Royal Caribbean Blog

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced Royal Caribbean to cancel scheduled cruises on 4 ships for varying lengths of time, with one as far out as April.

Royal Caribbean posted an update that it has cancelled the sailings, "as a result of the ongoing COVID-related circumstances around the world, and in an abundance of caution."

The affected ships and sailings are: 

• Vision of the Seas’ return to cruising is postponed until March 7, 2022
• Serenade of the Seas sailings from January 8 – March 5, returning after dry dock on April 26, 2022
• Jewel of the Seas sailings from January 9 – February 12, returning on February 20, 2022
• Symphony of the Seas sailings from January 8 – January 22, returning on January 29, 2022

It's important to note that Vision of the Seas was not sailing with passengers and had yet to restart operations. It was scheduled to restart cruises on January 24, 2022 from Fort Lauderdale.

Passengers on affected sailings were sent emails to inform them of the change.  Guests will receive a full refund, which will include any non-refundable deposits.

The cruise lines says they can expect to receive refunds within 14 days after we process the cancellation. 

"We know how much time and effort go into planning your vacation, and we're sorry for the impact to your plans," Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley wrote in an email to passengers.

" We are working as quickly as possible, and we appreciate your patience."

Travel agents received similar emails that also touched on the impetus for this decision, "Our top priority is always the well-being of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit. Despite stringent health and safety measures, including vaccination and testing requirements for guests and crew, and extensive contingency planning, we have had to move forward with this decision."

For Serenade & Symphony of the Seas departing January 8, 2022, and Jewel of the Seas departing January 9, 2022, Royal Caribbean is providing passengers with a 100% Future Cruise Credit to book a new cruise by May 31st, 2022.

"This is amount is based on the total cruise fare paid (excluding taxes & fees, gratuities, and any RoyalUp upgrades). Certificates can be used on any Royal Caribbean International sailing that departs on or before December 31, 2022 (or one year from your original sailing - whichever is further out), as long as it's redeemed by May 31, 2022. 

There is no indication yet why these specific ships have had their sailings cancelled.

Why these four ships?

After seeing Royal Caribbean cancelled sailings on just four ships, the question of why these, and not other ships, appears.

Vision of the Seas makes sense, since it was being used for crew quarantine procedures.

But the three other ships had been operating with passengers for some time. 

Royal Caribbean did not specify why these particular ships were chosen, although cruise fans certainly have plenty of theories.

On the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards, Pattycruise thinks perhaps too many crew members testing positive is the reason, "Lack of crew members who are Covid free would be my guess."

Neesa agreed crew members were likely the reason, "This does not surprise me at all. The Holiday sailing capacity issue I feel is directly responsible for this. Everyday on the Odyssey more and more crew were missing. They need this pause to get the crew healthy again, just my humble opinion. "

Omicron impact

The cancellations are the first mass-cancellations by Royal Caribbean since they restarted operations in June 2021, and reminiscent to many of what happened in March 2020.

Back in 2020, the entire cruise industry ceased operations for 30 days.  The shutdown ended up going over a year after governments refused to let cruise ships sail.

On December 30, 2021, Royal Caribbean Group said that while there had been more Covid-19 cases onboard, none had been severe or needed the person to be taken to a hospital.

The surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant has resulted in many industries suffering staffing shortages due to its employees contracting the virus.

While some ships are pausing operations, the majority of cruise ships remain in operation, thanks to the stringent protocols onboard.

Unlike theme parks, casinos, airlines and every other form of leisure travel, cruise ships implemented the strictest health protocols possible, including requiring vaccinations, mask wearing, pre-cruise tests for all and more.

Other cruise lines cancelled cruises too

Royal Caribbean joins Norwegian Cruise Line and others that also cancelled sailings on select ships.

Earlier this week, NCL announced it had cancelled sailings on eight of its ships due to "ongoing travel restrictions".

• Norwegian Pearl departures through Jan. 14.
• Norwegian Sky departures through Feb. 25.
• Pride of America departures through Feb. 26.
• Norwegian Jade departures through March 3.
• Norwegian Star departures through March 19.
• Norwegian Sun departures through April 19.
• Norwegian Spirit departures through April 23.

In addition, Oceania cancelled cruises on its Marina ship, and Regent Seven Seas cancelled a 120-day world cruise.

What is it like if you go on a cruise ship and test positive for Covid-19? 

With the Omicron variant driving up positive case counts around the world, cruise ships have not been immune to seeing more cases onboard as well.

While Royal Caribbean is still operating its ships with arguably the most stringent health protocols found anywhere, some guests are more concerned with what the onboard process is like if you were to test positive, rather than concern over getting sick.

While sailing on a New Years Eve cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas, Brandon Smith tested positive for Covid on the second day of his voyage, and documented the experience on his YouTube channel once he got home.

Just like all aspects of life right now, there are no zero-risk activities, but Brandon felt better about going on a cruise ship in terms of the procedures the cruise line has in place, "if I was going to be anywhere, if I was traveling, I think on a cruise ship, especially with Royal Caribbean, knowing that they've got all this taken care of is the best place to have a bad situation."

Brandon shared what happened when he tested positive for Covid on a ship, and what steps and changes you might expect to encounter should it happen to you.

Testing

Every single passenger on a cruise ship must take a Covid-19 test in the days leading up to a cruise ship sailing.  

In the case of Brandon, he took his test two days before embarkation and it came back negative. In fact, he felt great walking onboard Freedom of the Seas, "I felt absolutely fine when I boarded."

"I was even well enough to go work out when I got on the gym around 6pm that evening went to dinner, luckily, by myself at that time. And then walking around the ship trying to figure out what the New Year's Eve celebration was that I wanted to do."

As the evening went on, Brandon started to feel the early effects, "Towards the end of the evening, I was starting to get fatigued. And at the time I didn't think anything about it. I was kind of disappointed in myself that I couldn't make it to the New Year's Eve celebration."

He returned to his cabin to rest, but woke up the next morning with a sore throat and found it difficult to swallow, "That was my first sign that something was amiss or awry."

"It progressively got worse. The headache kicked in, the fog, and a little bit of a cough started to creep in."

Sensing something was off, he called the medical center onboard to share his symptoms.

Every Royal Caribbean ship offers limited professional medical services through licensed (international or domestic) physicians and nurses. All  ships have shipboard medical facilities that are built, staffed, stocked and equipped to meet or exceed guidelines established by the American College of Emergency Physicians Cruise Ship & Maritime Medicine Section.

Royal Caribbean says depending on the ship and amount of passengers onboard, there are one to three doctors and three-to-five Nurses, available to passengers and Crew members 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

After arriving at the medical center, Brandon took a PCR test, "unfortunately, that returned the positive result that nobody wanted to see."

Quarantine

Once he tested positive, Royal Caribbean moves the passenger into a quarantined area of the ship.

In Brandon's case, he was escorted to a new cabin on deck 2 of the ship, which was an oceanview cabin.

"They first offered for security to pack up my belongings," but since Brandon was traveling alone, he was able to be escorted back to his original cabin to pack up his belongings.

Each of the crew members escorting Brandon is wearing full PPE outfits, with white gloves, shoe covers and face mask.  They also carry a ionizer that resembles a hair dryer, which the crew member can spray a mist to cover the area where Brandon walks.

"They're also closing off all of the hallways and all of the areas that you're going through. So we do take the service elevator at that time. You don't go in the traditional guest elevator, take the service elevator to my floor."

"There's a gentleman in the service elevator, so they're protecting the crew so crew members can't come up or down the stairs that are located there."

"And then there's two security guards at the beginning and entrance of the hallway where my room is standing there, blocking the hallway so that people can't come in and see and be exposed to Covid-19."

Once in his quarantine cabin, Brandon describes his cabin experience, "It's kind of bare. They've really stripped the room out. There's not a separating curtain. The bed doesn't have a bed skirt. It's really been taken down to bare bones a little bit. I think just so that you they don't have as much to clean when they need when you leave the room."

"There's also red trash bags for biohazard, there's cleaning cloths, there's two large bottles of I think one was Clorox and one was another disinfectant that was there."

Communication

One thing that struck Brandon about the experience was all the communication he received from crew members to walk him through the process.

In the end, the guest services manager, the hotel director, security, and the medical facility all contacted him.

"I was getting or averaging around two phone calls in the morning and two phone calls in the afternoon, just checking up on me and seeing how I was doing."

Once he was settled in his new cabin, guest services informed him of the basics of his quarantine experience:

• Complimentary room service
• Complimentary pay-per-view movies
• Complimentary internet access

"I had an extension I could dial if I needed to get up with my person there, and they also sent a lot of letters to the room. This started happening more on the evening before debarkation."

These letters detailed the future cruise credit he was going to receive for the missed days onboard, as well as the refund for a drink package purchase.

In addition, Royal Caribbean provided Brandon with documentation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how he should quarantine once he gets home.

Contact tracing

One of the many steps Royal Caribbean takes if someone tests positive for Covid-19 is to conduct contact tracing.

Brandon said a member of the onboard security department contacted him to go over where he had been, "I walked him through where I was, how much time I spent with people."

"I was a little bit of a loner that evening. One of the benefits of going on cruises allows you can kind of pick and choose when you want to be extremely social or when you kind of just want to do your own thing."

"I got the impression that given the exposure that I had to other people, which was traditionally, less than 10 minutes, I kept my mask on. Most of the time I had dinner by myself, I was in the gym with. I think there was only two other people in the entire facility. There just wasn't a lot of opportunity for me to be around individuals or people that I could expose more heavily."

Disembarkation

Getting Brandon off the ship and safely back home without exposing other crew members or passengers to Covid was the next step in his journey.

Brandon recalls the ship's Hotel Director called the night before the cruise ended to walk him through what would happen the next day.

On disembarkation day, Brandon said getting off the ship made him feel "a little bit like you're in the movie Mars".

He said he was among the last passengers to disembark the ship so that other passengers can disembark first, "They made sure everybody was off the ship and then they came to my cabin, knocked on the door and said, We're getting ready to escort you off."

He packed his bags and put them in the hallway, at which point his bags were wrapped in plastic wrap and put it on a luggage cart.

"Almost everybody's kind of dressed up and you're going through hallways with plastic."

"I was really surprised at how many rooms were set up for the potential of quarantine on deck number two."

"I believe it was only me and one other gentleman who was unfortunately making use of these rooms, but there were a lot of rooms that were set up that I was able to walk by and kind of peek in all with the same setup that my current room had as well."

He walked off the ship from the deck 1 gangway instead of the gangway passengers usually use on deck 4.

At this point, a U.S. Customs officer met Brandon to process his paperwork.  He was then taken by private car to his vehicle in the parking garage.

"I was in good hands"

Looking back at what happened, Brandon was grateful to Royal Caribbean for taking such good care of him.

"I felt extremely well supported. They were communicative. They kept me in the loop on what was happening, and I got the sense that they knew what the next step was."

"They knew what the process was. They kept to whatever playbook or guidebook was that they have."

"And for me, as a passenger going through this quarantine Covid test experience, I felt really comforted knowing that all of that was taken care of. It was thought through and that I was in good hands."

Brandon's advice to anyone who is on a ship is don't be afraid to let someone know if you aren't feeling well, "Make sure that you are seeking medical treatment and not just waving it off. Just give it a whirl. Just see what they have to say.

"You might have to go through the quarantine experience, but you'll have the comfort in knowing you don't expose other people to it."

I asked Brandon having gone through the entire process, how he felt about getting back onboard a ship once he felt good again and tested negative.

"Being on a cruise still is a safe place to be."

"You can get Covid anywhere at the end of the day, and it's probably always going to be able to make its way onto the cruise ships. But it's reassuring to me to know that when that happens, they do have those policies and procedures in place."

When the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its warning for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, avoid cruise ships, it arrived without any other similar warnings for other forms of travel or leisure in the United States.

While a lot of negative press surround the cruise industry followed, at least some media outlets are beginning to question why the CDC singled out just the cruise industry and ignored other forms of leisure travel, sporting events, or other large gatherings.

Certainly the CDC only has jurisdiction over the cruise industry and not airlines, theme parks, or casinos, but that doesn't stop the CDC from issuing warnings about Covid-19 related impact to those endeavors.

Read more: Why does the CDC regulate the cruise lines?

Laura Elder, the Managing Editor for the Galveston County Daily News, questioned why the CDC warned against travel on a cruise ship, but not airplanes.

"Note the CDC has issued no such warning about air travel, in a game in which we all pretend and wink that being in close quarters on an airplane is different than being in close quarters on a ship and that people are flying mainly for essential reasons and not for fun."

"The CDC has issued no such warning about sporting events or anything else that involves large gatherings."

"So why the cruise industry in particular?"

The Boston Herald also did not see the logic in warning the public against only cruise ship travel in a recent editorial, "If you can fly once vaccinated and masked, why not cruise? And if COVID exposure by airline staff and passengers is taken into account by the CDC, why not do the same for the cruise industry?"

The dichotomy between cruise ships and the rest of travel in the eyes of the CDC perplexed the cruise industry just as much as anyone else.

A statement by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) echoed this contrast, "The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard — far fewer than on land — and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore."

The same week the CDC issued its warning, it also reduced its recommended quarantine and isolation periods in most cases from 10 days to five, with a subsequent five days of masking when around other people.

In December, several major airlines and lobbying group Airlines For America asked CDC director Rochelle Walensky to reconsider the 10-day guideline, describing it as “extremely disruptive” and calling for a five-day maximum quarantine.

The Boston Herald editorial illustrated the public's desire to travel by air is no different than by cruise ship, "This, however, is 2021, not 2020, and vaccines and boosters are readily available. Hospitalizations among the vaccinated are low. It’s why people are flying again, after getting vaxxed and tested and masking up and getting tested again."

"The agency is advising those who do travel on a cruise ship to make sure they are fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible, and get tested before and after their trip.

"They should have left it at that."

Ms. Elder agreed that the CDC should have left things alone, "But as the CDC works that out, it should refrain from using its power to single out the cruise industry, which has done all that it was asked and more to reduce the spread of the virus."

That perfect cruise itinerary has been booked for months, you've got everything ready to go, and the notion of cancelling your cruise seems unfathomable at this point.

However, the rapid spread of the Omicron variant is giving just about everyone second thoughts about their travel plans.

Between Royal Caribbean's incredibly high level of health protocols and certain steps you can take as a traveler, there are some ways to travel and stay relatively safe.

If you decide to go ahead with your cruise, here are some things I would recommend doing so that your cruise is enjoyable.

Be okay with changes, especially at the last minute

If nothing else, you need to be totally fine with an email or letter in your stateroom informing you that your plans need to change.

Whether it is a new health protocol or your ship changing itinerary, travel right now is full of changes on an almost daily basis.

While most people generally don't like change, I think there's a lot of folks are fine with these updates as long as they still get to go on vacation.

I certainly recall during the cruise industry shutdown of 2020-21 where I would have absolutely paid money to sit on my balcony and do nothing else. Luckily, a cruise today still offers a much better experience than that.

Be aware that changes could be announced at anytime, and there is no point where the cruise line cannot announce something. If that sounds okay to you, go ahead with the cruise. Otherwise, defer your vacation until later.

Read more: Why you need to be flexible if you want to go on a cruise right now

Assume less activities to do

Cruise ships are packed with so many activities and events onboard, but with Covid affecting crew members just as much as passengers, the ships can sometimes be short staffed.

The result of less crew is there may be less activities offered onboard. 

My advice is plan on a cruise that resembles a classic cruise experience, rather than one where you could count on every single event and signature activity being open.

Admittedly, this is a "glass is half full" approach to planning the cruise.  But I think it keeps expectations in line so you can only be pleasantly surprised when there's more to do onboard.

If I'm going on a ship tomorrow, I would pack more books or card games so I could enjoy that almost anywhere. I'd pack my kids' Nintendo Switch or iPads so they have something to do in the room when Adventure Ocean is full.

I might also plan to spend more time (and money) in the casino.

A time-honored cruise tradition is time spent at the pool, and I would figure to spend more time up there.  Maybe even an afternoon nap, which is the best indulgence of vacation, if you ask me.

Bring N95 masks

I'm not a health expert, but it seems a lot of health experts are advocating upgrading your mask to a N95 or KN95 mask.

In an study conducted last August, researchers from universities including Yale and Stanford found surgical masks were 95% effective at filtering out virus particles, compared with 37% for cloth masks.

Royal Caribbean requires masks to be worn indoors, so when I sailed on Navigator of the Seas last week, I packed KN95 masks to wear just to add better protection.

Purchase at-home Covid-19 tests

Assuming you don't have unvaccinated kids cruising (they need a PCR test), you should plan to order at-home Covid-19 tests rather than trying to get an appointment somewhere.

One of the many effects Omicron is having is land-based testing sites are overwhelmed, and long waits for a test are common. 

Your best bet is to purchase the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test, which is the only at-home test that Royal Caribbean accepts.

I would recommend purchasing them 1-2 months before your cruise so there is enough time in terms of shipping to reach you.

You can purchase the test through eMed or Optum.

Read more: I tried the at-home Covid-19 test that Royal Caribbean accepts

Prioritize outdoor excursions

It's not always possible, but an easy strategy of avoiding higher-risk situations is to book outdoor shore excursions.

Catamarans, beach days, or hikes are all great examples of tours you can book on your own or through Royal Caribbean to be able to do something fun in the ports you visit while avoiding being indoors.

Not to mention if you plan an outdoor tour, you may be able to ditch the mask (subject to local laws).

On our last cruise, we took three tours that were all almost exclusively outdoors: catamaran, ATV, and beach day excursions.

Obviously if you did something indoors that is not to say you are putting yourself in harm's way.  Rather, if the Covid cases are worrying you, there are lots of good tours outdoors you can book.

Air travel tips

In addition to not being a public health expert, I'm also not an air travel expert.  But, I've read lots of tips to help prepare for when we flew cross-country for our cruise.

Here are some pieces of airplane advice that I think makes sense.

Book a window seat to avoid exposure to people walking by in the aisle. If you can afford it, this is a great time to upgrade to a business or first class seat because they are less crowded.

Once you are seated on the plane, turn the air blower on to its highest setting to keep as much air moving as possible.

In the airport, try to find the most social distanced place you can find. That is usually not easy, but instead of cramming into a chair near the gate, find a spot to stand away from everyone else where you can see the gate agent so you know when boarding begins.

Now is the time to try upgrade your cabin

I've never been a major fan of Royal Caribbean's bid for a cabin upgrade program, RoyalUp, but if there's a silver lining to Omicron, it is that it has never been easier to get an upgrade.

Royal Caribbean said there's been increased cancellations in the near-term sailings due to Omicron fears, which means cabin upgrades could be easier to get.

If you are booked in an inside cabin or a oceanview, I would recommend rolling the dice on a balcony upgrade via RoyalUp to see if you can snag a great deal on a bigger room.

Obviously I cannot promise you will get anything, but I think the odds are better in general today than they were a month ago.

Bidding for a suite upgrade is always tough since everyone that does RoyalUp dreams of moving up to a suite, but you may as well give it a shot too.

Keep in mind that RoyalUp doesn't necessarily mean there is an open cabin to move up to, but I think the soft demand right now makes it the right time to try for an upgrade.

Read more: How to upgrade your cabin on Royal Caribbean

Don't be afraid to delay your cruise plans

Last, but not least, if you decide this isn't the time to cruise, you can still change your mind.

Royal Caribbean's Cruise with Confidence program allows anyone to cancel their cruise up to 48 hours before the sail date without any penalty, and get a 100% future cruise credit.

You could take that credit and rebook another sailing later in the spring or summer.

I love to cruise, but I would be the first to say if you don't feel comfortable right now, it's okay to push things off. Going back to my first tip, you need to be okay with a certain amount of fluctuating plans. Not everyone will feel that way, so there's nothing wrong with taking some more time before you sail again.

Royal Caribbean's new 2023 European cruises are now available to book.

The new sailings are available to book via Royal Caribbean's website, offering a variety of ships and itineraries during the summer months when Royal Caribbean deploys its cruise ships to the region.

There are sailings between April and November 2023 to book across 9 different ships. That's a large proportion of Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Here is a breakdown of where the ships will be sailing from:

Anthem of the Seas will sail from Southampton, UK and offer cruises of various lengths to destinations in Spain, Portugal, Norway and the Canary Islands.

You'll be able to visit destinations new to Anthem, including Maloy and Haugesund, Norway, and Cork, Ireland. Longer, 11- and 12-night vacations will go further to places such as Lisbon, Portugal; Vigo, Spain; and the Canary Islands. 

Brilliance of the Seas will offer cruises from different ports in Europe, including Athens, Venice, and Rome (Civitavecchia) on sailings throughout the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, as well as the Adriatic.

Something new for Brilliance will be the opportunity to visit Praetorian Palace in Koper, Slovenia.

Explorer of the Seas will sail from Venice (Ravenna) to offer cruises in the Adriatic, as well as to the Greek isles.

Explorer will allow passengers to visit Olympia, Greece – the birthplace of the Olympic Games – for the first time.

Jewel of the Seas will be based in Amsterdam, and offer 8 and 12 night cruises to Iceland & Ireland, as well as Norway fjords cruises. She even has a 12-night Arctic Circle cruise.

Odyssey of the Seas will return to the Europe again to be based in Rome (Civitavecchia).  Odyssey will offer 7- to 12-night cruises around the Greek Isles.  Odyssey also has a 12-night Holy Land cruise in May 2023.

Vacationers have a choice of 7- to 9-night cruises from Rome to Naples, Italy; the idyllic Greek Isles and Turkey, as well as 12-night Holy Land sailings to the historic, bustling cities of Limassol, Cyprus; Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey; and Jerusalem, Israel. 

Rhapsody of the Seas will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to sail from Limassol and Haifa, Israel, all in one season. The new summer combination consists of 7-night sailings to ports of call in Turkey, Israel and Greece, including first-time destinations for the cruise line, like Skiathos and Thessaloniki, Greece.

Starting in September, the ship will take off on short 4- and 5-night getaways from Haifa and visit Cyprus and the Greek Isles.

Serenade of the Seas will homeport out of Barcelona, Spain and offer 5-, 8-, and 12-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean.

Symphony of the Seas will also sail from Barcelona, with 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises to enjoy. 

Travelers can set course on 7-night cruises, from Barcelona or Rome, to bucket list destinations like Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Provence, France. 

Voyager of the Seas will be based in Copenhagen, and offer primarily Scandinavian and Russian cruises. Voyager will also offer two Best of Northern Europe cruises during the season.

Guests looking for a longer vacation can cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Copenhagen on a 14-night sailing that features an overnight in Bermuda and visits to St. Thomas, France and Belgium. 

This is the third 2023 deployment released so far, as Royal Caribbean released Alaska 2023 cruises and longer Caribbean 2023 cruises last month.

More itineraries will be released later this spring, including Northeast cruises, Los Angeles, Short Caribbean and more. There is no dates yet for when these new itineraries will be released. 

Booking early can save you money

Thinking about booking a cruise a year and a half away may seem excessive, but it is one of the best ways to get the best price on a cruise.

Generally speaking, the lowest prices for cruises are available when new itineraries are released, such as these Europe 2023 sailings. Over time, prices will go up as more and more cabins are booked up.

If you are interested in a suite, the importance of booking early is even more apparent, as these cabins usually jump up in price quickly after release.

No matter what the price is today, you can always take advantage of a lower price later with the Best Price Guarantee program, which allows for repricing of cruises in case of a price drop.

Besides cost savings, booking early also ensures you get the exact cabin you want. A lot of cruise fans gobble up the most desirable cabins when new sailings hit the market, such as suites, extra large balcony rooms and other unique staterooms.

Planning on booking a 2023 cruise? These stories will help:

• 7 tips for a great Mediterranean cruise
• What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?
• 7 tips for a great Royal Caribbean Baltic cruise
• Why you shouldn't avoid older and smaller cruise ships

This week has barely started and already there's lots of cruise news happening.  Since so much of it overlaps, I wanted to provide a round-up of what's changed recently.

There are smaller updates from across the fleet that I think are kind of interesting, neat, or otherwise good to know.

If you ever have a news tip, feel free to email it to [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future update!

Spectrum of the Seas sailings in Hong Kong cancelled

If you read a headline about Royal Caribbean cancelling cruises today, don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds.

Royal Caribbean cancelled the January 6 sailing of Spectrum of the Seas from Hong Kong.

There weren't any actual Covid cases onboard. Rather, nine passengers on the previous sailing that departed on January 2 were identified as close contacts to someone that tested positive on land in Hong Kong.

The contacts have tested negative but the cruise ship will return to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong on January 5 to test all guests and crew who must take a second test on January 8th.

CDC still plans to make Conditional Sail Order voluntary

Despite the Omicron variant, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the plan is still for the Conditional Sail Order (CSO) to become a voluntary program next week.

As you may recall, the CDC temporarily extended the CSO for an additional two and a half months back in October.

According to Cruise Critic, the plan is still for the CSO to expire on January 15, per the federal agency.

"After the expiration of the Temporary Extension & Modification of the CSO on January 15, 2022, CDC intends to transition to a voluntary program, in coordination with cruise ship operators and other stakeholders, to assist the cruise ship industry to detect, mitigate, and control the spread of COVID-19 onboard cruise ships," a CDC spokesperson told Cruise Critic via email.

Once the Temporary Extension & Modification of the CSO expires on January 15, the CSO will shift to a voluntary basis, where cruise lines and other stakeholders will work together without a federal mandate to do so to ensure proper protocols are followed.

NCL cancels cruises on sailings on 8 ships

 Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd announced a change to scheduled sailings on 8 ships due to the impact of the Omicron variant.

The reason for the cancellation has to do with crew staffing related to Covid cases onboard.

The Norwegian cancellations announced Wednesday include:

• Norwegian Pearl departures through January 14, 2022
• Norwegian Sky departures through February 25, 2022
• Pride of America departures through February 26, 2022
• Norwegian Jade departures through March 3, 2022
• Norwegian Star departures through March 19, 2022
• Norwegian Sun departures through April 19, 2022
• Norwegian Spirit departures through April 23, 2022

Royal Caribbean trademarks Royal Beach Club name

Royal Caribbean snuck in one more trademark filing before the end of 2021.

The cruise line registered a trademark for the phrase, "Royal Beach Club", which is the name of its private beach club experience it is developing in Nassau, Bahamas.

The first Royal Beach Club is set to open in Nassau, Bahamas, perhaps as early as 2023.

Read more: Royal Caribbean looks forward to big plans in 2022 and 2023

This new project is not intended to be for all guests on a ship to do. Rather, it will supplement the Nassau offerings. The beach club will be built on 7 acres on the western end of Paradise Island.

The Royal Beach Club will be able to accommodate about 3,500 together with 250 workers. 

A few weeks after registering a number of names for a cruise ship, Royal Caribbean has sent a survey to its most loyal passengers asking for their input on which one to choose for the next Oasis Class ship.

While Royal Caribbean's fifth Oasis Class ship, Wonder of the Seas, is just a few months away from launching, the cruise line is looking to move forward with its sixth and final Oasis Class ship.

In mid-December, Royal Caribbean registered 24 different trademarks for names of a possible cruise ship with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Earlier today, Pinnacle Club members in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society received an email asking them for opinions on the names.

"The objective of this survey is to hear from you, our valued Pinnacle Guests, to see which of the final contenders for the next Oasis Class ship names are your favorite," the email stated.

The survey first asked to rank the names from least to most appealing.

It then asked to rate the appeal of each name, followed by choosing a favorite.

Here are all the new names trademarked:

• MAGNIFICENCE OF THE SEAS
• FANTASIA OF THE SEAS
• PARADISE OF THE SEAS
• HAVEN OF THE SEAS
• MELODY OF THE SEAS
• GRACE OF THE SEAS
• SANCTUARY OF THE SEAS
• ILLUMINATION OF THE SEAS
• UNITY OF THE SEAS
• INTRIGUE OF THE SEAS
• ARIA OF THE SEAS
• EUPHORIA OF THE SEAS
• SPLENDOR OF THE SEAS
• AWE OF THE SEAS
• ETERNITY OF THE SEAS
• EDEN OF THE SEAS
• VIBRANCE OF THE SEAS
• BLISS OF THE SEAS
• AURA OF THE SEAS
• UTOPIA OF THE SEAS
• JOY OF THE SEAS
• MARVEL OF THE SEAS
• NIRVANA OF THE SEAS
• DIVINE OF THE SEAS

The sixth Oasis-class ship is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2024. It is currently under construction at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in France.

Prior to that ship, Icon of the Seas will be delivered in the 3rd quarter of 2023.

The yet-to-be-named megaship will follow sister ships Wonder of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, which are among the largest cruise ships in the world.

There's been quite a lot of speculation as to what the sphere-like object spotted in the shipyard building Royal Caribbean's new cruise ship might be, and today we have new photos to share of it.

I posted yesterday an exclusive photo from the shipyard constructing Icon of the Seas a large pearl-shaped object that is unlike anything we've seen on a Royal Caribbean ship prior to this point.

Since posting that photo, more photos have emerged of the construction of this object.

Ruslan shared close-up photos of the object, including a look at its construction prior to the photo shared yesterday.

What could it be?

After posting the photo yesterday, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared a link to the article on his Facebook page with the question everyone wants to know, "Hmmmmm what could this iconic thing be?"

There has been quite a lot of guesses shared on social media as to what this might be, and I'm not sure there's any clear consensus yet.

One of the most frequently guessed ideas is that it is a tank for the ship's liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Icon of the Seas will be the first Royal Caribbean cruise ship to be powered by LNG, but Royal Caribbean shared an update back in October 2021 that the LNG tanks had already been installed. Plus, those tanks look substantially larger than this sphere object.

There have been lots of other guesses (some serious, and some not) for what it might be, including:

• Gyroscope
• Next-gen bungee jump experience
• Repurposed alien spacecraft from Area 51
• Planetarium
• IMAX Theater

Whatever it ends up being, we'll have to wait for Royal Caribbean to reveal it at a later date.

Icon of the Seas will be the first ship in the Icon Class to launch.  She is scheduled to be delivered in Fall 2023, and there are two other Icon Class ships on order.

The other two ships will be delivered in 2025 and 2026.

Miami is the busiest cruise port in the world and is home to some of Royal Caribbean’s newest and most popular ships. As the hub of the cruising industry, Miami is a convenient port option for those looking for various options of ships and itineraries.

Royal Caribbean sails year round from the Port of Miami, officially known as PortMiami, and offers primarily Eastern, Western, and Southern Caribbean cruises. Whether you’re a seasoned cruiser or are planning your first cruise vacation, here is what you need to know when sailing from PortMiami.

How to get to the Port of Miami

Royal Caribbean opened Terminal A, a brand new, 170,000 square foot terminal at the Port of Miami, in 2018. Nicknamed the “Crown of Miami” due to its unique shape, Terminal A is where all Royal Caribbean cruise passengers will depart from when sailing out of Miami.

PortMiami is located on its own island, Dodge Island, just east of downtown Miami. The address of Terminal A at PortMiami is Dodge Island, 1015 N. America Way, Miami, FL 33132.

Whether you fly or drive to Miami, make sure to arrive the day before your cruise (or earlier if you plan to explore the area). 

Flying to Miami

Passengers arriving by air have two main airport options.

Miami International Airport (MIA) is the closest airport to the Port of Miami. This is the most convenient option for travelers, as the airport is located just a fifteen minute drive away from the port.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is another airport option if you are sailing out of Miami. The airport is around a 45 minute drive away from the port, but could be longer depending on traffic conditions.
We recommend choosing Miami International Airport due to its proximity to the port. Whether upon arrival or catching your return flight after the cruise, flying out of MIA is less of a hassle than traveling to and from Fort Lauderdale.

As the terminal is located on an island, the simplest way to get from the airport or a hotel to the port is through a ride sharing app, such as Uber or Lyft, or a taxi.

Driving Directions

If you are driving to PortMiami, there are a few different options to choose from.

From the north, via I-95:

• Take I-95 South to Exit 2D toward I-395 E/Miami Beach. 
• Merge onto MacArthur Causeway. 
• Use the left 2 lanes to take the exit towards Port of Miami Tunnel and follow the signs for your pier terminal.

From Miami International Airport (7 miles):

• Via Port Tunnel: Take 836 East through the toll. 
• Continue onto FL836 E/I-395 E, then keep right to merge onto MacArthur Causeway.  
• Use the left 2 lanes to take the exit towards Port of Miami Tunnel and follow the signs to your pier terminal. 

• Via Port Bridge: Take 836 East through the toll.    
• Exit at US1 N.E. 2nd Avenue/Biscayne Boulevard, proceed straight through one light, and then turn right at the second light onto Biscayne Boulevard (US1). 
• Stay in your left-hand lane and turn left into the Port of Miami on N.E. 5th Street. 
• Drive across the bridge and follow signs to your pier terminal. 

From Ft. Lauderdale International (26 miles):

• Via Port Tunnel: Take I-95 South to Exit 2D toward I-395 E/Miami Beach. 
• Merge onto MacArthur Causeway. 
• Use the left 2 lanes to take the exit towards Port of Miami Tunnel and follow the signs for your pier terminal.

• Via Port Bridge: Take I-95 South to Exit 3B, N.W. 8th Street. 
• Turn left onto 5th Street and continue straight until you reach the Port of Miami entrance. 
• Drive across the bridge and follow signs to your pier terminal. 
• Get on FL-836 E in Miami from Departures, NW 21st St and Exists 2-3-4

Parking

For those driving, parking is available at the Port of Miami at a rate of $25.00 per day for regular sized vehicles. There are both multi-level parking garages or open-air parking lots available. Oversized vehicles will incur an additional fee and are only able to park in Lot #2, which is adjacent to Terminal E.

There are independently-owned lots with lower daily rates located a few miles away. However, the official parking at PortMiami is the most convenient parking option as it is located adjacent to the terminal. No taxis or rideshares are needed when parking in the official lots, and there are free shuttles available to quickly take you from the parking area to the cruise terminal.

Parking rates are payable by cash, credit card, or traveler’s check. It is important to note that debit cards are not accepted as a form of payment.

Where to stay the night before your cruise

One of our most important pieces of advice when planning a cruise is to fly in the night before your cruise departs. This gives a time buffer in case of any travel delays that may occur as you make your way to Miami.

There are no shortages of hotels and places to stay in Miami the night before your cruise. Most passengers will opt to book a room in downtown Miami, many of which offer views of the ocean and cruise terminal.

We have written several detailed reviews of hotels in the Miami area, and RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers have also offered their hotel recommendations. Keep in mind that these are recommendations, so we cannot guarantee that your experience will be the same as someone else’s.

Hotel Recommendations:

Intercontinental Miami

Holiday Inn Port of Miami-Downtown

DoubleTree by Hilton-Grand Biscayne Bay

Hampton Inn & Suites Miami Midtown

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Miami Airport East (near Miami International Airport)

You can find more hotel recommendations and other tips for your next cruise from our readers on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards.

Several hotels offer shuttle service to the cruise terminal. However, we recommend against using a shuttle service and instead opting for a taxi or rideshare. Using a shuttle service means that you are tied down to the shuttle’s schedule instead of your own. Taking an Uber, Lyft, or taxi gives you complete flexibility on the time you travel to the terminal.

Which Royal Caribbean ships sail from the Port of Miami

Freedom of the Seas calls PortMiami home and offers 2, 3, and 4-night Caribbean sailings. Her 2-night sailings visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, while the 3 and 4-night sailings visit both Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau. The 4-night sailings also include a sea day.

Jewel of the Seas will sail from Miami until April 2022, offering 5, 6, and 8-night Western and Eastern Caribbean sailings, visiting ports including Cozumel, Puerto Costa Maya, Bimini, Nassau, Belize City, Antigua, Puerto Plata, and San Juan.

Oasis of the Seas will sail from Miami until June 2022, offering 3, 4, and 7-night sailings visiting ports in the Western and Eastern Caribbean, including Perfect Day at CocoCay. After the summer season sailing from Cape Liberty, she will return to Miami to restart cruises in November 2022.

Oasis of the Seas will also offer a 10-night Eastern Caribbean Holiday sailing in January 2023, visiting St. Thomas, Antigua, Barbados, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.

Grandeur of the Seas will begin sailing from PortMiami in November 2022, offering 9-night Southern Caribbean sailings visiting destinations including Puerto Plata, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. 

Grandeur of the Seas will also offer shorter, 5-night Western Caribbean cruises, with most sailings visiting Key West and Labadee.

Explorer of the Seas will begin sailing from Miami in late April 2022 and will offer primarily 6 and 8-night Western and Southern Caribbean cruises, along with one 5-night and one 9-night sailing. There are two options for 6-night sailings. The first will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, Jamaica, and Labadee. The second will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, Jamaica, and George Town, Grand Cayman.

There are also two options for 8-night Southern Caribbean sailings, visiting Labadee, La Romana, Willemstad, Curacao, Oranjestad, Aruba, and Kralendijk, Bonaire.

Symphony of the Seas has called Miami home since its inaugural sailing in 2018, and she will continue to sail from Miami in 2022 and 2023. While Symphony of the Seas will offer two 8-night cruises, the majority of her sailings are 7-night Eastern or Western Caribbean cruises with a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Depending on the sailing, Symphony of the Seas will visit Puerto Costa Maya, Roatan, Cozumel, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Labadee, and San Juan. Each sailing will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Harmony of the Seas will be sailing from Miami starting in March 2023, offering 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises that include a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay. Other than CocoCay, Harmony of the Seas will visit St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel, depending on the sailing.

What time should I schedule my flight home after my cruise from Miami?

One mistake some cruise passengers make is scheduling their flight home too early or too late on disembarkation day. Rushing to the airport to catch an early flight can be stressful, whereas waiting at the airport all day for a late flight is also not ideal.

Here are some things to consider when selecting a flight home:

• Are you flying from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale?
• What time will the ship arrive in port, and what time will disembarkation begin?
• What time of day will you be traveling to the airport?

It can be tempting to select an early flight on disembarkation day. After all, you may look at your itinerary and see that you arrive in Miami at 6AM. However, the time that a ship arrives in port and the time that passengers actually begin disembarking is not the same. A good estimate is to assume you will get off the ship around two hours after the ship’s scheduled arrival time.

Therefore, when cruising from Miami, we recommend booking a flight no earlier than 11:30AM for flights out of Miami International Airport and no earlier than 12PM for flights leaving Ft. Lauderdale. Doing so will give you a little wiggle room in case of any unexpected delays.

Royal Caribbean's stricter face mask protocols that were added as a result of the Omicron variant will be around for at least another few weeks.

The policy requires cruise ship passengers to wear face masks while indoors, regardless of vaccination status except while eating or drinking. 

The mask rules will remain in effect for sailings departing on or before January 31, 2022, at which point it will be reevaluated. 

This includes at venues reserved for vaccinated guests only.

Royal Caribbean first tightened the mask rules on December 17, 2021 for a period of time through January 5, 2022.

Masks are NOT required to be worn:

• In open-air areas of the ship, unless you are in a crowded setting.
• In the pool or any activity where they may become wet.
• In your stateroom when you are with your traveling party.
• While visiting our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, unless you are in a crowded setting.
• By any guest under the age of 2.

Masks ARE required to be worn:

• While indoors in public areas of the ship, unless seated and actively eating or drinking.
• While visiting public ports of call, where local regulations may require them.

Read more: What it's like to go on a cruise with Royal Caribbean's stricter mask rules

In addition to the face mask rules being extended, Royal Caribbean's ban on smoking in the casino will also be extended.

"In alignment with the expansion of the mask policy, smoking will not be permitted in the casino for all cruises departing on or before January 31, 2022."

Mask rule matches other lines

Other cruise lines have added similar rules to combat the rise in Omicron variant Covid cases.

Carnival Cruise Line requires its passengers to use masks on all sailings until at least the end of January 2022. Carnival also banned smoking in its casinos until further notice.

Holland America matched Carnival's stricter mask rules and indoor smoking policy.

Norwegian Cruise Line also added a face mask rule for sailings through the end of January.

Passenger reaction

Cruise ship passengers have generally has mixed reactions to the stricter mask rules, usually aligning with whether they have ever supported mask wearing or not.

On the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards, Swar liked the fact smoking has been banned in the casino because as a non-smoker, they hope it stays around, "The casino is so much better without the smoke! I hope it is a permanent change. Not a smoker, but used to do cigars."

Oliver Max took the stricter mask rules in stride, "I leave on a cruise from Galveston on Sunday. It’s a little disappointing but I’m not going to let it ruin my vacation. I’m still going to have fun."