Royal Caribbean Blog

We love sharing Royal Caribbean photos that our readers send in because they are so much fun to look at.  We want your photos too, so send us your best Royal Caribbean photos to share with the world.

Our first photo is by Cheryl and Ken Oberkrom and it is a fantastic shot of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, as seen from the Windjammer on Anthem of the Seas.

Christian Goulet shared this photo of Allure of the Seas docked in St. Maarten.

Here is a look at Explorer of the Seas in Stavanger, Norway. Photo by Sue Shepherd.

Hiram Perrand shared a black and white shot of Harmony of the Seas.

Next, we have a look at Mariner of the Seas, as seen from the Windjammer on Symphony of the Seas in Costa Maya.  Photo by Gabrielle Owens.

Stephen Lima shared our next photo, and it is of Harmony of the Seas docked next to Rhapsody of the Seas in Cozumel.

Our final photo this week is by Emma and Jason Nolan in Tallinn, with Explorer of the Seas in the background.

If we 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 them to us.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas arrived earlier this week in Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain to begin her $165 million amplification.  

The cruise line shared photos of Oasis undergoing the beginning of the work that will add a variety of new features, including the  Ultimate Abyss; The Perfect Storm trio of waterslides, a reimagined, Caribbean pool deck; new kids and teens spaces transformed from top to bottom, and more. You can view the deck-by-deck changes to Oasis of the Seas.

The modernization will take 63 days. The amplified Oasis will set sail on Nov. 24, 2019, beginning 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Royal Caribbean’s new, state-of-the-art Terminal A in Miami. Oasis then moves to the New York City area in May 2020 as the largest ship to sail from the New York area. Oasis will reposition to her new summer home at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, offering 7-night sailings to The Bahamas with visits to Royal Caribbean’s newly transformed private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Royal Caribbean International’s newly amplified Navigator of the Seas is sailing from her year-round home in Miami with a $115 million new look. Guests can choose from an adventure-packed lineup of bold, new experiences and Royal Caribbean favorites, from adrenaline-inducing features to an array of elevated dining and nightlife. With 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday cruises to the cruise line’s new private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and highlights on board like The Blaster, the longest aquacoaster at sea; a redesigned Caribbean poolscape; the new three-level bar, The Lime & Coconut; and the first blow-dry bar at sea – To Dry For, Navigator has been reimagined into the ultimate short getaway.

Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas is now the biggest cruise ship to ever visit a Russian port. 

On September 9, 2019, Spectrum visited the port of Vladivostok, Russia after passing under the famous ‘Russky’ bridge.

During the ship’s visit to Vladivostok more than 200 Russian guests joined the ship as the first Russian’s to sail onboard Spectrum from a Russian port. The guests will visit cities in Japan and China during a 7-night cruise aboard the innovative ship.

“This is a very big achievement for us in the Russian market. Together with our partners, Inflot, we are excited to see our guests enjoying Spectrum of the Seas. These types of opportunities help us continue to grow our business in the Far East as we have more Russian guests explore our Asian itienraries,” said Natalia Bentas, Sales Manager Europe/ Middle East /Africa IRs, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Julia Dmitrieva, product director at Inflot, the official representative of the cruise company in Russia, shared: “We have been preparing for this event for over year. The first visit to a Russian was a complete success due to the coordinated efforts of the team, our company’s specialists, port agents and customs services of the port of Vladivostok.”

Royal Caribbean announced Daryl Hall & John Oates will perform onboard the cruise line's 50th Birthday extravaganza.

In a post on social media, Royal Caribbean confirmed the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will offer, "an incredible, exclusive performance."

The 50th Birthday & President's Cruise will take place on November 2, 2019 onboard Symphony of the Seas. 

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 321 is available for downloading, where Matt and Brandon review their recent cruise on Mariner of the Seas.

Matt and Brandon were guests invited to a wedding that took place at Perfect Day at CocoCay, along with a reception back onboard the ship. The guys discuss what a wedding on Royal Caribbean is like, and share what their experiences onboard.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 321. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Ahead of its 2020 goal, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced it now offers  1,400 sustainable tours are now available for booking. 

Offered by certified sustainable tour operators, these special tours are available across Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s (RCL) family of brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara — and are available around the world.

Back in 2016, Royal Caribbean set up a goal to match the 2020 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) target to offer guests 1,000 tours provided by operators certified to the UN-created Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) standard. Royal Caribbean believes by reaching this goal one year ahead of schedule, it clearly demonstrates its, "commitment to operate sustainably and provide its guests with responsible options while ashore."

GSTC standards, known as the GSTC Criteria, are organized around four main themes: effective sustainability planning, maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage, and reducing negative impacts to the environment.

Our guests are eager to explore and discover new cultures and places, and we want to do our part to ensure those destinations continue to thrive," said Roberta Jacoby, Managing Director, Global Tour Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  "Achieving this goal was a truly collaborative process with our motivated tour operators and with the dedicated team at Global Sustainable Tourism Council."

Royal Caribbean's WOW Sale is back beginning today, with 50% off second guest, Kids Sail Free, and bonus onboard credit.

The WOW Sale is valid between September 25-29, 2019 on on select sailings departing on or after October 25, 2019.

Here is what the offer includes:

• 50% savings off the price of cruise fare of second guest booked in the same stateroom as first, full-fare paying guest. 
• 25% cruise fare savings for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests. 
• Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, and Repositioning sailings departing between October 25, 2019 – May 15, 2020 and August 31, 2020 - December 17, 2020.
  • Offer excludes 2019 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 23 - 30, 2019), Holiday sailings (Sailings between December 15, 2019 – January 3, 2020), President’s Day sailings (Sailings between February 14 – 17, 2020), Spring Break sailings (Sailings between March 14 – 23, 2020), Holy Week/Easter sailings (Sailings between April 3 – 17, 2020) and 2020 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 21 - 27, 2020).
  • Kids Sail Free applies to all Serenade of the Seas Alaska 2020 sailings. 
• WOW Sale offers up to $300 to spend at sea on select sailings departing on or after October 25, 2019.
  • OBC amounts are per stateroom and determined by category booked and sailing length:
    • On sailings 5 nights or less, $50 OBC for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $150 for Suites
    • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $75 OBC for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $300 for Suites
• Oasis and Allure Summer Bonus
  • OA and AL Summer Bonus offers instant savings up to $100 per stateroom on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas sailings that are 6 nights or more departing between January 1 – December 31, 2020.
  • Savings amount determined by stateroom category booked:
    • $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View
    • $100 for Balconies and Suites
• Deck the Holiday Deals applies to new bookings made between September 25 - 29, 2019. Deck the Holiday Deals offers instant savings of up to $100 per stateroom on select sailings departing between December 2 – 31, 2019 and November 30 – December 31, 2020.
  • Savings amount determined by category booked and sailing length:
    • On sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $50 for Balconies and $50 for Suites
    • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $100 for Suites. 

BOGO50, OA and AL Summer Bonus, and Deck the Holiday Deals are combinable with each other as well as with Alaska Cruisetour offer, 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.  BOGO50 and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as with 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.  Kids Sail Free and Deck the Holiday Deals are combinable with each other for sailings departing December 2-14, 2019 November 28 - December 17, 2020 only.  WOW Sale is combinable with BOGO50, OA and AL Summer Bonus, Deck the Holiday Deals, 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.  Offers 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. 

Royal Caribbean announced $110 million in upgrades and enhancements to Explorer of the Seas coming in 2020.

The bow to stern refurbishment will prepare Explorer of the Seas for a summer 2020 season in the Mediterranean and include a number of big changes. Beginning May 7, 2020, Explorer – the first amplified ship to cruise from Rome (Civitavecchia) – sets sail on 7- and 9-night itineraries to the best of Italy and the Greek Isles, from Santorini to Mykonos and Crete.

The announced changes to Explorer of the Seas include:

• Perfect Storm waterslides: Two high-speed racer slides.

• Reimagined poolscape: New, resort-style look is coming to the pool deck. Hammocks, daybeds, casitas and in-pool loungers will be added.
• The Lime & Coconut is Royal Caribbean’s signature, poolside bar. The three-level venue is at the heart of the new pool deck and features a rooftop deck.
• Rejuvenated adults-only Solarium.

• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen: New refresh of Royal Caribbean's signature Italian restaurant. The reimagined trattoria will welcome guests to a casual setting and offer classics with a contemporary flair. From hand-tossed pizzas fresh out of the oven and made to order, to charcuterie delights, the elevated menu caps off this “Sunday supper” experience with a wide selection of wines and limoncellos from many of Italy’s well-known regions.
• Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, the high-energy spot where guests can root for their home team as the game plays across 52 TVs. On offer will be an extensive menu of bar fare favorites with a twist and ice-cold brews, games of all kinds – arcade classics, trivia, tournaments and pool – and the Owner’s Box VIP area.
• Johnny Rockets Express will be added to the pool deck to serve up classic American fare, including spiked milkshakes.
• A standalone Starbucks comes aboard with its signature menu of drinks and pastries.
• Glow-in-the-dark laser tag: Coming to Studio B, guests can fight in the Clash for the Crystal City and pit the Yetis and Showshifters against each other for, "the ultimate faceoff to escape extinction"

• Revamped Adventure Ocean: A major makeover to the cruise line's award-winning program for younger guests and their families.  It will feature an open, imaginative layout with whimsical and immersive activities. Kids 6 to 12 years old can choose their own adventure, while babies and 3- to 5-year-olds enjoy specially designed spaces for each age group

• An exclusive teens hangout will sport a whole new look and features, including the latest in movies, gaming and music, and the addition of a private outdoor deck.

While Explorer of the Seas is in the Eastern Mediterranean, she will be joined by Allure of the Seas in  the Western Mediterranean from Barcelona.

Following her European season, Explorer of the Seas will set course for the Caribbean. Guests can choose from 5- and 9-night Eastern and Southern Caribbean sailings, roundtrip from Miami, including visits to Royal Caribbean’s new private island destination – Perfect Day at CocoCay. 

Explorer of the Seas is the fourth ship in the Voyager Class to be transformed as part of the cruise line’s Royal Amplified fleet modernization effort. 

Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship has changed itineraries to avoid the path of Tropical Storm Karen.

Guests sailing onboard Symphony of the Seas have been informed of a change in their sailing that will skip scheduled stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten and insyead visit Cozumel and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Thanks to @FmtTony for providing this photo

Symphony of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas have now had their itinerary changed to avoid Tropical Storm Karen.