Royal Caribbean offering Weekend WOW Sale with a bonus up to $50 onboard credit

In:
25 Jun 2015

Royal Caribbean is giving guests an extra $50 in onboard credit, on top of Royal Caribbean's 30 for 30 sale, for cruises booked this weekend.

Royal Caribbean is offering

  • Book an Interior or Ocean View stateroom and receive $25 onboard credit
  • Book a Balcony or Suite and receive $50 onboard credit

This discount is on top of the 30 for 30 sale, where guests can get 30% Off Suites & Balconies, 20% Off Ocean View staterooms &  10% Off Interior staterooms.

The deal is valid on all sailings departing on or after July 26, 2015, excluding China departures. Offer applies to new bookings made Jun 26-28, 2015.

Offer is combinable with current standard/full fare rates, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO), Next Cruise o er, and Anthem Upgrade Offer. Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates, Crown & Anchor Discounts.

Offer available in the United States and Canada.

Royal Caribbean opens Crown and Anchor Society membership to everyone

In:
24 Jun 2015

Royal Caribbean has opened membership in its customer loyalty program, the Crown and Anchor Society, to all guests, even if they have never taken a Royal Caribbean cruise.

The new policy went into effect on June 11, 2015 and allows any guest to be able to enroll online, onboard or by calling the Crown & Anchor department.

Until this change, Royal Caribbean required guests to complete their first cruise before signing up.  With this new change, Royal Caribbean is making it easier for new cruisers to not only join the program, but become engaged in everything Royal Caribbean.  Guests that become new members before their first cruise will receive newsletters and information on select previews as well as receive access to promotional sales.

Regardless of when or where new members were enrolled, new members need to allow 10-14 days after the end of their fi rst cruise to see Cruise Points posted to their Crown & Anchor account.

Once enrolled in Crown and Anchor Society, new members can log into their My Cruises account and will see they have zero cruise points.  Guests will also receive a welcome email informing them of their Crown & Anchor number. No tier name or description will be displayed.  Additionally, members with zero points won’t be able to access Refer-A-Friend, Cruise History, Upgrade Preferences, and Gift Preferences.

Behind the scenes look at onboard music on Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

In:
24 Jun 2015

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

Episode 99 is available for downloading where we discuss how onboard music is used aboard Royal Caribbean ships.

Matt speaks with the team from Mood Media about their work bringing onboard music to a number of Royal Caribbean ships.  We talk about how Mood decides on the songs to use and the process of using music to enhance the guest experience onboard.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 99. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSSStitcher 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 Quantum of the Seas arrives in Shanghai to begin cruises from China

In:
24 Jun 2015

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas arrived in Shanghai (Baoshan), China today, which will be her new homeport.  Quantum of the Seas will offer three- to eight-night, roundtrip cruises, year-round from Shanghai to North Asia destinations.

Chinese officials from the port authority from Baoshan district together with executives from Royal Caribbean joined the welcome ceremony for Global Odyssey guests at Wusong International Cruise Terminal this morning.

Quantum of the Seas's arrival completes a 53-night global odyssey cruise from New York that took the ship to the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean and finally, China.

Royal Caribbean President and CEO, Michael Bayley, spoke about the impact of Quantum of the Seas' arrival, "Chinese consumers have grown to expect the best the world has to offer, and Quantum of the Seas meets that standard like no other ship – this is a cruise from the future,  The addition of Quantum of the Seas has increased our brand’s capacity to the highest ever in the region. There is incredible potential in the Chinese market, and bringing our newest and most technologically advanced ship to China will cement our leadership position in the area."

Video: An Evening with the Maestro: Spectra's Cabaret Electrifies Audiences

In:
23 Jun 2015

A Royal Caribbean original production created by Moment Factory, Spectra’s Cabaret immerses guests in a multimedia show unlike any other. Featuring a blend of live performance, technology and music, Anthem of the Seas’ new cabaret allows guests to be transported into a whole other world.

Freedom of the Seas Live Blog - Day Seven - Sea Day

In:
22 Jun 2015

Royal Caribbean Blog contributor Michael Poole is on Freedom of the Seas this week reporting all about his cruise experience.

Today was our last day of the cruise and boy was I starting to get sad. 

This morning was the first morning I didn’t wake up early, and slept in until 11am.  That’s okay I still had a full day ahead of me, I met my brother for lunch in the Windjammer. 

I’m not sure if you have noticed from all my post, but I skipped breakfast everyday.  Once we entered the Windjammer they had a beautiful cake in the entrance, saying thank you for sailing.  Royal Caribbean really goes that extra mile the entire cruise to wow you time and time again. 

My plans for today were to relax in the pool and soak up all the sun I could.  It was shortly after noon when I finally made it to the pool and there was no hope for getting a pool chair.  They had a noon line dancing class poolside, I didn’t join in but it was fun to watch. 

An hour or so after the dancing they had water volleyball.  They had seven teams go up against the crew, including our cruise director Jamie Fentiman. 

Jamie was the most active cruise director I’ve seen in all my cruises.  Every single event he was involved in, where most these days let their activity manager take a few over.  Not only did the crew beat all seven teams, they last all the teams at the end take on the crew and still lost.  

Yes, there were almost 50 people in the pool and still couldn’t take out the crew. 

Pre Dinner

Before dinner we had some wine in their beautiful wine bar, vintages.  I must say the bar was pretty empty every night. 

If you look at my picture this was taken at 8pm on the last night. 

Nevertheless, the service was always great and each evening they have free taps in a few trays to sample. 

Dinner

Tonight for dinner the two main meals were the lamb and turkey and dressing.  I went with the lamb and it was so tender, just fell off the bone. 

My waiter overheard me talking about how much I missed the fresh green beans Chops used to serve, so he brought me a plate of them!  I was so impressed he went out of his way to surprise me, but then again it’s Royal Caribbean, it’s what they do. 

As dinner was winding down they started their farewell singing and dancing.   They invite the passengers up to dance around with them to close out the evening.  We didn’t join tonight because we were all saying goodbye to a few friends we met. 

Post Dinner

Tonight we met one last time at the R Bar to say goodbye to all group.  I didn’t take any pictures, since I’ve included them in a few other post.  We stayed until 1am and everyone headed to bed. 

I dragged my 15 year old sister with me tonight because I wanted to spend more time with her.  She was pretty bored hanging with the adults, but I let her use my Internet access, so that made her happy. 

I had talked about the helipad all week and how I used to hangout up there when I was her age.  We started walking to our cabins and I said, let’s go out there we still have time!  I turned around and off we went. 

It was a little after 1am and passed the curfew for teenagers without adults, but it was pretty busy up there.  If you have ever been up there at night it’s completely dark, but I had my flash with me on my camera. 

I took my usual shot to see how many people are in the center and I spotted three.  They were not too happy I near blinded them, but it was for the blog. 

If you ever want to visit the helipad, you go to deck 4 forward and step outside (where you were day one for muster drill) There are 2 sets of steps, but just keep going forward and you can’t miss it. 

Disembarkation

There are two options to get off the ship, express departure or a number system. 

The express option requires you to carry all luggage you have and walk off as soon as the ship is cleared by customs.  The other option is where you put your luggage outside the cabin by midnight and you see it once you get off.  

I always do the express option because I usually book an early flight or long drive home.  One more perk is little to no line getting off or in customs. 

I met my group at 7:15am and we walked off with no one else or any line, as the ship was just cleared. 

Recap

Overall this was a great cruise with absolutely no real issues to report of, other than slow Internet.  My cabin was beautiful, the ship looks great to be 9 years old, and we had clear sky and sun for seven straight days. 

All these years I’ve heard everyone talk about how much they love Freedom of the Seas and now I know why. 

I hope you enjoyed my blog post and see you again this Fall, ship is still TBD.  

Johnny Rockets on Royal Caribbean ships

In:
22 Jun 2015

Many Royal Caribbean cruise ships offer guests the opportunity to dine at Johnny Rockets, a retro-inspired restaurant where you’ll feel like you stepped back in time to an era of sock hops, soda fountains and drive-in theaters.  

Johnny Rockets has been working with Royal Caribbean since 1999, when the first Johnny Rockets debuted on Voyager of the Seas. Since then, Johnny Rockets has spread to over a dozen cruise ships.

Atmosphere

When you step inside a Johnny Rockets, you will find a recreation of an American diner from the 1950's.  


Johnny Rockets on Freedom of the Seas

Walking into the diner, you will find booths with red vinyl seats opposite a long counter of white tile with chrome trim.  You will hear music from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's that play continuously. 

The crew members working at Johnny Rockets look the part as well, with their paper hats and long white aprons.  

In fact, the crew members will stop what they are doing and jump into a line dance for certain songs.

Johnny Rockets on Quantum of the Seas

On the Quantum class ships, the set up is more open.  Instead of an enclosed restaurant, you will find an open air restaurant on the pool deck where you place your order at the counter and then wait for your food to be prepared and can eat it in the restaurant or take it elsewhere on the ship.

Cost

On most ships, Johnny Rockets comes with a cover charge of $6.95 per person that includes most food on the menu  You will be able to eat as much as you care to order.  Milk shakes and other beverages come with an extra cost.  

On the Quantum class cruise ships, Johnny Rockets does not have a cover charge and instead has an a la carte menu, where each item on the menu has an individual cost.

Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society members will often get a coupon to dine at Johnny Rockets, which is usually a free cover charge.

The basics

On ships that offer Johnny Rockets, when the restaurant is open, guests can go dine there at any time and will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

There is seating in booths, at the counter and also outside the restaurant (weather permitting). 

As you are seated, you will be handed a menu by your waiter and have a choice between hamburgers, melts, hot dogs, sandwiches, fries, onion rings and more.

Each table is given a side of onion rings and french fries to start with, before your main courses arrive.

Breakfast too

On Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, Johnny Rockets is open for breakfast and it's complimentary.

For breakfast, Johnny Rockets serves up fried or scrambled eggs, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, french toast, omelettes and more.

Juice, milk, coffee, tea and hot chocolate are included in the meal as well.

Ships with Johnny Rockets

  • Voyager of the Seas
  • Explorer of the Seas
  • Adventure of the Seas
  • Navigator of the Seas
  • Mariner of the Seas
  • Freedom of the Seas
  • Majesty of the Seas
  • Liberty of the Seas
  • Independence of the Seas
  • Oasis of the Seas
  • Allure of the Seas
  • Anthem of the Seas
  • Harmony of the Seas
  • Symphony of the Seas

Have you eaten at Johnny Rockets on a Royal Caribbean ship? Let us know in the comments!

Freedom of the Seas Live Blog - Day Six - Sea Day

In:
20 Jun 2015

Royal Caribbean Blog contributor Michael Poole is on Freedom of the Seas this week reporting all about his cruise experience.

Today was a sea day as we start our journey back to Florida, it’s so sad to think we are headed home. 

I didn’t set an alarm for the first time this cruise, but still woke up at 8am.  I always get my coffee at Starbucks, and blog while I’m waking up.  I noticed it was very quite this morning, I suppose everyone was still sleeping in. 

Since it’s a sea day, everyone had headed up to the pool deck.  There were many chairs being saved my pool towels, but the staff was trying hard to enforce the 30-minute rule. 

My schedule for today was to soak in the sun, get in the water, and repeat.  There were so many kids in the main pool jumping in having fun, but everyone was getting so splashed.  The pool staff kept blowing whistles at them to stop, but honestly they had over taken the pools. 

I usually don’t cruise in the summer time; due to the cost so perhaps this is the norm at summer. 

Those that have cruised before know they always have a belly flop contest and world’s sexiest man contest on sea days.  Well today the roles changed, for the first time ever they had a woman’s only cannon ball contest.  And that’s when it hit me; I’ve never seen so many people on a pool deck in my life!  I think half the ship was in the pools and around it getting ready for the contest.  It was fun seeing a different type of contest than the usual ones we have been watching for years. 

Dinner

Tonight was our second formal night and if you ask me the best dinner of the week. 

They have prime rib and lobster and boy did we have a lot of tails.  Our waiter just kept bringing the tails to our table.  

Again we had the head waiter stop by a few times to check-in on our meal, just makes dinner that much more enjoyable.  If you look at my picture you can see the amount of food on our table. 

I know I mentioned it before, but the service has just been outstanding each night. 

The Quest

Tonight was what I call the main event, The Quest!  Matt and I have talked in great detail on the podcast about the Quest being my favorite event.  If you haven’t attended the show, you are missing out my friends. 

Just to give you an idea of the show, it’s an adult game show searching for items within the team.  I’m very competitive in everything I do, so you can guess my team finished in first place! 

Cabin

In blog post from day one, I mentioned my cabin on deck 3 (3543), but didn’t include a picture.  Per the request of blog post reader Clo here is a picture of my cabin. 

I’m sorry it’s a little messy; I usually keep it much cleaner.  

My thoughts of the cabin have changed a bit throughout the week. Around 5pm each evening I can hear tables and chairs above me in Sabor, not really a big deal because I need to be waking up from my nap anyways.  

I also don’t love being forward on the ship, it seems like everything is in the aft. 

Evening

Tonight they had another pool deck party in the solarium.  I’m sorry I didn’t take my camera up to the party, so no pictures of the event. 

Unlike the last pool party this one was extremely packed.   The ship came to life tonight; it felt like everyone was out and about throughout the ship. 

The pool deck party lasted until 1:30am and then lasted until the early hours of the morning.  Sadly it was the last full night everyone had since most people get to bed early before they travel. 

Up next tomorrow is our last sea day…

Quantum of the Seas arrives in Hong Kong

In:
20 Jun 2015

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas arrived in Hong Kong earlier today.

Quantum of the Seas is on a global odyssey cruise that began in New Jersey and will eventually see her be based in Shanghai, China.

Royal Caribbean executives were on hand in Hong Kong for Quantum's arrival into Kai Tak cruise terminal.  The Hong Kong Police Band performed in Two70 as part of the celebration.

Quantum of the Seas is staying overnight in Hong Kong and will leave at 3.00pm on Sunday. The ship will return to the city in December.

Photos copyright Royal Caribbean International.

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