Royal Caribbean Blog

It's official: Royal Caribbean will bring Doc Brown, Marty McFly, and Biff to sea.

Royal Caribbean Blog was the first to report on the new musical being licensed by Royal Caribbean last month, but the cruise line confirmed it on Monday.

"Blast to the past and introduce the entire fam to Marty McFly’s high-flying adventure, as Back to the Future: The Musical travels straight from Broadway to Star of the Seas, coming summer 2025," is what Royal Caribbean posted on social media.

The Royal Caribbean entertainment team is working alongside the musical’s original creative team to bring the musical to the Royal Theater stage on Star, and after two successful weeks of auditions in London and NYC, the team is excited to begin rehearsals in the next year.  

The show on Royal Caribbean's ship will be a reworked 100-minute version of the show. Royal Caribbean is working alongside the original creatives from the musical to make the iconic production come to life.

This includes:

• Bob Gale, Screenwriter/Co-creator of the film
• John Rando, Director of the Broadway musical
• Chris Bailey, Choreographer of the Broadway musical

Like Royal Caribbean's other musical productions, the cost of the show is included in the cruise fare.

Star of the Seas is under construction and will debut in August 2025.

Star of the Seas will be the second Icon Class cruise ship, and similar in size and features to the record breaking biggest cruise ship in the world, Icon of the Seas.

What is Back to the Future The Musical about?

Inspired by the 1985 film from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, the musical tells the story of teenager Marty McFly, who is unintentionally sent back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean created by Dr. Emmett Brown. The show’s book is written by Bob Gale, with original music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard. It also features well-known songs from the movie, such as “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.”

It's a relatively new show, having made its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House in March 2020.

The West End production opened in London September 13, 2021, and subsequently won the Best New Musical Olivier Award.

It opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in August 2023, and continues to play there today.

The musical is also currently playing a North American national tour, and will open a Tokyo production in 2025.

Star of the Seas debuts in 2025

Royal Caribbean will homeport Star of the Seas at Port Canaveral, with her first sailing scheduled for August 31, 2025.

Her first cruise will be a Western Caribbean sailing calling at Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas; Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatan Island, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico.

The 248,663-gross ton Star of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is slightly smaller than the 250,800-gross ton Icon of the Seas.

There will be eight distinct themed neighborhoods on Star of the Seas, including the popular Central Park and Royal Promenade. It will also feature Thrill Island, home to the largest waterpark at sea, named Category 6.

If you prefer a quieter pool day, Chill Island has multiple pools spread across three decks. There's also live music performed daily, and food options nearby.

Young families will enjoy a special area of the ship dedicated to them at Surfside. In Surfside, Splashaway Bay and the Playscape will get new features. The Water's Edge pool will be more kid focused. The kids clubs will get updates too.

Don't worry, there's an adults-only area on the ship at the Hideaway that has a great infinity pool.

At the AquaDome neighborhood, you'll find shows inside the Aquatheater. There's also great dining choices and amazing views to enjoy.

If you're like a lot of people, you want to enjoy your cruise vacation without tipping the scales when you get home.

Dining on a cruise ship is one of the top reasons people book a cruise in the first place (along with the destinations your ship will go), but keeping the pounds off on your holiday is just as important as being at home.

You'll find on any cruise ship many choices of places to eat and food to choose from.  If a cruise ship is like a floating city, then it has a very large restaurant district.

But there’s a habit that might be driving your weight up post-cruise up without you even knowing it. So we’re here to pinpoint the one clear thing you can do to bring your numbers down. Keep reading.

Stick to your eating habits at home

Because there are so many choices of food and places to eat, the bad habit you're likely to pick up on a cruise is stopping to eat at many of them.

Snacking on a cruise ship seems to be far more common on a cruise than at home, because it's all readily available and so much is included.

It could be a frozen yogurt cone at the pool deck, plate of cookies at Cafe Promenade, or couple slices of pizza at Sorrento's, but it all adds up.

While this isn't to say you shouldn't snack or indulge on a cruise, the key is to not over eat between meals. Eat when you are hungry. Stop eating before you are full.

In some cases, a lot of extra weight is gained because of either consuming a lot of extra calories, or they're retaining a lot of water from all the extra salt that their body isn't used to.

Speaking of things you probably do at home but not on a cruise is drink water.

If I were to ask our readers what's the first thing they want to do when they get on a cruise, the answer is likely to celebrate the start of vacation with a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine.  

There's nothing wrong with that, but not drinking enough water adds up quickly. A lot people gain weight because of water weight from salty food and alcohol.

If plain water that is included with your cruise fare isn't to your liking, you could opt for the flavored waters they have at select dining locations, such as the Windjammer or Cafe Promenade.

Or you could bring water drink mixes to enhance the flavor of the water included with your cruise fare. (Contains an affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use).

Strategies to not gain weight on a cruise

Here are more tried-and-true ways to avoid weight gain on your cruise.

Walk and take the stairs whenever possible: While your first instinct may be to hop in an elevator, the more you can walk, the more calories you can burn to offset the sweets and snacks.

If you're only climbing or descending a few decks, taking the stairs is a really good idea and alternative to crowded elevators. 

My personal strategy is up to 3 decks going up, I'll take the stairs.  Around 5-6 decks going down, and I'll opt for the stairs.

Start with a salad and glass of water at the buffet: Before you grab a plate and hit the Asian stir fry station, try to fill up first on a salad and some water. It will temper your appetite so you might eat less overall.

Beware the liquid calories: I find it's easy enough to skip the cookies and cake, but it's the sugary drinks that add up quickly and without you noticing as much.

Instead of a tropical drink, order low-calorie spirits like vodka. Pick a light beer instead of a traditional one, or opt for a spritzer.

Don't feel obligated to eat or drink your money back: Live your best life on a cruise and indulge, but don't come at your cruise as your attempt to eat because it's included.

Don't join the "clean plate club": Enjoy the food, but don't feel like you're obligated to eat everything they serve you.

There's no penalty if you don't finish everything on your plate. At the buffet, use it as an opportunity to try a wide range of foods, not to stuff yourself silly.

A little bit of weight gain is normal

While you might not want to gain weight, one mantra to remember is you are on vacation and a few extra pounds won't be a problem.

If you're indulging here and there and not being overly gluttonous, you'll probably come home with just a handful of extra pounds.

A great deal of that extra weight could be water weight as a result of the salty foods and cocktails, so it could go away after a few days.

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.

Royal Caribbean has finally implemented the dining package change we've been waiting for!

Almost a year after the cruise line first announced its plans to do so, Royal Caribbean has added a way for guests who have pre-purchased specialty dining packages to reserve spots ahead of time.

Now, passengers with the Unlimited Dining Package can choose a particular date and time at the venues of their choice—before even getting onboard. 

Royal Caribbean News:

• Royal Caribbean is building another cruise port in Alaska to ease crowds and traffic
• Find out which 3 Royal Caribbean cruise ships were the cleanest this year, according to the CDC
• Royal Caribbean passenger files lawsuit over hidden camera
• Royal Caribbean's new cruise offer is the best last-minute cruise deal we've seen in a long time
• How to get the earliest check-in time before anyone else for your cruise
• Royal Caribbean makes a change to how you get to CocoCay from your cruise ship
• Ice skater shows crew-only areas on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas
• How to get the most out of a short sailing on Utopia of the Seas
• A 74-year-old who cruises twice a year shares his 3 best cruise secrets, including splurging
• 5 Dollar Tree items cruisers should stock up on before their sailing
• Royal Caribbean is discounting airfare by hundreds of dollars for a 2025 cruise

New Video: 10 Annoying Habits That Will Make You the Least Popular Person 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 — 10 Annoying Habits That Will Make You the Least Popular Person on a Cruise — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 547th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available at all our links.

In this episode, Matt answers as many listener emails as he can!

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.

How (and when) to upgrade your Royal Caribbean cruise ship room

Whether you have some extra cash to splurge or are rethinking your booked cabin category, sometimes there's a time and place to upgrade your cruise ship stateroom.

Getting a better cabin can be an exciting way to upgrade your cruise experience. 

There are multiple ways to do it, so here's everything you need to know.

Cruisers swear by these off-the-beaten-path Caribbean ports—Here’s why

Are you tired of visiting Nassau and Cozumel on your Caribbean cruises? 

Since Royal Caribbean says to its namesake region so often, frequent cruisers have to challenge themselves to keep things different.

Veterans cruisers swear by a few lesser-known Caribbean ports.

Dealing with noise in your cruise cabin

Because your cruise cabin becomes your home at sea, you want it to be a pleasant space.

Loud noises, whatever their origin, threaten a peaceful voyage and enjoyable cruise vacation. 

After you identify the source of the news, you can begin several courses of action to try and solve it. Here's what to do.

Looking to book a 2025 cruise in Europe? You could easily save hundreds or thousands of dollars extra if you book your flights through Royal Caribbean.

While you may know that Royal Caribbean offers bundled airfare you can purchase through its Air2Sea program, you might not know how lucrative it can be.

Air2Sea is a convenient way to purchase a flight after you book a cruise. It's available in all markets, but I was shocked how much cheaper it was by booking through the cruise line instead of directly with the airline.

For my 2025 European group cruise (you're invited to join us), I had originally booked my flights directly with Virgin Atlantic.  But when my travel agent ran the numbers through Air2Sea, I was able to save over $2,000 for my family of four and I got a more convenient flight option.

I was curious if I was lucky, or there's really something to the offer, so I asked MEI Travel to run a few example flights to compare prices booking through the cruise line or through the airline.

Up to $500 off flights

Royal Caribbean advertises savings of up to $500 off airfare for Alaska and European select sailings.

It's available for Alaska and European sailings departing between April 11 - October 27, 2025 and must be booked between September 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025.

The fine print says the exact savings depend on destination and airfare type:

• Europe
  • $200 USD per person for Economy and Premium Economy Class seats
  • $500 USD per person for First and Business Class seats
• Alaska
  • $100 USD per person for Economy and Premium Economy Class seats
  • $200 USD per person for First and Business Class seats

How much can you really save?

I've seen plenty of advertised offers where the "deal" doesn't match up to reality very well, so I wanted to see put it to the test.

I asked MEI Travel to run airfares for flights from New York and Los Angeles to London for the dates of our group cruise next year.

I then ran the same flights through Expedia to see how much they were charging.  

I was curious to see if the savings were substantial, or was it a case where only some flights really got you a deep discount.

Flight 1: New York to London non-stop

Depart June 19, 2025 from JFK to LHR

• Standard Economy Class/ Main Cabin
  • Air2Sea: $843.31 per person
  • Expedia: $1,037.31 per person
• Delta Premium Select Class
  • Air2Sea: $1546.31 per person
  • Expedia: $1,726.31 per person
• Flagship Business Class
  • Air2Sea: $2,811.31 per person
  • Expedia: $3,291.31 per person

Flight 2: Los Angeles to London non-stop

• Economy Class/ Main Cabin
  • Air2Sea: $1,393.31 per person
  • Expedia: $2,775.01 per person
• Delta Premium Select Class
  • Air2Sea: $2,872.31 per person
  • Expedia: $3,052.31 per person
• Delta One or BIZ Class
  • Air2Sea: $5797.31 per person
  • Expedia: $6,277.31 per person

In every situation, Air2Sea saved hundreds of dollars, even in economy.

Given that every price is for one ticket, if you multiply the discount by how many people are in your travel party, and you can net even bigger savings.

In my case, I cancelled my booking with the airline and re-booked with Air2Sea.

There are other benefits to booking a cruise with Air2Sea, such as the fact you can add an Air2Sea flight that remains refundable until final payment due date and it doesn't cost anything to make the booking.  

If you find a better deal cancel the Air2Sea reservation before final payment due date at no cost.  If fuel costs surge or flight cost jump unexpectedly the Air2Sea booking can suddenly be a great deal.  

If there's a downside to Air2Sea, there is a fee for their services and Air2Sea is essentially your travel agent for the flight.  If you need to do swift modifications to your flight(s) because of some unforeseen problem, you need to go through them vs. just fixing it with the airline directly.  It's like booking a fare via Expedia or other third party.

One other benefit of Air2Sea is in some cases they offer "Assured Arrival" that can help get you on the ship if an airline mess causes you to miss the cruise.  

How do you book a flight with Royal Caribbean?

You can easily browse flights by going to the Air2Sea website after you have a cruise booked.

Alternatively you can call Royal Caribbean 24/7 at 1-844-278-9745 to make your reservation. Or better yet, have your travel agent do it for you.

The Air2Sea program is currently available to guests in the U.S., Canada, and United Kingdom.

Preparing for an upcoming cruise is one of the most exciting aspects of the planning process. Before any trip, I run last-minute errands to stock up on anything that I might need for my vacation.

While I typically run to Target for my pre-cruise shopping spree, I decided to visit my local Dollar Tree before my recent cruise. I was shocked at how many inexpensive cruise essentials were available for just $1.25. This is a fraction of the cost I normally pay - and finding hidden gems at the dollar store felt like a treasure hunt!

If you’re looking to keep costs down on your upcoming cruise, I highly recommend visiting the Dollar Tree before your next sailing. Here are five must-have items that you should stock up on before your sailing.

1. Travel-Sized Toiletries

The Dollar Tree is a great place to purchase travel-sized products before your next cruise. For just $1.25 each, you can get a variety of name brand toiletries. I stocked up on toothpaste and lotion before my last cruise, but you can also find small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, mouthwash and more.

Also, these smaller items are perfect for anyone looking to save space in their luggage. Because I usually travel with just a carry-on, I rely on travel-sized toiletries to be compliant with TSA requirements.

2. Cabin Necessities

If you’re looking for cruise cabin necessities, the Dollar Tree is a great place to visit. Because cruise staterooms have magnetic walls, you can hang anything magnetic during your sailing. I purchased magnets to hang daily agendas and tickets on the wall, along with magnetic hooks for heavier items.

Other necessities that I found at my Dollar Tree included pop-up hamper for dirty laundry and scented room mist to keep the cabin smelling fresh. 

3. Cleaning and Hygiene Essentials

While you won’t have to worry about actual cleaning on your cruise (you are on vacation, after all), you should plan to pack a few cleaning essentials. I was surprised to find many options at the Dollar Tree for cleaning and hygiene at such a reasonable price.

I prefer to have liquid hand soap for the bathroom in my cabin, so I grabbed a bottle for $1.25 to bring onboard. In addition, I grabbed a 2-pack of hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes, as you can never have too many of these while cruising! Other gems at the Dollar Tree included individually-packaged stain removing wipes, an Oxiclean stain removing pen and a travel-sized laundry detergent to wash laundry in your cabin.

4. Medicine and Health Supplies

I never thought about heading to the Dollar Tree for medication, but I was pleasantly surprised by the selection and prices. It’s a good idea to keep over-the-counter medication in your cabin while cruising, as it will save you time and money if you need anything.

My Dollar Tree had everything from supplements like Vitamin C to name-brand medications like Advil and Tylenol. Generic medication was stocked on the shelves too, including gas relief, antacids, cold and flu medication, anti-diarrhea and laxatives.  There was even a small first-aid kit that would be perfect for traveling!

5. Door Decorations

One practice that’s become wildly popular on cruises is decorating your stateroom door. People are very creative these days with their door decor! If you want to participate in this trend, check out the Dollar Tree for a variety of decorations at an extremely reasonable price.

In particular, my store had multiple aisles stocked full of cute Halloween and fall decor for $1.25. Those who want to decorate on a budget will appreciate the selection of decorations for all occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, graduation and family reunions. One of my favorite finds was a magnetic dry erase board that we hung on the door of our cabin for fellow cruisers to leave notes!

Getting a better cruise ship cabin is a fun way to make your vacation even more exciting, in part, because you'll get more space and maybe even more amenities.

I will often book a cruise in a certain category room, but as the cruise gets closer, reconsider my cabin choice.  

Moving up to a better cabin might be a reflection of extra cash to splurge, a lower-than-expected price, or a change in our family's needs. It could just be a whim, but whatever the reason, it's a fun feeling to (try and) get a better cabin.

Here's everything you need to know about upgrading your cabin on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Upgrading your room the traditional way

The simplest and most straightforward way to upgrade your cabin is to ask your travel agent to do it.  Or if you booked with Royal Caribbean directly, give them a call.

You'll compare the price you originally paid to the price of the better cabin, and pay the difference.

Royal Caribbean claims you can make these sort of changes up until the final payment date, but in my experience, they'll always take more money if you want to spend more.  Any payments or deposits you've previously made can be applied to the new reservation.

Upgrading in this fashion means you're subject to the prevailing rates and, there could be different booking incentives too.

Ideally, you'll try this method as early as possible because cabins book up closer to your sail date. Likewise, prices go up as more cabins are sold.  The chances of a last-minute cheap upgrade are unlikely, but not unheard of either.

It's not a bad idea to re-check cabin prices a day or two after the final payment date to see if any cabins returned to inventory because someone missed final payment or cancelled.

The easiest way to see if there's a room available to upgrade to is to do a mock booking on Royal Caribbean's website and see what comes up.  

Prices can change at any time, and inventory moves in real-time.  So you could very well spot a good price, call in the upgrade, but realize the room is no longer available. Be sure to act quickly.

One major advantage of this strategy is you get to pick the specific cabin and location, ensuring you know which room you are getting before paying. Unless, of course, you book a guaranteed cabin.

The disadvantage of upgrading your room in the traditional manner is you are limited to which rooms are available at that moment and whatever prevailing rates.  Plus, as you get closer to the sailing, it's less likely there will be cabins to move up to, especially balcony rooms or suites.

Bidding to upgrade your cabin

Another way to move up to a nicer room is to tell Royal Caribbean how much you'd be willing to spend to hypothetically upgrade in a blind auction.

Royal Up is the name of the program where guests get a choice of different cabin categories you can place bids for, and a range of prices to choose from.

The bid amount is per person for the entire duration of the cruise. Offers are based on two occupants per stateroom - only the first and second guest will be charged. 

Typically you can begin placing bids through Royal Up up to 90 days before your cruise begins, and you can expect an email from the cruise line to inform you of the choice. Alternatively, you can check if you're eligible to place a bid on Royal Caribbean's website.

If you're going to place a bid, I'd recommend doing it right when bids open up, rather than waiting.

The other best time to place a Royal Up bid is if there's a chance a lot of people won't make the cruise, such as a hurricane or winter storm elsewhere in the country.  Those sort of incidents spur last-minute cancellations and might be an opportune moment for a snipe bid.

Bidding for a cabin is a bit confusing because of the myriad of cabin choices and prices. How much should you bid? Will it actually save me money? Are these rooms really available?

When you bid for a room, keep in mind this is your offer to the cruise line if a cabin were to open up, how much you'd be willing to pay. Royal Up is a mechanism to handle unsold rooms or rooms that get cancelled at the last minute.  

As for how much to bid, it almost doesn't matter because winning bids are routinely accepted at all ranges.

Bid what you're comfortable with, and understand that room might not actually be available (yet).

The advantage of bidding for an upgrade is you might save a lot of money compared to if you had booked that same room outright initially. This is especially true if you want to bid to upgrade to a different kind of interior cabin.

Aside from the confusion over how much to bid, I think the top disadvantage of bidding for a room is you will have no choice in where the room is located.

Winning bids get the cabin automatically assigned by Royal Caribbean, which could result in a room near a public venue, or being more susceptible to motion.

You should not bid for a cabin upgrade with Royal Up if you have more than one cabin booked, because there's no way to get the new cabins near each other.

How safe are Royal Caribbean's ships when it comes to disease and illness?

Cruise ship travel—like other forms of transport—exposes people to new environments and the risk of illness.

Cruise ships are often criticized for spreading gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses, or risking illness through contaminated food and water.

Because GI illnesses are highly contagious, they can easily be passed through person-to-person contact.

Norovirus, for example, is transmitted when someone ingests particles of vomit or feces from an infected person, such as through consuming food touched by an infected individual, touching contaminated surfaces and then their mouth, or placing contaminated objects on clean surfaces.

The most common symptoms are diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, abdominal pain, and fever.

Sick people can spread illness to others by touching handrails, elevator buttons, shared utensils, and other people.

Traveling on cruise ships exposes guests to new environments, communal spaces, and high volumes of other people, all of which can exacerbate the risk of illness.

According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the center "helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses on cruise ships."

The CDC rated 3 Royal Caribbean ships perfectly clean

Not all cruise ships are operated in the same way, so the CDC randomly conducts inspections on cruise ships throughout the year. The inspection is a surprise, always unannounced.

The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) gives each cruise ship a rating on a scale of 0-100 once the inspection is complete.

The CDC studies each vessel's sanitary levels, examining common areas such as buffets, kitchens, pools, and playscapes.

Inspectors look at food storage and any sign of vermin on board, as well as detailed aspects like swimming pool disinfection and the water temperature of the dishwasher.

The CDC has inspected a total of 119 ships in 2024, and its report shows data on a rolling 12-month basis. 

While all of Royal Caribbean's ships passed their inspections, three vessels in particular received a perfect score.

The following Royal Caribbean ships have a 100 VSP score according to the CDC:

1. Voyager of the Seas

2. Radiance of the Seas

3. Brilliance of the Seas

Although cruise ships only make up 1% of reported outbreaks of GI illnesses, they tend to make the news whenever an outbreak occurs onboard.

In May of 2024, passengers on Allure of the Seas reported on social media that many guests were falling ill from food poisoning.

On a September 20th sailing in Alaska, 180 cruisers on Radiance of the Seas fell sick in a GI illness outbreak. Three crew members also reported being sick.

Read more: People onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship report sick from gastrointestinal illness

If the incidents of sick cases make up more than 3% of the ship's total population, cruise ships are required to report the cases to the CDC. These reports often end up making major news in the cruise industry.

A lower score doesn't necessarily mean an unsafe ship

Additionally, non-perfect scores don't mean an unhealthy or unsafe ship.

According to the CDC's VSP index, a score of 85 or lower is unsatisfactory. All Royal Caribbean ships feature a rating of at least 89 or above on the score sheet.

The lowest-rated Royal Caribbean ships are:

• Adventure of the Seas, which received a score of 89
• Independence of the Seas, rated at 91
• Harmony of the Seas, which scored 92

The CDC's inspections and VSP scores are important, but not the only factor in ensuring a cruise ship is clean.

Cruise ships are also mindful of the impact that bad news and excessive press about sickness can have. Royal Caribbean wants its guests to be healthy and enjoy their cruise enough to sail again.

The cruise line uses several plans of action and employs crew members to keep its ships well-maintained and clean throughout the year.

Every vessel, no matter its VSP score, features several health awareness tactics and oversight of outbreak prevention.

Guests on Royal Caribbean ships will spot hand-washing stations, free hand sanitizer, health awareness signs, and even crew members reminding guests to clean their hands.

If guests do fall sick, Royal Caribbean has a series of health protocols to prevent further infection, no matter the source.

Read more: Royal Caribbean eliminated norovirus outbreaks on its cruise ships last year after making big changes

This program, implemented in 2023, includes six tenants:

1. Stop buffet self-service if the onboard norovirus rate exceeds 1.5%
2. More crew training on acute GI symptoms and avoiding cross-contamination
3. More GI training for onboard medical teams
4. Increased oversight of the Outbreak Prevention Plan
5. Switching to PDI SaniCloth Prime hospital-grade disinfectant wipes, which carry a claim against norovirus (Contains an affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use)
6. Contactless tap technology, so crew members don't have to handle SeaPass cards

A Royal Caribbean guest is suing the cruise line and its former crew member, alleging she was filmed by a hidden camera in her stateroom bathroom. 

The class action lawsuit was filmed on behalf of the guest in the Southern District of Florida this Tuesday, as first reported by the Miami Herald.

The guest was only identified as Jane Doe, but the lawsuit was also filed on behalf of "all other similarly situated passengers."

In August, former crew member Arvin Joseph Mirasol was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. 

He was found guilty of filming guests, including children, with hidden cameras while they were naked, in addition to hiding under cabin beds on Symphony of the Seas.

Read more: "I will be checking under the bed now": Royal Caribbean crew member accused of hiding cameras to spy on guests

Federal authorities found images of women and children undressing on his electronic devices, "numerous videos of naked females," as well as child sexual abuse material.

During a post-Miranda interview, Mirasol admitted to pleasuring himself while watching the videos. He told authorities he "wants to control it...but can't." 

Mirasol was also charged with six pending counts of video voyeurism in Florida state court after the Broward Sheriff’s Office interviewed him.

According to the lawsuit, Mirasol captured images of Doe "while undressed and engaging in private activities" during a February cruise.

The guest, Jane Doe, also alleges that Mirasol uploaded images of her to the Internet, including the dark web.

“Upon information and belief, Mirasol transmitted and/or uploaded images of the Plaintiff while undressed and engaging in private activities, to third parties and/or to the world wide web, including, but not limited to, the dark web, without Plaintiff’s prior knowledge or consent,” the complaint states. 

As a result, she has suffered extreme emotional distress, including physical symptoms like insomnia and dizziness.

The lawsuit places the blame on Royal Caribbean for failing to provide sufficient security, training, or supervision to prevent sexual assaults.

The cruise line did not warn guests about such crimes and allegedly did not notify passengers who stayed in cabins served by Mirasol.

According to the lawsuit, there may be up to 960 impacted passengers, who stayed on Symphony of the Seas between December 1st, 2023, and February 26th, 2024.

Royal Caribbean “knew or should have known sexual assaults were reasonably foreseeable considering the prevalence of sexual assaults aboard RCCL’s cruise ships," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit referenced a 2023 incident on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas in which passenger Jeremy Froias installed a hidden camera on a 7-night sailing from Miami, Florida.

Froias was arrested after placing a hidden WiFi camera in the public bathroom between the FlowRider and a bar.

His camera, which was up for 24 hours before security removed it, allegedly depicted more than 150 individuals in various states of undress, including minors as young as four and five years old.

The number of sexual assaults onboard cruise ships rose in 2023, according to the US Department of Transportation. 

Onboard cruise ships embarking and disembarking in the United States, 131 sex crimes were reported to the FBI in 2023.

This is a significant increase from 2022, which saw 87 alleged sexual assaults.

However, the actual numbers could be even higher. 

According to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, more than two out of three of all sexual assaults are never reported.

Of these alleged sex crimes in 2023, 75% were committed by cruise ship passengers (98 in total), and only 27 crimes were committed by crew members. Six of the incidents had an "unknown" perpetrator.

Jason Margulies, an attorney with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., in Miami Florida, is representing the plaintiff in this case.

Margulies addressed the allegations that Royal Caribbean hasn't been informing affected guests who sailed on Symphony of the Seas.

“If you're a company that's looking out for the best interest of your passengers, and aren't acting in your own financial interests, then you would certainly be telling all these people that they could be potential victims, right?"

"I mean, that's the humane thing to do.”

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including punitive damages, and a jury trial.

Royal Caribbean emailed a statement to USA TODAY: “The safety and privacy of our guests is our highest priority, and we have zero tolerance for this behavior."

“We immediately reported this case to law enforcement and terminated the crew member. As this is pending litigation, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

Utopia of the Seas offers short cruises on a ship with lots to do. How can you make the most of it?

I recently sailed on Utopia of the Seas for a 4-night Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay cruise.

Leaving round-trip from Port Canaveral, Florida, I knew I only had a short amount of time to experience everything Utopia has to offer.

Cruisers first criticized Royal Caribbean when it debuted its newest Oasis Class vessel with only short sailings.

However, the cruise line found that first-time cruisers like to start with 3 and 4-night sailings, and Utopia is the perfect ship to draw them in.

With everything from a train car-themed dining experience to waterslides and escape rooms, there are countless activities to try on Utopia of the Seas.

But how can you fit them all into just a few days?

Explore the ship to get your bearings

I always explore the cruise ship as soon as I get onboard, but this is especially important to do on a short cruise on Utopia. 

On such a huge vessel, with so little time, cruisers have to know their way around.

You'll want to get your bearings as soon as you board, in order to find events quickly and ensure you don't miss anything.

It's hard to keep everything in your head, so start out by getting a visual sense of what the ship's neighborhoods and venues look like.

I recommend wandering the whole ship at least once—you don't want to miss anything on the map. 

Sometimes it takes walking around yourself to find hidden locations or decide if a particular venue piques your interest. Don't take the app's word for it—go see each spot with your own eyes.

Reserve specialty restaurants in advance

A specialty meal is worth the extra cost on Utopia. The 5,668-passenger vessel offers quality venues found on few other ships, such as the Mason Jar, Izumi Omakase, Izumi in the Park, and the Royal Railway.

Other specialty venues onboard include Chops Grille, Sugar Beach, Johnny Rockets, 150 Central, Chef's Table, Playmakers, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, Starbucks, Izumi Hibachi and Sushi, and Hooked Seafood.

Dining at an extra-cost restaurant gets you higher-quality food in a themed venue and allows you to see more of the ship during a short sailing.

To ensure that you're able to dine at your favorite locations, be sure to make reservations ahead of time. Specialty restaurants on mega ships can sell out quickly, and you never want to be turned away from a dinner you were looking forward to.

You're able to reserve individual restaurants or bookings as part of a dining package on the Cruise Planner website before the cruise.

If you don't make reservations online, you can also go to any dining venue on the first day of the cruise and make your bookings then. My advice is to pre-book to save time and money.

Hit the top deck activities on embarkation day

The best time to go to the pool, water slides or hot tubs is as soon as you board the ship.

The pool deck is open on embarkation day, including the water slides.  Not only is it available, but it's the best time to experience them because there are least amount of crowds.

Most other passengers haven't boarded yet, are busy exploring the ship, or simply don't have their bathing suits with them.

This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy smaller crowds and shorter lines.  Pack a bathing suit in your carry-on, or just wear it onboard.

Use Royal Caribbean's app to prioritize events

To fit in Utopia's non-stop events, you'll need to have a detailed itinerary.

The Royal Caribbean app will become your source of all cruise information and it works with or without the WiFi package.

Events will be listed in great detail each day of the sailing, including the time, venue, and any associated costs.

I recommend consulting the app frequently to keep track of onboard events.

Read more: 5 things to know before sailing on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean app allows you to add events to your own Calender, and it will even send you a notification 30 minutes before the event begins.

I also saw events get canceled or change times while on my Utopia sailing, so checking the app frequently allowed me to stay updated.

Pack your carry-on efficiently  

Maximizing a short cruise on Utopia means using every moment you get onboard—including on embarkation day.

This hack takes a little extra planning but can give you hours of additional fun.

By packing your carry-on efficiently, you'll be able to begin activities before your stateroom is ready or your luggage is delivered.

Read more: 6 mistakes to avoid while planning a cruise and sharing a cabin with a friend

Since luggage doesn't get delivered until late afternoon, packing logically will allow you to start enjoying activities as soon as you get onboard.

Pack lightly, but bring medication, water bottles, sunglasses, sunscreen, a swimsuit, and a change of clothes in your carry-on bag.

You'll be able to enjoy lunch, time at the pool, or other activities while other cruisers are still boarding and waiting for their cabins.

View event highlights on the TV

Each Royal Caribbean stateroom has at least one TV, where guests can view 10-20 free channels, purchase movies, or cast from their devices (depending on the ship).

On Utopia of the Seas, you'll find that multiple channels stream or show recaps of events happening onboard.

While I don't prefer to view events on TV instead of experiencing them, you can use this feature to take advantage of shorter sailings.

If you find yourself double-booked, a quick replay of the previous events can catch you up.

When you return to your stateroom after dinner or late at night, you'll be able to turn on the television and see the highlights of events you missed.

Read more: I spent over a week on Royal Caribbean's new Utopia of the Seas. I was impressed by how much was changed for the world's newest cruise ship.

For example, my travel buddy and I stopped in to watch the World's Sexiest Man competition on the pool deck but had to leave to grab lunch before the Windjammer closed.

After that, we went on to the next event, but we didn't get to see who had won the competition!

When we returned to our cabin later that night, the TV's re-run showed us which cruiser was awarded the Sexiest Man.

Get off the ship in CocoCay early

The highlight of any Utopia of the Seas cruise will be a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island, so get more out of it by disembarking early.

You can walk off the ship to Perfect Day at CoocCay as early as 8am, and if you can get going that early, you'll enjoy the best spots on the island.

Not only will there be less people in the pool or ocean, but you can cherry pick the best chairs or day beds. 

Moreover, if you start your day earlier, you can enjoy more time before the crowds arrive later in the morning. If you're feeling like heading back to the ship, you'll have already taken advantage of the least crowded time on the island.

Much has been made recently about cruise ship congestion in Alaska, so Royal Caribbean might have an answer.

Together with an Alaskan Native company, Royal Caribbean Group announced a new partnership to co-develop a new port in Juneau. Goldbelt Incorporated is a urban Alaska Native, for-profit corporation.

Some residents have wanted to limit cruise ship traffic in Juneau, despite the likely negative impact on local businesses. The reason is these locals have found the crowds cruise ships bring to be troublesome.

A resident-written ballot proposition was voted on recently to ban cruise ships on Saturdays, but 60% of voters rejected the measure. Unofficial tallies released by the city found that 2,586 residents voted in favor of the measure and 3,873 voted against it — also a 60% margin.

Royal Caribbean Group's plan would build a new port with the goal of, "strengthening the city's infrastructure while improving traffic congestion downtown and enhancing the local and visitor experience."

The new port would be located on Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act land on Douglas Island. Douglas island is west of downtown Juneau and east of Admiralty Island. It is separated from mainland Juneau by the Gastineau Channel.

The project is called, "The Port of Tomorrow" and it is expected to be completed during the 2027 Alaska cruise season.

The port would have two floating berths overlooking the Chilkat Range. 

Once passengers disembark the ship, they would enter a recreated 1800s Alaska Native Tlingit village, where they "will experience Goldbelt Incorporated shareholders' ancestral history through stories, art, songs, dance, and traditional foods."

The existing port in Juneau includes three cruise terminals: the Ferry Terminal, South Franklin Dock, and Marine Park. In addition, ships may anchor and tender passengers ashore when more than three ships are present.

Fixing the traffic problems

In order to leverage the existing whale watching tour operations, passengers would depart directly from West Douglas Island onto whale-watching tours or shuttle boats to Mendenhall Glacier to counter downtown traffic. 

Estimates are it would remove nearly one-third of bus traffic from Juneau's most congested roadways, from downtown Franklin Street to the Glacier Highway, enhancing the overall guest and resident experience, while also paying testament to Alaska Native culture.

Because Douglas Island is located directly in the major shipping routes alongside Steven's Passage, the proposal has other advantages beyond downtown Juneau. 

It promises an environmental advantage, reducing time, speed, and fuel requirements for ships sailing north to Skagway or west to the Gulf of Alaska, making it the most ideal stop-over for routing to Sitka or Seward.

The capital of Alaska cruising

Juneau welcomes more than 1.6 million cruise ship passengers per year, and on its busiest days, 20,000 cruise passengers arrive at the city.

Nearly every major cruise line that sails in Alaska has a stop in Juneau, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Disney, and Viking.

The Alaska cruise season runs between April and October, but Royal Caribbean ships primarily visit between May and September.

According to Juneau's FAQ on the ballot initiative, in 2023, cruise visitors generated $30 million in direct spending and $3.7 million in revenue for the municipal government on Saturdays.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty told Wall Street analysts during a quarterly earnings call in July 2024 that Alaska was one of his company's most sought-after destinations, "Alaska summer itineraries are performing exceptionally well."

In fact, summer Alaska season represents 6% of full-year capacity for Royal Caribbean Group. The company increased their capacity this year as a result of moving bigger ships into the Alaska market.