A member of the Trump administration made a bold warning to foreign flagged vessels, including cruise ships, regarding avoiding paying taxes.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick appeared on Fox News on Wednesday talking about how U.S. President Donald Trump wants to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. He then went on a tirade about how cruise ships, super-tankers, and foreign produced alcohol don't pay taxes.

"None of em pay taxes...this is going to end and those taxes are going to be paid," Secretary Lutnick said.

He then pointed out how large ocean going vessels are all flagged in different countries, such as Panama or Liberia, in an effort to avoid federal income tax.

$CCL $RCL | Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said President Trump’s goal is simple—abolish the IRS and “let all the outsiders pay.” He even pointed to cruise lines not paying taxes as an example.pic.twitter.com/2sXbMucD2p

— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) February 20, 2025

The statement instantly sent cruise line stock prices down, with Royal Caribbean Group's stock down about 9% for the day on the Nasdaq exchange.

While no one disputes the fact the ships are foreign flagged, Secretary Lutnick is missing the bigger picture surrounding taxes and what cruise lines pay.

Cruise lines do a pay lots of taxes

Federal income tax is one tax, but there are many others that cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, pay in large amount.

The major cruise lines have their headquarters in the United States.  Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line all have offices in Florida, where they employ thousands of Americans in their offices and across the country. They pay payroll taxes as well as a variety of fees.

Those fees include port fees, with just over 30 million passengers sailing through U.S. ports in a given year. As an example, Alaska alone adds $250-300 per person to a sailing in port fees.

According to Cruise Lines International Association, cruise lines pay nearly $2.5 billion in taxes.

Plus, CLIA points out the halo effect the cruise industry has, which amounted to $65 billion in meaningful economic contributions to the US economy in 2023.

U.S. laws make it impossible to build a cruise ship with a U.S. flag on it

"You ever see a cruise ship with an American flag on the back?" Lutnick said. 

Modern cruise ships simply aren't built in America, because the law has made it nearly impossible.

In 1886, U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the Passenger Vessel Services Act into law to protect American jobs. Among the regulations this law added, for a ship to qualify to be flagged by the United States, it must be made at a U.S. shipbuilding facility, owned by an American company and staffed by an American crew. All the officers must be U.S. citizens and 70% of the crew must be at least resident aliens (Green card holders).

With that one exception, for the last 50 years, American shipbuilders have not riveted together a single cruise ship that fulfills the requirements set forth in 1886.

The only U.S flagged ships operating within the United States are river and coastal cruise lines that are quite small and extremely expensive. And Norwegian Cruise Line has Pride of America, which operates in Hawaii.

Following World War 2, the United States added strong protectionist legislation meant to preserve the maritime industry, but it actually had the reverse effect. Many shipyards domestically closed, and the few left are only focused on military work that rely on government paid contracts to ensure there is a profit.

You'll find most cruise ships built in shipyards in Europe or Asia.  In fact, all of Royal Caribbean's ships have been built in one shipyard or another in Europe over the years.

According to Commander Don Goldstein, Retired United States Coast Guard, American shipyards are not equipped with the experience building modern cruise ships, nor do they have the capacity or supply chain to assemble cruise ships. 

Even if you wanted to convert a Royal Caribbean ship to a U.S. flagged one, it's impossible once again to U.S. law.

Coast Guard regulations provide that a U.S.-built vessel must be assembled entirely in the United States and all “major components of the hull and superstructure” must be fabricated in the United States.

The Coast Guard's policy through a number of precedents, has determined that a "component" must exceed 1.5 percent of the vessel’s steelweight to be considered "major."

Could additional port fees be the answer?

The comments about the cruise industry prompted speculation about what would realistically happen, if anything.

Vince Ciepiel with Cleveland Research thinks the most plausible "tax" would be to raise port fees for U.S. ports, similar to what Greece and Mexico have alluded to.

"Taking a quick look at port passengers, the U.S. sees just over 30M in passengers travel through U.S. ports (the two largest being Miami over 7M and Port Canaveral near 7M). If the U.S. government were to impose an additional ~$30 fee (not anchored to this guess, we welcome any feedback here) on passengers, that would raise about $1B in tax revenue," he explained.

He believes if that scenario did materialize, the added taxes would be passed along to consumers, "An incremental $1B in price hikes on what is like $40B of ocean cruise industry revenue touching U.S. shores would be equivalent to a 2.5% price hike, which again does not seem that material/could probably easily be passed on to the consumer."

I really like the food you can find around Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas, and there's a clever hack I've begun to embrace.

There are a few different spots around Perfect Day at CocoCay where you can get lunch or just a snack, and it goes well beyond just burgers and hot dogs.

As part of the major makeover the island got when Royal Caribbean poured $250 million into it, they also increased their food game substantially.

Almost immediately, guests started coming up with fun ways to make the food even better, including at the ice cream station.

Once I saw a few people doing this hack, I had to try it out myself.

The Ice Cream Sandwich Hack: How to DIY

At either Skipper's Grill or Chill Grill, there's a soft service ice cream machine. Crew members will serve you as much of it as you like.

There's no cost to the ice cream or anything else in this hack, so let the kids go at it!

It's similar to what you'll find on your cruise ship near the pool, and most people get their ice cream in a cone by default.

However, the hack here is to stop by the dessert station first.

Grab two chocolate chip cookies and then go to the ice cream station and ask them to dispense the ice cream directly onto the cookie.

Put the second cookie on top, and you have your own ice cream sandwich!

It tastes as good as it looks, and I like that the ice cream helps soften up the cookie a bit.

This is a fun and customizable treat, and it's the perfect way to cool down in the Bahamian heat.

Admittedly, it gets messy quickly, especially because the crew member wasn't holding back with the amount of ice cream she served.

While it may not top a Cookiewich (because it's not totally frozen to begin with), it's the next best thing.

You can also re-create this hack back on the cruise ship in the Main Dining Room.

The kids menu has ice cream and chocolate chip cookies as dessert options each night that can be ordered.

A variation on this is to get the ice cream dispensed onto a plate, and then use the cookies to either scoop it up or spoon smaller amounts of ice cream onto the cookie to keep it manageable.

Another idea is to forgo the cookie all together and grab a water cup and have the ice cream poured directly into the cup.  No cone or mess, and you can travel more easily with it.

More sweet treats available at CocoCay

If ice cream isn't your thing, you'll find other fun desserts around CocoCay.

As previously mentioned, there are a few different restaurants included in your cruise fare around the island.

Both Chill Grill Skipper’s Grill have cookies, brownies, and fruit too.  

A real hidden gem among the desserts is at the Snack Shack.

While there's no ice cream at the Snack Shack, they do have funnel cake and it smells as good as it tastes.

Funnel cake is served hot, and it's an ooey gooey mess but so good.

If you happen to buy admission to the Coco Beach Club, I think their rum cake is heavenly.

You'll definitely smell the rum before you taste it, but it's about the best rum cake I've had.

There's also gelato and couple of cakes to sample here too.

More ice cream cruise hacks

This got me thinking about other ways to make the complimentary soft serve work better.

Most ships have an ice cream machine on the pool deck, usually just outside the Windjammer buffet.

If you have a beverage package, bring your Coca-Cola Freestyle cup that comes with your drink package purchase to the Main Dining Room, Windjammer, or anywhere else they serve ice cream.

Order a scoop of vanilla ice cream to put into your cup to create an ice cream float. This works great with Fanta Orange or Coca-Cola.

Another cruiser told me they like to take a scoop of ice cream and add it to their coffee from the Windjammer.

If you want to spice it up, try to make your own version of Affogato, which is an Italian dessert coffee.

You'll need to combine espresso, ice cream, and a shot of liqueur. If you have a drink package, this should be something you can order in the Windjammer and then grab the ice cream too.

Royal Caribbean has opened up bookings for its newest cruise ship, Legend of the Seas.

While the cruise line advertised the official opening for bookings is on Thursday, Feb. 20, in practical terms, it's open for bookings now.

In case you missed it, Legend of the Seas will be the name of the third Icon Class ship, and Royal Caribbean revealed details about the ship yesterday.

This is going to be one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, coming in at 250,800 gross tons, and be able to accommodate up to 7,600 passengers.

Unlike the two ships that came before it, Legend will begin sailing in Europe before coming to the United States.  Here's what to know about the first sailings.

First sailings on two continents

You could book the first sailing across two different inaugural voyages.

Legend of the Seas will welcome paying guests for the first time when she departs Barcelona, Spain on August 2, 2026.

The first sailing is a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise that will visit France, Spain, and Italy.

It's a significant move to have a new ship start in Europe, as Royal Caribbean has shied away from this for a while.

According to Royal Caribbean, it's an opportunity to answer demand from Europeans who have wanted an Icon Class ship, "our guests across Europe have been asking for for an Icon Class ship to to be based there. And this was the right time to bring it," said Royal Caribbean Chief Marketing Officer Kara Wallace.

Legend remains in Europe through October, until the ship departs on a 13-night transatlantic sailing.

The new ship heads to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where the first sailing is a quick 3-night sailing to Perfect Day at CocoCay.

There are additional 6- and 8-night Caribbean voyages through April 2027.

How much does Legend of the Seas cost?

If you're looking to book a cruise on Legend, it's not going to be a cheap deal.

New cruise ships tend to come with higher prices, and Legend of the Seas is no exception to that trend.

In the first hours the new bookings are available to book, the least expensive sailing on the vessel available to book was the 3-night inaugural sailing from Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 11, 2026.

It starts at $918.99 per person, including taxes, fees, and port charges.

Of course, that 3-night cruise is an outlier, as it's the only short sailing.  

The next least expensive sailing is one of the last cruises in Europe before Legend transitions to North America.

The September 20, 2026 7-night cruise from Barcelona, Spain starts at $1,567.67 per person, including taxes, fees, and port charges.

Not surprisingly, the most expensive sailing is a 6-night western Caribbean Christmas voyage that begins on Dec. 20, 2026.

There are 28 stateroom categories, including some truly amazing suites with eye-opening prices.

There's some sticker shock with the price for the top two suites on Legend of the Seas, but that's been a trend since Icon of the Seas first went on sale.

At the upper end of the spectrum, the Royal Loft Suite will cost $115,972.40 for two people on that aforementioned Dec. 20 sailing.

That gets you 2,088 sq. ft of living space, which is the most luxurious suite within the Royal Caribbean fleet.

On the same cruise, the incredible Ultimate Family Townhouse that spans three decks, a slide, white picket fence, and movie room will cost you $110,232.40 for two people.

These two suites are the biggest suites on the ship, with enough space and features to rival some homes. Plus, they come with the cruise line's top perks that include almost everything in your cruise fare and provide front of the line access in many cases.

Suites are always a splurge and expensive, but they also come with tremendous benefits.

Other suites are priced comparatively lower, but like all cabins on a brand new ship, you'll pay a premium for that privilege.

Prices will probably only go up

Don't expect fares for Legend of the Seas to come down anytime soon.

Royal Caribbean Group executives said as much during a recent earnings call, when they forecasted the trend of cruise prices rising to continue through 2025 and beyond.

"Demand for 2025 is strong with book load factors in line with prior years and at higher rates, allowing for further pricing and yield growth as 2025 bookings continue to ramp up," said Royal Caribbean Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz during an earnings call with investors.

Your best price strategy for cruising on Legend of the Seas is too book quickly before prices go higher.

A recent analysis of Royal Caribbean cruise prices indicate fares start rising about 10-12 months before the sailing begins.

Pricing trends show fluctuations in price a year before the sail date, but once you reach that 10 month window, prices only tend to trend upwards.

An added benefit to booking a cruise so far in advance is you might be able to reprice the cruise if there are price drops later.

Residents of select countries can utilize Royal Caribbean's price match option, assuming they take the time to track their cruise fare price.

Royal Caribbean is ready to do something it's never done before: bring back a retired cruise ship name to honor its next new vessel.

The cruise line confirmed a not-so-well-kept secret that it will name its third Icon Class cruise ship, Legend of the Seas.

The name was previously used for one of the cruise line's Vision Class ships, launched in 1995. 

That ship would have been dwarfed by the new Legend of the Seas, as the original was only 70,000 gross tons and had a capacity of about 2,000 passengers.  The new cruise ship will be able to handle about 7,000 passengers when at full capacity and is 250,800 gross tons in size.

In 2017, Royal Caribbean sold Legend of the Seas to a cruise line now known as Marella Cruises, where it was renamed Marella Discovery.

Being the third Icon Class ship, Legend of the Seas is going to follow-up on the tremendous success of the world's largest cruise ship Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. The Icon Class has been nothing short of incredible for Royal Caribbean.  

These ships have been a hit with passengers and critics alike, as it's set a new standard for what a megaship can offer.

Not only did Royal Caribbean share the ship's name, but we also have details on when she'll begin offering cruises.

Debuting in Europe first

Royal Caribbean will begin sailings on Legend of the Seas in the Mediterranean first, and then transition to Florida.

Beginning in August 2026, Legend of the Seas will offer 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona, Spain. (Originally the cruise line said it would be July, but the the new first sailing is in August 2026).

Legend will visit ports of call in France, Italy and Spain, that include historical significance and beautiful landscapes.

The inaugural Legend of the Seas cruise will be on August 2, 2026, which is a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise departing Barcelona. It will visit Palma De Mallorca, Spain, Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy, Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, and Naples, Italy.

Here's a breakdown of the of inaugural European sailings:

After the summer cruising season concludes, Legend will move to her new homeport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Beginning in November 2026, Legend of the Seas will offer 6-night Western Caribbean and 8-night Southern Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades.

The first sailing of Legend in Fort Lauderdale will be on November 11, and it's a 3-night voyage that visits just Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas

In addition, Legend of the Seas will remain in Fort Lauderdale until at least April 2027.

Bookings open tomorrow

You'll be able to start booking sailings this week.  Officially, it goes on sale Thursday, Feb. 20, but expect bookings to open up on Tuesday as an early start.

"A jaw dropping, showstopping, stunning ship"

Naming this new cruise ship Legend of the Seas is significant because of what the name means literally, as well as to the company.

"The Icon Class as a name really sets a really high bar...so we needed a third name that really fit with that," Kara Wallace, Royal Caribbean's chief marketing officer, told Royal Caribbean Blog in an exclusive interview.

"Legend is, not only fitting of the class, but an homage to everything that came before it."

Introducing a third Icon Class ship is something Royal Caribbean can't wait to debut, because of all the success Icon of the Seas has had so far.

"This ship truly has lived up to all of the hype and then some." Wallace said.

Bringing Legend to Europe first is something Royal Caribbean is doing to match what its customers have been clamoring for, "our guests across Europe have been asking for for an Icon Class ship to to be based there, and this was the right time to bring it," Wallace explained.

"The ship will come straight from delivery into Europe, and it's taking now what is going to be a legendary ship and bringing it to legendary destinations."

What will be different on Legend of the Seas?

Royal Caribbean didn't share many details about what will be different about Legend, but Ms. Wallace suggested it won't be a carbon copy of Icon or Star either.

"We'll tweak things as we learn and as we go along to make them both fresh, interesting, but also deliver on the experiences that our guests are asking for and will continue to do that on this ship alike," Wallace said. "Things like entertainment and shows, theming on some venues will constantly be adapted for market, and we'll reveal them in the coming months."

A change that has been leaked already is that the Supper Club will have a Hollywood theme to it.  

Icon of the Seas had a New York theme, and Star of the Seas' version will have a Chicagoland theme.

One thing you won't see is Legend being slightly bigger than Icon or Star of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider has previously said each Icon Class ship will not be a little bit bigger than the previous one.

"Star will not be a foot bigger. It will be 1198ft long. The third ship in the icon class will also be 1198ft long," he said during an interview held on Icon of the Seas.

Legend of the Seas is being built now

While the ship's name and homeport are news, the ship has been under construction for months.

The first piece of steel was cut in January 2024 for Legend of the Seas. When the steel cutting ceremony is held, it marks the official start of construction.

Then in October 2024, the keel was laid and the ship is being assembled as we speak.

Other milestones include floating out, and delivery.

Building on Icon's record-breaking success for Royal Caribbean

Ever since Icon of the Seas started wowing passengers, the new ship has exceeded even the company's highest expectations.

According to Ms. Wallace, the ship has set a new benchmark for guest satisfaction—not just within the cruise industry, but across all of hospitality.

"It’s delivering at the highest levels of guest satisfaction that we’ve ever seen across our brands, across the industry, and across all of hospitality,” Wallace said. “And that’s really by far and wide margin."

Royal Caribbean re-imagined what a cruise ship could be when it designed Icon of the Seas, calling the ship a "white paper" design because everything was conceived without any pre-existing ideas. Wallace highlighted how the ship’s vibrant design and innovative features created excitement from the moment it launched.

"I think it was highly anticipated when it came to market,” she said. “Last year, the demand for it was off the charts, creating excitement through its colors, its vibrancy, its energy."

One of the most talked-about features is Surfside, a neighborhood designed specifically for families, offering a space where they can “stay and play all day.” The AquaDome, a stunning architectural space with breathtaking exterior views and immersive entertainment, has also left a lasting impression.

Meanwhile, the ship’s water park, Thrill Island, brings an unprecedented level of excitement to the cruise experience.

"It wasn’t one slide, two slides—it’s multiple slides," Wallace said. "The slide experiences are great, and that theming and experience runs throughout a whole neighborhood."

Icon's connection to the water was also one of its primary goals that the ship delivered on, offering expansive sea views throughout the ship.

"I think the flow of the ship, of Icon Class, in terms of bringing the sea to the ship and the expansive views edge to edge, is something that we haven’t experienced on a class of ships like this yet," she noted. "And certainly what that did for the promenade experience and the inclusion of The Pearl—one of my favorite things to do is watch TikTok or Instagram videos when people first board Icon and they just see the magnitude of the ship. That first impression with The Pearl—there’s nothing like it."

Wallace also emphasized that social media has played a major role in Icon of the Seas’ success, as guests eagerly share their experiences online.

"We’re seeing that in the popularity—not just in how people are experiencing the ship, but how they’re also reliving and posting their experiences all over social media," she said. "It is truly a jaw-dropping, showstopping, stunning ship when you see it in person."

A key factor in Icon of the Seas’ success is its focus on families of all kinds. From young kids to teens, multi-generational groups to extended families, the ship offers an unmatched variety of accommodations and entertainment to suit every type of traveler.

"We are a family brand," Wallace said. "When we think about families, it’s every single type of family. It’s families with young kids, it’s families with teenagers, it’s extended families, multi-generational families. And when you think about Icon, it truly does have something for all of those different types of families."

Taking a long weekend vacation on the Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship is the perfect escape, and I think paying more for a balcony room was worth it.

In February, I went on Utopia of the Seas for a 3-night cruise to The Bahamas and I paid $1,723.54 for a category 4D balcony room instead of a cheaper inside room.

I went with a balcony because I wanted the natural light and extra space you get with the outdoor veranda, but the room itself was bigger than I expected.

We stayed in room 9282, which is on deck 9 and a short walk from the aft elevators.

I'm no stranger to Utopia, having sailed on her already a half dozen times.  Picking a room on deck 9 meant we were mostly equidistant to the public decks, but closer to the Royal Promenade than the pool decks.

Royal Caribbean doesn't let guests access their cabins until 1pm, but that's only a few hours of waiting (assuming you board the ship as early as possible).

I prefer to be close the elevators rather than pick a room down the hall. While I can appreciate the view you have on the back of the ship, I prefer the convenience of being near an elevator.

All cabins on Utopia of the Seas are opened with your SeaPass card, which uses RFID technology. This means just tapping your card against the reader instead of inserting the card in the door.

Because Utopia is a new ship, the rooms look about as contemporary as you'd expect in terms of aesthetics.

I had just stayed in a balcony room on an older and smaller ship a few weeks prior to this, and the differences in the room are rather stark.

I found this balcony room on Utopia to feel bigger and more open than the one on Enchantment of the Seas.  Of course the decor looks more dated on Enchantment, but that ship was built in the 1990s.

As you walk into the room, there's a vanity on your left and a couch on the right.

The vanity has a desk, chair, and mirror.  It also has a number of USB outlets.

Royal Caribbean has been steadily increasing the amount of USB outlets in its cabins, in addition to standard electrical outlets.  More people are bringing more devices with them on vacation.

I really think you could stay in a room on Utopia of the Seas and not need to bring a USB or power extender with you and not feel constricted with how to keep everything charged.

The couch is rather large, but doesn't open up into a bed.  

While I'd like to tell you I used the couch for leisurely afternoon naps or to sit and have a conversation with my wife, but in reality, the couch was the destination for so many of our belongings.

Bags, dirty laundry, pool towels, and souvenirs all seem to end up on the couch one way or another.

On either side of the couch are two rather large closets.

There's an impressive amount of storage space in this room, something I missed having on Icon of the Seas.

You'll also find the room's safe in one of the closets. 

My wife and I each took one closet, and that was more than enough room for our clothes on a short cruise. There was even an entire set of drawers opposite the closet we never used.

The drawers offer lots of storage access as well.  Eventually Utopia will stop doing just weekend cruises and move onto longer sailings.  When it does, rest assured there's enough room for all your clothes.

The king size bed is next to the balcony in this particular cabin.  Keep in mind every room alternates whether the sofa or the bed is near the balcony.

The bed can be split into two upon request by your stateroom attendant.

There's a nightstand on each side of the bed, and both have a lamp with one power outlet and one USB C outlet.

I cannot stress enough how convenient it is to have a power outlet near the bed so you can keep your phone charging at night while you use it from the comfort of being in bed.

Nearly all other ships don't have an outlet near the bed, so I have to plug it in back at the vanity.

Opposite the bed is the TV. It's a nice flatscreen television that's big enough to see from the bed.

The one feature it doesn't have is the ability to stream videos from a smart device or computer. Some other recent Royal Caribbean ships have that feature, but not Utopia.

While I would have liked the ability to cast a YouTube video or Office episode to the TV, the truth is I rarely watch any TV on a cruise.

Below the television are a set of hooks you can use to hang up items.

This is useful for keeping hats, umbrellas, or anything else lightweight off the floor (or couch, in my case). It's a case of Royal Caribbean noticing all the cruise cabin hacks calling for magnets to be brought onboard and providing something on their own.

Moving out to the balcony, a sliding door provides access and you'll find two chairs and a table.

Each chair has a foot rest, which is a really nice idea.

It's not a spacious balcony, but there's enough room for two people to comfortably sit or stand and enjoy the view and ocean breeze.

While I'm comfortable enough booking an inside cabin, paying more for a balcony is such a nice luxury. Being able to pop outside on a whim is lovely.

I don't spend nearly as much time out here as I should, but I really like going out in the morning to gauge the weather, or enjoying a sunset at night.  

Back inside our room, the bathroom was bigger than I expected.

The bathroom has a mirror, sink, toilet, and shower.  I was impressed that a standard stateroom has both a shower wand and shower head.  

While you can't use both at the same time, it's a feature usually only found in a suite.

Overall, I was quite pleased with my room selection.  We booked the connecting balcony room next to it for my kids to stay in, providing the ultimate family cruise hack that I rely on so often.

I didn't set any records for the cheapest cruise cabin price, but this is a brand new cruise ship.  New ships are just going to cost more, period.

Because I live about an hour by car from Port Canaveral, being able to quickly drive to the port and hop on a cruise ship for the weekend is worth the higher cruise fare compared to having to fly or travel a longer distance to another ship.

Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas is well-known for offering cruise ship passengers a great time, so should you pay extra for its exclusive beach club?

Perfect Day at CocoCay is divided up into different areas, including the Coco Beach Club that offers an elevated beach day experience and comes with an admission cost.

I've been to the Coco Beach Club a few times over the years, but hadn't gone recently because of rising costs and other areas competing for my attention.

Royal Caribbean has done such a good job with the places around the island that have no cost, so it seemed almost unnecessary to pay for a beach club.

But when I was able to find a great deal on Coco Beach Club passes and even a cabana during a recent sale, I thought now was the right to return and see what it's like now.

The Coco Beach Club is resort life meets cruise ship fun

In describing the Coco Beach Club, think of it like a less crowded, slightly more upscale beach day.

Located between Chill Island and South Beach, Coco Beach Club is a short 10 minute walk from where your ship docks.

You can buy a day pass for every person, or rent a cabana, which comes with admission for its guests. Kids are allowed, and welcome, within the club.

The exact price of a day pass varies, but the average price without a good sale going on is $200 per person or more.  

That cost gets you into the club, lunch at its restaurant, and access to the beach or heated infinity pool.

There's also a pastry cart and coffee that's complimentary, but all your other drinks within the club will cost extra. If you have a Royal Caribbean drink package, your benefits work here too.

There are beach chairs and some chairs by the pool, and it's all first-come, first reserved.

There are a few beds near the pool, and these are the most highly coveted spots within the Coco Beach Club. Some guests will pretty much run in as soon as their ship docks to reserve one for the day.  You can expect them all to be reserved by 9am.

When you check-in, you're greeted with a cool towel and welcome drink. 

If you booked a cabana, your cabana attendant will escort you to them.  Otherwise, guests with a day pass can walk in and pick a spot.

Cabanas offer privacy and views

There are two types of cabanas inside the Coco Beach Club.

The standard beach cabanas are adjacent to the main beach, and it's a secluded area just for you to enjoy.

Each cabana has plenty of space, including a couch, four loungers, a hammock, and a few chairs too.

A cabana rental includes floating mats, snorkel gear, Bluetooth speaker, ceiling fan, and of course the cabana itself that provides shade.

Your cabana attendant will come by periodically to see if you'd like any food or drinks brought over.

The other type of cabana are the floating cabanas, which are split up into two sections.

These are some of the biggest and most expensive cabanas you can rent.

Each cabana is situated over the ocean on a floating pontoon, so it looks like something out of the Maldives or Bora Bora.

Their layout is similar to the beach cabanas, but they're bigger, have a shower, and even your own slide to go right into the ocean.

Without a doubt, the cabanas are lovely and a great place to spend your day, but they're going to be the most expensive cabanas on the island.

I've seen prices recently for a floating cabana of more than $5,000 for each one.  That's a really high price.  

A beach cabana will cost less, but it's not uncommon to see both types of cabanas well north of $3,000.

I love the seclusion and service you get with a cabana. Without a doubt, it's the most relaxing way to spend a day with someone else bringing everything you need. 

If there's one thing I don't like about the cabanas it's the lunch situation, where your cabana attendant delivers the food to your cabana.

On the surface, this is a great idea.  But I don't like the pacing of the service and more importantly, your food becomes an instant magnet for a flock of seagulls who will dive bomb your table the second you step away.

I've gotten around this issue by requesting to dine at the restaurant instead, but the staff sometimes seems resistant to the idea.

The perfect pool and beach

If Royal Caribbean got something right about the Coco Beach Club, it's how you can spend your day in the club.

The infinity pool is located behind the beach, and it's easy to hop between both.

The entire premise of this area is that you're paying for the exclusivity.  There's no crowd of people to contend with and try to find a chair.

You can easily roll in at lunch time and still find plenty of chairs around the beach. 

The pool area doesn't have much seating, and it's probably something I'd love to see them improve on.

The infinity pool is heated, and that means it's always the perfect temperature.  This is such a boon when I visited in January and February and the ocean was chilly.

I like how large the pool is, with plenty of space.  No matter which day I've been to the club, the pool never felt crowded.

Over on the beach, you'll find lots of space to spread out.

Something really neat is each beach chair has a flag you can put up to indicate you'd like to have service from a waiter.

The beach has beautiful white sand that is manicured each day, and there's enough room for leisurely walks.

Fences on both sides of the beach club ensure only beach club guests have access to it.

Come for the beach, stay for the restaurant

While the beach may be the primary selling point of paying to come into the Coco Beach Club, I think the restaurant is a close second.

Included in your fare is a restaurant (it has no name, just Coco Beach Club restaurant) where each guest can go for lunch.

You'll need to make a reservation for a table, and you can do that when you enter the club. Some people make reservations on the ship at the Shore Excursion desk, but I've never done that.

It's a sit down meal, but everyone is in their bathing suits.  Nonetheless, it's a standout meal.

There's a choice of lobster, filet mignon, salads, and more.  

I was very impressed with the food, and I really think the steak served here is better than the steak on your ship.

And yes, they'll serve you as much of the food as you like so you can get a second serving.

If there's a gripe about the food in the Coco Beach Club from guests, it's not about the food served, but rather, the food not served.

CocoCay is well-known for its great fast food choices, but you won't find all the choices of the Snack Shack inside the club, as you would at the extra cost adults-only area, Hideaway Beach.

Our cabana attendant was able to bring us mozzarella sticks, but I don't think they're available to day pass guests otherwise.  You can certainly walk out of the club and over to the Snack Shack in about 5 minutes, but it requires leaving the grounds.

My advice is make an early reservation for lunch and don't miss out on it.

Why you should pay extra to go to the Coco Beach Club

The appeal of paying for the Coco Beach Club is for you can enjoy a less crowded day with enhanced options than anywhere else around Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Kids can come too, and you're going to get significantly better food, great service, and a less crowded day overall.

It reminds me a bit of first class seating on an airplane, where the core experience is the same, but those within the club feel a little more special.

I love the heated pool and restaurant, and I'd book the day pass just for those.  Plus, the cabanas are so beautiful, especially those floating cabanas.

The real reason not to book the Coco Beach Club is the price you'll see when you go to buy a pass.

I spot checked prices for a few upcoming cruises, and it's not cheap. 

• Icon of the Seas March 2025 sailing: $206.78
• Star of the Seas November 2025 sailing: $194.68

Cabana prices start at about $3,000 for one, and while that includes admission for up to eight guests, it's still quite pricey.

You're not going to be disappointed once inside the Coco Beach Club, as it offers a very serene and relaxing day. 

There's no DJ or loud music, but everyone is there to enjoy a fun day in the sand, water, and around.

While you don't need to pay for the Coco Beach Club in order to have a really good time on Perfect Day at CocoCay, it's a lovely way to spend it too.

Ideally, you'll nab a good deal on admission like I did for my visits.  But that's not always practical.

Ultimately, I'd recommend paying to go to the Coco Beach Club if you truly value exclusivity and being somewhere uncrowded. If that describes you, then I think even the price tag can be justified.

👍Less crowds
👍Best food available on the island, rivaling specialty restaurants
👍Heated pool
👍Bragworthy cabanas
👍Great service
👍Floating mats included
👍Towels provided

👎Expensive
👎Very little seating near the pool
👎Not as many casual food choices as Hideaway Beach

Hope you are having a great weekend.  Here is all of this week's Royal Caribbean cruise news.

Royal Caribbean added a new California home port.

More cruise ships will be sailing from the west coast, as the cruise line announced it will expand to a new homeport in San Diego.

The new west coast deployments were released this week, including two ships from Los Angeles.

Royal Caribbean News

• Where to save and splurge on a cruise vacation
• Photos show new Bahamas beach club is inching closer to completion
• It's too late to book a spring break cruise, but here's what an expert says you should book instead
• 4 common Facebook cruise vacation scams
• 7 reasons to avoid cruises with lots of port stops
• My family went on Icon of the Seas. We hated the tech, but loved the ship
• I always choose this time to have my cruise room cleaned. It's not perfect but I think it's the most convenient
• I used to always book a cabin on a high deck on a cruise ship, but now I prefer a low deck room instead

New RCB Video: What I wish someone told me about food on a cruise

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 I wish someone told me about food on a cruise— and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Why Royal Caribbean's price match is the best way to take advantage of price drops

Did you know you could take advantage of a price drop?

It's not very well known, but there is a mechanism for price adjustments, but there are a few caveats.

The ability to re-price cruises has saved me thousands of dollars over the years, and it's the best way to get a cruise deal.

Royal Caribbean sued by passenger after jet ski accident at CocoCay

A lawsuit was filed by a passenger against Royal Caribbean after an accident at their private island.

The lawsuit alleges the person was on a jet ski excursion and was hit by a jet ski operated by the tour operator.

She claimed she suffered four spinal fractures and extensive internal injuries and is seeking $5 million in damages.

4 Royal Caribbean extra costs I never thought I'd buy

I may have scoffed at these extra costs at one point, but now they're always in my cart.

Royal Caribbean trots out new options all the time, and a few have resonated with me as must-buys.

Part of the fun of going on vacation is splurging and enjoying your time, and I have four I always look to buy first.

Vintage photos of a Royal Caribbean cruise in the 70s and 80s

I love looking back at the way cruise ships used to look, especially before the age of the megaship.

Cruise ships have evolved a lot, including what they and passengers looked like.  Mirroring society, cruise ships have moved on with the times and they looked a lot different 40 years ago.

While ships were big for their time, they definitely had a few key differences compared to ships today.

Royal Caribbean's first ever beach club is actively moving forward in its construction.

Located in Nassau, Bahamas, the cruise line is working to open something it's never done before with a pure land operation that goes beyond a private island experience.

Royal Beach Club Paradise Island will open in December 2025 and is sort of like Royal Caribbean's owned and operated shore excursion available exclusively for its customers.

The cruise line doesn't share many construction updates, so we took our own photos.

We have a new update on how progress is going on the ground, thanks to photos taken of the construction site on February 15.

With the grounds cleared of debris and previous buildings, active construction is underway to lay the foundations of the beach club's structures.

According to Royal Caribbean, site construction began in September 2024 after the official ground breaking in April.

The beach club is located on a 17-acre piece of land on the western end of Paradise Island near Nassau.  It's basically across from where all the cruise ships dock in Nassau.

Guests can get to the beach club via a new water taxi system that Royal Caribbean is also working on, which departs from the pier.

Admission is all-inclusive, which is another first for Royal Caribbean to offer such an amenity.

A day pass will include:

• Access to all amenities
• Water taxi ride between pier and beach club
• All food and beverage, including alcohol
• Beach chairs
• Umbrellas

The beach club has beaches and pools, three swim-up bars, seven beach bars, and more than 40 cabanas.

There are going to be different zones to encapsulate the vibe they want to provide passengers.

Party Cove, Family Beach, and Chill Beach all offer a different take on how to spend your day.

According to Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley, approximately 1 million guests are expected to go into the Beach Club in the first full year of operation.

Mr. Bayley also said tickets will go on sale sometime in April 2025.

About 2,000 people will be able to purchase a pass each day. 

No word yet on how much it will cost to go in, but day passes to other Nassau resorts aren't cheap.

The nearby Atlantis resort charges $255 for adults to use its Aquaventure waterpark.

Margaritaville Beach Resort charges $125-145 per adult, and Baha Mar resort has a $160 admission cost for its waterpark. 

None of those day passes are all-inclusive.

Royal Caribbean wants to offer something no other cruise line can compete with, and not just in Nassau.

All cruise lines have struggled for years with low guest satisfaction rates in Nassau because of a lack of things to do its customers want.

Building a beach club for cruise passengers by the cruise line is a way Royal Caribbean hopes to solve that problem.

Moreover, their strategy is to combine a beach club day with a day at its award winning private island in nearby Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The idea is to offer visits to places no other land resort or cruise line can possibly top.

The internet is a great place to find information about cruises, but it's also home to some nasty scams.

A lot of people flock to places like Facebook to find more information and learn about their cruise.  In fact, this is a good strategy because there are great resources there, and all over the internet.

However, some offers are indeed too good to be true.

Thankfully, if you know what to look for, scammers are easily spotted. But the prospect of a great deal is tempting for many people, and it leads to disappointment if they were to try to book them.

Bar crawl or group offers

One common scam on Facebook is for someone to try to sell you bar crawl, t-shirts, travel mugs, or lanyards for their sailing.

Many times groups will want to set up fun events for themselves on their cruise, such as a group bar tasting, slot pulls, or other events where everyone in the Facebook group gets to hang out and try it out.

These can be fun ways to make new friends, as well as see what the ship has to offer.

Jenn Yazzetti, an admin in the Symphony of the Seas Facebook group, warned people trying to sell you on these items, "more often than not, they are scammers."

How to avoid getting scammed: You definitely don't have to pay to participate in an event, or gain access to a bar onboard.

And if you get hungry, stop by one of the complimentary food stops along the way.

Someone looking for a cabin mate

Another "seems innocent until it's not" scam is related to people asking for someone cruising solo and wanting to share a cabin with them to save money.

Royal Caribbean charges a hefty fee if you book a regular cabin by yourself, which is known as the single supplement fee.

Essentially, cruise ship cabins are priced based on double occupancy, and if you book a room by yourself, you end up paying for the missing second person.

So sharing a cabin with someone else and splitting the cost would definitely save money.

Unfortunately, some people take advantage of this need by trying to get money out of it.

Julie Nedelko shared this warning, "Be suspicious of any post that talks about being a solo traveler looking for a companion to save on cruise fare."

"Sometimes it starts out with just a complaint about paying extra to be solo, or too bad my friend can’t go. This could be a phishing scam looking for victims."

She admits there could be legitimate postings, but you need to look into it far more before opening yourself up to something like this.

• Is the profile new?
• Does this person have less than ten friends?
• Is there just one or two friends and where are they from?
• Has the person joined many groups and used the same cut and paste message?
• Does the person want to message you off platform?
• Do they start giving personal compliments?

How to avoid getting scammed: I think she's spot on about keeping a healthy amount of suspicion with anyone that wants to share a room. 

This is a stranger on the internet, and even if it is a real person, you still have to effectively live with this person for the duration of the sailing.

If you are going to go down this route of trying to save money, I'd set up a call and really get to know them before paying for anything.  My advice is pay the single supplement fee, as it's far less risky.

Selling cruising ducks

The hottest trend in cruising right now is hiding ducks on a cruise for others to find.

No matter which cruise I go on, there's a few different people who are hiding them and interest grows as the sailing continues.

As people learn about this idea, it leads to them wanting to try it out too and this is where the scammer comes in.

A person on Facebook recently posted, "some groups are having trouble with scams from fake accounts trying to sell unwanted rubber cruise ducks due to a change in plans."

Another person responded, "This scam with same photos showed up in a page for cruise dates that I moderate. Several people got scammed!"

How to avoid getting scammed: If you want to hide ducks on your upcoming cruise, but them yourself from an online retailer.  

You can find batches of them cheaply, like 30 ducks for $19.99 on Amazon (this link contains an affiliate link, which costs you nothing but I make a small commission).

T-shirt sales

Similar to the first scam, this is where someone tries to sell shirts for your specific cruise.

Naturally there's a lot of excitement about a cruise and if you're like me, those last few weeks are very exciting as you try to get everything you need.

In Facebook groups you'll see someone with a link to a website selling t-shirts for your ship, sail date, or both.

Wayne Green wrote, "Warning to everyone. These t-shirt sales are scams to get your card details and address. They have warnings on other groups as many have been scammed."

How to avoid getting scammed: Just like the cruising ducks, if you want a custom t-shirt or any shirt related to your cruise, order it yourself through a reputable seller.  Vistaprint, Etsy, or Spreadshirt are all good options.

How to report a Facebook Group scam

If someone messages you directly on Facebook Messenger and it looks like a scam, stop communicating with them immediately and report the incident to Facebook. 

If you're in a Facebook group and think a post is a scam, the first thing you can do is report the post to the group admin. It will get deleted the quickest in this manner.

1. Click the three-dot menu to the right of the post
2. Click Report Post To Group Admins
3. You can also click Report Post
   1. This sends the post to Facebook for review

In my experience, reporting to group admins works best because Facebook's review seems to use artificial intelligence and it takes forever to get a resolution. 

Group admins should delete it a heck of a lot quicker so no one else is potentially scammed.

Many people are unaware of the best way to save money in the long term on a Royal Caribbean cruise is by taking advantage of a price drop.

To be fair, the cruise line does not do a very good job of advertising their price match option.  Even some travel agents are unaware of how it works. Plus, it's limited to residents of certain countries.

I cruise a dozen times each year, and the ability to reduce my fare after a price drop has easily saved me save thousands of dollars.

With cruise prices only seeming to go up, this strategy won't necessarily work on every cruise you have booked.  But I've been pleasantly surprised when it does work.

Here's how Royal Caribbean's price match works and when you can use it.

You can reprice up until final payment date

For residents of select countries, you can re-price your cruise all the way up until the final payment date if there is a price drop.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing for all of its cruises. This means the cost of the cruise fare can vary from sailing to sailing, and with its algorithm, could change minute to minute.

First and foremost, this only applies to residents of the United States, Canada, and a few others.  Notably residents of the United Kingdom cannot utilize this.

If the price of the exact cabin category you booked drops below what you paid and you're before the final payment date, you can have the cruise line match the lower price.

It has to be for the exact same cabin category, meaning the exact cabin category code needs to match.  Remember, there are sub categories of cabins beyond inside, oceanview, balcony, or suite.  So if you booked a category 5D Balcony on Mariner of the Seas, the price has to have dropped for another 5D Balcony on Mariner for the same sailing as you.

Your travel agent can do it for you. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, then you need to call them and ask for the price adjustment.

To be honest, not all travel agents or even phone agents at Royal Caribbean are aware of this strategy.  I've heard back from cruisers who have been denied a price adjustment because the person they talked to was unaware of the policy.  

As long as you're before final payment date, a resident of an applicable country, and the fare you're trying to match is the exact room category on your specific sailing, you should be able to do it.  Call back and speak to someone else who should know about it.  Or better yet, work with a really good travel agent that does this all the time.

What if there's a price drop after final payment?

If the price goes down after your final payment date, you're out of luck and there's nothing else to be done.

Royal Caribbean won't adjust the price of any fare if the price goes lower.

One thing to keep in mind is if the price goes down for a higher category cabin after final payment date and it costs more than you paid, it's been my experience they'll let you pay to upgrade to that cabin.

Not to be confused with the Royal Caribbean Best Price Guarantee

Often the ability to price match is mixed up with another policy, the Best Price Guarantee.

This is similar, but would apply whether or not you're past final payment or not.

Within 48 hours of booking a cruise, Royal Caribbean will honor any price drop.

• If you're before final payment, you can get a refund for the price difference
• If you're after final payment, you can either get an upgrade to a higher room at the same price or get the difference back as a non-refundable Onboard Credit.

This policy is far more well advertised and because it works even after final payment date, it's somewhat different.

Do cruise prices go down?

I know it seems like prices are only getting more expensive for a cruise, but they do fluctuate.

Depending on what the demand is for a particular sailing, Royal Caribbean will use its pricing to help boost or dampen sales to keep it steady.

Most commonly, you'll see cruise fare fluctuations with longer sailings, or cruises from less traditional homeports.  Examples include transatlantic cruises, or cruises that depart from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The "catch" with price drops is the cruise line won't alert you to it.  The only want to truly know if there is a price drop is to check yourself.

To check the price of the cruise after you booked, you'll need to go to Royal Caribbean's website and do a mock booking where you pretend to be trying to book the exact room category on the sailing you're already booked on.

Remember, it has to be the same exact room category code as yours to qualify.

Price drops are why being early is the best time to book cruise

Taking advantage of price drops is why I love to book a cruise as early as possible.

If you're curious when is the best time to book a cruise, I recommend booking it as soon as you can because prices tend to go up.

While price drops do occur, they're not the norm by any means.  But if you book immediately, you can keep track of the price and take advantage of a price drop later.

Even without the ability to re-price a cruise, Royal Caribbean executives have said repeatedly they expect prices to only go up.

Booking early lets you also pay for a cruise over time

Another advantage to reserving a cruise earlier is you have more time to pay for it.

Travel agents can do this for you quite easily, where you can instruct them to take installments up until your final payment date.  You could pay it monthly or in random lump sums.

In addition, Royal Caribbean also offers a monthly payment option for those that book a cruise directly with the cruise line through a service called UpLift.

This allows you to spread out monthly payments, even after your cruise sails.  It's essentially financing, and there's an interest rate you'll pay with it.