We have a look at some changes and updates Royal Caribbean has made or announced over the past few days.

From removing the option to pre-book entertainment to supporting a local school in the South Pacific and announcing itinerary updates, here’s everything you should know about this week.

Royal Caribbean will not bring back option to pre-book entertainment

UPDATE: Entertainment is available to reserve for Quantum and Oasis class ships 30 days before the sailing. 

Royal Caribbean donates educational resources and support to school in Vanuatu

Royal Caribbean is committed to supporting sustainable ocean communities through its Blue Green Promise initiative, and they’ve recently made a donation to a primary school in the South Pacific.

Royal Caribbean has partnered with Amaro Primary School on Lelepa Island, Vanuatu to provide educational resources to students and teachers.

This is the only school on Lelepa Island, home to Royal Caribbean’s future Perfect Day at Lelepa private destination. The school has over 70 students aged 5 to 14.

Related: First look at Perfect Day at Lelepa

Amaro Primary School has received renovation and repair support, computers and printers, teaching resources, and new desks and chairs.

Kathryn Lock, Royal Caribbean International Australia and New Zealand Director of Marketing, explained the importance of supporting local communities in the cruise line’s destinations.

“Around the world, we know we can only be as vibrant as the places we visit. We do all we can to help support the next generation of leaders and empower the communities we visit, from investing in educational resources to supporting conversation, education training, and providing skills training.”

Beyond supporting the school, Royal Caribbean has also provided the island with on-the-ground community support, including employing locals to conduct clean-ups on Lelepa Island’s beaches and installing solar lights in community spaces.

While Perfect Day at Lelepa does not yet have an opening date, it’s clear Royal Caribbean is working diligently with the community to make a positive impact on the lives of those calling Lelepa Island home.

Itinerary changes and updates in anticipation of Hurricane Ian

Hurricane season is at the forefront of several itinerary changes and updates for Royal Caribbean ships, with Hurricane Ian due to make landfall on Florida’s gulf coast on Wednesday.

Port Canaveral's U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) has set the current port conditions to ZULU, indicating that sustained Gale Force winds are predicted to make landfall within 12 hours. Due to this, the port has been temporarily closed.

In addition, Orlando International Airport will be closed at 10:30 AM EDT Wednesday, September 28 and is not expected to reopen until 10:30AM EDT on Friday, September 30.

UPDATED: September 29

The Mariner of the Seas September 29 sailing will now depart Saturday, October 1st and return on October 3rd.

Guests on this sailing have the choice of sailing and getting 3 days of your cruise fare as a refundable onboard credit. Or they can cancel for a 100% refund.

The September 30 sailing of Independence of the Seas out of Port Canaveral will now depart Saturday, October 1st and return as planned on Monday, October 3rd. 

Guests on this sailing have the choice of sailing and getting 2 days of your cruise fare as a refundable onboard credit. Or they can cancel for a 100% refund.

The Harmony of the Seas October 2 sailing from Port Canaveral will go on as planned.

We have a look at some of the changes Royal Caribbean has made or announced over the last week.

With a fleet of 26 ships, there are always going to be things happening and in an effort to keep everyone up to date, here's a quick run through of the latest news from this week.

In addition to starting construction on a new cruise ship and Royal Caribbean's CEO sharing his thoughts on policy changes, here is a look at everything else that happened this week you should know about.

Labadee suite cabanas now available online

It's now easier to book a cabana for suite guests when visiting Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

Royal Caribbean alerted guests booked in a suite that they can begin reserving cabanas at Barefoot Beach online via the Royal Caribbean cruise planner.

These suites are only available for guests booked in grand suites or higher.

Prior to this change, cabanas were reserved once the ship's suite concierge emailed guests a week before the cruise. The entire process was done offline.

With the update, suite guests can book a Barefoot Beach cabana just like other cabanas at Labadee.

SpaceX Starlink gets FCC approval

Starlink internet service on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship got one step closer to reality this week.

The Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite internet to vehicles in motion, which includes cruise ships.

A few weeks ago, Royal Caribbean petitioned the FCC to approve Starlink for moving vehicles so that cruise ships could utilize the service, hinting that a deal between Royal Caribbean and Starlink was possible.

As of now, Freedom of the Seas is actively testing Starlink with impressive speeds thus far.

Royal Caribbean has not publicly commented on if a deal with Starlink is going to happen, nor what ships could see the service implemented onboard.

Soda cup change

If you purchase a Royal Caribbean drink package, expect a different cup design.

Guests on a few different Royal Caribbean ships have reported a change in the soda cup guests receive with their purchase.

The cups seem to come in either orange or blue color, and don't have the Coca-Cola branding typically seen with other designs.

While a definite change in look, the cup design is not new.

Royal Caribbean first used these cups at Labadee and CocoCay as far back as 2016.

Italian airport transfers

Royal Caribbean has added new transfer options for cruises sailing from Ravenna, Italy.

Due to the distance from Venice to Ravenna, guests will need to arrange transportation both to and from the ship on boarding and departure day either by purchasing a competitively priced transfer through Royal Caribbean International or by making their own private arrangements.

Guests can book these transfers before their cruise by contacting their travel partner or by reaching out to Royal Caribbean.

Additionally, guests may purchase transfers at Venice Marco Polo Airport on boarding day. However, please note that boarding day transfers will have limited availability and are available for purchase on a first come-first served basis.

Pre-Cruise Shuttles:

• Shuttle services will be available from locations in the area including Venice Marco Polo Airport and Venice City Centre (Tronchetto). Guests may select their preferred transfer based on their flights and selected check-in time for boarding the ship.
  • When booking a shuttle, guests will also be advised of the latest possible flight arrival time to board their shuttle.
  • If you are arranging transfers on your own, flights should arrive into Venice no later than 11:35 AM to allow time to arrive to the ship.
• Each shuttle will be boarded at 50% capacity to ensure physical distancing.
• The journey to the ship from Venice, Italy can take up to 3 hours (depending on traffic conditions), so please be sure to dress comfortably and keep travel documents, medications, or any other important items in your carry-on luggage
• Once onboard shuttles departing from Venice, guests will have access to phone charging stations and will be provided with bottled water. Then, about halfway through the journey,  a comfort stop will be made where guests will be able to stretch their legs, use the restroom, and purchase snacks for the remainder of the trip.
  • Please note: Depending on driving conditions, the comfort stop may be skipped depending to ensure all guests arrive to the ship on time.
• Check-in for your sailing will take place at the cruise terminal in Ravenna, Italy.

Post-Cruise Shuttles:

• When booking a shuttle, you’ll be advised of the earliest possible flight departure time to board your shuttle.
• Just like on boarding day, the journey back to Venice, Italy can take up to 3 hours, so don’t forget to dress comfortably!
  • All the same amenities available on the pre-cruise shuttle from Venice – bottled water and the ability to charge your phone – will also be available for guests traveling on the post-cruise shuttle to Venice.

We're almost through the work week, and I've got an update to share about different Royal Caribbean changes and happenings.

Throughout the week, Royal Caribbean news comes in, and some of it is not necessarily worthy of an individual article, but I think readers will still want to know about it.

If you ever have a news tip, feel free to email it to [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future update!

Hideaway Beach construction

As reported last week, the new adults-only beach area at Perfect Day at CocoCay is under construction.

Previously, the land was being cleared, but actual construction began recently.

The current estimate is for Hideaway Beach to open in mid to late 2023.

Oil surcharge?

Rising crude oil prices have impacts throughout society, including cruise ships.

Some have wondered if fuel surcharges could return to cruise fares, but Royal Caribbean says don't expect them.

According to a report by The Points Guy, Royal Caribbean has no plans to bring back fuel surcharges, even if oil prices continue going up.

The price of West Texas Intermediate oil had gotten as high as $130 per barrel, but has come back down to around $100 per barrel more recently.

Island hop

A favorite topic to track here on Royal Caribbean Blog is new trademark filings, and Royal Caribbean has a new one.

The cruise line trademarked, "Island Hop" without much indication what it could be used for.

The description for Island Hop is "Travel agency services, namely, making reservations and bookings for transportation; Travel agency services, namely, making reservations and bookings for cruises; Travel arrangement"

Galveston cruise terminal construction

Royal Caribbean's new cruise terminal in Galveston continues to move forward.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader billdauterive shared new photos while sailing past the construction site on Adventure of the Seas.

The new $125 million cruise terminal will open in Fall 2022 in time for Allure of the Seas to begin cruising from there.

New cruises from Los Angeles delayed

Royal Caribbean has pushed back when its new batch of cruises from Los Angeles will be posted.

The 2023-2024 cruises from L.A. have been delayed until the week of April 4.

Prior to that release, Australia's deployments for 2023-2024 will be posted next week, followed by Barbados & Panama sailings the week of March 28.

There's always something new and different happening with Royal Caribbean that it's hard to cover it all, but there were a few things over the last few days that I've summed up in a new post.

There are smaller updates from across the fleet that I think are kind of interesting, neat, or otherwise good to know.

If you ever have a news tip, feel free to email it to [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future update!

Royal Caribbean cancels Mariner of the Seas cruises in early 2023 to allow more dry dock time

Royal Caribbean informed guests with a Mariner of the Seas cruise booked in early 2023 their cruises have been cancelled.

Guests received emails today informing them that the ship will need more time for her scheduled dry dock, which impacts cruises between January and March 2023.

The specific dates cancelled are sailings between January 7, 2023 and March 27, 2023.

"Mariner of the Seas will need some extra time during its scheduled dry dock next year," the email said. "We known this news is disappointing and apologize for the impact."

Guests booked on a now cancelled cruise have the choice of rebooking to Jewel of the Seas sailings during the same time period:

• Nassau, Bahamas, Falmouth, Jamaica, and Labadee, Haiti on January 14th, February 11th, or March 11th
• Costa Maya, Mexico, Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico on January 28th or February 25th
• Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay of February 7.

If guests choose a Jewel of the Seas sailing, they'll receive their original stateroom price protected, as well as $50 onboard credit for interior, ocean view and balcony staterooms. $100 for suites.

Royal Caribbean will also cover up to $200 in change fees for non-refundable transportation costs.

Guests also have the choice to re-book on any other cruise, or a full refund if they decide to cancel.

Mariner of the Seas was last refurbished in 2018 when she received her Royal Amplification updates.

Typically, cruise ships go in every 5 years for a dry dock. Older ships can sometimes go in more often than that.

UPDATE: The plot thickened when people booked on Independence of the Seas received a similar email that they are being moved to Mariner of the Seas.

What does it mean and how can two ships be cancelled for same timeframe? Share your ideas in the comments.

Royal Caribbean trademarks something related to Icon of the Seas

Royal Caribbean filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office that sounds like it could be related to the new Icon Class cruise ships.

Two trademarks were filed on February 10 for:

• This is not a cruise
• This is Icon

Trademark applications are notoriously vague, and simply filed to cover the category of cruise ship services.

Canada drops PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated

It just got easier for someone that is fully vaccinated to travel into Canada.

The Canadian government announced this week it fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada will not need to take a PCR test, beginning February 28.

Instead, fully vaccinated people entering the country can take an authorized rapid antigen test taken no more than one day before their flight or arrival at the land border.

Currently, travelers entering Canada must show proof of a negative molecular test taken within 72 hours of their departing flight or planned arrival at the land border. 

Getting your passport renewed just got a lot easier, thanks to a new executive order.

The passport renewal process has traditionally been a burden that required an in-person appointment and plenty of paperwork. During the pandemic, the passport renewal queue became overrun and slowed to a crawl.  

But it it looks like now getting your passport renewed will be a lot easier.

President Biden directed the State Department to design and deliver a new online passport renewal experience that doesn’t require any physical documents to be mailed.

The "Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government" was signed on December 13, 2021 in an effort to save Americans time when they need to renew their passport. It also aims to reduce the effort and cost by requiring a post office visit and use checks.

"Every interaction between the Federal Government and the public, whether it involves renewing a passport or calling for a status update on a farm loan application, should be seen as an opportunity for the Government to save an individual’s time (and thus reduce “time taxes”) and to deliver the level of service that the public expects and deserves."

It is not clear when this new order will go into effect, nor when exactly the online passport renewal will become available, but it is a welcome step right in the right direction for travelers.

When the new site does launch, its goal is to offer a new online passport renewal experience that does not require any physical documents to be mailed.

Are passports required to go on a cruise?

In short, American citizens need a passport for cruises that embark or disembark from a foreign country. Passports are also required for sailings that begin and end in different U.S. ports. 

However, U.S. Citizens on a closed loop sailing, a cruise that begins and ends in the same port in the United States, do not have to have a passport. Instead, they can travel with a government-issued photo ID and proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

There are exceptions to Americans being able to cruise without a passport, such as if a country the ship is visiting requires a passport.

Read more: Do you need a passport for a cruise?

Whether you need one or not, it is a really good idea to get a passport.

First, going through Royal Caribbean's check-in and the customs process after the cruise is significantly easier with a passport.

Second, if you were ever stuck in a foreign country, having a passport means being able to get home very simple.

Without a passport in a foreign country, you would need to obtain a temporary passport for reentry into the United States, but it is a time-consuming process.

Royal Caribbean regularly trademarks names and phrases it intends to possibly use for a new offering in the future, but they recently filed trademarks for a number of names that they have been using for years.

In paperwork filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Royal Caribbean Group filed four trademarks for things guests who have sailed on Royal Caribbean cruise ships for years would easily recognize.

The reason for a company to trademark anything is to protect them so competitors cannot steal creative ideas, names, or symbols from other businesses.

Royal Caribbean Group filed trademarks for these terms recently:

• RCTV (October 14, 2021)
• Cruise Compass (October 19, 2021)
• RCG (October 22, 2021)
• Royal Caribbean Group (October 19, 2021)
• Royal Caribbean Group logo (October 28, 2021)

RCTV is the abbreviation for Royal Caribbean's in-house television programming. Certain crew members working on RCTV manage the programming, as well as film select events onboard for broadcast onboard.

Cruise Compass is the name of Royal Caribbean's daily newspaper that lists all of the events and important information for the day onboard.

Passengers onboard can browse the Cruise Compass in the paper version or the digital version found in the cruise line app.

Read more: First time cruiser's guide to Royal Caribbean's Cruise Compass

Royal Caribbean Group is the business name of the company that owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and other brands.

RCG is the abbreviation of Royal Caribbean Group.

Read more: Who owns Royal Caribbean?

How important are trademarks?

When Royal Caribbean trademarks something, how important is that to cruise fans?

Historically, Royal Caribbean uses trademarks for two purposes: protect names and slogans it is using, or protect names and slogans it might use.

In many cases, trademarks can provide a glimpse of plans the line has in the future, but not every trademark is necessarily an indication of a direction the company will go.

Royal Caribbean has trademarked many different cruise ship names over the years that it never used.  Usually names get registered in a batch, and perhaps one ends up becoming the name of an actual cruise ship.

Last year, Royal Caribbean trademarked a name for its own brand of face mask, but ultimately decided not to do anything with it.

Read more: 8 things Royal Caribbean trademarked but never did anything with

In other cases, trademarks gave us a heads up on plans the line had before an announcement came, such as emuster, Chilla Thrilla beer, and venues on Wonder of the Seas.

Less than a day after a mob of pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Royal Caribbean sent an email to all of its employees to address the outrage the incident caused.

Photo by Leah Millis/Reuters

An email was sent to all Royal Caribbean employees on Thursday morning, which was shared with travel advisors.

It is not clear which Royal Caribbean executive wrote the email, but the message shares a combination of sadness, outrage, as well as hope for the future.

I had intended to make my first message of 2021 a message of hope and warm wishes. And I will still do that.

 

But for now, I am wracked with outrage, overcome with grief and worried for our country. The inexcusable acts of desecration on one of our most valued institutions should shock and appall all who love America and the democracy that we are so rightly proud of.

 

Worse, I am sad. Such anti-democratic, violent acts as we have witnessed today have crossed a long-respected line. The world has seen too many examples of mob rule, and the attack on the Capitol today will live in history as one of the more outrageous of such mob actions. There is no excuse for what happened, and I hope the thugs who perpetrated it are properly punished.

 

However, as saddened as I am, I am not discouraged. Indeed, I am hopeful. These pathetic hoodlums have gotten their moment of TV coverage. But our democracy was never in doubt.  Our institutions stood strong and performed their lawful functions. Congress has, in accordance with the constitution, certified the election. In fact, despite all the rhetoric and posturing, the actual certification process was boring — as it should be.

 

There will always be those who insist that things be their way regardless of consequences. I assume that almost half of those reading this letter preferred Trump and the rest preferred Biden.  Good for you. That is democracy and it is one of our most precious gifts. Many of you know that I love to argue . . . The challenge, the give and take all work to help us understand each other’s views and maybe change our minds.

 

The worst part of this vicious attack on the Capitol wasn’t the damage to the building or its contents. Rather, I think the worst part was the attempt to undermine faith and confidence in our institutions. And that this effort was encouraged by inexcusable rhetoric from some of our leaders. Fortunately, that effort failed. As President Bush said, “This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic.”

 

But let’s remember the important point — our society won. Our democracy prevailed. Our country will move on. This has been a terrible day for America. But it can only become more than a minor sideshow if we — the American people — allow it to. As Vice President Pence so rightly said from the podium after the interruption, “Violence never wins.  Freedom wins.” The Vice President went on to say, “This is still the people’s house.  Let’s get back to work.”

 

I, for one, will sleep well tonight. I take courage from the universal disapproval this outrage provoked. America is strong, and I am confident that we will not allow the despicable acts of a few to drive the rest of us to overreact.

 

I look forward to writing a true New Year’s greeting to you all in the near future. I promise it will be forward looking and discussing what can make us better, not more divided.

The email to all employees seems to have been originally planned as a new year welcome, but felt necessary to be sent given the significant actions that took place.

There are quotes former President George W. Bush, as well as Vice President Mike Pence in the letter, while touching on the important takeaway that the democratic institution of this country continues.

The so-called insurrection that took place on Wednesday at the Capitol claimed the lives of four people, and horrified many to see such an event take place in the capital of the United States.

The Metropolitan Police Department reports at least 14 officers were wounded during the demonstrations. Two officers were hospitalized, including one who sustained serious injuries after he was pulled into a crowd and assaulted, police said. 

So far there have been at least 70 arrests. 

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said there will be an extension of the public emergency for the next 15 days.

This has been the craziest year for the cruise industry ever, and there were plenty of headlines that got plenty of attention.  So what were the biggest stories of the year?

This past year has been a "tale of two cities", with traditional cruise news in the very beginning, and then of course the rest of the year was a myriad of shutdown updates.

Looking back on the year, I handpicked the top stories that I thought generated the most buzz and interest among cruisers, and the general public. Let's dive in!

10. Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas sold

Royal Caribbean just announced it sold two cruise ships last week, and it was a big enough deal to make the list of this year's top Royal Caribbean stories.

After months of speculation, Royal Caribbean announced it has sold its two oldest cruise ships, Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas.

It appears the ships have been sold, but not scrapped.  Royal Caribbean says they now belong to an undisclosed party, based in Asia-Pacific, that will release details for future sailings at a later time.

9. Cruise lines vs. the CDC

Since the cruise industry voluntarily shut itself down in March, it has been at odds with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over how and when cruises would resume.

In the 9 months since the industry shutdown, the CDC has raised its anti-cruise rhetoric by warning the public against taking cruises.

Between special travel warnings and summaries in the various No Sail orders, the agency regularly told people not to go on a cruise anywhere in the world, "because the risk of COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high."

The CDC has warned the public against taking cruises since March due to the global health emergency, but has steadily increased its warnings from an alert, to a watch, to a warning and now simply a "Very High Level of COVID-19".

The CDC did rescind its cruise ship ban at the end of October, although there has been little to no progress in cruise lines moving towards sailings restarting.

8. Key West voted to ban most cruise ships

Unfortunately the residents of Key West voted to approve a referendum to prohibit large cruise ships from visiting their island.

Three different referendums to limit cruise ship traffic passed, which will ban large cruise ships completely, as well as limit small cruise ship traffic.

All three were approved by majorities of more than 60 percent, with the "giving priority to cruise lines that have the best environmental and health records" proposal passing at over 80%.

7. Introducing the electronic muster safety drill

Perhaps the best innovation to come out of this year was a new cruise ship safety drill that relies on technology.

Known as Muster 2.0, Royal Caribbean revealed its plans to implement a new way to conduct the mandatory guests safety drill, known as the muster drill. 

With Muster 2.0, the new tech will be used to help provide the information to guests via their mobile devices and interactive stateroom TVs.

Travelers will be able to review the information at their own time prior to setting sail, eliminating the need for the traditional large group assemblies. 

6. Cruise with Confidence

Another good change for consumers was the introduction of the Cruise with Confidence program, which allows for last-minute cancellations without penalties.

If a guest cancels under the policy, they will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of the guest's choice.

This includes refundable or non-refundable cruise fares.  You are able to take advantage of either booking type with no penalty or change fee for opting into the Cruise with Confidence program.

5. Coco Beach Club opens

The year 2020 started off well when the final piece of Perfect Day at CocoCay opened to the public.

The exclusive Coco Beach Club opened to guests at the end of January, which offers an oceanfront infinity pool, upgraded cuisine and the only floating cabanas in the Bahamas. 

Plus, there is a complimentary restaurant at Coco Beach Club featuring lobster, snapper, and steak— plus a buffet of soups, salads, and starters. 

Entry to the Coco Beach Club requires an additional cost. Guests can choose between a day pass to the Coco Beach Club, as well as the option to reserve a cabana or floating cabana.

4. Royal Amplifications postponed cruise ships until further notice

The financial impact of the cruise industry shutdown forced Royal Caribbean to postpone its scheduled ship refurbishments until further notice.

Royal Amplifications for four cruise ships are on hold, including Allure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas.

Guests on affected sailings will be notified directly more details and options available.

3. Freedom of the Seas completes $116 million Royal Amplification

Perhaps the last hurrah of cruising before everything shutdown, Freedom of the Seas wrapped up a massive shipwide upgrade.

The ship underwent a bow to stern makeover, with new features being added including water slides, a new Caribbean pool deck look, the cruise line’s first Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and new, dedicated spaces for kids and teens. 

Freedom of the Seas was able to offer one sailing before the rest of cruises for the year were cancelled.

2. Royal Caribbean asks for volunteers for test cruises

Royal Caribbean got an incredible amount of attention when it announced they would take sign-ups from the public to be a volunteer for a test cruise.

The cruise line has a form set up for adults only (18 years or older) to enter basic information about themselves.

While Royal Caribbean is working with the CDC to determine how the test sailings will operate, they have decided to begin gathering information from those who have shown interest.

1. Royal Caribbean cancels all cruises beginning in March

Without a doubt, the biggest story of the year was when Royal Caribbean cancelled all of its cruises due to the global health crisis.

At first, it was just for 30 days, which was big enough news in and of itself.  However, the shutdown went on to extend longer than anyone would have thought in March.

As of the writing of this post, cruises will not be able to restart until March 2021 at the earliest.

Your thoughts

What did you think was the biggest Royal Caribbean news of 2020? Did we miss one? Share your thoughts in the comments below!