Royal Caribbean Blog

There is now a new option to get your pre-cruise Covid-19 test at the cruise terminal.

Royal Caribbean announced it will offer boarding day test at the port on a limited basis.

Royal Caribbean said the new pre-cruise tests are "a last option if you simply can't find a pre-cruise test or could not secure results in time."

The terminal tests are only available for fully vaccinated passengers and available by appointment only.

The test will start at $99 per person, and guests will wait up to an hour for results outside of terminal. 

To book a test, schedule your appointment 30 minutes prior to sailing check-in time, 24 hours in advance.

These test options are for guests in the U.S. — international guests can use them only once they have arrived in the U.S.

Adding the new tests at the terminal is seemingly in response to guest feedback that getting a pre-cruise test is sometimes difficult due to overwhelming demand for Covid tests around the United States.

Royal Caribbean states it prefers guests use the at-home test kits, which can be ordered in advance of the cruise and are cheaper than the terminal testing.

Two at-home tests can be ordered for $69.99 USD; 3 tests for $99.99 USD.

You can order your test kit at RoyalCaribbean.com/HomeTestKit

Of course, guests can still opt to get a test done at a local pharmacy, lab, public test site, or doctor's office. 

Royal Caribbean's pre-cruise testing requirement

Regardless of which test you get, all passengers must get a pre-cruise Covid-19 test done within a few days of the cruise.

Guests age 12 or older must must show a negative COVID-19 test result for a PCR or antigen test taken no more than 2 days before boarding day.

Unvaccinated kids age 2 to 11 must show a negative test result for a PCR or antigen test taken no more than 3 days before boarding day. Kids’ pre-cruise test cannot be taken on boarding day, because that may affect the sample taken during the kids’ test at the terminal. Guests under 2 years of age do not need to complete a pre-cruise test.

Kids will take a complimentary PCR test when checking in at the terminal.”

Happy weekend! We have a look back at all the Royal Caribbean news from this week to share with all of you.

Royal Caribbean released its health protocols for sailings departing in the second half of October 2021.

These protocols apply to any Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailing from a U.S. homeport between October 16-31, 2021.

It includes rules on vaccinations, masks, shore excursions and more.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean Group CEO looks to 2022 for when cruise bookings to really take off
• Royal Caribbean now accepts cruise ship passengers with mixed series of mRNA vaccines
• Royal Caribbean surveys guests on possible ideas for Perfect Day at CocoCay expansion
• Less than one week left to get double points on a Royal Caribbean cruise booking
• New bill introduced to Congress so cruise ships can skip Canada on Alaska cruises
• Royal Caribbean Group will build new cruise terminal in Ravenna, Italy
• Royal Caribbean Group met or exceeded nearly all of its 2020 sustainability targets
• Cruise industry welcomes U.S. plan to welcome back international travelers
• Royal Caribbean starts new Cruise Planner sale with up to 35% off pre-cruise purchases
• Dan shares his experience of what it's like on a cruise right now
• How I reached the top of Royal Caribbean’s Loyalty Program
• 5 reasons cruising isn't just for older travelers

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 423rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Josh shares how a cruise on Adventure of the Seas changed how he cruises forever.

With cruises back in service for a few months, what should you know about what it's like to go on a cruise ship right now?

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.

New RCB Video: I Just Went on Royal Caribbean and Here's What I Learned

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 —  I Just Went on Royal Caribbean and Here's What I Learned — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Guide to balcony staterooms on Royal Caribbean

Balcony staterooms are at the top of many cruiser's favorite type of cabins because of the private outdoor space for a reasonable price.

Royal Caribbean offers more balcony rooms on its ships than ever before, with its newest cruise ships offering the most balcony rooms. 

If you are thinking about booking a balcony stateroom on your Royal Caribbean cruise, check out this guide to balcony rooms for everything you need to know.

From the time of its inception, cruising was immediately stereotyped as an exclusive type of vacation geared towards older travelers.

Within the last decade, many cruise lines have opted to innovate ships and experiences to attract a younger generation of cruisers. Ships are tossing out classic cruising protocol to create a more relaxed and adventure-packed atmosphere at sea. Cruise lines have shifted marketing efforts to attract thrill-seekers, foodies and world travelers alike.

From ship to shore, below are 5 reasons that young travelers should consider cruising for their next adventure.

Exotic Locations

When you think of cruising, the Caribbean likely comes to mind. Although Royal Caribbean loves to focus its itineraries on ports throughout the Caribbean, there are plenty of itineraries that feature exotic ports of call.

These itineraries often appeal to those looking for a more unique experience, one that packs multiple countries and cultures into one voyage. Some of these cool locations include: the Arctic Circle, the Holy Land, Japan and China, Southeast Asia, British Isles, South Pacific, the Canary Islands and Russian Baltic cruises. 

Bucket List Adventures

So you’ve always wanted to climb the Great Wall of China in Beijing or cliff jump into the Adriatic Sea in Croatia? Maybe you’ve dreamed of sipping wine in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris or gorging on authentic pasta in ancient Rome. You may not realize that you can actually visit all of these bucket-list locations by cruising!

Other incredible experiences include visiting the Church of Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, walking around the floating villages of Thailand, crossing the famous Shibuya Scramble in Tokyo, watching a gorgeous sunset in Santorini, riding a gondola in Venice, and seeing the Northern Lights in Norway.

Onboard Trendy Entertainment

70's discos and casino night not your thing? No worries!

Cruise ships have all kinds of high-quality and trendy entertainment for your enjoyment. Full-length Broadway shows, including Mamma Mia, Grease and Hairspray, are widely available on Royal’s ships (likely to be found on Oasis and Quantum-class ships).

Other premium entertainment options include world-class acrobats, Olympic figure skaters, famous comedians, talented vocalists and crazy jugglers.

Ship Thrills

Royal Caribbean has been actively building and renovating ships that scream ‘thrill-seeking’. Ice skating and rock climbing have been classic thrills offered by the cruise line for years.

Recently, the thrills have been amplified for onboard activities. The North Star on Quantum-class ships allows travelers to board a glass-enclosed pod that lifts above the ship to provide 360-degree views. The SkyPad trampoline park gives cruisers virtual-reality glasses to take their jumping to the next level.

For newer ships, huge waterslides and the 10-story Ultimate Abyss slide will surely have you smiling from ear to ear. Oasis-class ships featured the first zip-line at sea, giving cruisers the opportunity to fly over the ship’s Central Park with stunning views of the sea. Your adventurous heart will run out of time to partake in all the onboard thrills!

Freestyle Dining for Foodies

One of the best features of cruising is all of the amazing food available! Nearly all the food onboard is included in your cruise fare, making the ship a foodie’s paradise.

For many years, dining onboard felt stuffy, formal and too-structured. Royal Caribbean introduced My Time Dining to offer cruisers flexibility each day to choose their dining time. Food is from the moment you wake up until your bed hits the pillow each night. Quantum-class ships offer 15 different restaurants for cruisers to choose from.

Specialty dining also offers luxurious food options, such as Izumi for sushi and Jame’s Italian by Chef Jamie Oliver. 

You’ve heard of frequent flyer miles, but did you know that cruise lines also have loyalty programs?

Royal Caribbean’s customer loyalty program is called the Crown and Anchor Society. You earn points based on how many nights your cruise is, as well as your cabin type or if you are going solo.

There are six tiers in the program:

• Gold: 3 points
• Platinum: 30 points
• Emerald: 55 points
• Diamond: 80 points
• Diamond Plus: 175 points
• Pinnacle Club: 700 points

As you progress through the tiers, you earn rewards such as discounts on internet, onboard merchandise, beverage packages and certain fares, just to name a few.

It may seem like getting to 700 cruise points is impossible, but it can be done. There are many different ways to achieve it, and I wanted to share how we did it.

Starting out

My husband and I took our first Royal Caribbean cruise on the Freedom of the seas in 2006 for our honeymoon. After that, we cruised once a year, always in October for our anniversary.

In 2010, we started doing weekend cruises on Monarch of the Seas. One morning, we went to the next cruise desk to book our annual anniversary sailing. The crew member there told us we really should be striving to become Diamond. He then told us how to earn extra points to help us ascend the tiers faster. His advice was to start booking junior suites. By doing that, we would earn two points per night. So for many years, that’s what we did.

By February 2011, we were Diamond. Then it became a goal to get to Diamond Plus. We continued to book junior suites exclusively and reached Diamond Plus in October 2015.

At this point, we were content (at least I was). Diamond Plus is a great tier to be at. It’s a large tier (175-699 points) and as you progress through it, you get more benefits.

At 340 points you receive what is called a “single supplement discount”, which is great for solo cruisers. Typically, if you cruise by yourself, you are paying double occupancy (unless you find the rare single cabins which are only available on select ships).

With the single supplement discount, instead of paying 200% fare, you’re only charged 150%. Sailing solo also earns you an extra cruise point per night.

This became important to us as now achieving Pinnacle status before turning 50 years old became my husbands goal.

Full speed ahead

In 2016, we started what I call “points chasing;” booking like crazy to get to Pinnacle as fast as we could. We are lucky that we live in Central Florida, because we have access to four cruise ports ranging in drive time from 45 minutes to 4 hours. We also have no children, so we weren’t tied to school schedules. We were able to cruise any time of the year.

Our game plan was to fit in as many weekend sailings as possible to maximize our points. We ended up doing nine cruises that year.

To keep all of these cruises straight, we made up an Excel spreadsheet with not only our budget for each cruise, but also how many points we would accumulate per sailing. We literally titled it our “Pathway to Pinnacle” spreadsheet.

In 2017, we crossed the 340 point mark and I started doing solo cruises. Not only did I sail alone, I was also in a junior suite. That earned me three points per night! Since we’re married, my husband was able to share my points, even without having to sail. That year ended with 14 more cruises sailed, three of which I did as a solo traveler.

In 2018, we were assigned a new Royal Caribbean vacation planner who told us what a lot of her clients were doing to make it to Pinnacle faster. On the cruises where my husband and I were together, she suggested I book the junior suite we always sail in by myself and have my husband book an interior room. That way we’d always be getting the maximum points on every sailing.

I thought that would be way out of our price range, but in reality it only ended up being a couple hundred dollars more because of the single supplement discount. We dubbed that our “triple points scam.” We were now earning three points per night on every sailing.

That moved us up fast. From January 2018 until the end of 2019, we earned 246 points. By this point, we reached 661 points.

Road block

In 2020 we did two weekend sailings in January and February for a total of 697 points. We now just had to wait until our April cruise on Harmony of the Seas to turn Pinnacle. And then, two weeks after our last sailing, the pandemic struck and the entire cruise industry was shut down for the next 15 months!

We were literally going crazy. Just three points away!

We booked and rebooked every month. Our disappointment grew with each subsequent cancellation until finally in June 2021, we were able to book the first sailing in North America. We flew to Nassau to board Adventure of the Seas and finally earn that coveted 700th cruise point.

In all, it took us thirteen and a half years to get to Pinnacle, not counting the year and a half the cruise industry was shut down.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we did make it before my husband turned 50, with one month to spare!

A number of Royal Caribbean guests have received an email survey asking their thoughts on possible ideas for the next phase of the CocoCay expansion.

Royal Caribbean announced a few weeks ago it would expand Perfect Day at CocoCay with a new area, called Hideaway Beach.

The announcement had no additional details, but perhaps this new survey could shed some light onto what to expect.

Earlier this week, many Royal Caribbean cruise fans reported receiving a survey in via email that asked many questions about what they thought about potential ideas for what the cruise line might add to the area.

Royal Caribbean commonly uses surveys to get feedback from guests. It is not necessarily an indication of anything they may or may not do.

The first part of the survey asks what sorts of areas would you like to see added to Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Then they ask how appealing an adults only area would be for guests 18 or older.

The survey also asks guests to share which vacation scenes appeal to them, and which do not.

The second part of the survey wants feedback on the idea of a southern BBQ restaurant on its ships.

The menu would include smoked brisket, rubs, fried chicken and plenty of appetizers, sides and desserts.

Respondents were asked which name of the restaurant they preferred.

I love sharing Royal Caribbean photos that our readers send in because they are so much fun to look at.  

Every Friday, I share Royal Caribbean cruise photos sent in by readers so we can all enjoy an end of the week mental escape to a cruise.

If you have some really good cruise photos to share, send your best Royal Caribbean photos so I can post them in a future Friday Photos update.

Sit back, and let's take a look at this week's batch of photos!

Our first photo is from Jeff Diaz.

Jeff celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary this past July onboard.  Happy anniversary!

This incredible photo was snapped by Tony Oleszczuk on Oasis of the Seas.

Tony says he took this photo while the ship was headed to CocoCay on the first sailing of Oasis of the Seas this year.

Next up is a photo of the Ultimate Abyss at dusk.

Victor Martin shared this photo, adding that it was "impressive".

Here is a look at Mariner of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas docked at CocoCay.

Gabrielle Owens took this photo while enjoy a Labor Day weekend visit to Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas.

Lisa Armstrong took this photo of Anthem of the Seas from the North Star.

This photo was taken in July 2021 on a British Isles cruise.

This photo was taken from David Pastrana's balcony as Mariner of the Seas departed Perfect Day at CocoCay

According to David, leaving CocoCay is sadder than disembarking the ship after the cruise is over. Do you agree?

Here is a look at Brilliance of the Seas sailing into Port Everglades, taken by karl_nj.

This photo was taken from Karl's balcony on Celebrity Edge in September 2021.

Our final photo this week is by Kyle Thompson of Liberty of the Seas docked in Cozumel.

Kyle was lucky enough to be onboard Liberty for her test sailing.

If I didn't include your photo this week, then that means you need to send it in to us for use on a future Friday Photos post.  We want to see your favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos and you can use this form to send it in.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain says his company is focusing now on 2022 and beyond, rather than the ongoing delta variant-induced problems of what is left in 2021.

In a new video update to travel advisors, Mr. Fain talked about how the delta variant, "caused such turmoil and hurt our bookings so much". As a result, Royal Caribbean is poised to move past it and look to the future for the real rebound.

Mr. Fain believes society has decided that there is a balance between "reasonable risk" and certain precautions.

"Society isn't willing to accept the terrible losses that would occur if we simply took zero precautions. But it's also abundantly clear that people are simply not willing to make the sacrifice to their quality of life that would be required to completely eliminate such risk."

With travel, and other aspects of life, re-emerging, Royal Caribbean Group is now focused on what's to come in 2022, and not what is left of 2021.

"Our focus is therefore on 2022, not the remaining months of 2021," Mr. Fain admitted. "Obviously, we don't like giving up on any period, but we are more determined to do well in 2022 and 2023, even if that means accepting short term hits this year."

Mr. Fain spent some time talking about how its company is approaching its protocols right now.

In terms of limited capacity on cruise ships, the reason for keeping it low is for several reasons.

"Firstly, we wanted to be extra cautious during our starting period. We also have felt the impact of air travel restrictions, especially between countries, because so much of our business relies on international travel."

"And we made a deliberate decision to get more ships operating sooner, even when that means each ship operates at a very low occupancy for a few months."

Mr. Fain identified two overriding goals that Royal Caribbean Group has right now.

"Firstly, key to our success in 2022 will be wave period. And to have a good wave, we need to show that we go into wave with a solid and stable operation."

Wave season is an industry term for the time of year when cruise lines tend to offer their best promotion. It traditionally takes place between January and March and is not just an arbitrary time of year to offer cruise deals.

Many people typically book cruises in the early months of year as a result of wanting to plan their vacations for later, as well as being influenced by cold temperatures now that compel them to think of a tropical cruise vacation.

In order to take advantage of higher demand, all the cruise lines roll out new promotions and incentives to get their share of the new bookings.

"That means by December, we want stability. None of the confusion and endless changes that we have been experiencing, and that is so frustrating to you and your clients."

"By the end of this year, we want virtually all of our ships to be operating and operating seamlessly in our core markets."

The second goal is to show how safe going on a cruise ship is right now.

"We're doing that today, not by theory, not by prediction, but by actual operations."

"Already, two thirds of our capacities operating, we have carried over half a million guests and only had one hundred and forty one cases amongst those five hundred thousand people."

Mr. Fain said there would be cases on ships, just like on land, but the difference is the effective management of cases to limit the spread, "because of our protocols, there haven't been any big outbreaks and the few cases we have seen have been managed quickly and effectively."

"By the end of November, we will have carried over a million guests and that's just one cruise company, albeit the best cruise company."

"There are very few places on Earth that can institute the protective protocols that the cruise industry can implement."

"Isolated cases? Yes. Big outbreaks, no."

Requiring the vaccine of employees

Mr. Fain shared one other anecdote in this video as it relates to mandating the Covid-19 vaccine for its employees.

According to Fain, a little over 20% of their employees said they were not willing to get vaccinated.

However, over the last couple of months, Royal Caribbean worked with these employees to provide those who wanted it with expert advice and data.

As of last week when the deadline came for employees to get vaccinated, 96% agreed to do it.

As promised, a new bill has been introduced that aims to always allow cruise ships to skip visits to Canada due to U.S. maritime law.

The Cruising for Alaska’s Workforce Act was introduced today by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), which will provide a permanent exemption from the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) for cruises transporting passengers to Alaska from the U.S.

Senator Murkowski announced last week she would introduce this bill, and today it is now an official piece of legislation that will hopefully become law.

This new bill would be permanent policy, whereas the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA) that was signed into law back in May is only temporary and applies only to 2021 cruises.

"This legislation is good news for Alaskans whose livelihood relies on tourism," Senator Murkowski shared on Twitter.

"I’m proud to introduce new legislation to provide a permanent exemption for cruises between any U.S. port and Alaska from the PVSA. My new bill guarantees the PVSA will not intrude on Alaska’s tourism economy, while also ensuring foreign-built ships do not compete with U.S.-built ships. "

Why this bill is important

The Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 is a piece of U.S. cabotage law that requires foreign-flagged ships to stop in a foreign destination while traveling between two U.S. points.

Nearly all cruise ships visiting Alaska are foreign-flagged. Royal Caribbean has its ships built outside the United States, and registers them outside the country as well.

This law was designed to protect the U.S. maritime industry, and many countries with coastal ports have similar laws. 

In its current form, the PVSA requires cruise ships to stop somewhere outside of the United States when offering cruises to Alaska.  In 2020 and 2021, Canada closed its borders to cruise ships, which made it impossible for cruise lines to operate sailings to Alaska.

Because southeast Alaska is so heavily dependent on cruise tourism, Senator Murkowski is seeking to ensure such a closure by Canada can not stop cruise ships from sailing again.

Inside the bill

The Cruising for Alaska’s Workforce Act would allow any ship carrying more than 1,000 passengers may transport passengers between a port in the State of Alaska and another port in the United States, directly or by way of a foreign port.

Senator Murkowski added a condition that this bill would cease to exist once there is a U.S.-built ship that carries more than 1,000 passengers, if U.S. shipbuilders ever aspired to build cruise ships.

It looks like Royal Caribbean may not extend its popular double points promotion, so time is running out to book a cruise that qualifies for it.

Royal Caribbean added the double points offer during the cruise industry shutdown as a way to motivate cruise fans to book more cruises. As the name implies, you get double the normal Crown and Anchor society points if you happen to book a cruise under this promotion.

The Double Points offer officially ends September 30, 2021, and is valid for sailings departing January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022.

Any cruise booked before the offer expires can qualify for double Cruise Points.

Here is the breakdown of the points you will receive under the Double Points offer:

If you already have a cruise booked between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022, this offer is being applied to all qualified existing bookings.

Since the Double Points benefit was announced, it was a big hit with guests because it allows people to move up the cruise line's customer loyalty program faster.

Loyalty 2X Points is available to Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Crown & Anchor Society members.

Crown and Anchor points will be applied once the guest has paid their booking in full and completed their sailing. 

Read more: Top 8 Royal Caribbean Double Points questions

Why double points is good

Earning double the amount of points per night means you can earn points quicker, which is something Royal Caribbean has rarely offered in the past.

By earning more points, you can reach the higher tiers of Crown and Anchor Society faster, and there are some really lucrative benefits for reaching the Diamond and Diamond Plus tiers.

Complimentary alcoholic drinks, balcony discounts, complimentary photos, and reserved seating at shows are just some of the great freebies guests who reach the top tiers of Crown and Anchor Society can expect.

Moreover, this type of offer has rarely been seen.  Previous extra point offers were much more restrictive and have not been made available for a while.

A new Royal Caribbean cruise planner sale begins today, with discounts on pre-cruise purchases.

The Fall Into Savings sale offers discounts on many popular add-ons, such as drink packages, shore excursions, wifi and more.

The sale runs between September 23 - October 4, 2021 and is valid on sailings between September 27, 2021 and September 30, 2022.

Here is what you can expect to find:

BEVERAGE: Up to 40% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% off onboard prices.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship.
• Dasani Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices. (Only on AL, AN, BR, HM, JW, OY, RH, VI, VY)
• Evian Water Bottles: 40% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship.
• Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 35% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship

INTERNET: Up to 50% off

• The Key: Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.

DINING: Up to 55% off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship.

Activities: Up to 20% off

• All Access Ship Tour (Excludes GR, VY, WN)

Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off

• Anniversary Decorations with Champagne
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries
• Inky Beach Set
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe)
• Inky Travel Set
• Red Wine and Cheese
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel
• Strawberries with Champagne
• White Wine and Cheese

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 70% off

• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship
• Photo Package: Picture This Private Studio: Discount varies by ship

SPA: Up to 30% off

• Spa: Discount varies by ship

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

More helpful information

• Should you buy pre-cruise purchases now or wait to buy it onboard?
• 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How much should I budget for a cruise?