Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean's next sales promotion begins today, with a BOGO (Buy One Guest, Get Second Guest 50% Off) and up to $100 onboard credit per stateroom to spend at sea. 

The November BOGO offer runs from November 3 - 30, 2016 and is valid on sailings departing on or after Dec 3, 2016. Offer excludes China departures.

Here are the offer details

• Buy One Guest, Get Second Guest 50% Off
• 25% savings for 3rd and 4th guests
• Bonus onboard credit
  • 5 nights or less
    • Interior/Oceanview – $25 OBC per stateroom
    • Balcony/Suite – $50 OBC per stateroom
  • 6 nights or longer
    • Interior/Oceanview – $50 OBC per stateroom
    • Balcony/Suite – $100 OBC per stateroom

BOGO is combinable with adjoining 25% Savings for 3rd and 4th guests, OBC, Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers. BOGO, 3rd and 4th Guest Savings and OBC are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military.  

OBC is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts. 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, Net Rates, Shareholder Benefits.

Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.

Traditionally, guests that book a Royal Caribbean cruise (or a cruise in general), have booked a stateroom with at least two guests sharing a room.  The cruise industry was built on this model, but in recent years, more and more guests have opted to cruise alone and Royal Caribbean has responded to this new demand with a special kind of stateroom category for folks that want to cruise alone.

Here is your guide to understanding what a solo cabin is all about, and why you might want to reserve one if you elect to cruise alone.

Why book a solo stateroom?

The primary reason why someone cruising alone would want a single/solo stateroom is because Royal Caribbean will charge a fee for someone trying to stay in a traditional stateroom by themselves.  Royal Caribbean refers to this fee as a "single supplement fee," and it is a means of recouping the cost of that second passenger that is expected to be in the stateroom.  Quite often, the single supplement fee is equivalent to double the cost of a single guest. Because the cruise lines business model depends on staterooms filled with at least two guests in them, single supplement fees have been the means of ensuring the cruise line is not taking a loss on a solo cruiser.

With single staterooms, there is no single supplement fee. When Royal Caribbean added these rooms, they designed them to be respective of the ship's business model and this means solo cruisers do not have to pay double the cost of what the cruise should be.

Studio staterooms are smaller than standard rooms, but they are meant to have enough space for a single guest to live in during their cruise.

Which ships have solo staterooms?

Here is a breakdown of the studio staterooms across Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Why you might want a regular room

It is important to note that while solo cruisers may seek out a studio stateroom, there are two main advantages of booking a regular room, despite the single supplement fee.

First, a regular stateroom will offer significantly more living space, along with a far greater variety of choices.  As you can see from the chart above, there are not many variations available for studio cruisers and no options for a solo cruiser that wants a suite.

Second, Royal Caribbean does offer double Crown and Anchor Society points for guests that pay the single supplement fee for cruising alone.  While it does have a higher cost than a studio stateroom, the extra Crown and Anchor Society points can help guests move up the status levels quite quickly.

Depending on your budget, booking a regular cabin may be an option to consider.

With their unique flavors and spectacular presentation, the culinary creations at Wonderland are as imaginative as they are delicious. Royal Caribbean’s talented culinary team collaborate to dream up everything from completely transparent tomato gazpacho to a melt-away chocolate dessert surprise. These interactive dishes combine gourmet cuisine and art inspiration for a dazzling culinary experience.

Royal Caribbean is offering a special military rate in honor of the Veterans Day in the United States and Canada.

To qualify for a Military rate, at least one guest in the stateroom must be classified as one of the following,

• Active personnel currently serving in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves or Canadian National Defense.
• Retired from any of the divisions listed directly above.
• Veterans with an Honorable Discharge serving a minimum of 2 years, or 6-months in an active war zone, in any of the United States service divisions listed above.

Select price code MIL when booking. 

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is packed with offerings for guests of all ages, and families will find the most options Royal Caribbean has ever included in one cruise ship. To demonstrate that fact, Royal Caribbean has released a new infographic that showcases it all.

Harmony of the Seas spans 16 guest decks, encompasses 226,963 gross registered tons, carries 5,479 guests at double occupancy, and features 2,747 staterooms.

Royal Caribbean is planning a first of its kind meet up, with all three of its Oasis class ships coming together in one spot, and they are inviting you to join them (virtually) for this momentous meeting.

On November 4, 2016, Oasis of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will convene off the Florida coast, with plenty of photo and video being taken of this historic event.

Royal Caribbean will live stream this incredible event on its Facebook page, and is inviting the public to join them for this celebration.

The live stream will begin at approximately 5:00pm eastern time on November 4, and will also feature an opportunity for Royal Caribbean fans to submit their questions about the Oasis class ships to Royal Caribbean's CEO Michael Bayley.

The meeting of these three vessels coincides with Harmony of the Seas' arrival at its new homeport of Port Everglades, Florida.  Harmony of the Seas is currently on a 13-night transatlantic voyage, with this event culminating an already fun-packed voyage.

The live stream will be available on Royal Caribbean's Facebook page, and we will be sharing the live feed on our Facebook page as well.

What questions would you want to ask Michael Bayley about Harmony of the Seas, or any of its Oasis class sister ships? Share your questions in the comments!

Royal Caribbean announced today it will be the Official Cruise Line of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and the Arena Concert Series at Madison Square Garden.

Royal Caribbean and The Market Square Garden Company announced their marketing partnership, which provides Royal Caribbean with premier brand integration and exposure across Madison Square Garden’s unrivaled set of assets, including digital platforms, venue signage and presence in the transformed Madison Square Garden.

Royal Caribbean will enjoy significant brand exposure at The Garden during all Knicks and Rangers games, as well as during concerts at Madison Square Garden. This includes courtside and in-arena LED signage throughout the Arena, featured spots on MSG’s GardenVision and features on Knicks and Rangers digital and social assets.

"New York is an incredibly important market for Royal Caribbean, and we couldn’t think of a stronger fit in a strategic partner than the Madison Square Garden Company,"said Jim Berra, Chief Marketing Officer, Royal Caribbean International. "As the Official Cruise Line of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and the Arena Concert Series at Madison Square Garden, we hope to inspire New Yorkers to consider Royal Caribbean for their next great adventure."

"As the number one cruise line in the world, Royal Caribbean is a fantastic addition to our legendary group of marketing partners and we look forward to working with them on some exciting initiatives," said Ron Skotarczak, executive vice president, marketing partnerships, The Madison Square Garden Company. "We are excited to provide incredible value for our newest partner that will help drive their business."

Towering over 150 feet above sea level, the Ultimate Abyss launches thrill seekers into a serpentine of twists and turns on the world's biggest ship. Guests climb to the slide's glass platform, taking in the view from the top of the tallest slide at sea. From there, sliders launch into 216 feet of tunnels, whizzing past multi-sensory effects and blast onto the Boardwalk 10 decks below. Get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the adventure that is the Ultimate Abyss.

Hurricane Matthew may have dissipated weeks ago, but its impact is still being felt today, with an announcement by Royal Caribbean that Adventure of the Seas refurbishment plan has been modified.

Royal Caribbean sent an email to travel partners, indicating that "extensive damage" at the Freeport, Bahamas shipyard, as well as the global rerouting of cargo ships carrying equipment and materials, have causes a delay in getting the new changes implemented on the ship. Several cargo ships carrying essential materials were forced to bypass Freeport to circumvent the storm and, in turn, continued their predetermined route.

Adventure of the Seas will still exit dry dock on November 14, as previously planned, to embark on its scheduled itineraries.  Royal Caribbean was able to implement some of the changes as scheduled, such as updated design and décor, as well as newly renovated areas such as Boleros Latin lounge and the two-story mini golf course. However, there will be visible work going on during the next sailings.

• Work will continue on the Dual Racer water slides, FlowRider and Splashaway Bay aqua park with a new opening date of December 10, 2016.
• Chops Grille will now open early next year, while Izumi Japanese Cuisine is no longer part of the planned scope. Giovanni's Table, will offer select Chops Grille menu items until the steakhouse opens in early 2017.
• The introduction of new staterooms is no longer possible at this time. Guests booked in these staterooms will be contacted by a representative from Royal Caribbean's Customer Service team to discuss re-accommodation options on the same sailing.  Guests confirmed in a panoramic oceanview stateroom will be offered a complimentary upgrade to balcony accommodations and $100 OBC per stateroom to spend onboard.
• All guests on Adventure of the Seas sailings departing November 14 - December 3, 2016 will be offered a 25% Future Cruise Credit based on the cruise fare paid. 

The new timetable looks like this.

• Available as of November 14, 2016
  • Two story mini-golf course
  • Boleros Latin Lounge
• Available as of December 10, 2016
  • Dual Racer Water Slides
  • FlowRider
  • Splashaway Bay Aqua Park
• Coming in Early 2017
  • Chops Grille
  • Suite Lounge
• Removed from renovation plans
  • Izumi Japanese Cuisine

With today being Halloween, Royal Caribbean is celebrating this spookishly fun holiday across its fleet, including onboard the brand new Harmony of the Seas.

Many blog readers ask about how Royal Caribbean celebrates a holiday like this, and today we have some fun photos to share from some lucky guests onboard.

Photos by Emmy Schaffer

Photo by Anna-Carin Littson

Royal Caribbean created a Haunted House in the On Air Club, and Anna-Carin Littson shared with us photos of this venue.

Photo by Anna-Carin Littson

Happy Halloween!