Royal Caribbean Blog

It is now going to be much easier for everyone to use their Royal Caribbean future cruise credits.

Royal Caribbean announced it will now allow guests to combine multiple future cruise credits (FCCs) on one reservation.

Future cruise credits are vouchers that guests typically get when a cruise is cancelled in lieu of a refund.

Prior to this change, Royal Caribbean only allowed guests to apply one future cruise credit per person on the reservation.  With so many cancelled cruises due to the global health crisis, many guests have FCCs stacking up, and unable to use them all.

The inability to combine future cruise credits is rooted in a policy that predates the cruise industry shutdown of 2020. In short, there was rarely a need to allow FCCs to be combinable since they were not commonly issued to guests.

In a statement to travel agents, Royal Caribbean said, "you are now able to submit multiple FCCs, should your clients have more than one in their name, as well as share the value of FCCs across multiple clients in the same booking. You have asked and we have listened!"

Under the new rules, multiple certificates can be applied to the same client if they were all issued in response to Cruising With Confidence or the Global Sailing Suspension. This also includes Non Refundable Deposit FCCs issued through Cruise with Confidence.

If you have multiple FCCs in your name that were created outside of these programs, they cannot be combined with each other at this time.

Moreover, you are allowed to share the value of FCCs across multiple guests in the same booking, including using a remaining balance from one guest to apply to another in the same booking.

Throughout the shutdown, Royal Caribbean has slowly adjusted its Future Cruise Credit policies to match the changing landscape.  In June, it allowed guests to start using a FCC towards a cruise fare deposit, and in October the cruise line started allowing leftover balances from a FCC not have to wait to apply it to a new reservation.

Royal Caribbean had begun allowing guests to combine FCCs when a cruise was cancelled, but only when a new FCC was issued.

Future Cruise Credits are an option for guests who either choose to cancel their cruise up to 48 hours before the sail date via the Cruise with Confidence program, or have their cruise cancelled by Royal Caribbean. In either case, a voucher code is provided that can be redeemed for the value of the sailing.

When Royal Caribbean cancels the sailing, the Future Cruise Credit is worth 125% the value of the cruise fare that the guest paid.

What can I use a future cruise credit for?

Future cruise credits have become widely available due to the current voluntary cruise shutdown that Royal Caribbean is engaged in, which means while cruises are being cancelled due to the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean is offering guests future cruise credits.

Royal Caribbean allows guests to use their future cruise credits to pay their cruise fare, including the deposit.

It cannot be used towards add-on purchases, like drink packages, shore excursions, port fees or taxes.

More information

• Top ways you cannot use your Royal Caribbean future cruise credits
• Top 8 things you should know about Royal Caribbean's 125% onboard credit offer
• Five lessons I've learned from all these cancelled cruises

Have you ever heard this cliché about cruise ships: "Cruises are for the newly wed and nearly dead"?

I have too, and it is completely wrong.

This line is often repeated as reason enough not to go on a cruise, because it infers why would you want to be associated with something that only those types of people do.

Unfortunately, clichés like this tend to permeate in our society because they are catchy and work well to quickly label something we are unfamiliar with.

That vision of what a cruise is, is very much incorrect, because a great multitude of people enjoy cruise vacations.  Here is why that cliché is totally wrong.

If you asked someone who went on a Royal Caribbean cruise what sort of people are onboard, they would tell you there are families, seniors, college kids, baby boomers and more.

The saying that cruises are filled with retirees and young couples simply is not true.

According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Global Passenger Report, the average age of cruise passenger was 46.7 years old in 2019.

That average does not mean cruises are filled with just people in their 40s either.  The wide range of ages, skewed by children and senior citizens means you get a good mix of ages onboard.

During the peak summer season, Royal Caribbean can have as many as 1,000 kids onboard a given sailing.

In addition, Royal Caribbean designs its cruise ships to have a wide appeal so that it does not skew heavily in one direction.

Each new ship has more space dedicated to children's programming, with expansive Adventure Ocean programs that feature supervised childcare.

Then you have mini-golf, water slides, rock climbing walls, bumper cars and more to attract, just about anyone.

Cruise ships have night clubs, Broadway shows, and comedians that ensure there is great evening entertainment.

Will I be bored?

Maybe the prospect of going on a cruise ship with retirees does not bother you as much as the fear you might not have enough to do and feel trapped and bored? Likely not.

Cruises are way more than sitting around all day in a lounge chair inbetween trips to the buffet.

At the heart of a cruise vacation is the opportunity to visit some amazing places around the world. Don't forget that your ship will stop at different ports of call, where you can get off the ship and explore. That could be a beach day, visiting a cultural site, going shopping, or taking a scenic tour.

Back onboard, Royal Caribbean offers onboard surfing, ice skating, sky diving, climbing, and golfing. 

Every evening there are live musical acts, including piano singers, guitarists, classical groups and more. Don't forget about the comedy shows, musical revues, and featured acts that Royal Caribbean regularly mixes in.

Each day of your cruise you get a daily newspaper, known as a Cruise Compass, which lists all of the activities. If you are concerned there is not enough to do, read a past Cruise Compass to see just how much is going on onboard.

Cruises are too structured

Someone who has never been on a cruise may think that the experience is more like a military operation, with designated times and rules that everyone must follow.

Cruises have changed from the "old days" of sailing.  While there are still set dining times, shows, and even dress codes, all of those are optional, and Royal Caribbean provides a great deal of alternative options to consider.

Every Royal Caribbean ship has a variety of dining choices that are in addition to the main dining room. 

The dress codes you hear about apply to the main dining room, and if you want to stay in your bathing suit and grab food at the Windjammer buffet before hanging out with your friends, you can do that.

Read more: Why is there formal night on a Royal Caribbean cruise?

Even if you do decide to go to the main dining room, you absolutely do not need to wear a tuxedo or ballgown. Royal Caribbean's dress codes are quite vague and relaxed, so you can wear something more appropriate for a nice evening out at home, rather than a scene from Titanic.

Hope you had a great week and are staying safe out there. Hopefully you had a chance to keep up with what's new with Royal Caribbean this week. But if not, here's a roundup of this week's news.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain shared a new video with travel partners that answers the question of how can he be hopeful for the near-term future when we are inundated with terrible news every day.

"We are approaching the point where we can run out the clock on this terrible disease."

Mr. Fain has been releasing video updates every few weeks that share his thoughts on what is happening currently with the global health crisis, as well as providing hints at cruises being able to restart.

This week's video focuses on projections of estimated infections, and how over the course of the spring and early summer, a combination of vaccine rollout and other rule changes could bring the daily count down.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean cancels Quantum of the Seas 2021 Alaska season
• Royal Caribbean Group to sell Azamara cruise line for $201 million
• Wall Street: Cruises wont restart until late 2021 or early 2022
• CDC will require Covid-19 test for all international flights to the US
• Mailbag: Will there be any Alaska cruises in 2021?
• Bernie Sanders inauguration meme reaches cruise ships too
• British cruise line will require everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine
• The unwritten rules of going on a cruise
• Why do cruise ships float?
• Quantum of the Seas ends sailing 7 hours early due to non-covid medical issue
• Top 10 things you didn't know about what it's like working on a cruise ship
• Photos: Beautiful photos of Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 390th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we take an in-depth look at cruising from Australia.

Did you hear about the new cruises from Barbados that Royal Caribbean just announced? This week's episode breaks down the announcement and what these new sailings mean.

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: Cruise questions first time cruisers are too shy to ask!

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 — Cruise questions first time cruisers are too shy to ask! — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

4 futuristic ideas Royal Caribbean has for cruise ships

Technology innovates constantly, and Royal Caribbean has never been one to shy away from leveraging new advances to improve the guest experience.

Most recently, the cruise line rolled out a virtual muster drill that not only solves a social distancing problem, but also addresses a negative guest experience that has been an issue for decades.

Royal Caribbean has plans for other next generation transformations to the cruise ship experience, and some have already been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Whether or not these products ever see the light of day is another question, but here are some of the more intriguing and futuristic ideas that might be coming to a cruise ship near you sometime soon.

Royal Caribbean operates the biggest cruise ships in the world, and a ship (if stood upright) that is twice as high as the Washington Monument might leave you wondering how it doesn't sink.

Symphony of the Seas has water slides, an ice skating rink, and an entire park. She can accommodate up to 6,680 guests and weighs 228,081 gross tons (GT).

Whether you have been on a cruise ship, or simply seen a photo of one, you might have wondered how such a big ship can float in the water.

How does a cruise ship float? And why doesn't it fall over when the wind blows?

Royal Caribbean's cruise ships are amazing pieces of technology, maritime tradition, and innovation, but they are not magic.   It is all about physics.

The concept of buoyancy is what keeps a cruise ship like Symphony of the Seas upright and floating.

The science of buoyancy was discovered by Archimedes in 246 BC, when he developed Archimedes' principle.

"Any object, totally or partially immersed in a fluid or liquid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object."

Essentially, cruise ships can stay above the water as long as they are displacing an equal amount of water to their mass.

A cruise ship displaces an amount of water equivalent to its own mass. The pressure of the sea pushes up against the vessel’s hull to counter the downward force of the ship’s mass. Unlike air, water cannot be compressed, so the combined forces create buoyancy.

As the cruise ship moves forward, water is pushed away and that water tries its best to return to fill the displaced space and that energy forces the ship upward.

While the ship is indeed quite heavy, there is a lot of open space onboard and that empty volume means the ship is not like a giant rock in the water.

When a cruise ship is designed, engineers pay careful attention to keep the average density of the ship (considering both the physical weight of the vessel as well as all the air) less than the average density of the water. 

The ocean is vast and extremely dense.  So if the cruise ship can have less of a density than the ocean, that it floats on the surface.

If you ever meet an engineer, they will often talk about a ship's displacement, rather than its weight. Ships float because they weigh less than the weight of the water they displace.

One other thing you might notice about a ship like Symphony of the Seas is her wide hull.  That design choice is no accident.

When Oasis Class ships were designed,the engineers chose a wide hull to disperse the weight across it.

Think of the hull as the body of the ship, and the part that is below the main deck is usually quite wide and has a deep bottom (known as a base line). Cruise ships (and other large vessels) usually have displacement hulls, or hulls that push water out of the way, to stay afloat.

Another major difference between a cruise ship and a boat is the design of the hull.

Boats have a "v-hull", which means if you took it out of the water and looked underneath, the bottom resembles the letter "v".  Cruise ships have a hull that looks like the letter "u".

Round-bottom hulls move through the water and make them much more stable and seaworthy than a v-shaped boat hull.  This is primarily why cruise ship passengers feel much less rocking or motion compared to a boat.

However, that stability comes at a price: speed. Boats move through the water much faster than cruise ships.

So with all of that said, I have not yet tackled how a cruise ship is going to float.  Why is there only 30 feet below the water and over 200 feet above the water, and how do they keep the upside up?  

It is a matter of weight distribution.  The engines and other machinery, fuel tanks, water tanks, and ballast tanks are all low in the ship, while lighter, less dense spaces are up higher.

The wider hull helps a lot with stability.  Symphony is nearly as wide as she is tall.  That’s why a strong wind hitting the side of the ship doesn’t tip it over.  This is calculated as a wind heel moment and is a large part of the stability calculations for any vessel.

If Yoda had been an engineer, he might have said, "Size matters not. Judge me by my buoyancy do you."

If you are looking for a "glass is half empty prediction" on when cruises might restart, here is a doozy.

One Wall Street analyst shared his thoughts on the likelihood of cruises restarting and it is not a good outlook for cruise fans.

Truist Securities analyst Patrick Scholes wrote in a note that cruises likely will not resume from U.S. ports until the second half of 2021 under the best of circumstances, and possibly not until early 2022.

Mr. Scholes wrote the note on Friday indicating a changing look at the prospects of cruises restarting, "The sentiment for 2021 has now changed to ‘It’s possible 2021 will not be a return to (revenue) sailings in North America, or at least not before'".

He added that while cruise bookings are exceeding cancellations, “we now see July as the best case for restart,” though the fourth quarter is more likely.

"Consensus expectations are for a return to revenue sailings in 2Q21 with [an] acceleration into 3Q21, which we do not see as realistic," Scholes wrote, adding that the stocks have "so far shrugged off unabated delays in restarting."

Royal Caribbean recently cancelled March and April cruises for nearly all of its sailings, and Norwegian and Carnival have both matched as well.

Cruise industry insider Stewart Chiron recently took to Twitter with his own predictions based on the recently announced cancellations.

"Several cruise lines will be announcing further cancelations of all April sailings. May sailings, at this point, are probably toast as well," Chiron stated in his tweet. "Test sailings of 3-5 nights will occur. All 7-night sailings, heading into summer are tentative at best right now."

Several #cruise lines will be announcing further cancelations of all April sailings. May sailings, at this point, are probably toast as well. Test sailings of 3-5 nights will occur. All 7-night sailings, heading into summer are tentative at best right now.

— Stewart Chiron (@CruiseGuy) January 21, 2021

The single biggest question is when cruise lines might be able to get started with testing out their new procedures.

Carnival recently tip-toed around the idea that the CDC is holding up the cruise lines from moving forward with restart plans.

Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald said Carnival is in phase one of the Conditional Sail Order, and said, "additional guidelines for future phases have not yet been issued by CDC."

Mr. Scholes wrote in his note, "there is concern amongst travel executives who believe that the recent CDC phased return to cruise is really a de facto no-sail order."

Read more: Top 14 things the CDC requires cruise ships do on test sailings

"The concern is that the CDC’s hurdles are so high that it will make it extremely difficult for the cruise lines to sail with paid customers."

The good news is demand remains strong in the form of bookings, and he expects the pent-up demand for travel to boost cruises whenever they have the opportunity to restart.

You know a meme has hit critical mass when cruise ships get involved.  

Unless you have been off the internet since Wednesday (in which case, welcome back and thank you for visiting this blog first), Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has been the subject of a new meme involving how he sat at the Presidential Inauguration.

His mittens, winter jacket, and look on his face have proven to be Internet gold, as people have cropped him and pasted his sitting pose in endless funny scenarios, including cruise ship related memes.

It was not long until cruise fans got in on the fun, and we have seen quite a few Bernie memes involving cruise ships, and I wanted to share the ones I have run across so far.

None of these are my creation, nor do I take credit for making them.

From sports, to your workplace, to school, there are always unwritten rules that everyone kind of knows about and should follow.

The same is true about going on a cruise ship, and these rules are not necessarily written down anywhere, but they are the social norms many guests follow.

Many of these rules are based on "common sense" or courtesies extended through much of society these days.

If you are going on a cruise, these unspoken rules are things you should definitely be aware of before doing something you might regret later.

Don't cut the buffet line

The Windjammer buffet does not have defined lanes, or entry and exit points.  But that does not mean you can drop in ahead of others as you see fit.

When you approach a buffet station, the courteous thing to do is start at one of the ends and let others who are there before you pick their food first.

The key is not interrupting the flow of the line, and being respectful of other guests who have been waiting for their food too.

Speaking of the buffet, always get a new plate whenever you go back up.

Don't save a pool chair indefinitely

The pool deck tends to be more of a "wild west" in terms of reserving space, but the right thing to do is not hoard chairs if you are not using them.

A contentious issue is how long one can reserve a deck chair near the pool while it is unoccupied. 

You may hear the term "chair hogs" thrown around, which refers to people who throw their belongings on a chair in order to reserve it for the day.  While that may not sound bad, often someone will get up early in the morning to do this, many hours before the people who they reserved the chairs for actually show up.

It is easy to fall into, "if I don't do what they're doing, I won't get a chair either" mentality, but I prefer to not contribute to the problem.

The respectful thing to do is reserve chairs as long as they are actively needed. Certainly everyone steps away now and again, but locking up chairs for the day hours before they will be needed is a faux-pas.

Remember your neighbor can probably hear you

Stateroom cabins are not soundproof, so it is important to be respectful of noise levels from your room.

Whether you are playing the television too loud, yelling at your kids, or "frolicking" with a loved one, keep in mind there is a good chance the people on either side of your room can hear it.

This applies to balconies as well, as noise can easily bleed over into other people's balconies and even rooms.

You should tip the crew

While gratuity is technically optional in the academic sense of the word, it is compulsory on Royal Caribbean cruises.

Just like dining at a restaurant, the crew members work on tips and your cruise fare does not cover their services.

Royal Caribbean charges an automatic gratuity that covers your stateroom attendant and waiters. This is a daily charge you can pre-pay or have take out on each night of the cruise.

Royal Caribbean allows guests to remove the automatic gratuity if they would rather pay these same crew members in cash, and not as a cost savings mechanism.

Be punctual with shore excursions

They say, "punctuality is the politeness of kings" and it applies to shore excursions too.

Often tours you go on will have time to explore on your own, and if you are late, you are holding up the entire group.

Be mindful of your time and do your best to ensure you are back when everyone agrees to return.

Don't use your hands to pick up food

There are salad tongs at each buffet station for a reason, so don't use your hands.

Not only is using your hands to pick up food bad manners, it is putting others health at risk when it comes to cross contamination. Germs can easily be spread from hands to food surfaces.

I know those bread rolls are hard to grab with the tongs, but it is still a must do.

Let people out of an elevator first

When you are waiting for an elevator, let people who are in the elevator get out before trying to get in.

If you don't, you are going to cause a log jam in the elevator doors between trying to get in while others try to get out.

Not only is letting others out of the elevator first courteous, it also speeds things up all around.

Be kind to crew members

The crew members work on the ship, but that does not mean they are your servants.

Show the crew courtesy and listen to their instructions.  It is easy sometimes to get caught up in frustrations or aggravation while on vacation, but it is crucial for guests to always remember that crew are there to help, not to get yelled at.

Being kind means following their directions, thanking them for little things, and even pausing to talk to them about where they are from or what they love about their job. Most crew members are happy to chat and share things with guests, and being polite to them usually helps make their days great.

No cursing

Regardless of where you are from, or who you are with, you should always watch your language and avoid profanity.

Royal Caribbean is a family cruise line, and you should avoid any cursing, inappropriate comments, or insulting words out of respect for your fellow cruisers.

The first casualty of the Alaska 2021 cruise season will be Quantum of the Seas.

Guests who had cruises booked on Quantum of the Seas for Alaska cruises in 2021 received an email that the cruise ship will not leave Singapore to go to Alaska as planned.

This affects scheduled Quantum of the Seas sailings between April 25- October 14, 2021.

This decision does not affect Alaska sailings on Ovation, Serenade, and Radiance of the Seas, as Royal Caribbean continues to work closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and government authorities in North America.

Instead, Quantum of the Seas will remain in the Asia-Pacific region.

A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman said, "Because of the success Quantum’s had, we made the decision to keep the ship in the Asia-Pacific region for the 2021 summer season and cancel her Alaska season."

Sailings on Quantum of the Seas to Alaska, including the transpacific sailing, have been cancelled. This includes Quantum’s Hawaii sailing, departing Vancouver on October 4th, 2021, and her Transpacific sailing, departing Honolulu on October 14th, 2021.

Royal Caribbean apologized to guests for having to make this change, "We’re terribly sorry for the impact to your vacation. Our primary goal continues to be a seamless and healthy return to service; we’re hyper-focused on welcoming you back!"

Back in March 2020, Royal Caribbean announced Quantum of the Seas would sail to Alaska in 2021 for the first time.

She was scheduled to sail from Seattle and offer mostly 7-night Alaska Glacier cruises between May and October.

Like all cancelled cruises during the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean is offering a series of compensation choices:

Lift & Shift: On or before February 4, 2021, move to a 2022 sailing onboard Quantum of the Seas departing within 1-week of the original sail date and your cruise fare/promotion is protected.

125% Future Cruise Credit: To account for the inconvenience this has caused, guests are eligible for a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) based on your total cruise fare paid to book and cruise by October 31st, 2022.

Similar 2022 Hawaii and Transpacific sailings will open for sale in the coming months.

This will be automatically issued on or before February 19, 2021 if no other option is selected.

Refund: If you prefer a cash refund, you can do so by requesting this option on-or-before March 31, 2021.

You can expect their refund to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancellation date. 

If you redeemed a Cruise with Confidence Future Cruise Credit on an impacted sailing and would now prefer a refund instead, Royal Caribbean will process this request in the amount of any new funds paid above the original certificate and, in turn, will reinstate the Cruise with Confidence FCC for future use.

Cruise Planner Purchases: If you had purchased any cruise add-ons, such as shore excursions, drink packages, wifi and more, you could opt to convert your Cruise Planner purchases  to an Onboard Credit valued at 125% of the total amount paid. This offer expires on February 4, 2021.

Don't worry, a cruise ship did not end its sailing because of that.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas returned back to Singapore a few hours early after a passenger became ill due to an non-covid medical issue.

The Straits Times reports the Royal Caribbean cruise ship headed back to port 7 hours early, "due to a medical condition unrelated to Covid-19".

An announcement onboard Quantum of the Seas informed all passengers they would be concluding the sailing earlier than expected, and the ship would be back in port by 8pm local time.  

The ship was scheduled to return to conclude the sailing at 6am.

Royal Caribbean said the guest was taken to a hospital in Singapore immediately for medical treatment.

Guests experiencing medical issues not related to the current global health crisis were not uncommon on cruise ships in the past.

The medical staff onboard can triage many issues, but if the condition requires additional care, that guest is disembarked at the next port.

Quantum of the Seas is engaged in a series of "cruises to nowhere" from Singapore, which are limited to only residents of Singapore and have no port stops.

This is the second time a Quantum of the Seas cruise ended its sailing early, following a false positive test for Covid on a December sailing.

The man was on one of the cruises to no where on Quantum of the Seas when he complained to the ship's medical staff that he was not feeling well.  He was given a PCR test onboard and it came back positive for COVID-19.

After further tests on land, neither the 83-year-old man, nor anyone else onboard Quantum of the Seas, was actually positive.

Since then, Quantum of the Seas has been sailing successfully without any incidents.

The first cruise line to announce it will require its guests to get a COVID-19 vaccine is Saga Cruises.

The British cruise line announced it will require that all guests must be fully vaccinated in order to sail.

Specifically, Saga said guests must have received their full two doses of the COVID‑19 vaccination at least 14 days before going on the cruise.

A spokesperson added: "We have taken the decision to require everyone traveling with us to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Our customers want the reassurance of the vaccine and to know others traveling with them will be vaccinated too."

The topic of if cruise lines will require guests to be vaccinated has been a hotly debated topic, and a question of "will they or wont they."

Saga Cruises exclusively markets to and operates for people aged 50 and over, making it appeal to a demographic that is more at risk to the effects of COVID-19.

The plan for Saga is to begin with hotel stays, river cruises and escorted tours in May, and then launch ocean cruises in early June.

Read more: CDC will require Covid-19 test for all international flights to the US

Pre-cruise COVID-19 testing will be conducted in the terminal, as well as doubling the medical staff and social distancing on its ships.

What about Royal Caribbean?

Of course, a small cruise line in the UK is not necessarily an indication of what Royal Caribbean may or may not do.

Last week, Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain indicated they are looking into the role a vaccine will play in the cruise line's plans.

Ultimately, Royal Caribbean will rely on the guidance of the Healthy Sail Panel of health experts to guide the cruise line in if they should require the vaccine or not of its guests.

"Exactly how are we going to require it? Are we going to just use it as an adjunct? I think all of that is going to come out reasonably soon."

Mr. Fain's response put the decision on if requiring the vaccine is a good idea on the panel of experts so that the cruise line can make the best decision based on the panel's guidance.

"We have the experts and we'll let them guide us."