Royal Caribbean Blog

Kids get just as excited for a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation as their parents, because of all the fun activities for them to do onboard. Cruising with kids is an exercise in energetic adventures, big smiles and hopefully a nap in-between. In our many Royal Caribbean cruises, we have discovered certain aspects of the cruise that are real winners with our children and wanted to share them with you.

Consider some, or all, of the following fun things for your kids to do on your upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise!

Play in Splashaway Bay

Splashaway Bay is Royal Caribbean's new generation of aqua park that combines slides, water cannons, drenching buckets, geysers and more into a kid-approved playground.

Royal Caribbean is slowly adding Splashaway Bay to many of its ships (including Perfect Day at CocoCay) and it represents a fresh look at what kids enjoy about splashing around for hours by the pool.

Movie night in the pool

If there are two things kids love, it is swimming and watching movies.  On Royal Caribbean ships, you will regularly find popular feature films shown on the big screen near the pool each evening.  After dinner, you and the kids can hop in the pool and splash away while enjoying a great flick!

Royal Caribbean shows all sorts of films, from recent releases to classics, and adding in the ambiance of a night swim is always a fun treat as well.  Plus, the pools and hot tubs are much less busy at night, so that means more opportunity for your kids to act like kids and enjoy time in the pool while everyone in the family gets to enjoy a great flick.

Climb the rock wall

A signature Royal Caribbean activity is the rock climbing wall. The 30-foot rock wall offers different tracks for various experience levels and is open for most of the day.  

It's open to kids and adults and Royal Caribbean provides all the safety equipment that you will need, including helmets, harnesses and shoes.  You just need to bring a pair of socks.

What makes the rock climbing wall so much fun is that it is an exhilarating challenge to try and climb up all the way to the top and ring that bell to let everyone around know you conquered it.

There are different paths on the rock wall to allow beginner climbers and advanced climbers alike have a go at it.  Once you conquer one side, try the next side!

Ride the carousel

If you are going on an Oasis class cruise ship (Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas or Symphony of the Seas), then your family must go on a carousel ride in the Boardwalk neighborhood.

Royal Caribbean commissioned for each ship a hand-crafted carousel that is inspired by turn-of-the-century carousels. These carousels are as pretty look at, as they are fun to ride.  Plus, rides on the carousel are included in your cruise fare.

Be sure to also get some nighttime carousel rides in too, because the carousel and the entire Boardwalk neighborhood are lit up beautifully once the sun goes down.

Eat frozen yogurt by the pool

Near the pools, you will find free frozen yogurt that is available most times of the day and there is as much of as you want. I do not think there needs to be any more elaborating.

Decorate your stateroom door

Your Royal Caribbean stateroom door is made of metal, which means it is magnetic and a great family project prior to the cruise to create the decorations.  It can be a fun family activity to come up with different ways to personalize your door to share with everyone how excited you are for the cruise.

Often you will find other doors decorated with pictures, magnets of various sizes and shapes, leis, and more.  Your kids could draw something to put on the door, or you could help them create name tags to decorate and then put on the door with magnets.

Keep in mind that you will need to supply your own magnets to affix anything to the stateroom door.  Tape is not allowed.

For those less artistically inclined, Royal Caribbean does offer stateroom decorations for purchase that can be delivered and set up for you.  This can be a great way to celebrate a special occasion, or just plain surprise the children.

Slide down the Ultimate Abyss

If your kids want more of a thrill, they need to check out the Ultimate Abyss on Harmony or Symphony of the Seas. The Ultimate Abyss is a 10-story dry slide on the rear of the ship that is advertised as the tallest slide at sea.

The Ultimate Abyss is more than 150 feet above sea level and offers side-by-side slides that send guests down 10 decks at a rate of 9 miles per hour. 

To ride the Ultimate Abyss, kids can climb the steps into the mouth of a fearsome sea predator, the anglerfish, enjoy the unobstructed ocean views, grab a mat, and then launch themselves down 216 feet of twisting tunnels against the background of whizzing lights, sound effects and pumping music.

We are getting closer and closer to the much-anticipated launch of Royal Caribbean's CocoCay private island makeover.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Kayla Hildebrandt recently visited the island and shared these photos of the progress being made.

In addition, Caran Popowitz shared these photos from her recent trip to CocoCay.

Royal Caribbean currently estimates the pier for its private island to open in March 2019.

Happy New Year! The first week of 2019 had plenty of Royal Caribbean news, and we have it all summarized for you in this week's round-up!

Royal Caribbean updated its opening of Perfect Day at CocoCay timeline this week.

The implication with this change is that the opening of the new pier will now be pushed back to March 2019.

The pier completion date has slid a few times since the project was originally announced.  Previously, it was expected that the pier would be complete in January 2019.

Royal Caribbean News

• Air2Sea now offers Book Now Pay later option for its flights.
• How much does a cruise cost? Here is a look at the answer.
• A guide to Royal Caribbean 2019 new cruise ships & refurbishments.
• Our photo tour of Category 2J Central Park Balcony stateroom on Symphony of the Seas.
• We shared a guide to family cruising on Symphony of the Seas.
• We shared 38 Royal Caribbean drink recipes that you can use for any party.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 283rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, share our top tips for how to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise if money is tight.

On this episode, Matt talks about how to cruise if you are on a budget and what strategies you can use to keep the cost down.

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

Cruise Industry News reported on a former Royal Caribbean ship returning to Brazil for 2019-2020 cruise season.

Cruise Radio shared a report of how Royal Caribbean has dropped a warning about crime in Nassau.

USA Today previewed the new cruise ships of 2019.

Travel Pulse shared 20 great cruises to plan for in 2019.

Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas has a lot to offer, including a number of staterooms.  Today, we will look at the category 2J Central Park View Balcony Stateroom, which will take you through the cabin to provide an idea of what to expect if you book this category stateroom.

Central Park Balcony staterooms have two twin beds that convert to a Royal King, a Central Park view balcony, a sitting area, and a private bathroom. These rooms are designed to accommodate up to two guests.

A Central Park balcony offers 187 square feet of living space. The room also has a rather large sofa to sit on during the day.

Being a Central Park Balcony stateroom, you have a private balcony that offers views of the Central Park neighborhood on Symphony of the Seas.

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first edition of Friday Photos for 2019.  Each week, we showcase our readers' favorite Royal Caribbean photos for everyone to enjoy!

Throw another log on the fire, put on an extra blanket, and let us jump into this week's batch of terrific cruise photos!

Our first photo this week is from Cassandra Ross and it is of Explorer of the Seas in Alaska.

David Epstein took this photo of Brilliance of the Seas tendered at Montenegro.

Vicky Nelson shared a photo from one of my favorite places, a hilltop cabana on Labadee with a view of Freedom of the Seas.

Next is a photo of Adventure of the Seas, taken by Corey Seeman. This photo is from the tender ride from Adventure to the piers in Bar Harbor.

David Donnelly took this photo on Independence of the Seas. Just shows that you do not have to be traditional to have style!

Next up is a photo by Jay Spiegel of the sunrise in the Bahamas.

Our final photo this week is of chef Ryan in Izumi on board Symphony of the Seas. Photo by Jorge C Toache Alcazar.

Thank you to everyone who shared photos with us this week. You can send in your favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos via this form to be included in a future edition of Friday Photos!

Beginning on January 4, 2019, Royal Caribbean will offer guests the option to Book Now Pay Later for Air2Sea reservations.

Air2Sea is Royal Caribbean's airfare option for guests to purchase flights in conjunction with their cruise.

Book Now Pay Later is available for refundable bookings only and guarantees no cancellation or change fees up to the cruise final payment date for the specified sailing.  The cost of airfare will be added onto the cruise amount and payment will follow cruise payment guidelines (90 days prior to sailing).

Unfortunately, only new air bookings made on or after January 4, 2019 are eligible to participate in this program.

If the cancellation is made outside of 90 days to sailing, the fares are fully refundable. At 90 days to departure or less, a $200 per person penalty will apply.

Royal Caribbean is celebrating the start of the new year with bonus instant savings on top of 60% second guest and kids sail for less offers.

The New Year, New Thrills Sale offers up to $300 instant savings on cruises booked between January 3 – 8, 2019 on sailings departing on or after February 3, 2019.

It includes:

• 60% off cruise fare of second guest booked in the same stateroom as first full-fare paying guest
• 30% off cruise fare for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualified guests
• BOGO also offers up to $150 instant savings per stateroom determined by category booked and sailing length
  • Sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $50 for Balconies and $75 for Suites
  • Sailing 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $150 for Suites
• New Year New Thrills Sale offers up to $150 instant savings per stateroom (up to $300 instant savings when combined with BOGO instant savings) determined by category booked and sailing length
  • 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 New Year New Thrills Sale, 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. New Year New Thrills Sale is combinable with promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers and Free Upgrades but not combinable with 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.

Royal Caribbean has updated its website with a new timeline for when different phases of its transformation of private island CocoCay.

Perfect Day is a $200 million transformation of Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. Here is the new timeline posted today:

• The new pier will begin welcoming guests to the island in March 2019.
• Thrill Waterpark, the Zip Line, Splashaway Bay aqua park, Up, Up and Away helium balloon, Captain Jack’s Galleon, Skipper’s Grill dining, Captain Jack’s dining, Chill Island, Chill Grill dining, and Oasis Lagoon freshwater pool will open in May 2019.
• South Beach, Coco Beach Club and the overwater cabanas will open in December 2019.

The primary change in the timeline is the pier completion date has been pushed back yet again.  The pier completion date has slid a few times since the project was originally announced.  Prior to today, it was expected that the pier would be complete in January 2019.

The other dates remain unchanged.

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

Episode 283 is available for downloading, where Matt shares tips and tricks for being able to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise without breaking the bank.

Going on a Royal Caribbean cruise does not have to be an expensive vacation, and on this week's episode, Matt shares strategies for saving money on your cruise fare as well as onboard the sailing.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 283. 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!

Royal Caribbean has big plans for 2019, with plenty of new additions and changes to the fleet. Perhaps no change is bigger than the anticipated arrival of a new cruise ship and refurbishment of quite a few others.

Each year, Royal Caribbean plans on changes to its fleet of ships and if you are considering a 2019 cruise, then you are certainly going to want to consider some of these ships that are getting new upgrades or are joining the fleet for the first time.

Here is what you need to know about the cruise ships joining Royal Caribbean's fleet and which ships will be upgraded this year.

New cruise ships in 2019

Royal Caribbean will add one new ship in 2019 to its fleet, which will be the first subclass of an existing class.

Spectrum of the Seas

The first Quantum Ultra Class ship joins Royal Caribbean's fleet in 2019 with the launch of Spectrum of the Seas.

Spectrum of the Seas is the first Quantum Ultra Class vessel. What separates Spectrum from previous Quantum Class vessels is the fact she will boast private enclave for suite guests, new stateroom categories, innovative dining concepts, and stunning features and experiences – many of which have never before been seen at sea.

Accommodating 4,246 guests at double occupancy and 1,551 international crew members, Spectrum will be the largest and most expensive ship in Asia when she sails from Shanghai starting in June 2019.

Spectrum will debut Royal Caribbean’s first exclusive suites-only area, which will feature the exquisite Golden and Silver suite accommodations in a private enclave at the forward end of the ship on decks 13 through 16. Vacationers booked in these luxury suites will have special keycard access, a private elevator and a dedicated restaurant and lounge. In addition to a range of exclusive amenities, guests will have access to The Balcony – a private outdoor space for sunbathing and relaxing – that offers the best views on board; and The Boutique, a shopping area where travelers can book private shopping experiences.

Another big change for Spectrum is the ship's take on dining,  The three-level main dining room will serve a variety of Chinese and Western a la carte options rotating each day of the sailing.  The Windjammer Marketplace – 20 percent larger than those on Quantum Class ships – will offer a wide buffet selection of Chinese and Western dishes, including noodles, pizza, Japanese teppanyaki and mini hot pot.  

Spectrum will boast a number of specialty restaurants, including Wonderland’s Dadong (run by Chinese chef Dong Zhenxiang), Jamie's Italian, Izumi, Chops Grille and the new Leaf and Bean traditional tea room and café parlor.

Spectrum of the Seas will feature bold and unexpected experiences, including the iconic Sky Pad, a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience located on the aft of the ship. 

Cruise ship refurbishments in 2019

Royal Caribbean is always looking to add more value to their ships and in 2019, four Royal Caribbean ships are getting upgrades, refurbishments and some nice changes.

Here is a list of what you can expect to see changed in the coming year.

Navigator of the Seas

Refurbishment dates: January 3 – February 23, 2019

Royal Caribbean will start 2019 with a major refurbishment of Navigator of the Seas.  Navigator will undergo a $115 million upgrade, as part of the fleet's Royal Amplified program.

Royal Caribbean will add all-new features and firsts, including a revamped Caribbean poolscape, two waterslides, the first blow dry bar at sea, nightlife and dining, and activities for the whole family. 

Navigator of the Seas will return to service on February 24, 2019 and offering 3- and 4-night Caribbean cruises from Miami.

Empress of the Seas

Refurbishment dates: February 3, 2019 and March 3, 2019

Empress of the Seas will undergo a dry dock for maintenance work in February 2019.

There are no sailings scheduled between February 3, 2019 and March 3, 2019.

No word on what work will be done, but it is expected to be mostly a maintenance effort to keep the ship running in great condition.

Voyager of the Seas

Refurbishment dates: September 10 – October 14, 2019

Like Navigator of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas will also undergo a refurbishment in 2019 as part of the Royal Amplified program.

Royal Caribbean has not announced the exact changes that are coming to Voyager of the Seas, although it stands to reason the changes should be similar to recent changes made to Mariner of the Seas or the scheduled changes for Navigator of the Seas.

Oasis of the Seas

Refurbishment dates: September 22 – November 23, 2019

The Royal Amplified program continues with upgrades coming to Oasis of the Seas.  Just like Voyager of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has not announced any specific details on what will be changed on Oasis quite yet.

Oasis of the Seas will undergo the refurbishment work after wrapping up her summer cruise season in Europe.  Following the bow-to-stern revitalization, Oasis of the Seas will change her homeport to Terminal A at PortMiami for the fall and winter seasons. 

Royal Caribbean describes the goal of the Royal Amplified program as something that will, "innovative attractions, pools, bars, and dining." Royal Amplified targets three key areas: pool deck & attractions, bars & nightlife, and onboard dining.

Quantum of the Seas

Refurbishment dates: November 2019

Prior to Quantum of the Seas' six month homeport in Singapore, she will be revitalised in a multi-million dollar project that will see the ship refreshed and upgraded.

If you are wondering what work will be done on Quantum of the Seas, so are we.  Royal Caribbean has not announced yet the scope of changes coming to Quantum of the Seas. 

Which ship addition or refurbishment are you most excited about? Tell us in the comments!