Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - How to get started planning a cruise
In:Ready to plan your first cruise but not sure where to start?
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Ready to plan your first cruise but not sure where to start?
Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via...
Royal Caribbean thinks you'll find some of the best bar fun possible when it launches its next cruise ship.
Cruise ship passengers will find more than 40 bars and hot spots on Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, which will be the first vessel in the line's Icon class and the next "world's largest cruise ship."
Royal Caribbean announced more than 15 of the bars and nightlife experiences on Icon of the Seas today. There is a combination of returning favorite bars as well as new concepts, such as dueling pianos, coffee-infused cocktails, or a new new walkup champagne bar.

There will be no shortage of places to wine, dine, and drink on Icon of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean will have more than 40 venues on the ship, including a few new concepts, like Lou’s Jazz ‘n Blues in Central Park and Dueling Pianos in Royal Promenade, and spots to grab a drink and mingle before a show like the Rye & Bean coffee bar in AquaDome and the Bubbles champagne bar in Central Park.
Making a return on Icon of the Seas are bars that cruise fans have come to love on other ships, such as from Trellis Bar and Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade.
Here's a list of the bars and nightlife coming to Icon of the Seas:

Dueling Pianos – In Royal Caribbean’s first dueling pianos bar, it’s the battle of the baby grands at the hands of two talented pianists who take song requests to bring high-energy performances of crowd-favorite hits to the Royal Promenade – the heart of Icon.

Lou’s Jazz ‘n Blues – The new spot fills the open-air Central Park with live performances of soulful classics and jazz pop tunes, inviting music lovers to take it all in from indoors or as they stroll by the thousands of real plants during Jazz in the Park.

Location: Deck 8, Central Park
Pricing: Complimentary
Capacity: 71 indoor, 16 outdoor seated

Rye & Bean – Matching the transformational experiences in the AquaDome, this new coffee shop offers everything from classic cups of joe to espresso cocktails. It’s a cozy morning hangout with endless ocean views by day and a buzzing bar with views of deck-defying entertainment in the AquaTheater by night.
Location: Deck 15, AquaDome
Pricing: A la carte or with Royal Caribbean drink package
The Overlook and Overlook Pods – The elevated lounge and first-of-their-kind nooks at sea take nights out and hangouts to another level.
The wraparound windows in the AquaDome bring the ocean center stage during the day, and at night, the cruise line’s marquee aqua shows are just a few steps away.

The Overlook Lounge will have 160 degree views of the ocean and it's right above the ship's bridge.
The next-level pods are where friends can lounge with a drink, play classic board games and kick back to live music, too.
Location: Deck 14 & 15, AquaDome
Pricing: A la carte or with Royal Caribbean drink package
Capacity: 112 (lounge), 52 (pods) seated

1400 Lobby Bar – The new meetup spot – inspired by the history of shipbuilding – is where vacationers can start to make memories as soon as they board, with a mix of daytime and evening sips developed with renowned mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, who's worked with James Beard Award-winning chefs, Bellagio and more.
The venue’s also the first to open the vibrant Royal Promenade to the outdoors with an ocean-facing terrace.
Location: Deck 5
Capacity: 67 interior, 18 exterior seating

Bubbles – It’s three cheers at the new walkup champagne window in Central Park, where glasses of mimosas, prosecco, Bellini and even bottles of bubbly are on tap morning, noon and night.
Location: Deck 8, Central Park
Hours: 7am - 10pm

The Attic, inspired by Manhattan’s dark and intimate comedy clubs with adults-only live shows.
Location: Deck 6, Royal Promenade
Capacity: 159 seated

Music Hall, to rock out to the house tribute band in a two-story venue.
Location: Deck 3 & 4, Royal Promenade

A larger Trellis Bar in Central Park, with a new look and an all new menu featuring pre-dinner appetizers.
Location: Deck 8, Central Park
Capacity: 12 seated
Boleros, the lively club that brings the heat with Latin flavor.
Location: Deck 6, Royal Promeande
Capacity: 85 seated
Schooner Bar, where pianists set the tone for pre-dinner drinks and nightcaps.
Point & Feather – The neighborhood English pub on Royal Promenade has a new open layout, games – and tournaments – of darts and sips joining the signature lineup of pints and the live guitarist at the center of it all.
Darts are complimentary
Location: Deck 5, Royal Promenade
Capacity: 104 seated

Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade – The returning favorite, serving up gameday bar fare and ice-cold beers, is where vacationers can catch their home teams on dozens of screens and play arcade and tabletop games.
Location: Deck 6, Royal Promenade
Capacity: 107 seated

Spotlight Karaoke – Aspiring singers take the stage in front of the crowd or in a private room with their friends and family at this fan-favorite karaoke spot on Royal Promenade.
Complimentary karaoke venue with bar. Private karaoke rooms available to rent.
Location: Deck 5
Capacity: 106 seated

It's clear Royal Caribbean wants Icon of the Seas to offer more places to enjoy a drink, as well as be entertained.
Icon of the Seas will have more than 40 food and beverage concepts, with 23 of them completely new to Royal Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean Vice President Food & Beverage, Linken D'Souza talked about the opportunity to bring new ideas to Icon, “We’ve set out to introduce a new kind of vacation in every sense and taken a blank slate to create an unparalleled blend of ways vacationers can celebrate and make memories whatever their mood, vibe and style."
"From all-new venues and bolder favorites to new iconic drinks on every menu, zero-proof cocktails and twists to classics, there’s something for everyone to make the most of their nights out on Icon of the Seas."
When it begins sailing, 20-deck 7,600-passenger Icon of the Seas will officially become the biggest cruise ship in the world, taking the title from its current holder, sister ship Wonder of the Seas.
Icon of the Seas is scheduled to be delivered in late 2023 and begin sailing in January 2024.
The first sailing of Icon of the Seas, a seven-night voyage out of Miami to the Eastern Caribbean, is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2024.
The ship will alternate between Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries.
This was a busy week with Royal Caribbean news, and we have a summary of all of the news from this week to make certain you did not miss any of it.
Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean announced it will remove the Sky Pad from all of its ships.

No reason was given why, but the venue will be replaced with an unnamed new activity.
Beginning March 31, 2023, Royal Caribbean will begin removing the trampoline experience.
The 492nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Matt reviews his recent Wonder of the Seas cruise.
Matt sailed on Wonder of the Seas almost a year after the ship debuted, and shares what stood out from his spring break cruise.
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.
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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 — What it's like to sail on Royal Caribbean's NEWEST vs OLDEST cruise ships — and don’t forget to subscribe here.
After spending a week on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, I greatly benefitted by doing 6 important things to ensure a relaxing cruise.
After years of cruising, it's become apparent to me how important just a little planning ahead of time can do to improve your vacation experience.
Looking back at thee cruise, these are the things Matt did on Wonder to eliminate hassles before they could ever occur.
Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society program is such a good loyalty program, it even benefits you if you sail Celebrity.
Because Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises are owned by the same parent company, the two cruise lines actually have a status reciprocity program. Celebrity’s Loyalty Match program allows cruisers to receive comparable benefits from Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Program when sailing on Celebrity cruise ships.
Allie found her years of Royal Caribbean cruising saved her money on her first Celebrity cruise.
The earlier you get onboard your cruise, the more quickly you can start the vacation you’ve been dreaming about for so long.
Beyond just starting your vacation earlier, though, are a range of other benefits you can experience by boarding earlier than most other passengers.
Here are the top 11 reasons to get as early a check-in time as possible for your cruise.
Matt is back from a 7-night spring break cruise on Wonder of the Seas and shares his experience with his family back on Wonder of the Seas again.
Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via...
There's only a few days left to experience the Sky Pad before Royal Caribbean retires it.

In an update to travel agents, Royal Caribbean announced it would replace the venue with an unnamed new activity.
Beginning March 31, 2023, Royal Caribbean will begin removing the trampoline experience.

It's not clear what will replace it, but it will become something else.

"Starting in April, the Sky Pad will retire the bungee Virtual Reality experience and become a new versatile venue for exciting onboard activities."
Royal Caribbean says all of the activities hosted in the Sky Pad venue will continue to be complimentary and included in your cruise fare. This sounds like the large yellow sphere structure itself will not be removed (at least not immediately), but the trampolines will be likely taken away.
Royal Caribbean did not say why they are making the change.

The Sky Pad is a trampoline where guests put on a virtual reality visor to engage in a game as they jump.
Once inside, participants bounce up and down on the trampolines with the aid of the bungee cords. As you jump on the trampoline, you jump in the game.
Similar to the FlowRider surf simulator and sky diving simulator, it was meant to offer guests a gravity-defying fun top deck experience.

The first cruise ship to get the Sky Pad was Independence of the Seas during her Royal Amplification, and it spread to a few other ships.
The ships with a Sky Pad include:

In 2019, Royal Caribbean temporarily suspended Sky Pad on all ships as part of a safety review. It's unclear if that pause was related to a guest that was injured on the activity and sued Royal Caribbean.
While on Mariner of the Seas, the guest's harness snapped off and he fell to the deck.

Royal Caribbean did not say what we can expect to find in the space going forward.
One thing is certain: whatever does go in the space will not have an additional cost and included in your cruise fare.

While the Sky Pad may be going away, there's still other great activities you can look forward to enjoying onboard.
Royal Caribbean is known for the array of onboard activities, including a few "I can't believe they put it on a cruise ship" offerings.
Miniature golf courses, surfing simulators and basketball courts are common on the biggest Royal Caribbean ships.

With varying difficulty levels, the rock wall is suitable for both kids and adults alike.
Royal Caribbean makes sure your safety is paramount - that’s why we provide all the essential safety equipment including helmets, harnesses and shoes for every climber. All you need to bring are a pair of socks!

Climbers must be at least 6 years old and complete a waiver prior to climbing. Best of all, it’s free and there’s no need to make advance reservations!
The rock-climbing wall has been designed with both novice and experienced climbers in mind. For those looking to take their skills up a notch, there is advanced climbing sessions and speed-climbing competitions. Royal Caribbean also hosts teen tournaments, which are a great way for young adventurers to explore their limits safely.

Ready to catch that perfect wave? Royal Caribbean has you covered! With the incredible FlowRider surf simulator onboard some of their ships, you can experience the thrill of surfing in a controlled environment without ever having to leave the comfort and safety of your cruise ship.
The FlowRider is a self-contained artificial surf area with an incredible 34,000 gallons per minute pumped in order to create realistic waves. Whether you’re looking to try boogie boarding or stand-up surfing, there’s something for everyone.
Best of all, it’s open for free during scheduled periods during the day. Plus, if you want more than just free play time, private and group lessons are also available for an additional fee.

But before you hop on board, be sure to check out the height requirements: 52 inches for boogie boarding and 58 inches for stand up surfing.
Currently, the FlowRider is available on Quantum class, Oasis class, Freedom class and select Voyager class cruise ships.

Ready to soar like an eagle? Then you’re looking at the right attraction. Oasis class ships boast a thrilling zip line that offers a bird’s eye view of the Boardwalk neighborhood. This isn’t for the faint of heart; it stretches out a whopping 82 feet between two points and rises 9 decks high in the air.
In order to participate, guests must be at least 52 inches tall and weigh no more than 275 pounds; children must also meet minimum weight requirements — 75 pounds or higher — for their own safety. Plus, it’s free to use! All you need is a signature on the waiver before boarding your flight.

Located in the Boardwalk of Oasis Class ships, this full-sized, traditional carousel was hand-crafted and designed with turn-of-the-century carousels as its basis - right down to the very last detail. The original artwork scenery panels on the rounding boards feature custom painted scenes that pay homage to seaside boardwalks of the past.
But, this is more than just a stunning tribute - it’s also a lot of fun! 18 figures are suspended from stainless steel poles along with one ADA accessible chariot created from poplar wood. There are 11 traditional carousel horses, including one Royal Caribbean lead armored horse complete with the crown and anchor logo.

Royal Caribbean has a wide variety of water slides that can offer the perfect mix of thrills and relaxation.
If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, they have some awesome speed and racing slides. There's also a spiral water slide on some ships that take you spiraling around each other until you reach the pool below.

Are you looking for an unforgettable adventure while on your next cruise? Look no further than Ripcord by iFly! Located on board the ship, passengers can experience the thrilling sensation of skydiving without having to jump out of a plane.
The complimentary flight starts with a short video tutorial teaching the basics of skydiving techniques. After that, all you have to do is change into the provided skydiving apparel and get ready for an action-packed one minute ride in the Ripcord by iFly wind tunnel!
For those looking for an even more exciting experience, two minute rides are available at The North Star at a cost of just $49.99 per person. Advanced flying classes may also be offered onboard which comes with a separate fee.

Onboard any of Royal Caribbean's Quantum Class ships, you'll find a unique experience that allows you to take in all the wonders of the sea from above. The North Star is a glass-enclosed observation pod that rises 300 feet above the deck of your ship, offering breathtaking 360° views of the horizon and beyond.
The best part? During port visits, access to The North Star is completely free! You can book a time slot for yourself and up to three guests throughout most of the day.
While at sea, each ride up The North Star comes with a cost of $29.99 per person, but it's well worth it for one-of-a-kind sights from up high. Soar above your cruise ship and take in stunning views that could only be made possible by this amazing feat of engineering!
This was a busy week with Royal Caribbean news, and we have a summary of all of the news from this week to make certain you did not miss any of it.
One Royal Caribbean offer was indeed too good to be true.

After accidently posting a new VIP pass for sale on its site, the cruise line informed anyone that bought it that their purchase would be cancelled and money paid refunded.
The Premier Pass was on sale for about a day or so before the mistake was spotted.
The scheduled dry dock work on Mariner of the Seas will require more time than Royal Caribbean anticipated.
Guests booked on the first sailing back received an email that the April 1, 2023 sailing has been cancelled.
Mariner of the Seas is currently in Cadiz, Spain undergoing dry dock for routine maintenance.
The 491st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, all about Royal Caribbean's plans for a beach club in Nassau.
Royal Caribbean will open a beach club in Nassau, Bahamas and here's what Matt thinks of what we know so far.
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.
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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 — 9 Common misconceptions about a Royal Caribbean cruise — and don’t forget to subscribe here.
We now know which musical will be featured on Icon of the Seas when she launches next year.
Nick Weir, Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, posted on Twitter an announcement that The Wizard of Oz will be the show for Icon.
Royal Caribbean says the Wizard of Oz production is not the 2011 musical adaption by Andrew Lloyd Weber.
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Dorothy, the tin man, scarecrow, and cowardly lion are all headed to the high seas.

Based on audition information posted by Royal Caribbean Entertainment, it looks like "The Wizard of Oz" musical will be the featured production show on the next new cruise ship for Royal Caribbean, Icon of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean has not formally announced the entertainment for Icon of the Seas, but the Royal Caribbean Entertainment clearly states it is looking for performers to audition for The Wizard of Oz on Icon of the Seas.
One posting wrote, "Principals (Featured Singers) hired for WIZARD OF OZ (3-4 performances weekly) will also perform in an original Royal Caribbean Signature Production onboard the ICON of the Seas (3-4 performances weekly). Candidates must be available and willing to travel internationally aboard our ships."


In addition to the audition information, Nick Weir, Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, posted on Twitter an announcement that The Wizard of Oz will be the show for Icon.
The most iconic family story in the history of entertainment, on both the silver screen and on the world’s stages, is our next mega production!
— Nick Weir (@NickWeirShowbiz) March 16, 2023
Imagine THIS story, but with OUR creativity and OUR technology!
Buckle up Dorothy, this will be the greatest #YellowBrickRoad ever! 🟨 pic.twitter.com/HwNfgDgpKp
It's likely the show will be performed in Icon's main theater, as opposed to different venue.

Royal Caribbean says the Wizard of Oz production is not the 2011 musical adaption by Andrew Lloyd Weber.
This will be the Royal Caribbean Productions version of the classic.
Icon of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship, and first of its kind.
The first in the Icon Class will launch in January 2024, and will have a gross tonnage of 250,800, making her the largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage.
The ship will be homeported from Miami and offer week-long Caribbean cruises.
Royal Caribbean will need a little more time to finish scheduled work on Mariner of the Seas.

Mariner of the Seas is currently in Cadiz, Spain undergoing dry dock for routine maintenance.
Guests booked on the first sailing back received an email today that the April 1, 2023 sailing has been cancelled.
"Mariner of the Seas is currently undergoing dry dock for routine maintenance and exciting, which will require some extra time for these upgrades to be completed."
"Regrettably, this means our April 1st, 2023 cruise has been cancelled. We know this news is disappointing and apologize for the impact to your clients' cruise."

It's not unheard of for a cruise following a ship's dry dock to be cancelled because of extra time needed at the dry dock. While not common, it does happen from time to time.
Explorer of the Seas recently completed her dry dock work at the same ship yard last month and had no issues returning to service as scheduled.

Guests that were booked on that sailing have two choices:
Re-book any Royal Caribbean International sailing and receive a Future Cruise Credit.
Royal Caribbean will waive any non-refundable deposit change fees to change ship or sail date.
A Future Cruise Credit worth 50% of the original cruise fare paid to book a new cruise and sail by April 1st, 2024.
Reimbursement of up to $200 for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
Cancel and refund.
A full refund of any paid portion of their cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment within 14 business days.
A Future Cruise Credit worth 50% of the original cruise fare paid to book a new cruise and sail by April 1st, 2024.
Reimbursement of up to $200 for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).

Mariner of the Seas is getting maintenance work done, and Royal Caribbean has not announced any changes to the ship.
Cruise ships go in for work about every 5 years, and it's an opportunity to keep them operating efficiently, as well as clean up and enhance public areas.

When dry docks do not entail major upgrades, such as the Royal Amplification program, the cruise line tends not to announce or highlight the work being done since it's not especially newsworthy.
Mariner of the Seas' Cruise Director, Marc Walker, shared photos of the work being done on Mariner of the Seas on his Facebook page.

Much of the work seems aesthetic in nature, focusing on public decks, pools, and venues.
The ship is also getting work done below the waterline, which includes repainting the hull and propellor maintenance.





One other minor note is the minor hull damage from when a ship accidently drifted into Mariner while in Freeport, Bahamas will be repaired.


Mariner's first sailing back now should be April 6, 2023.
Royal Caribbean will open a beach club in Nassau, Bahamas and here's what Matt thinks of what we know so far.
Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via...
It turns out the amazing deal Royal Caribbean has for a new VIP pass was indeed too good to be true.

Over the weekend Royal Caribbean added a new package to its website that appeared to be a new extra cost pass. It included WiFi, exclusive tours and more at a bargain price.
Unfortunately, it was too good to be true.
On Monday, Royal Caribbean sent guests an email to inform them that Premier Pass was a "system glitch" and was never intended to be put on sale in the first place.

Premier Pass listed all sorts of benefits, such as dinner with an officer, internet access, and more.
Royal Caribbean removed the Premier Pass option, cancelled all purchases, and will issue refunds.
In the email sent to guests that purchased Premier Pass, the cruise line admitted the benefits sound incredible, but are, " all things that would be operationally unsustainable" to actually offer.
Royal Caribbean International Assistant Vice President of Guest Experience, Aurora Yera-Rodriguez, wrote in the email, " In reading all of the social media threads – I’ve seen many guests mention that it was “way too good to be true”, and unfortunately, that’s the truth."

The email alludes to the fact so many people purchased the pass simply by way of word of mouth, which also made it impossible to carry through with.
Royal Caribbean is offering guests $50 USD Onboard Credit as a way of making up for the mistake.
Unfortunately, it looks like some people got more onboard credit than they should have received, because the system gave them $50 per person initially.
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Anyone that spent the money immediately on a new purchase, received an email to inform them that the purchase they made was no longer paid in full and they needed to make up the difference.
"Just got the same email- now I OWE Royal $100!!," is what Carlyn3 posted after encountering the onboard credit error.

As soon as the emails went out, cruisers shared their thoughts on the mix-up.
On the Royal Caribbean message boards, there were plenty of comments on the cancellation.
Rakaia wrote, "Hey, $50 I didn't have before. I'll take it."
Montemy2419 posted, "Nice of them to give the gesture because if they didn't give a little something then the backlash would of been bad."
Wilson wrote, "This is a hot mess."

Minutes after the email was sent about Premier Pass, another email went out to anyone that booked an Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark tour.
There was a price mistake for this popular Bahamas shore excursion, and purchases will also be cancelled and refunded.

Just like the Premier Pass, anyone that booked the Aquaventure at the mistake price will receive $50 USD Onboard Credit.
This week's issues are not Royal Caribbean's first notable internet sale error.
The most notable one was in 2019 when Royal Caribbean's website listed the Deluxe Beverage Package for $18 per day, per person.
At the time, the drink package was usually listed for $40-50 per person, per day (it now costs significantly more than that).
Royal Caribbean went on to honor that pricing goof.