Royal Caribbean Blog

In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, Royal Caribbean announced it is committing $1 million to Dorian disaster relief, and ITM—our partner in the Holistica joint venture that is developing the Grand Lucayan resort in Freeport—is also donating an additional $100,000.

Royal Caribbean will collaborate with the Bahamian government and non-profit partner, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), and a network of Bahamian charities and other local organizations, including the Bahamas Feeding Network.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean elaborated on their relief effort plans, "We are loading all kinds of goods onto our ships— generators, water, cleaning supplies, clean sheets, towels, and more—for direct delivery to the Bahamas. The trained employee volunteers we call the GO Team are on their way to assist with relief efforts. And we’re taking special care of coworkers and their families who were affected by the storm."

"And we’re matching every dollar of guest and employee donations to PADF so they can help our friends as well."

If you want to contribute please follow this link (https://www.padf.org/hurricane-dorian-royal) and get started.

Royal Caribbean sent an email to guests on upcoming sailings with an update on its plans to reopen its private island in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian.

On Wednesday, Royal Caribbean will send a team to CocoCay to assess damage. Once on the island, the cruise line's team of experts will determine the extent of any damage and debris, and will advise when we can reopen.

Royal Caribbean's current plan is to be up and running on Saturday, September 7th, but they will not really know until the entire property is evaluated.

Guests sailing on Navigator of the Seas have already been informed their scheduled visit this weekend has been replaced with a visit to Nassau, Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean shut down CocoCay last week in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian.

Ever since Royal Caribbean amplified Mariner of the Seas, it has become a very popular cruise ship with new cruisers and veteran cruises alike.  There is so much to see and do onboard, and we decided to list the five things about Mariner of the Seas that we think are just so darn cool that they deserve some recognition.

5. Bamboo Room

Lounges are not new to Royal Caribbean, but Royal Caribbean hit a homerun with the Bamboo Room lounge.  Mariner of the Seas was the first ship in the fleet to get the Bamboo Room and it offers a laid back Polynesian throwback vibe, featuring kitschy-cool craft cocktails like the Island Old Fashioned and Tiki Tea.

What makes the Bamboo Room so darn cool is the combination of decor, great menu, and fun times.  When you are looking for a spot to grab a few drinks, the Bamboo Room is a must-visit place.

4. Escape Room: The Observatorium

Often people associate certain activities with being on a cruise ship, but the Escape Room: The Observatorium game breaks all those molds.

The Observatorium is an immersive escape room game, where guests work together to solve a series of clues and riddles before time runs out so that they can "escape" the room they are in.

Royal Caribbean teamed up with a leader in the escape room experience to create a dedicated space on Mariner of the Seas where guests can try their best to find all the clues and figure out a way to beat the game before time runs out.

It is a great challenge, and a ton of fun in the process.

3. Izumi Hibachi

One of our favorite specialty dining options on any ship is Izumi Hibachi and Sushi, which is Asian-inspired dining featuring hibachi, sushi and sashimi and more.  A hibachi meal is fun for the whole family, and offers authentic flavors, the freshest ingredients and impeccable presentation.

Chefs show off their meticulous cooking skills entertaining guests with playful tricks, all while preparing an Asian-inspired meal to perfection. Not only is the food really good, but the entire experience of preparing the meal makes for a fantastic show.

2. Sky Pad

The Sky Pad, a bungee trampoline experience, combines virtual reality with the energy of a trampoline experience. It is a compelling combo, and what it leads to is a really fun sea day activity.

While you bounce up and down on the trampoline while tethered to bungee cords, you will enter a video game virtual reality experience that takes you to moon craters or to compete in intergalactic games.

1. Perfect Storm water slides

It is hard to overlook the water slides on Mariner of the Seas, known collectively as The Perfect Storm. The pair of water slides serve up thrills every day of your sailing on Mariner of the Seas, and it is something families seemingly cannot get enough of while onboard.

 Located at the rear of the ship, Typhoon and Cyclone will intertwine as sliders race down towards a final plunge at the conclusion of the slide. It is something you will want to try again and again.

Royal Caribbean is offering up to 30% off certain Cruise Planner purchases during its Labor Day Weekend sale.

The offer runs between August 30, 2019 – September 4, 2019 and is valid on sailings from September 6, 2019 – March 31, 2020. It is valid on all ships, except for Spectrum of the Seas.

BEVERAGE: Up to 30% off on select sailings.

• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes SC).
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes SC).
• Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices. Discount varies by ship. (Excludes SC)

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 25% off on select sailings.

• Save up to 25% on select tours on select sailings. Discount varies by ship. (Excludes SC)

INTERNET: Up to 60% off on select sailings.

• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. (Excludes SC).
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. (Excludes SC).

DINING: Up to 50% off on select sailings.

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3 Night – 9 Night sailings. Discount varies by ship. (Excludes MJ, SC)

ACTIVITIES: Up to 10% off on select sailings.

• All Access Ship Tour: 10% off. Discount varies by ship. (Excludes SC + Charter Sailings).

GIFTS & GEAR: Up to 20% off on select sailings.

• Happy Birthday Decorations: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes QN, SC, VY + Charter Sailings)
• Happy Anniversary Decorations: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes QN, SC, VY + Charter Sailings)
• New! Strawberries with Champagne: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes QN, SC, VY + Charter Sailings)
• New! Red Wine & Cheese: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes QN, SC, VY + Charter Sailings)
• New! White Wine & Cheese: 20% off onboard prices. (Excludes QN, SC, VY + Charter Sailings)

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 25% off on select sailings.

• Prints – 10: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes AD, AL, AN, BR, EN, EX, FR, HM, JW, LB, OA, RH, SC, SR + Charter Sailings)
• Prints – 15: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes AL, BR, EN, FR, HM, JW, LB, MA, MJ, NE, NV, OA, RH, SC, SR, SY + Charter Sailings)
• Prints – 20: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes All Ships + Charter Sailings except AD, AN, HM, LB, OA, OV, SY)
• Prints – All: Discount varies by ship. (AD, AN, EX, HM, ID, LB, MA, NV, OV, QN, SC, SY + Charter Sailings)
• Digital – 15: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes All Ships + Charter Sailings except AD, AN, EX, ID, OV, QN, VY)
• New! Digital – 20: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes All Ships + Charter Sailings except AD, AN, HM, LB, OA, OV, SY)
• Digital – All: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes GR, JW, MJ, NE, RD, SC, VI + Charter Sailings)
• All Digital + Prints: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes All Ships + Charter Sailings except AL, BR, EN, FR, OA, RH, SR)

The Cruise Planner sale promises savings on certain shore excursions and drink package purchases.  Guests can check which discounts, if any, are available for their upcoming sailing by visiting the Cruise Planner site. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

Late yesterday, Royal Caribbean announced updates to a number of Caribbean sailings in order to avoid the path of Hurricane Dorian.

• The August 30th sailing of Navigator of the Seas has been extended and will return to Miami on September 4, instead of September 2. It will visit Nassau and Cozumel.
• The September 2nd sailing of Navigator of the Seas has been shortened and will depart Miami on September 4th, instead of September 2. It will visit CocoCay.
• The August 30th sailing of Mariner of the Seas has been extended and will return to Port Canaveral on September 4th, instead of September 2. It will vist Cozumel & Costa Maya.
• The September 2nd sailing of Mariner of the Seas has been shortened and will depart Port Canaveral on September 4th, instead of September 2. It will visit CocoCay.
• The August 24th sailing of Empress of the Seas has been extended, and will return to Miami on September 4th. A visit to Roatan has been added.
• The September 1st sailing of Empress of the Seas has been shortened and will now depart on September 4th. It will visit Nassau.
• The August 25th sailing of Harmony of the Seas has been extended and will return on September 4th. Harmony has added an overnight visit in Cozumel.
• The September 1st sailing of Harmony of the Seas has been shortened and will now depart Port Canaveral on September 4th. It will visit Labadee.
• The August 25th sailing of Allure of the Seas has been extended and will now return to Fort Lauderdale on September 4th. A visit to Roatan and Costa Maya has been added.
• The September 1st sailing of Allure of the Seas has been shortened and will now depart Fort Lauderdale on September 4th. It will visit Cozumel
• The August 28th sailing of Majesty of the Seas has been extended and will now return to Fort Lauderdale on September 4th. An extra sea day and visit to Nassau has been added.
• The September 2nd sailing of Majesty of the Seas has been shortened and will now depart Fort Lauderdale on September 4th. 

Royal Caribbean maintains its own list of itinerary changes related to Hurricane Dorian on its website.

We are sharing our favorite hidden secrets about Navigator of the Seas in this RoyalCaribbeanBlog video!

Royal Caribbean added some big changes to Navigator of the Seas in 2019, and we scoured the ship to find (and now share) little known secrets… from cool spots to ways to beat the crowd to unique entertainment, and SO much more. 

And if you love this video, we have lots of other great cruise videos to watch on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single episode!

If you have cruised on Navigator of the Seas, what is your favorite secret about the ship? Share your ideas in our comments!

Royal Caribbean announced itinerary changes to three more Royal Caribbean ships, and decided to wait on making a decision for sailings this weekend in order to take advantage of more accurate predictions.

• The August 26th sailing of Navigator of the Seas had their day in Perfect Day at CocoCay scheduled for Wednesday changed to Nassau, Bahamas. 
• The August 26th sailing of Mariner of the Seas will have their day in Perfect Day at CocoCay scheduled for Thursday changed to Nassau, Bahamas. 
• The August 24th sailing of Empress of the Seas will remain in Cozumel on Friday and then spend a day at sea on Saturday. The extra day in Cozumel replaces a scheduled visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay.
• The August 24th sailing of Symphony of the Seas will have their day in Perfect Day at CocoCay scheduled for Friday changed to Nassau, Bahamas. 

Royal Caribbean is deferring itinerary changes for the Navigator 8/30/19, Mariner 8/30/19, Harmony 9/1/19, Harmony 8/25/19 & Symphony 8/31/19 by an additional day in order to get more accurate prediction models. 

"Currently, the two main weather models used for prediction (American & European) have the storm going different ways. So, we’re going to wait a bit more to evaluate the new data, which we’ll receive this afternoon. Then, we’ll confirm alternate ports and share your final itinerary changes with you by 3 PM on Thursday, August 29th, or sooner."

Royal Caribbean also stated that the Harmony of the Seas 8/25/19 and Symphony of the Seas 8/31/19 sailings were never sailing to CocoCay, but their itinerary may be impacted by Hurricane Dorian in order to steer clear of any adverse weather.

While we are working up the new Forecast Tracks for this weekend, you can now easily see why we moved @RoyalCaribbean #Symphony, #Harmony, and #Allure itineraries this week. #StMaarten is just to the Northeast, and #SanJuan is just Northwest of #Dorian. Sending love to PR & SXM! pic.twitter.com/y013zldXf8

— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) August 28, 2019

With Royal Caribbean's recent announcement that it will offer sailings with two stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay, it should come as no surprise that the cruise line is now offering water park admission that covers both visits to the private island.

Ev Ares‎ noticed the 2-Day Thrill Waterpark Pass option in Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site that includes admission to Thrill Waterpark for both days at Perfect Day at CocoCay on the same sailing.

Like most pre-cruise options, the price may vary from sailing to sailing, but in Ev's example, the 2 day pass costs $79, while the cost of admission on the first visit is $55.99 and for the second day is $89.00 if purchased separately.

Thrill Waterpark includes the following activities:

• 13 waterslides
• Complimentary dining at Snack Shack,
• Wave Pool
• Adventure Pool
• Beach chairs
• Umbrellas and towels

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

Episode 317 is available for downloading, in which Matt is opening up the mail bag this week to answer more of your Royal Caribbean questions.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 317. 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 informed guests that it will temporarily close its private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, until September 4, 2019.

Due to the forecasted path of Tropical Storm Dorian, the cruise line informed guests via email that it has decided to shutdown CocoCay until Wednesday, September 4th.

Any shore excursions pre-purchased for CocoCay will be refunded to onboard credit. If a guest onboard spend does not reach this amount, the remaining balance will be refunded to the credit card on file.

Royal Caribbean also promised an itinerary update for ships by August 28th at 3:00pm EST.