There’s a new member of the Royal Caribbean family as the global cruise line officially took delivery of its 24th ship, Ovation of the Seas. Ovation and her Quantum-class sister ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, are of the most technologically advanced cruise ships in the world.
Royal Caribbean has "invited" James Hand, the man who recently entered a contest in the UK to name a ship Boaty McBoatface, to "help" Royal Caribbean name its next cruise ship.
Coincidently posted on April 1, Royal Caribbean knows that James Hand has forever altered the business of naming ships, and perhaps could make a career out of it. Therefore, Royal Caribbean is thrilled to extend James Hand an offer to bring his talents on deck, and help Royal Caribbean develop the name for a future ship.
With five ships debuting in the next three years, Hand’s clever copywriting skills will surely be put to good use.
"The people of the United Kingdom know the name of a great ship when they see it," said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "Like the rest of the world, we fell in love with the name Boaty McBoatface when we heard it, and we knew immediately that Royal Caribbean could use James Hand’s talent to name our next ship."
As the first step, Royal Caribbean is inviting James Hand to sail on its newest and biggest ship, Harmony of the Seas, when she launches in Southampton, UK this May. Hand will meet with the cruise line’s very own ship naming experts to discuss potential names for a forthcoming ship.
"If James accepts our offer, who knows, perhaps he could name all our future ships,” added Bayley. “James Hand, Chief Naming Officer, Royal Caribbean International. It has a nice ring to it."
Blog writer Michael Poole is onboard Brilliance of the Seas for back-to-back Brilliance of the Seas cruises this week, and he is LIVE blogging all of it right here. Enjoy!
Hi friends, my cruise is finally here! I woke up early and watched the Brilliance of the Seas dock in Tampa on the webcam. Over the past year this has become a morning tradition of mine.
I arrived to the port at 12:00 on the dot and my first thoughts were there are no signs that tell you where to go.
The Vision of the Seas was beside us, so I could imagine first time cruises, not knowing which ship/terminal to pull up to.
Once we pulled up, security asked us which ship we were sailing on, I suppose people get it mixed up often. Once I arrived to the Brilliance terminal, there were lines out on the sidewalk. Yikes, it was so hot and we were just standing outside.
This was the line to go through security; it didn’t take too long approximately 20 minutes. Once you get through security you are then asked to complete the health form, prior to approaching the check-in desk. The only line at this point was the non-crown and anchor members, all others were wide-open.
The ship itself is in great shape, everything still looks new from the dry dock she received two years ago.
When you walk on, you have to walk through the shops to get to the Centrum. The Centrum on the Brilliance is much larger than those on the Vision class. I did notice the R Bar was a little smaller than the one on the Enchantment.
The Next Cruise desk is now a full venue on deck 5 with the beautiful new décor. I also noticed they have six desks in there now, so they must be seeing a lift in their on board bookings.
The pool deck was full of passengers already enjoy their first day in the sun.
However, there are a lot of kids and I’m talking in the masses. But you just have to expect that around this time of year, it does make me miss the kid’s pool on the Freedom/Oasis class ships.
Since I’m sailing solo on this leg of the cruise, I booked a Solo cabin. There are only three of these cabins on board and they were added during her last dry dock.
First, let’s start out with the location of the cabin, it’s on deck 4 beside the centrum. I really love having easy access to the centrum, it’s about four steps away and I’m there. I was a little worried about possibly hearing music or the R Bar from my cabin, but so far I’ve heard nothing.
Okay let’s talk about the cabin, it’s around 100sq feet with a twin bed. I was expecting the cabin to feel much smaller than the standard inside cabin, however it doesn’t at all. In fact, I feel like there is more space to walk around the cabin.
The closet is much easier to access since it’s not beside the door when you walk in. I would recommend this cabin’s to all solo cruisers, and will likely book them again.
Almost sail away time, we had the mandatory muster drill at 3:15; they shut down all the bars down at 2:45 to prepare for the muster drill.
As everyone knows, this is the worst and best part of the cruise. Worst, because they pack you on the outside decks very close to others. But best, because when it’s over you are officially on vacation! It was over around 3:30, and I ran up to the pool deck, and yes I was almost running.
They had a poolside lunch with hotdogs and hamburgers to enjoy during sail away. I also saw little mini bars set up all around the pool decks, I’m sure they needed these two weeks ago on college spring breakers.
I met a bartender who said they were hit really hard with college crew for the last two weeks, but none on this sailing. We sailed before the Vision of the Seas so I was able to take some great pictures of her. I must be honest, seeing the Vision really made me miss the Enchantment; I just love that class of ships.
After sailing for around two hours out of Tampa you get to pass under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. If you have never gone under a bridge on a cruise ship, it’s a really fun experience.
I was actually enjoying a cocktail in the Diamond lounge and ran outside, just in time to see it. We had 2-3 feet clearance from the top of the ship, so everyone was clapping once we passed.
The captain also blows the horn as we are going under, so be sure to experience this from the outside decks.
For dinner tonight, I decided to do something different, this is starting to seem like the theme of this cruise. But I dined in the Windjammer for the first time for dinner.
I was actually surprised for two reasons. One they have so many options and two it was very full of guest. I enjoyed some grilled fish and 1 or maybe 2 cuts of prime rib, and maybe grabbed some pasta too! I liked being able to sample a little of everything and leave when you wanted.
And sadly, this is where day 1 comes to an end, after dinner I decided to get some sleep and call it a night. After a full day on board it just finally caught up to me. Tomorrow we are in Key West!
As I mentioned in my first post, I didn’t purchase the drink package on this sailing. I tried to enjoy myself just as I did have the package, and order at will.
I ordered 3 beers before sailaway/during for a total cost $22.
In the evening time, I used my diamond cocktails perks pre-loaded to the seapass card. For those unaware, once you reach diamond level you get three drinks per evening at any bar from 5:00pm-8:30pm.
So for day 1 looks like a saved a few dollars by buying them at bar price, but I didn’t enjoy post dinner entertainment. Let’s see if it holds true tomorrow…
Royal Caribbean's new approach to luxury cruising will debut in May 2016 in the form of Royal Suite Class, and if you are interested in what this new level of luxury offers, here is what you need to know.
Beginning in May 2016, Royal Suite Class will be available on
Royal Suite Class will not be onboard ships in China.
Royal Genie is available for all suites within the Star Class tier.
Guests are unable to select a specific Royal Genie.
The Royal Genie can be reached 24/7 and will advise the best way for guests to stay in touch.
The Royal Genie Service is not a service that can be purchased. It is an amenity exclusive to all Star Class guests.
The Royal Genie will make all shore excursion plans for the guest. While guests are enjoying their time in port, they will be prepping for the guest’s arrival.
For all guests booked on a Star Class Suite, they will receive a welcome email 8 days after booking and a final reminder 7 days prior to sailing.
For all guests booked on Sky and Sea Class, they will receive a welcome email 8 days after booking and a final reminder 7 days prior to sailing.
Every guest is encouraged to pre-book their activities through Cruise Planner as soon as they have been booked. For all Star Class guests, the Royal Genie will take care of any reservations onboard the ship.
Guests will be able to reserve dining, shore excursions and other activities 90 days prior to their sail date. For all Star Class guests, the Royal Genie will take care of any reservations onboard the ship.
Guests are welcome to plan any sort of event in their suite. The Royal Genie and Concierge can help arrange such experiences onboard but additional charges may be incurred, depending on the request.
Complimentary specialty dining is only available for the guests within the suite. Guests are encouraged to dine with family, friends or whomever they’d like but please know that guests not sailing in the suite will need to pay the cover charge.
Star Class Guests receive complimentary specialty dining throughout their entire cruise as well as access to the exclusive suite restaurant, Coastal Kitchen for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Sky Class Guests receive access to the exclusive suite restaurant, Coastal Kitchen for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Sea Class Guests receive access to the exclusive suite restaurant, Coastal Kitchen for dinner only
Did you know that Royal Caribbean allows its guest to bring wine on their cruise? Not only is this a great way to save money, but it allows guests to enjoy their favorite wines while onboard.
Before you go on your next Royal Caribbean cruise, all wine lovers should consider these guidelines to ensure a great Royal Caribbean cruise complimented by your favorite wines.
Royal Caribbean allows its passengers to bring one (1) 750 mL bottle, per adult of drinking age, per sailing on embarkation day.
Each bottle of wine may be up to 750ml in size and should be brought on in your carry-on luggage. Do not put the wine in your checked luggage.
No beer or hard liquor may be brought onboard for consumption. Guests may only bring the wine onboard on embarkation day.
Since June 2017, guests who consume their personal wine and champagne in public areas, will incur a $15 corkage fee per bottle. The corkage fee only applies to personal bottles brought onboard on embarkation day.
This means, guests bring their wine to any specialty restaurant, main dining room or bar to have it opened for them will be charged the $15 corkage fee.
If you do not finish the bottle of wine, Royal Caribbean can store the wine for you and deliver it another restaurant at that time.
Whether you buy a bottle of wine onboard your cruise or bring your own, if you do not finish that bottle in one night, have your waiter store it for you.
And if the next night you choose to have dinner elsewhere, like the Windjammer or a specialty restaurant, just tell your new waiter you have a bottle of wine stored for you. They will ask your stateroom number and within a few short minutes your wine will appear.
For consecutive sailings, guests of drinking age are allowed to bring one (1) 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne for each individual sailing.
Additional bottles will be stored by the ship and delivered, one bottle at a time, to the stateroom on the first day of each new voyage. Guests bringing more than one bottle at the start of the first sailing should have documentation for any consecutive sailings available to share with security.
Royal Caribbean notes that guests bringing four bottles at the start of the first sailing should have documentation for both sailings available to share with security.
Are you planning to bring wine onboard your next Royal Caribbean cruise? Tell us about it in the comments!
Hi Royal Caribbean Blog readers, its Michael Poole here for another live blog from Enchantment of the Seas. This is going to be a short three-day cruise, but I’m excited to take you along with me.
As many of you already know, Enchantment of the Seas is my favorite ship in the fleet, and this will be my 7th time sailing on her.
This sailing is going to special for a few reasons, she is headed down to her new home in Miami this year, so I’ll likely visit Majesty of the Seas more often. Also, I have some Royal Caribbean Blog fan’s joining me on this cruise!
Finally, this cruise is going to be over Super Bowl weekend, so I’ll be able to watch the big game while at sea!
For the past year, I’ve been active on twitter with Royal Caribbean Blog and started conversation with some other blog readers. Since then, we have always talked about doing a cruise together, but never really found a time that works.
Well, my friends we have finally found that time! I’ll be going with my brother, Jason Poole and his husband Caleb Jones. From Florida our good friend Nick Vitani, who can be found on the Enchantment a few times a month! Also my good from Atlanta, Shawn Wallace and his wife Michelle are coming along; Shawn also has a deep love for the Enchantment.
I will mention my brother Jason and Caleb have never sailed on any cruise less than 7 days or a smaller ship, so I’m excited for their feedback as well.
My group of six will be leaving Atlanta, GA. Thursday night and staying at Holiday Inn in Valdosta, GA.
This is only three hours south of Atlanta, but due to work, and others traveling from Tennessee, we won’t be hitting the road until 8:00PM Thursday night.
I’ve stayed at this hotel a few times over the years, and I’ve never had any issues. The rates here are also very reasonable, usually a little under $100/night.
Our plan is to be on the road by 7:00am, from Valdosta, GA. We have around 4 hours to be on the road before we arrive in Port Canaveral, Florida.
Before the cruise we have planned a small meet and greet at a restaurant beside the port.
We have a few friends that live in the area, which can’t join us, so we are going to visit with them until noon. I picked the restaurant Grill’s because it’s right beside the Enchantment, and we can look at the ship while enjoying some morning mimosas. They also have a great patio on the water, and often have live music in the afternoons, but we will be on board by then.
Our first stop Saturday is in Nassau, Bahamas from noon until midnight. I enjoy this day the most, because you have a sea morning, poolside bbq lunch, and then a full day in Nassau. It’s like the best of both worlds all in one day.
I don’t have any plans here yet, might walk over to Junkanoo Beach for a few hours, and then stroll over to Starbucks to use their fast wifi ($3.00) to upload my Day 1 blog post!
Sunday we are in Coco Cay, which is my favorite port of call in the Caribbean. I love Coco Cay, because it feels like paradise to me. I’ve cruised here during this time of year a few times before and often miss Coco Cay, so my fingers are crossed that doesn’t happen.
That wraps up my preamble for my 3-day Cruise on Enchantment of the Seas!
Be sure to follow me on Periscope, Instagram, and Twitter for up to the minute updates. I’ll be doing a full ship tour on Periscope and uploading pictures on Instagram all weekend.
I hope you enjoy the post all weekend and feel free to ask any questions you may have on the Enchantment of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean offers its guests that are fans of specialty dining the opportunity to purchase dining packages that promise to save guests money on the total cost of the restaurant experience.
Photo by Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean offers a variety of dining packages based on the number of nights you want to take advantage of the offer. These packages can save guests up to 40% off the price if they were purchased individually.
There are dining packages for
Photo by Royal Caribbean International
Via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner, guests may select their dining party and preferred dining time and a courtesy dinner reservation will be made on your behalf in a pre-selected restaurant on day 1 or day 2.
On Day 1, guests will receive a reservation confirmation in their stateroom. If you would like to amend or to complete your additional dinner reservations, simply visit a Hospitality Desk or any specialty restaurant.
Guests then can make additional reservations on your first day onboard to guarantee preferred dining time and restaurants.
Kids ages 6-12 now dine at our specialty restaurants for only $10. Ages 5 and under eat free. Royal Caribbean's staff can add children to your existing reservation at kid's prices once onboard.
For restaurants with a la carte pricing, package includes a $30 credit towards the food portion of your bill.
The main advantage of the dining packages are the cost savings compared to booking the individual specialty restaurants individually.
Will you book one of these dining packages for your next Royal Caribbean cruise? Tell us in the comments below!
An open-air park on a cruise ship might sound crazy, but it revolutionized the cruise industry when Royal Caribbean came up with the idea for a living park in the middle of its first Oasis Class ship.
Central Park is now one of the prettiest and well-known areas on any Oasis Class ship.
Royal Caribbean's Central Park is one of seven distinct "neighborhoods" that help break up an Oasis class ship. It is an immense area in the middle of the ship that offers a lush park for guests to enjoy with live plants, trees and walkways.
The name is based on the well-known name from New York City, and it's in the middle of the deck in the same way Central Park is in the middle of Manhattan island.
At its heart, Central Park is a public area on the ship that offers restaurants, shopping, galleries and of course lots of nature. It is the perfect quiet place onboard to "get away" and just relax as the world goes by.
The Central Park neighborhood features a lush garden in an area about as long as the Royal Promenade and twice as wide.
From towering Cuban laurel and Black Olive to clusters of calla lilies and rabbit foot ferns, the park’s collection of plants is a mix of coastal and highland sub-tropical species from around the world that is well suited to thrive on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas' Caribbean itineraries.
A series of columns interlaced with vines is just one of the welcoming entry points into Central Park, and is elegantly landscaped with tropical foliage and seasonal flowers, shrubs and trees. Drifts of calla lilies among giant elephant ears, red ginger, rabbit foot ferns, banana croton, gold dust dracaena, and butterfly lily are some of the plant life guests discover.
Impressive ‘green walls’ spanning 25 feet and five decks high hosts fern and a variety of flowering vines such as red and white Mandevilla, Clerodendron thomsaonaie, and Thumbergia grandiflora. The park also has changing displays of accent plants, such as birds of paradise and Spathoglottis ground orchids. Trees, some eventually reaching more than two-anda-half decks high, include cherry of the rio grande, podocarpus nagi, and amstel king ficus.
In addition to the beauty of nature, you will find four distinct features of Central Park to enjoy.
Royal Caribbean is also adding Central Park to Icon of the Seas, which will be the first Icon Class ship and first non-Oasis Class ship to have Central Park. Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas will debut next year.
You can find Central Park on these Royal Caribbean cruise ships:
Royal Caribbean offers some terrific dining options in Central Park, including restaurants and bars.
The ambiance of the park is meant to evoke the sort of place you want to go for a romantic dinner, or just a meal out with a group of friends.
Restaurants in the Central Park area include:
The various eateries and bars are located throughout Central Park, and give a feel of a neighborhood rather than the shopping plaza that the Royal Promenade tends to convey.
Most guests come to Central Park to enjoy food or drink, and for good reason. The restaurants located in Central Park are among Royal Caribbean's most popular.
Another innovation that came with the Oasis class ships are the idea of having balcony staterooms that face inward instead of the ocean.
On Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships, guests choose from Central Park cabins that have a balcony facing into the park. This promises views of Central Park anytime of day or night.
There are 254 Central Park-view balcony staterooms and 80 park-view windows staterooms on the Oasis Class ships.
On Icon of the Seas, there are 196 Infinite Central Park View Balcony cabins, 42 Central Park View Balcony cabins, and 45 Central Park View Interior rooms.
These are some truly unique cabins that give those that love the ambiance of Central Park a view to enjoy throughout the day. Guests can enjoy fresh air like a regular balcony stateroom, but with a view that combines nature's beauty with people watching.
You can find live jazz music in Central Park during the evening hours.
Royal Caribbean converted the Jazz on 4 clubs into a casino space, and as a result, moved the live music up to Central Park.
There are evening performances near Park Cafe, similar to the sets that would have occurred in the former venue. The idea is to grab a glass of wine and enjoy the open air musical performances in the evening.
In addition, a free tour of the foliage in Central Park is usually offered once per cruise with a landscape specialist to get a better understanding of how Royal Caribbean maintains a living park on a cruise ship.
In addition to the great culinary and visual delights of Central Park, guests are sure to enjoy the various shopping options too.
Central Park also contains a number of shops and boutiques for guests to purchase souvenirs and luxury items while on their cruise (onboard credit does not spend itself, right?).
Shops such as Tiffany & Co (Oasis of the Seas only), Coach, Regalia (Allure of the Seas only) and Picture This are open for business in Central Park.
There are definitely some aspects of the Central Park experience that every guests should check out at least once on their Royal Caribbean cruise.
While Central Park is beautiful at any time, we absolutely love how beautiful it is after the sun goes down.
At night, Royal Caribbean lights up Central Park with beautiful lighting that accentuate the beauty of the area. Bring your camera, because the area really looks stunning.
Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships offer a lot of dining options, but a hidden gem has to be the roast beef sandwiches from Park Cafe.
These sandwiches are just amazing and no trip to Central Park is complete without one of these tasty (and complimentary) treats.
Royal Caribbean offers a guided tour of Central Park that is worth doing.
In our experience, it is usually held on the last sea day and lasts about an hour.
The tour offers an interesting look at what it takes to have keep all of those plants and trees be so beautiful.
Central Park is available on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas.
What do you enjoy about Central Park? Share your thoughts in our comments!
The first day of your Royal Caribbean cruise is a really fun moment in any cruise fan's vacation, because it is when vacation begins and the many days, months and even years leading up to this cruise are finally realized.
Embarkation day offers a lot to see and do, and for anyone going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, here is what you can expect on embarkation day.
In most cases, your Royal Caribbean ship will arrive in port in the early hours of the morning and begin letting its just completed cruise passengers off shortly thereafter.
The check-in process on embarkation day will take place throughout much of the day, and guests can arrive at their convenience to the port, as soon as the port allows guests to do so.
In our experience, guests will usually be let into the cruise terminal around 10am, or shortly thereafter and embarkation usually begins somewhere around 11am.
The exact times depend on a variety of factors, including how quickly customs clears the ship and how quickly Royal Caribbean's crew is ready for the new wave of guests.
You should plan on arriving to the cruise port as early as you can so that you can start your vacation. The sooner you arrive, the sooner you can board the ship.
It seems like a majority of guests tend to arrive in the afternoon hours, so arriving before 1pm can often result in shorter lines.
The check-in procedure at the port consists of dropping off your luggage with porters, going through security and then meeting with the pier staff to receive your boarding documents.
It is important to have your SetSail pass printed out prior to arriving at the pier to ensure a smooth and quick check-in process. You can find your SetSail pass at Royal Caribbean's web site under My Cruises.
Royal Caribbean often boards guests in groups based on the order they arrive, although some guests do receive priority boarding (such as suite guests).
In most cases, guests receive their SeaPass card, wait to be called to board and then board the ship.
On Quantum class ships, your SeaPass cards are waiting in your stateroom.
Once onboard a Royal Caribbean ship, there will be lots to see and do and like any cruise, it is up to you what to do.
At check-in, you should have access to a special embarkation day Cruise Compass that lists venues that are open and activities that will be available.
Most guests opt to have lunch somewhere on the ship on embarkation day. The Windjammer is the most popular choice, although ships may have other venues open as well.
Some common activities to consider in the early afternoon after you eat are
This is a great time to explore the ship and get your bearings onboard and see what is offered. Getting acclimated with where everything will make your cruise easier since you will spend less time trying to locate everything. Plus you may discover something onboard you didn't know existed!
By 1pm, your stateroom will be ready and that means you can check out your new home, drop off any carry on luggage you brought and start enjoying the benefits of your room.
Depending on your ship's departure time, a mandatory muster drill will take place where guests are instructed what to do in case of an emergency at sea.
The crew will instruct you where and when to report for muster drill and it is a fairly straight-forward event.
The muster drill consists of going to your assigned muster station and being instructed on what would happen in the event of an emergency at sea. There is no need to bring a life jacket to the muster drill.
While the muster drill is not the most exciting thing about your cruise, following your muster drill, the real fun begins of a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Sail away usually follows the muster drill, in which case there is a sail away party at the pool deck that many guests opt to join in.
While many guests elect to join in the sail away party fun, others enjoy sail away from other parts of the ship, such as their balconies, on public decks or at the helipad on some ships.
Following the muster drill and sail away, your evening plans will start to open up more than what was available during the afternoon.
Once the ship leaves port and gets into open water, shops, the casino and more bars will open up.
Specialty restaurants, the main dining room and other dining venues will also start serving dinner. Evening entertainment starts up around this time, with live music at a number of locations throughout the ship.
The pattern of activities in the evening on embarkation day is a lot like what happens on any other evening of your cruise.
What are your favorite things to do on embarkation day? Share them in our comments!
Royal Caribbean's specialty restaurants are one aspect of the cruise experience many guests look forward to each sailing, but just because you have children with you does not mean you cannot enjoy these restaurants.
Royal Caribbean welcomes children younger than 13 in all of its specialty restaurants (when accompanied by an adult) and even offers them special pricing.
Kids ages 6-12 can dine at specialty restaurants for a $12.99 cover charge.
Kids 5 years old and under eat free.
Kids 5-12 have a modified adult menu, which is a round-up of kid-friendly favorites from the regular menu.
Kids under 5 are free and have a kiddies menu similar to the kids menu in the main dining room.
Some restaurants do not have kids menus and so kids order off the regular menu.
Royal Caribbean specifies restaurants such as Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine, 150 Central Park, and Chef's Table do not have kids menus, as those experiences are better suited for guests age 13 and older.
In this scenario, you may be charged full price for your children.
It is worth discussing with your waiter, as we have heard of situations where they still charge the children pricing.
Your mileage may vary, but expect to pay full price for children ordering off the regular menu when there is no kids menu option.
If you book in advance, you will pay the full price but then it will be adjusted for the children's price as a credit on your SeaPass on board.
Bookings made on board will be charged the reduced rate when booked.
Because the Cruise Planner does not offer pricing for children, we recommend making reservations for a party size that omits the children and then showing up to the reservation with the children and informing the staff your dining party has grown.
This strategy allows guests to not overpay for their dining reservations and require an adjustment later.
At a la carte specialty restaurants, children are charged based on what they order off the regular menu.