Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas arrived at the port of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, becoming Australia's newest cruise port.

The 2,200 guests on board arrived in Port Kembla at 8am and were welcomed with a special fly-over by a vintage Catalina flying boat, as well as thousands of excited locals waving the ship in from vantage points along the South Coast.

Guests were treated to a special "Welcome to Wollongong" marketplace at Lang Park organized by Destination Wollongong, which showcased local produce and products from the region. More than 400 local volunteers were also on hand throughout the day to help guests get the most out of their day in port.

"We have been working towards our call to Wollongong for quite some time. Guests onboard Radiance of the Seas had a wonderful day exploring the city and local area, making the dedication and hard work that’s gone into this project for the past two and a half years all worthwhile," said Adam Armstrong, managing director, Royal Caribbean Australia & New Zealand. 

Destination Wollongong General Manager, Mark Sleigh said: "When Councillor Leigh Colacino first approached Royal Caribbean to discuss bringing cruise ships to Wollongong, he promised that the community would look after their guests as well as any destination in the world.  I’m delighted that Wollongong more than delivered on that promise, and made the maiden voyage of Radiance of the Seas a day that Wollongong, and indeed our visitors, will never forget!"

This is far from the only stop Royal Caribbean will make at Wollongong.  Over the next 18 months, Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas will also call here, brining more than 16,000 visitors to the area by the end of the cruise season.

Seven different shore excursions also showcased the region outside of the city, with visits to scenic Bald Hill Lookout, Jamberoo Action Park, Kiama, Shellharbour Village, Symbio Wildlife Park and the tranquil Nan Tien Temple among some of the most popular.

"We are very proud to be the first cruise line to bring a ship to Wollongong and this historic milestone marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between Royal Caribbean and the region. We will continue to explore opportunities to utilize the port as an overflow to Sydney Harbor," Armstrong concluded.

Happy Sunday! We are so happy that you stopped by and hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage, sit back, and check out the latest in Royal Caribbean news.

Perhaps the last question about Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas was answered this week, when Royal Caribbean revealed the Godmother to the new ship.

After winning the final vote, Brittany Affolter was named Godmother to Harmony of the Seas, edging out two other women who were competing for the spot.

Brittany’s work with Teach for America in Miami-Dade County has supported and inspired a number of high-needs schools in Royal Caribbean’s hometown. 

We have a lot more Royal Caribbean news to share from this week, so let's jump right in...

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean released an infographic about Harmony of the Seas transatlantic crossing.
• Royal Caribbean released the financial results of its third quarter.
• Check out these fun facts about Harmony of the Seas.
• 5 perfect times to enjoy the pool without a big crowd.
• Third and fourth guests can sail free on Empress of the Seas with a new promotion.
• How to cancel and rebook something on the Cruise Planner.
• Here is our photo tour of a Grand Suite on Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

Royal Caribbean offers sailings to many destinations around the world, including the beautiful Mediterranean and on this week's podcast, we have a review of a recent sailing to this beautiful area.

In this week's podcast episode, Matt talks with Dirk about Dirk's recent 13-night Navigator of the Seas cruise to the Western Mediterranean. This is a great look at Navigator and the many ports in the Western Mediterranean.

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.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

The Cruise Dudes interviewed Matt about the Icon class cruise ship announcement.

ShermansCruise has a list of 9 awesome free things to do on Royal Caribbean.

The Enterprisers Project answers what digital transformation means at Royal Caribbean.

Yin&Yang share their adventures exploring Labadee and Jamaica while on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

You might have read the news earlier this weekend that Royal Caribbean is offering discounts on select drink packages, internet packages, shore excursions, specialty restaurants and more, which has you thinking if this new promotion can save you some (more) money. But what if you had already purchased an internet package and now the price is cheaper?  Here is your guide to canceling and rebooking with Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner!

The good news is, anything you purchase via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner is fully refundable up to two days before your cruise is set to begin.  If you cancel the item, the value will be refunded back to the form of payment that was originally used within 3-4 business days.  This means, if you are debating if you want to buy something from the Cruise Planner, but have not made up your mind, you can lock in these prices and still have time to cancel with no penalty.

You can still cancel one of these items onboard your Royal Caribbean ship, but be aware that the refund will come back in the form of onboard credit, instead of back to your credit card.

How to rebook something you bought in the Cruise Planner

If you find there is a better price for a package, service or experience and want to take advantage of that lower price, here is what you have to do.

1. Log into your Royal Caribbean account and proceed to the Cruise Planner for the sailing you have in mind.

2. At the top right corner of the pick, click Order History.  You will want to cancel the item you bought first, and then re-book it later.

3. Once at the Order History page, you will be able to see everything you have reserved or purchased for your cruise.  From here, find the item you want to cancel and click cancel.

4. Follow the next few steps to confirm the cancelation.  You should find yourself at a screen that displays a confirmation message with the exact refund to the form of payment used.  As stated earlier, it may take a few business days for the refund to be made.

5. Now that you have canceled the original purchase, you can proceed with re-purchasing the item at its lower price.

How to rebook something you bought via the phone

Alternatively, you can call Royal Caribbean directly and have them cancel and/or re-purchase the items to take advantage of the new price. Find the Royal Caribbean customer service number in your country and then work with the agent to make the change.

We recommend using the Cruise Planner because it is quite simple, and will end up being quicker than dealing with phone hold times and repeating to the agent all of your booking information and billing details.

Watch a timelapse video of the world's largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, sail away from Malaga Spain.

Captain Gus Andersson briefs his team on the bridge as Harmony of the Seas sets sail on a historic transatlantic crossing, clearing the Strait of Gibraltar for the homestretch to her new home in the U.S.

Happy Friday to everyone! When the calendar hits Friday, that means we are sharing our readers favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos!  

Each week we invite our readers to send us their favorite Royal Caribbean photos and we showcase them all right here!

Our first photo this week is from Cassie Sigmon, and it was taken in St. Maarten, while on an Independence of the Seas cruise. The color of the water in St. Maarten is incredible.

Next is a beautiful photo of Freedom of the Seas in the harbor of St. Thomas, as the sun is starting to set.  It was sent in by Caleb Raper and it is quite a lovely sight.

Here is Rhapsody of the Seas in Venice, Italy, by Adam Callaghan. Royal Caribbean's ships look even more beautiful at night, when they get all lit up.

Emmanuel Mossino sent this photo of Grandeur of the Seas in CocoCay, and it looks like another beautiful day in paradise.

In this photo by Amy Leigh, we have sister ships Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas docked next to each other in Cozumel. Which is which?

The Rising Tide Bar on Allure of the Seas is featured in this photo by Richard Dreyer. The crew are enjoying a ride, as part of some sort of celebration on the Royal Promenade. Looks like another fun night onboard!

Our last photo this week is from Hannes Scherz, and it is from Harmony of the Seas. This was Hannes' first cruise ever, and I could not think of a better choice to begin cruising on!

We want to share your Royal Caribbean photos too! Send us your favorite, best, most awesome Royal Caribbean cruise photos by using this form and we will feature them in an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

For this weekend only, Royal Caribbean is offering a Cruise Planner Weekend Sale, with discounts on onboard experiences such as spa services, drink packages, internet packages and more.

Royal Caribbean has been offering discounts on certain areas of the Cruise Planner before, but this is the first time we have seen the nearly the entire catalog of pre-cruise bookable options on sale.

There are discounts on

• Select shore excursions
• Select specialty restaurant reservations
• Voom internet packages
• Unlimited beverage packages

This promotion ends at midnight on Monday, October 31, 2016.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site and check any available offers.

If you have already pre-purchased any of these items, Royal Caribbean allows guests to cancel and receive a full refund, and then re-book at the new lower rate.

Share in the comments if this weekend sale saved you money!

Royal Caribbean reported its third quarter 2016 financial results on Friday, which included higher-than-expected quarterly profit attributed to strong demand for North American cruises and increased onboard spending.

Continued strength in demand for North American cruises was a key driver for Royal Caribbean's strong quarter, with the rest of the itineraries performing within expectations.  This strong demand helped offset the impact from the delay in opening Empress of the Seas sailings in the fourth quarter. Onboard revenue growth continued to outpace net yield growth, even after an extraordinary outperformance last summer. In addition, favorable trends in both currency and fuel helped the quarter.

Net revenue yields, which take into account spending per available berth, rose 0.4 percent for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Royal Caribbean's net income rose to $693.3 million, or $3.21 per share, in the quarter, from $228.8 million, or $1.03 per share, a year earlier, when the company took a non-cash charge of $399.3 million related to its Pullmantur brand.

Total revenue rose 1.6 percent to $2.56 billion. Analysts on average had expected a revenue of $2.58 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Excluding items, the company earned $3.20 per share, beating analysts' average estimate by 10 cents.

At this time, 2017 itineraries are booked ahead of last year in both rate and volume. New ships including Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas are seeing strong trends, supporting a solid outlook for 2017.

A historic journey is underway as the world's largest cruise ship starts her epic transatlantic voyage. Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest and most innovative ship, leaves Barcelona, Spain, to venture across the Atlantic to her new homeport of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Hear from Captain and crew about what it takes to make this epic journey.

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas offers guests quite a bit to see and do onboard, and the ship itself is a marvel, when you consider just how large it is and how much work and coordination is required to make it run flawlessly. Here are some fun facts about Harmony of the Seas that put into perspective the sheer scale of everything on this ship.

General

• Flag: Bahamian
• Port of Registry: Nassau
• Built by: STX France
• Place built: St. Nazaire, France
• Maiden Voyage: May 29, 2016
• Godmother: Brittany Affolter

Neighborhoods: Seven (7)

1. Adventure Ocean
2. Central Park
3. Pool & Sports
4. Vitality Spa & Fitness Center
5. Boardwalk
6. Entertainment Place
7. Royal Promenade

Ship Stats

• 227,000 gross tons
• 1,188 feet long
• 46 wheelchair accessible staterooms
• 5,479 guests (double occupancy)
• 24 guest elevators
• 16 passenger decks
• 30 feet draft
• 215.5 feet wide
• 22 knots cruising speed
• 6,780 guests
• 2,100 crew

Staterooms

• Total: 2,747
• Outside: 266
• Interior: 524
• Balcony: 1,768
• Virtual Balcony: 85
• Staterooms with additional berths: 717 3/4
• Accessible: 46
• Promenade: 18
• Studio: 15

Technical

• Main propulsion: 3 x ABB Azipod, each 20 MW
• Motors ABB: 60 MW = 80.500 HP
• Generators: 6 with a power of 92MW each for a total of 128.000 HP
• Stabilizers: 2 x Blohm & Voss
• Bow Thrusters: 4 x Wartsila 5.5 MW each; 7.300 HP total of 22 MW or 29.500 HP
• Max Speed: 25.1 knots
• Fuel consumption at Full Speed: 16 Metric Ton/hour = 0.7 Metric Ton/Nautical Mile; 
  125 Gallon/Nautical Mile; 45 feet/gallon
• Fresh water production: 4 x 825 tons/24 hours + 2 x 400 tons/24 hours;
  Total of 4100 tons/24 hours
• Water Consumption: 1700 Tons/Day

Construction Facts

• The AquaTheater pool is 17.9 feet deep; the largest performance pool at sea.
• Harmony of the Seas is 75 feet longer than Freedom-class ships;
• The Central Park neighborhood is the fist ever (along with Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas) living park at sea with 10,600 plants, 52 trees, 2 Living Walls containing 10,240 live plants and 70 tons of plating soil for them to grown in.  All plant material is contained in 2200 modules within 46 planter beds.  The entire park is automatically irrigated with a state of the art system to include a Fertigation unit.
• 5,070,632 lbs. of water in the swimming pools.
• 110,231 lbs. of ice cubes made every day.
• 4,700,000 lbs. of fresh water consumption per 24 hours.
• 181 grand blocks were used to construct Harmony of the Seas, each block weighed approximately 1,200,000 lbs. (600 metric tons).
• Harmony of the Seas was constructed out of 500,000 individual parts.
• 150 miles of piping.
• 3,300 miles of electrical cables.
• 158,503 gallons of paint.
• 1,614,586 square feet of air conditioned area.
• 968,751 square feet of carpet.
• 86,111 square feet of windows.
• 7,000 works of specially commissioned art.
• The building of the cruise terminal 18 in Fort Lauderdale took 62,572,500 pounds of concrete, the weight of 782 18-wheeler trucks; 33.3 miles of conduit; and 153 miles of wire, which would stretch from Fort Lauderdale to Key West.

Food & Beverage Facts

• 20 Chefs, 222 cooks, 102 sanitation & culinary cleaning crew.
• 15 Bar managers/supervisors, 188 bar tenders & bar servers.
• 25 food service areas including a 24 hour Crew Windjammer.
• 37 front bars and 26 back-of-the-house support bars.
• 28 galleys operating independently, some with a 24 hour operation.
• Total of 108 catering areas, bars, galleys, pantries, provision food preparation rooms.
• All breads and pastries are made fresh onboard. Our bakery has a machine that makes 4,000 bread rolls in 1 hour.
• Have the most efficient and most innovative galley equipment onboard the Harmony of the Seas.
• Each restaurant operates independently with own galleys and culinary & service teams, even each deck of the main dining rooms.

Consumed in an average week

• Beef: 15,600 lbs.
• Chicken: 16,000 lbs.
• Pork: 10,517 lbs.
• Lobster: 1,800 lbs.
• Seafood: 11,000 lbs.
• Salmon: 4,000 lbs.
• Fresh eggs: 86,400 pcs.
• Flour: 16,500 lbs.
• Sugar: 3,500 lbs.
• Coffee: 1,500 lbs.
• Fresh Fruits: 45,000 lbs.
• Fresh Vegetables: 62,000 lbs.
• Fresh berries: 600 lbs.
• Potatoes: 18,000 lbs.
• Ice cream: 8,000 gallons
• Milk and fresh cream: 8,000 gallons
• Cheese: 5,800 lbs.
• Beer: 10,200 bottles
• Beer: 8,500 cans
• Soda: 11,500 cans
• Wine: 2,225 bottles
• Whiskey: 175 bottles
• Vodka: 550 bottles
• Champagne: 175 bottles
• Water: 3,500 bottles
• Individual yogurts: 4,200
• Slices of pizza: 18,000

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is making her away across the Atlantic to her new home in Port Everglades, Florida, and Royal Caribbean has released a new infographic that shows off how long this journey really is.

Harmony of the Seas will arrive in Port Everglades, Florida on November 5, 2016, in the early morning hours. 

You can track Harmony of the Seas' progress during her journey, via our Harmony of the Seas ship tracker.