Royal Caribbean's new August offer combines 50% off second guest, plus kids sail free and even bonus onboard credit.

Royal Caribbean cruises booked between August 1, 2017 through August 31, 2017 12:00 AM EST on sailings departing on or after September 1, 2017 are valid for this promotion (excluding China departures).

The deal includes

• 50% off cruise fare of second guest who must be booked in the same stateroom as a first guest who books at full fare,
• 25% cruise fare savings for 3rd guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests
• Kids Sail Free offer
  • 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
  • Kids Sail Free offer is valid on 4–night or longer Europe, Bahamas, and Caribbean Sailings departing September 1, 2017 – May 15, 2018 excluding holiday sailings departing November 17, 2017-November 27, 2017, December 17, 2017–January 8, 2018, February 15, 2018-February 20, 2018 and March 10, 2018 - April 1, 2018.
• Deck the Holidays offer
  • Valid on sailings departing from December 19, 2017 through December 31, 2017 and December 18, 2018 through December 31, 2018
  • Instant savings determined by category booked and sailing length
    • $25 off per stateroom for interior and oceanview on sailings 5 nights or less
    • $50 off per stateroom for balconies and suites on sailings 5 nights and less
    • $50 off per stateroom for interior and oceanview on sailings 6 nights and longer
    • $75 off per stateroom for balconies and $100 off for suites on sailings 6 nights or longer

BOGO does not apply to third and higher occupancy guests. BOGO and Kids Sail Free Offers are combinable with NRDB OBC, promotional OBCs and instant savings, NextCruise offers, restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military), Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Deck the Holidays sale is combinable with NextCruise offers, NRDB OBC, and restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military) but is not combinable with Shareholder benefits and Crown and 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.

Offer available to residents of United States and Canada. 

Royal Caribbean is making changes to its onboard cruise booking incentive program, known as NextCruise.

We first heard about the changes on a Cruise Critic message board post, and it appears the changes are being directed to travel agents first.

Effective on August 1, 2017, the reduced deposits incentive will be eliminated.  The deposit required onboard will be equivalent to the same value as shoreside deposit, which ranges between $100 - $450 per cabin, depending on the length of the cruise.

In addition, Royal Caribbean is altering the onboard credit offered to those that book cruises onboard.

• 4-5 night cruises
  • Interior/Oceanview rooms: $25
  • Balcony/Junior Suites: $50
  • Grand Suite and above: $150
• 6-9 night cruises
  • Interior/Oceanview rooms: $50
  • Balcony/Junior Suites: $100
  • Grand Suite and above: $300
• 10 nights or longer cruises
  • Interior/Oceanview rooms: $100
  • Balcony/Junior Suites: $200
  • Grand Suite and above: $500

As of August 1, 2017, NextCruise will only offer the future onboard credit option.  Royal Caribbean claims this change was due to lack of popularity of the Instant Onboard Credit option.

Guests booking NextCruise will have the choice to have either the Refundable or Non-Refundable Deposit Fare program while onboard.  Both the Refundable and Non-Refundable fares are combinable with NextCruise Onboard credit.

It seems like it is heating up everywhere with summer upon on us, and we have the best reading material to enjoy while sitting by the air conditioning.

While in Europe, Royal Caribbean has temporarily switched Sabor on Navigator of the Seas to an Indian restaurant.

The change occured to cater to the tastes of its British cruisers, and took place on this past week's sailing.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean will hold a quarterly earnings call next week.
• 5 things to love about Rhapsody of the Seas
• We posted a photo tour of a Spa Junior Suite on Anthem of the Seas.
• 9 important things to know before buying an unlimited alcohol package.
• We spotted a swan drink floatie for sale.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 208th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss taking a shore excursion to St. John.

St. John is located nearby St. Thomas, and an easy and fun way to spend the day.  Matt discuses how to get to St. John, as well as what makes this island paradise so lovely.

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.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Cruise Fever shared that Grandeur of the Seas received a perfect health score from the CDC.

John Bamber shared how he enjoyed his Royal Caribbean cruise following weight loss surgery.

Royal Caribbean shared top five can't miss adventures onboard.

Holly Smith Photography shares a trip report from her Empress of the Seas cruise to Cuba.

Travel Weekly wrote about Royal Caribbean appointing new key account and regional sales managers.

Miami Herald interviewed a few CEOs about balancing work with family, including Richard Fain.

Junior Suites are a popular choice for many Royal Caribbean guests, and on Anthem of the Seas, there is an additional option known as the Spa Junior Suite.  Today we have a look at one of these Spa Junior Suites to give you an idea of what to expect if you book a similar stateroom.

Karah Ryan Smith shared photos of her Spa Junior Suite, which was stateroom 13642 on Anthem of the Seas during her recent sailing.

In recent years, Royal Caribbean has begun offering on its Quantum-class ships a new type of Junior Suite, known as the Spa Junior Suite.

The Spa Junior Suite comes in at 267 square feet and offers a large, spa-inspired split bath with soaking tub.  There's also a shower with frosted glass wall that allows natural light from living area.

The bath tub also features a rain shower head and a hand held shower head.

A private balcony allows for 81 square feet of additional space to enjoy.

Every Friday, we show off the Royal Caribbean photos that our readers have sent us in a special blog post.  Each week, we invite our readers to send us their favorite Royal Caribbean photos and we post them right here.

Without further adieu, let's jump right into this week's batch of photos!

We kick off this week's photos with this photo by Elaine Scotti of the "Captain" on the bridge on board Anthem of the Seas.

Daneil took this photo on Allure of the Seas as the ship was sailing at sea.

Adam Hall took a family photo while in Cozumel, with a backdrop of Liberty of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Here is a photo of Labadee, taken by Bob Carpenter while on an Oasis of the Seas cruise.

Bryan Grantham's wife took this photo of a classic car while touring Havana, Cuba.

Jill Snyder took this beautiful photo from her Aquatheater suite on Harmony of the Seas.

We wrap up this week's edition with a photo of Stephanie Anderson's son having some fun on Harmony of the Seas.

Would you like to submit your Royal Caribbean photos for a future Friday Photos post? Use this form to send them to us and we will feature them very soon!

This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 208 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.

This week, Matt reviews his recent visit to St. John while on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Matt offers tips and advice for anyone considering visiting this serene oasis.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 208. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Royal Caribbean will hold a conference call on August 1, 2017 at 10am to discuss its second quarter 2017 financial results.

The call will be available on-line at the company's investor relations web site, www.rclinvestor.com. To listen to the call by phone, please dial (877) 663-9606 in the US and Canada. International phone calls should be made to (706) 758-4628. There is no passcode or meeting number. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same site for a month following the call.