Royal Caribbean Blog

If you are among the many that miss being onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise, being stuck at home does not mean you do not have the opportunty to enjoy a little bit of cruise fun.

With no Royal Caribbean cruises since mid-March, it has been months since any of us had a chance to get onboard a ship and indulge in the kind of fun vacation we love.

While these are no substitute for the real thing, here are a few fun ways to help pass the time until cruises resume again.

Watch videos on YouTube

Take advantage of this down time to learn about cruising, explore new ships, or simply take a "mental escape" and watch a video others have posted from their Royal Caribbean cruises.

YouTube offers a plethora of videos about so many topics and experiences, and there are lots of videos dedicated to cruising and Royal Caribbean.

While you are on YouTube, be sure to visit the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel, and check out some of my favorites!

Cruise podcasts

Podcasts are a popular medium for not only learning, but enjoying great entertainment. 

There are a variety of cruise podcasts out there, and they are free to listen to, with cruise news, tips, experiences and answers to common questions.

There are a few good podcasts worth subscribing, and having on while you keep working from your designated social distancing location.

• Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast
• Cruise Radio
• Cruise Tips TV Podcast
• Always Be Booked Podcast
• Disney Cruise Line Blog Podcast
• CruiseHabit

Island tunes

Something I always associate with a cruise vacation is the music of the Caribbean islands.

Reggae, steel drum, Jimmy Buffett, and Zac Brown Band are just some of the typical tunes you can find that will instantly set the mood that you are onboard or at the beach.

Whether you delve into your own collection of music, or check out an online radio station, or even a digital music streaming service, there are some great choices out there.

Radio Margaritaville is a good place to start, along with Spotify or Pandora.

Virtual cruises

Did you know that Royal Caribbean has been offering sailings on Virtual of the Seas for weeks?

Ever since its ships stopped sailing, Royal Caribbean decided to embrace the demand by its loyal guests for a cruise fix and offer virtual sailings on Facebook.

These pretend cruises offer do-it-yourself activities at home, Facebook live video chats, trivia sessions and even sunsets to enjoy from the comfort of your home.

Virtual cruises started out as a fun excuse to talk Royal Caribbean, but has taken on a life of its own with so many cruise fans clamoring for some virtual fun wherever they can get it.

You can follow along each day on Abe Hughes' Facebook page.

Cruise cocktails at home

While there are no drink packages offered in your house, you can still whip up a few cruise cocktails at su casa.

As long as you have the proper ingredients and a blender, it is pretty easy to make a variety of popular cocktails at home. Margaritas, lava flows, or daiquiris are just some of the popular concoctions you can make in your kitchen.

Check out this list of 38 Royal Caribbean drink recipes for instructions on how to make your favorite (or discover a new one)!

Plan your next cruise

Just because there are no cruises happening right now does not mean you cannot get a head start on planning your next cruise vacation.

This may be the perfect time to figure out what your future vacation plans look like, and begin the planning process.

Now is a great time to put a deposit down for a cruise in the future, and start planning which shore excursions you want to try, read a Cruise Compass to see activities onboard, and learn everything you can about the ship.

Royal Caribbean's Virtual of the Seas, a pretend cruise experience at home, is set to begin its next sailing today and will head down under.

The fifth official sailing will head for its furthest destination with visits to Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart... and a even manage a port stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay (if you are going to pretend, may as well take advantage of it).

The first day of activities on Virtual of the Seas include a Facebook like assembly drill, iconic buildings photo share, social media sail away and more.

Once again hosting this magical sailing from home is Cruise Director Abe Hughes. You can follow along each day on Abe Hughes' Facebook page.

Happy Sunday and happy unofficial start to summer, as the Memorial Day weekend here in the United States marks the start of the season for many.

Royal Caribbean cancelled all of its sailings through July 31, 2020, pushing back the date it may restart sailings.

The announcement came at the end of the company's earnings call with investors, with a new target date to resume on August 1, 2020.

The only exception to the suspension is China sailings, which will be suspended through the end of June.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean reported over $1 billion losses during the first quarter.
• Allure of the Seas arrived in Spain to begin some dry dock work.
• Richard Fain told CNBC "We're not sure when we're coming back"
• Here is Royal Caribbean's explanation on why refunds are taking so long.
• Royal Caribbean's newer ships reach a break-even point quicker than older ships.
• Demand by repeat cruises has surprised the cruise line.
• Corporate partner Universal Studios Orlando will reopen on June 5.
• Australia extended its ban on cruise ships until September.
• Royal Caribbean ends option for travel agents to complete online check-in for guests.
• United States and Canada extend non-essential travel border shutdown an additional 30 days.
• 7 family games that bring a Royal Caribbean cruise to your house.
• How to postpone your Royal Caribbean cruise until later due to coronavirus
• Many cruisers willing to go back on cruise ships before a vaccine exists.
• Here is the latest Odyssey of the Seas cruise construction photo.
• Italy is going to reopen its borders in June.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 355th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, that features Brent's first Royal Caribbean cruise.

Vania shares how finding other cruise fans online helped fuel her love of going on a cruise, and shares how it compelled her to book an Anthem of the Seas sailing.

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.

What changes will Royal Caribbean make to keep guests healthy once cruises resume?

Many cruisers are wondering what the cruise experience will be like in first few months once cruises resume.

Without a doubt, Royal Caribbean will implement a wide variety of policy changes to the onboard experience, but it remains to be seen exactly what these changes will look like until a formal announcement is made.

Check out our list of changes we know about, and unconfirmed changes that are still considered rumors.

The most asked question about Royal Caribbean, and cruising in general, is when will cruises resume sailing, and Royal Caribbean is still sorting that out as well.

With Royal Caribbean's announcement last week it was canceling all cruises through the end of July, the company updated its website to indicate it will return to service on August 1.

However, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain spoke on CNBC last week and was frank with his answer about when his company will start sailing again.

"Well, I think we have said that we're not sure when we're coming back. We won't come back until we're absolutely sure that we've done everything we can to work to protect the safety of our guests and crew."

"We said when we we won't be back before the end of July, but we we haven't gone to the next step of saying we're absolutely confident that we're starting on August one."

"We will work with the authorities. We will work with all the experts that we have asked to help us on this, to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect our guests and crew."

What to expect

Without a doubt, you are likely wondering when cruising will start back up again and what date to believe.

For now, you should take Royal Caribbean's date of operations to resume on August 1 as the defacto answer, but prepare for more cancellations.

The answer of when cruises will resume may be better determined by looking out your window and seeing when life begins to return to some kind of normalcy. The sooner daily life starts back up, the less impediments the cruise lines will have to face in starting up again.

Universal Studios Orlando announced it will officially re-open to the public on June 5, 2020.

The popular Orlando theme park is a partner of Royal Caribbean International, with many vacation packages and shore excursions offered by the cruise line.

Universal Orlando released a statement on Friday that Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and Universal’s Volcano Bay will open to the public on June 5th.

The theme park reopening was approved by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

With the announcement comes new protocols, as well as a reminder for all guests to adhere to CDC guidelines and the guidance of health officials.  Specifically,  guests and team members must wear face coverings and undergo temperature checks. Those with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater will not be able to enter.

Other protocols include:

• Staggered parking in the parking garage.
• Daily limit on park attendance, as well as limit on people on each attraction.
  • Virtual lines will be available for select attractions.
• Social distancing will be enforced throughout the parks including within attraction queues and at restaurants. Increased cleaning and disinfection of food locations, ride vehicles, and other “touch points.”
• Cashless payments and “no touch” policies where possible.

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas arrived to the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain on Friday to begin her delayed refurbishment.

Allure will be in dry dock in Cadiz for about a month to undergo a technical dry dock, where the propulsion and navigation will be worked on.

There is still no word on when Allure of the Seas will receive the other aspects of her planned amplification, including water slides, new dining venues and more.

Spanish media reports Allure of the Seas was scheduled to enter Cadiz last week, but Spain's Department of Foreign Health intervened and prohibited the ship from entering, due to too many crew members onboard. The ban was subsequently lifted when a reduction in the number of crew was confirmed. 

Allure is carrying 301 crew, who will not get off the cruise at any time, according to local security measures. In addition, about 60 Royal Caribbean technicians will travel by plane and will undergo testing upon arrival. They will remain in a hotel and then be transferred to the ship once the medical tests are completed.

The work that will be done during this round of work is estimated to cost about 16 million Euros, and will focus on ship maintenance.

If you book a Royal Caribbean cruise this weekend, you can take advantage of 30% off every guest, up to $300 instant savings and kids sail free bonus offer.

The Explore & Save Sale runs between May 21-26, 2020 and is valid on select sailings departing on or after August 1, 2020.

It includes:

• 30% off cruise fare for all guests in the stateroom
• Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger as of cruise departure date, booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests in a triple or quad-occupancy stateroom.
  • Kids Sail Free applies to select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, Repositioning and all 2020 Serenade of the Seas sailings departing between September 1, 2020 – December 17, 2020 and January 8, 2021 – May 17, 2021.
  • Excludes 2020 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 21 - 28, 2020), 2021 President’s Day Sailings (Sailings between February 12 – 15, 2021), and 2021 Spring Break and Easter sailings (Sailings between March 13 – April 4, 2021).
  • Taxes, fees, and port expenses are additional and apply to all guests.
• Up to $300 USD per stateroom on select sailings
  • Savings amount determined by category booked and sailing length:
  • Sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $75 for Suites
  • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $300 for Suites

30% Off Every Guest and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, instant savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers, Free Upgrades, Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Explore and Save Sale is combinable with 30% Off Every Guest and Kids Sail Free as well as with promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers, Free Upgrades, and Shareholder Benefits, but not combinable with Crown and Anchor discounts.  Offer are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates.  Promo Code driven offers are based on select ships and sail dates and must be applied at time of booking; limit one promo code per booking.

Offer available to residents of United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select countries in the Caribbean. 

The Australian Border Force announced it has extended its ban on cruise ships until September 17, 2020.

The Australian Border Force said in a statement: "On 15 May 2020, the Governor-General has extended the human biosecurity emergency period for an additional three months, from 17 June to 17 September 2020. This has enabled the Minister for Health to continue to exercise the emergency powers under the Commonwealth Biosecurity Act to prevent or control the spread of COVID-19."

"On 20 May 2020, the Minister for Health extended the determination to prohibit the arrival at an Australian port of any international cruise ship that has left a foreign port. The restrictions included direct arrivals and Round Trip Cruises."

The ban prohibits any cruise ship capable of carrying more than 100 passengers is prohibited from operating cruises in Australia, including direct arrivals and round trip cruises.

The ban was put into place on March 27, and was set to expire in June.

"The Australian Border Force has been in constant contact with the cruise industry which has been cooperative and understands the Government's overwhelming priority to ensure the health and safety of the broader Australian community," the ABF said in a statement.

Royal Caribbean announced on Wednesday it has cancelled another batch of cruises, and that means thousands more guests will be waiting for refunds and future cruise credits to be processed on top of the many more that are still waiting for refunds from their cancelled sailings.

It is no secret Royal Caribbean, and all cruise lines, are struggling to process refunds in a timely manner. Royal Caribbean has issued public apologies for the delays, but the lag in getting the money back to consumers is still a source of frustration for many.

So why are refunds taking so long to be processed and payed out?

The answer from the top

During a webinar with travel agents on Wednesday, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain was asked about the delays in refunds and issuing future cruise credits, and could he address what the cruise line is doing about those delays.

Mr. Fain started off with saying the cruise line has two top priorities at the moment: repatriating crew members to their home countries and getting refunds out to guests.

Two issues were identified by Mr. Fain as causing friction in the processing of credits or refunds: many employees having to work from home and "a dramatic increase in the number of cancellations and refunds."

"So the volume simply exploded. And a very nice system that worked for a volume of X doesn't work per volume of 50 times X or whatever the number is, but we simply weren't prepared for it. And by the way, this requires more training than other things."

According to Mr. Fain, compounding the problem is how the credit card companies work to process these requests.

"We also found that the credit card companies weren't equipped to handle this as quickly as we thought. And so in some cases, we would send them a notice to put a credit on somebody's account. And it was taking up to 10 days to actually get posted through again. Once we understood it and we really dealt with it, that we were able to deal with."

In light of these issues, Royal Caribbean has worked to expedite the refund process, although that is still a work in progress.

"We have sped this up, so I think we're getting better at it, we're bringing it more under control. It's still not as as fast and as efficient as we would like it to be. But again, it is the combination of the volume that we simply weren't prepared for and have never experienced, combined with the inefficiency of so many of our people working from home."

With more cancelled cruises and longer delays in refunds, it creates an even bigger problem.

"When something like this happens, it it builds on itself. And so this same issue also reverberates into affecting our call centers. So we start to get more calls. People are on hold longer and it becomes a vicious circle."

What Royal Caribbean is doing to get refunds out faster

With the problem identified, Royal Caribbean is not content with maintaining the status quo.  Mr. Fain explained what the cruise line is doing to get refunds out faster and improve the process.

"What we're working to do is convert the vicious circle into a virtuous circle. We've added technical capabilities to hopefully speed up more of the processes. We've added a lot of people to the process. So the the numbers, and I and I get a daily report on the numbers of delays in refunds and FCC fees, are coming down."

"We're not to a point yet where I no longer need to get that daily report. And I look forward to that day. But where we're making progress towards it."

Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Support & Service Vicki Freed also added by apologizing for the issues, and re-assuring travel agents that they are working on it.

"We do recognize travel advisors that the whole time have been long, and we apologize, it's not level of service. We strive to have at Royal Caribbean. So we hear you. We are aware of it."

"But we promise you we're going to keep working really hard to reduce those long hold times. Now, with the new suspension announced today, it's not going to get easier."

"So standby, we're aware of it travel partners, and we will do better. We need to do better, because you deserve us to be doing the right thing for you."

During Wednesday's call with Wall Street analysts, Royal Caribbean revealed some pretty intriguing statistics about the break even point for its ships.

One analyst asked how many ships Royal Caribbean needs to have sailing to reach a "break even" point in terms of costs.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty answered by saying the company could break even with use of fewer, but newer cruise ships, in lieu of older ships.

"For our newer ships, you need about 30 percent load factors to kind of break even. And then they skew to about 50 percent load factor on onto our older ships."

With the cruise line's recent cost-cutting measures, their return to service does not need the entire fleet operating at full levels to break even. In fact, load factors do not need to be exceptionally high either.

Essentially, Royal Caribbean is eyeing a slow return to service that gets them back to a break even point in a relatively short period of time.

Selling off older ships?

Another question was raised about older ships and if there is a prolonged suspension of cruises, would Royal Caribbean consider selling off or even scrapping its older ships.

Once again, Mr. Liberty answered the question:

"I do think that you will see ships that are retired at a much higher pace than what we have seen in the past with really because there hasn't been that much on the scraping side. I think the combination of what's happening with COVID and then the IMO regulations, you'll see interest in some of the older vessels for possible sale."

"And so you're going to see a permanent shift in the way of new buildings for some time, which is going to weigh on capacity growth numbers for the foreseeable future. Because these, especially the new building side, it's not a shift and catch up. It's what's likely to be a very permanent shift."