Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society has released a new batch of construction photos, highlighting the progress of Symphony of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean shared the photos on the official Crown and Anchor Facebook page, as well as with members of the media.
Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest Oasis-class ship, under construction at the STX shipyard in France. The ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2018.
Happy Cinco de Mayo and happy Friday! To celebrate the weekend, a Mexican victory over the French, and any other excuse we can think of to get a virtual Royal Caribbean "fix", we are sharing our readers' favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos.
Appropriately enough, we begin with a photo that Kyle Ritch sent in from Cozumel, Mexico. It is of the top decks of Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas next to each other.
Here is another photo from Cozumel of Liberty and Freedom docked next to each other, taken by Cristina Myers.
Katie Kaus shared this photo of her and her husband in Nassau, Bahamas with Majesty of the Seas right behind them.
Here is a night photo from Independence of the Seas, taken by George Alcazar.
Rich Weiss took this photo of Harmony of the Seas in St. Thomas. It is incredible how these ships look at night.
Jill Snyder took this photo from her Aquatheater Suite, onboard Harmony of the Seas.
Our final photo this week is by Paul O Connor, and it is of Serenade of the Seas docked in Olden fjord, Norway.
Thank you to everyone who shared their photos with us this week. If you would like to submit your favorite Royal Caribbean photos, you can use this form to send them in.
Whether this is your first Royal Caribbean cruise or your fiftieth, there are certain nuances and "secrets" to dining on a Royal Caribbean cruise that can be overlooked. These lapses can result in time or money wasted, or perhaps simply missing out on something you might have otherwise preferred to try.
Here are a few Royal Caribbean dining mistakes to avoid on your upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise.
When researching your Royal Caribbean cruise, it is easy to make note of the really enticing specialty restaurants onboard, and then deciding to dine there once you get onboard the ship. Perhaps this decision is made in an effort to spend onboard credit or just an assumption that there will be plenty of tables available any night of the cruise.
The reality is specialty dining has never been more popular on Royal Caribbean ships. If you value dining at a specific time and day, or want to enjoy a meal on a formal night or holiday, booking a reservation in advance is critical.
Royal Caribbean allows guests to book reservations online prior to a cruise, which ensures you get the exact time and day at the restaurant of your choice. And you can even use your onboard credit for pre-cruise purchases now!
Did you know that in the main dining room (and some specialty restaurants) you can order as many entrées, appetizers or desserts as you like?
Often first-time cruisers will order food like they do when they go out to a restaurant at home: one appetizer, one entrée and maybe a dessert. But on a Royal Caribbean cruise, not only can you order as much as you want, you should!
The serving sizes of entrées in Royal Caribbean restaurants tends to be on the small side. Plus, you are absolutely allowed to order as much as you want in the main dining room. This is a great opportunity not only to indulge, but to also try out some new foods, like escargot!
If you enjoy wine, did you know Royal Caribbean allows guests to bring up to two bottles of wine per stateroom onboard?
While Royal Caribbean prohibits bringing beer or other alcohol on your Royal Caribbean cruise, guests are permitted to bring up to two bottles of wine with them. If you have more than one room, start multiplying that allotment by the number of rooms you have. And yes, champagne is allowed too since it is technically considered "sparkling wine."
If you are in traditional dining for dinner, each guest will be assigned a table in the main dining room upon embarkation. The table number and dining room is denoted at the bottom of your SeaPass card. But did you know you can change your assignment?
On embarkation day, a smart idea is to head down to the main dining room and locate your table to see where you are located and what size table you have been assigned. If the location is not to your liking, or perhaps you are seated at a table larger than your party (which likely means you will be seated with other guests), you can speak to the head waiter on duty and request a change.
The head waiter will do their best to accommodate you, but we have found there is a bit of flexibility with changes.
If you opted for dinner on your schedule in the form of My Time Dining, while you can just show up and get a table for dinner, we believe it is best to make reservations in advance.
Unless you eat dinner very early or very late, there can be a wait associated with guests who walk up for dinner.
The wait may be short or long, but it is still a wait. Prior to your cruise (or even once onboard), you can (and should) make reservations for each evening to ensure you are seated quickly. No one likes to wait to eat, and since the option is there, take advantage of it.
Were you aware on sea days the main dining room is open for lunch?
The main dining room for lunch is an easily overlooked lunch option, because many guests either are unaware of it or assume the menu is not different from other venues. In fact, the lunch menu is quite different and will change every day it is open. Moreover, lunch in the main dining room features the amazing salad and pasta bar, known as the Tutti Salad bar.
If you decide a Royal Caribbean unlimited drink package is worth it, do not wait to buy it onboard the ship.
First, if you purchase it onboard you will have to spend time buying it. Often there are lines on embarkation day to buy the drink package, and then there is a bit of paperwork associated with its purchase.
Second, if you buy the drink package online before your cruise, it will absolutely save you money on the total cost! There are discounts offered for the drink package if purchased prior to the cruise, which means money saved for something else on your vacation.
If you are new to cruising, it is easy to skip over specialty restaurants simply because there is an additional cost to them. I get it, on principle why should you pay more for food when there is plenty of great food available that included with your cruise fare?
The specialty dining onboard a Royal Caribbean ship augments the complimentary food, and offers cuisines and service not found elsewhere on the ship. Sushi, steak, Mexican, hibachi and much more are available with specialty dining and these restaurants are a great way to celebrate a special occasion, or toast to a wonderful holiday.
You certainly do not have to dine at a specialty restaurant every day, but sprinkling in one or two meals at a specialty restaurant is a great strategy for enhancing the cruise experience.
Whether you are six or sixty, do not miss out on the free soft-serve ice cream (technically it is frozen yogurt) available on the pool deck.
If you hang out near the pool long enough, you will likely see guests walking around with ice cream cones. No pool day is complete without a frigid treat from the soft-serve machine. If you cannot locate the ice cream machine, ask a crew member for directions.
One great tip is to grab a cup from the Windjammer and fill that up with ice cream. Better yet, bring ice cream to the pool bar and amazing drinks can happen!
If you have kids that are 12 years old or younger, do not pay for them when making a specialty restaurant reservation before your cruise.
Royal Caribbean offers special pricing for children at specialty restaurants, but there is no option online to take advantage of kid pricing.
Instead, make reservations just for the adults in the group, and then inform the restaurant upon check-in that you have children with you.
We want to hear from you! What is your best tip for avoiding a Royal Caribbean dining mistake? Leave a comment and share with us below!
Royal Caribbean has released a new six-night Tasmania cruise onboard Explorer of the Seas for later this year.
Departing Sydney on Saturday, December 9, 2017, the six-night round-trip cruise includes two port days and three days at sea. The voyage calls to Hobart, Tasmania and Melbourne, Australia.
“Many of our new customers opt for shorter cruises of up to six nights for their first time at sea, and once they get a taste for the fun, convenience and value of ocean cruising with Royal - they’re hooked!” said Adam Armstrong, managing director, Royal Caribbean Australia and NZ.
“This cruise offers guests the perfect way to explore our own beautiful backyard, while treating themselves to the huge range of dining, entertainment and activities onboard,” Armstrong concluded.
Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!
Episode 196 is available for downloading, in which we provide an overview of the specialty dining packages.
Royal Caribbean has a few different dining packages available that promise significant savings on its popular specialty restaurants. In this episode, we look at how these packages work and if you should get one for your next cruise.
Here’s the podcast page for Episode 196. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher or on iTunes!
Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!
Royal Caribbean's WOW Sale begins today, with 30% off all guests and up to $200 to spend at sea, plus bonus savings on Oasis Class ships.
The WOW Sale applies to cruises booked between May 3-7, 2017 on all sailings departing on or after June 3, 2017. Offer excludes China departures.
The offer includes:
30% off all guests Maycation offer.
Oasis Class Bonus
If you choose to sail on an Oasis Class ship on sailings departing June 3, 2017 through September 30, 2017, you can qualify for additional savings.
Offer includes dollars off for bookings made on Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas determined by stateroom category booked:
WOW Sale is combinable with Maycation 30%, standard/full fare rates and Next Cruise offers. WOW Sale is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, etc.), Crown & Anchor discounts, Shareholder Benefits or Loyal to Royal Sales. All offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates.
After the Offer Period, the Offer will be removed from the booking if the guest cancels and reinstates the booking or rebooks into a new booking on the same ship and sail date, applies a fare change, or changes the ship or sail date of the booking; certain other changes to the booking may also result in removal of the Offer.
Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.
Construction on Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas is progressing, and we have a new bundle of photos to share.
Our friends at Saint Nazaire, une ville à la mer posted these photos, which were taken this week.
© Hervé GLAIS
Symphony of the Seas will be the cruise line's fourth Oasis Class ship.
Royal Caribbean announced today a number of new sailing options to the Caribbean from New Orleans, Galveston and Miami.
After a three-year hiatus, Royal Caribbean will return to offering cruises from New Orleans, Louisiana with Vision of the Seas in the winter of 2018-2019. Beginning on December 15, 2018, Vision of the Seas will offer 7-night itineraries to the Bahamas and Yucatan Peninsula.
Before making her way to New Orleans, Vision of the Seas will offer two 16-night sailings through the Panama Canal from Miami to Los Angeles, California. This will be the first time in three years that Royal Caribbean has offered a cruise through the Panama Canal.
Lastly, Mariner of the Seas will call Miami, Florida home in 2018, following a transpacific cruise. Mariner of the Seas will be the first Voyager Class ship to offer short Caribbean sailings. Before she offers cruises from her new home, Mariner of the Seas will undergo an extensive 32-day revitalization. Once back in service, Mariner of the Seas will offer 3- and 4-night itineraries from PortMiami, beginning on June 21, 2018.
Enchantment of the Seas will join Liberty of the Seas in Galveston, Texas, offering 4- and 5-night Caribbean cruises. She arrives in Galveston on June 23, 2018. Guests currently booked on Enchantment for sailings departing Miami after June 23 will be contacted individually to transition the original booking to Mariner of the Seas.
Sailings onboard Mariner of the Seas will become available to book on May 1, 2017. Enchantment of the Seas and Vision of the Seas sailings will be available to book as of May 5.
Royal Caribbean wants its guests to take a "Maycation" and is offering 30% off all guests on cruises booked this month.
This offer is valid on cruises booked between May 1-31, 2017 on sailings on or after June 1, 2017.
Offer includes 30% off the standard cruise fare for all guests in a stateroom; all stateroom categories.
30% Savings is combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts, Shareholders Benefits and NextCruise offers. 30% Savings is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including but not limited to, restricted rates. All offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion.
Offer open to residents of U.S. or Canada.
Happy weekend! We hope you are enjoying a couple days of rest and relaxation! Now it is time to sit back with a cup of tea or java, and check out the latest in Royal Caribbean news…
Royal Caribbean provided a sneak peak at its next Quantum Class ship, which will be a brand new kind of Quantum Class ship, known as the Quantum Ultra Class.
As part of the cruise line's 2018-19 Asia-Pacific deployment release, the yet-to-be-named ship is the first Quantum Ultra Class ship, and will join sister ships Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas in the region.
The new ship will specifically be designed for guests in the region, featuring even more cutting-edge and unprecedented experiences and amenities.
The 195th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, and we are talking about what it is like to stay in a suite.
In this episode, Matt talks about his recent suite experience on Royal Caribbean and shares the best aspects of staying in a suite and why it may be worth trying one out.
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.
If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!
Sannie Berg sent this photo of Independence of the Seas visiting Rotterdam, instead of Le Havre due to strikes, from earlier today.
Christine Hirsch took this photo of Explorer of the Seas in Suva, Fiji, while onboard the Oceania Sirena.
In The Loop Travel has a look at an ideal day in Labadee.
Eat Sleep Cruise has six reasons to visit Sabor on Harmony of the Seas.
CNBC interviewed Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman Richard Fain to discuss the company's quarterly results.
Cruise Hive has four reasons you should prebook.
CruiseBe has a look at the family of cruise lines in Royal Caribbean.