It looks like it will be easier than ever to place a temporary hold on a new booking.

Royal Caribbean has updated its website booking engine to allow temporary holds to be placed in lieu of placing a deposit.

A courtesy hold allows a guest to hold a booking for 24 or 48 hours with no deposit. Different verbiage refers to either 24 or 48 hours on Royal Caribbean's website.

This hold allows the guest to hold not only the cabin, but also the promotional pricing. It's only available for single cabin bookings.

Guests that place a courtesy hold should receive a reminder email to place a deposit before the 48 hour window expires.

If no payment is made before the 48 hour window expires, the reservation is automatically cancelled.

Up until now, the guests were not allowed to place a hold on their own.  Travel agents were able to do this on behalf of their clients, however.

The holds appear to be for about 48 hours and is not available for all types of sailings.  It's not clear yet what the methodology is for which sailings get the option to place a hold via the website, but the new feature is still in testing.

The courtesy hold option has appeared and disappeared over the last couple of days, indicating Royal Caribbean is still testing the new feature.

Managing holds

In addition to the ability to place a hold, Royal Caribbean has added a new area in a guest's account to easily see holds that are placed.

When visiting your account on Royal Caribbean's website, there's a new "Courtesy Holds" option listed.

Why place a hold

There are a few good reasons to place a hold on a cabin before booking a cruise.

Placing a hold locks in the price, which means you have more time to decide to book the cruise.

You not only get to hold the price, but also any promotions that come with the price, such as kids sail free, onboard credit, et al.

All too often, cabins get booked up before someone can decide on if they want to cruise.  This ensures more time to get vacation time approved from work, pet setting, and other considerations you may need to secure before being ready to book.

Another advantage of a hold is you can investigate which add-ons are available to book, such as drink packages, shore excursions, and more.

Unlike a booking, there's no money at play. This means it's easy to lock in a price of a cabin for a short period of time to decide later.

Another easy way to place a hold

If the new feature is not available for the sailing you are looking at, or simply don't want to deal with booking on your own, travel agents can place holds on any sailing.

Royal Caribbean has always allowed travel agents to place a courtesy hold for guests, and this means less work for the guest. Plus, if the hold is converted to a booking, the travel agent can service the booking.

Travel agents have their own tools to place holds and book cruises.

Courtesy hold vs deposit

You might be wondering what the differences and advantages are to placing a hold or a deposit on a sailing.

A courtesy hold requires no money down, but only lasts up to 48 hours before it expires.  

A deposit requires at least a few hundred dollars down, but ensures that cabin is yours until you cancel or if you fail to make final payment date.

Both a courtesy hold and a deposit secure the price and promotions at the time of booking.

If you cancel a hold, there's no penalty or money to be refunded. A cancelled deposit means potentially money to be refunded and/or money lost due to a penalty from a non-refundable deposit type.

You should think of courtesy holds as a way to give yourself more time to think about booking without losing a specific cabin and/or price.  

Deposits ensure the room is yours until final payment date, albeit with certain rules depending on which deposit type you choose (refundable or non-refundable).

If your sailing is already past final payment date, then full payment will be required at the time of booking.  A courtesy hold would still allow you to reserve a room temporarily without money down.

Royal Caribbean wants to change how leftover food and other human biproducts are used so they can power the cruise ships of tomorrow.

Through a new set of technology, Royal Caribbean Group announced new initiates that include waste-to-energy systems, food waste applications and an expanded network of green hubs.

The three new initiatives are aimed at ensuring the company continues to decrease its environmental footprint.

Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO, Jason Liberty, celebrated the new initiatives, "Pioneering the first waste to energy system on a cruise ship builds on our track-record of waste management and furthers our commitment to remove waste from local landfills and deliver great vacation experiences, responsibly."

A new way to power cruise ships

Two new cruise ships will employ the cruise industry's first systems to turn solid waste directly into energy onboard.

Two systems will debut on on Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas and Silversea Cruises' Silver Nova.

Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis (MAP) and Micro Auto Gasification (MAG) will take waste on board and convert it into synthesis gas (syngas) that the ship can directly use as energy. 

An additional bioproduct of the system, biochar, can also be used as a soil nutrient.

Combatting food waste

Royal Caribbean Group also announced it will reduce food waste across the fleet by 50% by 2025.

It plans to do so through five pillars of initiatives:

• Developing a proprietary platform to monitor food supply and accurately estimate how much food should be produced, prepped and ordered on a given day.
• Using artificial intelligence (AI) to adjust food production in real time.
• Introducing a dedicated onboard food waste role to monitor and train crew members.
• Tracking guest demand for specific menu items and adjusting menu preparation and ordering accordingly.
• Introducing a food waste awareness campaign in the crew dining areas fleet wide. 

The war on waste has already begun, as Royal Caribbean Group reports already it has been able to achieve a 24% reduction in food waste by focusing on the front end of the food system, which prevents and addresses many of the main causes of food waste, including inventory management and over-preparing.

Green Hubs

Another focal point of today's announcement is to strengthen responsible waste management practices.

Royal Caribbean Group announced "Green Hubs", which are a capacity-building program to identify waste vendors in strategic destinations that has helped divert 92% of its waste from landfills.

Now joining the Green Hub program is the Galapagos Islands, where Silversea became the first operator to gain certification in environmental management by diverting all waste from landfill. 

In all my years of cruising, I haven't lost any luggage from when the bags got on the ship to off the ship, and I think that is in part due to a few important steps I've taken to protect my bags.

Airlines are notorious for losing luggage, and it does occasionally happen with cruise ships as well. Anecdotally, it seems luggage is lost far less on a cruise ship than on an airplane, but the risk remains.

In order to better protect yourself against this possibility, I thought of all the things I do to reduce the chance your luggage will go astray in the first place.

Beyond these tips, you should never put anything super important in your checked luggage, such as passports, car keys, cash, medicine, or credit cards. Keep any precious items you have in your carry-on bag that you bring onto the ship.

Here are six tips to help keep a cruise line from losing your luggage.

1. Print luggage tags at home

Royal Caribbean provides you with luggage tags you can print before you leave home, and you should definitely do it.

While porters can provide luggage tags at the cruise terminal, the printable luggage tags are more identifiable and printed, rather than handwritten.

Moreover, printed luggage tags will save you time since you won't have to have the porter write out every single tag and then affix them to the bags.

Admittedly, it's just difficult to remember to print them. I often find myself completely not thinking about printing luggage tags until it is too late.

Luggage tags are available to print about 45 days before your cruise.

2. Prep bags in advance

Before you leave for the cruise terminal, take a few minutes to remove all existing labels and tags from your previous trips, like airline bag tags and any barcode stickers that get put on your suitcase. 

You want to make it as simple as possible for crew members to identify which bags are going on the ship and are from which sailing.

It's also a good idea to personalize your luggage so you can spot it easily. Stickers, duct tape, tassels, or whatever you can think of can make a big difference in making your luggage stand out, as well as ensure someone else doesn't accidentally take your bag.

3. Buy luggage tag holders

One of the best investments I ever made in my cruising career was spending a few dollars on plastic luggage tag holders (link contains an Amazon affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra).

The printable luggage tags work well enough, but they're made out of paper and can rip easily. There's a variety of companies that sell plastic sleeves designed for cruise ship luggage tags that you can simply slip in.

They're waterproof, clear, and easy to see.

Plus, plastic luggage tag holders are affixed to your bags by a steel hook that attaches to the bag.

4. Put your name on luggage tags

You want to identify your luggage with your name and contact information.

Royal Caribbean's luggage tags that you print out have a space for your name, so write that on every tag you print.

It's also a good idea to add a baggage tag on the outside of your suitcase with your contact information (and one inside in case the outside tag falls off or gets lost).

5. Buy AirTags

One of the best innovations for tracking your belongings to come out in the last few years are electronic tags, such as Apple AirTags.

These small tabs help travelers track their suitcases via Bluetooth.

The AirTag is a small, button-shaped tracking device that can be tracked using Bluetooth right alongside Apple devices in the Find My app.

A single AirTag will cost $28 and a 4-pack costs $79. If you have an Android phone, the Tile tracker costs $18.

While AirTags aren't GPS trackers that provide precise location information, they work well enough to have an idea where your luggage happens to be, especially if you're playing the "Is my luggage on the cruise ship yet" game.

Plus, you can use them for other trips and your flights to or from your cruise!

Read more: I tried AirTags to track my luggage on a Royal Caribbean cruise

6. Tip porters

It's customary to give the porters who take your luggage a few dollars for their service, and it's a wise investment.

I'm not insinuating that not tipping them means your bags will be cast aside out of spite, but just like bags you'd tip curbside baggage handlers at an airport, it's a good idea to tip the porters too.

On our recent cruise from Los Angeles, we discovered one piece of luggage was missing. Our porter immediately pointed us to the area with bags that had no tags, and sure enough, it was there for some reason.

You just need to tip them $1-2 per bag, and you'll get a smile back for the work they do to lug your stuff around.

Related: Should you use the porters to take your luggage on your cruise ship?

Save this blog on Pinterest

Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and are ready to catch up on all the Royal Caribbean news from this week!

If you're ready to book a cruise on Utopia of the Seas, we have a preview of the staterooms you can choose from.

Royal Caribbean's next new Oasis Class cruise ship launches in summer 2024, and it has generated a lot of buzz already by starting off with short cruises instead of weeklong sailings.

Between the various categories of cabins on Utopia of the Seas, here's a guide to Utopia of the Seas cabins and suites.

Royal Caribbean News

• What it's like to cruise on Freedom of the Seas in 2023
• A look at Nassau's revamped cruise port
• I Drive for Uber and Lyft — Here are the biggest mistakes riders make
• 10 Great Reader Comments on Cruising

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 504th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, which is all about taking advantage of your visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay.

With so much to see and do at Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, Matt shares tips and strategies for getting the most out of your day.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! 

New RCB Video: Your really dumb cruise ship dining questions

{"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/pYoGQ3AVXvk.jpg?itok=GD0UpHqZ","video_url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYoGQ3AVXvk","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}

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 — Your really dumb cruise ship dining questions — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

12 Alaska cruise mistakes you never want to make

After taking a number of Alaska cruises, Jenna still sees cruisers making rookie mistakes on their Alaska cruise.

Unfortunately, it’s easier than you think to make Alaska cruise mistakes that can ruin a trip or prevent you from experiencing Alaska to the fullest.

We compiled a list of Alaska cruise mistakes you can avoid and ensure your sailing is perfect.

Celebrity Cruises raises gratuities for second time in a year

Celebrity Cruises announced it will increase the automatic gratuity rate for guests once again.

Most cabins will see a 50 cent per day increase from the previous rates. Celebrity had previously raised gratuities in October 2022, just nine months ago.

The new rates go into effect on Tuesday.

How to beat seasickness on a cruise ship

No one wants to get seasick on their cruise. Luckily, there are easy ways to avoid getting seasick on a cruise ship.

There are a variety of regiments available that you can take either before or during your cruise to ensure you don't feel nauseated for long.

It's unlikely you will get seasick, but if you do, these tips will ensure you're prepared for the possibility.

Happy July 4th and Canada Day to everyone out in blog land! Many of you are enjoying a relaxing and long weekend, and I hope this week's round up of all the Royal Caribbean news makes it even better!

There will be a new batch of cruise ships visiting Royal Caribbean's private island.

Celebrity Cruises announced two of its ships will begin visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay, beginning in early 2024.

Celebrity Reflection & Celebrity Beyond will offer cruises that visit this private island in The Bahamas as part of a larger effort to offer more cruises year-round from Florida.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean cancels Freedom of the Seas sailings for drydock work
• Celebrity Cruises redeployed ships to CocoCay because their fans wanted more Caribbean cruises
• Royal Caribbean is adding the best crew member cabins and areas on Icon of the Seas
• What it's like to cruise on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas in 2023
• 7 things Royal Caribbean got right with Quantum Class ships
• Royal Caribbean ships by age — Newest to Oldest
• Alaska cruises. Your questions answered

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 503rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, recorded while onboard Navigator of the Seas.

This week's episode was recorded during the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise, and talks about the cruise and all the fun had during the week.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! 

New RCB Video: Cruise tips that make sense until you're on the ship

{"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/xQKFRVFwKKY.jpg?itok=j491WX_Z","video_url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQKFRVFwKKY","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}

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 — Cruise tips that make sense until you're on the ship — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

I think Royal Caribbean's Radiance Class ships need upgrades

While the Radiance Class ships may be known for their sleek elegance, they are also lacking in some important areas.

Allie sailed on 12-night cruise on Jewel of the Seas, and while she had a great time, she won't be sailing on this class again until more is done to upgrade the ships.

Compared to other ships in the fleet, Allie thinks the Radiance Class seem to lack important amenities.

21 drinks to order if you have a cruise drink package

If you buy a Royal Caribbean drink package, you're probably going to be eager to try out as many drinks as you can during your cruise.

The advantage of a Royal Caribbean drink package is that you can order as many drinks as you like with no extra cost. There's no penalty for trying a drink and not loving it and leaving it to the side.

Our team has tried dozens of cocktails on Royal Caribbean, and narrowed the list to 21 drinks to order if you have a cruise drink package.

Boardwalk vs Central Park Balcony Cabins

The two inside-facing balcony rooms are intriguing options, but which one should you pick?

Central Park and Boardwalk cabins are identical to traditional balcony staterooms that face the ocean, but usually are priced less.

When considering either cabin, there are important things to now when picking a Boardwalk or Central Park balcony cabin.

Royal Caribbean informed guests on select sailings in November and December 2024 that their cruises have been cancelled in order for the ship to undergo work.

Guests and travel agents received notifications of cancellations of select Freedom of the Seas cruises, which includes the popular Christmas sailings.

"We’re continuously working to improve our ships and the many amenities they have to offer. We’re taking Freedom of the Seas into dry dock for routine maintenance and exciting improvements."

It's not unheard of for a cruise to be cancelled because of dry dock work, but the fact it includes one of the most popular times of the year is eye-opening.

Christmas and New Years week is among the most popular times for a cruise, and it also commands the highest prices.

Cruise ships undergo work every five years (or less), and Freedom of the Seas finished her last dry dock in 2020 when Freedom of the Seas wrapped up a $116 million Royal Amplification.

Guests that were booked on that sailing have three choices:

Re-book one of the following 2024 or 2025 itineraries departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida:

Freedom of the Seas:

• October 20^th, 2024 | 7-Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to:
  • Perfect Day at CocoCay | Labadee, Haiti| Falmouth, Jamaica | and George Town, Grand Cayman
• October 27^th, 2024 | 7-Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to:
  • Perfect Day at CocoCay | San Juan, Puerto Rico| and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
• February 16^th, 2025 | 7-Night Eastern Caribbean | sailing to:
  • Nassau, Bahamas | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | and St. Johns, Antigua

Oasis of the Seas:

• November 16^th & December 14^th in 2024 or January 11^th in 2025 | 8-Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to:
  • Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis | Philipsburg, St. Maarten | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | and Perfect Day at CocoCay
• November 30^th & December 28^th in 2024 or January 25^th in 2025 | 8-Night Southern Caribbean & Perfect Day |sailing to:
  • Oranjestad, Aruba | Willemstad, Curacao | and Perfect Day at CocoCay

Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.

And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).

Royal Caribbean will cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing

Royal Caribbean will waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.

You’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.

And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).

Royal Caribbean will cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Cancel and refund

A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment, within 14 business days.

What work is planned for Freedom of the Seas?

Royal Caribbean has not announced the scope of work expected to be completed for Freedom of the Seas when she goes in for dry dock.

When cruise ships get routine maintenance done, it usually entails the ship being taken from the water so that it can be repainted and critical systems taken offline so they can be properly maintained.

Royal Caribbean rarely divulges the work being done on a ship that is getting refurbished, unless it's a major upgrade.

Celebrity Cruises will soon offer cruises that visit Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Royal Caribbean International's private island has been a mega success since getting a $250 million makeover in 2019, with high guest satisfaction scores along the way.

Sister brand Celebrity wants to share that experience with its passengers.

On Tuesday, Celebrity said it will start offering weekend cruises to The Bahamas, beginning in April 2024.

Celebrity Reflection will sail 3-night and 4-night cruises from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

3-night sailings departing Friday

• Key West
• CocoCay
• Bahamas getaways (Nassau & Bimini)

4-night sailings departing Monday

• Key West
• Bahamas
• CocoCay

In addition, Celebrity Beyond will sail from Florida year-round and offer visits to CocoCay.

Beyond is taking over Celebrity Reflection's 6 and 8 night sailings.

Guests booked on Reflection for those 6 and 8 night sailings will automatically be moved to Celebrity Beyond at a protected rate.

Celebrity Beyond, will offer a mix of six and eight-night cruises to places such as Grand Cayman, The Bahamas, Mexico, and the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

Anyone booked on Beyond in Europe will have opportunity to move to another European cruise.

"Our customers are consistently asking for more opportunities to visit this stunning region year-round, have more weekend options so they can getaway easier, and have expressed a desire for a private island destination. By introducing this new program, we can meet this demand and offer something new and historic to all our guests,” says Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises.

"Perfect Day is a destination like no other, and we are honored to add it to our portfolio."

This will be the first time a non-Royal Caribbean International cruise ship has visited the private destination since the island was relaunched as Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Adding Perfect Day to enhance the cruise experience

If you've heard how well-received Perfect Day at CocoCay has been among the public, then Celebrity's decision to add visits there makes a lot of sense.

Perfect Day at CocoCay has a number of beaches, a water park, beach club, freshwater pool, and helium balloon, along with many other activities to choose from.

Royal Caribbean has touted the overwhelmingly positive guest feedback it has received about the island time and time again.

Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said earlier this year the island was a major success, "The demand for that product [Perfect Day at CocoCay] is exceptionally high."

"CocoCay is the number one destination that Royal Caribbean goes to in the world out of 100 global destinations, because it’s a curated experience designed and built to deliver a high-level experience to the customer."

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty talked in May 2023 about how lucrative it's been for the company, "While demand has been strong across all products and markets, we continue to see exceptional strength from the North American consumer. This strength, in combination with the incredible perfect day at CocoCay has resulted in record yields for our Caribbean sailings."

All of that positive feedback had to be enticing to offer Celebrity Cruise guests as well.

More adult experiences coming

If you're thinking a day at CocoCay might not be a good fit for Celebrity's "modern luxury" vibe, keep in mind a major addition is coming.

The new adults-only Hideaway Beach is opening in early 2024.

This will be a new expansion to Perfect Day at CocoCay that offers an area of the island exclusively for the mature crowd.

Royal Caribbean has not announced yet what exactly you'll be able to experience at Hideaway Beach, but the new area is coming to coincide with the launch of Icon of the Seas in January 2024.

The addition of Celebrity Cruises visiting the island along with the new adults-only area opening seems to be perfect timing.

Happy Sunday! Hope you are having a relaxing weekend and enjoying summer! It is time to sit back, relax, and catch up on all the recent Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean revealed this week Utopia of the Seas will begin sailing in July 2024 with short cruises only.

Instead of offering 7-night cruises, Royal Caribbean will offer 3-night and 4-night cruises on its newest ship in a bid to attract new cruisers.

Utopia is the sixth Oasis Class ship, but will include a few new amenities not found on other Oasis Class ships.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean opens Utopia of the Seas cruises for booking
• Things you won't find on a Celebrity cruise
• CocoCay vs Amber Cove: Which is better?
• 5 things I liked better about MSC than Royal Caribbean cruise
• I packed for my Alaska cruise in a carry-on suitcase. Here's what I packed and how you can do it too.

New RCB Video: Early Dinner vs. Late Dinner on Royal Caribbean

{"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/QX0uHAN43PE.jpg?itok=_Hgetbva","video_url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX0uHAN43PE","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}

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 — Early Dinner vs. Late Dinner on Royal Caribbean — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Icon of the Seas completes first round of sea trials

Icon of the Seas wrapped up her first set of sea trials this week.

The new ship spent four days at sea testing out its systems before returning to the Meyer Turku shipyard.

During her first set of sea trials, Icon of the Seas traveled hundreds of miles, during which the main engines, hull, brake systems, steering, noise, and vibration levels were all tested.

Royal Caribbean has a plan to dominate short cruises with a new ship and private destinations

The announcement of Utopia of the Seas offering only short cruises is part of a broader strategy the line has to offer the very best in short cruises.

Utopia is one big piece of a larger plan that will seek to establish Royal Caribbean as the preeminent choice for a weekend cruise by crafting a curated cruise experience second-to-none.

Between the new ship and destinations it will visit, Royal Caribbean is setting itself up to offer something we haven't seen before.