While cruise ships are sailing again, there is still confusion about Covid-19 vaccine requirements, and Royal Caribbean International's CEO tried to address the issue again this week.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted on social media an explanation of where things are right now with vaccine requirements.

Mr. Bayley has taken on a "hands on approach" to addressing customer concerns, especially on social media.

He started off by acknowledging the trouble some cruise fans have had with new protocols lately, "There is a lot of confusion and understandable concern over vaccine requirements."

He explained that depending on where a ship sails from, each country can have different regulations, "What guides our policy is primarily determined by which port and country the ship is home ported and sails from and returns to."

"For example If the ship sails from and returns to a USA port we are guided by CDC/FDA guidelines."

Mr. Bayley brought up the example of the United States, because he has heard from many Canadian guests and how they were guided by their government on when and how to get vaccinated against Covid-19 versus the U.S.

In recent weeks, cruise lines have added new protocols that prohibit some level of mixed vaccines, which depends on the mix of manufacturers and where you are sailing from.  

Royal Caribbean issued a mixed vaccine policy, but then revised their policy after getting a lot of questions from Canadian customers who would suddenly find themselves unable to sail.

The revised policy allows mixed vaccines in some situations, which is a step ahead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) preference for vaccinations not be mixed.

According to Bayley, Royal Caribbean has brought up the issue of the differences in the Canadian government's approach with that of the CDC, "Please understand we are not in a position to disregard the relevant governing authority."

"I have received many emails on this issue and we raised this yesterday with the CDC and while obviously sympathetic they cannot change the current position. All cruise lines are in a similar position."

Celebrity vs Royal Caribbean's approach

Mr. Bayley also addressed the different paths Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have taken in getting back to service.

In a comment to the same mixed vaccine post, Mr. Bayley responded to a question about, "Why Celebrity cruises, sailing out of Florida ports, are following the CDC guidelines, while Royal is bending to Governor De Santis’ orders?"

Mr. Bayley explained the different restart plans have to do with Royal Caribbean being a family cruise brand.

"In a normal year the majority of our guests are families. At any time throughout the year we carry approx 10 per cent plus of our guests who are kids 12 and under and they of course travel with their family."

"Because of the kids we have been sailing at around 90 percent vaccinated and so we would not be able to operate at the CDC 95 / 95 and so like Disney Cruises or MSC all family brands we chose this path. 

He said Florida's law, "presents challenges", but he said Royal Caribbean always complies with federal, state and local laws.

"Our wonderful sister brand Celebrity also welcomes kids and families and while they have a great time the number of kids and families is far less than Royal. Hope that clarifies."

"To be very clear both brands fully follow above and beyond the CDC guidelines."

Royal Caribbean has proudly announced the restart of some ships this summer outside of the United States, but the role of the Covid-19 vaccine for those sailings has some cruisers concerned.

Based on comments across social media, there is a vocal contingent of cruisers who are unwilling or unable to get the Covid-19 vaccine at this time.

As part of the March 2021 newsletter to Crown and Anchor Society members, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley addressed the undetermined role of a Covid-19 vaccine in the cruise line's overall plans.

Mr. Bayley acknowledged the issue in his message to guests, "I know there are questions when it comes to our future plans, health and safety re measures, vaccines and more. The current vaccine requirements for our new sailings this summer, in particular, have raised concerns."

"I want you to know that we understand. This environment we are in is one we're navigating as best we can with the ever-evolving information that tells us what will help reduce the chances of COVID-19 impacting any cruise."

He added that changes in protocols and the approach to the virus may change this summer, "There's nothing more we would like than to welcome everyone back on board and for today's needed measures, like vaccinations, to become unnecessary in the near future."

"We believe that much will change leading up to summer, and we're working through it all with the Healthy Sail Panel, public health experts and governments around the world."

"One thing is tor sure: Delivering memorable vacations is still what we do, and you, our crew and the communities we visit matter most."

Read more: Everything we know about if Royal Caribbean will require a vaccine

Despite the fact all of the recently announced ships that will resume cruises this summer will require the Covid-19 vaccine, Royal Caribbean has been adimant no decision has been made if they will or will not require the vaccine across the fleet.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain has said on a few occasions that nothing firm has been established, and things could very well change as the science evolves.

Most recently, Mr. Fain talked about the role of vaccines this summer during a webinar last week, "As the science continues to progress, I think we will change and we will adjust to that. And I think we're now trying to predict the future. Remember, these cruises don't start till June. And so we're starting on this basis that they will require vaccines, but that could change tomorrow."

"We do respond to the facts and the evidence, and so we started out on the new cruises that we've announced and they are going to require initially vaccines. But we don't know how long that will be a feature."

Royal Caribbean is not alone in its indecision. 

None of the major cruise lines have announced if they will or will not require the Covid-19 vaccine when they resume cruises.

The entire cruise industry has been on the offensive over the last few weeks to compel the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to lift its ban on cruise ships, perhaps to avoid belaboring new requirements.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley urged travel agents to tell their government representatives to allow cruise ships to sail again because he fears what may come next.

Mr. Bayley used the word, "worried" to describe what the CDC may tell cruise lines to do if they actually provided any kind of guidance.

"We're worried that the guidance that we're going to get is going to be pretty outdated."

He noted that it has been, "many, many months since we've had any guidance", and added "we're kind of concerned".

This concern has compelled Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines to ask U.S. citizens to write to their elected officials to ask them to call on the CDC to allow cruise ships to sail again.

Through the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), there is an easy form anyone can use to email, call, and/or tweet elected officials with a short message to voice their support for getting ships to sail again.

"Just put in a little bit of information and then it automatically populate your local representative, elected officials basically saying, come on, let's get this cruise restarted."

Mr. Bayley's words follow months of inaction by the CDC to provide any kind of information to cruise lines that would allow them to resume cruises.

Cruise ships have been shutdown in the United States since March 2020, when the cruise industry volunteered to stop cruising in the early days of the global health crisis.  Since then, the CDC instituted a ban on cruise ships.

The hope is a write-in program that CLIA has set up will allow cruise ships to sail again from the United States as early as July.

CLIA President and CEO Kelly Craighead believes strict health protocols and the rapid pace of vaccination are what is needed for cruise ships to safely return to service, " the successful resumption of cruising in other parts of the world demonstrates that a return to cruising can and should occur here as well."

Lifting the CSO

The Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) is the policy instituted by the CDC that prevents cruise ships from sailing in U.S. waters at this time.

By lifting the CSO, cruise lines would not have to conduct test sailings, or any of the other requirements outlined by the CSO. Instead, cruise lines would implement new health protocols and rule changes aimed at making ships as safe as possible.

By keeping cruise lines shutdown, CLIA claims it has cost jobs and revenue to the U.S. economy.

CLIA estimates restarting cruises as part of the broader travel industry will provide a much-needed boost to the U.S. economy—with the cruise industry supporting nearly 450,000 American jobs and contributing over $55.5 billion annually, prior to the pandemic.  

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley offered cruisers a Christmas message of hope and gratitude.

Christmas and New Years is right around the corner, and Mr. Bayley sent an email to Crown and Anchor Society guests to wish them a good holiday season that centers on two common themes.

Mr. Bayley believes the words "hopeful" and "grateful" are key phrases that apply to what has happened this year.

First and foremost, Mr. Bayley thanked past cruisers for their loyalty to the cruise line that has served as motivation for the company, "your encouragement and enthusiasm for cruising has kept us going."

Of course, everyone wants to know when cruises might actually restart and the "hopeful" nature of his message spoke to the New Year's resolution that Mr. Bayley says Royal Caribbean is committed to seeing through, "We are hopeful for the future of Royal Caribbean International."

Your confidence in us, along with the hard work of our employees and partners around the world, will soon get us back to what we love to do. Cruising the oceans of the world and having your smiling faces onboard again is one New Year's resolution we plan to keep."

The email sent to guests includes a special video message from Royal Caribbean's cruise ship captains and crew ambassadors.

"They miss being onboard with you even more this time of year — so they’ve put together a special video with their best wishes."

Lastly, Royal Caribbean shared the recipe for a holiday cocktail they think will be great to enjoy this year, the cranberry margarita.

The recipe combines a Thanksgiving staple—cranberry—with the sweetness of honey to create a refreshing and vibrant drink.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces tequila
• 3/4-ounce fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons cranberry sauce or jam
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Brown sugar-rimmed martini glass
• Lime wheel as garnish

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
• Strain into the sugar-rimmed glass, then top with a lime and enjoy!

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley sent an email to guests on Monday with an update on cruises starting up again, more cancelled cruises, where the cruise ships are right now.

The email touched on a variety of topics meant to catch someone up on what's been happening with Royal Caribbean over the last few months.

Here is a summary of everything Mr. Bayley talked about in his email (with the full email at the bottom of this post).

Lifting the No Sail Order

Mr. Bayley start off the email with the fact the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted the No Sail Order at the end of October, and replaced it with the Framework for Conditional Sailing.

"It’s a step in the right direction we can all appreciate – a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel."

Royal Caribbean is "poring over the details of the order" as the cruise line prepares for its next steps.

"While we all know there is still more work to be done, I’m still as confident as ever about our comeback."

Cancelled December 2020 cruises

While the cruise industry now has an avenue to cruises restarting, more work is needed, which is why Royal Caribbean had to cancel the remaining 2020 cruises through December 31.

"As eager as we are to welcome your smiling faces back on board, we are sticking to our promise to take things slow for your well-being, our crew and the communities we visit."

"I can imagine how disappointing this was to hear. If there’s one thing we’re all looking forward to doing, it’s spending time on board a ship with family, friends and your favorite crew members again. That day will soon come."

Quantum of the Seas will restart in Singapore first

Mr. Bayley highlighted the fact that Quantum of the Seas will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to resume sailings when it sails from Singapore on December 1.

The three and four-night cruises are open only to residents of Singapore. 

"In anticipation of our startup in Singapore, we’re in the process of bringing back our crew members. Each of them take a series of steps before they can travel and join Quantum, including quarantine and COVID-19 testing. And for weeks now, they’ve been preparing by going through extensive training on the new protocols."

Crew members

Mr. Bayley almost always mentions the hard working crew members on their ships, and in this email he mentioned there are almost 3,000 crew members across the fleet helping keep cruise ships ready.

"There are close to 3,000 crew members currently on board who are keeping our fleet in ship shape for your return. The thousands of other crew in our family are home with their loved ones and feeling hopeful about the movement forward toward getting back to what they love to do."

Where are Royal Caribbean's ships now?

Mr. Bayley also included a list of where Royal Caribbean's ships are right now:

• Ovation, Quantum, Radiance, Spectrum and Voyager in Asia
• Empress and Majesty in Greece
• Jewel, Explorer, Allure and Anthem in the UK
• Other ships are around The Bahamas, Barbados and South Florida.

Odyssey of the Seas under construction in Germany.

"Her progress is fantastic, and we can’t wait to welcome her to the family next year in March."

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley spoke about demand the cruise line is seeing for cruises during a call with Wall Street analysts.

One question raised was if Royal Caribbean will have to wait for them to prove cruises can sail safely before substantial demand returns.

Mr. Bayley talked about the pent-up demand customers have, even before the cruise line is ready to restart.

Surprised by the level of demand

A great example of this demand comes from the newly added Quantum of the Seas cruises from Singapore, which will begin in December.

Despite the fact Quantum will offer cruises to no where, with no port stops at all, demand has been very strong.

"We were really quite surprised by the level of demand that came into the product of the winter season that we've got it open," Mr. Bayley shared during the call with investors.

"Within the first two weeks, we had literally the triple demand that we were expecting at rates above what we were expecting."

In addition to Singapore, Mr. Bayley said despite COVID increases in Europe, "there is demand in the marketplace and it's coming quite naturally."

A look at the American cruise market

Mr. Bayley also touched upon demand for cruises in the American cruise market, which he sees tied to how Americans feel about the nature of the pandemic.

Royal Caribbean is conducting a great deal of market research to get a sense of what consumers are thinking.

"About three or four months ago, most people believed that COVID would be kind of moving behind us by the end of 2020. Of course, that shifted now. And the belief from most consumers is that as you move through '21, COVID will move behind us with vaccine, therapeutics, etc."

"You very much see a correlation between what people are believing and how they're booking."

To that point, the data shows Royal Caribbean that people want to vacation again once things start to settle down.

"We kind of see that in the booking behavior out of the American market for our products through '21, with a particular emphasis on Summer 21, " Mr. Bayley described. "It feels and it looks as if customers are thinking this is going to be behind us and we're going to have a summer vacation."

Of course, the No Sail order looms large in the United States, and while a lifting of that prohibition would be helpful for bookings, Mr. Bayley believes ultimately consumers want to see cruises begin before booking in large numbers.

"I do believe that if there is a change in the No Sail order and a pathway is created for the safe return to cruising, there will be an uptick in demand. But I think people will naturally wait and see."

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley revealed on Thursday he is the co-chair of a task force that is working on the safe return of cruising to the Caribbean.

At a meeting of the Miami-Dade County Tourism and the Ports Committee, Mr. Bayley spoke of the work everyone in Royal Caribbean is doing to get back to cruising, including this Caribbean island task force.

Made up of over 40 different Caribbean countries, the Americas Cruise Tourism Task Force is co-chaired with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley.

According to Ms. Mottley, the ultimate goal of this effort is to ensure that the Caribbean region can prepare to reopen the borders for cruise tourism in a safe way.

Mr. Bayley spoke of the task force's work as being in conjunction with the Royal Caribbean Healthy Sail Panel work to prepare a new set of guidelines and protocols for the cruise line to employ once it resumes service.

"We have been working over the past several months on the creation of a universal set of guidelines that dovetail and fit into the work that's being created by our panel, and ultimately our collective submission to the CDC."

Ms. Mottley spoke of the group's work in July, noting the need for a firm set of new guidelines to ensure cruise lines will want to return to the islands.

"... That allows those people within our community to be able to see economic activity again, from vendors, to taxi drivers, to tourism attractions, etc. But they will not benefit if the cruise ships are not coming in, and the cruise ships cannot come unless there are safe protocols that we are satisfied on and that they are too, as owners of companies are satisfied can work for us."

Part of the work Royal Caribbean has outlined in its Healthy Sail Panel work has been to coordinate its efforts with the ports they visit.

Earlier this summer, Mr. Bayley outlined the four major areas of work for the Healthy Sail Panel, with the ports of call being one the top priorities.

• Upgraded screening prior to boarding
• Enhanced processes on board
• A special focus on addressing the destinations
• Procedures for addressing any reports of exceptions

Other cruise lines that have restarted operations in Europe have instituted strict rules for guests who go on shore excursions, such as MSC Cruises requiring guests only go on cruise line approved tours.

Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Michael Bayley spoke to travel advisors on a webinar and spoke on a number of commonly asked topics surrounding the current situation and the cruise line's recovery.

Mr. Bayley spoke for an hour on a variety of questions that travel agents had submitted prior to the webinar related to the timing and plans to resume cruises.

The questions were all about the current situation Royal Caribbean is facing in the midst of no sailings and the global health crisis.

More time needed to develop new health policies

A few hours before the webinar, Royal Caribbean announced they had cancelled more cruises, extending their voluntary suspension of cruises through October 31, 2020.

Mr. Bayley indicated that Royal Caribbean is "actively engaged" in the Healthy Sail Panel working on a healthy return to service plan.

He then went on to say that the combination of the CDC requesting public feedback, along with the submission of Royal Caribbean's return to service plan is one of the reasons why there needed to be another month of cancelled cruises.

"We think it's going to take obviously some time for back and forth with with the CDC when they see the full detail of the plan, and they've received all of the public comment."

Which ships will start first

Another question raised was which ships might start up first, and it looks like Royal Caribbean is still looking at short sailings to begin the return to service.

"I think when we resume service, our thinking is that will probably we'll probably start with short product, Perfect Day, and that'll be the how we'll start phasing in operations."

In addition, Mr. Bayley said during an employee-only call, he is committed to the idea of starting with an employee-only sailing in order to test out the new protocols.

"I said that the first cruise that we will operate through, Royal Caribbean International, will be an all employee cruise, a little bit like a shakedown cruise, because then we can test and take a look at in real-life operations all of the protocols that we're putting into place. And so our first cruise is going to be an employee cruise."

Healthy return to service update

Ultimately, Royal Caribbean wants to ensure when they resume cruises, they do it the right way.

A lot of this is going to be about trust.

Mr. Bayley reiterated a notion conveyed by different Royal Caribbean executives that they want to start cruising again once it makes sense, and not just for the sake of starting up.

"We would never want to resume service unless we were incredibly confident that we could create an environment that was healthier and safer than the environment from which people were coming."

"I think that's really why we're being really thoughtful and taking our time on creating all of the protocols that we we hope we will introduce when they're ready to be introduced."

President's Cruise cancellation

Included in today's announcement that Royal Caribbean would cancel its sailings through October is the 2020 President's Cruise has also been cancelled.

Mr. Bayley lamented the fact there will not be a sailing this year, but did say he hopes to announce a new sailing for 2021.

"We haven't yet decided when we'll do the 2021 President's Cruise, but we certainly will do it."

"So we'll probably announce in the coming weeks when the next President's Cruise will be."

Crew repatriation is almost complete

Some good news is the fact that Royal Caribbean is nearly complete with repatriating crew home.

Mr. Bayley said Royal Caribbean is about 97-98% complete, with some crew facing "unbelievable restrictions".

"One of the positive things that's happened in the past few weeks was that the CDC approved our accruing No Sail order plans and converted many of the ships of Royal Caribbean international and Celebrity to what's called the green code, which means that for 28 days or longer, none of those ships have had any COVID on them whatsoever."

"That green code designation means that the the ability to use commercial air, which which makes logistics a lot simpler."

Impact of coronavirus outbreaks on other cruise lines starting again

The big cruise news this week has been smaller European cruise lines have attempted to restart cruising, but have already experienced COVID-19 outbreaks on their ships.  This has many questioning what impact it will have on Royal Caribbean's ability to restart sailings.

"It's unfortunate, I think also it just shows it shows what a complex challenge this is."

"It's also interesting that what hasn't been reported is that both TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd, which are larger cruise brands, have been operating now, I think, TUI has now done four cruises without any incident"

Despite the fact that smaller lines will operate in a different way than Royal Caribbean, it is provides a good learning experience to overcome these challenges.

"The last thing we want to do is to return to service and get it wrong. And I think and I think our customers and our travel partners really do expect to get it right. And that's our focus."

Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Michael Bayley spoke to travel agents on a webinar on Wednesday and commented on a number of commonly asked questions surrounding the current situation and the cruise line's recovery.

Mr. Bayley answered a series of questions that travel agents had submitted prior to the webinar about a variety of concerns related to the timing and plans to resume cruises.

The questions were all about the current situation Royal Caribbean is facing in the midst of no sailings and the global health crisis.

When will Royal Caribbean cruises resume?

Naturally, the question everyone wants to know is when will Royal Caribbean start cruising again.

Mr. Bayley indicated internal research is showing guests are more interested in traveling again, and bookings improving, particularly for 2021. He believes people are getting fatigued with the quarantine and everything else going on, and people want to plan their vacations once this all ends.

"You need to be timing your return to service so it fits with how consumers are thinking about taking a vacation. We have some protocols that we need to really get right, and of course we need to be working with the CDC on all of these things."

"There's going to be a point in time in the future, I think, when all of these things cross and it'll be the perfect moment to announce that we'll be returning to service. I really don't know when that will be."

Mr. Bayley made a comparison to what is happening in China to what may happen in the United States and Europe. May signifies a major travel opportunity in China, and Royal Caribbean sent their team in China to visit Shanghai Disneyland to get a sense of what recovery looks like in a major tourism center in a country so hard hit. They saw a major bounce back with demand for tickets there, along with travel all around China.

Which ships will restart sailing first?

Another question posed was in what way will Royal Caribbean bring back its ships into service.

"It's pretty logical that when we restart our operations, when everything's good and when we've got everything figured out, that it will be the most popular products on the most popular itineraries with the best ships going to the best destinations."

"I would say the startup, depending upon the circumstances and timing, will be relatively gentle. It won't be a sudden, 'Wow, everything's operating.' I think we'll put our toe in the water and begin operations and make sure everything is perfect, and make sure the guests are having a wonderful time, and making sure we've got all of the protocols established."

"Probably the short product to Perfect Day will be among the first to start."

Private destinations role in recovery

Many travel advisors were curious what role private destinations, such as Perfect Day at CocoCay or Labadee, play in starting back up.

"The great thing about the destinations is we have a massive amount of control over who comes, who goes, all of the protocols. We can manage those destinations exceptionally well. I think the private destinations will be integral to the recovery."

What will onboard experience be like for guests when things resume?

Equally high on the list of concerns among guests and travel agents alike is what will it be like to be on a Royal Caribbean cruise, especially in the first few months cruises resume sailing.

"Of course it has to be fantastic, making sure that everybody is safe, both from a practical operational perspective, and also from a very optical perspective of making sure people understand that this is good, I don't need to worry about these concerns, I'm going to have a great vacation."

"I think when we're ready to announce all of the processes and protocols that we'll be introducing, I hope people will be excited and comforted by the way that we're approaching this."

In terms of the Windjammer buffet, Mr. Bayley did talk a little about what it may look like going forward.

"We've got teams working on every single element of the guest experience, and we obviously have a team working on the buffet. I think in the beginning, there will not be a buffet in the beginning, that's how I see it. It depends again upon the timing. We will utilize the space, we will utilize the Windjammer, but in all probability it won't be a classical buffet. It will be something more akin to a restaurant."

"I think the key focus on dining, for example, is making sure that our guests have plenty of choice. But now, that plenty of choice has to be put through the lens of distancing, and safety and health, etc. in a more acute way. I think there will be changes for sure, and I think the word 'buffet' will diminish and we'll replace it with a new concept."

Will the delivery of Odyssey of the Seas be delayed?

Last week it was disclosed that new ship deliveries will be delayed, and that lead to a question about if Odyssey of the Seas will be on time or not.

"We are working on that with the yard. Everything was on schedule. There have been delays because of obviously there has a lot going on around the world, and it impacted the shipyard at the same time. Our newbuild organization is deep in project discussion now with the yard itself. We don't have any definite dates yet. I would hope in the coming weeks we will have something firmed up."

"I think there may be some delays, but we're working through it as a team to try and figure that out."

What Royal Caribbean is doing to repatriate crew members

At one point, Mr. Bayley interrupted the question and answer session to bring up a point he wanted to raise concerning the work Royal Caribbean is doing to repatriate its crew members, as well as dispel inaccurate media reports on those efforts.

Mr. Bayley characterized getting crew members home as, "genuinely a massive challenge," due to being caught in the middle of different laws and restrictions related to quarantine rules.

"We've been getting those crew home over the past two months, and we've managed to get over 10,000 crew home and we've got about another 20,000 crew going home in the coming weeks."

Related to those efforts, Mr. Bayley commented on news reports that painted a different picture than what the cruise line was conducting.

"There were some media reports that quite honestly we're one-sided and really unfair," Mr Bayley stated.  "I can assure everybody that we are passionate about our crew. We love our crew. We are doing everything in our power to take care for them, and to make sure that they get home to their families. By the way, over a thousand crew decided they just simply wanted to stay on our ships because they didn't feel safe going home."

"We're doing everything we can to take care of our crew and get them home. The crew are pleased with what we're doing, they're thankful, they're understanding."

What will happen to the President's Cruise this year?

One travel agent wanted to know what the outlook was for this year's President's Cruise in Europe and if it will occur.

Mr. Bayley responded, "I'm feeling pretty bullish that I'm going to be on that President's cruise, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Will there be a shift back to smaller ships?

Another question brought up was if the current health crisis will lead Royal Caribbean to shift back to smaller ships instead of larger ones.

"Through the lens of COVID-19, it's really about density and space. I think people may assume because there's less people on a smaller ship, that makes it better, but that's really not correct. A larger ship has a lot more space."

What questions would you ask Michael Bayley? Share your top concerns in the comments!

According to paperwork filed with the SEC, Royal Caribbean's top executives are taking a pay cut while the cruise industry deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain has volunteered to not take a salary through the end of September, while Royal Caribeban International CEO Michael Bayley took a 25% pay cut.

Other executives taking a 25% pay cut include CFO Jason Liberty, and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises.

Effective as of April 1, 2020, Richard Fain, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, agreed to forego payment of his base salary and Jason Liberty, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises, each elected to reduce their respective base salaries by 25%, in each case, through September 30, 2020. These reductions were made in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative financial and operational impacts resulting therefrom.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative financial and operational impacts resulting therefrom, the Board of Directors approved to forego all cash retainers and fees payable for Board and committee service, effective from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020.

COVID-19 has completely disrupted the cruise industry, with Royal Caribbean in the midst of cancelling all sailings through at least mid-May.