Royal Caribbean Blog

Today is the fifth day of my Alaska cruise and Radiance of the Seas docked in Sitka today for a full day of exploring another beautiful Alaskan port.

Sitka is the 4th largest city in Alaska, with a population of around 8,500 people. The city is the former capital of Russian Alaska and there are several Russian influences to see throughout town, from historic buildings to monuments and souvenir shops.

Like other Alaska cruise ports, the surrounding scenery is breathtaking in Sitka, and the Mount Edgecumbe volcano towers over town.

I was supposed to visit Sitka last year, but our port was changed to Ketchikan due to high seas, so I was excited to have the opportunity to visit today.

We ate breakfast today in the Windjammer, where I enjoyed another plate of my favorite breakfast: french toast topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips.

I also took in my first views of Sitka. I'm definitely going to miss the outdoor seating area at the Windjammer!

Serenade of the Seas pulled into port as we were eating breakfast. This is the first time I've seen Serenade of the Seas and, as Serenade is another Radiance Class cruise ship, she looks identical to Radiance of the Seas.

We disembarked the ship around 9:30AM. Sitka's cruise port is located around 15 minutes from downtown, and there are complimentary shuttle buses available to transport guests to and from the city.

I was worried we'd have to wait a while before getting on a shuttle bus, but the line only took around 5 minutes and we quickly arrived in town.

We did not book any excursions today. Most of Sitka's main attractions are all walkable from downtown, so we planned to explore on foot without a plan and see where the day led us!

We started the day at Lincoln Street, Sitka's main tourist street. It was nice to see that the town blocks the street from cars, making exploring the street easy and safe for all visitors.

The street is lined with souvenir shops and local restaurants. Our first stop was to a Russian souvenir shop selling dolls and Christmas decor. It was definitely more unique than other souvenir shops I've visited so far in Alaska and the displays were beautiful.

At this point it wasn't raining too hard, so we took advantage of the weather and walked to the Baranof Castle State Historic Site, located adjacent to Lincoln Street.

This small hill is the site where the ceremonial transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States occurred. Not only was it fascinating to stand where such an influential historical event took place, but the hill had the best views of Sitka I saw all day.

Sitka's mountain scenery is dramatic and absolutely gorgeous, with jagged peaks and a rainforest dominating over the town. I could have stayed on the hill looking at Sitka's skyline for hours!

However, we're in Alaska, so the rain made us head back to Lincoln Street.

We continued window shopping and visiting local businesses in Sitka. While we didn't purchase the $30,000 fur coat on display at one shop, we did warm up with some hot chocolate at Old Harbor Books coffee shop and bookstore.

We also made a brief visit to St. Michael’s Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church located in downtown Sitka that was founded in 1848. While the original building was destroyed, the replica was built with the same architecture, transporting visitors back in time to when Sitka was owned by the Russians.

Our last stop downtown was to Ashmo’s, a seafood food truck with menu items including salmon mac n' cheese, teriyaki halibut, and rockfish fish n' chips. I ordered the fish n' chips and thought it was well worth the price of only $13 for freshly caught Alaskan seafood.

There was also a small food stand selling reindeer hot dogs, and although I wasn't quite adventurous enough to order one, I'm sure they are delicious.

After lunch, we left Lincoln Street and walked along Sitka's marina. At the end of the marina was a salmon hatchery. It's prime salmon spawning season and there had to have been over a thousand salmon swimming around!

Next I continued walking along the waterfront path, which led to the Sitka National Historic Park. The park had beautiful trails, although the amount of bear warning signs made me pretty cautious! There were also hundreds of salmon in the river at the park.

My last stop for the day was the Alaska Raptor Center, a rehabilitation center for eagles, owls, and other birds of prey. This non-profit organization rescues injured birds and helps the birds reach a point where they can return to the wild.

Admission to the Alaska Raptor Center was $15, which I found well worth the cost as it goes to a great cause.

After a brief introduction, a staff member introduced a rescued eagle and we were able to learn more about how they improve the health of these birds. We made a stop by the center's Flight Training Center, where eagles practice improving their flight skills after injury.

Located outside the center are various habitats for rescued birds of prey. Here visitors can get more close up views of the birds and read about each bird at the center. The outdoor area was definitely my favorite part of my visit.

I walked back to the shuttle bus area in downtown Sitka from the Alaska Raptor Center, which probably took me around 25 minutes.

The line to catch a shuttle bus back to port was pretty long and I waited another 20 minutes or so in the rain before getting on a bus. Be sure to bring a rain jacket or umbrella!

I was back onboard around 3:30PM and took a much needed rest in my stateroom before watching sailaway from the Viking Crown Lounge at 5. I enjoyed a glass of wine for sailaway and Reeham ordered a blueberry mojito frozen mocktail.

Unfortunately I do not have photos from sailaway today due to issues with the internet on Radiance of the Seas... but rest assured, it was beautiful!

We hung out there for a while before heading to dinner around 7. We've been terrible about showing up to our Main Dining Room reservations this week, and have only showed up to our 5:15 reservation once. Luckily we've had no issue being assigned a table right away, and we enjoyed a nice meal before heading back to our stateroom for the night.

Overall, I loved my time in Sitka today! Next time I'm here I'd like to make a trip to the Fortress of the Bear to see rescued bears in their natural habitat and do more hiking in the surrounding areas.

Tomorrow we are in our last port of call: Skagway, Alaska.

After months of speculation, Royal Caribbean confirmed on Tuesday it will add a new high-speed internet option to its cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean Group announced a new partnership with SpaceX's Starlink to provide internet on cruise ships with high-speed & low-latency.

Starlink will be added on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of the brands.

Royal Caribbean had been testing Starlink on Freedom of the Seas since June 2022, but did not confirm the testing or intentions to adopt Starlink.

In the press release issued today, Royal Caribbean said the trials had, "received tremendous positive feedback from guests and crew."

Royal Caribbean Group said it will begin deploying Starlink "immediately" and should be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

Read more: I tried Elon Musk's Starlink internet on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty praised the new partnership, "Our purpose as a company is to deliver the best vacation experiences to our guests responsibly, and this new offering, which is the biggest public deployment of Starlink's high-speed internet in the travel industry so far, demonstrates our commitment to that purpose."

"This technology will provide game-changing internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike. It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls. Using Starlink is one more example of our continued focus on innovation and excellence for our guests, our crew, the communities we visit and our shareholders."

Addressing a problem

Starlink means a significant improvement to Royal Caribbean's internet speeds, which have ranged from average to downright awful.

Satellite internet has traditionally been an expensive and slow product when compared to land-based internet options.

With so much of the internet needs of guests and crew members relying on cloud-based services, onboard demand for internet has been grown dramatically.

Results of Starlink tests on Freedom of the Seas in June

Up until now, Royal Caribbean's Voom internet service has relied on internet from other providers, including O3b MEO. The O3b internet had made it on Royal Caribbean's newer ships, but did not get added to older ships in the fleet.

Moreover, it has anecdotally not performed nearly as well more recently, especially when compared to other cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises.

Freedom, Oasis and Quantum class use newer satellite technology, which means better speeds overall and you will likely find it performing well.

Older ships use older satellite technology.  You can still stream but will likely see some more buffering at times on the older ships. 

More details to be revealed later

If you're wondering which ship will get the faster internet speeds and what the prices will be, we will have to wait a bit longer for those details.

The announcement made no mention of when each ship would get Starlink added. Nor was there any indication of pricing.

Royal Caribbean's current prices for its faster tier internet start at $19.99 per day, per device. Multi-device plans bring down the daily cost a bit.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog has reached out to Royal Caribbean International for comment on when each ship would get Starlink.

The eternal question all travelers have is, "Where's my luggage" and that's true on cruise ships as much as airports.

While I've always had good luck with my luggage being delivered to my stateroom in a timely manner, you can never be too careful when it comes to ensuring your luggage doesn't get lost.

When you go on a cruise ship, Royal Caribbean will deliver your luggage to your cabin.  Guests drop off their luggage with porters outside of the cruise terminal, and then that luggage gets taken onboard the ship and eventually makes it to in front of your door.

In my experience, the issue of when will my luggage get delivered rather than it getting lost is a game of cat and mouse we play trying to see if it's arrived yet.

Recently, a number of RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers have started using AirTags to track their bags and I thought I would give it a try to see how well it works.

As an iPhone user, I wanted to know if AirTags would be a simple and effective way to monitor my luggage location during the embarkation process.

What are AirTags?

AirTags are the name of an Apple product that you can attach to almost any item so that you can track it using Bluetooth technology.

The AirTag is a small, button-shaped tracking device with a glossy white front and measures in at 1.26 inches in diameter, and it has a height of 0.31 inches, or 8mm. It weighs 0.39 ounces (11 grams).

Once activated, AirTags can be tracked using Bluetooth right alongside Apple devices in the Find My app.

A single AirTag will cost $29 and a 4-pack costs $99. [Note, these links contain an affiliate link. I earn from qualifying purchases that costs you nothing extra]

If you have an Android phone, you can't set up AirTags, but you can use the Tracker Detect app to track an AirTag with Android. 

There are alternative products for Android devices that work very similarly, such as Tile Pro. A 4-pack costs $92.99.

How do AirTags work?

A major misconception about AirTags are they are not GPS trackers.

AirTags have no means to communicate directly to the internet because they don't have GPS chips in them.  They rely on an iPhone being a host to communicate their position.  

An iPhone near an AirTag will detect the AirTag and report it's discovery to iCloud if that iPhone passing by has an internet connection. 

This is done without consent or awareness of the passing iPhone - it's baked into the iPhone OS.  iCloud uses the position or GPS fix of the iPhone that detected the AirTag to record the location of the AirTag. 

If the iPhone has a poor GPS fix iCloud doesn't note that, it assumes the iPhone GPS fix is right.

Trying out AirTags in my cruise luggage

On my Mariner of the Seas cruise, I placed a single AirTag in my one piece of luggage I checked with the porters.

Prior to the cruise, I connected my AirTag to my phone. You'll need to do this to pair the devices together prior to using the accessory.

The great thing about air tags is how easy it is to use them. Once they're paired, there's nothing else to do other than put the AirTags in the the place you want it and then track it via the app.

The Apple AirTag battery lasts about a year and when you remove them from their plastic wrapper, they become instantly active.  Then when you place it near your phone, it pops up on your screen to pair and connect.

Since it's dependent on anyone's iPhone being nearby, sometimes the location is hit or miss as to how accurate it would be. Occasionally my luggage appeared to be in the ocean or close-by.

Later, I checked the app again and the AirTag was reported once again to be "with me". I went out of my cabin and looked down the hallway and there was my luggage.

Thoughts on AirTags

While not the exact tracking option some may think it is, AirTags worked just fine for what I needed.

Given that the luggage never goes that far away from you while onboard, it's good peace of mind to have them just in case they were to be misplaced.

Unlike air travel, where you may end up taking off and across the country while your bags are somewhere else, it's far less likely your luggage stays behind.  But there's been enough times where one bag doesn't get delivered that it would save some sanity.

The key is to understand that it's not like having a tracker that is akin to a movie where you have a red dot you can see in real-time.

As I mentioned earlier in the article, if you don't have an Apple device, then Tile Pro could be a suitable alternative but you'll be out of luck with AirTags.

The fourth day of our Alaska cruise brings us to Icy Strait Point, a small port located on Chichagof Island in southeast Alaska.

Icy Strait Point is a Native owned and operated cruise port run by the Native population in the area. It's a private port run exclusively for cruise ship tourists.

The gangway opened at 8AM this morning, but we weren't in a rush to disembark the ship as all-aboard time wasn't until 5:30PM. Yesterday we were only in Juneau from 1:30 to 7:30, so it felt really rushed.

I wasn't totally sure what to expect for Icy Strait Point. The words "private port for cruise ships" initially sounded like it might be a tourist trap, and I thought there wouldn't be much to do due to the port's small size.

That being said, I wanted to keep an open mind. Plus, the surrounding scenery was gorgeous, so even if I didn't find much to do I figured I could at least still enjoy a nice view!

First impressions of Icy Strait Point

We disembarked around 9:30AM and began exploring the port. The bridge to the dock was the steepest I've seen yet! There were also complimentary shuttles available to take guests across the water over the bridge.

Once I started exploring Icy Strait Point, I found that it offered the perfect mix of a private, touristy port area while still maintaining local culture and lifestyle.

A zip line and gondola ride were available for adrenaline-seekers and this proved to be popular despite the rain.

In addition, there are several restaurants, food stalls, a bar, shopping areas, a museum, nature trails, culture center, and scenic viewing spots to explore in Icy Strait Point.

It didn't feel like a tourist trap at all and exceeded my expectations! It was really serene, especially when compared to more populous cruise ports in Alaska. The workers in Icy Strait Point were all very welcoming and friendly, too.

Icy Strait Point has a nice boardwalk leading to a beautiful orca statue, and it's the perfect spot to look for wildlife and enjoy the view. We spotted a cute otter (or sea lion?) playing in the water, but failed to see any whales! Some guests saw a couple whales from the viewpoint, though, so it's worth a try!

We then walked through Icy Strait Point's museum and souvenir shop. I really enjoyed the museum, which discussed Alaska's history and culture with displays on topics from salmon production to the gold rush era.

Afternoon in Hoonah, Alaska

When researching Icy Strait Point, I learned of a small town called Hoonah located just 1.5 miles from the port. Residents of Hoonah run the cruise port.

I hoped to visit Hoonah and I was pleased to find out that the town made it extremely easy to visit from Icy Strait Point. I was worried it would be challenging to leave the private port area and venture to town, but it turns out that visiting Hoonah is encouraged and common.

While I found the amenities of Icy Strait Point nice, I was excited to see a more local side to Alaska in Hoonah.

Reaching Hoonah can be achieved via a 30-40 minute walk or by a complimentary shuttle bus. As the weather was quite nice in the morning, Reeham and I decided to walk.

The walk was a lovely and peaceful stroll along a coastal path with breathtaking views. Informational bulletins were placed along the way to give more insight into the area's history, and there were a few areas to take a rest along the way. Even if you don't plan to visit Hoonah, I'd recommend the coastal path solely for the views.

As we got closer to town, it started to rain pretty heavily, so we were definitely grateful for our rain jackets and waterproof daypacks. Whatever you do, don't forget a rain jacket and waterproof backpack on an Alaska cruise!

Related: What should you bring on an Alaska cruise?

Once in Hoonah, we came across a building where several locals were carving a traditional totem pole. You'll see these totem poles all over Alaska, and each one tells a different story through its carvings.

The craftsmanship and artistry of creating these totem poles is truly impressive, and it's always fascinating to watch how they carve such intricate designs into a giant log!

Following the carving demonstration, we spent more time walking around Hoonah. It was really small and felt authentic, as there were no lines of jewelry stores and other souvenir shops like you'll find in the immediate downtown of other Alaska cruise ports.

I found it intriguing to see how people live in such a remote location. We stopped into a local grocery store and I was shocked by the prices! Individual apples were $2, a jar of salsa $8, a box of Quaker oatmeal $28, and a bag of jerky was priced at $23!

Lunchtime soon approached and I was excited to taste Hoonah's local cuisine. There are only a couple places to eat in town, and I had heard great things from a few locals about The Fisherman's Daughter, a seafood restaurant in the center of town.

The Fisherman's Daughter was founded by Kristi Styers, the daughter of a local fisherman. Her restaurant focuses on salmon and halibut caught locally or brought to town from nearby Juneau.

We ordered the salmon bites ($23) and a bowl of clam chowder ($6.50) and it was fantastic! Fresh Alaskan salmon was chopped into bite-sized pieces, breaded in panko bread crumbs, and deep fried. These little bites of goodness were so addicting; I wish I had been hungry enough to try more!

The weather in Icy Strait Point/Hoonah today couldn't make up its mind between sunny skies and heavy rain. At this point of the day it was pouring, so we took the shuttle back to Icy Strait Point instead of walking.

The shuttle took around 10 minutes to reach Icy Strait Point, where we were greeted with a delightful smell of cinnamon and sugar.

That smell led us to Lil’ Gen’s Donuts, a small stand selling mini doughnuts by the dozen in tons of flavors. We ordered 6 huckleberry and 6 chocolate coconut espresso mini doughnuts, and they definitely hit the spot!

I also made friends with a local cat, so that was another highlight of the day!

Back onboard

We got back onboard in mid-afternoon, and I took advantage of the sunny skies to finally walk around the outdoor decks of Radiance of the Seas.

I also spent some time filming a full ship tour of Radiance of the Seas for the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel, so be sure to subscribe to our channel so you'll be notified when we post new videos!

The rest of the afternoon was spent resting in our stateroom before catching sailaway from the pool deck. I also made a brief visit to the Diamond Lounge, which had plenty of yummy snacks available.

Sailing away from Icy Strait Point was really beautiful, so I watched the views from the Viking Crown Lounge while sipping a mojito and looking for wildlife in the calm waters outside.

I also spent a half hour or so chatting with Ari and Manuel, two crew members working in the lounge! I love getting to know the crew and everyone has such interesting backgrounds and stories.

Reeham and I were so busy looking at the scenery that we totally forgot about dinner! We ended up going to the late night seating at 8:30 in the Main Dining Room. I've never eaten in the MDR so late before, but I loved the more relaxed atmosphere as there were far fewer guests dining late. The service also seemed to be about 2x faster than the early dinner seating.

We finished dinner around 9:45 and went back to our stateroom to get some rest for tomorrow in Sitka, our fourth port of call.

The third day of my 7-night Alaska cruise brings us to Juneau, but we weren't scheduled to arrive until 1PM.

Because of this, the morning started off as a sea day and we caught our first glimpse of Alaska in the distance. While the seas were calm, it was foggy outside, so we weren't able to see much aside from few icebergs floating in the distance!

The Main Dining Room had brunch today starting at 9AM, so we enjoyed a quiet meal next to a window while looking at Alaska's scenery.

Following brunch, we relaxed in our cabin for a few hours until the ship's captain made an announcement that we were approaching Juneau.

Arrival in Juneau

Upon hearing the announcement, Reeham and I threw on our jackets, grabbed our cameras, and headed downstairs to the helicopter pad. Because our only views of Alaska so far had been blocked with fog, we couldn't wait to catch a more close-up look.

I remember last year during my first cruise to Alaska, my dad and I were in awe as we caught our first view of the state when our ship docked in Ketchikan.

The same thing happened today when we walked out on the helicopter pad. Huge mountains and thousand-foot waterfalls surrounded the ship on both sides. We couldn't have been more eager to disembark the ship and start exploring!

There was still an hour or so until the gangway opened, so we had lunch at the Windjammer before disembarking.

Radiance of the Seas docked at the AJ dock today, and we were the last ship to arrive in port. Getting to downtown Juneau from the dock is about a 15-20 minute walk, or you can opt to purchase a round-trip shuttle ticket to and from downtown.

While the shuttle ticket was cheap, we decided to walk as we had no plans for the day and thus were not in a rush.

The original plan for today in Juneau was to ride the Goldbelt Tram up Mount Roberts for stunning views of Juneau and the surrounding area. At the top of the tram are hiking trails, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop, so it seemed like a nice way to spend the afternoon.

When we got to Juneau, however, the sky had near full cloud cover and the tram was covered in mist, so we decided against it. It's still at the top of my list, but I'll have to try it on a day with clearer skies!

Instead of taking the tram, we ventured to the area around the port where local tour companies sell independent excursions. Whale watching tours, helicopter rides, glacier viewing excursions, and other Alaska adventures can be booked once on shore in Juneau.

The tours were all quite expensive (albeit standard Alaska excursion prices), so we opted for the cheapest one: round-trip transportation and entrance fee to Mendenhall Glacier.

I visited Mendenhall Glacier last year while on Ovation of the Seas, but it's such a beautiful place that I couldn't pass up visiting again.

Plus, while downtown Juneau has plenty of shops and restaurants, there isn't a ton to do directly in town, so I thought it made sense to visit Juneau's top attraction a second time.

Mendenhall Glacier

The shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier takes around 25 minutes, and our driver provided informational and entertaining commentary along the way, making the time pass quickly and giving us insights into Juneau's geography and lifestyle.

When we arrived, I was, once again, flabbergasted by the beauty and grandeur of Mendenhall Glacier and the surrounding mountains.

The sky blue, icy glacier and towering Mendenhall Towers above are so beautiful that I could probably visit 100 times and not get tired of the view. We even saw two bald eagles resting on an iceberg!

We were a little short on time, so we hiked the quick trail to Nugget Falls instead of doing a longer hike. Visiting Nugget Falls is well worth the ~20 minute walk on mostly paved surfaces, as the waterfall is extremely powerful and impressive!

The view of the glacier from Nugget Falls isn't the best, though, as the view is mostly covered by rock. For the best viewing opportunity, be sure to visit the park's official scenic photo area located near the visitor center.

We spent around two hours at the glacier and before leaving, we walked into the Visitor Center. I found the information on the glacier at the center quite interesting, and they even had a theater and a live lecturer delivering information about Mendenhall Glacier, so it's well worth a visit.

Downtown Juneau

We took the shuttle bus back to Juneau and arrived downtown with an hour and a half left before all-aboard time.

Our first stop was the Alaska Fudge Co., which makes homemade fudge in a variety of fun flavors, from cookies n' cream to chocolate peanut butter. It was delicious!

Next, we stumbled across a cool food truck/food vendor park downtown. Everything from an oyster bar to fish tacos and crêpes were being sold from various vendors, and it seemed like an awesome place to hang out near downtown.

We tried panko-breaded salmon tacos from the taco truck and they were out-of-this-world delicious!

Our last stop for the day was a rest at a picnic table on the waterfront while en route back to the ship. Here we took in the last views of Juneau before making the 15 minute walk back to Radiance of the Seas.

Once onboard, we went straight to the Windjammer for a late dinner and watched as we pulled away from Juneau and began the journey to Icy Strait Point, our next port of call.

At this point it was already past 8PM and we were tired from a long day of walking, hiking, and sightseeing, so we headed back to the cabin to relax.

We had a wonderful day in Juneau today, and the rain somehow avoided us throughout the majority of the day. I even saw blue skies peeking through the clouds!

Thank you for following along on this live blog and I'll be back tomorrow from Icy Strait Point!

Some guests are seeing a new way to get a copy of the daily guide to events on their Royal Caribbean cruise.

Royal Caribbean has traditionally provided guests with a paper copy of the daily guide to activities and events, known as the Cruise Compass.

Traditionally passengers receive a copy each evening in their stateroom that outlines the following day's events.

On Liberty of the Seas, guests have the option to get a digital download of the Cruise Compass directly to their phone in the form a PDF file.

Karen Fraser shared photos in the Liberty of the Seas Facebook group of the new option.

Ms. Fraser reported there are QR codes at both Guest Services and sent to the cabin that you can scan with your phone's camera.

Assuming you're on Royal Caribbean's wifi, after scanning the QR code, the day's Compass appears for use.

It's unclear how many ships offer this option yet, and if it will remain an option on future cruises or is simply a short-term test.

What Is Royal Caribbean's Cruise Compass?

The Cruise Compass is the name of the ship newsletter.

There is a new copy every day that contains times and locations for activities, special events, show times and more. 

You can also find listed special offers or discounts available for dining, drinks, onboard merchandise purchases and even shopping in port.

Additionally, there's an hour-by-hour schedule of everything happening on the ship, including live performances, children's programming and dining options.

Each day's newsletter also includes opening and closing times for all of the ship's facilities, a list of onboard services, medical contacts and information for each port of call, including law enforcement.

You can find past copies of Royal Caribbean's Cruise Compass in our archive.

A new digital option

The option to download a copy of the printed Cruise Compass is a new way to learn about what's happening onboard the ship.

For years, the printed Cruise Compass was the only option, but Royal Caribbean's app has also offered a list of activities.

While the app is designed to mirror the printed Compass, in practice, there have been discrepancies from time to time between the two.

Depending on the ship, there are also other ways to see activities, such as on a designated channel on the in-room television and/or via the wayfinders in the hallways.

Moving away from a printed copy

For years, the move to paperless daily newsletters has been discussed among cruise fans as an almost inevitability.

On some Royal Caribbean ships, printed copies have not been automatically distributed to all guests. Some guests have reported the need to request a copy be delivered by their stateroom attendant, or go down to Guest Services for a copy.

Royal Caribbean has not announced any formal change in the printed Cruise Compass policy in terms of how it will be distributed.

With society shifting towards digital consumption, many cruise fans have assumed a digital-only Cruise Compass is an inevitability.

Welcome to this week's edition of the Royal Caribbean post round-up, where we summarize all of the Royal Caribbean news and information from this week into one handy-dandy post! There is plenty of great content to enjoy, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's round-up!

Royal Caribbean updated its Covid protocols this week to allow unvaccinated cruisers onboard most of its ships.

Beginning September 5, all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can cruise on the following itineraries, as long as they meet testing requirements to board.

This includes cruises that sail from any Florida homeport, as well as Los Angeles, Galveston, New Orleans, and most European cities.

While vaccination is not required, Royal Caribbean kindly asks all guests to disclose their status during check-in to ensure they maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean announces Singapore cruises in 2023-24
• Royal Caribbean will give leftover cruise credits as onboard credits instead
• What you need to know about Royal Caribbean accepting self-administered Covid tests
• Royal Caribbean answers cruise ship special needs and accessibility questions
• How online cruise planning is getting easier
• We're live blogging from Radiance of the Seas this week on an Alaska cruise
• Why fall is a great time to cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia
• What is a cruise ship dry dock?

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 466th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Rebecca reviews her Quantum of the Seas Alaska cruise.

Quantum of the Seas gets lost in the shuffle of Alaska cruises to consider, so Rebecca talked about her recent sailing on Quantum.

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.

Video: All the LEVELS & PERKS of Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Society!

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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: All the LEVELS & PERKS of Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Society!

Exclusive Icon of the Seas aerial photos

We have a new batch of Icon of the Seas construction photos to share from the shipyard.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog commissioned its own aerial drone photos to share what we can see so far from the shipyard.

These photos were taken earlier this week, and show off the progress being made on a ship we still largely know little about.

Royal Caribbean will increase gratuities

Beginning September 7, the daily gratuity rate is going up.

Royal Caribbean will charge guests in non-suite staterooms $16 per person, per day. Guests in suites will be charged $18.50 per day.

This is the first gratuity rate change in well over 4 years. The daily gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes.

Allure of the Seas is the last Oasis Class ship with some classic features

Because Allure of the Seas did not get a Royal Amplification yet, she remains the last Oasis Class ship with amenities and venues that have since been removed on other ships.

In the meantime, guests can enjoy a few classic features you either can’t find on the others or are slowly being phased out.

Today is the second day of my 7-night Alaska cruise on Radiance of the Seas and we are enjoying a sea day as we travel from Vancouver to Alaska's Inside Passage.

This morning I tried to do something I very rarely do: sleep in! I'm a morning person and love having a quiet ship to myself in the early hours of the day, but I definitely needed to catch up on sleep after two busy days of travel.

That being said, I woke up this morning to the alarm someone set at 8AM in the room next to me! That's definitely a first on a Royal Caribbean ship.

We ate breakfast at the outdoor seating area in the Windjammer. Because the outdoor seating at the buffet is only found on a few Royal Caribbean ships, I'm trying to take advantage of it as much as I can.

Side note: If you haven't tried French toast topped with whipped cream and chocolate morsels from the Windjammer, you're missing out!

The weather was quite dreary today, so Reeham and I hung out near the windows at the champagne bar and looked for whales. Unfortunately we did not see any, although some passengers mentioned they saw a few whales from the ship earlier in the day!

The second day of an Alaska cruise heading north from Seattle or Vancouver is a sea day in more open waters, so it is the least scenic day of the cruise itinerary. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a panoramic ocean view, but I'm definitely eager to see Alaska's mountain landscapes tomorrow!

A relaxing afternoon

Lunch in the Main Dining Room is available on sea days, and with today's chilly weather and relaxing atmosphere, having a nice sit-down lunch seemed like the perfect way to start the afternoon.

We started the meal with salads and had butternut squash risotto for the main course, which far exceeded my expectations. It may not be the most appealing dish out there from a visual standpoint... but the risotto was one of the best courses I've had in the Main Dining Room yet!

After lunch, I decided to experience one of the unique features found only on Radiance Class ships, the Cinema!

Radiance Class ships have a complimentary movie theater onboard, and I loved it! While other ships show movies in the theater or on the pool deck, watching a movie in a cinema is a much better atmosphere. I'm hoping to visit the cinema a few more times on this cruise as it makes for a perfect cold weather activity.

Each day has a different movie playing, and there are showtimes roughly every 3 hours during the day. The only thing missing was popcorn!

Following the movie was a round of Friends trivia at Schooner Bar. Schooner Bar on Radiance of the Seas is huge! It was packed throughout the day... a little too crowded for my liking! When the weather is so cold outside, the indoor spaces always feel way more crowded.

We also stumbled across the Quill & Compass Pub. I didn't even realize there was a pub on Radiance of the Seas until I stumbled across it, as it's tucked in a weird location between the casino and theater. The pub is dimly lit and without windows, which doesn't totally match the theme of the Radiance Class!

The next two hours or so were spent relaxing in our stateroom. I haven't spent much time at all in our cabin because there are so many other nice places to hang out onboard. I'm happy with the decision to book an interior stateroom instead of a balcony considering we've spent minimal time in the cabin.

Evening onboard

Because we had eaten in the Main Dining Room for lunch, we decided to dine at the Windjammer for dinner. Tonight's dinner theme was Mediterranean and it was really impressive! From hummus to falafel, pita, fish, and baba ghanoush, I really enjoyed the meal.

I think the Windjammer is totally underrated for dinner compared to the Main Dining Room. I actually tend to prefer the buffet because of the wide range of options available and specialty cuisines from around the world each night.

The Windjammer was eerily empty tonight! I've never seen so few people there for dinner, but I suppose most guests went to formal night in the Main Dining Room.

Following dinner, I went for a walk several times around the outdoor Promenade deck. The weather had not improved much throughout the day, although I was grateful for calm waters.

The wind was insane whenever I lapped around the helicopter pad! I always feel like the crew members in the bridge are looking down and laughing at the passengers crazy enough to venture to the helipad with 20mph winds.

My last stop for the night was to the Aurora Theater for the production show of Piano Man. I usually avoid shows in the theater (aside from Broadway shows) as I feel they are rarely geared toward my age demographic, but I decided to give it a try.

The show had singing and dancing to the tunes of Elton John, Billy Joel, and Barry Manilow. The performers were talented and the music was certainly catchy, but I can't seem to get interested in the shows in the theater as much as live music elsewhere onboard or the more unique shows found in venues like Studio B and the AquaTheater on other Royal Caribbean ships.

The show ended around 9:15 and I headed back to my stateroom to finish this blog before calling it a night. As I went to bed, I noticed the ship rocking way more than earlier in the day. Luckily we'll be in the Inside Passage tomorrow where we should (hopefully) encounter calmer seas!

Tomorrow we arrive in Juneau at 1PM and I am looking forward to the first day of exploring Alaska!

The first day of a cruise is always exciting, but it's even more anticipated when you're about to board a cruise to Alaska!

Today is the first day of my one-way, 7-night cruise from Vancouver, Canada to Seward, Alaska on Radiance of the Seas, and I'm looking forward to an amazing week ahead.

Alaska is one of the most scenic places to visit in the world, and I can't wait to sail through the state's inside passage and experience several ports I have not been to yet, including Sitka, Icy Strait Point, and Hubbard Glacier.

Arrival in Vancouver

I arrived in Vancouver yesterday morning at 11AM, so I had a full 24 hours to explore the city prior to boarding Radiance of the Seas.

Vancouver's walkable downtown area makes it a breeze to explore on foot before a cruise. Getting to the city center from the airport was only $10 via Vancouver's metro, which dropped me off right in the city center.

I booked the Blue Horizon Hotel for my night in the city and was pleased with the hotel's location, price, and amenities. The views from my room were fantastic as well!

After 24 hours of delicious food, a peaceful walk through Stanley Park, trying out Tim Horton's, and relaxing near Vancouver's waterfront, it was time to head to the cruise terminal.

Embarkation in Vancouver and first impressions

Canada Place is the name of Vancouver's cruise port, and it is conveniently located on the waterfront in the heart of downtown. Walking to the port from our hotel took only 15 minutes.

Embarkation was seamless and we were quickly boarding the ship. While we arrived at our scheduled boarding time of 11:30, no one was checking boarding times.

This is my first time on a Radiance Class ship, so I've now officially sailed on every class of Royal Caribbean cruise ships! My first impressions of Radiance of the Seas were that the ship has tons of windows and viewing areas onboard.

I have noticed that certain areas of the ship feel a little more cramped and closed off in its design compared to other classes of ships, even the Vision Class, but this could just be a result of the hectic atmosphere of embarkation day.

Related: Royal Caribbean ship classes guide & explanation

We headed to the Windjammer once onboard for our embarkation day lunch. Radiance Class ships, like some Quantum Class ships, have an outdoor seating area in the Windjammer, so we took full advantage of British Columbia's beautiful views while enjoying our meal.

We also put our binoculars to the test to look at Vancouver. I can't wait to use these throughout this cruise! Having binoculars on an Alaska cruise is a must.

I'm never sure what to do in the time period between lunch and my stateroom being ready, so after our binocular extravaganza we waited in comfy chairs on our cabin's deck for the staterooms to open.

We are staying in an interior room for this cruise. The room is the same size as most other interior cabins I've stayed in and appears well-maintained. Our beds were separated when we entered the cabin, and this was well-appreciated so we didn't have to track down our stateroom attendant!

The walls in the cabin seem pretty thin, though, as I could hear the TV in the room next to ours, but this is to be expected on an older ship. Other than that, everything in our stateroom is up to par.

After a quick rest in the room, I decided to try something different and take the spa tour with the selfish goal of winning the spa raffle later in the day. The tour was actually relatively enjoyable (to my surprise) and like the rest of Radiance of the Seas, the spa has wonderful ocean views.

After a quick rest in the cabin, Reeham and I headed to the spa raffle before sailaway. While mostly a sales pitch, it was entertaining enough to pass the time even if I didn't win.

Sailaway and evening activities

Reeham and I headed aft as Radiance of the Seas departed Canada Place en route to Alaska. Sailing out of Vancouver was beautiful, and my favorite part was definitely passing under the Lions Gate Bridge!  It was an unforgettable way to say goodbye to Vancouver and start the journey up north.

We enjoyed dinner tonight in the Main Dining Room, and I was happy to find out that our table is near a window, so we'll never be too far from Alaska's gorgeous scenery.

We enjoyed arancini, French onion soup, battered seafood, and the warm hazelnut chocolate cake. I had never seen the arancini on the Main Dining Room menu and was impressed!

Following dinner was a walk around the outdoor Promenade deck, my favorite spot on any Vision, Radiance, Voyager, or Freedom Class ship. We ventured all the way forward to the helipad, too, which offered a tranquil spot to take in the views.

Reeham and I were pretty tired after waking up early to explore Vancouver, boarding the ship, and having a full day of fun onboard, so we crashed in our stateroom pretty early.

Tomorrow is a sea day and I'm excited to explore more of Radiance of the Seas as we make our way to Alaska!

While Royal Caribbean has been quiet about what Icon of the Seas will look like when completed, we have our own construction photos to share of the progress.

Icon of the Seas is the next new cruise ship Royal Caribbean is building, and it's a brand new class of cruise ship. This means we don't yet know any details about the features or activities offered onboard, or even what the ship design looks like.

Royal Caribbean has been keeping the entire project as secretive as possible up to now in order to maintain a competitive edge, as well as to likely drum up intrigue among cruise fans eager to know more.

While we wait for an official update from Royal Caribbean, RoyalCaribbeanBlog comissioned its own aerial drone photos to share what we can see so far from the shipyard.

Since these are exclusive photos, please do not share these photos on social media.

Construction of Icon of the Seas began in June 2021 with a steel cutting ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

Icon of the Seas is being built behind the new Carnival Celebration cruise ship.

These photos were taken earlier this week, and you can see the bottom half of the hull is mostly there, with just the bow missing.

Icon already has a baby blue hull color to it, which has been a design change Royal Caribbean has been steadily making with its newer ships.  Instead of a plain white hull color, new ships are debuting with a light blue hue to it.

In a slightly elevated aerial view, we can see there are at least three open air sections visible.

Read more: 3 hints what Icon of the Seas could look like

The Oasis Class ships first introduced the idea of open parts of the ship for the Boardwalk and Central Park neighborhoods. 

Whether Icon has its own Boardwalk and Central Park, or Royal Caribbean is developing a new concept, remains unknown.

A view of the rear of the ship shows an opening at the end of Icon that could be theater of some kind at the very bottom.

We also have a better look at one of the open air sections, which certainly mirrors the Boardwalk general layout.

The ship's name is not yet painted onto the back of the hull.

It also appears the shipyard is working on what is likely a feature for the front of Icon of the Seas. 

While we don't yet know what this is, the overall design reminds me of the glass enclosure that sits atop of the Solarium on the front of other Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

The Solarium glass for Wonder of the Seas seems to have a similar look to it.

Much of the middle of the ship will be the future home for stateroom balconies.

You'll notice most of the cabins are still wrapped up. Cruise ship cabins are assembled elsewhere and then inserted into the ship later as a more efficient construction method.

Some of the balconies towards the rear of the ship are unwrapped, which provide a glimpse of what to expect elsewhere.

Icon of the Seas is scheduled to start sailing in late 2023.

It's not quite clear yet when exactly Royal Caribbean intends to reveal the look of the ship, but earlier this summer, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley hinted at September 2022.

One other key detail about Icon of the Seas is it could be bigger than the Oasis Class ships.

Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, Sean Treacy, said in May 2022 that Icon of the Seas will be larger than the Oasis class cruise ships.