Royal Caribbean announced changes to some of its suite cabins, slashing benefits in some cases.
The changes relate to the benefits and amenities that come with suites, and the cruise line intends to change what is included with select cabins in the future.
Travel agents were sent an update by Royal Caribbean to inform them of the change.
All of these changes are effective for sailings on or after May 2, 2026, regardless of the booking creation date.
The first change is to drop Surfside Family Suites from Sky Class to Sea Class.
Surfside Family Suites are a new suite category that were first added on Icon of the Seas. The Surfside Family Suite overlooks the Surfside neighborhood. Like its namesake, this suite is meant to be a great choice for those with young kids.
This suite overlooks the Surfside Family Neighborhood and features a king size bed, and a cozy kids sleeping nook, and can accommodate 2 adults and 2 children.
As a result of the change, these cabins will no longer have access to the Suite Lounge, Suite Concierge services, complimentary internet access, complimentary beverages in the Suite Lounge, and can only dine at Coastal Kitchen restaurant for dinner only (instead of breakfast and lunch).
Meanwhile, Sunset Junior Suites will get a bump up to Sky Class.
Sunset Junior Suites are essentially what used to be Junior Suites on the back of cruise ships, and was a change in name and category made when Royal Caribbean reclassified many of its cabins.
Another big change is on three ships - Icon of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, and Utopia of the Seas - Sky Junior Suites will no longer have complimentary Wi-Fi as an amenity.
Royal Caribbean says they are making this change is to align these ships with the rest of the fleet where Sky Junior suites do not include Wi-Fi.
The cruise line explained to travel agents why it was making all of these changes, "we continuously strive to enhance guest experience onboard and reach alignment of our product offerings across the fleet."
Sea Class vs Sky Class
To illustrate the changes better, it's important to understand what's included with each tier of Royal Caribbean's suite benefits.
On the cruise line's newest ships (Oasis, Icon, and Quantum Class ships), the suite program is divided up into three levels based on the suite category, Star, Sky, and Sea.
Sky Class Benefits
- Concierge service
- All-day access to Coastal Kitchen and The Grove (The Grove is on Icon Class ships only)
- Specialty bottled water upon arrival
- Complimentary internet
- Priority boarding and departure
- Priority dining reservations
- Suite Lounge access
- Access to Suite Sun Deck
- Royal Caribbean plush bathrobes for use onboard
- Luxury pillow top mattress
- Luxury bathroom amenities
- Lavazza Espresso coffee maker
Sea Class Benefits
- Dinner at Coastal Kitchen
- Royal Caribbean bathrobes for use onboard
- Luxury pillow top mattress
- Luxury bathroom amenities
- Lavazza Espresso coffee maker
Reaction to the changes
The most notable change is the change in benefits for the Surfside Family Suites on the Icon Class ships.
Jenn Greene is a Travel Planner affiliated with MEI Travel, and thinks this change will hurt sales of these cabins, "The Surfside Family Suites sold not only to families, but also couples looking for Sky Class perks without the large price tag."
"This change may not be a good one for keeping that stateroom category full."
Ms. Greene is referring to the fact the room's location far away from the suite neighborhood and view of the kids area (rather than the ocean) were reasons a lot of people might have overlooked the cabin, if not for the suite benefits.
