Royal Caribbean has reversed course and announced today Majesty of the Seas will not be retired out of the fleet and offer new itineraries from Port Canaveral in 2016.

Royal Caribbean had announced in November 2014 that Majesty of the Seas would be transferred out of Royal Caribbean's fleet to a sister company in 2016, but the company has changed plans due to "popular demand."

Before Majesty of the Seas begins her new service in 2016, she will head to the Bahamas for a drydock session "for upgrades and receive transformational new onboard amenities."

During her upgrades, Majesty of the Seas will receive the high speed internet service that has been available on Quantum and Oasis class cruise ships, known as Voom. In addition, the super fast internet will be free and unlimited for guests on Majesty of the Seas.

Majesty of the Seas is also slated to get a number of upgrades

• New waterslides
• ​Family-friendly Jacuzzis
• Poolside movie screen
• Dreamworks Experience
• Enhanced casino

Majesty of the Seas will also receive a number of new restaurants to the ship

• Sabor Taqueria
• ​Izumi
• ​Chef's Table

Following her upgrades, Majesty of the Seas will be homeported in Port Canaveral starting in summer 2016. Majesty of the Seas will sail 3- and 4-night cruises to the Bahamas with visits to the cruise line’s private island destination, CocoCay.

Rhapsody of the Seas had been announced to sail the short Bahamas itineraries from Port Canaveral, will now move to Tampa and offer seven-night Western Caribbean cruises in winter 2016.

Reservations for the Majesty of the Seas’ inaugural Port Canaveral season are now available for sailings beginning May 27, 2016. Rhapsody of the Seas’ Tampa sailings are also open for sale for sailings beginning December 3, 2016.

Will Royal Caribbean's upgrades and new sailings convince you to book a sailing on Majesty of the Seas? Share your thoughts on this change in the comments below!

Royal Caribbean has invested $5 million to upgrade Chan May Port in Thua Thien-Hue Province, a major port in central Vietnam.

Photo by Chris&Steve

The upgrade work is scheduled to be finished by the end of July and will allow the cruise port to handle shops that are 360 meters or longer, such as Quantum class ships.

Royal Caribbean Vice President of Commercial Development, John Tercek, told a Vietnamese newspaper the investment in the cruise port was largely due to an increase in guest interest in the area.

Tercek cited last month's visit by Quantum of the Seas, where more than 2,000 passengers signed  up for a one-day tour around Vung Tau and the neighboring Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Tercek, Royal Caribbean is considering investing in other Vietnamese ports as well, such as Nha Trang.

He said that while improving its infrastructure, Vietnam also needs to promote itself as a cruise ship destination to attract tourists with deep pockets.

Royal Caribbean is poised to begin selling its onboard internet packages in advance of its sailings to passengers via the online Cruise Planner site.

A few blog readers have spotted the new offering in their My Cruises section of Royal Caribbean's web site.

Guests are given the option of saving 10% off the unlimted intenet package if they pre-purchase the package online, although the actual ability to purchase the internet package remains disabled as of the writing of this blog post.

In the past, purchasing of onboard intenet packages was only available onboard Royal Caribbean's cruise ships.  

It is also not clear yet how members of Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program, Crown and Anchor Society, can apply their discount coupons or if the coupons can be stacked along with the pre-purchase discount of 10%.

Perhaps no other shore excursion on Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee is as exciting and well-known as the Dragon's Breath Flight Line zip line. It has become synonymous with the island and offers guests the opportunity to soar through the air above Labadee at speeds of 40-50 mph.

Description

Dragon's Breath Flight Line will take you to a point 500 feet above the beaches of Labadee and then send you down a zip line that is longer than 2,600 feet.  The zip line is visible from nearly everywhere on the island and it offers some incredible views.

After checking in for the excursion, the staff will suit you up with the right harness for you and then present a short safety video to explain the basics of riding a zip line.

Because zip lines are heavily reliant on staying safe, guests are escorted to a shorter "Little Dragon" flight line, where you can work on the basics with far less risk.

While at the shorter zip line, the staff will demonstrate the basics of what to do and then allow you to try it out.  It's a good primer of what to expect and it gives guests an opportunity to work on their technique.

After that, you will board a truck and you will be on your way up the mountain to fly the real thing.  The truck ride can be fairly bumpy, due to the road conditions.

Once at the top of the mountain, the process is similar to the Little Dragon flight line and you are prepared to go and then sent on your way.

From start to finish, the excursion will take around an hour to complete and the views you will get from the top of Labadee are unparalleled.  There are views of the beaches, the coast of Haiti and your Royal Caribbean ship.

Photo by Royal Caribbean

Dragon's Breath Flight Line is open to guests at least 48 inches tall and cannot weigh more than 275 pounds.

Comments

Dragon's Breath Flight Line is a real adrenaline rush for anyone who is brave enough to try it.  There's no question the anticipation is scarier than the zip line ride down and even during very windy conditions, 

What I really enjoyed about Dragon's Breath Flight Line (and the reason I wanted to do it) was the amazing view you get while riding the zip line down.  Royal Caribbean claims it is one of the longest zip lines in the world and your trip from the summit to base is almost a minute of air time.

During my excursion, we had about 6 people decide to quit out of fear, which is something to consider if you have a fear of heights.  How scary is it exactly? That answer depends on you and your fear of heights.  The ride down is smooth and there is virtually little that you have to do during the ride other than maintain proper form.

Royal Caribbean says you cannot bring anything that is not attached to your body, but in my experience I witnessed plenty of guests holding cameras and phones while riding.  I would advise to invest in an accessory that allows you to attach your phone or camera to your body but understand you are risking losing that device if you do not.

Photo by Braden

Perhaps the only real complaint I can levy against Dragon's Breath Flight Line is the price.  As of the writing of this blog post, the cost of Dragon's Breath Flight Line is $95.75 per person (for adults and children).  That is certainly not inexpensive.

The reason why this zip line adventure is so popular and why so many guests elect to do it is because it's a very unique experience on Labadee and something that really stands out as exhilarating and memorable.   I believe the Dragon's Breath Flight Line is worth trying, especially if you watch a few other guests go down it while you are on the beach and think it looks like fun.

Reservations

The Dragon's Breath Flight Line is a popular excursion, although there are flight times throughout the day.  Reservations are recommended and can be made in advance on Royal Caribbean's web site, or at the Excursion Desk on board your ship.  

Cost: $95.75 per person.

Will I get wet?

No, even though you go over the ocean, you do not make contact with the ocean at all.

Royal Caribbean is celebrating the Independence Day holiday in the United States with a five-day sale on some last minute sailings.

The cruises available depart between the months of July and September 2015 and are available for booking beginning July 3 through July 8, 2015.  The savings on these select cruises are up to 20% off.

All cruises on sale can be found in this listing.

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 100 is available for downloading, which has our listeners debating big ships verus small ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Matt broadcasted this episode and invited listeners to call in and share their thoughts on if they prefer booking a larger ship or a smaller ship.  And what about someone new to Royal Caribbean?

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 100. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher 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's newest cruise promotion begins today with the BOGO's Back deal on all sailings departing on or after August 1, 2015.

During the BOGO sale, book one guest and the second sails for 50% o­ff.  In addition, if you book a 2015 or 2016 holiday sailing, Royal Caribbean will include both passenger's gratuities.

This BOGO sale is valid on bookings made July 1 through August 16, 2015.

The new BOGO deal is valid on all sailings departing on or after Aug. 1, 2015. Offer excludes China departures, Anthem of the Seas sailings departing before April 29, 2016, and Ovation of the Seas sailings departing between December 15, 2016 and January 23, 2017.

The free gratuities offer is valid on all eligible sailings departing Dec. 15-31, 2015 or Dec. 15-31, 2016 for the first and second guests in the stateroom.

BOGO offer is combinable with the adjoining Pre-Paid Gratuities offer, Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. BOGO offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO) as well as NextCruise offers.

Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Neither offer is 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 open to residents of the United States or Canada.

Staff Captain Wendy Williams is one of three department heads who oversees everything that happens onboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. Get a behind the scenes peek at her important role onboard.

If there is one feature aboard Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas that has guests really excited, it's the water slides that will be a first for Royal Caribbean. These are the first real water slides on a Royal Caribbean ship and it promises to be a beacon for families looking for some high-paced fun.

Understandably, there is a lot of intrigue regarding this new feature and people want to know what the water slides will entail and what to expect.  Here's everything we know about the water slides in one place.

How many water slides will there be?

Royal Caribbean is adding three multi-story slides that will be above Central Park.  The slides are called The Perfect Storm: Cyclone, Monsoon, Typhoon.

UPDATE 7/15: There will also be a 10 story dry slide on the aft of Harmony of the Seas, known as The Ultimate Abyss. It will take guests from the ship's AquaTheater to Boardwalk neighborhood and is not a water slide.

Are there any special features to the water slides?

One of the water slides will feature a champagne bowl that swirls riders around as they approach the end of the slide.  

There’s also a bar overlooking the slide bowl, so people can watch that.

The water slides will start with a clear acyclic section, so other passengers can see people as the start at the top.

There will also be racing slides.

Where will the water slides be located?

The water slides will begin on a platform elevated above the ship’s bridge level, and end in runouts.

The slides descend three decks through a series of twists and turns over the ship’s tree-lined Central Park neighborhood 10 decks below.

Are you excited about Royal Caribbean adding water slides to Harmony of the Seas? Let us know in the comments below!

You have decided on the right Royal Caribbean cruise for you, made a deposit on your sailing, and have your stateroom reserved just for you. What should you do next?

Planning a Royal Caribbean cruise can be a fun exercise in planning, as you discover there is a lot to do before you ever set foot on your ship.

Once you have your cruise booked, here are five things you should look into as your next step and really jump into the pre-cruise excitement!

1. Select your dining preference

Dinner on a Royal Caribbean cruise has a few options to choose from, and you will want to make sure you pick the option you want. There are a few choices: Traditional (early or late seating) and My Time Dining.

Traditional dining is where you have a set time each night of your cruise, where you will be seated at the same table in the main dining room and have the same wait staff and table mates. This is the most common choice available and is also the most widely available option. There are two times, early and late seating.

My Time Dining takes place in the Main Dining Room as well, but instead of a fixed time and table, you reserve times during the evening or show up and get the first available table. My Time Dining allows for more flexibility in when you eat, but requires more planning to ensure you have a spot each night to dine at.

To enroll in any of these options for your cruise, contact your travel agent or Royal Caribbean directly and request the one you want. There can be times when the choice you want is full, but you can request to be put on a waitlist. In our experience, wait list requests usually are fulfilled.

2. Register your cruise on the Cruise Planner

In order to gain access to all of Royal Caribbean's pre-cruise planning options online, you will want to register yourself on Royal Caribbean's website and tie your reservation to your account.

If you have not done so already, create an account on Royal Caribbean's website. It's free and should take just a few minutes to complete.

Log into your account and then add an existing reservation to your account.

Now, you will have access to every detail of your sailing on the Cruise Planner, including shore excursions, beverage packages, entertainment, dining reservations, and more.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner site

3. Research your pre-cruise transportation

We recommend arriving at your cruise embarkation port at least one day early, to avoid transportation delays that can potentially cause you to miss your cruise.

For those who are flying on an airplane to your cruise, booking airfare in advance is a good idea. It is also a good idea to research a hotel to stay at and lock in a price now before others do the same.

Depending on the port you are leaving from, there can be lots of hotels and resorts to choose from. Use consumer review websites to find which hotel will offer you the amenities you want for the price you can afford.  

It is easy to overlook your pre-cruise transportation and lodging and then have to pay more than you should later.

4. Review your travel documents

Before you can get onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, you will need to provide local authorities the proper documentation to prove who you are, and you definitely do not want to arrive at the pier missing something important.

Research what proof of identification you may need for everyone in your party, such as birth certificates, driver's licenses and/or passports. If you are traveling to another country for your cruise, look into if you will need to apply for a visa.

Processing times for documents like visas and passports can take weeks, if not months, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get any necessary documents ready for your sail date.

Read more: Guide to cruising with a birth certificate

5. Research if you should purchase travel insurance

Insurance is one of the things that you do not think of until you need it and then it is worth every penny. The thing is, not everyone needs travel insurance but you should look into what travel insurance offers and if you are at an elevated risk and would benefit from it.

Royal Caribbean offers travel insurance, as well as many third-party companies. Read exactly what the insurance covers and the scenarios in which you can make a claim. It is important to be aware that travel insurance does not cover every scenario, but issues such as personal illness, death of a family member, airline delays, lost baggage and more are common times when insurance will be of great benefit.

There is no easy way to determine who does and who does not need travel insurance, but you should at least consider the option now to safeguard yourself in the future.

Save this blog on Pinterest