Royal Caribbean Blog

The United States Senate passed on Friday a $741 billion year-end defense spending bill, and it apparently included new regulations for the cruise industry.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed on Friday, and there is language attached to require cruise ships to have a trained doctor onboard, as well as other safety requirements.

Section 8222 of the bill addresses "medical standards" for passenger vessels and has 3 main parts to amend Chapter 35 of title 46:

• A physician is always present and available to treat  any passengers who may be on board the vessel in the event of an emergency situation
• The vessel is in compliance with the Health Care Guidelines for Cruise Ship Medical Facilities established by the American College of Emergency Physicians
• The initial safety briefing given to the passengers on board the vessel includes
  • the location of the vessel’s medical facilities
  • the appropriate steps passengers should follow during a medical emergency

In effect, the government now requires cruise ships to have a doctor always onboard and the muster drill informs guests where the medical center is located, as well as what to do in the case of an emergency.

Section 3507(b) of title 46 also requires cruise lines to install video cameras in all public places and hold onto surveillance footage for 20 days. 

The purpose of the camera surveillance is "to deter, prevent and record criminal behavior."

These changes are not massive changes, and much of these changes may already exist on cruises.

On Royal Caribbean's first cruise ship back in service, Quantum of the Seas, the ship offers "highly trained and credentialed medical teams, consisting of doctors, nurses, and specialists, on both land and sea."

In addition, Royal Caribbean says it has added more doctors and registered nurses to each ship, as well as an Infection Control Officer who will monitor and coordinate the implementation of the company's infection control plan onboard. And all Royal Caribbean onboard physicians receive mandatory acute respiratory training.

In terms of the safety drill, Royal Caribbean has always conducted a safety drill in compliance with international maritime law on the first day of any sailing, where important steps to follow in the case of an emergency are explained.

Royal Caribbean has also upgraded its safety briefing going forward, providing the important safety information via a guest's smart device or stateroom television instead of a group setting.

Read more: Top 10 questions about Royal Caribbean's new Muster 2.0

The safety drill instructs passengers were to go in case of an emergency, and instructions on how to properly use a life jacket. 

After reviewing the safety information on a mobile device or cabin TV, passengers then will complete the drill by visiting their assigned assembly station, where a crew member will verify that all steps have been completed and answer questions.

Credit to the Miami Herald for first spotting this news.

Before the cruise industry shutdown due to the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean had big plans for 2021 and like so many other things in life, their plans had to be changed.

Much of Royal Caribbean's big ticket spending had to be paused in order to conserve cash and be as fiscally responsible as possible.

In 2021, there are still some plans that will go ahead and others that have been delayed.  Here is a look at what we can and cannot expect from Royal Caribbean next year.

Still happening

New cruise ship: Odyssey of the Seas

Photo by Jeroen Houtman

Delayed from launching in 2020, Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship will instead be delivered in 2021.

Odyssey of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and will be the cruise line's second Quantum Ultra Class ship.

Originally Odyssey of the Seas was going to start cruises in November 2020, but a combination of Royal Caribbean's financial turmoil and issues at the shipyard contributed to a delay.

Instead, she is scheduled to be delivered in Spring 2021, with her first sailings in April 2021.

Galveston terminal construction beginning

Just like Odyssey of the Seas, the new cruise terminal in Galveston was scheduled to begin construction in 2020, but is now scheduled to begin on April 1, 2021.

The new Terminal 3 in Galveston will be built on 10 acres of land at Pier 10, and will be used exclusively by Royal Caribbean.

The new cruise terminal is the linchpin in Royal Caribbean's plans to bring an Oasis Class cruise ship to the Galveston cruise market.

According to the Port of Galveston Trustees, Royal Caribbean asked to delay the start of construction by a year, and is "very much insistent" that they will begin work in 2021.

Likely not happening

Antigua Beach Club

In late 2019, Royal Caribbean announced a new kind of development that would be a sort of small scale private enclave for cruise guests.

The Royal Beach Club was described as the ultimate beach experience, which would offer guests unique features and flavors of each destination.

The first Royal Beach Club was to be built in Antigua, which will open along a half-mile of beachfront near Fort James and was scheduled to open sometime in 2021.

Since everything shutdown in 2020, there has been absolutely no mention by the cruise line of the Antigua Beach Club, or any Royal Beach Club. Moreover, Royal Caribbean Group informed investors it would conserve cash by reducing capital spending through 2021.

"We have reduced our planned capital spending through 2021, which may negatively impact our execution of planned growth strategies, particularly as it relates to investments in our ships, technology, and our expansion of land-based developments."

So while Royal Caribbean has not provided any kind of official update on the fate of the Royal Beach Club, the likelihood of the Royal Beach Club project moving ahead for 2021 seems unlikely.

Ship upgrades

Just like the Beach Clubs, spending on ship upgrades also Royal Caribbean hit the pause button.

Once it became clear the shutdown was going to last a while, Royal Caribbean postponed its upcoming amplifications until further notice.

Two Royal Caribbean ships were scheduled to be upgraded in 2021 as part of the Royal Amplification process: Adventure of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas.

Planned upgrades for Allure of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas that were scheduled to take place in 2020 also never happened and are also on hold.

New cruise ship: Wonder of the Seas

Similar to Odyssey of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's next Oasis Class ship delivery was delayed.

Wonder of the Seas was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2021, but will instead be delivered sometime in 2022.

Under construction in France, Wonder of the Seas had to be delayed in order to spread out spending. She is still scheduled to sail exclusively in China.

While I have shared many other recipes for Royal Caribbean foods and drinks, the Spaghetti Bolognese from the main dining room is one I have been trying to find for a long time.

Spaghetti Bolognese is a staple of the main dining room menu, and is available every night.

When I regale cruisers with the tales of enjoying one of my favorite Royal Caribbean foods, they often give me a curious look as to why I am so fond of spaghetti and meat sauce, but there is just something so darn good about how Royal Caribbean makes it.

Perhaps the medley of seasonings used makes the world seem to shine, or the perfectly cooked sauce makes it feel like you walkin' in a dream, but you know you're not dreaming signore. Scuasmi, but you see, back on Indy, that's a great dish.

I had been unable to find the recipe for this dish until RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader and fellow New York bagel lover Mark Pizzo sent me a copy he had received from a cruise back in 2018.

Like myself, Mark and his son were enjoying a fabulous meal in the main dining room when the waiter noticed that Mark had eaten every bit of his spaghetti Bolognese. The waiter made it a point to have a copy of the recipe sent to his stateroom.

The original recipe from Royal Caribbean is to make 100 servings, so you probably should pare it down to something that will feed less than a small army.

Spaghetti Bolognese ingredients

• 25 lbs beef ground chuck
• 250 mL Olive Oil Extra Virgin
• 1 lbs Garlic whole peeled (fine diced)
• 2 lbs Shallot cloves peeled (fine diced)
• 6 lbs Yellow onion medium (fine diced)
• 3 lbs carrot jumbo (fine diced)
• 3 lbs celery (fine diced)
• 10 oz thyme (chopped)
• 10 oz oregano (chopped)
• 6 liters wine cooking red burgundy
• 4 cans sauce
• 4 cans tomato whole (chopped, blended)
• 10 oz kosher salt
• 10 oz White pepper ground
• 37.5 lbs spaghetti pasta
• Grated Parmesan
• Italian parsley

Mark took the liberty of plugging the recipe into a recipe converter so that it would only feed a battalion. I am no cullinary expert, so good luck with the kitchen math.

Suggested music while preparing spaghetti Bolognese

• Dean Martin - That's amore

Spaghetti Bolognese Instructions

Making the Bolognese sauce

1. Sautee beef in olive oil and cook until all meat is cooked well and all liquid has evaporated.
2. Add garlic, shallots and onions. Continue cooking
3. Add carrots, celery. Continue cooking
4. Add red wine
5. Add San Marzano tomatoes from can, ensure to chop or blend as pieces are too large
6. Add fresh herbs, season well. Bolognese should be cooked very well and have a nice, meaty, garlicky and tomato flavor and aroma

Assembly

1. Cook spaghetti.
2. Toss spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, mix well
3. Place pasta in bowl
4. Garnish with chopped parsley and add grated parmesan cheese

Don't forget to start your meal with Royal Caribbean's caesar salad as well, for a classic Italian dinner at home.

Buon appetito!

Royal Caribbean's first cruise ship to restart operations is back in service and offering cruises again after almost a week of being idle.

Quantum of the Seas departed the Marina Bay Cruise Centre to restart operations following a false positive test that temporarily shut her back down.

Last week, a passenger on Quantum of the Seas took a covid test onboard after not feeling well, and in an abundance of caution, the ship returned to port immediately and cancelled its next scheduled sailing.

After three tests in Singapore, it turned out the original positive test onboard was incorrect and the virus was never a threat on that sailing.

The 83-year-old man's original sample was retested and came back negative on Wednesday. A second fresh sample was tested and also found to be negative.

Quantum of the Seas has resumed her short "cruises to nowhere" from Singapore, offering 3- and 4- night cruises to residents of Singapore only.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain celebrated the rapid response from both the ship crew and the Singaporean government during the false alarm.

"The protocols and collaboration with the Singaporean authorities resulted in swift containment of any potential covid threat, some guest inconvenience, and a recognition that working together our cruises can operate and deliver great experiences."

Safe cruise strategy

In order to offer cruises in a safe manner, Royal Caribbean came up with sweeping changes to its ship that would facilitate all the necessary new protocols.

These multilayered health and safety measures were created based on science, data driven and developed with expert guidance from the Healthy Sail Panel, Royal Caribbean Group’s Head of Public Health and Chief Medical Officer and the Singapore Ministry of Health. 

Quantum of the Seas has a reduced capacity onboard, and has implemented mandatory universal testing during embarkation and debarkation, and enforced mask wearing, physical distancing and enhanced cleaning practices across the ship, among other required practices.

New to the cruise experience is Royal Caribbean’s Tracelet, a custom wearable required for all guests and crew on board Quantum of the Seas. The technology helps monitor physical distancing and the cruise line’s contract tracing procedures.  

For a healthier and safer adventure for all, guests and crew must wear masks on board and during signature experiences.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain has a new outlook on cruises restarting, and it is a significant departure from his outlook in the past.

Mr. Fain shared a video update with travel partners on Monday that acclaimed the approval and imminent distribution of new vaccines that he believes will be the primary way to get cruise ships sailing again.

His tone was still upbeat, but he now thinks the key to cruises resuming will be the arrival of a vaccine, and not only new health protocols.

"Previously, we expected cruising to resume based on creating a virtual bubble of safety on a ship, even if the rest of the country was experiencing significant spread," he admitted to viewers.

"Today we envision that the key, but not the exclusive factor, will be the vaccines rather than purely the protocols."

The nearly year-long cessation of operations has resulted in an enormous amount of waiting, and much more than anyone predicted, "We've waited a long time for this," Mr. Fain admitted. "We never imagined that it would take this long and we never imagined that we could survive with such a lengthy shutdown."

However, Mr. Fain believes cruises will be able to come back faster than previously thought due to the impact vaccines will have.

"Although the first cruises will be later than we expected, the resumption of cruising will ramp up faster and be more robust."

Mr. Fain was quick to point out that the new health protocols are still important, and touted the role they played in the recent false positive scare on Quantum of the Seas.

It is the first time Royal Caribbean has openly spoke about what happened last week, and it appears the situation that played out on Quantum of the Seas proved the importance of new protocols.

"The protocols and collaboration with the Singaporean authorities resulted in swift containment of any potential covid threat, some guest inconvenience, and a recognition that working together our cruises can operate and deliver great experiences."

The experience on Quantum of the Seas allowed Royal Caribbean to run through a real-world situation that luckily had no repercussions.

"The false positive gave us a real world chance to test our procedures, and they performed well."

"Such experiences really allow us to test our processes and prepare better for a full operation."

Mr. Fain also believes that once the public health threat is reduced because of the arrival of a vaccine, demand for travel will surge.

Many travel experts believe there is a lot of pent up demand by the public to get back to the fun things that so many people gave up on in 2020.

Mr. Fain said "demand will grow quickly" once cases begin to fall and cruises begin to open back up.

"People are tired and frustrated, and they want to get away from this Groundhog Day experience. The demand for new experiences will blossom."

The holiday spirit is spreading around the world, including on Royal Caribbean's cruise ships.

Over the weekend, Santa took a minute to hang ten and try his luck out surfing on Quantum of the Seas.

Video from onboard the first Royal Caribbean cruise ship to restart operations has Santa showing off his surfing skills on the back of Quantum of the Seas, with his elves cheering him on.

Nick Weir is the Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean and shared the video to give a sneek peak of the rehearsals happening onboard.

Santa was onboard #QuantumoftheSeas for rehearsals yesterday. He brought four of his Elves, and his #Flowrider Sleigh... (way to go Sports Team!) pic.twitter.com/g3Au4UqJdT

— Nick Weir (@NickWeirShowbiz) December 13, 2020

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared the video saying, "Santa and his elves have boarded Quantum and we are ready to sail!"

The FlowRider surf simulator is one of the signature activities on Quantum of the Seas, and it is available on many cruise ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Quantum of the Seas recently restarted cruises in Singapore with "cruises to nowhere" that are limited to residents of Singapore and are just 3- and 4-night sailings.

Good news, we are all one week closer to our next Royal Caribbean cruise!  In case you missed any of the Royal Caribbean fun from this week, here is our weekly round up!

Many cruise fans were happy to hear that Royal Caribbean has extended the opportunity to earn double loyalty program points on 2021 cruises.

The Loyalty 2X Points benefit has been extended as a result of some of the recently cancelled cruises in early 2021.

There is no change to existing 2021 cruises booked, as they already qualify for the benefit as well.

Royal Caribbean News

• Grandfather of toddler who fell from a Royal Caribbean ship has sentencing delayed
• Royal Caribbean says its app is required when cruises restart
• Here’s what ‘The Key’ is (and why some cruisers like it)
• New cruise planner sale on drink packages, excursions and more
• U.S. Congressmen demand answers from CDC about decisions to allow cruise ships to sail
• 10 mistakes travel agents see people make going on a cruise ship
• Where are Royal Caribbean's ships right now?
• Why cruise lines aren't relying only on COVID-19 testing
• Where Royal Caribbean cruising is right now
• Quantum of the Seas had a COVID-19 scare that turned out to be a false positive
• 7 things you should know about your cruise ship cabin
• Royal Caribbean says so many volunteers for test cruise is 'incredibly motivating'
• Royal Caribbean passes on virus-zapping air purifier

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 384th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt and Billy make wishes for cruising in 2021.

Each year, Billy and Matt look back on the wishes they made for the year and make new wishes for the coming year.

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: 5 biggest changes on first Royal Caribbean cruise ship back!

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 — 5 biggest changes on first Royal Caribbean cruise ship back — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Top 5 odd annoyances on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship

Every cruise ship has its quirks, including a few on Royal Caribbean that leave some guests baffled why it was designed that way.

In general, ship design is quite good across the fleet and the teams that sketched these vessels anticipated a lot of needs, but occasionally there is a peculiarity that we all seem to notice.

Here is a look at the top five odd annoyances on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that you may have encountered yourself.

One company claims to have developed an indoor air cleaning system that can zap away 99.9% of airborne COVID-19 virus particles from any indoor space within 30 minutes.

AtmosAir is the manufacturer of this bi-polar ionization technology, and it has caught the attention of plenty of companies that have large indoor spaces, such as cruise lines.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings recently announced a partnership with the company to install the technology on 28 cruise ships in the family of cruise lines, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas. Virgin Voyages will also invest in it.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Royal Caribbean considered using AtmosAir's tech, but "decided there wasn’t enough available research to justify adopting it."

Patrik Dahlgren, Royal Caribbean Group Senior Vice President for Global Marine Operations told the outlet they decided to upgrade its indoor air filtration systems using traditional filters capable of trapping virus-sized contaminants.

How bi-polar ionization works

The AtmosAir Bi-Polar Ionization works differently from traditional air filtration. Instead of "catching" virus particles in the air, Bi-Polar Ionization sends charged ions out on air currents that damage the surface of the virus and inactivate it.

These ions travel into occupied spaces, bind with contaminants and pathogens, including coronaviruses, and break them down. Through naturally occurring chemistry, the contaminants are disinfected, and the air is purified to the level seen in most natural environments.

AtmosAir Solutions provided results of tests performed by the independent Microchem Laboratory, which evaluates sanitizing products, that found the technology reduced the presence of coronavirus by more than 99 percent within 30 minutes of exposure.

The technology is used at more than 7,500 locations across the United States, including Hilton and Marriott hotels, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Staples Center, Los Angeles International and more.

Royal Caribbean's air filtration plans

Royal Caribbean worked with the University of Nebraska Medical Center to develop an air circulation solution to keep guests safe.

They conducted a bioaerosol assessment on Oasis of the Seas.

This study involved releasing billions of 1µ aerosol-sized microspheres, each containing uniquely DNA barcoded inert virus surrogate, throughout the ship at certain pre-selected spaces (i.e., crew cabins, guest staterooms, and adjacent public spaces including the casino, Studio-B & Disco/Lounge) to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of the vessel’s indoor air management strategies, as well as to understand the spread of the aerosols through the HVAC system and in between the adjacent private and public spaces.

The study found that it was necessary to utilize a HVAC system on its cruise ships that changed the air in the room at least 6 times or more and used a filter with a MERV rating of 13. Doing this cleared the virus droplets from the air in about an hour.

This study confirmed that cross-contamination of air between adjacent public spaces is extremely low, and undetectable in most test cases, thanks to this powerful system.

Air filtration is just one part of what Royal Caribbean's plans are to handle airflow on its cruise ships.

The Healthy Sail Panel panel of health experts recommended 7 important steps to manage indoor air.

1. Use HVAC filters with highest level possible (MERV 8 to MERV 13)

2. Optimize airflow so that air is not recirculated.

3. SARSCoV-2 isolation rooms are consistently at negative pressure.

4. Maximize air changes per hour and filtration of air in staterooms, crew rooms, and public areas.

5. Isolation rooms in medical facilities on board should have 6-12 air changes per hour, be at a negative pressure to the adjacent area, and have 100% air exhausted to the outside.

6. Use portable HEPA filters in congregate areas.

7. Reducing indoor functions whenever possible in favor of outdoor activities.

Royal Caribbean has a new sale on pre-cruise purchases, including drink packages, shore excursions, wifi and more.

The Deck the Deals sale runs between December 11 - 17, 2020 and is valid on sailings from March 1, 2021 - November 30, 2021. It includes all ships, except Spectrum of the Seas.

Here is what is included during the sale:

BEVERAGE: Up to 45% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 40% off onboard prices.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship.
• Dasani Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: 40% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: 40% off onboard prices.
• Refreshment Package: 40% off onboard prices.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 40% off

INTERNET: Up to 65% off

• The Key: 35% off (Excludes Majesty of the Seas)
• 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. (Excludes Majesty of the Seas)

ACTIVITIES: Up to 20% off

• All Access Ship Tour (Sailings from 4/1/21 - 11/30/21, excl. Grandeur of the Seas)

Gifts & Gear: Up to 50% Off (excl. Ovation & Voyager of the Seas)

• 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. (See full terms for exclusions)
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: discount varies by ship. (See full terms for exclusions)

Will this sale save me money?

In general, cruise planner sales have the potential to save money, but exact savings differ from sailing to sailing.

Royal Caribbean does not apply a flat discount across its sailings, but many items are cheaper to buy online before the cruise than once onboard.

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?

Two members of the United States Congress are demanding answers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about decisions related to cruise ship operations.

The Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) sent a lettter to the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking why they have not received records related to decisions made surrounding the cruise industry.

In the letter, the Congressmen asked the CDC more than seven months ago for records related to "the dangers posed to the cruise industry" from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, they were interested in knowing how the Carnival Corporation and its affiliated cruise lines, had responded to the pandemic. 

Essentially, the CDC dragged its feet and has only sent back  a single records production on July 10, 2020.  Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard has sent over more than 10,000 pages of requested information in the same time frame.

The CDC's response has been "completely unacceptable", according to both Congressmen.

"The documents are a key part of the Committee’s ongoing oversight efforts regarding the actions taken by both the Carnival Corporation and the CDC in response to the threat of COVID-19 on cruise ships," the members of Congress said in a statement.

In short, they believe the thousands of documents needed are part of a greater "concern that Carnival and its nine affiliated cruise lines were ignoring the public health threat of the pandemic in its public-facing marketing materials".