In light of the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has altered the loans it took out to finance Anthem of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas in order to take advantage of a 12-month debt holiday.

The deal was made between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft on April 8, and it essentially means Royal Caribbean to skip a few payments without accruing additional interest. Moreover, it provides the cruise line with $200 million of incremental liquidity through April 2021.

The deferral period is between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. The deferred money will be repayable in eight equal semi-annual installments between April 2021 and October 2024.

In addition, Royal Caribbean amended the export-credit backed loan facility incurred to finance Celebrity Reflection in order to incorporate the benefits of the Debt Holiday. Across these three facilities, the Debt Holiday initiative will generate $200 million of incremental liquidity through April 2021.

Royal Caribbean is also looking into taking advantage of the debt holiday initiative across the remainder of their Hermes-backed facilities.

The loan amendment has a few stipulations, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. may not take certain actions including:

• Payment of dividends
• Repurchase of stock
• Issuance of debt or equity other than for liquidity

In light of the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has altered the loans it took out to finance Anthem of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas in order to take advantage of a 12-month debt holiday.

The deal was made between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft on April 8, and it essentially means Royal Caribbean to skip a few payments without accruing additional interest. Moreover, it provides the cruise line with $200 million of incremental liquidity through April 2021.

The deferral period is between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. The deferred money will be repayable in eight equal semi-annual installments between April 2021 and October 2024.

In addition, Royal Caribbean amended the export-credit backed loan facility incurred to finance Celebrity Reflection in order to incorporate the benefits of the Debt Holiday. Across these three facilities, the Debt Holiday initiative will generate $200 million of incremental liquidity through April 2021.

Royal Caribbean is also looking into taking advantage of the debt holiday initiative across the remainder of their Hermes-backed facilities.

The loan amendment has a few stipulations, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. may not take certain actions including:

• Payment of dividends
• Repurchase of stock
• Issuance of debt or equity other than for liquidity

Royal Caribbean has delayed the next sailing of Anthem of the Seas by one day due to widespread reporting of Chinese passengers on the previous sailing who were feared to be infected with the coronavirus.

Local media reported on the ship's return to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey as cause for concern that a coronavirus outbreak could have been onboard.  In the hours since the ship returned to port, personnel from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) boarded the ship and conducted screenings, concluding no presence of coronavirus.

The hospital is following proper infection control protocols while evaluating these individuals. New Jersey currently has no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and the risk to residents remains low.

For more information on novel coronavirus visit:https://t.co/XoWMvzv6Rv pic.twitter.com/ED30tFMx0r

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) February 7, 2020

While the ship has been cleared by local authorities, Royal Caribbean has decided to delay Anthem of the Seas' departure until February 8, 2020 in order to "reassure concerned guests" that the ship is indeed cleared by the CDC.

Letters courtesy of Emily Hufnal

Royal Caribbean is offering guests a 1-day refund in the form of onboard credit for the missed day onboard, as well as credits for any pre-purchased internet, drink or dining packages.

Royal Caribbean reiterated it is working with medical experts, public health authorities, and local governments to ensure its screening and boarding protocols are working to protect guests and crew.

Royal Caribbean also has taken numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards. This includes:

• Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing,
• Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day,
• Adding extra medical staff on each sailing,
• Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew,
• Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard.

Royal Caribbean has delayed the next sailing of Anthem of the Seas by one day due to widespread reporting of Chinese passengers on the previous sailing who were feared to be infected with the coronavirus.

Local media reported on the ship's return to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey as cause for concern that a coronavirus outbreak could have been onboard.  In the hours since the ship returned to port, personnel from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) boarded the ship and conducted screenings, concluding no presence of coronavirus.

The hospital is following proper infection control protocols while evaluating these individuals. New Jersey currently has no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and the risk to residents remains low.

For more information on novel coronavirus visit:https://t.co/XoWMvzv6Rv pic.twitter.com/ED30tFMx0r

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) February 7, 2020

While the ship has been cleared by local authorities, Royal Caribbean has decided to delay Anthem of the Seas' departure until February 8, 2020 in order to "reassure concerned guests" that the ship is indeed cleared by the CDC.

Letters courtesy of Emily Hufnal

Royal Caribbean is offering guests a 1-day refund in the form of onboard credit for the missed day onboard, as well as credits for any pre-purchased internet, drink or dining packages.

Royal Caribbean reiterated it is working with medical experts, public health authorities, and local governments to ensure its screening and boarding protocols are working to protect guests and crew.

Royal Caribbean also has taken numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards. This includes:

• Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing,
• Special sanitizing of high traffic areas onboard multiple times a day,
• Adding extra medical staff on each sailing,
• Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew,
• Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy onboard.

As part of the new digital entertainment coming to the Royal app on select ships, Royal Caribbean has introduced an interactive game called Expedition Two70 for Anthem of the Seas.

The game is free to play, and simply requires guests have the Royal Caribbean app installed on their mobile device.

Once on board the ship guests can visit the Two70° venue to begin the augmented reality adventure.

The game proceeds in a scavenger hunt fashion looking for masks with the beautiful Two70° venue on deck 5 aft.

Once a mask is found players scan the mask in the app to launch one of four augmented reality games. 

Each game session explain the objectives before launching into the augmented reality game using the camera and motion sensors of your device.

At this mask station a virtual mountain appears with light directed through a series of gems by moving your device and yourself around to focus the light on an object, destroying it and moving to the next level.   

Once you complete all levels in the challenge that mask is unlocked.

Masks are found in different areas around the Two70° venue.   Each offers a unique and challenging augmented reality experience.

As you progress through the adventure each mask is unlocked until you have unlocked all of the masks.  

It’s a lot of fun for kids of all ages and part of the digital entertainment experience that Royal is bringing to guests through the Royal app. 

As part of the new digital entertainment coming to the Royal app on select ships, Royal Caribbean has introduced an interactive game called Expedition Two70 for Anthem of the Seas.

The game is free to play, and simply requires guests have the Royal Caribbean app installed on their mobile device.

Once on board the ship guests can visit the Two70° venue to begin the augmented reality adventure.

The game proceeds in a scavenger hunt fashion looking for masks with the beautiful Two70° venue on deck 5 aft.

Once a mask is found players scan the mask in the app to launch one of four augmented reality games. 

Each game session explain the objectives before launching into the augmented reality game using the camera and motion sensors of your device.

At this mask station a virtual mountain appears with light directed through a series of gems by moving your device and yourself around to focus the light on an object, destroying it and moving to the next level.   

Once you complete all levels in the challenge that mask is unlocked.

Masks are found in different areas around the Two70° venue.   Each offers a unique and challenging augmented reality experience.

As you progress through the adventure each mask is unlocked until you have unlocked all of the masks.  

It’s a lot of fun for kids of all ages and part of the digital entertainment experience that Royal is bringing to guests through the Royal app. 

As part of the new digital entertainment coming to the Royal app on select ships, Royal Caribbean has introduced an interactive game called Expedition Two70 for Anthem of the Seas.

The game is free to play, and simply requires guests have the Royal Caribbean app installed on their mobile device.

Once on board the ship guests can visit the Two70° venue to begin the augmented reality adventure.

The game proceeds in a scavenger hunt fashion looking for masks with the beautiful Two70° venue on deck 5 aft.

Once a mask is found players scan the mask in the app to launch one of four augmented reality games. 

Each game session explain the objectives before launching into the augmented reality game using the camera and motion sensors of your device.

At this mask station a virtual mountain appears with light directed through a series of gems by moving your device and yourself around to focus the light on an object, destroying it and moving to the next level.   

Once you complete all levels in the challenge that mask is unlocked.

Masks are found in different areas around the Two70° venue.   Each offers a unique and challenging augmented reality experience.

As you progress through the adventure each mask is unlocked until you have unlocked all of the masks.  

It’s a lot of fun for kids of all ages and part of the digital entertainment experience that Royal is bringing to guests through the Royal app. 

Royal Caribbean has expanded its new app to include support for Anthem of the Seas.

Anthem now appears in the list of supported ships that can be found from within the app.

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.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Royal Caribbean has expanded its new app to include support for Anthem of the Seas.

Anthem now appears in the list of supported ships that can be found from within the app.

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.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

After months of rumors, it now appears Royal Caribbean will move Anthem of the Seas in 2020 from the New York market, and send her over to the Southampton, England.

Royal Caribbean UK and Ireland managing director Ben Bouldin confirmed the news to TravelWeekly.

"Not only that, I'm delighted to announce that the UK will see Anthem of the Seas returned to Southampton, and that will go on sale on the 20th of November. We're thrilled to have her back."

Word of a Quantum Class ship coming back to the UK first arose after Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley confirmed one of the ships in the class would sail from Southampton in 2020. Bayley did not mention which Quantum Class ship it would be, but cruise fans quickly narrowed down the choices by process of elimination to Quantum or Anthem.

If you are wondering when Anthem of the Seas sailings will go on sale, Royal Caribbean has indicated that Europe Phase I sailings will go on sale the week of November 19, and Europe Phase II will go on sale the week of December 17.  Bouldin indicated ex-UK and Europe departures in 2020 will be available to book from November 20.

It remains to be seen which ship will replace Anthem of the Seas in Bayonne, New Jersey. The nature of new ship deployment announcements is there are many moving pieces that comprise a deployment schedule.