Royal Caribbean Blog

Did you know Royal Caribbean gives away free drinks to its top tier Crown and Anchor Society members?

If you are Diamond, Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle, you can get a set amount of complimentary beverages every day of your cruise, which includes alcoholic beverages.

This is a fantastic perk, and Royal Caribbean recently revamped their offering by giving guests more options with their daily drinks.

So how does it work, and what can you get exactly if you are eligible for Diamond drinks benefits? Here is what you need to know about Royal Caribbean's beverage vouchers.

Who qualifies for free drink vouchers?

Royal Caribbean provides complimentary drinks each day to its Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle guests.

Guests who are at a lower tier of Crown and Anchor Society (Gold, Platinum, or Emerald) do not qualify for the drink vouchers.

In 2021, Royal Caribbean updated the policy to move away from a few select drinks guests can use each evening, to all-day vouchers.

Royal Caribbean has revamped its offerings to allow at least 4 beverage vouchers for Diamond and higher guests in Crown and Anchor, which are good all day and at any bar (except Starbucks).

• Diamond: 4 beverage vouchers valid all day at any bar (except Starbucks)
• Diamond Plus: 5 beverage vouchers valid all day at any bar (except Starbucks)
• Pinnacle: 6 beverage vouchers valid all day at any bar (except Starbucks)

This includes alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, and includes any beverage up to $13 per drink ($14 on ships from the UK).

How do the drink vouchers work?

Drink vouchers are loaded automatically every day on a guest's SeaPass account. There are no paper coupons or physical vouchers to present.

Simply go to any bar, restaurant or lounge, and when ordering a drink, inform the waiter or bartender that you wish to use your Diamond drink benefit.

When you get the drink, you should receive a receipt for $0.00. 

It is up to you to remember to ask to use your drink vouchers, as well as to keep track of how many vouchers you have left.

Each Diamond or higher member gets the daily drink voucher allotment, and you can use your vouchers to pay for your drink.  Think of them like a coupon that you are applying when you order.

One other change Royal Caribbean made by upgrading the vouchers to all day options with no drink menu limit is there is no longer unlimited drinks in the Diamond Lounge in the evening.  Drinks consumed in the Diamond Lounge count against your voucher count for the day.

Royal Caribbean says the drink vouchers work at their private destinations of Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee.

How do you get Diamond status with Royal Caribbean?

To get to Diamond status in Crown and Anchor Society, you have to accrue 80 points.

Just like a frequent flier program, you get points for every night of your cruise.

You will get 1 point for every night of your cruise, and 2 points if you stay in a Junior Suite or higher. If you stay by yourself in a suite, you can earn 3 points per night.

Your Crown and Anchor points never expire, so even if you took a cruise many years ago, it still counts.

Once you reach Diamond, you can never lose your status.

Do kids get drink vouchers too?

Yes, minors get the same amount of complimentary drinks as adults.

Unlike adults, their vouchers cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.

Can the drink vouchers be used for specialty coffees?

Yes, you can purchase a latte, cappuccino, or any other extra charge coffee with your Diamond drink benefit.

Just like an unlimited drink package, the exception is the vouchers cannot be redeemed at a Starbucks kiosk location.

Do you get drink vouchers for the first and last day of the cruise?

Yes, Royal Caribbean loads the vouchers up based on every night of the cruise.

When you board the ship, you will have your first allotment of vouchers ready to go.

Each night at midnight, new drink vouchers are replenished. That means you will have more complimentary drinks on the last morning of the cruise.

Should you get a drink package if you have drink vouchers?

The new question many loyal cruisers are trying to determine is if it is worth it to get a Royal Caribbean drink package if they are a Diamond member or higher.

Ultimately, the decision will depend on the person, but the fact the complimentary drink vouchers offer the same menu of choices as the drink package makes a compelling alternative.

Even if you use all your drink vouchers every day, and pay out of pocket for an addition 3-4 cocktails every day, the overall cost should be less than the total cost of a drink package.

One benefit the drink package has for someone who might exceed the daily drink voucher limit is you can pre-purchase the drink package before the cruise to avoid running up your bill onboard the ship. For some cruisers, not having a big bill at the end of the sailing matters to them.

Your itinerary will also factor in the decision of which option to get. A port intensive itinerary where you will be off the ship often on tours, may make investing in a drink package not a great financial idea.

Read more: 2021 Royal Caribbean Drink Package Info, Tips, Pros & Cons

If your Royal Caribbean cruise visits the U.S. Virgin Islands, you will need to be fully vaccinated in order to go on the sailing.

The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has informed Royal Caribbean of a new policy that requires all cruise passengers ages 12 and older to be fully vaccinated in order for the ship to be allowed entry into the port.

This latest requirement applies to all cruise ships scheduled to enter U.S. Virgin Island ports. 

In a statement by the cruise line, Royal Caribbean will require all guests ages 12 and older to provide proof of vaccination in order to sail on itineraries visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Guests unable to show proof of vaccination will not be allowed to sail.

Guests under the age of 12, who are currently not eligible for the vaccine, will be able to sail with a negative test result at boarding and must follow certain protocols.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson commented on the new Virgin Islands policy, "Royal Caribbean’s top priority is maintaining everyone’s well-being while complying with federal, state
and local laws as we always have. We will continue to evaluate and update its health and safety measures as circumstances evolve."

The Allure of the Seas sailing on August 8th has a scheduled stop in St. Thomas, which will be required to adhere to this new policy.

Guests sailing on Allure of the Seas who may be impacted by the change, are asked to contact the cruise line for a full refund or to move their reservation to a later voyage,or a different itinerary.

In addition, St. Kitts recently announced a new policy which only allows 700 guests to visit their island per ship. The Allure of the Seas sailing on August 8th will now visit Philipsburg, St. Maarten instead. 

It is not clear why the U.S. Virgin Islands made this policy change, but the delta variant causing a surge in new cases is a likely candidate.

Florida, where many cruise ships are sailing from, broke a record for coronavirus hospitalizations on Sunday, which was a day after Florida recorded the most Covid-19 cases in a single since the pandemic began in early 2020. Less than half of Floridians are fully vaccinated

Royal Caribbean may have been shut down for 15 months, but that does not mean work stopped behind the scenes on new innovations and ideas that were announced in the months leading up to the stoppage.

While there may not have been many public updates on what was happening, Royal Caribbean prioritized certain initiatives and expansions so that when cruise ships could return, the company would be ready with exciting new announcements.

Overseeing these initiatives is Royal Caribbean Group Chief Product Innovation Officer, Jay Schneider, whose job it is to blend product development and experience, and he manages Royal Caribbean's technology and private destination innovations.

So what has Royal Caribbean been up to all these months, and what changes, additions, and new offerings can we expect with cruise ships starting to restart operations? I asked Mr. Schneider what is behind Royal Caribbean's proverbial curtain.

Continual investment

First and foremost, Mr. Schneider pointed to the fact his team invested in creating a new tech foundation to support initiatives that would prove to be critical to success during the shutdown, "Had we not made that investment, getting back into service now would be very difficult and very expensive."

This includes things like reducing friction at check-in, emuster, or being able to review your folio were good ideas pre-shutdown, and are now critical for social distancing and reducing touch points.

More importantly, Royal Caribbean not stopping work on its digital projects is a lesson learned from the days of the last smartphone app, Royal iQ.

"I think one of the mistakes we made, if you remember our Royal iQ app," Schneider admitted.

"We stopped investing in it and it just became stagnant. And so you'll see us continue to make improvements and additions and edits to the Royal Caribbean app and build the product out."

Chat feature

Schneider says the chat feature was ready to be rolled out right before the pandemic hit, but it is ready for all the ships in the fleet now.

Mr. Schneider confirmed the chat feature is ready for use fleet wide, "As we bring every ship back, every ship, will have chat."

Royal Beach Club

In March 2020, Royal Caribbean announced a Royal Beach Club in Nassau, which is an enhancement of an area that Royal Caribbean's cruise ships sail to, with the option for guests to go there, or do something else in that destination.

Mr. Schneider confirmed the first Royal Beach Club will be in Nassau, known as the Royal Beach Club in Paradise Island. After that, the Perfect Day projects will continue, "We're going to continue to go and build out Royal Beach clubs. The first one will be here in Nassau. It will be the Royal Beach Club in Paradise Island. And then we're going to continue to expand our Perfect Day portfolio."

"We have gotten to the point where we've announced that we've executed our lease with the government. So the total space is 20 acres, 13 of which we own privately, and then it's seven acres of government land that we've leased."

"We are going to continue to move forward to that program."

The daily occupancy for the Royal Beach Club in Paradise Island will be 3,500 guests.

Also in the Bahamas is another project in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. 

According to Schneider, that project is still moving forward, "It continues to move forward. We're still working through the legal agreements, so that's just been an elongated process that we hope will conclude sometime soon."

So which projects are a go with the way things stand now? Mr. Schneider would only say some things have changed over the last 15 months that may or may not alter Royal Caribbean's plans.

"Number one, the destinations are evolving, meaning they're coming out of a pandemic themselves. So their situations are different."

"Second, our guests are evolving and we're constantly updating our slate of where we want to go. And so those factors and formulas together help us think about where we want to go."

Read more: Royal Caribbean's plans to build a cruise resort in Bahamas are still alive

Amplifications will return

One of the many projects that had to be sidelined were ship upgrades under the Royal Amplified program, and it looks like those updates are delayed, but not denied.

"We're going to pick up Amplification again. We're going to keep making sure that the Amplification we have is working."

Moreover, new ship construction is not stopping either, "Our new build portfolio isn't isn't stopping. We're going to continue to build amazing ships."

"You're going to see new concepts come out on future ships and you're going to see us experiment with new fun ways to, again, get people to have an amazing vacation."

Read more: What was added to each Royal Caribbean ship during its Royal Amplified refurbishment

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has clarified their position regarding mixed vaccinations and provided updated guidance to Royal Caribbean.

The new guidance applies to sailings leaving the U.S. and primarily affects residents of countries where more than one type of vaccine was administered, such as Canada or Germany.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said currently, the CDC does not recognize any mixed combination of Covid-19 vaccines as fully vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean updated its policy posted online to say the CDC requires someone be fully vaccinated, if they complete a vaccine series with products from the same manufacturer with the last dose administered at least 14 days before their sail date.

The CDC has provided the following reference to support their decision:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/covid-19-vaccines-us.html#Interchangeability

"COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable," CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed told the CBC

"The safety and effectiveness of receiving two different COVID-19 vaccines has not been studied."

Royal Caribbean policy on August 2

Royal Caribbean continues to encourage the CDC and other U.S. government officials to re-evaluate this policy.

This is yet another change in the mixed vaccine policy, with the CDC issuing new guidance that requires cruise lines to adjust their policies.

Cruises departing ports outside of the U.S.

If your cruise sails from outside the United States, Royal Caribbean will allow guests who have received some mixed vaccine combinations.

For cruises departing from ports outside of the U.S., guests who are vaccinated with a mixed regimen consisting of two shots of the following manufacturer combinations: Pfizer and Moderna, or AstraZeneca with either Pfizer or Moderna, will be able to sail. Doses must be separated by at least 28 days and not more than 42 days for mixes of Pfizer and Moderna, and combinations of AstraZeneca with Pfizer or Moderna must be separated by at least 4 weeks and not more than 12 weeks.

Mixed vaccines may not be accepted at all ports of call. Guests who are vaccinated with a mixed series may not be allowed to go ashore at these ports or may need to undergo additional testing if they wish to go ashore.

Mixed vaccines in Canada

Canadian cruise fans have been the most vocal about the problem with the new policy preventing them from being able to sail.

Canada currently uses vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, as well as Johnson & Johnson, which uses a single shot.

The Canadian government says it's working with its international counterparts to resolve vaccine differences. 

"Over the next number of weeks and months, there may be revisions provided by health authorities around the world with respect to these vaccine regimes," Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said at a news conference last week. 

Regina-based infectious disease physician Dr. Alexander Wong believes the U.S. will soon bend its stance on mixing vaccines, "Looking at, for example, the U.S. and Canada, and how important that border is, I suspect it's going to get figured out sooner rather than later."

Royal Caribbean Group has its second quarter earnings scheduled for later this week, which means a good opportunity to hear more about the company's restart plans.

In addition to publishing the company's financials, a call with investors is held to go over in greater detail the second quarter 2021 financial results.

Earnings calls are hosted by Royal Caribbean Group's top executives, and it is a combination of disclosures, prepared statements and answering questions from Wall Street analysts. 

Royal Caribbean Group will host their call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Wednesday, August 4, 2021.

Executives will start the call off with prepared statements about the outlook they have for the near-term future, but the majority of the call is question and answer between Wall Street analysts and the executives. Many times, these questions are of equal interest to cruise fans as they are to investors.

To get a sense of the questions and concerns Wall Street has for Royal Caribbean, I reached out to Dan Kline, lead advisor/host of 7investing Now.

1. When will Royal Caribbean Group return to profitability?

Ever since cruises shutdown in early 2020, Royal Caribbean Group has posted losses in the billions each quarter, so when will that trend reverse itself.

While losses are still expected again this quarter, Wall Street is going to be eager to know when will the tide tern and when the company will expect to move to break even from a loss.

Mr. Kline thinks a lot of other analysts are going to be wondering the same thing, "Going into earnings, the real question is how fast can the company stop the bleeding?

"The sooner it stops losing money, the sooner it can renegotiate debt deals under more favorable terms. I'm very bullish about where Royal Caribbean will be a year from now, but getting there is going to be a challenge."

2. How much money are they making right now?

Royal Caribbean Group will certainly highlight the fact they have already number of ships back in service, but these ships are sailing at a very limited capacity.  So how much money are they making with these few ships?

While the limited capacity percentages have not been publicly divulged, anecdotally we know the ships are sailing far from full, so how profitable these sailings are can tell a lot about answering the first question.

In May 2020, Royal Caribbean Group Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty talked about the fact the company could break even with use of fewer, but newer cruise ships, in lieu of older ships.

"For our newer ships, you need about 30 percent load factors to kind of break even. And then they skew to about 50 percent load factor on onto our older ships."

At the time, Mr. Liberty highlighted the fact their return to service does not need the entire fleet operating at full levels to break even. In fact, load factors do not need to be exceptionally high either.

3. How much Future Cruise Credit is outstanding

One of the bellwether indicators for the market has been not just cash on hand, but how much money the cruise line has in credit from guests.

Future cruise credits (FCC) is something given out when cruises are cancelled, and to get a better sense of the company's financial state, comparing the amount of cash the company has versus FCC is another common question.

4. How much new money is coming in?

Mr. Kline points out that Royal Caribbean Group has been bullish about new bookings, but how much cash is coming in versus customers redeeming those FCCs?

"Royal Caribbean keeps saying that bookings are strong, but what percentage is new money?," Mr. Kline posed while discussing the company's quarterly results.

Ideally, Wall Street wants to see as much new cash coming in.  New bookings made without FCCs demonstrates strong demand and faith in the company from customers.

"They always paint a very upbeat picture 'future bookings are strong!' but the reality is in cash flow and how much hesitancy people have in the near and mid-term. Very avid cruisers -- especially younger ones (relatively) like us were very eager to get back on board and had the information needed to feel safe, but it may take some time for the more casual public to come around."

5. Capital spending plans

Something else on investors and cruise fans radars are big ticket items for the future.

Specifically, given where things are right now, how does Royal Caribbean's financial state impact their ability to continue with projects they have outlined around the world, such as new cruise terminals, beach resorts and more.

Prior to the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean announced plans for new port projects in the Caribbean, so how will the the current situation impact capital spending?

6. Guest spending

Mr. Kline was also eager to know is average revenue per customer up on current sailings?

Before things shutdown, guest spending onboard was a major source of profitability. Guests purchasing drink packages, wifi and shore excursions were routinely announced as the reason why the company was doing so well financially.

With sailings back again, are guests still spending at that pre-shutdown pace?  Mr. Kline admitted he was not sure this kind of data would be shared, but it is something he is looking at to determine demand for cruises.

7. Delta variant

Wall Street is hyper focused on the impact the delta variant is having on every company, and without a doubt, this question will come up as well for Royal Caribbean Group.

Specifically, what impact is the Delta variant having on future bookings?

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain spoke about the delta variant last week in a video update, recommending concern but not hysteria, "The delta virus is spreading worrisomely in the United States, and in other countries. We should worry about the delta variant and the other variants that will inevitably follow."

"We shouldn't, though, panic."

How you can listen to the earnings call

There will be full coverage of anything intriguing that comes out of Royal Caribbean Group's second quarter 2021 earnings call right here on RoyalCaribbeanBlog, but if you would like to listen on your own, here's how.

The call will be available on-line at the company's investor relations website, www.rclinvestor.com.  

You will be able to listen via the link provided close to the start of the call.

Two more Royal Caribbean ships will begin their test cruises today, including the world's largest cruise ship.

Independence of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas will both begin their simulated voyages so that they can get permission from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to sail with paying passengers.

So far four other Royal Caribbean ships have done test cruises, and one other is underway right now.

Symphony of the Seas will sail from PortMiami on Sunday, and is the second Oasis Class cruise ship to start a test cruise.

Symphony will sail a 3-night cruise that visits Perfect Day at CocoCay before returning to Miami.

Meanwhile, Independence of the Seas will begin her test cruise from Galveston, Texas.

If all goes well, both ships could restart operations with paying passengers later this month.

The CDC requires these test cruises with unpaid volunteers to demonstrate new health protocols can keep guests and crew members safe onboard from the spread of Covid-19. 

On other Royal Caribbean ships that have restarted operations, the new protocols have worked extremely well at isolating and limiting the spread of the virus among passengers.  The handful of cases across different sailings have been few and quickly dealt with.

This approach to safe cruising has been a mantra for Royal Caribbean, which has long sought to make cruising "safer than main street", according to Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain.

In his most recent video update, Mr. Fain talked about the importance of making cruises safer than other aspects of life, "We wanted to be not only just as safe as the places, we wanted to be safer."

"We established a goal of being safer on board than a ship on Main Street. We've shown that an ambitious goal can be achieved based on hard work and an unemotional review of the facts and the science."

Simulated voyages test out many facets of the cruise experience, including a new approach to embarkation and disembarkation, medical evacuation procedures and procedures for transferring symptomatic passengers and crew to isolation rooms set up on board the ships.

Other onboard protocols include restricting certain venues to vaccinated passengers only, changes to dining onboard, and modifications to the entertainment lineup and seating.

Royal Caribbean is electing to conduct test sailings instead of mandating 95% of its passengers be fully vaccinated because the cruise line feels very strongly about allowing children to sail, whom are not eligible to be vaccinated.

Cruise ships that sail from the U.S. and can guarantee at least 95% of its passengers are vaccinated do not have to conduct test sailings and can go right to revenue sailings.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley recently explained his cruise line's restart plans are different than other lines because of their commitment to families, "In a normal year the majority of our guests are families. At any time throughout the year we carry approx 10 percent plus of our guests who are kids 12 and under and they of course travel with their family."

"Because of the kids we have been sailing at around 90 percent vaccinated and so we would not be able to operate at the CDC 95 / 95 and so like Disney Cruises or MSC all family brands we chose this path."

Can you believe August is already here? It is the middle of Summer and there is a lot of Royal Caribbean news to catch up from during this week.

This week, Royal Caribbean added a testing requirement for cruises that are at least 5 nights.

Guests sailing on cruises beginning July 31 that are 5-nights or longer will have to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test at check-in.

The new test result is for all passengers, regardles of if they are vaccinated or not.

Tests must be administered no more than three days prior to sailing, and either antigen or PCR tests are acceptable.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean CEO addresses mixed vaccines and vaccine requirements
• Royal Caribbean extends ability to cancel cruise for a credit until August 31, 2021
• Odyssey of the Seas began her first sailing with paying passengers
• Royal Caribbean Group CEO: We should worry about Delta variant but we shouldn't panic
• Royal Caribbean will continue to follow CDC cruise ship recommendations
• Ovation of the Seas began her test cruise
• Allure of the Seas Test Cruise Live Blog
• Royal Caribbean releases which venues on its newest cruise ship will be open to vaccinated passengers only

New RCB Video: U.S. appeals court lifts CDC cruise ship restrictions

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 — U.S. appeals court lifts CDC cruise ship restrictions — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 416th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Aaron talks about the first Royal Caribbean cruise ship to sail to Alaska.

Aaron went on the first big ship to visit Alaska since 2019, and reports on what it was like to sail again to Alaska, as well as the significance of cruising's return.

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.

What it's like on a test cruise

What happens on one of the CDC's simulated voyages?

I had the chance to sail on a 2-night test cruise aboard Allure of the Seas, which is required by the U.S. government in order to offer a cruise with paying passengers.

It's the first of a series of test cruises in the next few weeks that the line is opening up to its most loyal passengers, as well as travel agents, as it seeks to fulfill the requirements of the CDC's Conditional Sail Order.

At long last, Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship has begun cruises with passengers onboard.

Odyssey of the Seas is set to depart Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday to begin her first revenue sailing. 

The 16-deck-high, 1,138-foot-long ship is one of the largest ships in the world, and can accommodate 4,180 passengers.

The cruise industry shutdown greatly impacted Odyssey's timeline for debut, having been delayed in the construction yard and two different inaugural seasons cancelled in Europe.

Nonetheless, Odyssey of the Seas has begun her first sailing and is yet another Royal Caribbean ship that has been able to start up operations this summer.

The new ship sailed a test cruise on July 19 to gain approval by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Odyssey of the Seas is the second Quantum Ultra Class ship, which is essentially a stretched and enhanced version of the original Quantum Class ships.

While she may not be as large as the Oasis Class ships, she is still packed with plenty for families and guests of all ages to enjoy, including multiple pool areas, an aqua park for kids, sky-diving simulator, surfing simulator, and even bumper cars.

Cabins onboard range from studio staterooms fit for a single traveler to spacious loft suites that span two decks.

Odyssey is the first Quantum Ultra Class ship to cruise from the U.S., which features SeaPlex - the largest indoor and outdoor activity complex at sea - and a vibrant, Caribbean-inspired pool deck.

Just like all Quantum Class ships, Odyssey has four signature activities on its top deck: North Star observational pod, the Ripcord by iFly sky diving simulator, FlowRider surf simulator, and Skypad virtual bungee trampoline experience.

Other fun activities and things to do on Odyssey include:

• Caribbean-inspired pool deck– Sporting a whole new look across two decks, Odyssey’s two open-air pools, four whirlpools and Splashaway Bay, anchored by a Quantum Ultra Class first – The Lime & Coconut bar – are designed for all travelers to enjoy the sun and stars in style.  
• SeaPlex – The next-generation of a longtime Quantum Class favorite, this SeaPlex is the largest indoor and outdoor activity center at sea, and debuts this venue’s first Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade.
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar and Teppanyaki – Two Royal Caribbean restaurants new to North America join the varied lineup of dining options on board. The fresh take on the cruise line’s signature trattoria is the first to introduce its new wine bar concept while the other serves up East Asian flavors in the traditional Japanese style for which its named.
• One-of-a-kind entertainment – In typical Royal Caribbean fashion, Odyssey’s full-scale productions take top billing in teched-out venues such as the Royal Theater and Two70, where immersive technology, unparalleled special effects and world-leading performers and aerialists take the stage alongside six agile Roboscreens for a multidimensional live show.

Odyssey will sail 6- and 8-night Southern and Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale.  

Royal Caribbean had originally scheduled Odyssey of the Seas to begin sailings in 2020, but the global health crisis forced that debut to be delayed by a year.

Subsequently, her inaugural season from Rome was cancelled, and instead scheduled to sail from Israel this summer.  Violence in the region forced Royal Caribbean to cancel her entire summer season and the ship was re-scheduled to start sailings from Fort Lauderdale.

More Odyssey of the Seas information

• First look around Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas
• A look at the specialty restaurants on Odyssey of the Seas
• 13 Beautiful photos from Odyssey of the Seas conveyance

Royal Caribbean is preparing to sail its second cruise ship to sail to Alaska this year.

Ovation of the Seas will begin her simulated voyage later today.

The test cruise for Ovation will take 5-nights and sail from Seattle, returning back to Seattle on August 4.

Ovation of the Seas will make one stop in Ketchikan, Alaska during her voyage.

The volunteers onboard are a mix of cruise line employees, travel agents, and volunteers. All passengers will be fully vaccinated. Royal Caribbean will have 100% of its crew members fully vaccinated on all its sailings.

Simulated cruises are part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) phased approach to cruise ships restarting in the United States.

Simulated voyages (also known as test cruises) are when cruise lines can operate ships with volunteer passengers in order to prove their new protocols work.

These are not cruises you can book, but rather, are limited voyages where a cruise line invites certain unpaid volunteers to help go through all the necessary steps and procedures to ensure cruise ships can be run safely.

Thus far, four other Royal Caribbean ships have successfully conducted test cruises: Freedom of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas.

If Ovation's test cruise goes well, she will be ready for paying passengers to begin sailing on August 13, 2021.

Ovation will join Serenade of the Seas as the other Royal Caribbean ship to sail to Alaska this year.

Ovation will sail 7-night cruises beginning in August to Skagway, Sitka and Juneau, Alaska and through the famed Inside Passage. The cruise line recently extended Ovation’s Alaska season into October with four additional sailings. 

Test cruise requirements

Test cruises come with a variety of requirements that must be completed in order to demonstrate the ship can be operated in a safe manner with the new health protocols

While the ship is indeed conducting a cruise as if it were a normal cruise, the CDC wants the cruise ship to test out procedures and ensure it can handle any health situation it could encounter.

Each ship must conduct at least one simulated cruise, and each voyage must be between 2-7 days in length with a least one overnight stay, including through embarkation, disembarkation, and post-disembarkation testing.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean test cruises

The CDC recommends a test cruise is at least 3 days with 2 overnight stays.

Passengers and crew must meet standards during the simulated voyage for hand hygiene, use of face masks, and social distancing for passengers and crew, as well as ship sanitation.

Royal Caribbean must modify meal service and entertainment venues to facilitate social distancing during the simulated voyage.

And then there is a laundry list of activities that the CDC says the ship needs to test across one or many separate test cruises:

• Embarkation and disembarkation procedures, as approved by U.S. port and local health authorities as part the cruise ship operator’s Phase 2A agreements, including procedures for terminal check-in.
• Onboard activities, including seating and meal service at dining and entertainment venues.
• Medical evacuation procedures.
• Transfer of symptomatic passengers or crew, or those who test positive for SARS-CoV-2, from cabins to isolation rooms.
• Onboard and shoreside isolation and quarantine, as per the terms of the cruise ship operator’s Phase 2A agreements, of at least 5% of all passengers and non-essential crew.
• Recreational activities that the cruise ship operator intends to offer as part of any restricted passenger voyages, e.g., casinos, spa services, fitness classes, gymnasiums.
• Private-island shore excursions if any are planned during restricted passenger voyages. The following measures must be observed on the private island:
  • Only one ship can port at the island at any one time.
  • A routine screening testing protocol must be implemented for island staff who are expected to interact with volunteer passengers or crew, unless they are fully vaccinated or have documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days.
  • Mask use and social distancing must be observed in indoor areas while on the island.
• Port of call shore excursions if any are planned during restricted passenger voyages. The following measures must be observed on port of call shore excursions:
  • Shore excursions must only include passengers and crew from the same ship.
  • Cruise ship operator must ensure all shore excursion tour companies facilitate social distancing, mask wearing, and other COVID-19 public health measures throughout the tour while in any indoor areas.
  • Cruise ship operators must have a protocol for managing persons with COVID-19 and close contacts at all foreign ports of call. At a minimum, the protocol must include the following:
    • Disembarkation and housing of persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 needing shore-based hospital care and their travel companion(s) for the duration of their isolation or quarantine period.
    • Commercial repatriation of U.S.-based persons with COVID-19 and close contacts only after meeting criteria to end isolation and quarantine per CDC guidance. For commercial repatriation of foreign-based persons with COVID-19 and close contacts, cruise ship operators must consult with all relevant public health authorities.

While cruise ships are sailing again, there is still confusion about Covid-19 vaccine requirements, and Royal Caribbean International's CEO tried to address the issue again this week.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted on social media an explanation of where things are right now with vaccine requirements.

Mr. Bayley has taken on a "hands on approach" to addressing customer concerns, especially on social media.

He started off by acknowledging the trouble some cruise fans have had with new protocols lately, "There is a lot of confusion and understandable concern over vaccine requirements."

He explained that depending on where a ship sails from, each country can have different regulations, "What guides our policy is primarily determined by which port and country the ship is home ported and sails from and returns to."

"For example If the ship sails from and returns to a USA port we are guided by CDC/FDA guidelines."

Mr. Bayley brought up the example of the United States, because he has heard from many Canadian guests and how they were guided by their government on when and how to get vaccinated against Covid-19 versus the U.S.

In recent weeks, cruise lines have added new protocols that prohibit some level of mixed vaccines, which depends on the mix of manufacturers and where you are sailing from.  

Royal Caribbean issued a mixed vaccine policy, but then revised their policy after getting a lot of questions from Canadian customers who would suddenly find themselves unable to sail.

The revised policy allows mixed vaccines in some situations, which is a step ahead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) preference for vaccinations not be mixed.

According to Bayley, Royal Caribbean has brought up the issue of the differences in the Canadian government's approach with that of the CDC, "Please understand we are not in a position to disregard the relevant governing authority."

"I have received many emails on this issue and we raised this yesterday with the CDC and while obviously sympathetic they cannot change the current position. All cruise lines are in a similar position."

Celebrity vs Royal Caribbean's approach

Mr. Bayley also addressed the different paths Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have taken in getting back to service.

In a comment to the same mixed vaccine post, Mr. Bayley responded to a question about, "Why Celebrity cruises, sailing out of Florida ports, are following the CDC guidelines, while Royal is bending to Governor De Santis’ orders?"

Mr. Bayley explained the different restart plans have to do with Royal Caribbean being a family cruise brand.

"In a normal year the majority of our guests are families. At any time throughout the year we carry approx 10 per cent plus of our guests who are kids 12 and under and they of course travel with their family."

"Because of the kids we have been sailing at around 90 percent vaccinated and so we would not be able to operate at the CDC 95 / 95 and so like Disney Cruises or MSC all family brands we chose this path. 

He said Florida's law, "presents challenges", but he said Royal Caribbean always complies with federal, state and local laws.

"Our wonderful sister brand Celebrity also welcomes kids and families and while they have a great time the number of kids and families is far less than Royal. Hope that clarifies."

"To be very clear both brands fully follow above and beyond the CDC guidelines."