS

• 2 oz House gin
• 1 1/2 oz Sour mix
• 1/2 oz Simple syrup
• 4 oz Soda 
• Lemon & Cherry 

Shake gin with sour mix, strain over fresh ice, and finish with soda

Save this blog on Pinterest

Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas offers a lot for families to enjoy on their Caribbean cruise vacations. When we took our daughters on Symphony of the Seas, we sought to enjoy the very best activities, entertainment and things to do for a family. 

If you have never been on an Oasis Class ship, these are incredible vessels that pack as much into a cruise vacation as any ship in the world.  In fact, it is the largest cruise ship in the world and that means plenty to choose from onboard.  Family cruising on Symphony of the Seas means there is something for everyone and always something else to do or see, regardless of your age. 

Signature Activities

Prior to booking Symphony of the Seas, you may notice certain offerings onboard prominently advertised.  Royal Caribbean has built a reputation for itself by offering some of the best things to do onboard its ships.

A few activities and shows stand out as the premiere options that Symphony is well-known for.  The good news is that many of the activities are available to children of many ages. Some of the physical activities may have a height requirement that are best suited for children who are older elementary-school aged children or older. If your kids do not meet the height requirements, there is no need to worry as there is still plenty of other options to enjoy.

Families can enjoy these wonderful activities together:

• The Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea, is a duo of racing slides where guests spiral down a 92-foot drop in about 13 seconds
• The zipline crosses the open-air Boardwalk neighborhood at nine decks high
• Two FlowRider surf simulators
• Perfect Storm: three waterslides
• Splashaway Bay aquatic adventure park
• Escape from Planet Z laser tag
• Escape room

Adventure Ocean

The heart of children's programming on Symphony of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's award-winning Adventure Ocean program.  

Adventure Ocean is divided into three age-appropriate groups

• Aquanauts (ages 3 to 5)
• Explorers (ages 6 to 8)
• Voyagers (ages 9 to 11)

Adventure Ocean is complimentary, but kids need to be registered with Adventure Ocean and fully toilet trained to take part in activities. There are dedicated spaces for each age group, plus specialized areas like science labs and a theater for enhanced programming.  

Adventure Ocean is open most of the day, but their hours vary depending on if it is a port day or sea day.  On Sea days, Adventure Ocean can open as early as 6:30am.  Guests that have Royal Caribbean excursions booked and need to drop their children off earlier, can arrange with Adventure Ocean for that benefit.  For lunch, kids are brought to Wipe Out Cafe or Windjammer between noon and 1pm, and then again to the Windjammer for dinner between 5pm and 7pm. Adventure Ocean programming is included with your cruise fare.

Adventure Ocean closes at 10pm, but parents can leave their children with Adventure Ocean until 2am for an hourly fee.  The Late Night Party Zone runs from 10pm to 2am in Adventure Ocean, and is billed at $7 per hour, per child for children who remain after 10pm.

Tweens and teenagers also have their own club, plus a variety of activities onboard such as the FlowRider surf simulator, rock climbing walls, an ice skating rink, a mini-golf course and a zip line. Teens meet at the Living Room, on Deck 15 aft and also have exclusive access to their own night club, known as Fuel on deck 15. Teens are free to come and go as they want, and curfew for all cruisers younger than 18 is 1 a.m. unless they're supervised by a parent.

Royal Babies & Tots Nursery

Any parent with a toddler or infant will find the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery an absolute blessing.  Royal Caribbean offers a nursery for children up to 36 months old.

At the nursery, you can drop off infants and toddlers off in a supervised environment, where the kids can watch TV, play with other children, explore and nap.   

The nursery will offer parents a drop-off option in the daytime and evening, while always maintaining an optimum staff-to-child ratio.

For a modest fee per hour ($8 at the time of this blog post), parents can reserve time for their kids here to give parents some time alone to enjoy what Royal Caribbean offers or explore a port.

The nursery staff are trained child care professionals and they will make sure your child is taken care of in the time they are there.  Parents also get a special mobile phone to use on the ship in case the nursery needs to call them or if the parents want to call and check in on things.

Entertainment & Shows

Symphony of the Seas offers shows that appeal to kids and adults, with its evening shows being real highlights. Depending on your kids ages and preferences, these shows may or may not be of interest to them, but Royal Caribbean designs its evening entertainment shows to be open to be family friendly.

You will find Symphony of the Seas' biggest shows across three venues: The Royal Theater, Studio B and the AquaTheater.

Here are the must-see shows on Symphony of the Seas and where to see each show:

• Hairspray (Royal Theater)
• 1977 (Studio B)
• HiRo (AquaTheater)
• Flight (Royal Theater)

Prior to your cruise, be sure to make reservations for each of these shows via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site.  Reservations for these shows are complimentary and while it does not guarantee a specific seat, it will ensure you will be able to get into the show.  Guests without a reservation can wait in a standby line and take up any remaining seats, but it is simpler (and a whole lot easier for families) to make reservations before the cruise.

If you are wondering when you can make reservations for shows on Symphony of the Seas, it really depends.  If entertainment is available to reserve for your cruise, we have typically seen shows become available for booking around 75-60 days prior to the sail date, but your experience may vary.

Dining

Symphony of the Seas offers 23 dining venues for guests to choose between when eating onboard. Some of these restaurants are included with your cruise fare, while others have an additional cost.

Complimentary dining options are included with your cruise fare and guests can enjoy as much food as they like from these locations.  There is at least one complimentary option open at anytime during the day or night, with often quite a number of great choices. 

The alternative dining option are specialty dining, in which there is an additional cost to dine there.  Specialty dining costs can come in the form of cover charges (pay one fee and get all the food included) or a la carte charges (pay for only what you order). In general, specialty dining offers food and cooking styles not available elsewhere on the ship for guests that choose to indulge in them.

If you are looking for great choices for kids to grab something quickly, you will find some great options throughout the day for families at:

• Windjammer
• Park Cafe
• Sorrento's Pizzeria
• El Loco Fresh
• Johnny Rockets (breakfast is complimentary, cover charge for lunch and dinner)
• Boardwalk Dog House
• Room service ($7.95 per order fee, complimentary for suite guests)

When it comes to dinner, you might want to look into My Family Time Dining. My Family Time Dining is offered in the first seating time in the main dining room for children ages three to eleven.

Here is how it works

1. You arrive at the dining room with the kids and let your server know that the kids will be headed to Adventure Ocean as part of the My Family Time Dining program.
2. The kids order and are served right away so that they can finish their meal within the first 40 minutes.
3. After about 45 minutes, the Adventure Ocean staff arrive in the dining room lobby to sign in and hand off the kids.Parents will need to escort their children to the designated Main Dining room entrance doors at 6:45 pm to check their child in with the Adventure Ocean counselors. Once checked­in, the Adventure Ocean counselors will then escort their children to Adventure Ocean for ongoing evening activities.
4. Adults return to their table to enjoy the rest of their meal at a more leisurely place.

Prior to the cruise, you can can contact Royal Caribbean or travel agent to book it. Alternatively, guests can sign up onboard in the Adventure Ocean area. Pre­-cruise reservations are encouraged.

Staterooms

When booking a Symphony of the Seas cruise, you will need to find the right stateroom for your family. Symphony has staterooms that can accommodate three and four passengers easily, along with some stateroom configurations that can handle even more guests.

Depending on your family size, age of your children, and your comfort level, booking multiple staterooms can often be the same or cheaper than booking a large room.  Multiple rooms provides not only additional living space, but extra restrooms and separation from parents and children. Royal Caribbean does offer some rooms with a connecting inside door between rooms.  

If you are cruising with young children, you should pack your own diapers, bottles, and other supplies.  There is milk available to all guests without an additional charge (skim or regular).  Some parents prefer to bring their own kid-friendly snacks and food, which is permissible by Royal Caribbean. Refer to our Taking an Infant on a Royal Caribbean cruise article for more information.

More cruising with kids info

You may have additional questions about cruising with kids on Royal Caribbean, or simply would like to learn more tips and advice.  Here are some good resources to consider:

• Moms of the Seas: Question and Answer family cruising guide
• Cruising with kids on Royal Caribbean
• Six things to know about Adventure Ocean
• Podcast: Guide to cruising with young children on Royal Caribbean
• Dinner with kids in Royal Caribbean's specialty restaurants

Your thoughts

Now that you have read over our guide to taking kids on Symphony of the Seas, let's hear from other parents. What tips do you parents think are most important? Which advice we shared do you agree with? Where do you disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Happy New Year! Before we pop champagne and toast to a better year next year, we have some Royal Caribbean cruise news to share.

We had a hint of what may be to come with a new trademark registration for something called the Fly Rider.

Royal Caribbean filed a trademark for the phrase, "Fly Rider" and mentions it is "entertainment services, namely, providing an amusement park ride in the nature of a zip line roller coaster ride".

Perhaps this will be a preview of a new feature coming to a Royal Caribbean ship soon.

Royal Caribbean News

• Harmony of the Seas is testing a self-service cash advance option.
• We shared the top 10 Royal Caribbean news stories of 2018.
• Wondering what Christmas is like on Royal Caribbean?
• We posted the "best of the best" Friday Photos from 2018.
• Royal Caribbean posted its January sales promotion offer.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 282nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt shares his favorite cruise memories of 2018.

On this episode, Matt looks back on his year of cruising in 2018 and picks which moments stood out to him.

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

Orlando Sentinel shared what's new in Florida cruises for 2019.

Cruise Fever listed 10 ways cruises are changing.

Cruise Hive reported on the search for an overboard Royal Caribbean crew member has been suspended.

Royal Caribbean is testing a new feature on Harmony of the Seas that allows guests a self-service option to take cash advances that are charged against their SeaPass account.

Traditionally, cash advances required guests to go to the casino cashier to have money charged against their account. 

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Rich Freudenberg spotted this new "room charge" option, where guests can log into their account on any casino machine and charge up to $300 per day right from the SeaPass account (cash or credit) into the machine, thus eliminating the need to see the cashier.

Happy Friday! This is the last Friday of 2018, and for this edition of Friday Photos, we decided to go back through all of this year's Friday Photos posts and find our favorite photos to share once again.

Sunrise on Harmony of the Seas, taken by Mike Sperduto.

Michelle P. caught a beautiful one over Bar Harbor, Maine while on Anthem of the Seas.

Allyson Yoshida took this beautiful photo of Legend of the Seas anchored in the Bay of Kotor.

Harmony of the Seas by Twangster.

Explorer of the Seas in San Francisco by Lisa and Marc Sandhaus.

Kinny Lee took this photo of a calm and clear night on Liberty of the Seas.

Stuart Etheridge took this photo from his first Oasis class cruise.

Sunset photo, taken by Chris - Sea Breeze Bear, on Radiance of the Seas while departing Wellington, New Zealand.

Lizz took this photo of the beach by the beach beds in CocoCay.

Photo of the Milky Way by Ken "CookingYo" Licwinko.

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos this year, and if you have Royal Caribbean photos that you want to share, well, we want to see them!  You can use this form to send us your photos and we will feature them on an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

Royal Caribbean filed a U.S. federal trademark registration with the U.S. patent and trademark office for something called the Fly Rider.

The trademark filing was filed on December 18, 2018 and is described as, "Entertainment services, namely, providing an amusement park ride in the nature of a zip line roller coaster ride".

The trademark reveals little details, but does give an indication of what may be announced at a future date.

Royal Caribbean kicked off its January offer today, with 60% off second guest, kids saill for less and up to $150 instant savings.

The BOGO60 offer applies to sailings departing on or after January 27, 2019 and is valid on sailings booked between December 27, 2018 and January 31, 2019.

The deal includes:

• Buy one guest, and get second guest at 60% off
• 30% off third and fourth guests
• Up to $150 Instant Savings
  • Sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $50 for Balconies and $75 for Suites
  • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $150 for Suites

BOGO is combinable 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. 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. 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. 

We often get questions from readers who are curious what it is like on a Royal Caribbean cruise over a holiday such as Christmas. Many are concerned what Royal Caribbean does to celebrate, and what activities or events will be held.

The good news is Royal Caribbean does offer quite a bit for guests to see and do on a cruise over Christmas.

Throughout December, on any Caribbean cruise, guests can enjoy festivities that include special appearances by Santa’s elves, gingerbread-cookie decorating, family story time and much more. Each ship will also host tree-lighting ceremonies.

The Christmas spirit even extends to its private islands, such as Labadee.

While on board, look for the Holly Jolly Holiday Parade, festive photo opportunities, caroling, holiday movie screenings at our AquaTheater (wear your pjs!), craft making and games for all ages.

You will also find special decorations around the ship to celebrate Christmas. In addition, there will be celebratory drinks and specials that coincide with the holiday.

Of course, there will be a special menu offered in the main dining room for Christmas.

Thanks to Earl McGrath, Karen Bartel & Rich Triplett for providing these photos.

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

Episode 282 is available for downloading, where Matt is sharing his favorite cruise memories of 2018.

It was a busy and fun year of cruising, and with the year coming to a close, Matt is sharing the cruise moments that stood out to him.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 282. 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!

With 2018 nearly complete, it's time to look back on the year and see which news stories generated the most interest.  There's no doubt that 2018 was a busy year for Royal Caribbean and so it is interesting to see which stories rose to the top of people's interest.

This year's top ten list is based on the Royal Caribbean stories we feel generated the most buzz and interest.  There are some stories that made the top ten list that surprised me and others I'm more surprises did not make the list.  Let's dive in!

Royal Caribbean changed their policy to allow guests to bring non-alcoholic beverages onboard

Royal Caribbean updated its beverage policy to begin allowing guests to bring small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages on their Royal Caribbean cruise.  Needless to say, this change made a lot of guests happy.

Effective as of September 1, 2018, non-alcoholic beverages brought onboard may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz) cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom. Distilled water or specialized beverages such as, milk for medical purposes, dietary or infant use, are permitted.

Royal Caribbean ended its partnership with Chef Michael Schwartz

2018 was the year we said goodbye to Michael's Genuine Pub locations and the menus at 150 Central Park that were provided as part of the partnership with Chef Michael Schwartz. Back in February, Royal Caribbean informed its travel partners that Royal Caribbean would remove Michael's Genuine Pub on its Quantum Class ships.

In its place, Royal Caribbean created a pub experience that offers a wide selection of beer and specialty cocktails, as well as small snacks.

Mariner of the Seas revitalization

Royal Caribbean spent $120 million this year to totally revamp Mariner of the Seas that amped the ship up with new thrills, restaurants, staterooms and entertainment.  The makeover really seemed to resonate with guests.

Royal Caribbean added water slides, a virtual reality trampoline, laser tag, Playmakers Sports Bar, Bamboo Room lounge, Jamie's Italian and a lot more.

Mariner of the Seas has the distinction of being a very popular choice with consumers that are looking for short cruises, and has been a boon for the cruise line in terms of being booked well and driving up revenue.

Symphony of the Seas launched

When Royal Caribbean launches a new cruise ship, it is certain to be big news and Symphony of the Seas did not disappoint. Symphony of the Seas is not only the largest cruise ship in the world, but also marks a significant moment for many Royal Caribbean fans because this brand new cruise ship offers so many enticing options.

After thirty-six months, Symphony of the Seas debuted in Europe and sailed a summer season in the Mediterranean before coming to the United States and her new homeport in Miami.

While Symphony may be the fourth Oasis Class ship, Royal Caribbean added a number of features and changes to make the ship stand out from her sisters. Symphony brings a bold lineup of energy-filled, heart-pumping experiences. The new ship offers glow-in-the-dark laser tag adventure, the tallest slide at sea, waterslides and FlowRider surf simulators. There is plenty of dining onboard too, with Hooked Seafood, Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade and El Loco Fresh for Mexican street-food fare. In addition, Symphony offers signature shows across three distinct stage venues.

Terminal A in PortMiami opened

A new cruise terminal might not sound like big news, but Royal Caribbean's newest cruise terminal in PortMiami is a major step forward for guests who get to sail here. In early November, Royal Caribbean officially opened Terminal A in PortMiami.

Terminal A is a brand new, state-of-the-art cruise terminal that was built to be the home of Symphony of the Seas and her sister, Allure of the Seas.  The building was designed by England-based global architecture firm Broadway Malyan. The 170,000-square-foot terminal is nicknamed the ‘Crown of Miami’ because of its distinct shape.

Perfect Day at CocoCay announced

In March, Royal Caribbean revealed its grand plans for a massive expansion to its private island in the Bahamas. CocoCay will be the first in the cruise line's most ambitious project yet, which they are dubbing the Perfect Day Island Collection.  This will be a series of unrivaled and exclusive private island destinations around the world.

Among the many additions, Royal Caribbean is adding a new water park, the Caribbean's largest freshwater pool, zip line, helium balloon, specially designed beaches and more.

Royal Amplified program announced

As if announcing Perfect Day at CocoCay was not enough, Royal Caribbean also announced it would invest $900 million to reimagining its fleet through a new modernization effort called Royal Amplified.

Royal Amplified will cover 10 ships over four years, and Royal Caribbean promises the program will touch every facet of the guest experience, and introduce a wide range of innovative features and bold, new experiences, including specialized pool spaces, experiential dining and nightlife concepts, and first-of-its-kind attractions.

Royal Amplified will include the Oasis, Freedom and Voyager class ships.

Sorrento's Pizza got better

News about the state of pizza might not sound like big news, but to Royal Caribbean fans it was a welcome change.  Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley announced earlier this year an effort to substantially improve the cruise line's pizza.

A new approach to their pizza has seen a six point increase in guest satisfaction, thanks to the cruise line's better crust, cheese, sauce and toppings.

This is great news, especially when you are grabbing a slice in the late hours of the evening.

Independence of the Seas completed a shipwide refurbishment

While Mariner of the Seas received a lot of attention this year for her upgrades, Independence of the Seas also received a substantial upgrade too.

Royal Caribbean completed the multimillion-dollar upgrades on Independence of the Seas, which resulted in the addition of a number of new features onboard, including new aqua park, new lounges, escape room, laser tag, new staterooms, Izumi specialty restaurant and more.

Royal Caribbean hosted the largest movie premiere at sea

A new Netflix movie was filmed and initially screened aboard Harmony of the Seas.  To celebrate the launch of the new film, Royal Caribbean hosted the largest movie premiere at sea by screening the dramedy across its Oasis Class ships.

"Like Father" was filmed on board Harmony of the Seas and stars Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammer and Seth Rogen.

Your thoughts

What did you think was the biggest Royal Caribbean news of 2018? Did we miss one? Share your thoughts in the comments below!