Royal Caribbean Blog

Happy December! We cannot believe that we are already one full week into the month – there is so much going on with holiday preparation and shopping and baking!

Royal Caribbean announced this week that it will end its parternship with DreamWorks.

Starting on all sailings departing on or after April 1, Royal Caribbean will cease to offer the DreamWorks experience on any of its ships.

All cruises that depart before April 1 will have the DreamWorks experience for the entirety of the cruise; programming will not cut off mid-cruise.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean has agreed to build a new cruise terminal in Galveston.
• Two more Royal Caribbean ships can now use the new smart phone app.
• We shared our top 10 Symphony of the Seas hidden secrets.
• Cruise Critic named Royal Caribbean the best cruise line for entertainment and suite offerings.
• 2020-2021 Short Caribbean sailings went on sale this week.
• Our full review of Royal Caribbean's new VIP guest experience, The Key.
• Royal Caribbean kicked off its December sales promotion this week, with 30% off all guests.
• Take a photo tour of a Grand Suite on Symphony of the Seas.
• Take a look at the Perfect Day at CocoCay map.
• Here's a look at the CocoCay pier progress.
• Royal Caribbean shared a new video of the family adventures available on Symphony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 279th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we share what you need to know before going on a cruise from Terminal A in PortMiami.

Royal Caribbean's brand new cruise terminal in Miami is open, and Matt shares a guide for going from curb to ship in Terminal A.

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 how an astronaut helped Royal Caribbean develop a show on Symphony of the Seas.

Seatrade Cruise News reports Royal Caribbean named a new member to its Board of Directors.

TravelBiz reported Royal Caribbean has won the title of favorite cruise line in India.

The Grand Suite (Category GS) on Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas is a popular choice for guests who want to indulge in a suite experience. It offers a lot of living space, and the Sky Class benefits of the Royal Suite Class.

This photo tour is from stateroom 12254 on Symphony of the Seas during a November 2018 sailing.

The Grand Suite measures 371 square feet and has a balcony that is 105 square feet.

Grand Suite staterooms on Symphony of the Seas have a bedroom area with two twin beds that convert to a Royal King.

The full bathroom has a tub and two sinks. There is a living room with a sofa that converts to double bed.

The private balcony has a seating area and private dining.

Royal Caribbean rolled out a new update to its smart phone app that adds support to two ships, plus new interactive games on Symphony of the Seas.

Version 1.13.0 was released today and it adds support for Harmony of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas. This brings the total to 12 ships in the fleet that can take advantage of the app.  Each ship has varying feature sets, as the app is still under development.

In addition, guests on Symphony of the Seas can download and play two new immersive games from the app: Duck Duck Bear and Splish Splash Soak. These games are activated when standing in front of designated signs on the Boardwalk.

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

If it's Friday, that means we are sharing our reader's best Royal Caribbean photos in this week's Friday Photos showcase.  As always, we want to include as many of our readers photos as we can, so be sure to send us your best Royal Caribbean photos too!

Joe Moran (@JLMoran) starts us off with this photo of Freedom of the Seas docked in St. Kitts.

Next up is a fun photo of a tiny towel animal in Beth Bean's stateroom while on Oasis of the Seas.

Here is a photo of Harmony of the Seas in Labadee by Rebecc Thibert.

Shawn Crossley took a photo of Rose and Callum on the helipad of Voyager of the Seas while docked in Noumea, New Caledonia.

Wilson took a photo looking down the starboard side from the bridge of Navigator of the Seas.

We have another towel animal photo, this one by David Ep on Grandeur of the Seas.

Sandra Doss took this photo in Cozumel, with Liberty of the Seas behind her.

Do you have Royal Caribbean photos that you want to share?  We'd love to feature them so send them in by using our nifty submission form and maybe your photos will show up in next week's edition!

It appears Royal Caribbean will cease offering DreamWorks programming on its ships for sailings that depart on or after April 1, 2019.

Royal Caribbean sent guests on select sailings an update about the ship's programming to inform them of the change. The cruise line reiterated their commitment to offering plenty of family programming to its guests.

All sailings that depart before April 1 will have the program for the entire sailing.  The only exception to this end date is the DreamWorks ice skating show onboard Allure of the Seas. Due to a previously scheduled cast rotation, the last Allure sailing featuring the DreamWorks show will be the March 17, 2019 sail date. After that sailing, Allure will feature a new ice show by Royal Caribbean Productions team.

There are nine Royal Caribbean ships that offer the DreamWorks Experience onboard, which include activities such as character meet and greets, Adventure Ocean programming, films and character breakfasts.

• Allure of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas,
• Freedom of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas
• Anthem of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

Royal Caribbean said the decision was made as part of its regular process of reviewing and refreshing their onboard offerings.

The DreamWorks ice skating show and DreamWorks AquaTheater show on Allure of the Seas will be replaced with family-friendly shows designed by Royal Caribbean Productions. The sail away party and Royal Promenade parade, on select ships, will be replaced with original parties and programming.

Symphony of the Seas was the first new Royal Caribbean ship since the partnership began with DreamWorks in June 2010 not to debut with the DreamWorks Experience onboard.  In lieu of the DreamWorks offerings, Royal Caribbean created its own brand of family entertainment activities to maintain its family programming options.

Royal Caribbean is offering 30% off all guests with its WAVE December Offer.

30% off All Guests

Booking Window: December 5, 2018 – December 26, 2018
Sailing Window: All sailings departing on or after January 5, 2019.
Offer details: All guests 30% Off

Freedom Promo Code

Booking Window: December 5, 2018 – December 31, 2018
Sailing Window: Sailings between November 16, 2018 – April 30, 2019
Offer details: offers $50 savings
Promo Code: DEAL

Alaska Onboard Credit

Booking Window:December 5, 2018 – December 26, 2018
Sailing Window:All 2019
Offer details: Up to $300 to spend at sea

• Cruise only: $50 OBC for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $150 for Suites
• Cruise Tour: $100 OBC for Interior and Ocean View, $200 for Balconies and $300 for Suites

Eligible Products: Alaska sailings

Alaska Free Upgrades

Booking Window: December 5, 2018 – December 26, 2018
Sailing Window: All 2019
Offer details: Balconies at the price of Oceanviews
Eligible Products: Alaska sailings
Exclusions: Cruise Tours

30% Off All Guests 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. 

Royal Caribbean and the Port of Galveston announced they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development and operation of a new cruise terminal.

The new terminal will cover approximately 200,000 square feet on ten acres of land in the southeast section of the Port known as Pier 10. Improvements to the pier bulkhead and apron will be made to safely accommodate the cruise line’s largest vessels. In addition, a staging and loading area, bus and taxi staging areas and substantial parking will be constructed. The new state-of-the-art facility is anticipated to open in Fall 2021.

“Over the last 15 years, Royal Caribbean has brought over 2.4 million guests to Galveston driving an economic impact of $65 million each year. The development of a new terminal is crucial to our continued growth and expansion of the brand in the region,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “We look forward to continuing our outstanding relationship with the Port of Galveston and are excited about our plans for a state-of-the-art facility with a bold new design and technological advancements that will considerably enhance our guest experience.”

The long-term lease negotiations could lead to a 60-year transaction: a 20-year initial term and four 10-year options.

Royal Caribbean opened up its 2020-2021 short Caribbean deployments for booking today to Crown and Anchor Society members, with the general public going on sale on December 6, 2018.

You can view each ship's sailings here:

• Enchantment of the Seas (from Galveston)
• Mariner of the Seas (from Port Canaveral)
• Navigator of the Seas (From Miami)

The opening schedule for the 2020-2021 sailings is as follows:

• Week of December 10, 2018: Caribbean (Phase I), Northeast, Canada & Bermuda
• Week of December 17, 2018: Europe (Phase II)

Remaining 2020-2021 sailings will be announced in Spring 2019.

Royal Caribbean International’s new Symphony of the Seas is a “playground” for guests of all ages. From glow-in-dark laser tag, an escape room adventure and multistory waterslides, to the one-of-a-kind Ultimate Family Suite – featuring an in-suite slide, air hockey table and a private cinema – Symphony’s collection of bold, new thrills make this TIME magazine “World’s Greatest Places” winner the ultimate family vacation.

Royal Caribbean came away with a few awards from the 11th annual Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards.

Royal Caribbean was the winner in the following categories:

Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International

"Royal Caribbean continues to entertain with original Broadway-style productions, parades and now, laser tag. State-of-the-art technology, including drones, has enhanced new shows in the skating rink as well as with amusements like Sky Pad, a bungee-trampoline experience that also employs virtual reality. And as always, you can still surf, slide and fly (by zipline or skydive simulator) onboard many of Royal Caribbean's ships."

Best Ship Refurbishment: Mariner of the Seas – Royal Caribbean International

"Royal Caribbean invested $120 million into the refurbishment of Mariner of the Seas and the results are astounding. From the bright yellow globe at the top of the ship that houses the virtual reality trampoline experience Sky Pad to the addition of two restaurants, two bars, FlowRider surf simulators, the Perfect Storm water park and an escape room, Mariner's got plenty to keep you entertained."

Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International

"The lavishness of Royal Caribbean's top cabins as well as their inclusiveness and variety -- some ships offer up to a dozen suite categories -- can't be beat by any other mainstream cruise line. Just imagine, suites as deluxe as luxury penthouses. Royal Caribbean's got them. And this year, the line even introduced the Ultimate Family Suite, a visual marvel complete with a bedroom-to-living room slide."