Royal Caribbean Blog

Merry Christmas! The holidays are here, and so is our weekly round up of this week's Royal Caribbean news.

There was a lot of Royal Caribbean news this week, but the big news came when Royal Caribbean revealed its 2020 European sailings.

A total of eight Royal Caribbean ships will sail around Europe in 2020, including six ships that had their 2020 itineraries go on sale this week.

Among the notable deployments to Europe in 2020 will be Allure of the Seas, which will sail from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona on March 1, 2020 and then begin offering 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises until Allure heads to Miami on November 1, 2020.

Royal Caribbean News

• Empress of the Seas rescued two mariners who were lost at sea for 20 days.
• We published our 2019 Royal Caribbean Cruise Planning guide.
• With 2019 right around the corner, here are six big changes coming in the new year.
• Royal Caribbean returned to New Orleans to offer cruises once again from The Big Easy.
• We ranked the best Cozumel beach resorts.
• Royal Caribbean was named the Best Cruise Line Overall for the 16th year in a row.
• We reviewed the Mayan Princess Resort in Roatan.
• If you are going on Royal Caribbean, here are the top 5 foods the cruise line is best known for.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 281st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are sharing three wishes for Royal Caribbean.

On this episode, Matt and Billy make wishes for changes we would make if we had access to a genie (and opted not to wish for wealth and a long life).

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.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Bloomberg wrote that instead of cruise lines competing over larger ships, it's all about amenities now.

Cruise Hive named Mariner of the Seas the Best Refurbishment of the Year in its Cruise Ship Awards.

Bahamas Eyewitness News reports Royal Caribbean wants Bahamian participation in a Port of Nassau redevelopment.

Cruise Fever compared the different cruise line loyalty programs.

Cruise Radio listed six reasons Symphony of the Seas should be your next family vacation.

Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas rescued two stranded mariners who had been at sea for 20 days, somewhere between Grand Cayman and Jamaica.

Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet shared the update, with photos of the rescue at sea being conducted by Empress of the Seas officers and crew.

More pics to share from @RoyalCaribbean #EmpressoftheSeas rescuing 2 Mariners who had been at Sea for 20 DAYS in that small boat between #Jamaica and #GrandCayman! See last pic for story. UNREAL and so PROUD of Officers and Crew! Thank you @jleberle and @caryjames007 for pics. pic.twitter.com/VEw1tzChMO

— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) December 21, 2018

What makes the rescue even more remarkable is the fact Empress of the Seas was not scheduled to be there.  Due to adverse weather conditions on Empress' original route, the ship's itinerary was altered and ended up "being in the right time, at the right place."

We couldn’t agree more, @jimvanfleet! We’re so proud of our crew and extremely grateful for the Mariners’ safety. ?

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) December 21, 2018

This week's batch of beautiful Royal Caribbean photos is here and it's always fun to share with all of you the great photos our readers take while on their cruise vacation.

The photos we have to show this week are fun and of course anyone can send us their Royal Caribbean photos to use as well!

Our first photo is by Allyson and it is of Radiance of the Seas off the dock of Icy Straight Point (Hoonah, Alaska).

Next up is a shot of Rhapsody of the Seas leaving Cozumel, taken by John Bamber.

Heather Snyder sent in this photo from her honeymoon cruise to Bermuda.

I love this photo of the cast performing Columbus The Musical on Harmony of the Seas. Photo by Mike Sperduto.

Michael Kho took this photo of Majesty of the Seas in Havana, Cuba during Majesty's inaugural visit to Havana.

Here is a look at Harmony of the Seas sailing away from Port Everglades. Photo by Henry Greenfield.

Our final photo this week is by David Ep, and it is of his stateroom turn down on Grandeur of the Seas.

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos this week and if you have Royal Caribbean photos, 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!

For cruisers with a port stop in Cozumel, Mexico, a very common question posed is which is the best beach resort in Cozumel.

Over the course of the last 12 months or so, I had the opportunity to visit and review a number of beach resorts in Cozumel that offer a pass for cruise ship guests to enjoy the facilities available. With an eye towards value, offerings and service, we present our list of our favorite beach resorts in Cozumel.

El Cozumeleno

Best Overall

Between the beach, pool, food and service, El Cozumeleno is "the total package". It offers enough for families to enjoy, while still retaining a sense of relaxation if you want to find a quiet corner of the resort.

Paradise Beach

Best Value

Paradise Beach impressed us with its combination of large beach and pool area, along with very good service. Unless you are planning on doing some serious drinking and/or eating, the value proposition of Paradise Beach is quite high.

Nachi Cocom

Best service

The level of service and terrific atmosphere at Nachi make it clear why so many people have been a fan of Nachi Cocom for so long.

When going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a lot of food. Royal Caribbean offers guests a wide variety of culinary options, and every Royal Caribbean fan has their list of top picks for what they enjoy the most.  To that point, over the years we have found there to be some menu items across the fleet which are recognized as the kind of food one only finds (or enjoys) on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

This is not a list of the best food on a Royal Caribbean cruise, just a few options you can have that seem to resonate immediately as something "very Royal Caribbean." Arguably, there are a lot of snacks, entrees and side dishes that we can consider "a Royal Caribbean food," but here are our list of five that always ring true as a quintessential Royal Caribbean food.

Roast beef sandwich

At any Park Cafe location across Royal Caribbean's fleet, you will find a must-try delectable roast beef sandwich better known as the kummelweck.

The Kummelweck sandwich is a must-order and a Royal Caribbean signature menu item.  It is comprised of slices of seasoned slow-roasted beef, with special slow-cooked beef, au jus, and the chef’s own secret sauce.

It is a fantastic must-eat snack.

Ranger cookies

There are a ton of tasty treats, desserts and snacks that are so hard to resist, but the ranger cookies are one of those foods that you have to try.

I think ranger cookies make this list because I have yet to see ranger cookies somewhere other than on a Royal Caribbean cruise, but seeing it onboard at Cafe Promenade or the Windjammer provides a pavlovian response of a euphoric sense that you are indeed on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

If you have never tried a ranger cookie, it’s an “everything but the kitchen sink” kind of recipe—you throw in whatever tasty stuff is lying around, such as rolled oats and pralines. Royal Caribbean’s version kicks it up with shredded coconut for a sweet taste and delectable texture

Escargot

Escargot, better known as cooked snails, is a delicacy that sounds down right awful but escargot on Royal Caribbean has become a real staple appetizer in the main dining room.  

The menu describes the escargots bourguignonne as, "tender snails drenched in melted garlic-herb butter."  Drenched is the right word because they come in a serving plate soaked in the salty butter sauce.  There's so much butter and it's so salty that it's hard to really taste the actual snail.  And if you eat it with bread, well, you probably won't even feel the texture.

Tutti salad

You might have heard about this thing called, "the tutti salad," but by the name alone, you likely do not know what it is.  It is one of those things you have to experience to fully understand.

On sea days in the main dining room, lunch is served and in addition to the fixed menu, there is a make-your-own salad bar that Royal Caribbean calls the Tutti salad.

The tutti salad bar is essentially a large salad bar in the main dining room that is available to guests on sea days, where guests can pick from a variety of ingredients to create their own custom salad.

You can walk around the rather large salad bar area and pick from what interests you. Vegetables, cheeses, chicken, shrimp, tuna, dressings and more are all available to choose from.

What makes the tutti salad so unique, is that you can have  a freshly made salad exactly the way you like it.

Sorrento's Pizza

Over the years, Royal Caribbean has developed its own brand of pizza, served up day or night at Sorrento's on most ships in the fleet. In fact, Royal Caribbean has been actively working to improve the quality of the pizza.

Sorrento's pizza comes in a few different varieties, depending on what they are cooking, and it is included in your cruise fare.

For most guests, grabbing a slice of pizza is the perfect pit stop as you move from one end of the ship to the other.  And after a night of partying, pizza really hits the spot!

Your thoughts

There are probably many more foods on a Royal Caribbean ship that you associate with being on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Which foods do you think are definite Royal Caribbean traditional foods? Were one of these a favorite yours? Tell us about in the comments.

With 2019 right around the corner, a new year of Royal Caribbean cruising is nearly upon us.  With the new year comes new changes to Royal Caribbean, and we picked out six of the most noticeable changes that guests will undoubtedly encounter.

New app features

While Royal Caribbean's new smart phone app has been around since being announced in 2017, 2019 will be the biggest year yet for the app.  

In 2019, Royal Caribbean's app will not only roll out to most (if not all) of the fleet by years' end, it will also see the most popular features finally reach users.

Scheduled for a 2019 rollout are features such as chat, shore excursions, stateroom dining and even stateroom changes.

Navigator of the Seas $115 million modernization

In early 2019, Navigator of the Seas will undergo a major upgrade effort that will see a lot of great new features added to the ship.

Navigator is set to receive a combination of firsts as well as Royal Caribbean favorites, including an awe-inspiring Caribbean poolscape, waterslides, the first blow dry bar at sea, nightlife and dining, and thrilling activities for the whole family.

Navigator of the Seas will be the third Royal Caribbean ship to undergo a Royal Amplified upgrade. Royal Amplified is a $900 million initiative to reimagine Royal Caribbean's fleet through a new modernization effort.

Ovation of the Seas arrives in North America

Royal Caribbean will debut a Quantum Class ship in Alaska in 2019, with the arrival of Ovation of the Seas for the 2019 Alaska summer season.

Ovation of the Seas will transition from Sydney, Australia to her new summer homeport of Seattle, Washington.

Ovation will sail 7-night itineraries to destinations from Juneau to Victoria, British Columbia, showcasing Alaska’s natural treasures and luring adventure seekers with stately spruce forests, island- studded waters, native wildlife and awe-inspiring glaciers. 

Perfect Day at CocoCay launch

In 2019, Royal Caribbean's $200 million upgrade to its private island in the Bahamas will open its first phases to the public.

Along with a new pier, a number of new attractions and experiences at Perfect Day at CocoCay will debut in 2019. Guests will be able to choose from a variety of fun ways to spend their day, in addition to the classic lounging by the beach option.

Royal Caribbean lists 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 are scheduled to open in December 2019.

Oasis of the Seas returns to Europe & upgrades

File this change as something to keep track of for later, because we do not know the full extent of what will be done quite yet, but Oasis of the Seas is headed to Europe in 2019 and her season across the pond will culminate with a major upgrade.

For the first time since 2014, Oasis of the Seas will spend the summer season in Europe when the ship repositions to Barcelona in 2019. From Barcelona, Oasis of the Seas will sail seven-night itineraries, visiting Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Marseille, France; and Florence (though the port wasn't specified), Civitavecchia and Naples, Italy.

Following her European season, Oasis of the Seas will undergo a bow-to-stern revitalization before changing her homeport to Terminal A at PortMiami for the fall and winter 2019 seasons. If you are wondering what changes Oasis of the Seas will receive, well, so are we.  Royal Caribbean has not divulged what will be changed or added to Oasis of the Seas quite yet.

Spectrum of the Seas launch

The new year will see a new Royal Caribbean ship join the fleet with the addition of Spectrum of the Seas. 

Spectrum of the Seas will be the cruise line's first Quantum Ultra class ship. The ship will feature a number of firsts for a Royal Caribbean ship, including the cruise line’s first private enclave for suite guests, new stateroom categories, "innovative dining concepts", and "stunning features and experiences".

Designed specifically for the Chinese market, Spectrum of the Seas will be the largest and most expensive ship in Asia when she sails from Shanghai, China starting in June 2019. The ship is scheduled to be delivered in April 2019.

Which Royal Caribbean change are you most excited about for 2019? Tell us in the comments!

Royal Caribbean has released the second phase of its 2020 European sailings.

Six Royal Caribbean ships had their 2020 sailings revealed, alongside Anthem of the Seas and Independence of the Seas, which had their deployments announced a few weeks ago.

Headlining the 2020 season for Royal Caribbean in Europe will be Allure of the Seas, which will sail from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona on March 1, 2020 and then begin offering 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises until Allure heads to Miami on November 1, 2020.

Brilliance of the Seas will sail from Amsterdam, and offer sailings to the Baltics and British Isles.  Her 2020 European season will culminate with a 15-night Arctic Crossing on her way back to Boston.

Explorer of the Seas returns to Europe in 2020 to offer primarily Greek Isles cruises from Rome. Among her many itineraries, Explorer of the Seas will also offer 12-night Holy Land sailing.

Jewel of the Seas will sail a variety of itineraries in 2020, including a few sailings from Barcelona before moving to Copenhagen to sail to Scandinavia, Russia and the fjords. Jewel then returns to Barcelona to offer Greek Isles and Mediterranean sailings, including a couple of sailings to the Holy Land.

Rhapsody of the Seas will homeport in Venice, Italy, and sail primarily to the Greek Isles and Croatia.

Vision of the Seas will also sail the Mediterranean and visit destinations in the Greek Isles and Venice before heading to Cape Liberty, New Jersey on September 5, 2020.

• Allure of the Seas
• Brilliance of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Jewel of the Seas
• Rhapsody of the Seas
• Vision of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society members can begin booking sailings on December 18, 2018, with the general public available to begin booking on December 19, 2018.

Sailing to Roatan on a cruise means you are very likely in the market for a shore excursion that brings you to one of the beautiful beaches that this island in Honduras is well known for.  If a beach day, combined with optional pool time and all the food and drink you can enjoy sound like the winning combination to you, then the Mayan Princess Resort Beach Break might just be the right choice for you.

Description

The Mayan Princess Resort Beach Break is a Royal Caribbean shore excursion that will bring you to an upscale beach resort about a half an hour away by bus from where your ship docks.

Like many Royal Caribbean shore excursions, you will meet onboard the ship and be escorted off the ship to buses that are waiting to take you directly to the resort.

On the way to the beach, a tour guide narrates the trip with information about the history, culture and traditions of Roatan.  If you have taken group tours before in the Caribbean, this should feel quite familiar.

As you arrive to Mayan Princess Resort, you are greeted with a welcome drink and then taken on a quick tour of the resort to provide an overview of the layout.

Mayan Princess Resort is a hotel resort that works with the cruise lines to offer day passes to its guests.  You have the choice of spending your time between pool area or the beach. 

The 250-foot-long Mayan pool is quite large, and offers various depths with a lovely design.  There is some seating by the pool, but it is quite limited so if you want to grab a seat, you ought to get one quickly.

Most guests spend their time by the beach, which offers a lot of seating.  Beach umbrellas or palapas are not available, but the lush vegetation around the beach means there is plenty of shade if you need it.

The beach itself is quite large and getting into the ocean was smooth enough that water shoes were not a necessity.  

Photo by Billy Hirsch

There is seating towards the back of the beach, as well as seating along the beach itself. Despite the large cruise group visiting, there was ample seating for all.

Mayan Princess offers an open bar that serves up a selection of local beer, spirits, fruit punch and soft drinks. This means waiters are happy to come around and take your drink order, or you can head to one of the bars and grab it yourself.  

Upon arrival there was a snack area for those that were already hungry.

Lunch is served buffet style and featured a fairly typical island barbecue menu.  There was enough variety offered to satisfy picky eaters too.  The menu features coconut chicken and fried plantains, as well as signature burgers, fish fingers and hot dogs.

Comments

In our cruising experience, group excursions to beaches have been hit or miss for us, as often the experience can be crowded with other cruise guests to the point that it is hard to overlook.  Nonetheless, Mayan Princess broke that mold and offered a relaxing day for us to enjoy.

First and foremost, I relish excursions that offer a pool and beach option.  For families, having the choice is a great equalizer for the unpredictable moods our kids can be in, and/or weather conditions. The pool was chilly, but the kids did not seem to mind and eventually we all got used to it.  As mentioned earlier, seating by the pool is limited, so if you want to sit there, grab a spot early.

The beach was lovely and provided the kind of Caribbean vibe I think most look for in a beach excursion.  There was a band playing island tunes, reasonably sized waves, cool breeze and palm trees all around.  

Photo by Billy Hirsch

It is worth noting that there were quite a few vendors that would walk up and down the beach selling goods and services.  This is not uncommon in the Caribbean, especially since the beaches are open to the public.  A simple "no thank you" and the vendors move on.

Mayan Princess includes drinks and food.  The waiter service was adequate, although not quite as regular as some other all-inclusives we have been to.  Nonetheless, the staff was friendly and the bar was never far away. The quality of drinks provided certainly met our expectations.  The lunch buffet was also pretty good, and I enjoyed the variety of food offered.  It is always a relief to see some basic fare (hot dogs or burgers) served up along side local cuisine, so no one went hungry on our visit.

Overall, Mayan Princess Resort Beach Break was a day well-spent in Roatan.  By the time it was time to leave, I think we all wish we could have had another hour or two to enjoy just a little bit more fun while there.  That is usually a sign of a good time.

Cost: $99.00 per adult or $49.00 per child. Infants are free.

Check out Carlos PenaVega as hangs ten, onboard the world’s largest ship, Symphony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean made its return to the Port of New Orleans when recently when Vision of the Seas homeported at the Julia Street Cruise Terminal for its inaugural cruise Dec. 15, 2018.

“Royal Caribbean is a valued cruise line partner that we are excited to welcome back to the Crescent City,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans President and CEO. “Our commitment to top-notch service combined with the vibrant sights and sounds of the Big Easy will add another dimension to the dynamic Royal Caribbean cruise experience.”

The 2,514-passenger ship will sail seasonal, seven-night itineraries from Port NOLA to culture-rich destinations across the Bahamas, Caribbean and Yucatan Peninsula through March 2019.