Royal Caribbean News Round-Up: April 30, 2023

In:
30 Apr 2023
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Happy weekend! In case you missed any Royal Caribbean news, here is a look at everything that happened this week!

Are you ready to board Royal Caribbean's new specialty restaurant concept?

Dining car prototype for Utopia of the Seas

While it's very early in the design phase, Royal Caribbean is working on a immersive dining experience for Utopia of the Seas that will take diners on virtual train rides.

We have a first look at the new restaurant and what one possibility of what the experience could be like.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 497th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, sharing important tips for solo cruisers.

This week's episode shares the things anyone going on a cruise by themselves should know before they sail.

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.

New RCB Video: 11 reasons to get as early a check-in time as possible for your cruise

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Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — 11 reasons to get as early a check-in time as possible for your cruise — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Inside look at Icon of the Seas Thrill Island development

Icon of the Seas mockup

Royal Caribbean is actually testing out one of its newest neighborhoods on Icon of the Seas in its Miami headquarters.

Thrill Island will be home to six new water slides, along with a host of other fun activities. At Royal Caribbean's Innovation Lab in Miami, Florida, the cruise line life-size mock-ups to give its executives and team members a real-world look at what their plans on paper will actually look like once built.

We toured the testing facility to show the lengths the cruise line is going to ensure it's perfect when the new ship launches.

Cruise advice that makes sense until you get on your ship

Split bed configuration inside cabin

You'll hear lots of cruise tips before you sail, but a few of them seem to make sense until you get onboard.

There's merit in these cruise tips, but in practical terms, they just don't work well. Whether because they're too limiting or impractical, these are the cruise tips you might want to think twice about embracing.

Here's my list of cruise tips that aren't as good as they sound.

12 reasons to eat at the buffet instead of the dining room

Windjammer food

Whether you're a picky eater or not, the cruise ship buffet is an underrated option for dinner.

There are advantages to eating at the Main Dining Room or Windjammer, including convenience, variety, and service.

To help make this decision easier, here are 12 reasons to eat at the buffet instead of the dining room on your cruise.

I'm about to turn Pinnacle!

Sunrise at sea

After 68 cruises, Matt is on the precipice of reaching Royal Caribbean's highest tier in the Crown and Anchor Society: Pinnacle.

To get to Pinnacle, you need 700 points and hitting that level means not only a lot of cruising, but dedication to one line.

Matt shares what special benefits you can expect if you make it to Pinnacle, and what stands out about this elite club.


Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis.  He has become one of the foremost experts on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Over the years, he has reached Pinnacle Club status with Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program.

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