Royal Caribbean is offering everyone experience an undersea adventure with a first-of-its-kind social media innovation.
From June 21-25, Through the lens of Snapchat Spectacles, Royal Caribbean's Snapchat Channel will take viewers underwater, thanks to a custom-design scuba mask dubbed "SeaSeekers."
The mask was custom engineered by the cruise line for use with Snapchat Spectacles. It allows the wearer to snap while underwater and will give those above the surface a unique perspective into the intriguing underwater world of marine life. Fans can #SeekDeeper by following @RoyalCaribbean on Snapchat.
There will be three dives that will show what it is like to take an underwater adventure through the eyes of three well-known divers.
In Cozumel, Mexico marine wildlife photographer and conservationist Roberto Ochoa will give viewers a rare glimpse into the annual migration of Whale Sharks.
Marine Biologist Gabriela Nava and co-founder of the organization Oceanus, A.C. based in Mexico, will then take viewers to see a coral reef restoration project where she and her team have been working to restore the local reefs.
In Belize, fans can follow along as free diver Ashleigh Baird visits the Great Blue Hole, an underwater sinkhole that is believed to be the largest of its kind.
"The SeaSeeker will enable all adventure-seekers to get a front-row seat to the thrilling adventures found underwater in a way that has never been possible before," said Jim Berra, chief marketing officer and SVP of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. "Snapchat continues to be a favorite channel for curious travellers and is the ideal platform for this first-of-its-kind undersea exploration. We are excited to find an innovative way to use the Snapchat Spectacles with our SeaSeeker mask so that we can bring the underwater experience to our guests as they visit the incredible destinations we sail to. We’ve even taken the added step of applying for a patent for the SeaSeekers mask so that we can bring it to our guests exclusively."
Fans can follow along on Royal Caribbean’s Snapchat channel or by searching on other social platforms by using #SeekDeeper.
Many Royal Caribbean cruises that visit the Eastern Caribbean will make a stop in St. Maarten, an island split between The Netherlands and France. St. Maarten is known for its beautiful beaches, and exquisite examples of Dutch and French culture.
Royal Caribbean cruise ships dock on the Dutch side of the island, right outside of the Dutch capital of Philipsburg. Visitors to St. Maarten will find a good mix of aquatic activities, shopping, dining and more. Here are some popular options for what to do on your day in St. Maarten.
Shopping in Marigot
The French capital of Saint-Martin is Marigot, and walking its streets evokes a sense of being in a small French village, rather than an island in the Caribbean.
Marigot is full of wonderful shopping and dining choices, along with easy access to the the water. A visit to Marigot is a great choice for guests looking to do a bit of shopping, or enjoy French food while in town. You can wander the streets of central Marigot, and discover old Creole houses, restored in the traditional Saint Martinoise style and often housing luxury boutiques.
Marigot is also well known for its duty-free shopping, with a focus on luxury and French fashion.
Getting to Marigot requires a short taxi ride.
Airplanes at Maho Beach
It is likely you have seen at some point a video of an airplane landing near Maho Beach, without knowing it is located in St. Maarten.
Maho Beach is a small beach on the Dutch side of the Caribbean island, located adjacent to Princess Juliana International Airport. Maho Beach is unusually close to the threshold of a runway, and is directly under the flight path, resulting in aircraft on their final approach flying over the beach at altitudes of less than 100 feet above ground level.
The beach itself is white sand and has little to no vegetation because of jet blast erosion. The reason to visit Maho Beach is to see planes landing, and experience the thrill of seeing them in person. The Sunset Bar and Grill is located at the beach, which offers refreshments between landings.
Orient Bay
Orient Bay beach, situated in the north-eastern part of the island, is one of the island’s largest and most popular beaches. The beach offers a full range of tourist amenities, including beach restaurants, hotels, shops and water sports.
Orient Bay is widely regarded to be among the best beaches in the Caribbean, and is the perfect setting for a day at the beach. Orient Beach is the most developed, the most popular and the busiest beach on the island and is reputed as much for its natural beauty and setting as it is for being the island´s foremost swimsuit optional beach.
Orient Bay is the only beach on St. Martin with a large number of beach bars and restaurants directly located on the beach.
Grand-Case
If you want to experience the French side of St. Martin with a bit more authenticity, head over the Grand-Case. The village of Grand Case has retained all its authenticity, particularly in its housing.
Grand-Case is well known for its exquisite dining and has the perfect mix of attractions in and around its center. Grand-Case has all the flavors of French 'haute cuisine' and 'savoir vivre'.
Nearby, visitors can check out the beach that offers several beach bars, restaurants, and small hotels. Frugal travelers, will appreciate the beach side market square with the 'lolos', serving grilled lobster, barbecue food, and local treats.
Phillipsburg
The capital of St. Maarten is Phillipsburg, which was settled by the Dutch in 1631 for the Great Salt Pond located nearby. Jewelry and souvenir stalls line the main street. A promenade has been developed along the waterfront and is lined with a vast range of restaurants and bars.
Like Marigot, Philipsburg offers duty-free shopping to visitors at the many shops that line the two main streets downtown: Front Street and Back Street. Shoppers will find jewelry, perfumes, appliances, clothing and more for sale throughout the town.
There are also a number of cultural hot spots to check out, including the St. Maarten Museum, Courthouse and Sint Maarten National Heritage Foundation.
Island Tour
Since there is so much to see in St. Maarten, a lot of times a tour of the island makes a lot of sense. Taking a tour of St. Maarten allows you to get a "taste" of the highlights and maybe set yourself up for something on a future visit.
There are a lot of tours you can take, either on your own, with a private driver or through a group tour. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks, and one of the big factors will be cost. Group tours will be the least expensive options, but you will be at the mercy of the pace of the group. Conversely, a private tour will allow you to do what you want, when you want, but with the caveat that you will pay more for it.
Island tours are very popular shore excursions and available through third parties or with Royal Caribbean. Taxis are readily available at the port area, as well as around Philipsburg and most popular tourist areas.
Your Thoughts
Have you tried any of the places we outlined? Do you have a recommendation for something to do in St. Maarten? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below!
Happy Sunday! We’d like to wish all the dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day! We hope you get to have a relaxing and fun-filled day with your family!
Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and catch up on all the latest Royal Caribbean news!
Beginning June 13, guests can expect to see the non-refundable deposit option live on various products. Royal Caribbean will work with these test products leading up to the fleet wide launch on July 1, 2017.
As of July 1st, 2017, the fleet-wide launch of nonrefundable deposit fares will debut across all ships.
In this episode, Matt talks about what impact hurricanes can have on a cruise, and whether or not taking a cruise during this time of year is a good idea.
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.
Recently added Royal Caribbean Menus
We regularly update our listing of Royal Caribbean menus to help our readers prepare for their cruise experience. Here is a listing of recent menus have been updated.
Royal Caribbean's Pre-Cruise Summer Sale is offering up to 30% off select pre-cruise purchases made via the Cruise Planner.
The three-day sale is available for guests on select sailings, and offers discounts on services, such as unlimited drink packages, internet packages and even some shore excursions and spa treatments. Offer applies to new purchases made June 17 - 19, 2017. Discount applies to beverage, internet, dining and spa packages on select sailings departing July 1 - December 15, 2017. Discount amount varies by amenity type.
The exact discount available will vary from sailing to sailing, but there appears to be a fair amount of discounts applied.
Based on the countdown clock, it appears this promotion ends at midnight on June 19, 2017.
To check what items are on sale for your sailing, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site to see any available offers.
If you have already prepurchased something on the Cruise Planner that is now less expensive, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same service under this promotion.
UPDATE: Royal Caribbean has extended the sale by another 24 hours. Offer applies to new purchases made June 20, 2017.
President Trump announced new restrictions on Friday to curtail travel and commercial ties between the U.S. and Cuba, but it appears there will be no impact on Royal Caribbean cruises to Cuba.
On Twitter, Royal Caribbean confirmed that there will be no impact to any sailings that visit Cuba as a result of the new U.S. policy toward Cuba.
We're pleased to share there is no impact to any of our cruises to Cuba as announced in the new U.S. policy toward Cuba today.
Royal Caribbean currently offers year-round sailings to Havana, Cuba on Empress of the Seas from Tampa, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida through March 2019.
Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!
Episode 202 is available for downloading, focusing on what you need to know about taking a cruise during hurricane season.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic is a time of year when large storms have the potential to disrupt cruise vacations. What risks are there? Should you avoid taking a cruise this time of year? Matt discusses the important considerations during these months.
Royal Caribbean is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its most popular sale, the WOW Sale, with another WOW sale!
Guests that book a Royal Caribbean cruise between June 14-16, 2017 on sailings departing on or after July 14, 2017 (excluding China departures) are eligible for the WOW sale.
The WOW Sale includes:
60% off second passenger
Onboard Credit
WOW Sale includes up to $200 onboard credit:
$50 for 5 nights or less
$100 for 6-9 nights
$200 for 10-nights and longer
Sailings departing between 12/19/17 - 12/31/17 and 12/18/18 - 12/31/18 qualify for additional onboard credit:
$75 total OBC for 3-5 Nights
$150 total OBC for 6-9 nights
$250 total OBC for 10 nights and longer
50% Reduced Deposit
Kids Sail Free
Kids Sail Free offer provides free cruise fare of third and higher guests who are 12 years or younger as of cruise departure date, booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests in a triple or quad occupancy stateroom on 5 nights or longer Bahamas and Caribbean sailings departing Sep. 1, 2017-May 31, 2018, excluding sailings departing 11/17/17-11/27/17, 12/17/17 – 1/8/18, 2/15/18-2/20/18 and 3/10/18-4/1/18.
All other charges, including, but not limited to, taxes, fees and port expenses, are additional and apply to all guests.
WOW Sale is combinable with BOGO60, 30% Savings for 3rd and 4th guests, Kids Sail Free, standard/full fare and Next Cruise offers. WOW Sale is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, etc.) Crown & Anchor discounts, Shareholder Benefits or Loyal to Royal Sales. All offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates. WOW Sale is valid for Cruisetour package. Bookings with a Cruisetour package will receive an OBC based on the combined length of the cruise and Cruisetour component
Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.
Royal Caribbean has released details on the launch of its non-refundable deposit program, where guests can opt to make a cruise reservation with a no-refund policy on the deposit.
Beginning June 13, guests can expect to see the non-refundable deposit option live on various products. Royal Caribbean will work with these test products leading up to the fleet wide launch on July 1, 2017.
Here are the sailings eligible for the non-refundable deposit program
Caribbean
Freedom of the Seas departing San Juan
Sailing window: May 12, 2018 through August 25, 2018
Rhapsody of the Seas departing Tampa, FL
Sailing window: January 7, 2018 through April 29, 2018
Adventure of the Seas departing from Northeast
Sailing window: May 5, 2018 through October 8, 2018
Alaska
Explorer of the Seas
Sailing window: May 18, 2018 through September 7, 2018
Radiance of the Seas
Sailing window: May 18, 2018 through September 7, 2018
Europe
Jewel of the Seas departing from Rome roundtrip
Sailing window June 17, 2018 through September 2, 2018
Non-refundable fares booked 6-months or more from sail date, recieve automatic Early Booking Incentive bonus. The early booking credit is combinable with promotional onboard credit offers, Crown & Anchor discounts, and NextCruise benefits.
Sailings 1-5 nights
Interior/Oceanview: $25 OBC
Balcony/Suite: $50 OBC
Sailings 6+ nights
Interior/Oceanview: $50 OBC
Balcony/Suite: $100 OBC
A non-refundable deposit will become the only option for those guests interested in reserving an upper Suite. This also holds true for guarantee categories, including W/WS, X/XB, XN, Y/YO, and Z/ZI.
As of July 1st, 2017, the fleet-wide launch of nonrefundable deposit fares will debut across all ships.
A change fee of $100 per guest will be imposed to all reservations booked under a nonrefundable deposit fare that opts to change either the ship and/or sail date originally selected. Multiple adjustments to the ship and/or sail date of a booking will result in the assessment of a $100 per guest change fee for each qualifying change made to the reservation. There is no limit on the number of change fees that can be incurred.
Outside of final payment, when a nonrefundable deposit cancellation occurs, guests will receive a Future Cruise Certificate in the amount of their designated cruise deposit, less the $100 per guest change fee.
Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International
Get a free quote!
Join Our Insiders
Like what you see? With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone!
Episode 202
