Royal Caribbean Blog

This week, I’ll be heading up north for the very first Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise for the season! 

I’ll be sailing on a 7-night sailing onboard Radiance of the Seas from Vancouver to Alaska. Our itinerary includes port stops in Ketchikan, Sitka, and Skagway. The cruise will also sail through the Inside Passage and Tracy Arm Fjord, which I’m very excited about. 

Queue the song “North to Alaska” - one that my dad sang everyday of our first Alaskan cruise!

This week, I’ll be sailing with a very special friend, Sydney! We were roommates during our Semester at Sea and we haven’t sailed together since we disembarked from our ship in 2015. From sleeping in a remote Senegalese hut to hiking almost the entire island of Santorini, we have some incredible travel memories together. 

It’s been 4 years since we last saw each other at my wedding, so we have lots to catch up on during our week in Alaska. We've been wanting to take a trip together since our semester abroad, but life has been busy for us both. The pandemic didn't help, of course.

Travel Requirements

When we booked our Alaska cruise in February, it wasn’t entirely clear if Canada would allow cruise ship travel. Given the country’s overall cautiousness with the pandemic, I was hesitant to get too excited about the cruise. 

Luckily, Canada has allowed the entry of cruise ships and our cruise is a go! Sydney will be visiting Seattle and taking the train to Vancouver, while I will be flying from Florida directly into Vancouver. As fully vaccinated travelers, we don’t need a negative covid test to enter the country. 

Both of us were required to fill out the ArriveCAN form online, in which you receive a QR code to board your flight. The website says you can be randomly selected for COVID testing, but those recovered from COVID within 180 days are exempt with a positive PCR test. Sydney and I have both recovered from COVID in the last 180 days so we will be traveling with documentation to exempt us from the testing. 

Royal Caribbean still requires a negative COVID test within 2 days to board the ship and the United States still requires a negative test for airline travel. I’ve been holding out hope that the international testing requirement would be dropped for airline travel, but who knows if I will luck out by May 5. 

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I am planning to take the Abbott Home-Test (proctored) for both the cruise and the airline requirement since I am outside of the 90 day recovery window. I’ve had great luck using these tests and I will probably pack and extra just in case. 

Alaska Experiences

I’ve sailed twice to Alaska before, both on Royal Caribbean cruises. The first time I did an Alaska cruise was in 2010 with my family and grandparents. We sailed south from Seward to Vancouver onboard Radiance of the Seas as well. 

I will never forget showing up to the train in Anchorage; we were under the impression it was a quick 30 minute ride to the cruise port Seward. Someone told us to enjoy the train’s beautiful views during the 5 hour ride - and we all were shocked to hear it was a long haul ride to the port. Guess that’s what life was like before iPhones! 

Our cruise was incredible though, even with the weather being unexpectedly cold. I have vivid memories of doing the dog sled training excursion and whale watching from the sea. Our horse-drawn city tour excursion hit a car in Ketchikan, which was very memorable. We also cruised right up to an iceberg and could hear the cackling and crashing of ice chunks falling into the freezing sea. 

The worst part of the trip was when I got home and found out I had mono- which explains why I got sick on the flight home from Vancouver. Hoping for better health this time around in Vancouver!

The second time I sailed to Alaska was last summer in July 2021 when cruising had just restarted. My husband and I sailed for 7-nights roundtrip from Seattle on Serenade of the Seas. Luke and I desperately needed a vacation after he graduated from his rigorous pilot training program and I finished grad school, not to mention the pandemic wearing on all of us at that point. 

We just wanted to cruise and honestly didn’t care where it went. When Royal Caribbean announced that Alaskan cruises would be restarted, we booked right away. It was perfect for us because it didn’t require approval for Luke to leave the country. We were true Floridians escaping the summer heat to vacation somewhere cooler!

Overall, our exploring was quite minimal. We had no plans because we wanted to have ultimate relaxation filled with eating, drinking, sleeping and being literal vacation blobs with no schedule in mind. 

We accomplished just that and enjoyed a week of much needed cruising relaxation. We didn’t do much in the ports other than walking around. The scenery from our balcony each evening was spectacular - and we had been upgraded from an outside cabin for free. We also have excellent weather and were actually able to use the outdoor pools a few days. 

Radiance Class Ships

As I mentioned, I sailed on Radiance of the Seas nearly 12 years ago. The ship was refurbished in 2016, so I’m looking forward to seeing some of her upgrades. We had a New Zealand cruise scheduled for March 27, 2020 on Radiance of the Seas, but you all know how that ended! She's definitely a great ship to sail anywhere with gorgeous landscapes and natural beauty.

Radiance Class ships are some of my favorite. In fact, in the last 5 years, I’ve sailed almost exclusively on Radiance Class ships. I appreciate the more intimate size of these cruise ships and the glass atrium gives truly incredible scenic views. 

Being on the smaller side, these ships are usually placed on longer sailings with more interesting ports of call. Radiance Class ships might not have all the bells and whistles of the bigger cruise ships, but they’re so comfortable and have everything you need for a great cruise. 

This Cruise

For our week in Alaska, Sydney and I are going to take a freestyle approach. We weren't sure if excursion policies would change so we haven't booked any tours currently. We are open to doing a tour if the opportunity presents itself but we normally like traveling on our own and exploring the port cities.

This is the first sailing of the Alaska season for Royal Caribbean! I've never been on a ship’s first inaugural season sailing, so that will be fun. It’s looking like we won’t be having amazing weather, as the forecast is showing 40 to 50 degrees each day. Looks like it will be rainy and cloudy. This is expected for late April so I’ll be packing all the cozy sweaters.  

Apparently, Radiance of the Seas just returned to service in April as the 22nd Royal Caribbean ship to resume cruising. I'll be interested to see if the ship's recent return to service will affect the onboard operations.

Sydney and I got an incredible deal on our cruise. We booked an inside cabin guarantee for $450 each with $100 onboard credit included. With the price being so low and the sailing being the first of the Alaska season, I will be interested to see what capacity we will be sailing at. I assume most who sail to Alaska sail in the summer in hopes of better weather and kids are out of school. After my busy Mariner of the Seas sailing last week, I wouldn't complain about a quiet ship.

Last summer, our Alaskan cruise had boozy hot chocolate and coffee during one of the mornings sailing through the fjords. This was something I was so excited for because I saw pictures online before we sailed. I asked at every bar when the boozy cocktails would be served but most bartenders didn't know what I was talking about.

Apparently these amazing drinks were served one morning on the pool deck and there was no announcement, much to my disappointment. They didn’t serve these special boozy drinks again the rest of the cruise. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the different cozy cocktails that will be served and I’ll be darned if I miss the warm cocktails on the pool deck again! 

Sydney loved getting up early on Semester at Sea to see the sunrise as we pulled into new ports - and I never once joined her (haha). This time around, I don’t want to regret missing beautiful sunrises or sunsets if the weather looks like it will cooperate. 

Overall, we are very excited to be sailing through Alaska. I really think it's the best way to see the state and all of its natural beauty. Getting to sail through the Inside Passage and the fjords can't be matched with a land trip. Of course, Sydney and I are equally as excited to see each other again after we lived in a cabin together at sea for 104 days!

Bon voyage!

My last day on Oasis of the Seas is a sea day as we make our way back to Miami.

I started my morning in the Solarium to watch the sunrise. It was extra colorful this morning, and quite a few passengers were outside on the sundeck.

I then grabbed a banana, strawberry, blueberry, and peanut butter smoothie from Vitality Cafe. I'm definitely going to miss having made-to-order smoothies when sailing on non-Oasis Class ships!

This morning I had to catch up on some work for Royal Caribbean Blog, and as it was too early to head to my "wine office" at Vintages, I went to the Card Room.

The Card Room is a little bit of a hidden gem on Oasis of the Seas, with a few sets of tables and chairs and a fantastic view of the Boardwalk and aft. There are several board games and cards available to use free of charge as well, which many passengers took advantage of throughout the morning.

This area of the ship was replaced with Wonderland on Symphony, Harmony, and Wonder of the Seas.

Lunch and pool deck fun

I decided to try something new for lunch and went to Portside BBQ. This is the only barbecue restaurant in Royal Caribbean's fleet, serving up classic comfort food and a variety of meats. It's only available on Oasis of the Seas, so I figured I needed to try it before the cruise was over.

Portside BBQ is a casual, quick service restaurant, but it is not included in your cruise fare. Prices for a full meal range from $10-15, which includes a selection of meat and sides, ranging from pulled pork to brisket and turkey legs.

I am a pescetarian, so I admit I am the worst person to do a full review of a meat-centric barbecue restaurant. However, I still wanted to try Portside BBQ, so I ordered two sides and a dessert.

My sides (mac & cheese and grilled corn on the cob) were definitely tasty, although I thought the portions were a bit small considering each side was $3. The dessert, though, was phenomenal.

I ordered the Chocolate Brookie, a half-brownie, half-chocolate bar that was perfectly chewy, perfectly fudgy, and delightfully sweet. I am kicking myself for waiting until the last day of the cruise to order it! Luckily, each order came with two brookies.

The International Men's Belly Flop Competition was taking place after lunch, and since this is an activity that only recently returned to ships, I was excited to see what all the hype was about.

It may have been the most hilarious event I've seen on a cruise ship yet. A group of around 5 contestants jumped into the pool to try and make the most impressive (yet painful) bellyflop. The pool deck was packed with guests cheering on contestants. The winner was Tony from Mexico and I definitely agreed with the rest of the crowd that his belly flop was extremely impressive.

While on the pool deck, I decided to try a mocktail. I ordered the Lime & Coconut drink from the Lime & Coconut bar without rum, and it was really refreshing and tasty. We are planning to create a list of the top mocktails to try on a Royal Caribbean cruise, so be sure to share your suggestions with us!

Next I decided to use my $6 free play at the casino. I never gamble (I guess living 5 minutes away from dozens of casinos in Nevada does that to you!), but I always like to use my free play money. Unsurprisingly I lost the $6 in a matter of minutes, so unfortunately I didn't win big today.

Cats

Oasis of the Seas is the third Royal Caribbean ship I've been on with a Broadway show, so seeing Cats was definitely on my to-do list for this week. When I sailed on Independence of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas in January, the Broadway shows were modified/canceled due to omicron, so I did not get to watch Grease on either ship.

It turns out I couldn't see Cats today either due to injuries sustained by a few of the main cast members. Instead, a cabaret was performed by select cast members, with a combination of songs from the musical and songs picked by cast members themselves.

While it may not have been the Broadway show, I still really enjoyed the performance and the vocals may have been the best I've heard yet on a cruise. My next cruise on a ship with a Broadway show will be Anthem of the Seas this summer, so hopefully I'll be able to see We Will Rock You once onboard!

Relaxing evening

The show ended around 3:45, where I had a pre-dinner snack from Park Cafe and relaxed on the chairs at the back of the running track.

This is one of my favorite areas on Oasis of the Seas. While I like cruising on Oasis Class ships, I find that there are few places onboard aside from the pool deck where you can sit and enjoy an ocean view. Many venues, bars, and restaurants face inward, and with the lifeboats covering what would be the Promenade deck, it can be hard to find a quiet place to look out at the ocean if you don't have a balcony.

It still amazes me how powerful these cruise ships are and how vast the ocean is! I can easily sit and stare at the ocean for hours.

I had another quick dinner at the Windjammer. To avoid the monotony of another picture of Indian curry, here is a photo of tonight's fabulous dessert selection.

The self service buffet isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I make sure to use hand sanitizer once I have finished touching the serving spoons and tongs. However, I did see a family avoid washing their hands altogether after one of the sinks wasn't working, so I still don't trust that the self service buffet is totally sanitary...

After dinner, I walked a couple laps on the running track, went to the thermal spa, and went back to the running track to watch tonight's sunset.

Sadly it was time to call it a night and get my bags packed for disembarkation tomorrow. I enjoyed my time on Oasis of the Seas over the past four days as we journeyed through the Caribbean and visited Costa Maya, Mexico. It's rare to see a 4-night cruise on an Oasis Class ship, so it was nice to take advantage of all that this ship has to offer in a short amount of time!

Luckily I don't have long to wait until my next cruise, though, as I will be boarding Freedom of the Seas in just two days!

Stray observations

All over Oasis of the Seas are the "Small Wonders", which are small portholes that reveal a hidden image once inside. For whatever reason, it brings me great joy to find these around the ship and peek at the artwork inside! It's a nice touch onboard Oasis.

I went to Guest Services to ask a question, and when we were talking I mentioned I was going on Freedom of the Seas this Friday. The representative gave me an at-home Covid test free of charge without me even asking! If you are cruising on another Royal Caribbean ship within the next two days of your first cruise, they should provide you with an Abbot BinaxNow Ag Card Home Test.

Royal Caribbean will now allow guests to transfer a future cruise credit to someone else.

Many people accrued future cruise credits from cancelled cruises during the pandemic, but the cruise line's policy was to keep the future cruise credits (FCC) non-transferable.

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

During a webinar with travel agents on Wednesday, Royal Caribbean informed travel agents they can do a one-time transfer of an FCC to someone else.

Rita Stolze, Royal Caribbean Associate Vice President of Trade Support & Service, clarified that Royal Caribbean has changed the rule on giving someone else their FCC.

"I wanted to share that we actually are going to allow one time transfers of FCC. It currently does require a call into the call center, but we're actually working on an enhancement where it can be used through the real time redemption tool where we just don't have that enhancement completed yet, but very soon."

As of now, travel agents need to call in to make the one-time transfer request with Royal Caribbean, but a new automated tool is coming soon.

When the new tool is deployed, agents will be able to use an online form to request a transfer. Online forms have been a boon for Royal Caribbean because it speeds up requests while reducing the need for agents to call in and wait on hold.

This is a significant policy shift because it allows guests to gift their FCCs to someone else to use. When Royal Caribbean cancelled a cruise and issued a FCC, it would divide up the FCC among everyone in the cabin, which meant certain family members or friends may end up with a FCC they cannot or will not use.

With this new policy, it means that you can use someone else's credit for your own cruise fare or vice versa.

It's also worth noting that the expiration date for most cruise credits is rapidly approaching at the end of 2022.

This is one of many policy changes towards FCCs since the pandemic began in 2020.

Royal Caribbean's credit policy has evolved over time, such as allowing guests combine different FCCs together, allowing guests to start using a FCC towards a cruise fare deposit, and allowing leftover balances from a FCC not have to wait to apply it to a new reservation.

What are future cruise credits used for?

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

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

Today Oasis of the Seas docked in Costa Maya, Mexico for the only port day of our 4-night cruise. From beaches to cycling and eating mouth watering Mexican food, it was a day well spent.

The gangway opened around 8AM, and I disembarked Oasis of the Seas right away so I could start my day before it got too warm. We were docked next to Jewel of the Seas.

I hoped to rent a bicycle, but I was wary of booking in advance because the weather forecast showed thunderstorms. However, the weather appeared sunny with partial clouds in the morning, so I took the chance at a bike ride.

The best day I've ever had in port thus far was when I rented an e-bike in St. Maarten and looped the entire island in one day. Being on a bicycle is so freeing, as there is no need to wait for taxis or worry about how you will get from place to place, so I was looking forward to discovering Mexico by bike.

I rented a bike for the day from a tour operator located adjacent to the Mayan pyramid replica in Costa Maya, located just outside the port. The total cost for a day rental was 300 MXP, or around $15 USD. I was given a pink beach cruiser, and while it wasn't as fancy as the hybrid e-bike I had in St. Maarten, it was perfect for exploring the coastline of Costa Maya.

The only other time I was in Costa Maya, I visited the Chacchoben Mayan ruins, and while it was an awesome day, the tour did not leave any extra time to explore Costa Maya. Therefore, today's plan was to discover the culture and lifestyle of Mahahual, the town next to the Costa Maya cruise port.

Related: Excursion Focus: Chacchoben ruins in Costa Maya

I started with a short ride to the Faro de Mahahual, a lighthouse with a nice view of the port. From there begins a 1/2 mile stretch of a car-free boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants, cafes, and beach clubs. Called a malecón in Spanish, this is a hub of activity and the perfect place to get a glimpse of Mexican culture.

I rode the length of the boardwalk and continued on, which turned into a gravel road followed by a stretch of sandy road surrounded by both ocean and rainforest. I rode about 6 miles each way on the quiet road, passing popular beach resorts like Maya Chan before turning back to cycle toward the malecón.

I'm lucky I turned around when I did, because as soon as I got back to the boardwalk it started to rain! I sought refuge in the La Dolce Vita cafe, where I had one of the best smoothies ever, made with mango, maracuya (passion fruit), and banana.

Next up was lunch, and I was hoping to taste authentic, non-touristy Mexican food. I decided on La Curvita, a small restaurant on the corner just two blocks off the malecón, where I had a delicious meal of chilaquiles rojos.

If you're looking to have a great meal in port, my top tip is to leave the main tourist street and find a small, hole in the wall restaurant filled with locals. Additionally, if the menu is small and not in English, this is a good sign the food will be authentic and at local prices.

Using these tips, whether in Rome, Thailand, the Bahamas, or Mexico, will usually always result in a fantastic meal.

It rained lightly on and off throughout the rest of the afternoon, but as the humidity was so high it actually felt quite nice! Today was a good reminder to never put too much thought into the weather forecast when cruising to tropical destinations. I expected a day of heavy rain and thunderstorms, but this was not the case at all.

I cycled a bit more around the boardwalk and in the town of Mahahual itself, grabbed an espresso and pastry from La Tartaleta Panadería, dropped off my bicycle, and headed back to Oasis of the Seas.

Just like I expected, renting a bike resulted in an unforgettable day exploring Costa Maya and Mahahual. I was surprised to see just how bike friendly the town is, and I would recommend to anyone interested in a slightly active day to rent a bike!

Once back onboard, I spent some time decompressing in the thermal suite and in my stateroom.

It was Indian night at the Windjammer for dinner and it was super delicious! After dinner, I spent the rest of the evening relaxing in Central Park with an espresso martini while listening to live piano music.

Overall it was a wonderful day in port and onboard. Latin America has always been my favorite region of the world, so I absolutely love cruising to Mexico. Mahahual exceeded my expectations, and I found all the locals to be extremely friendly!

Tomorrow is the last day of our cruise, which will be spent at sea.

Stray observations

I'm not usually a fan of port areas, and the Costa Maya port feels a bit like a Mexico-themed Disneyland. The pool is nice and there are plenty of shops and restaurants to enjoy, but it definitely does not feel like you're in Mexico while there. I recommend leaving the port and visiting the malecón in Mahahual instead!

The seaweed in Costa Maya seemed a lot worse than I remembered it being when I briefly visited in September 2021.

If traveling with kids, I would recommend taking a taxi to the malecón and renting a bicycle from there instead of near the cruise port so that you can avoid cycling on roads with cars.

I still really want to try a day at Maya Chan, so I will definitely do this the next time I'm in Costa Maya!

Also, shout out to my stateroom attendant, Mustofa, for being a Royal Caribbean Blog reader!

It has been just over nine months since Royal Caribbean restarted cruises from North America, and on April 24th, 2022 I boarded Harmony of the Seas for my 13th cruise since the "Royal Comeback."

While I have been on many different ships, this is the first time I’ve been on Harmony since December 2019.

I was curious to see not only what’s different since then, but how cruising has progressed since my last sailing just two months ago. For reference sake, I’m writing this blog on day three of a seven night sailing.

Masks optional in cruise terminal

I received my e-mail from Royal Caribbean with their updated “Healthy Sailing” instructions two days before the cruise.

The updated mask policy read that masks are optional for vaccinated guests onboard and also in the terminal, unless required by local regulation.

It felt odd to enter Port Canaveral’s terminal without a mask. That’s something I haven’t done in over two years.

Entertainment: Main Theater

After doing the e-muster drill (which I hope Royal Caribbean never gets rid of), we went to our room.

We had a copy of the show schedule for the week tucked into the daily planner.

The main theater has their Broadway Musical “Grease” performing on three different days. The Headliner performers were a comedian, a musician and a magician. There was a movie showing the first night, “Reminiscence”. The Love and Marriage Game Show will be held later in the week. There are many days of Bingo scheduled.

What continues to be notably absent is the “Columbus! The Musical” stage show. There has been no word on when or if it’s returning.

Entertainment: Studio B

Studio B is where you will find the ice shows. Harmony has a brand new ice cast that signed on this week. In fact, the show we saw was their "opening night". The cast performs two different shows. “1887: A Journey in Time” is their main show.

I’ll be honest, it’s not one of my favorites in the fleet. The story is hard to follow and the music is not exactly engaging. However, I can appreciate the artistry and athletic abilities of the cast so it’s still enjoyable.

Their other show is “iSkate Showcase.” It’s a chance for the cast to show off their talent with songs that they have chosen. It is high energy, fun, and they are very engaging with the audience. We really enjoyed that show.

Entertainment: The AquaTheater

“The Fine Line” was Harmony’s main show in the aqua theater for years. I’m not sure if it’s been available on other sailings since the restart, but on this one it has been replaced by a “showcase,” which I assume is similar to the free skate show that we saw last night from the ice cast.

Movies are also being shown. Some examples are “Cruella,” “No Time to Die,” “Jungle Cruise” and “Fast and Furious 9: The Fast Saga.”

Later in the week, the aqua theater will host the 70’s Disco Inferno dance party.

Entertainment: Around the Ship

The pool has been a bustle of activities with the return of the belly flop and world’s sexiest man competitions as well as plenty of live music.

The On-Air Club and Schooner Bar are home to trivia. I counted 25 different trivia options in my Royal Caribbean app. Everything from music, movies, general knowledge and eras. They also offer a scavenger hunt throughout the ship.

The Boardwalk is the place for Hula Hoop Competitions and Beer Pong (with water instead of beer).

“The Quest” continues to be unavailable. In fact, I haven’t seen it come back on any ship since the restart.

Read more: Trying out the free activities on Harmony of the Seas

Dining

We purchased the Unlimited Dining Package for this sailing.

Yes, I know, there are so many free food options that you don’t need a dining package. We decided we wanted to be able to go to all of the specialty restaurants for lunches (embarkation and sea days only) and dinner.

We like the variety and a more intimate, personalized dining experience. The main dining room and Windjammer feel crowded and loud to me.

So far we have had lunch at Jamie’s Italian, Chops and Sabor (which is being replaced by Playmakers on most ships. It’s currently only available on Harmony and Allure.) Dinners have been at Coastal Kitchen and 150 Central Park. Everything from the service to the meals themselves have been outstanding.

It should be noted that the unlimited dining package isn’t exactly “unlimited”. It does not include Chef’s Table, room service, the tapas menu at Vintages or “Captain Jack’s” shack on CocoCay.

You may have heard that the Windjammer buffet has gone back to self service. We stopped in there to check out the situation for ourselves. There was a crew member at the entrance making sure everyone was washing their hands. We also witnessed the crew sanitizing each table between guests.

Crown and Anchor Society

This is the first cruise since we turned Pinnacle nine months ago that we are allowed back into the suite lounge and have access to Coastal Kitchen for lunch and dinner. Even though the two venues are connected, our sea pass cards only unlock the door to the suite lounge and not Coastal Kitchen.

On Harmony, Pinnacles are still not permitted in Coastal Kitchen for breakfast. There is a pinnacle breakfast available daily at Chops. We went yesterday as soon as they opened. We waited 45 minutes for our food to come out, only for it to be cold. It was very disappointing.

The top tier event was held in the main theater. That was a first for me. I’m used to it being in the aqua theater on the larger ships or the Star Lounge or Viking Crown lounge on smaller ships. Platinum members and above were invited to the event. It was a full house. Captain Johnny and Paul, the Loyalty Ambassador welcomed two new couples to the Pinnacle Club, recognized folks that were reaching 1050 and 1400 point milestones and introduced the top three cruisers. The passengers per tier were as follows:

• 1,276 Gold Members
• 491 Platinum Members
• 234 Emerald Members
• 464 Diamond Members
• 295 Diamond Plus Members
• 85 Pinnacle Members

Paul also mentioned that there are a total of 1175 Pinnacle members in the Crown and Anchor Society.

On the first day we had invitations in our room for the “virtual backstage tour.” I’m not sure what that entails, as it is on day 6 of our cruise, all I do know is that the bridge tours and the behind the scenes tours remain unavailable.

Day 6 will also be our “Cheers with an Officer” lunch in the main dining room. It’s available to Crown and Anchor members with 340 points or more and is typically offered on sailings of seven nights or longer. Pre-pandemic, it was “lunch with an officer”, where an officer would be seated at each table and you could chat with them and get to know their role on the ship.

Usually the Captain, Hotel Director and the cruise director toast to the room and say a few words before leaving you to your meal with your fellow passengers.

Capacity

Probably one of the most asked questions in recent times is “how crowded is the ship?” This sailing has 4992 passengers. It can reach max capacity of 6,780, which is not typical. The double occupancy total is 5,479. There are 1,964 crew members onboard.

It’s not as crowded as it was pre-pandemic but it is definitely getting there. If you’re concerned at all about social distancing, stay out of the elevators. The signs are gone that limited the number of people in the elevator and guests are using every inch of available space.

Final thoughts

Even though it’s only been three days, the cruise has been fantastic. Besides the Chops breakfast that wasn’t up to par, everything else has been outstanding. (In Chops defense, we had lunch there today and the food and service was great). We have been lucky enough to find two of our favorite bar staff from previous ships. It’s nice to see our crew friends again.

While masks are optional for passengers onboard, the crew is still required to wear them, even the lifeguards at the pool. Hopefully that can change soon. Slowly but surely things are returning to “normal,” which is wonderful to see.

The cruise industry is poised for a major comeback, and Royal Caribbean sees better things to come over the next year and a half.

Speaking at Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami on Tuesday, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty shared his thoughts on the prospects for emerging from the depths of the pandemic.

"We expect the back half of this year to normalize and 2023 to look and behave like the pre-Covid period," Mr. Liberty shared when asked about his thoughts of the future.

Mr. Liberty expects this to be a transitional year, with 2023 performing better than pre-pandemic, "That means all ships back up and running and full capacity."

A strong 2023 has largely been Royal Caribbean Group's plan since talking to Wall Street in February.

During the company's earnings call with investors in February, executives said they expected a a return to profitability in the second half of 2022.

Part of getting customers back is establishing confidence in the experience, "By doing our jobs and building that confidence, the desire to cruise is back to where it was before Covid."

"Throughout the pandemic, we’ve learned a lot about the capabilities of our organizations, especially in terms of health and safety."

Joining Mr. Liberty at the keynote event was Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald and MSC CEO Pierfrancesco Vago.

Mr. Donald also thinks things are looking brighter in the near future, "The overall trajectory for the cruise industry is good … it’s resilient and there is a tremendous amount of growth potential. The overall future for cruise is extremely bright."

Cruise industry resilience

The same day of the keynote, the cruise industry took a moment to celebrate some important milestones that point to more people wanting to get back on a cruise ship.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) shared their new findings of how strong demand has been for cruises despite all the challenges.

In a statement, CLIA President and CEO Kelly Craighead talked about the recovery process, "As the industry resumes operations, passenger volume is expected to recover and surpass 2019 levels by the end of 2023, with passenger volumes projected to recover 12% above pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2026.

"Cruising is accessible, responsible, and experiential - making it the best way to see the world for people of all ages and interests. With the support of an incredibly resilient community, the future of the cruise industry is bright."

CLIA's consumer research had some interesting facts:

• Intent to cruise is rebounding, with 63% of cruisers or potential cruisers indicating they are ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to cruise in the next two years.
• 69% of respondents that have never cruised said they are open to cruise, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
• Millennial cruisers are the most enthusiastic about taking another cruise, with 87% indicating they will take a cruise in the next few years, followed by Gen X at 85%.

The second day of my 4-night cruise on Oasis of the Seas is a sea day as we make our way to Costa Maya, Mexico. The weather today was perfect, with near total sunshine and a slight breeze, making for a beautiful day to spend onboard a beautiful ship.

I headed to Central Park as the sun was rising around 7AM and had a quick, casual breakfast at Park Cafe. I was happy to see a specialty coffee station within Park Cafe, as I did not have to brave the Cafe Promenade line for my latte.

Early morning on a cruise ship is my favorite time of day. The ship feels nearly empty before guests wake up, there are no lines anywhere, and a sunrise walk on the pool deck is always wonderful.

The majority of my day was spent filming our upcoming full ship tour of Oasis of the Seas on the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel, which will premiere in the next few weeks. As a result, I walked up, down, and around the ship today to explore every nook and cranny onboard.

First up was the Solarium. I love the Solarium's layout on Oasis of the Seas! Not only is it filled with jacuzzis, comfy seating, and a pool, but there is a huge outdoor sundeck area to enjoy.

Solarium Bistro is not open for dinner on this sailing, instead offering a combo breakfast and lunch. Today's hours were from 9:30 to 1PM, so I had a casual buffet lunch there. By lunch time, the Solarium was packed with people.

In fact, it felt as if every person on the cruise headed to the pool deck at the same time! Because I had never cruised prior to last year, I was used to cruising with capacities from around 30-60%. Being on a cruise closer to full capacity is a bit of a shock (there's a line for food?), but it also gives a fun energy and atmosphere to the cruise that wasn't as possible with so few guests.

Puzzle Break Center

Today I also had the opportunity to try the Puzzle Break Center onboard. This is the first cruise I have been on where the escape room was open, so I was excited to try it out as I had never done an escape room before on neither land nor sea. The escape room comes at an extra cost of $20 per person.

Mission Control: Apollo 18 is the Puzzle Break Center on Oasis of the Seas, and players must solve puzzles and challenges to send their rocket off to space before time is up. The room is set up with six launching stations, each of which has three sets of challenges to solve.

There were around twelve passengers in the room and we all worked together to try and break out in time. From finding hidden keys to figuring out interactive patterns and puzzles, it ended up being a lot more fun than I initially thought it would be. Plus, our group solved the escape room with just 4 minutes to spare!

Relaxation and entertainment

Next up was my daily smoothie at Vitality Cafe, this time strawberry banana with peanut butter! I also relaxed a bit in the spa's thermal suite and took an afternoon walk on the pool deck.

I had reservations to see the matinee show of Cats, but when I went down to the theater I was informed the show got changed to the fourth day of the cruise. Instead, I decided to enjoy a glass of wine at Vintages, the wine bar onboard Oasis of the Seas.

Vintages is never very crowded and always has comfy seating, so it's a nice place to go onboard to get away from the crowds. Plus, the venue has a tapas menu and does wine tastings!

I opted for an early dinner at Park Cafe and enjoyed soup and salad, followed by a well-deserved nap in my stateroom. The biggest perk of staying in an interior cabin is definitely how well you sleep when in a room with no windows!

Prior to the ice skating show, I made my first ever visit to the Diamond Club. I did not realize there are complimentary appetizers in the evening in the Diamond Club (I thought only breakfast was served), so this was a nice surprise!

Tonight's ice skating show was Frozen in Time. Ice skating shows are one of my favorite entertainment options on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and while I did not fully grasp the storyline of the show, I was impressed with the talent and set design in Studio B. The costumes at ice skating shows never fail to make me laugh, especially tonight's full body duck costumes worn by the cast!

I watched the sunset from the "secret" chairs at the aft of the running track. As there are only a few chairs there and not many guests know about the area, it was a peaceful way to end a sea day onboard Oasis of the Seas.

The rest of the evening was spent listening to bossa nova and jazz music at Jazz on 4 before calling it a night to get ready for a port day in Costa Maya tomorrow.

Royal Caribbean has rolled back the rule requiring children to wear masks in the supervised programming areas of the cruise ship.

When Royal Caribbean dropped its mask requirement for vaccinated cruisers in late February, the only area of the ship that still required mask wearing as in Adventure Ocean, regardless of vaccination status.

As of this weekend, it appears the mask rule in Adventure Ocean has been changed.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader AshleyDillo posted a new posted rule on Oasis of the Seas that says masks are now optional for kids in Adventure Ocean.

"Mask wearing is optional for children participating in Adventure Ocean. However, masks are recommended for unvaccinated children 2 and up."

"Children under 2 do not need to wear a mask at any time."

Adventure Ocean is the kids camp on Royal Caribbean ships, where parents can drop their children off.

The updated mask rules for Adventure Ocean matches the general guideline for masks on ships made last week, in which Royal Caribbean said masks are optional for vaccinated guests and recommended for unvaccinated children onboard.

The change in mask wearing for Adventure Ocean tied in with the cruise line relaxing mask rules in cruise ship terminals.

Masks on a cruise are virtually non-existent

Over the last couple of months, mask requirements are greatly eroded away to point now they are all but gone from cruise ships.

As cruise ships restarted operations in 2021, masks were a cornerstone of new cruise ship protocols.

It looked as though masks might have gone away as required in summer 2021, but a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants required Royal Caribbean to keep the requirement in place for much longer.

A combination of Covid cases dropping dramatically on land and Royal Caribbean opting into the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highly vaccinated program has enabled the cruise line to progressively remove mask requirements.

Face masks are among the most visible signs of the pandemic, and the need to wear them has been a major pain point for cruise fans who want to get the cruise experience back to a sense of normalcy.

In late February, Royal Caribbean dropped the requirement to wear masks while indoors.

Just last week, the cruise line announced masks are optional in cruise ship terminals.  

Now with masks not needed in Adventure Ocean, the only time you would need to wear a mask potentially on a cruise is due to local regulations, such as in a port of call the ship visits or in some cruise ship terminals as mandated by local requirements.

The Kids Sail Free offer is back.

Royal Caribbean has brought back the Kids Sail Free offer for the last week of April, where children under the age of 12 booked in the same cabin as two adults will qualify for free cruise fare.

Families may find extra savings on a new cruise booked in which kids stay in the same cabin.

This is the second time Royal Caribbean has brought back Kids Sail Free since the pandemic, with the previous sale about a month ago.

In addition to Kids sail Free, there's also up to $550 off sailings departing May 27, 2022 or after, 30% off every guest, and even bonus bonus onboard credit when redeeming a future cruise credit.

Deal details

Kids Sail Free applies to new bookings made between April 25 – May 2, 2022 on sailings departing on or after June 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023, providing free cruise fare for third guests and higher who are 12 years old and younger as of Offer Cruise departure date on sailings 3 nights or longer booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests in a triple or quad- occupancy stateroom.

Kids Sail Free excludes Thanksgiving sailings departing November 18, 2022 – November 25, 2022, Holiday sailings departing December 21, 2022 – January 6, 2023, Spring break sailings departing March 10, 2023 – March 24, 2023, and Holy Week/Easter sailings departing April 1, 2023 – April 11, 2023.

Taxes, fees, and port expenses are additional and apply to all guests. 

Up to $550 off applies to new bookings made between April 25 – 30, 2022 on sailings departing on or after May 25, 2022, and provides instant savings of up to $550 USD per stateroom.

Savings amount varies by stateroom category booked and sailing length as follows:

• 5 nights or less, $25 USD savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 USD for Balconies, and $150 USD for Suites
• 6 nights or longer, $50 USD savings for Interior and Ocean View, $100 USD for Balconies, and $550 USD for Suites

Up to $550 off is combinable with 30% Off Every Guest, FCC Kicker, and Kids Sail Free as well as with promotional OBCs, Next Cruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers, Free Upgrades, Shareholder Benefits, but not combinable with Ultimate World Cruise and Crown and Anchor discounts. Resident rates apply to select states on select sailings; valid state of residence must be provided at time of booking. 

Will I save money with this offer?

They say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and similarly, how lucrative a deal is depends on the person trying to book it.

The biggest drawback of any Kids Sail Free offer are the blackout dates, which greatly hinder many families ability to book a cruise that qualifies for the offer.

If you can find a sailing date that isn't blacked out, kids sail free offers can absolutely save money, especially for higher category rooms. Suites, in particular, offer big savings with kids sail free.

Of course, Kids Sail Free deal requires the kids to be in the same stateroom as the parents, so you cannot split across multiple rooms and use the offer.

Using a good travel agent, you can easily compare and contrast prices between sailings.

Today is the first day of my Western Caribbean cruise on Oasis of the Seas, and I’m live blogging this week to showcase all that this Oasis Class cruise ship has to offer. This is a 4-night cruise with two sea days and one port day in Costa Maya, Mexico.

Oasis of the Seas marks my first time sailing out of Miami and my first cruise as a Diamond member in the Crown & Anchor Society!

While I don’t have any set plans for the week, I’m hoping to experience the activities and venues that make Oasis of the Seas unique, such as Portside BBQ and CATS the Musical.

Embarkation

I arrived in Miami late last night and spent the night at the Holiday Inn & Suites Miami Airport East. Located just across the street from the airport, the Holiday Inn was convenient, clean, and affordable. While not the most exciting location in Miami, it worked well for a 10PM arrival.

The hotel offered a shuttle to the cruise terminal, but I opted to take a Lyft, which came out to be around $22. Upon arrival at the terminal, I was pleased to see relatively few lines. The check-in procedure took around 20 minutes in total.

I did not feel like going to the Windjammer, which was likely packed with people, so I enjoyed a quick lunch at El Loco Fresh while waiting for my cabin to be ready.

Staterooms were ready at 1PM, and I am staying in an inside cabin for this sailing. While the decor looks a bit dated when compared to my cruise last month on Wonder of the Seas, I was pleased to find the room comfortable and quite spacious.

Thermal spa

First up on my agenda today was to use my first Diamond drink voucher. Up until this point, most of the extra money I spent on cruises had been on drinks, and I never enjoyed paying $15 for one cocktail. Therefore, to celebrate achieving Diamond status, I enjoyed my first complimentary drink: a mango banana smoothie from Vitality Cafe.

I had quite a bit of onboard credit, so I decided to try out something new for this cruise: a thermal suite pass at the Vitality Spa. I booked the 4-day pass at the spa’s front desk for $59 (plus 18% gratuity).

The thermal spa, located on Oasis and Quantum Class ships, is a thermal suite featuring hot stone loungers, steam chambers, a dry heat chamber, and rainforest showers. Vitality Spa sells passes that last the entire cruise and there is no limit on how many times you can enjoy the thermal spa, which is open from 8AM to 8:30PM.

After purchasing my pass, I changed into a bathing suite and tested out the thermal spa. I tried all three sauna rooms: the steam room, aromatic steam room, and dry heat chamber. All were fantastic, but my favorite was the aromatic steam room.

I also tested out the rainforest shower, which has four options: rainforest, thunderstorm, waterfall, and ice fog. Each shower type disperses water differently, from the mist of the ice fog shower to the rapid stream of a waterfall.

I spent most of my time in the thermal spa on the hot stone lounger wondering why it took me so long to purchase a thermal spa pass!

Needless to say, I will likely be spending a lot of my time in the thermal spa on this cruise. In fact, laying in the hot stone lounger with my laptop might become my new blogging office…

Dinner and sailaway

I spent the rest of the afternoon onboard relaxing, first on the pool deck and later in my stateroom.

Dinner tonight was at the Windjammer. I am not a huge fan of the Windjammer location on Oasis Class ships, as the area usually feels cramped. I think this is one of the biggest improvements made on Wonder of the Seas, which has the biggest Windjammer in the fleet.

Despite the crowds, though, the Indian curry I had at the Windjammer tonight may have been the best I’ve ever tried on a Royal Caribbean cruise! My dessert did not disappoint either.

As I started cruising last August, this is my first cruise with a self-service buffet. While it is nice being able to pick exactly what you want from the buffet, I definitely prefer the crew serving guests. The stations quickly got messy and it seemed a lot slower than what I was used to.

Sailaway was delayed an hour to 6:30 PM. As this was right in the middle of dinnertime, there were virtually no crowds outside for sailaway and I was able to grab a great spot on the back of the sports deck!

Sailing out of Miami was gorgeous, with the sunset creating a silhouette of downtown and giving the perfect glow to Miami Beach. I had heard great things about sailing out of Miami, and this was certainly one of the most beautiful sailaways I’ve seen yet.

Read more: The best spot for sailaway on every Royal Caribbean cruise ship

Evening activities

I reserved a spot to see Aqua80s in the AquaTheater tonight. I had heard great things about this AquaTheater show, so excitement was high. Originally I was going to book the show on day 3, but as the AquaTheater performances can often be canceled due to weather conditions, I figured I should try it on the first day just in case.

Plus, even though this is my third cruise on an Oasis Class ship, I had yet to see a full AquaTheater show. I sailed on Harmony of the Seas during the peak of omicron and Wonder of the Seas when the AquaTheater show was not fully ready, so I was definitely eager to see a full AquaTheater performance.

I ended up really enjoying the show, which had a high-energy and upbeat atmosphere. The performers put full effort into the show with diving, slacklining, acrobatics, dancing, and aerialists, and it was a lot of fun to watch.

I called it a night after the AquaTheater show to get well rested for a fun-filled sea day tomorrow while on our way to Mexico.

Stray observations

Because I started cruising right when the industry restarted after the coronavirus shutdown, my experience of cruises has been quite different from what was once considered “normal”. Thus, one thing that confuses me are the amount of chairs and lounging areas in the cruise terminals. Did people sit in these at one point waiting to board the ship? I cannot think of a time when you would ever need to sit in these waiting areas now with the staggered boarding times!

The plants in Central Park seem bigger on Oasis compared to what I saw on Harmony and Wonder. I feel like I am in a park more on this ship than the others.

I’m surprised there are no chairs of any kind on the back of the sports deck by the Ultimate Abyss (outside of the seating at Wipe Out Bar).

I had a 12PM arrival time at the terminal, but no one was checking times when I arrived.