Royal Caribbean Blog

This week's batch of beautiful Royal Caribbean photos is here and it's always fun to share with all of you the great photos our readers take while on their cruise vacation.

The photos we have to show this week are fun and of course anyone can send us their Royal Caribbean photos to use as well!

We kick things off this week with a photo by Traveler of Rhapsody of the Seas, as seen from Mykonos.

Our next photo is by Khadijah Ahmad, and it is of Harmony of the Seas meeting her sister Oasis ships for the first time.

Our first photo from Perfect Day at CocoCay to grace Friday Photos has arrived, with Matthew Giangreco taking this photo from Adventure of the Seas.

Brett Oresky took a panoramic photo of Harmony of the Seas.

Grease is the word with this photo by Brad Leonard.

Here is a look from the top, down to the Royal Promenade on Independence of the Seas by Vanita Redstar.

Our final photo this week is by Kendra Richard, and it is of Allure of the Seas docked in St. Thomas.

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos this week and if you have Royal Caribbean photos, well, we want to see them!  You can use this form to send us your photos and we will feature them on an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

Royal Caribbean signed a ten-year agreement with the Ministry of Tourism of Antigua and Barbuda that will increase the amount of cruise passengers that will visit the port, as well as development of the port facilities.

The Antigua Observer reports the agreement establishes a partnership between Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited and Global Ports Holding Plc.  Under the terms of the agreement, passenger volume will double and increase to 500,000 annually within five years.

The government release spells out specifics related to the exact numbers and timing, "The increase will commence annually upon completion of the fifth berth; throughout the summer months, a strategy to schedule at least 30,000 passengers, in addition to the regular winter schedule upon completion of the fifth berth; executives will travel to Antigua, to explore several locations, to potentially establish, invest and develop experiences to enhance the destination offerings; upon completion of the fifth berth, Royal Caribbean will schedule its Oasis class vessels to call regularly into Antigua. The Oasis class ships carry approximately 6,000 passengers and 2,100 crew members, making the Oasis Class Ships the largest in the world; an increase in Head Tax starting in October 2019; and Royal Caribbean will partner with the Antiguan government to develop job opportunities for Antiguans and Barbudans on their vessels."

Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley signed the agreement with Minister of Tourism, Investment and Economic Development, Charles Fernandez.

Spectrum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's first Quantum Ultra class cruise ship, arrived in Hong Kong earlier today.

Royal Caribbean shared photos of the ship's arrival into the city.

Photos copyright Royal Caribbean International.

Visiting Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay soon? Looking for some good tips and helpful information before you arrive? We are sharing things that are great to know before your Royal Caribbean cruise stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Do you have a Royal Caribbean vacation that includes a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay in your future? If so, then you will want to find out all the cool things to know about Royal Caribbean’s private island — from things to do to things to eat! So pull up a hammock and join us in paradise today as we make a stop at Perfect Day at CoocCay!

If you love this video, we have lots of other great cruise videos to watch on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single video!

So check out the video and then let us know: what is your favorite thing to do at Perfect Day at CocoCay?

We are back with another RoyalCaribbeanBlog video, and we are talking about eight things people do on their Royal Caribbean cruises that make absolutely zero sense!

We are hoping that this topic helps you avoid doing some things during your cruise vacation that make no sense. These are mistakes that will impact your overall cruise experience and ensure you have a smoother vacation.

If you love this video, we have lots of other great cruise videos to watch on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single video!

So check out the video and then let us know: what is the best reason to go on a cruise?

Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley made comments recently that hint at what the cruise line has planned for its recent purchase of the Grand Lucaya resort in Freeport, Bahamas.

In March 2019, Royal Caribbean signed a letter of intent with the government of The Bahamas for the purchase of the Grand Lucayan resort and redevelopment of the Freeport Harbor.

Tribune 242 reports Michael Bayley spoke to members of the Bahamian press at an opening ceremony for Perfect Day at CocoCay, "telling members of the press his company was positioning itself to spearhead a multi-million dollar, multi-phased project on par with CocoCay in Freeport if negotiations with the government are successful."

Mr. Bailey went on to say, “Just the fact that we are going to redevelop those hotels and beach, that whole area, it is going to be in the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. The amount of work that will be underway to regenerate that destination, it is going to be a few years, hundreds of millions of dollars, massive project work, and I think the economic impact is going to huge.”

State Minister for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson said the joint venture between RCI and its investment partner, the ITM Group, will not only combine the redevelopment of the Freeport Harbor as a cruise port of choice but will also transform the Grand Lucayan resort into a theme park, featuring water-based family entertainment, with dining, gaming and entertainment options and five-star hotel accommodations.

The development will take place over a 24-month period, with $65 million of the purchase price for the Grand Lucayan Resort.

Mr. Bayley did note RCI’s full project specs could not be revealed publicly until a finished deal is worked out between the two sides, and there is another 30-40 days of negotiations remaining.

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.

This big Royal Caribbean news this week was the cruise line's announcement of all the changes coming to Oasis of the Seas for her upcoming amplification.

Oasis of the Seas will undergo a $165 million refurbishment later this year, which will add new dining venues, activities, waterslides and more.

The 63-day modernization will add several new venues, including a few options new to the fleet. Oasis will become the first Oasis Class ship to be modernized as part of the Royal Amplified fleet modernization effort.

Royal Caribbean News

• Our list of top 10 Perfect Day at CocoCay secrets & tips.
• Read a review of the North Star Alaska Experience on Ovation of the Seas.
• Check out the first photos of Ovation of the Seas in Alaska.
• You can print out this cruise ticket template to share with family and friends.
• There is still time to save up to 30% off pre-cruise purchases.
• We reviewed the Holiday Inn Express Miami Airport East for anyone that needs a good pre-cruise hotel.
• Royal Caribbean opened up Voyager of the Seas 2020 sailings from Singapore.
• Quantum of the Seas will have an expanded Singapore season in 2021.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 303rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, in which Matt shares his experience visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay.

In this episode, Matt talks about what his first visit to the officially opened Perfect Day at CocoCay was like and what he did, saw and ate.

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: Oasis of the Seas new changes for 2019

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 –  Oasis of the Seas new changes for 2019 — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Microsoft wrote about its collaboration with Royal Caribbean's head of innovation.

New York Times interviewed Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet about how he works to keep guests away from bad weather.

TouringPlans listed top six reasons to cruise on Royal Caribbean.

Cruise Fever reviewed their recent sailing on Harmony of the Seas.

Her wrote about 8 things she learned about herself on her first cruise.

The Points Guy shared 7 things to know about Navigator of the Seas.

If you have a Royal Caribbean cruise planned and want to surprise your kids, then we have the perfect way to get them super excited!

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Emily Davis created this ticket template that you can customize and then print to give to anyone in your family and get the cruise hype train started off in style!

All you have to do is save this ticket to your computer, and open in your favorite PDF program (Adobe Acrobat or FoxIt Reader are good choices).  Enter the proper information in the editable spaces, save and then print!

Emily recommends printing the tickets on cardstock to add to the presentation factor. You can get cardstock from most retailers, including Target, Staples or WalMart.  

There are crop lines to cut it down so the color goes to the edge like a real ticket!

Be sure to share in the comments photos of your finished work!

If you ask anyone that is looking for a hotel before or after their cruise, they usually want a clean, safe and reasonably priced hotel. Getting all three of those requirements is no simple task, but I may have just found that with the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Miami Airport East.

Prior to a recent Royal Caribbean cruise, I needed a hotel for two nights prior to my sailing.  I usually stay near downtown Miami, but I spotted a brand new hotel that seemed to offer a great value.  Plus, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Miami Airport East is located right near Miami International Airport.  This means the drive from the airport to the hotel is a mere couple of minutes, and the drive to PorMiami is about 10-15 minutes.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Miami Airport East is one of Holiday Inn's new "Formula Blue" properties.  Formula Blue is meant to appeal to Holiday Inn Express’s target guest—the "smart traveler."  The hotel is designed so that public space is wide open, so guests can immediately scan the area when they walk into the hotel and understand where everything is without having to ask for help. Another design element that supports the smart traveler is a headboard that minimize noise transfer between rooms, ensuring this busy demographic is able to get a restful night sleep.  

Walking into the lobby of the hotel, you can see exactly what Holiday Inn was planning, with an open lobby area that you can easily spot the elevators, kitchen area, seating and more.

The hotel offers an outdoor pool, fitness center, continental breakfast each morning, and complimentary coffee throughout the day in the lobby.  The hotel does offer a shuttle service to PortMiami at regularly scheduled times for a price per person.  In my opinion, you are better off using a ride-share service like Lyft for value and convenience.

For my stay, I reserved a standard King-size bed for $80.75 for the first night, and $84.55 the second night.  That is an incredible price for a name-brand hotel.

Walking into my room, I found a very large amount of living space.  There was even a coffee nook, complete with Keurig machine available for my use.

The bathroom is large as well, which means there is plenty of space for two people to get ready in the morning.

One thing I loved about this room is how many outlets there are around the room. In fact, there are USB outlets, in addition to electric outlets, on each side of the bed and at the desk. This is incredibly convenient.

Overall, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Miami Airport East is exactly as advertised: a convenient hotel that is well-priced, clean and safe to stay in. The worst thing I can say about this hotel is that you cannot walk anywhere nearby for dining or entertainment.  You will be dependent on taxi or a rental car to get to the fun things to do in Miami.  Of course, a lot of people that want a pre-cruise hotel are only really looking for somewhere to spend the night, and you can always order delivery to the hotel.

What is truly compelling about this hotel was the price combined with the well-kept rooms and building. If you can snag a rate of less than $100 per night (or closer to my $80/night rate) then it becomes an absolute steal compared to paying one or two hundred dollars more per night to stay in downtown Miami.

Your thoughts

Have you stayed at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Miami Airport East? Is this a hotel you’d consider? Please share your thoughts or questions in the comments section below!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  We're starting this weekend with our readers' favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos.  Each week we invite our readers to share their photos with us!

Joe Moran took this photo of the main dining room on Freedom of the Seas.

Melanie Kaplan took this photo of the Royal Promenade while on the Rising Tide Bar on Allure of the Seas.

Next up is a photo by Julie Polakow of Oasis of the Seas docked in St. Maarten.

Kinny Lee shared this photo from the Izumi hibachi on Harmony of the Seas.

Here is a photo of Harmony of the Seas by Mary Maas, taken by her daughter Jaden.

Here is a photo of Anthem of the Seas in San Juan, taken by Justin Amrhein.

Our final photo this week is by James Dezember and it was taken in Cozumel, with Symphony of the Seas in the background.

We want your Royal Caribbean photos too! Use this form to send us your favorite photos and we will include it in an upcoming blog post.