You'll need to be at least 18 years old now to go to one of the pools on the world's biggest cruise ship.

Guests sailing on Icon of the Seas spotted a change as of this week's sailing that the Swim & Tonic bar is now for adults only.

Situated in the Chill Island neighborhood, Royal Caribbean claims it's the largest swim‑up bar at sea.

Initially, Swim & Tonic was open to guests of all ages. Families with kids were free to splash in the shallow water and hang near the action.

An exclusive photo provided to Royal Caribbean Blog shows a sign posted at the entrance to the pool indicates all passengers going into the pool must be at least 18 in order to access it, which is the same rule as its other adults-only spaces.

Up until now, the Swim & Tonic pool was open to guests of all ages.

A change to maintain the vibe of the pool

Royal Caribbean did not offer any comment or explanation for the change, but it makes sense a pool that is all about offering an integrated bar experience would be for only adults.

Among the different pools you'll find on Icon, Swim & Tonic is designed to offer a swim-up bar, rather than a lounging option.

There is a bar on one end of the pool, along with in-pool tables to place your beverages.

Surrounding the pool are in-water loungers.

The experience seemed to be inspired by Oasis Lagoon and The Hideaway at Perfect Day at CocoCay, which both have swim-up bars and are quite popular.

Every Royal Caribbean ship has an adults-only pool area, with the Icon Class ships having The Hideaway at the very back of the ship.

Initially, the Cloud 17 pool was going to be adults-only, but the cruise line made a last-minute change right before the launch of Icon of the Seas in early 2024.

Families with younger children will need to use the other pools on board, including:

• The family-friendly Splashaway Bay and Baby Bay (in Surfside neighborhood)
• The Cove Pool, an infinity-style option
• Royal Bay Pool, one of the largest at sea
• Cloud 17

In short: there are still plenty of options. But Swim & Tonic is now off-limits to the under-18 crowd.

Response to a problem cruisers brought up

It's possible this policy shift to make Swim & Tonic adults-only is a response to guest feedback.

During a Q&A event with travel agents aboard a preview cruise on Utopia of the Seas, one travel agent specifically brought up kids being an issue at the Swim & Tonic bar.

The travel agent said, "Icon is fantastic, but (at) the swim-up bar, there’s kids splashing into your drinks."

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley, responded that the cruise line hears passengers' concerns and will look into it.

He also said they'd consider a revisit of curfew rules and bar policies, in general.

Why the Swim & Tonic pool is a must-do

The Swim & Tonic pool was one of the many innovations first introduced with Icon of the Seas.

The idea is simple: combine a pool with a bar that serves frozen cocktails and a fun atmosphere.

The space features:

• A spacious bar with submerged barstools
• A surrounding plunge pool with upbeat music and tropical theming
• Dozens of loungers around the deck area
• Access to nearby Chill Bar and Lime & Coconut for overflow service

Royal Caribbean could have changes coming to its co-branded credit card.

During the Royal Caribbean Group second quarter earning call with investors, company executives hinted at changes are coming to its credit card offering.

Royal Caribbean has a Visa credit card that is offered through Bank of America.

When asked about the card and its future, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty said, "We do have a co-branded credit card. It is tied today to our loyalty program, but not in the way that fits our ambition."

That statement appears to point towards a change consumers can expect in the future.

Something coming "very soon"

Mr. Liberty didn't talk specifics, but he did elaborate a bit more on the subject, tying it into the cruise line loyalty program.

"I think you’re going to see something very meaningful coming out of that very, very soon," he said. This is the strongest signal yet that the Royal Caribbean Visa Signature Card may undergo a major revamp.

While no timeline was given, the fact he said "very soon" is more interesting considering the changes rival Carnival Cruise Line made to its program.

Carnival recently rolled out controversial changes to its loyalty program, including a brand new credit card.

Royal Caribbean's Visa Signature credit card isn't tied to its loyalty program in the same way that Carnival's new co-branded credit card will be tied to Carnival Rewards.

With no annual fee, the credit card offers cardholders the ability to earn points on everyday purchases that can be redeemed for onboard credit, stateroom upgrades, cruise discounts, merchandise, and more.

Carnival's card is far more integrated and crucial to its new loyalty program. 

As part of Carnival Rewards, it allows cruisers there to earn points towards a loyalty program. 

Royal Caribbean's card is limited to simply onboard experiences and cruise bookings. It has minimal synergy with Crown & Anchor Society.

A credit card ties into its loyalty program

The credit card change appears to be part of a deeper push towards loyalty members.

Royal Caribbean is aggressively investing in its loyalty and digital ecosystem. During the earnings call, they mentioned 40% of guests now come from loyalty members and loyalty guests spend 25% more per trip than new passengers.

"Loyalty that really impacts guest behavior… keeps them inside of our ecosystem," Mr. Liberty said.

"Our guests are very focused on recognition and also being incentivized for the spend and loyalty that they provide." 

He went on to say, "Especially on the loyalty program side, we are very tuned into and have a lot of plans on what things our guests and our brands feel are a value to them that would result in them behaving even more loyal to us."

A new credit card could further incentivize high-spending guests, boost repeat bookings, and even compete with hotel and airline programs.

What could a new Royal Caribbean credit card look like?

There were no details shared during the earnings call beyond the vague ambition to change its credit card, but we might have a vision for it based on public filings.

Royal Caribbean recently filed trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office for phrases that sound a lot like they could be used for a new credit card.

• ROYAL ONE
• ROYAL ONE PLUS
• ROYAL ONE REWARDS
• ROYAL ONE RESERVE
• ROYAL ONE POINTS
• ROYAL ONE PREMIER

In fact, the description of some of these trademarks specifically say they're for a credit card.

"ROYAL ONE RESERVE™ trademark registration is intended to cover the category of magnetically encoded credit cards and loyalty cards that track customer purchases for reward purposes."

"ROYAL ONE POINTS™ trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of retail and online retail store reward program; Credit card reward programs services; the administration of incentive award programs related to the sale and use of credit card accounts."

Loyalty war is heating up

It remains to be seen if Royal Caribbean will go as aggressively into rebuilding its loyalty program as Carnival, but it does appear they are very keen on building its base out.

By expanding into river cruises, building new ships, and developing private destinations around the world, it's clear Royal Caribbean wants to leverage its product lineup as a differentiator among a crowded travel field.

They've made it no secret competing with land vacations is a goal of ships like Star of the Seas or Icon of the Seas, and having these best-in-class assets is a major component.

During the call, Mr. Liberty made a bold statement, "If somebody goes outside of our ecosystem… we should look at that as a fail."

By being all-encompassing, they believe they can hold onto existing customers better while at the same time appealing to new cruisers with flashy offerings that are unrivaled.

Royal Caribbean's cruise boom isn't slowing down.

The second quarter earnings results were released by Royal Caribbean Group on Tuesday, and the message is clear to consumers: cruise demand is surging, even as prices rise.

The company said its ships sailed with a load factor of 110% during the second quarter, indicating ships are sailing full.

"Demand for our portfolio of brands and our industry-leading experiences continues to accelerate," said Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty in a press release.

A stronger than expected second quarter

The posted results paint a picture of very strong consumer demand for going on one of the Royal Caribbean Group brands of ships.

• $1.2 billion net income; EPS of $4.41, beating expectations.
• 2.3 million guests served in one quarter, which is up 10% year over year during the same time period.
• Net Yields up 5.3%, driven by higher ticket prices and onboard spend.

"Guest spending onboard and pre-cruise purchases continue to exceed prior years, driven by greater participation at higher prices," the company said in its prepared statement. That's been a trend for years that is seemingly getting stronger.

What it means is more people booked on cruises than ever are spending more than ever on extras for their sailing, such as shore excursions, WiFi, spa treatments, drink packages and more.

An equally important trend is ships are selling out closer to sail dates, "Bookings have accelerated since the last earnings call, particularly for close-in sailings."

This means the rate of new cruise bookings have picked up since the first quarter, especially for last-minute cruises.

Strong demand for the newest ships and destinations

Royal Caribbean Group called out a few of its newest products that are set to come online because of how well they're selling.

They reported strong demand for new ships like Star of the Seas and Celebrity Xcel.

In addition, there's been an early booking surge for Royal Beach Club Paradise Island.

Mr. Liberty talked about this trend in his prepared remarks, "The strong demand we are seeing across our new ships and land-based destinations reinforces that our strategy is working and resonating with today’s traveler."

Higher prices for cruises

Royal Caribbean Group said Net Yields are expected to rise another 3.5% to 4.0% for the year, and that's important for consumers to understand.

Net Yields measure how much revenue the cruise line earns per passenger, after subtracting certain costs. 

When Royal Caribbean says Net Yields are rising, it means they're making more money per guest. Usually that's from higher ticket prices, and/or higher onboard spending.

In the second quarter of this year, Royal Caribbean’s Net Yields were up 5.3%, and for the full year, they expect them to rise another 3.5% to 4.0%. That may sound like a small percentage, but across millions of passengers, it’s a huge increase in revenue.

There are three key factors pushing Net Yields higher:

• Higher cruise fares, especially for new ships and in-demand itineraries
• People spending more drink packages, specialty dining, shore excursions, and Wi-Fi
• People booking last-minute cruises and still paying premium prices

"Net Yield growth in the quarter was split evenly between new and like-for-like hardware, and was driven by both ticket pricing and onboard spend."

A pipeline of innovation to carry them forward

Another trend within today's results is that Royal Caribbean Group sees even brighter days ahead because of its upcoming lineup of new offerings.

"We see another step change in growth… with a powerful pipeline of incredible new ships, the ramp-up of our highly differentiated new destinations… and continued investments in disruptive technology," Mr. Liberty said in the press release. That's a sign they see their new ships and private destinations as leverage for being even better in the coming months and years.

Over the next two years, Royal Caribbean Group is poised to launch four new cruise ships, new beach clubs and private destinations, and even river cruises.

Plus, expect more investment in personalization and loyalty tech. There's a clear connection between having a better app and website experience and higher revenue for the company.

One big reason I use a travel agent to book my cruises is to make things easier for me.

Ever since I started using travel agents, I realized the services they provide can save me time and money, as well as simply taking the burden off of me.

I've been using MEI Travel for a couple of decades now, and by now I have a good rapport for what I look for in my cruise. Just like the waiter in the dining room that knows what drinks I like to have every night, my travel agent knows which booking preferences I have.

On any cruise I book, I always ask my travel agent to do four important things.  Truthfully, they already know to do most of these before I ask, but I think these are the things I'll always verify are done before I set sail.

Specify my Main Dining Room time and table

When you book a cruise, one of the first decisions you have is which dining option you prefer.

Guests have the choice of Traditional Dining or My Time Dining, and I always pick Traditional Dinner for the simplicity of having a table each day waiting for us.

When I started cruising, we picked the late dining time, but since we started cruising with kids, we've switched over to early seating.

One thing I never liked about late dining was when we got out of dinner, it felt like we missed all the prime evening entertainment.  But when we do early dining, it still feels like "the night is young".

As I'm writing this, I might start considering more the new middle dining time that Royal Caribbean recently added to its ships for that Goldilocks time slot.

My travel agent will always subsequently ask me if there's someone else onboard the ship I want to dine with in the Main Dining Room.

When you link reservations together, Royal Caribbean should put everyone at the same table together.  Or at least, that's what's needed to hopefully make that happen. I'll still verify the table assignment one I get onboard the ship.

Pre-pay my gratuities

Royal Caribbean offers its guests the choice of pre-paying gratuities or having them charged automatically each night of the cruise.

Personally, I prefer to pre-pay them before the cruise begins so there's one less charge on my onboard bill.

When I started cruising, I always hated having a big bill waiting for me at the end of the cruise.  To avoid this, I pre-pay as much as I can so I can budget accordingly.

Another advantage of pre-paying gratuities is it locks in the gratuity rate, even if Royal Caribbean raises it later.

I'll ask my travel agent to add the gratuities to my reservation, and then I'll go into the Cruise Planner to pre-book specialty restaurants, drink packages, shore excursions, and WiFi.

Not only does pre-booking make it easier to pay things off before my vacation begins, but it will save me money too with all the various sales Royal Caribbean runs.

A cabin near the elevator

I really cannot recall the last time I didn't ask my travel agent to pick a cabin near the elevator.

Having a cabin near the elevators and stairs means it'll be convenient to going in and out of my room when I need it.

While I can appreciate the views an aft facing balcony can have, I'd prefer to minimize the walk to and from my room.  This is especially true on Royal Caribbean's really big cruise ships.

I used to be concerned about noise from the elevator lobby, but in my experience I've never any noise from the elevators, and most guests are pretty quiet walking past.

Sure, there is the occasional couple having a loud conversation, teenager running down the hallway, or someone yelling at someone else, but that can happen anywhere on the deck.

If I want to buy travel insurance

I recommend everyone get travel insurance for every cruise they take, and it's one of the things I'll always double check with my travel agent.

Not all travel insurance policies are the same, so it's important to look into what's covered or not.

Royal Caribbean sells its own travel insurance policy, which is underwritten by Arch Insurance Company.

Their policy includes six primary benefits:

• Trip Interruption: Up to 150% of total trip cost if you can't start or finish your cruise vacation because you're sick or hurt, there's a death in the family, or another covered reason.
• Trip Delay: Up to $2,000 ($250 per day) for catch-up expenses
• Missed Connection: Up to $300 if you miss your trip departure for covered reasons by three hours or more.
• Accident and Sickness Medical: up to $25,000 if you get hurt and $25,000 if you get sick on your cruise vacation.
• Emergency Medical Evacuation: Up to $50,000 for emergency medical transportation during your vacation.
• Baggage Protection and Delay: Up to $1,500 if your bags are lost, stolen, or damaged and up to $500 to buy necessary personal items if your bags are delayed.

My advice is compare a few travel insurance policies to find the best one that fits your needs.  Don't just buy travel insurance for the sake of buying travel insurance.

In fact, your travel agent can be a good resource for recommending a good policy or company to use.  Don't be afraid to ask their opinion.

Can you believe it's the last days of July already? It is the middle of Summer and there is a lot of Royal Caribbean news to catch up from during this week.

The top story this week centered around a crew member that jumped overboard from a cruise ship after stabbing another crew member.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the male crew member stabbed a female crew member multiple times on Icon of the Seas and then proceeded to jump off the ship.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the incident was "a personal dispute," but did not provide any further details.

Royal Caribbean News

• 4 signs an inside cruise cabin is what you need
• Cruise passengers disrupted after Celebrity Beyond suffers from a technical problem
• 11 things that surprised me about my first luxury cruise on Silversea
• What is Sky Class on Royal Caribbean?
• AT&T offers cruise ship internet passes. How well does it work?
• 6 packing mistakes I made on my Mexican Rivera cruise, and 5 things I’d bring next time

Video: 5 Things I Want on Royal Caribbean's Rumored New Small Ship Class

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — 5 Things I Want on Royal Caribbean's Rumored New Small Ship Class — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

The worst cruise ports, according to Reddit

What are the cruise ports that cruisers never want to go back to again?

Travelers responded to that exact question and shared why they felt so strongly about never wanting to return to the port again.

Over 600 comments were shared, with ports ranging from Santorini to Cartagena.

What it's like to try a luxury cruise

Matt tried Silversea and his first luxury cruise was unlike anything he'd ever done before.

He sailed on Silver Dawn to the Norwegian Fjords, and it was very different from his years of sailing with Royal Caribbean.

From the level of service, to what's included, to the quality of food, the Silversea experience is a major shift.

5 small changes I made before my Alaska cruise that made a huge difference

Sometimes minor tweaks have a big impact on improving a cruise.

Jenna recently sailed to Alaska and made a few tweaks to her approach that made the cruise much better.

These changes saved her money, as well as improved her enjoyment of the trip.

6 places I avoid on a cruise ship

Matt goes on lots of cruises, but realized he tends to skip a few venues all the time.

Sometimes these areas he doesn't go to are a matter of personal preference, while other times he thinks it's a mistake to go there.

Everyone has their own cruising style, and it's easy to overlook an area or simply run out of time to get there too.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 572nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, with Matt's hot take on Carnival's Celebration Key.

Celebration Key opened this week, and it's largely being compared to Perfect Day at CocoCay.  Matt shares his initial thoughts on the new project on this week's episode.

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.

When you're trying to decide which cruise ship cabin to book, you might be better off in an inside cabin.

I go back and forth sometimes what type of stateroom is best because each room has its own advantages.  However, I've found there are signals that you should lean in one direction or another.

Picking an inside cabin can sometimes question if you're doing it for a good reason or simply to save money. Besides budget, certain considerations might be a reason to pick an inside stateroom.

Before you decide on a stateroom to reserve, here are four compelling reasons to go with an interior cabin.

You booked a ship because of all the things to do onboard

Royal Caribbean is known for having giant cruise ships packed with so many things to do.  So if you booked a ship like Icon of the Seas or Wonder of the Seas because it has so many fun activities, perhaps an inside stateroom is a good choice.

Considering how much there is to do on the ship, how much time will you really spend in your stateroom?

I've found that when I go on the big ships, I'm instantly drawn to the activities around.  In fact, I often have a lot of FOMO when I'm in my stateroom because it seems there's a lot happening around the ship.

One of the rationales for booking an inside stateroom is in reality, you use your cabin to sleep, shower, and change.  So why spend extra on a nicer room that you won't fully take advantage of?

If one of the reasons you chose a specific ship were all the activities available to try, you might find the stateroom to be an afterthought.  And that's a good reason to stick with an inside room/

You're a light sleeper

No matter how fun a cruise ship is, if you can't get a good night's sleep, it might be frustrating.

Say what you will about the benefits of being in an larger stateroom with a beautiful balcony, but I always sleep so darn well in an inside stateroom.

First, there's no outside light to wake you up in the morning.

When I was in Europe on Independence of the Seas this summer, the sun would rise at around 4am and it messed with my brain because the light would wake me up too early.

Another advantage of an inside cabin is noise from outside the ship, especially when docking.

When our ship docked in Southampton, there was an incessant beeping noise from a truck that was backing up constantly to move items off the ship, and it began at around 5am.  

Because we were in a balcony, that truck disrupted our sleep.  But if we had been in an inside room, it wouldn't have been an issue.

You'll often hear noise on the dock when a ship docks, and it can wake you up too early. 

Without daylight pouring in, there's no natural cue to get up. If you’re the kind who loves hitting the snooze button and skipping breakfast, an inside cabin is your best ally.

There is no such thing as a room being too cold

Do you immediately crank the air conditioning to its coldest setting as soon as you walk into a hotel room? An inside cabin might be for you.

Inside rooms are easily the coldest cabins because there's no natural light or heat emanating from outside to warm it up.

During summer cruises, I'll often keep the curtains drawn in my balcony room because the ambient heat from the sun on my balcony heats up the room.

To be clear, the air conditioning works fine in balcony rooms, but some people prefer their cabins feel like a meat locker.

If you love curling up in a chilly, dark space, this is your cruise cocoon.

You’re planning a port-heavy itinerary

If you're going to book a cruise that has a lot of port visits across 7 nights, such as in the Mediterranean or Alaska, you're going to be off the ship all day.

When you have full day activities, I come back to the ship and immediately shower, nap, and get ready for dinner.

I think having 4, 5, or 6 ports on a single sailing means you'll value the itinerary over what you can see from the ship.  In my experience, balcony rooms are best on sea days primarily.  The value of having it if you're going from start to finish each day in port is kind of lost.

Speaking of places like Alaska, if you choose an early or late season cruise, that might be another reason to go with an inside room because of the weather.

Typically the shoulder seasons in Alaska or Norway can be cold and rainy, thus reducing the usefulness of the balcony.

I knew my first luxury cruise would be different from Royal Caribbean, but a few aspects truly surprised me.

I've been on almost 100 Royal Caribbean sailings, but I was intrigued by the prospect of trying something completely different.

When loyalty status matching was updated, I jumped at the opportunity to try out Silversea.  It meant going on a luxury ship without truly abandoning what I'm familiar with, because Silversea is owned by Royal Caribbean.

After spending a week on Silver Dawn, I came home with 11 surprises from the experience that I wasn't expecting.

The butlers are very different from a Royal Genie

I was excited by the idea of having a butler for the first time on a cruise, but the experience was very different from the Royal Genie service.

Luxury cruise ships are known for offering each suite a butler, but in practice, it's not what I expected.

I suppose in retrospect it makes sense that your butler is only available to help you in your suite.  If I had a butler in my house, they would be there too.

I asked a few different cruisers I met how they maximize their butlers, and most told me the same thing: you basically have to live in your suite to get the most out of it.

That's a bit different from the Royal Genie in Star Class suites, where their services can be used around the ship.

Moreover, I liked I could message my Royal Genie through WhatsApp.  On Silver Dawn, I could only get a hold of the butler by calling them from my cabin phone.

That's not a big deal, but on a few occasions it would have been more practical to message the butler to prepare something as I make my way back to my room.

I expected a stuffy dress code, but most people wore collared shirt and no jacket

If I had a concern before my first Silversea cruise, it was the dress code requirements.

I came into the cruise worried about having to wear a suit every night, but the truth is it's not as formal as I expected.

Silversea relaxed their dress code standards fairly recently, and it was no where near as formal as others had warned me about.

There wasn't even a formal night on our sailing. Evidently I have to be on a longer cruise to have one.

The basic dress code was no jeans or shorts after 6pm, and you needed to have a collared shirt in the restaurants.  Jackets were optional.

And yes, the crew did enforce the rules. I spoke with various guests who told me about how they or someone else were informed they didn't meet the dress code standards.  In those situations, men were offered a jacket to borrow.

During the day, I had no issues wearing what I would wear on Royal Caribbean. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops were all perfectly acceptable.

Far fewer men than I expected wore a jacket to dinner, so it wasn't nearly as strict as I once feared.

No lines anywhere

One thing I quickly noticed on Silver Dawn was that there were basically no lines or crowds.

You often hear about how cruises have long lines and crowds, but Silver Dawn didn't have them at all.  In fact, a few times I went to figure out where everyone was because so many areas were completely empty.

When I asked cruisers onboard why they picked a luxury ship, many said they did it to avoid crowds. They could appreciate what the big ships offer, but didn't want to deal with competing for lounge chairs or lines.

I certainly didn't think the ship would feel as crowded as an Oasis Class ship, but I never thought it would be as empty as it felt.

The incredible service by crew members

No matter which cruise line I've sailed on, crew members have always worked incredibly hard to stand out.  But on Silversea, it went to a different level.

Because the crew to passenger ratio is lower on a luxury ship, I think it was easier for the crew to learn passenger names and what they liked.

By the third day of the sailing, I could count on walking into a bar or lounge and at least one crew member greeting me by name  as soon as I walked in.

Food selections are incredible, even at buffet

I expected the food would better on Silversea than on Royal Caribbean, and I wasn't disappointed.

I think it's fair to assume a luxury cruise would have better food, and it was exemplified at the buffet when they had every day a large selection of sushi.

There were cooking stations at the buffet too, but the dishes came out looking like something I'd get from a specialty restaurant.

In the ship's Main Dining Room, every night there was filet mignon, lobster tail, shrimp, and other cuts of steak to choose from. 

When I ate at the ship's French specialty restaurant, La Dame, there were some really high-end food served, such as foie gras.

My favorite place for food was at the S.A.L.T. lab and restaurant, which sources food from the areas your ship visits.  

Not only is it a really smart idea to incorporate the ship experience into the region you are visiting, but there were fantastic food choices. 

Surprised the premium WiFi costs extra

Considering Silversea is all inclusive, I was surprised there were tiers of internet service.

The cruise fare comes with basic WiFi included, but it's fairly useless.  It's heavily throttled and works only for messaging.

I paid $365 to upgrade to a 2-device premium WiFi package. Not only was that a high cost, but I think a luxury cruise line that says it's all inclusive should include the high speed internet.

In case you're wondering, Silversea uses Starlink too, and the speeds were great.

The only furnishings that disappointed me were the balcony chairs

From the pool chairs, to the lounges, to the towels in my cabin, everything felt luxurious except for my balcony chairs.

It's a minor thing, but I spent time on my balcony on numerous occasions and noticed the chairs and table out there were almost identical to the ones you'd find on a new Royal Caribbean ship.

Moreover, Royal Caribbean suite balconies have more plush chairs with ottomans. 

I felt like it was an easy fix, and perhaps Silversea's newer ships already have them.

Beer selection is surprisingly bad

I think the only double take I did on my cruise was when I asked about the beers to order.

Royal Caribbean's beer selection has always been disappointing, but Silversea's beers are even worse.  You'll find just the generic beers, with little flavor discrepancy.

As you can see in the photo, there isn't much in the way of IPAs, craft beers, or some of the trendier malt beverages.

I'm guessing the average Silversea cruiser doesn't ask for them, but considering how much wider their liquor selection was than Royal Caribbean, I was surprised how limited the beer options were.

No app or check in

I thought I did something wrong when I couldn't find the Silversea app, but turns out there isn't one.

From what I understand they are working on developing an app, but in the meantime there isn't an app.

Truthfully, you don't need the app onboard because there's a mobile website you can access once connected to the WiFi and it had what I needed: activities, my bookings, a copy of the newsletter, and more.

I was equally surprised to find a lack of an online check-in option, but maybe that's just because I'm conditioned to have one on Royal Caribbean.

When I arrived at the ship for check-in in Copenhagen, there was no line at all and just one person ahead of me.  I suppose you don't need a fancy online check-in if there's not a crowd issue to contend with.

Reservations needed for the popular specialty restaurants

Another nuance of the luxury cruise experience is how specialty dining works.

There are essentially three tiers of restaurants on Silversea:

1. Included restaurants that don't require reservations (Main Dining Room)
2. Specialty restaurants that are included in your cruise fare (Silver Note, The Grill)
3. Specialty restaurants that cost money (Kaiseki, La Dame)

How all the reservations worked was more confusion than I anticipated pre-cruise.  

Some restaurants absolutely require reservations or you pretty much cannot dine there. Kaiseki and La Dame pretty much sold out almost immediately, whereas Silver Note and The Grill had more flexibility.

The takeaway here is just because restaurants are included, you can't go in anytime you want. I'd recommend making reservations as early as you can to ensure you can get in.

Status matching was easy, but it didn't get me much

I tried Silversea because of the status matching offered, but it really didn't get me much.

That's a bit misleading, because Silversea includes so much more in the cruise fare than Celebrity or Royal Caribbean.

If you think about all the best benefits you get from Crown & Anchor Society or Captain's Club, they're almost all perks that included with a luxury cruise.

I got free laundry, which was a godsend to not have to ration clean clothing. 

Speaking of status, there isn't as much recognition of status like you do on the other lines. Your Seapass card doesn't have your status level listed or different colors to your card. That's fine with me, just a different approach.

Royal Caribbean's mid-tier suite offering is known as Sky Class, but what is it exactly? And what does it get you?

On the newer and bigger ships, you'll find the cruise line's upgraded suite program that is known as the Royal Suite Class. Royal Caribbean updated its suite offerings years ago, and it uses this moniker to differentiate suites on new ships versus old ships.

A majority of the suites you can book within the Royal Suite Class are Sky Class suites, and they offer the Goldilocks amenities and value: not too cheap, and not too expensive.

Before you spend extra to book a Sky Class suite, here's what you can expect from it.

What is Sky Class on Royal Caribbean?

On Royal Caribbean's newer ships, it has three tiers of suite offerings: Sea, Sky, and Star Class.

They're available on the Oasis, Icon, and Quantum Class ships only. This includes Star of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, and Odyssey of the Seas.

Older and smaller Royal Caribbean ships do not offer Sky Class suites.

Sky Class is the middle tier, and it's where most of the suite rooms are included in, such as:

• Crown Loft Suite
• Owner’s Suite
• Family Suite
• Grand Suite
• 1 Bedroom AquaTheater Suite
• Sunset Junior Suites
• Sky Class Junior Suites
• Surfside Family Suites

Sky Class benefits at a glance

The key difference between any of the suite classes are the perks included with the room.  Sky Class benefits are:

• Concierge service
• All-day access to Coastal Kitchen and The Grove (The Grove is on Icon Class ships only)
• Specialty bottled water upon arrival
• Complimentary internet
• Priority boarding and departure
• Priority dining reservations
• Suite Lounge access
• Access to Suite Sun Deck
• Royal Caribbean plush bathrobes for use onboard
• Luxury pillow top mattress
• Luxury bathroom amenities
• Lavazza Espresso coffee maker

What you can expect from Sky Class

When you book a Sky Class suite, the basics of it are added benefits and service throughout your cruise.

Before you board

A few days prior to your cruise, the suite concierge will email you to introduce themself and to welcome you onboard.  

The email has a reminder of all of your benefits, and it also explains Sky Class passengers have flexible arrival times.

The flexible arrival time means you can arrive an hour earlier or later than your cruise check-in time that you chose in the app. I love this benefit because it means you can get onboard even earlier.

Once you arrive to the cruise terminal, look for a special line exclusive to suite guests.

This line offers priority check-in and an expedited boarding process.

Inside your suite

Most Sky Class suites feature a good mix of space, upgraded facilities, and large balconies.

The difference between suite types is primarily how large the suite is, with the more expensive Sky Class suites offering more square footage.

A 1-Bedroom Grand Suite on Oasis of the Seas will measure 371 square feet of living space and a 105 square foot balcony. A Crown Loft Suite will have 545 square feet of space, and a 114 square foot balcony.

The configuration of the suites can also vary, with larger ones having separate bedrooms and additional bathrooms.

Dining Perks

Arguably one of the best benefits of being in Sky Class is you get access to Coastal Kitchen, which is a suites only restaurant.

Coastal Kitchen is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of your cruise and you have to be in a Sky or Star Class room to get in.  Sea Class suites only have access for dinner.

Speaking of eating, you can also enjoy complimentary room service in your suite. 

Sky Class guests can order off the standard room service menu without a surcharge. In addition, they can order food from the Main Dining Room to be delivered whenever the Main Dining Room is open.

Entertainment

Royal Caribbean reserves seats in the theaters onboard the ship for suite guests (the same seating is also available to loyalty members).

It does not guarantee admission into the show, but the advantage is once you get in, there's a row other guests cannot sit in before you have a chance.

While the reserved seating is nice, it's often in strange locations and may not be where you want to sit.  

Of course, you don't have to sit in the reserved section, but it's available if you prefer.

Concierge and Lounge Access

One of the top suite perks is access to the Suite Concierge and Lounge.

The Suite Concierge is there to help you with anything you may need assistance with.  Think of them like a suites-only Guest Services.

It's a good idea to meet the Concierge on the first day of your cruise to introduce yourself to them and get anything you need take care of.  In fact, you can email the concierge before the cruise begins with any special requests.

The Suite Lounge is an exclusive enclave for suite guests that offers seating, drinks, and snacks throughout the day.

Access to the suite lounge is only for those that booked a Grand Suite or higher cabin, as well as Pinnacle Club members on sailings where there are not too many Pinnacle members.

Each suite lounge has a self-service coffee and espresso maker that you can use 24 hours per day.

In addition, there are snacks offered during select hours.

Sky Class passengers can enjoy complimentary beer and wine from 11am to 11pm in the lounge, and then a full bar happy hour in the evening.  It's a fantastic benefit because you can enjoy many drinks in the lounge (or even take them out back to your cabin or elsewhere).

Disembarkation and Port Days

One other notable perk of being a Sky Class guest is being able to get on and of the ship easier.

If your ship tenders, you'll have priority with them.   The Icon and Oasis Class ships are too large to offer tenders, but the Quantum Class ships occasionally will offer it.

A personal favorite benefit of mine is the escort off the ship by the Suite Concierge.

Speak to the Concierge before the final morning, and they can walk you off the ship and bypass the line of passengers trying to do the same.

Usually you meet the Concierge in the Suite Lounge at a specific time, and they will escort you off the ship and beat the crowds.

How Sky Class compares to Sea and Star Class

Because Sky Class is the middle tier of suite benefits, it can be a nice step up from Sea Class, but nearly as encompassing as Star Class.

I look at Sea Class suites as being essentially "extra large balcony rooms".  They don't have many benefits at all, and don't have access to the Suite Lounge or the Concierge. Booking a Sky Class suite instead would provide far more perks.

Star Class has the best benefits of any suite, including the services of the Royal Genie, unlimited specialty dining, gratuities included and much more.

Price is usually the driving factor as to why to book one class over another.

Sea Class is great if you just want a larger room with the benefit of having additional Crown and Anchor Society points.

Star Class is truly for the passenger that wants to have everything included and one done for them.  It's the cruise "easy button", but will cost two or three times what a Sky Class suite is listed for.

I find the Sky Class suites are great for someone that wants a traditional suite experience onboard with more living space in their stateroom, added service from the Concierge, and access to certain suite-only amenities, such as the lounge and Coastal Kitchen.

Tips for maximizing your Sky Class perks

If you book a Sky Class suite, I'd recommend taking advantage of it in a few ways.

When the Suite Concierge emails you a few days before the cruise, don't be shy.  Respond with any requests you may have, such as dining requests, stateroom configurations, or alerting them to special events.

When in doubt, head to the Suite Sun Deck instead of the regular pool deck for seats.  

Not only are there seats reserved for you on the sun deck, but they're usually plusher and have waiters come by more often.

Speaking of exclusive areas, use the Suite Lounge as a quiet escape. 

During the day, the lounge is usually empty, and it's a great spot to read, play a card game, or chat with friends.

Be sure to take advantage of the priority disembarkation to save time.

Lines to get off the cruise ship on the final morning can be long, and no matter how much time it saves you, it all adds up.

Is Sky Class worth it?

Booking a Sky Class suite is a lot like booking a first class airplane ticket in that it's a nicer way to travel.

I think the people that will benefit the most from trying Sky Class would be folks that want added service and are more likely to spend time in their stateroom.

Having a plush cabin with lots of space is great for those that want to spend more time in their room than perhaps being out and about elsewhere.

While booking a suite will never save you money overall, those that take full advantage of the included benefits could see another reason to book it.

Having complimentary internet access for everyone booked in the suite, access to Coastal Kitchen, and no room service fees are added value.

Having stayed in many Sky Class suites, it's a lovely way to cruise. Having all the extra space in the stateroom, along with access to certain areas makes it all far more enjoyable.

However, it all comes at a cost.  Sky Class suites aren't inexpensive, and there's always a compelling argument whether you should book a suite or balcony room instead.

A Sky Class suite might be the perfect room for a special occasion or longer sailing because you can justify the included perks as being a good rationale for moving up to these types of rooms.

Cruise ship internet has never been cheap, but there's a new option that seeks to make it easier and simpler to have internet access at sea.

While Royal Caribbean sells its own internet service to passengers that's powered by Starlink, wireless carriers are getting in on the game too.

Earlier this year, AT&T expanded its International Day Pass plans to include over 400 cruise ships.

Available to AT&T subscribers, it offers a simple way to be get the internet on your cruise ship. Turn your phone on while on the ship and do something with it (call, text, use data) and your 24-hour International Day Pass begins and you will be charged a $20 per day, per device daily fee.

I was curious how well the service worked, so I accepted an invitation by AT&T to field test their service.  AT&T gifted me a Samsung S25 Ultra along with their service so I could see how well it worked.

I brought the device on three different ships across different regions to see how it worked in different facets:

• Ovation of the Seas in Ensenda, Mexico
• Independence of the Seas in Northern Europe
• Silver Dawn in Denmark & Norway

I wanted to see how well it performed compared to the Voom packages, and if it was truly as good as they claim.

It just works

As soon as I turned my phone on in any of the places I visited, the connection kicked on and I was ready to use the internet.

I think this is one of its top advantages, as you don't have to really do anything in advance.  

Plus, you can cherry pick which days you want to use it.  Turn it on on days you need it, and leave it off on days you don't.

Royal Caribbean only sells unlimited packages for the duration of your cruise.  It does sell a 24 hour pass online, but it's $29.99 per pass.

Royal Caribbean discounts its internet packages when purchased pre-cruise, and you can often get very good prices.

For an 8-night Independence of the Seas cruise, I paid $167.92 for a one device internet package, which came out to $20.99 per day.

Surprisingly fast speeds too

The biggest question I had was how fast would it be, as Voom has been incredibly reliable and fast enough on ships.

I ran speed tests on all the ships I sailed on using Fast.com.  Internet speed tests aren't everything, but it's the best standard I could come up with.

In every test case, the AT&T speeds worked just as fast as Voom.  I might see one out do the other, but truly it was always a negligible difference.

In both cases, there would be the occasional intermittent outage where the internet connection drops, but it would come back.

In my testing, I found the speeds to work quite well, and good enough for the needs I had.  

Something else nice about the AT&T package is I could activate my phone's hot spot and let my kids tether to the device, thus extending the value of the daily cost.

There is one caveat to AT&T, and that is it provides 500MB of high speed data, and then you're throttled for the rest of that day. Every day you get the 500MB of high speed to start with.

I think most people won't run into that cap, but it's worth noting if you plan to stream movies or do a lot of video work.

You can use it on land too

One advantage I saw with AT&T over Voom was that also worked on land and at sea.

According to AT&T, if you’re traveling at sea and on land on the same day, you’ll be charged a fee of $20 per day that includes both locations.

This means you get to use the service while on a shore excursion, whereas the cruise line option doesn't offer that.

It's a very seamless option and I think this is one of the most compelling reasons to try it. 

I was impressed how well the wireless package worked

I expected the Voom package to perform better, but was surprised when it was about the same.

AT&T's offering is perfect for someone that needs to use the internet from their cruise ship on certain days, but not every day.  I think that's a great selling point for someone who doesn't want/need to buy the ship internet for the duration of their cruise.

Plus, it's super easy because you just activate your phone's cellular connection and you're all set. I think Voom is easy to use, but I'm always surprised by the line of people on the Royal Promenade seeking assistance at the Voom desk.