Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas is currently being upgraded at a dry dock in Cadiz, Spain and we have a look at the progress being made.

Mariner of the Seas is the second Royal Caribbean cruise ship to be upgraded as part of the Royal Amplified program that will add new features to the Oasis, Freedom and Voyager Class ships.

After an extensive $90 million makeover, Mariner's is scheduled to offer 3- to 4-night Bahamas cruises beginning in June 2018 out of Miami, Florida.

Parents can sit back and enjoy their vacation while their kids have a blast at Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean kids program. Here, kids from 2-17 enjoy their own space with age-appropriate games, sports and educational activities. Best of all? Every member of the Adventure Ocean staff brings years of childcare education, training and experience so guests know they’re in good hands.

Royal Caribbean is offering guests a $50 instant discount on Cuba sailings on Majesty of the Seas or Empress of the Seas when using the promo code 'CUBA'.

Cruise must be booked between May 22 and May 31, 2018 and applies to select sailings departing on or after 6/22/18.

The offer includes:

• $50 instant savings for those guests booked on any Cuba sailing departing on Empress or Majesty of the Seas between 6/22/18 and 4/10/20.
  • Promo code CUBA must be entered or provided at the time of booking to be able to receive the promotional offer.
• 50% off cruise fare of second guest booked in the same stateroom as first full-fare paying guest
• “Kids Sail for Free Offer”offers free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on 4 nights or longer Europe, Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, Canada, Coastal and Caribbean sailings departing between 9/1/18 – 5/31/19.
  • The Kids Sail Free Bonus excludes sailings between 11/17/18 – 11/23/18, sailings between 12/17/18 – 1/1/19 sailings between 2/15/19 – 2/18/19, sailings between 3/16/19 – 3/30/19 and sailings between 4/13/19 – 4/22/19. Instant savings amount shown in USD and will be converted to currency used for cruise purchase.

Offer is combinable with select promotions.

Offer open to residents of US, Canada, Puerto Rico and select countries in the Caribbean.

Guests sailing on Royal Caribbean may notice their next round of cocktails will not served with a plastic straw by default.

The cruise line has begun cutting back on the use of plastic straws, citing the negative environmental impact straws can have on the ocean.

Photo by Kathy Constantine from Adventure of the Seas

Photo by Nick Vitani on Enchantment of the Seas

Signs posted at bars around many ships indicate that when a guest orders a drink, they will not receive a straw automatically.  Guests may receive a straw upon request from any server.

Royal Caribbean's Save the Waves program began in 1992 as an effort to help protect the ocean ecosystem, and this new policy regarding drink straws is another step towards minimizing ocean pollution.

Stay up-to-date with all the Royal Caribbean news from this week with our roundup of all this week's news.

It looks like Royal Caribbean is considering offering overnight and even multi-night stays at CocoCay at some point in the future.

Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley hinted that in addition to late-night cruise visits to CocoCay, there could be 10 cabanas of suite-type quality to offer the option for some guests to remain on CocoCay for a few days.

Royal Caribbean is in the midst of a $200 million upgrade at CocoCay, which will bring a water park, slides, cabanas and more the island.

Royal Caribbean News

• An announcement on new private islands in Asia could be coming soon.
• Royal Caribbean answered some frequently asked questions about Perfect Day at CocoCay.
• Here is a new photo tour of the refurbished Independence of the Seas.
• Our new video looks at what I wish I knew before taking a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Royal Caribbean shows how they installed the Sky Pad on Independence of the Seas.
• Our list of eight things to love about Independence of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 250th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, which looks at why taking a Royal Caribbean cruise alone can be a great idea.

The prospect of going on a Royal Caribbean cruise solo may sound odd, but in fact, it can be a great vacation experience. Michael and Matt talk about the virtues and strategies of enjoying a Royal Caribbean cruise by yourself.

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 Critic is reporting Spectrum of the Seas will offer a suites-only area of the ship.

Royal Caribbean posted an interview with its Chief Meteorologist about what to know about cruising during hurricane season.

Cruise Trade News shares how Royal Caribbean is using a Gen-Z panel to help shape the cruise line's offerings.

Ship Technology covers the race for faster WiFi on cruise ships.

Happy Friday to everyone! When the calendar hits Friday, that means we are sharing our readers favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos!  

Each week we invite our readers to send us their favorite Royal Caribbean photos and we showcase them all right here!

Let's begin with a photo by Matthew Hull of Anthem of the Seas "looking" in on St. Kitts.

Kinny Lee shared a photo of the entrance to the Boardwalk.

Linda shared this photo from a stop in Labadee.

Speaking of Labadee, here is a photo by Dalaina Sandland from the top of the Dragon's Breath zip line with Harmony of the Seas in the distance.

Our unintentional salute to Labadee continues with this photo by Ken from Labadee with Oasis of the Seas in the background.

Michel Dumais takes us to Santorini, where we get this lovely shot of Jewel of the Seas just off the coast.

Our final photo this week is by Fred Swanevelt, and it is of Empress of the Seas docked in Havana.

We want to share your Royal Caribbean photos too! Send us your favorite, best, most awesome Royal Caribbean cruise photos by using this form and we will feature them in an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

Ever wonder what lessons someone new to Royal Caribbean might be able to pick up from veteran cruisers?  If so, we have the perfect video for you.

No matter if you are planning your first Royal Caribbean cruise or your twentieth, there are always a lot of factors to consider when it comes to planning your vacation.  In fact, Royal Caribbean cruise planning practically has its own language.

While a lot of these tips will be especially helpful for first-time cruisers, even repeat guests can always gather more information when it comes to Royal Caribbean vacation planning to make your next experience even more fun. So please join us while we discuss all sorts of helpful hints for your next Royal Caribbean cruise!

And if you love this video, there’s plenty more for you to enjoy over on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single episode!

Royal Caribbean released its Maycation sales offer today, which offers 50% off the second guest, kids sail free and a bonus of up to $100 instant savings.

The Maycation offer applies select sailings departing on or after 6/17/18 and is valid on cruises booked between May 17 - 21, 2018.

The deal includes:

• 50% off cruise fare of second guest booked in the same stateroom as first full-fare paying guest.
• 25% off cruise fare for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualified guests. 
• Up to $100 per stateroom determined by category booked and sailing length:
  • On sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $50 for Balconies and $75 for Suites
  • On sailing 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $100 for Suites
• Kids Sail for Free Offer
  • offers free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on 4 nights or longer Europe, Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, Canada, Coastal and Caribbean sailings departing between September 1, 2018 – May 31, 2019.
  • The Kids Sail Free Bonus excludes sailings between February 15 – 18, 2019, sailings between March 16 – 30, 2019, sailings between April 13 -22, 2019, sailings between November 17 – November 23, 2018 and Sailings between December 17, 2018 – January 1, 2019.

BOGO and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as with Maycation Deals Sale, NRBD OBC, promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Maycation Deals is combinable with NRDB OBC, OBC, instant savings, NextCruise offers, restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military) but not combinable with Shareholder benefits and Crown and Anchor discounts.

All 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.

Offer available to residents of United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select countries in the Caribbean. 

Have you heard about Royal Caribbean's $200 million development project at its private destination in the Bahamas? The Perfect Day at CocoCay is slated to offer cruise guests an incredible day ashore that will be exclusively available to Royal Caribbean cruise guests.

Since Royal Caribbean revealed its plans for CocoCay earlier this year, there have been a lot of interest in what will be offered once Perfect Day opens.  Here are answers to some commonly asked Perfect Day at CocoCay questions.

This information was up to date as of May 15, 2018.

When will CocoCay open?

Royal Caribbean plans to open CocoCay in phases as parts of the island's upgrades are ready.

The first aspect of Perfect Day at CocoCay is scheduled to open in September 2018 when the new pier is completed. Chill Island and Oasis Lagoon are planned for November 2018, while Thrill Waterpark and South Beach debut in April 2019.

The official Perfect Day at CocoCay Grand Opening, which will include CocoBeach Club and the Overwater Cabanas, is set for December 2019.

The exact schedule is subject to change and is fully dependent upon achieving all construction deadlines and does not account for unforeseeable events.

Capacity and operations

Royal Caribbean designed the Perfect Day at CocoCay so that all of its cruise ships could potentially stop there, including the Oasis class ships.

The average service capacity for a single call day on the island is projected at 6,500 guests.

Perfect Day at CocoCay is a private destination exclusive to Royal Caribbean and no other cruise lines will be able to stop there.

Coco Beach Club costs and access

Guests looking to truly indulge will want to go to the Coco Beach Club.  The Coco Beach Club will offer an oceanfront infinity pool, upgraded cuisine and the only overwater cabanas in the Bahamas. Cabanas at the Coco Beach Club come with an overwater hammock, waterslide and private attendant.

Coco Beach Club offers an exclusive beach experience available to all guests, not just suite guests. An additional fee will be administered for entry into this elevated experience. Costs will be shared at a later date.

Children will be allowed in the Coco Beach Club.  In fact, there are no age restrictions at any of the Perfect Day at CocoCay attractions or activities. Children of all ages are welcome!

How to book Perfect Day at CocoCay

In the future, your clients will have the opportunity to plan out their perfect day as most experiences at Perfect Day at CocoCay will be available to book via the Cruise Planner tool.

Guests booked on sailings that call on Perfect Day at CocoCay will be notified when this feature becomes available.

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

Episode 250 is available for downloading, where Michael Poole shares why going on a Royal Caribbean cruise by yourself is a great idea.

Going on a cruise alone may sound weird, but in reality, it can be an extremely fun and gratifying cruise experiences.  Michael and Matt talk about how to best take advantage of cruising solo, and what sort of information you should be aware of before going it alone.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 250. 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!