Royal Caribbean released a new batch of 2018-2019 sailings to Cuba on Majesty of the Seas from Fort Lauderale, Florida.

These new sailings are available for booking and begin in November 2018 and extend through March 2019.  There are also a number of other Majesty of the Seas sailings from Fort Lauderdale, that visit destinations in the Western Caribbean.

Majesty of the Seas will offer 4- and 5-night sailings to Cuba, including some overnight stays.

Royal Caribbean informed travel partners that four of its cruise ships will be redeployed in 2018-2019.

In an unusual occurrence, Royal Caribbean is changing the deployment of ships that have already been announced.  Much of the change is merely swapping one cruise ship for another, but there are some cancellations included as well.

Majesty of the Seas will move to Tampa for sailings between 6/22/18 - 4/29/19.

The following Majesty of the Seas sailings are being cancelled: 5/7/18 - 6/18/18.

Guests on these canceled sailings will have their ship changed to Enchantment of the Seas.

Empress of the Seas sailings for 5/9/18 - 3/30/19 will be changed to Majesty of the Seas.

In addition to the change in ship, the 6/25/18, 8/6/18, 9/3/18, 9/17/18, and 10/1/18 sailings' itineraries will be modified.

Enchantment of the Seas will move to Port Canaveral, Florida for sailings between: 5/4/18 - 4/15/19

Guests on these sailings will be moved to Vision of the Seas, a ship in the same class.

The following Enchantment of the Seas sailings are being cancelled: 6/23/18 - 3/13/19 & 4/19/19.

Vision of the Seas is being moved to Galveston. 

The following Vision of the Seas sailings are being cancelled: 3/9/19 - 4/13/19.

New sailings will be open and ready to book on November 21st, 2017.

Royal Caribbean announced it has cancelled the September 15 sailing of Majesty of the Seas so that the cruise line can utilize the ship for humanitarian efforts in areas of the Caribbean with urgent need.

Hurricane Irma has caused Royal Caribbean to alter and even cancel a number of sailings, including the previous September 11 sailing of Majesty of the Seas.

Guests who were scheduled to sail on Majesty of the Seas on the September 15th sailing will receive a 100% refund of the cruise fare and fees to the original form of payment.  Plus, Royal Caribbean is also offering a 25% future cruise credit, based on the cruise fare, if a new cruise is booked in the next 30 days.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call 1-800-256-6649.

Hurricane Irma is a category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph. The storm is currently located north of Cuba and is moving northwest at 12 mph. The current forecast suggests that the eye will be coming ashore in the Lower to Middle Keys and Naples early Sunday morning, followed by Tampa Bay Sunday evening. The storm should exit the Florida area late Monday, pre-dawn Tuesday. This farther west track we have seen over the last couple days is due to Hurricane Jose’s strength and its proximity to Hurricane Irma.

Royal Caribbean is testing a new means for Diamond level guests to receive their complimentary beverages each evening.

Onboard Majesty of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Blog reader Nick Vitani shared this photo of a notice given to guests who are at least Diamond level in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society.  The note advises guests that a pilot program is in effect, where guests that go to the Viking Crown Lounge for their complimentary Diamond beverages will be required to swipe their SeaPass card.

There is no charge for these drinks, but the note states the test is, "to better understand the level of service we are providing during the nightly Diamond event."

Each evening, Royal Caribbean offers complimentary alcoholic beverages in its Diamond lounges for Diamond members and above. In addition, Diamond members and above receive three complimentary drink vouchers to use at bars and lounges around the ship during the same time.  There is no change in how the drink vouchers are being redeemed as part of this test.

This is the first occurrence of this test we have heard about on any ship in the fleet.

Royal Caribbean has added a second cruise ship that will call on Cuba, Majesty of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida.

Majesty of the Seas will depart Port Canaveral on March 25, 2019 for a 4-night cruise that will visit Havana, Cuba.  Thus far, this is the only sailing to Cuba on Majesty of the Seas available for booking on Royal Caribbean's website.

Until now, Empress of the Seas has been the only Royal Caribbean ship to offer cruises to Cuba, having begun service in April 2017.

Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley had indicated the cruise line had plans to send Majesty of the Seas to Cuba in an interview earlier this year.

Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas was kept in port through Tuesday morning, after U.S. Coast Guard inspectors forced the ship to remain in port until an issue with the lifeguards was resolved.

Cruise Critic reports a spokesman from the U.S. Coast Guard cited the delay stems from the ship's older life jackets, "generally speaking, problems with older life jackets can include fraying straps that could break when a person was in the water or disintegrating foam that will not float in the water."

Royal Caribbean sent messages via Twitter to convey the company is working around the clock to fix the issues.

@rockytopinfl We're currently working around the clock to get all issues resolved. All future sailing will not be impacted by this.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) February 14, 2017

There has not been any indication yet when Majesty of the Seas will be able to set sail on her 4-night Bahamas cruise, nor what impact the delay will have on the ship's itinerary.

9:30am Update: Royal Caribbean is offering guests a 25% refundable onboard credit, and a 25% Future Cruise Certificate.

@eric_thebruce The comp offer is a 25% refundable onboard credit, and a 25% Future Cruise Certificate.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) February 14, 2017

The path of Hurricane Matthew has caused Royal Caribbean to make the decision to cancel its October 8th sailing of Majesty of the Seas.

The cruise line looked at the path of Hurricane Matthew and decided to cancel the cruise to avoid putting the ship, guests and crew in the path of the massive storm.

@susieeq47 Hi Susan. The 10/8 Majesty of the Seas sailing has been cancelled due to weather. Please contact us our your travel agent.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 6, 2016

BREAKING: @RoyalCaribbean cancels #MajestyoftheSeas' Oct. 8 sailing out of @canaveralport, citing trajectory of #HurricaneMatthew.

— Gene Sloan (@CruiseLog) October 6, 2016

Royal Caribbean had planned on having Majesty of the Seas take a shorter sailing and depart on October 8.  The path of the storm and impact on the ship's departure point of Port Canaveral have caused the cruise line to reconsider its plans and cancel the sailing completely.

5:02pm UPDATE: Guests will have the option to receive a full refund of the cruise fare paid or future cruise credit in the amount of 150% of the cruise fare paid. Refunds will automatically be issued within one week to the form of payment applied unless Royal Caribbean is contacted and a future cruise credit is requested.

Due to Hurricane Matthew, Royal Caribbean has had to make changes to the itinerary for the current and next sailing of Majesty of the Seas.

Port Canaveral will be closing all marine traffic on Thursday, and anticipate reopening on Saturday. 

As a result, Majesty of the Seas next sailing will now depart Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Due to the revised itinerary, Royal Caribbean International will provide each stateroom with an onboard credit in the amount of one day based on the cruise fare paid, which will be credited to guests' onboard accounts.

As a gesture of goodwill, we will also be providing all sailing guests with a 33% future cruise credit.

A letter with more details and information about the updated itinerary will be provided at boarding.

As we reported yesterday, Empress of the Seas is also delayed returning to PortMiami by at least one day.

If there are any questions, please contact Royal Caribbean at 866-562-7625.

Royal Caribbean International will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will provide updates as soon as they become available.

Guests departing on the Majesty of the Seas sailing that leaves October 3rd will find a new route planned, due to the path of Hurricane Matthew.

Majesty of the Seas will now call to Key West, Florida, instead of her scheduled call to Nassau, Bahamas. Majesty of the Seas revised itinerary:

UPDATED 10am

• Monday, Oct. 3 - Port Canaveral, Florida at 4:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 4 - Freeport, Bahamas 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 5 - Key West, Florida at 8:00 a.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 6 - Key West, Florida depart at 9:00 a.m.
• Friday, Oct. 7 - Port Canaveral, Florida at 7:00 a.m.

Royal Caribbean has also changed the itineraries of three other cruise ships this week due to the storm: Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas.

Given the storm's path, Royal Caribbean wants to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all guests on its ships for the safety of guests and crew.

Guests aboard Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas can now enjoy Izumi-quality sushi, despite not having an Izumi location.

Photo by Kayla Gillman

We reported earlier this summer that Royal Caribbean would be offering Izumi-level sushi across its fleet on ships that did not have an Izumi location, and we have a look at the Izumi sushi on Majesty of the Seas.

There are a few different varieties of sushi available at the Windjammer during dinner and priced a la carte.  These include

• Crispy Philly: $8
• Crispy Tuna: $5
• Vegetarian Sushi Sampler: $6
• California roll with masago and scallions: $6
• Half Futomaki: $8
• Spicy Salmon Avocado roll: $7
• Shrimp Crunchy Roll: $8
• Spicy Tuna in Togarashi: $7

Photo by Kayla Gillman

Royal Caribbean wanted to offer guests something quick and easy to enjoy, without having to dedicate time for a sit-down meal.