Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean Chairman and CEO Richard Fain shared a new video update that talked about the progress being made on new vaccines, as well as update on what Royal Caribbean is doing to get approval to offer cruises again.

Mr. Fain kicked off the video by highlighting the "transformational" progress being made on the vaccine front, with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines showing incredible results in their third phase of testing.

In addition to the vaccine progress, Mr. Fain mentioned Eli Lilly's antibody treatment and Regeneron as two very promising treatments that have provided a "quantum leap in our ability to deal with the disease".

"It's the extraordinary improvement in drugs and medical knowledge that's making COVID-19 progressively less dangerous every single day."

"And the real measure for the threat of this disease is the number of hospitalizations and deaths it causes. Getting that under control will be an enormous milestone for all of us."

Working with the CDC

Mr. Fain also talked about the Conditional Sail Order, which provides a framework for cruises to be able to resume if certain steps and milestones are met.

He said Royal Caribbean is up to the task of working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to get cruises back on the water again.

"We are determined to work with the CDC to implement, adjust and clarify all those requirements so that we can meet the goal of safe and healthy sailing."

Moreover, Mr. Fain said it will not be a quick process, but it is achievable.

"It won't be easy and it won't be quick, but it will be thorough and it will be effective."

In preparation for these hurdles set up by the CDC, Royal Caribbean is doing what it can to be "masters of our own destiny".

"We have established rigorous protocols designed to make cruise ships safer than comparable places on land. We're training our people and we're preparing our ships to face all of these challenges head on."

Cruise fans are ready to get back to sea, and Royal Caribbean is seeing that demand in the form of people volunteering for test cruises.

In less than a week, Royal Caribbean has received over 100,000 people sign up as a volunteer for its test cruises through an online form.

Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley shared the milestone on social media in a brief post.

Mr. Bayley also shared in a different Facebook post how "gratifying" it is to see so many people want to help get cruises back, "As many know from reading the CDC conditional sale order we will be operating trial sailings with volunteer guests. It has been so gratifying to receive literally thousands of emails and calls offering to volunteer."

The sign ups are for test cruises that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) require cruise lines to conduct prior to regular cruises being approved for restart in the United States.

On Thursday of last week, Royal Caribbean published an online signup form to allow anyone who is at least 18 years old to sign up after receiving thousands of inquiries from the public about how they could sign up to be a test cruiser.

The opportunity has spread across social media as cruise fans are showing that a lot are ready to cruise again, despite any risks associated with the current global health crisis.

Royal Caribbean has not announced any plans on when its test sailings might begin, although they could start as early as December.

In addition, Royal Caribbean has not said how it would pick people from the public to help test out these cruises. The only requirement listed when signing up was you had to be 18 years old.

If you want to sign up, you can fill out this form.

Willing and able

The incredible amount of signups in such a short amount of time is a testament to the pent-up demand that Royal Caribbean has seen from its customers since it shutdown operations in March.

Royal Caribbean has told investors that demand for cruises in the future remains strong because people want to get back on vacation.

On the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards, many cruise fans shared why they wanted signed up as volunteer.

IRMO12HD wrote, "I volunteered because I'm in a position to (retired, able to quarantine if necessary, willing to accept the risks involved, in good health) and because I want to support Royal Caribbean in returning to cruising.  My eyes are wide open; I know this will be a test, not a 'cruise' as such, and that many of the things I love about cruising will not be occurring.  That's okay.  I believe at this point, the industry needs support; more than that, I think it needs belief and trust."

krhardy is also eager to get back on a cruise ship, "I volunteered because I love cruising, and I am eager to be part of the return to sea. I want to help test the procedures and provide the feedback they need so that we can ALL get back to cruising."

Neesa also wants to do what she can to help Royal Caribbean, "I know I could be a flexible participant, standing by and patiently working with and alongside the team for a meaningful outcome. My love of the ocean and sailing drove me to sign up and support Royal Caribbean's efforts, I personally feel they have gotten a pretty raw deal."

sk8erguy1978 did not sign up, but admits it is intriguing, "With rising cases in my area and new restrictions being put in place, I'm not sure non-essential air travel is a good idea. It does sound like an amazing "once in a lifetime" opportunity and would love to be part of it."

What do volunteers have to do?

While volunteers would get on a cruise ship sooner, it will not necessarily be a complete pleasure cruise.

The CDC has outlined a variety of important tasks that volunteers on a test cruise would have to help test out.

During the test cruise, the following activities must be simulated:

• embarkation and disembarkation procedures, including terminal check-in, 
• on board activities, including at dining and entertainment venues,
• private island shore excursions (if a port is visited)
• evacuation procedures,
• transfer of symptomatic passengers or crew, or those who test positive for SARSCoV-2, from cabins to isolation rooms,
• quarantine of all remaining passengers and non-essential crew, and
• other activities as may be listed in CDC technical instructions and orders.

Royal Caribbean must modify meal service and entertainment venues to facilitate social distancing during the simulated voyage.

Another busy week of Royal Caribbean fun just wrapped up, but if you missed any of it, I have a concise look at all of it for you in this weekly news round-up!

After a week of speculation, Royal Caribbean is now taking sign ups for anyone that wants to volunteer go on a test sailing.

Royal Caribbean received thousands of requests, and so decided to offer a waitlist form to be notified if there are any opportunities.

The cruise line has a form set up for adults only (18 years or older) to enter basic information about themselves.

Over 20,000 people signed up in just the first 24 hours, with many more since.

Royal Caribbean News

• Congress members asked the CDC to bring back the No Sail order cruise ship ban
• Royal Caribbean cancelled January 2021 Australia and New Zealand cruises
• New Alaska 2022 cruises are available to book.
• Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean test cruises
• Royal Caribbean will extend future cruise credits that were going to expire at end of 2020
• How to choose an Alaska cruise itinerary that is right for you
• New pre-cruise sale on add-ons, such as drink packages and more.
• Could Royal Caribbean follow Celebrity Cruises move to all-inclusive pricing?
• Odyssey of the Seas construction photo update
• Royal Caribbean cruise ships took shelter in Bahamas from Tropical Storm Eta
• Top 8 Royal Caribbean Double Points questions

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 380th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, which shares Diana's cruise story.

Diana celebrated her 35th wedding anniversary on Enchantment of the Seas, and shared her fun cruise escape on this week's cruise story!

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: Top 10 things you should never do on a cruise

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 — Top 10 things you should never do on a cruise — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Why shore excursions are the big change to cruises you aren't thinking about

While the focus on all the changes to cruises largely centers around wearing masks, testing and social distancing, a major change to cruises whenever they return is going to be shore excursions.

While Royal Caribbean has not divulged its full list of new rules guests can expect when cruises resume in North America, limitations on shore excursions are a likely component to the cruise that could see big changes.

Going on a cruise is going to change, including how we plan and book shore excursions.

Royal Caribbean is informing guests who have unused Future Cruise Credit (FCC) that were set to expire at the end of 2020 they will get an extra year to apply them to a new booking.

Royal Caribbean decided to extend future cruise credits that were issued before the global cruise shutdown began and were set to expire on December 31, 2020.

UPDATE: The extensions apply to all Future Cruise Credits that were going to expire between March 14, 2020 - December 30, 2021.

Instead, these credits will now be extended until December 31, 2021.

This change does not affect future cruise credits from the voluntary cruise suspension, as those future cruise credits are not scheduled to expire until December 31, 2021 already.

Emails have been sent to guests who had future cruise credits to inform them of this change.

"We know options have been more limited than normal and you may not have had the opportunity to use your Future Cruise Credit (FCC). Not to worry though! We want to make sure your credits don't go unused, so we've decided to extend your Future Cruise Credit until December 31st, 2021."

The FCC will automatically be updated no later than Monday, November 16, 2020 to reflect the new expiration date.

How do you get a future cruise credit?

Future Cruise Credits are given to guests and represent a certain value that can be applied to a new cruise reservation.

It most most often given as an alternative to a refund, although many times refunds may not be available.

Future cruise credits have become widely available due to the current voluntary cruise shutdown that Royal Caribbean is engaged in, which means while cruises are being cancelled due to the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean is offering guests future cruise credits.

In fact, the Cruise with Confidence program offers flexible terms for cancelling your cruise up to 48 hours before your sail date.  If you elect to cancel a cruise under Cruise with Confidence, you are eligible to receive a future cruise credit worth 100% of the money you paid.

A United States Senator and Representative sent a joint letter to the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) asking them to reinstate the ban on cruise ships from the United States.

The Senators felt obliged to act following a high profile situation developing with a small luxury yacht cruise line that encountered a few passengers testing positive for COVID-19 while onboard.

U.S. Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent the letters after seeing the SeaDream 1 cruise ship report about 5 positive cases a few days after the ship departed Barbados.

The letter was sent to CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, and implored him to bring back the cruise ship ban.

"We write with urgent concern surrounding recent reports of multiple confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on board the first cruise ship to carry passengers in the Caribbean since  countries around the world imposed strict limitations on operations in mid-March."

The Senators feel the time is simply not right for cruises to restart with the pandemic still a major threat across the United States, and around the world.

"The order set out a seemingly robust and phased approach to restarting cruise line operations, but we have serious concerns that – even with the additional requirements and standards – cruising is simply unsafe during a global pandemic."

At the end of October, the CDC lifted the No Sail Order ban on cruise ships, and replaced it with the Framework for Conditional Sail Order (CSO), which set up a series of requirements for cruise lines to meet before getting approval to sail again.

On Wednesday, SeaDream Yacht Club announced that a passenger on board one of its ships had preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. Last night, reports confirmed several other cases aboard the ship and that at least five people aboard have tested positive for coronavirus after undergoing additional screening.

Cruise industry insider Stewart Chiron called the letter "uninformed, political grandstanding", noting the enormous double standard the cruise lines are held to while so many other aspects of travel and life in the United States are completely unregulated for COVID-19 concerns.

More uninformed, political grandstanding! That's exactly what we don't need! I don't recall their outrage when over 500 people at a Las Vegas resort tested positive for COVID in September. https://t.co/gzNnogVFwW

— Stewart Chiron (@CruiseGuy) November 13, 2020

Senator Blumenthal took to Twitter as well to share his concern that cruises returning have fulfilled, "our worst fears."

Multiple COVID-19 cases on the first cruise ship in the Caribbean fulfills our worst fears. They’re a compelling reason for the CDC to reverse course & restore its no-sail order. Bon voyage is very bad policy.https://t.co/o71Ophcgsm

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) November 13, 2020

Royal Caribbean is looking for volunteers for test cruises and the response in the first 24 hours has been overwhelming.

In just the first day since Royal Caribbean opened up a Facebook group and sign up form for anyone who is interested in being a test cruise volunteer, over 22,000 people have joined the Facebook page to get more information.

On Thursday morning, Royal Caribbean responded to over a week of inquiries from the public on how they might be able to sign up to be a volunteer on a mock cruise that will help test out the cruise line's new protocols.

Part of the process for any cruise line to receive approval to restart cruises from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is to conduct a series of test sailings that have volunteer passengers onboard.

The cruise line received over 3,000 emails since last week with people expressing interest in being a cruise ship volunteer, so Royal Caribbean opened up its Volunteer of the Seas group in an effort to more easily collect information on anyone who might be interested in being a volunteer.

According to Royal Caribbean, "This group will serve the community of adventurers who are excited and ready to be the first back at sea. Get ready to dust off your suitcase and get back to adventure!".

Royal Caribbean has not announced any plans on when its test sailings might begin, although they could start as early as December.

In addition, Royal Caribbean has not said how it would pick people from the public to help test out these cruises. The only requirement listed when signing up was you had to be 18 years old.

In a statement by Royal Caribbean, the Facebook group is for gathering a list of people that are interested in being a volunteer, and more details will be determined later.

"We are still reviewing the CDC framework and do not have details on our simulated sailings."

"While we review the requirements proposed by the CDC and consider when we can host our simulated trial sailings, we are gathering information from those who have shown interest on our Facebook group and will be in touch with them when we have more details. Our priority is to ensure that we can exercise our comprehensive set of measures in a safe and healthy manner while making sure we provide a memorable vacation experience."

Test sailings are part of the second phase of the CDC's plan to potentially allow cruise lines to sail again.  Non-revenue sailings will allow crew members to respond to simulated virus scenarios onboard.

Additionally, all crew and voluntary passengers must follow testing protocols, which include rapid testing prior to both embarkation and disembarkation.

"The cruise ship operator must conduct a monitored observation period and laboratory testing of volunteer passengers, as directed in CDC technical instructions or orders, prior to embarking volunteer passengers on a simulated voyage."

UPDATE: This information is now out of date. Royal Caribbean has changed thier minds and has set up a form to take volunteer sign ups.

Ever since Royal Caribbean said it would need volunteers for its test cruises last week, there has been a flurry of interest, but the cruise line does not need the public help yet.

A week after sparking interest in new volunteers, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, said the cruise line received an "enthusiastic interest" from the public to sign up as a volunteer, but Royal Caribbean has no need for public volunteers.

Ms. Freed told travel agents plans for its test cruises are still very much up in the air, and there is no way for the public to sign up for them.

"We don't know when these trials sailings are going to happen. We're working on a number of different game plans."

"We do know that we will initially have our employees and members of our operations team. But if we find the need to expand beyond our employee base, we are going to be honored to have some of our travel partners to help us on these cruises. So when that time comes, we will certainly let you know."

Ms. Freed said she received over 3,000 emails from travel agents, consumers, and repeat cruisers who were all interested in signing up as a volunteer.

As first reported by RoyalCaribbeanBlog last week, Ms. Freed talked about the possibility of volunteers being needed for test cruises and it sparked an avalanche of interest.

Despite Ms. Freed indicating details needed to be fleshed out on many aspects of these test sailings, that did not stop a lot of people picking up on the possibility of volunteer cruisers being required.

In addition, a multitude of media outlets picked up on the story, which poured gasoline on the fire of interest among cruise fans who have expressed a strong desire to get back onboard.

"We received an abundance of emails related to your willingness to wanting to volunteer for any upcoming trial cruises," Ms. Freed confessed to travel partners.  "And I have to tell you kept me very busy as well as many of our team members."

"But I do want to share with you, you do not need to send me any emails at this time."

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Michelle reached out to Royal Caribbean directly about signing up as a volunteer, but the cruise line gave her a similar answer that Ms. Freed shared.

In addition, over 500 people have overwhelmingly shared their interest in becoming a volunteer on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards.

Royal Caribbean's sister brand Celebrity Cruises announced a major change on Tuesday that includes a number of add-ons that are now part of the cruise price, leading many cruise fans to wonder if Royal Caribbean might do the same.

Celebrity Cruises rolled out the "Always Included" plan, which means cruise fares now include automatically Wi-Fi, drinks and gratuity.  

The cruise line says they made this change in an effort to avoid "confusing promotions, complicated add-ons and limited-time offers."  

How Always Included works

Beginning November 17, 2020 all Celebrity Cruises sailings (except Galapagos cruises) will include WiFi, drinks, and gratuities.  

When you book a Celebrity cruise, your fare will include the classic beverage package, Wi-Fi for two devices, and gratuities as part of the price you pay for your stateroom. Prior to this change, these items cost extra, just like on Royal Caribbean.

You can optionally pay more for one of two upgrade packages that includes higher tier drinks, as well as other incentives.

In a statement, Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo called the Always Included plan a “new luxury” culture.

The appeal of this package is it includes a few commonly purchased add-ons that makes getting a sense of the "bottom line price" for a cruise a lot easier to understand.

Will Royal Caribbean do the same?

Including popular add-ons such as tips, a drink package and wifi is something that sounds appealing to Royal Caribbean cruise fans who would also like a simplified approach to cruise pricing.

Traditionally, Royal Caribbean's promotions tend to favor giving guests a discount on the cruise fare, and then allowing guests to add-on things like a drink package or wifi if they want it.

Prior to Always Included, Celebrity Cruises tended to offer promotions that offered cruise add-ons for free, while not touching the cruise fare.

In addition, Celebrity Cruises is usually grouped with other premium cruise lines, such as Princess or Holland America, whereas Royal Caribbean is a contemporary cruise line and tends to be grouped with Carnival and Norwegian.

Meanwhile, gratuities have been part of Royal Caribbean's cruise pricing in Australia for a few years because of the different customs surrounding tipping in that part of the world.

What has been traditionally done may be a moot point, because since the cruise industry shutdown earlier this year, we have seen plenty of offers that were unprecedented prior to the shutdown, such as double Crown and Anchor Society points for all 2021 cruises and unprecedented flexibility in cancelling cruises.

Royal Caribbean Group (the company that owns both Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises) has posted billion dollar loses the last few quarters, which means getting revenue flowing again is a major priority.  Thus, anything is possible.

Depending on how well the Always Included change increases bookings, the decision for Royal Caribbean International to move in the same direction may wait to see those results.

Do you want more inclusive pricing?

Since Celebrity made its announcement, plenty of cruise fans have already begun wondering aloud if a similar promotion for Royal Caribbean makes sense.

A discussion on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards seems to have intrigued quite a few people.

JLMoran thinks this is a really smart move by Celebrity, "This is very smart on their part -- they've clearly been looking at what people have traditionally chosen when they chose the Sail Better (3 perks) option and I'll bet it was always those three."

cruisellama also likes the change, "Great idea.  I've been a proponent of that approach since the nickel and diming started a few years ago."

FionaMG thinks this sort of pricing would not benefit the way her family travels, "This move would ensure a minimum spend from guests like us who normally spend peanuts on top of the basic cruise fare. Not sure I want to play that game."

Royal Caribbean is offering a discount on cruise add-ons, such as drink packages, shore excursions and more, with its new sale.

The Deals on Cruise Faves sale runs between November 11 - 17, 2020 and is valid on sailings from January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021.

Here is what is included during the sale:

BEVERAGE: Up to 50% 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: Discount varies by ship.
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship.
• Refreshment Package: 40% off onboard prices.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 40% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship.

INTERNET: Up to 65% off

• The Key: Discount varies by ship. (Excludes MJ)
• 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 MJ)

GIFTS & GEAR: Up to 20% off (Excludes OY, VY)

• 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)

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.

Royal Caribbean announced it has cancelled its Australia and New Zealand cruises on or before January 31, 2021.

Guests on affected sailings in January have begun receiving emails to inform them of the change.

The new set of cancellations applies only to sailings out of Australia and New Zealand through January 31, 2020.

Royal Caribbean had planned to resume cruises on January 1, but announced it had to cancel the cruises to prepare for its new health protocols.

"We want to ensure we have ample time to focus on our healthy return to service initiatives and to let you make alternative holiday plans."

"Royal Caribbean International will be extending our suspension of sailings, beyond that of the Australian government’s, to include sailings departing Australia and New Zealand on or before 31 January 2021. This is to allow guests booked on January sailings to make alternative holiday arrangements."

Guests who were booked on affected sailings will receive emails with compensation offers and choices of what to do.

The email to guests also thanked them for their understanding.

"We appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued loyalty. We will all come out of this stronger than ever. Stay healthy and safe. We miss our guests, and we’ll be ready to welcome you back soon."

Guests on the now cancelled cruises have the choice of three compensation offers:

125% Future Cruise Credit

125% Future Cruise Credit to book a new cruise by December 31, 2021 for sailings on or before April 30, 2022.

The FCCs will be sent via email by by December 18, 2020.

Lift & Shift

Select next year’s sailing with the same itinerary type, sailing length, stateroom category, and within the same 4-week window of the original cruise date, and you can take your existing reservation and move it to next year.

You must decide to move to a new sailing by November 25, 2020. If not, we will automatically issue you a 125% Future Cruise Credit.

Refund

If you prefer a cash refund, you can do so by requesting this option on-or-before March 31, 2020.

You can expect their refund to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancellation date. 

FCC Used to Purchase: If you purchased your January cruise using a Future Cruise Credit and opt for a refund, the FCC will be reinstated for future use, under its original terms.