Today was a very eventful day onboard Mariner of the Seas!

To start, we were meant to have a sea day on the original itinerary. Yesterday, we found out we would instead be docking in Freeport, Bahamas for the ship to undergo routine maintenance.

As such, Angie and I were excited to visit a new port in the Bahamas. We’ve only visited Nassau and CocoCay, so we welcomed the unexpected opportunity to visit somewhere new. I think this scenario, receiving a bonus port, is probably the best case scenario when you see there’s been an itinerary change last minute.

Royal Caribbean offered excursions for Grand Bahama Island, including beach tours, dolphin encounters and city guides. We opted to just do our own thing in port rather than book anything last minute, although we did consider booking a resort day pass.

Easy Going Morning

I always sleep amazing when I am cruising. Between the ship slowly swaying and our inside cabin being pitch black, it’s so easy to get a good night’s rest.

Angie and I enjoyed a nice morning onboard the ship starting with breakfast at the Windjammer. It was fairly busy, but we didn’t have to wait in any lines. I was worried it would be packed with long lines given we are sailing almost at 100% capacity. Perhaps most people had an earlier start than we did at 10:30am, but we didn’t have any issues finding a table.

I discovered on our last cruise that I could order my morning latte (a necessity) at the Windjammer bar with one of my Diamond + drink vouchers. There is a Starbucks onboard, but I would rather take advantage of my vouchers than pay out of pocket for a latte at Starbucks.

Breakfast was great - we’re pretty much always pleased with the Windjammer breakfast. Angie indulged in a cinnamon roll and meat lovers omelet while I had a strawberry yogurt parfait. We both are obsessed with the cranberry strudel bread, which seems to be a Royal Caribbean staple over the years. Sometimes it’s topped with almonds and other times it’s sprinkled with coarse sugar. Either way, the bread is best enjoyed with a large slab of butter.

After finishing breakfast, we went back to our cabin on deck 8 and got ready for the day. I appreciate that our cabin is pretty centrally located - it’s never too far from any of the activities or dining options. Of course, it’s a bit of a long trek from Deck 1 when you return to the gangway.

Our cabin was already cleaned by the stateroom attendant and we found a tray of room service breakfast that we hadn’t ordered. I may (or may not) have enjoyed the mimosa that was accidentally delivered to our cabin after telling our stateroom attendant that the room service must have been delivered incorrectly. She encouraged me to enjoy the drink, so I didn’t hesitate!

We usually take the stairs when we cruise. One of the main reasons we choose to do so is because the elevators are always busy, especially this time around. The few times we’ve taken them, we stop at every deck and have to wait for a more empty one. A little bit of exercise isn’t the worst thing for us either!

Freeport Shopping

Angie and I walked right off the ship into the Freeport port, which appeared to have a really nice shopping area. We could see a bunch of little souvenir shops surrounding an outdoor Senior Frogs.

The weather was a comfortable 75 degrees with light gusts of wind and low humidity. I can imagine in the summer months that it gets much hotter, but today it was perfect.

We enjoyed souvenir shopping in the port area and even sampled some rum cakes that were made locally. Any day that includes rum cake and free samples is a great day in my book!

Because we were originally meant to be at sea today, Angie and I had a few things onboard that we were planning to try. After shopping and walking around the nice port, we decided to head back to the ship so we could make our way through the to-do list.

“We must have hit an iceberg!”

Upon returning to our stateroom, we found a fruit plate that was addressed to Allie Hubers from the Crown and Anchor Society. Angie jokingly questioned why she didn’t receive a fruit plate even though she’s the same status as I am.

Shortly after, we hear a knock on the door and we are gifted another fruit plate which is also addressed to me. Angie scowled, although we were both laughing at the abundant recognition that Royal Caribbean was giving me.

As we were eating said fruit, we felt the ship unexpectedly jerk back and forth. I immediately figured that must have been the scheduled maintenance that Mariner apparently was needing.

Angie joked “That was weird! We must have hit an iceberg!”

Of course, icebergs were nowhere to be found in the Caribbean and we were docked at the port…. so what could that jolt have been?

Well, not too long after, the captain announces that another ship has unfortunately bounced into us while we were docked. He assures everyone onboard Mariner that we are not to worry and everything is fine, although the ship would need to be inspected to ensure it's safe to continue sailing.

Our bonus port day suddenly got even more interesting!

Angie and I nearly ran to the top deck to check out the action - this was the moment that cruise blogging turned into investigative journalism! We saw a few people watching below from the top deck as a tug boat helped keep the cargo ship away from us.

I asked the gentleman next to me if he had seen the incident happen - he asked me what I was talking about. I informed him that the captain said we were struck by another ship - he seemed surprised and had no clue! There was a ship officer on the top deck who I also spoke with; he wasn’t concerned and joked that he has lived at sea so long, he has seen it all.

Click here to read more about the incident.

Overall, it was pretty obvious no one onboard was very concerned. The belly flop competition on the top deck was absolutely packed with people cheering and drinking. The FlowRider was also quite busy; by the way, I heard yesterday that there was a long line to surf, but I noticed today they had the divider up so two people could surf at once.

I told Angie we should check out the jogging trail on deck 4 since that would probably offer a better view of the cargo ship. The crew had blocked off the back of the ship by this point and told us we couldn’t be there, so unfortunately we didn’t get to see much. Aftermath photos show that this is where the ship ‘bounced’ into ours, so it makes sense why we couldn’t continue walking to see more.

Afternoon Activities

The original plan was to get back onboard so we could try out the SkyPad. Since I’ve heard a few grumblings of long lines, I thought it would be good to get there early.

The breaking news of our ship being struck by a cargo ship had derailed our afternoon plans. After realizing we wouldn’t get to see much more of the collision action, we opted to try out the SkyPad. We had dressed appropriately with closed toed shoes and removed our jewelry.

Sadly, the winds were too strong to do the SkyPad so we weren’t able to bounce today. I suppose that makes sense, as the wind seemed to be causing other problems today too (i.e. a cargo ship bouncing into us).

All the commotion and investigating made me hungry, so we opted for a quick lunch at the Windjammer. Given how busy the pool was, it was nice that the Windjammer was pretty quiet again. There was a little crowd of people who were watching as two tug boats attempted to safely move the cargo ship.

As I savored my go-to hot dog and fries, we could see more clearly that the cargo ship’s bridge had sustained some damage.

A small group of us watched as the tug boats safely moved the cargo ship while a pilot boat hovered nearby. That seemed to be the end of the commotion, although we couldn’t really see Mariner’s damage from anywhere public on the ship.

By this time, it was almost 3:00 PM and Angie wanted to check out the free massages. We found a small line outside of the spa forming but it moved fast. Really, this was more of a ‘free sample of a massage’ rather than a ‘free massage’. Angie opted for a 2 minute hot stone massage while I had just a normal mini massage.

Of course, they asked if we wanted to book any spa treatments. A quick glance at the treatment sheet showed plenty of lovely options, but most of them costed more than our cruise fare alone so we politely declined.

A Happy Hour Campfire Cookie

Other writers from RoyalCaribbeanBlog have raved about the campfire cookie at Playmakers, so this was at the top of my list of things I needed to try.

The promenade was busy with Cafe Promenade having a line that wrapped around the corner all the way back to Ben and Jerry’s. That was longer than the day prior, and we overheard a few other cruisers grumbling about the wait.

As a first-timer to Playmakers, I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to order at the bar and find a seat or if we would be seated and order at the table. I still am not sure the answer to that, but we ordered the campfire cookie from the bartender. He told us the kitchen was pretty busy and it could take up to 45 minutes.

I was a bit surprised by the wait time, but we told the bartender we would grab a drink at The Bamboo Room and return after to indulge in our cookie. We had really liked The Bamboo Room yesterday and the tiki bar was nearly empty when we walked inside.

This time around, I tried the Royal Zombie, which came in an adorable tiki cup and had hints of black licorice flavor. Angie was feeling less adventurous and opted for the same piña colada again. We sipped on our delicious drinks and once again enjoyed the ambiance.

We walked across the promenade back to Playmakers to hopefully indulge in our campfire cookie. After another 10 minute wait, our cookie was finally delivered to our table.

I think heaven opened and angels sang from above as we took our first bite into the ooey, gooey, chocolatey cookie goodness. It was insanely delicious and certainly lived up to the hype. Our cookie was served (we think) with Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream, which was the perfect accompaniment to the warm cookie.

Main Dining Room

Since we ate at Chops Grille last night, we went to the main dining room for the first time tonight. We had scoped out earlier that our table had 6 seats… meaning we would be seated with random people.

I was a bit surprised by this, as I haven’t been seated with strangers in the main dining room for years!

We were fashionably late to dinner since we didn’t realize it was formal night and we needed to change. We eyed our assigned table from afar and found it was filled with 4 older folks - totally fine but we weren’t feeling like sitting with strangers at dinner or making small talk.

We asked the hostess if we could be seated elsewhere. He said the dining room was full and he could seat us with other passengers who are closer to our age if we wanted. Luckily, he was able to find us a private table where the passengers were dining at a specialty restaurant.

Angie and I enjoyed a nice dinner overlooking the main dining room. As we were getting seated, the captain announced that the ship would be leaving port as scheduled. He explained only minor cosmetic damage was done from the cargo ship and Mariner was seaworthy and safe to sail. Great news!

Dinner was great tonight. Angie and I both enjoyed the beef tenderloin as the main entree. Angie said the pumpkin soup was a very good starter. My French onion soup tasted different than normal, but I still enjoyed it. For dessert, we both chose the Grand Mariner soufflé. This is our dad’s all-time favorite dessert, so we had to indulge for him!

I will say, I miss the more personalized service you receive on longer voyages. It’s been a while since I’ve done a short cruise, but I do feel like this is less intimate than other voyages. Normally, we get to know the crew members and they also get to know us - which is something I miss on this shorter cruise.

After dinner, Angie went to the Royal Theatre for the headliner show, which featured Royal Caribbean singers and dancers with a live band. This isn’t my favorite kind of show, so I relaxed in the cabin instead.

The show was called Production Showtime: Gallery of Dreams. Angie reported that it was an upbeat show with worldly themes from Austria, Morocco and the ‘Wild West’. The show was enjoyed by people of all ages, kids and elderly alike.

Angie also reported back that the cruise director told the audience we might be late getting into CocoCay tomorrow because of the wind. For how much wind has been impacting our cruise, I really don’t feel like it’s *that* windy outside! We will see what adventures tomorrow brings.

Reporting live from Mariner of the Seas! It’s the first day of our 4-night sailing from Port Canaveral to Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay. The first day is always filled with so much excitement and anticipation.

As we drove up to the port, we could see both Mariner and Anthem of the Seas in the distance. Busy day in port for a Tuesday!

Our boarding time was 1:30 this afternoon. Upon arrival, the parking lot appeared to be more full than our last cruise from Port Canaveral onboard Harmony of the Seas in late February.

We were prompted to park in an open lot that was a bit further than the parking ramp that we had previously parked in. It was $85 to park for the duration of the cruise.

Checking In

After showing our negative covid test and vaccine card, we walked inside the terminal to go through security.

I was curious to see if we could ditch our masks during the check-in process, as last night the news broke about the CDC’s mask mandate being overturned. As such, all of the airlines dropped their masking requirements but I had yet to read any news about cruise travel being impacted.

We were almost immediately prompted to put on our masks while showing our travel documents outside the terminal, so that question was quickly answered. 

Signs indoors also instructed cruise passengers that masks were required in the terminal. Masks are currently optional onboard, but the vast majority of passengers are not wearing them.

Check-in was a breeze, and we were on our way to board the ship!

Stateroom Impressions

By the time we boarded, it was almost 2:00 PM and the staterooms were ready. This was great news, as we opted to carry on our luggage for this short cruise rather than giving our bags to the porters.

Since we booked an inside guarantee cabin, our stateroom was assigned right before the cruise departed. We will be staying in cabin 8371, which is located at the very back of the ship. We found our stateroom, unloaded our luggage and spent some time getting settled.

This inside cabin oozes with nostalgia for us. As a family, we cruised many times onboard Voyager Class ships for nearly a decade, so this cabin truly feels like home. These ships brought our family everywhere from Canada to Greece and around the Caribbean multiple times. Recent cruises for us have been on newer ships, which certainly have more modern cabins with updated interior designs.

This cabin has everything we need to be comfortable though; in fact, it feels a bit roomier than our inside cabin onboard Harmony of the Seas a couple months ago.

Angie and I didn’t pack too much for this cruise since it’s only 4 nights, but there’s plenty of space and storage. We barely filled up the closet with our clothes, so I don’t think we would need a bigger stateroom for the two of us even if we were cruising on a longer voyage.

It was quite windy today when we boarded the ship, so we were worried about whether our cabin location would make us feel the swaying of the ship more intently. We usually prioritize a midship cabin to limit motion, but we didn't want to pay extra to choose our cabin. Luckily, we haven’t felt the seas being rough, but I will keep you updated if my opinions change on that.

Itinerary Change

For the first time in all my cruising years, our sailing has a last minute itinerary change! Of course, this has become more common with the pandemic, but we were surprised to find an updated itinerary in our cabin.

Instead of having a sea day tomorrow, we will be docking in Grand Bahama Island. The letter stated that Mariner of the Seas needs to have some “regularly scheduled ship maintenance,” so this is a logistical stop, but we are able to get off the ship or book excursions if we choose.  

This is interesting for a few reasons, as the change appears to be pretty last minute. Regularly scheduled ship maintenance is necessary I am sure, but I figured these logistical needs were built into the itinerary or performed on the ship’s turnover day in Port Canaveral. I’ve inquired about the maintenance to multiple crew members. They’ve all been surprised to learn of the itinerary change themselves, so I haven't uncovered the need for the maintenance. 

Needless to say, we are excited to explore a new port! Neither of us have visited Freeport, Bahamas so we plan to explore the port on our own.

Getting Acquainted

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After settling into our cabin, we finished our virtual muster drill safety requirements. I hope Royal Caribbean keeps the virtual muster drill forever, as it’s infinitely better than the traditional drill where everyone crams together on deck 4 and ‘learns’ how to put on the life jacket.

As with any cruise, we couldn’t go more than a few hours without eating so we grabbed a quick lunch at Cafe Promenade. Angie and I both enjoyed our sandwiches. She also tried the cheese pizza and felt it was equivalent to Sorrento’s pizza, which is her go-to lunch option when cruising.

I noticed immediately while sitting inside the cafe that the ship felt much busier than the last few times I’ve cruised. We didn’t have any issues finding a seat or waiting in a long line to get food, but the overall atmosphere felt more crowded.

The Bamboo Room

One of the things I was eager to try is The Bamboo Room, which is a tiki bar located in the promenade. Bright neon lights and greenery made this tropical venue easy to find. The bar had a very fun and inviting ambiance adorned with more neon lights, wicker lampshades, teal booths and floral wallpaper.

The bar was fairly busy, which was fine for us as we looked over the extensive cocktail menu. Specialty drinks seemed to included a multitude of rum and other liquors. There were so many quirky cocktails that we had a hard time choosing which ones to try!

I tried the ‘On the Run’ cocktail while Angie tried a classic piña colada. Mine was served in a Bamboo Room plastic bag, which was a fun twist on the traditional cocktail glass! The cocktail was priced at $14, so I had to pay the extra $1 since my Diamond + drink coupons only cover up to $13 per drink. The up-charge was well worth it! We both loved our drinks and definitely enjoyed the island vibes.

One of my favorite parts of cruising is getting to talk to the crew members and asking about their families or home country. The Bamboo Room bartender was very chatty with Angie and I while fixing our drinks. When I asked where he was from, he responded he was from Ukraine. I asked if he had family back in his home country, to which he said yes he did. He briefly mentioned that his family is in a safer area, but it certainly made my heart heavy for him. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for him to be so far from his family during this time. We told him we would be back to The Bamboo Room to try more drinks; but I also added I would be thinking of his family and sending prayers for their safety. He was genuinely grateful and said he looked forward to seeing us again.

Sail Away

Our ship was scheduled to depart Port Canaveral around 4:00 PM, so we had to check out the pool deck for the sail away party. Did you even cruise if you don’t wave goodbye to the port from the top deck?!

The pool deck was turnt-up with a DJ busting out some very classic, upbeat party tunes. There were lots of cruisers dancing with a drink in hand. The pools were pretty busy with kids swimming and also enjoying the fun atmosphere.

Again, it was much busier than the previous cruises I’ve done; granted, my last 2 cruises were sailing at 25% and 50% capacity. I noticed a small line coming from both the pool bar and Solarium bar. Because this cruise was so cheap and booked last minute, I assumed the ship would be sailing with a lower capacity as well.

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According to the crew, we are sailing with 3,500 passengers, which is just below sailing capacity.

We’re also sailing at the tail end of spring break following the Easter holiday, so there are tons of families and college kids onboard. Normally, I feel like Angie and I are some of the youngest cruisers onboard - especially as we’ve been sailing on longer voyages to more unique destinations in recent years. What a change of pace!

These short getaway cruises attract an entirely different cruising population and the atmosphere feels much more party-like. Even the Solarium felt more lively than normal during sail away.

Angie and I both commented on the Solarium’s noticeable upgrades to feel more trendy and modern. There were multiple canopy beds intertwined with the lounge chairs and a greenery backdrop. These canopy beds looked super comfortable, so we are hoping to snag one during this cruise if we can.

As the ship sailed out to sea, we realized it was almost time for dinner. Time flies when you're having tiki drinks and head bopping to The Electric Slide. 

Our normal routine while cruising includes a quick visit to the Diamond Lounge before heading to dinner, so we made our way up to Deck 14 to check it out.

The Diamond Lounge had a small selection of hors d'oeuvres with limited seating, but felt like it was pretty busy. We normally prefer when the lounge has a more intimate experience and you can get to know the staff and other cruisers.

Since we can use our Diamond Plus drinks at any bar now, Angie and I opted to just grab a cocktail before heading to Chops Grille.

Dinner at Chops Grille

Because this cruise was so cheap, we were able to treat ourselves and spend a little extra to enjoy a more upscale dinner at Chops Grille.

We took advantage of the pre-cruise deal for Chops + 1, which was on sale last week when planning our cruise. This dining package allows us to enjoy Chops and another specialty restaurant during our cruise.

Growing up, we never ate at the specialty restaurants onboard. Our parents always said we had already paid for food in the main dining room with our cruise fare, and we were very satisfied with the food and service we received when cruising. As cheap college students, my husband and I also found the main dining room to offer a very nice dinner experience each night and never felt we needed to spend extra for food.

Within the last 5 years, we’ve all grown to appreciate the specialty dining experience while cruising. We normally choose to go when the main dining room has a lackluster menu or we want to switch up the nightly routine. The BOGO deal for Diamond + cruisers is also a nice perk that makes specialty dining more affordable.

Tonight, our Chops Grille dinner started with a warm plate of bread, which included pretzel rolls and onion buns. We both ordered the bacon starter, which is a thick cut of pork with a light drizzle of sweet & spicy glaze. For the next course, I ordered the fried goat cheese salad and Angie tried the wild mushroom soup. Both were excellent.

For the main course, I ordered the petite filet mignon and Angie ordered the roasted chicken. A steakhouse isn’t exactly the best place for Angie since she doesn’t like beef, but she has always loved the chicken entree.

My steak was very tender and flavorful. We love most of the sides, so we ordered mashed potatoes, asparagus, giant guerre tots and Mac and cheese. The tots are our absolute favorite!

Dessert is also a highlight for us, so Angie and I ordered 3 different ones to try: key lime pie, warm chocolate cake and cheesecake. The warm chocolate cake was the winner, with its ooey gooey molten center, followed by the key lime pie. The cheesecake didn’t do it for me, which was the only disappointing part of the meal - but we certainly didn’t leave hungry.

Ice Show

We ended our evening with the ice show, which was called Ice Under the Big Top. We love the ice shows, and this one did not disappoint! We scurried our full bellies from Chops down to Studio B for the ice show and arrived with just a few minutes to spare; unfortunately, this means we got stuck behind a giant pole because the venue was packed.

There was no main headliner or welcome abroad show in the Royal Theatre tonight, which was interesting. Instead, they were playing a movie, Sing 2. This didn’t appeal to me or Angie, although I am sure some of the families enjoyed.

The ice show was circus themed with some elaborate, dazzling costumes. It was certainly a show that anyone would enjoy, with some segments catered more towards kids and others simply showcasing the incredible skating skills of the performers. The littlest cruisers were very interactive with the cast members, often cheering and dancing in their seat.

It’s that time again to pack my suitcase, find some sunscreen and swab my nose for a negative covid test! My next Royal Caribbean adventure begins on April 19 when I’ll be boarding Mariner of the Seas for a 4-night Bahamas sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida. 

Each day, I will be live blogging my cruise to share our experience onboard Mariner of the Seas! I am very excited to share my cruise experience with y'all.

Our itinerary includes one sea day and stops at both Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau, Bahamas. Nothing like a short and sweet cruise to break up a normal work week!

This cruise was actually very cheap for an inside guarantee cabin, costing us just $62 a night. Since I live in northern Florida, the trek down to Port Canaveral is well worth the drive for this quick getaway cruise.

We've already been assigned our cabin, which is located near the back of the ship according to deck plans. Since it's a short cruise, I'm not too concerned about the cabin location.

We booked this cruise only 2 weeks ago, making this officially a ‘last minute cruise deal’ in my book. I've never booked a cruise this close to departure, but I love the feeling of being more spontaneous than I typically am in life.

My normal cruise buddy (my husband) is currently deployed, so I will be cruising with my sister. We are looking forward to having a sister cruise, something we’ve never actually done before in all of our years of cruising together as a family. 

Fond Memories

I am super excited to be sailing on Mariner of the Seas. The first time I sailed on Mariner of the Seas was 16 years ago in 2006 with my family; in fact, that was one of my first Royal Caribbean cruises. Mariner of the Seas was a shiny new ship back in 2006 and I remember being in awe of our cruise ship having an ice skating rink!

The most recent time I sailed onboard Mariner of the Seas was in January 2017 with my (now) husband back when we were in college. With a full month off during our J-term, we were so excited to sail around Asia and experience an entirely new part of the world together.

We took a wonderful 7-night Southeast Asia itinerary from Singapore to Thailand and Malaysia. We visited an elephant sanctuary, explore temples and visited floating villages. After exploring the culturally rich ports each day, Mariner of the Seas was so comfortable to return to each night. 

Needless to say, I have very fond memories of sailing on Mariner of the Seas. I’ve always been a big fan of Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class ships. I personally think they are the perfect size with just enough bells and whistles.  

The Cruise

I haven’t taken a quick getaway cruise in probably 10 years! Since I've never lived that close to a port, we always did a 7-night cruise to make the trip worthwhile. In fact, it seems over the years we’ve been taking longer cruises rather than short ones, so I am interested to see how the atmosphere is different when the sailing is much shorter. 

My sister and I both work remotely - so we will be testing out the internet capabilities and VPN connectivity while sailing as well. I've had good experience with the internet speed on other Royal Caribbean ships, so I am hoping Mariner of the Seas will be no different.

Our first port after the sea day is Perfect Day at CocoCay, which has quickly become one of my favorite Caribbean ports because of its lively atmosphere and ultimate convenience.

I love all the swimming pools, the swim-up bar and all the fun amenities that are offered on the island. This time around, I want to try the floating bar off South Beach. We ran out of time during our last visit to CocoCay, so I definitely need to make my way out there. 

After our visit to CocoCay, we will sail to Nassau. I’ve visited Nassau, Bahamas a few times on previous cruises, but never done anything that memorable during our time in port.

This time around, we are looking forward to trying a resort day pass at RIU Palace! Our pass includes unlimited drinks and snacks, along with access to all the resort’s pools and hot tubs. It should be a fun and relaxing day in port. 

Three things I am excited to try onboard

During our 4-night sailing, we are planning to try some of the new additions made to Mariner of the Seas. Back in 2018, the ship was refurbished and refreshed, with some exciting new venues and activities added. It’s been 5 years since I sailed onboard this cruise ship, so I am excited to see the upgrades, additions and enhancements that were made. 

Playmakers

We’ve been hearing great things about Playmakers, which is one of the newer dining options onboard Royal Caribbean’s ships. I have yet to sail on a ship that features this new restaurant, and apparently they have a killer cookie skillet for dessert! I am a sucker for all things sweets and desserts, so I have high hopes for this dessert especially.

The Bamboo Room

I had no idea this new bar addition was even available onboard Mariner of the Seas until I did a little research. Royal Caribbean describes this Polynesian-themed bar in the ship’s promenade as having ‘throwback vibes and crazy good cocktails’. I love all things that incorporate throwback vibes AND crazy good cocktails, so I am excited to sample some of the tiki bar drinks. 

SkyPad

One of the coolest additions to Mariner of the Seas since my last sailing is the SkyPad, which is a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience. Apparently this onboard thrill is considered ‘out of this world’. I’ve always loved bungee trampolines, so this will be a fun experience I think.

We'll see you later this week when I blog live from Mariner of the Seas!

It looks like Royal Caribbean will homeport Icon of the Seas in Miami, Florida when she arrives in the United States.

In a recent interview, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked about how excited he was for Icon of the Seas, and mentioned in passing that the new ship will be based at PortMiami.

Mr. Bayley was speaking with TTG Media and explained following Icon of the Seas' debut in the UK summer season, “We will take [Icon of the Seas] across the Atlantic to Miami, which is where it’s going to be homeported.”

Bayley also stated that Icon of the Seas would likely have some stops in New York or Boston during the ship's East Coast transit. 

This was the same interview that Mr. Bayley mentioned Icon will visit Southampton, UK initially.

Debuting a brand new ship in the UK for its inaugural sailing season isn’t the first for Royal Caribbean; in fact, Harmony of the Seas first debuted to the UK market before transiting to the U.S for its homeport.

Bayley also emphasized how important the UK market is for Royal Caribbean, which helped solidify the cruise line’s decision to debut Icon of the Seas to the country first. 

"An Amazing Ship"

Royal Caribbean has been very quiet about its new Icon Class of ships, creating a lot of buzz in the cruising industry about the ship's design and features. Icon of the Seas will be the first cruise ship in the Icon Class. 

Little is currently known about Icon of the Seas, but Bayley did allude to being very impressed with Icon of the Seas. He stated, “The ship is unbelievable. It's an amazing ship. What’s fascinating about Icon is the sheer amount of product."

Although this gives us very little detail about Icon of the Seas itself, Bayley is certainly hyping up Royal Caribbean’s newest ship.

According to Bayley, Icon of the Seas will be a game-changer for the cruising industry, as the cruise line has spent 5 years designing the ship.

Just this month, Bayley said Royal Caribbean rented a movie theater in Miami and the company spent an entire day reviewing Icon of the Seas with internal stakeholders, marketing members and other executives. This meeting also focused on how Royal Caribbean plans to reveal Icon of the Seas to the public. 

Tradition, Evolution and Revolution

Although Bayley isn’t allowed to reveal anything specific, he explained that Icon of the Seas will feature a combination of ‘tradition, evolution and revolution’ cruising elements from Royal Caribbean. 

Bayley acknowledged that Royal Caribbean cruisers will always love certain features about the brand. These fan favorites, like the Schooner Bar, determine which traditional elements continue to be found on ships across the fleet.

On the other hand, evolution elements revolve around continuously improving elements that cruisers love, such as entertainment venues and waterslides. Finally, revolution elements are ‘industry-firsts’ and are meant to be WOW factors for the company.

In regards to revolutionary, it is known that Icon of the Seas will also be the first LNG-powered cruise ship for Royal Caribbean. This is a huge step towards Royal Caribbean's sustainability efforts to use cleaner, more environmentally-friendly fuel. 

Industry Leader

In general, Royal Caribbean leads the cruise industry with designing the biggest and most innovative ships at sea. It was the first cruise line to bring many onboard thrills to a cruise ship, such as the first zip-line at sea, the first surf simulator at sea and the first skydiving simulator.

With the Oasis Class ships, Royal Caribbean introduced its multi-neighborhood concept to the cruise industry, which featured an entire opened-aired Central Park and Boardwalk at sea. 

With Bayley hinting that Icon of the Seas details have been shared internally at Royal Caribbean, this could signal that more information about the new cruise ship will be made public soon. Bayley also stated that the cruise line plans to host an interactive event, potentially this spring or fall in New York, to reveal Icon of the Seas to the public.

Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class is the first class of new vessels since 2014 when Royal Caribbean launched the first of its Quantum Class ships. 

If you’re a loyal cruiser with Royal Caribbean, you know it’s pretty rare to find a Caribbean sailing that doesn’t stop at Labadee or CocoCay. Both of these ports are actually private islands owned by Royal Caribbean and are frequent stops for the cruise line when sailing the Caribbean.

To be honest, anytime I saw CocoCay as a port stop for a cruise, I’d scowl at the thought of wasting a port stop at Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. There were plenty of other islands that I’d rather spend my time and money visiting. 

Lackluster First Experience

Back in 2009, I cruised with my family onboard Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas on a weekend cruise to the Bahamas. One of our stops was CocoCay - and to say it was pretty lame is an understatement. 

After tendering to the island from the cruise ship, my family and I walked onshore to find an underdeveloped island surrounded by rocky shores. There were some lounge chairs scattered around the beach. We found a few places to shop while walking around the island.

Overall, It was pretty dull and lackluster. I was just 14 years old and my sister was 12 at the time. There wasn’t much to do on the island, so my parents bought us tickets to ride the waterslide. 

After a few less-than-thrilling rides on the blowup waterslide, we tendered back to the ship and opted for lunch at Johnny Rockets. The whole family agreed that the island was nothing special and we certainly wouldn’t go out of our way to return. 

Because of our underwhelming experience, we’d avoided any itineraries with stops at CocoCay. For years, we would look for cruise itineraries that didn't include CocoCay.

Second Chances

Fast Forward to February 2022, my family had a cruise planned onboard Harmony of the Seas with stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas and - yup, you guessed it - CocoCay! 

After Royal Caribbean’s major renovations were finalized in 2019, it appeared that the private island received a well-deserved facelift. We were excited to give the renovated island another chance after our first visit more than 13 years earlier.

The bar was set pretty low based on our prior visit, but we had heard from many people that the island had been transformed into a great port stop. Seeing beautiful pictures and videos of Perfect Day at CocoCay made the island seem like a new Caribbean island oasis. 

First Impressions

As we sailed into port, we could easily spot the Up, Up and Away balloon soaring above the blue sea. The colorful flags from the port could be seen blowing in the wind. It was a beautiful, warm day for our last port stop. 

The island looked as bright and vibrant as the many pictures and videos I had seen online. We could already see from the ship that the island was way more developed than before. It almost felt like we were pulling up to a resort!

My mom is notorious for choosing to stay on the cruise ship when we dock in ports that she’s uninterested in. She said that CocoCay was so lame before that she might stay on the ship. Luckily, we convinced her to give the island a try, as she could easily head back to the ship if she wasn’t enjoying her day. 

As we walked along the pier under the colorful awnings, we were immediately impressed by the new CocoCay. The island was glistening with white sand along the ocean.  There was a shuttle running from the ship to bring guests to the amenities; however, we enjoyed walking along the ocean.

To start, it was a welcome change that we didn’t need to tender to the island this time. It saves so much time when you can just walk off the ship and get your day started!

Oasis Lagoon

With a little research, we decided our first stop would be Oasis Lagoon. Plenty of signage helped direct us towards the lagoon, which is actually the large freshwater pool in the Caribbean.

Even better, there was a swim-up bar in the Oasis Lagoon. My sister snagged a lounge chair that was partially submerged in the lagoon. There was great music pumping from the DJ across the lagoon. 

We were amazed at how large the lagoon was! There were tons of chairs and umbrellas surrounding the pool. The swim-up bar was our first stop after getting settled. The day called for pina coladas!

One of the perks of visiting Royal Caribbean’s private island is that you can continue to access your internet and beverage package! We were ready to indulge in our daily allowance of 5 Diamond + drinks. 

The Oasis Lagoon was so much fun, we ended up spending most of the day here. With great music and plenty of drinks, we were having a great time relaxing.

Even more fun - we had an unexpected Royal Caribbean Blog staff meeting! As fate would have it, Matt himself was cruising with his family onboard the Freedom of the Seas and docked right next to our ship. This was actually our first time meeting in person, so it was a fun coincidence.

Funnel Cake

After a few drinks at the pool, it was time to find something for lunch. We walked through the large buffet area on our way to the Oasis Lagoon, but we were looking to try something a little different. 

We’d heard Snack Shack was a great place to grab lunch, so we headed towards South Beach. Having so many options for food was another welcomed change. Everywhere we looked, there was either a bar, buffet or ice cream machine!

We ordered chicken sandwiches at the Snack Shack, along with mozzarella sticks and french fries. But, we were all the most excited about the funnel cakes! That crispy, powdery cakey goodness hit the spot on our last day of vacation.

Everything we ordered at the Snack Shack was delicious. The chicken sandwich with pesto mayo tasted like a Chick-fil-a sandwich.

An insider tip - don’t leave your food unattended! My dad sat down with his french fries and hot dog before getting up to snag some ketchup. About 15 birds swarmed the table and tried to steal as many fries as they could. 

Shops and South Beach

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While enjoying our lunch, we marveled at everything CocoCay had to offer. South Beach had so many activities for those looking to do more than have a cocktail at the beach. You can find activities like volleyball, basketball, snorkeling, paddle boarding and ping pong. 

We also enjoyed shopping around the many stalls that adorned touristy shirts, magnets and beach bags while polishing off our funnel cake with an ice cream cone. There were plenty of shops for those looking to support the local economy, as the stalls were all operated by locals. 

Final Thoughts

Perfect Day at CocoCay blew all of us away! The whole family truly enjoyed our day at CocoCay. Even my mom, who typically hates spending her day at the beach, said she loved the island and was very impressed. 

It was obvious that Royal Caribbean invested heavily in making its private island a destination that cruisers will want to visit. I can totally understand how people love to visit CocoCay repeatedly. 

The entire day was very laid back and relaxing. Everything at CocoCay is so easy, making it feel like a true day of vacation. There was no need to worry about transportation or logistics - you walk right off the ship and you’re right where you need to be! 

I loved being able to use my daily drinks at the island too. Oasis Lagoon was the perfect place for us to spend the day relaxing w drinking and dancing Next time, I’d love to visit the floating bar on South Beach. 

We saw so many families having a great time too, which is easy to do with all the waterslides, waterparks and activities. CocoCay is certainly a great spot for families with kids of all ages. 

I honestly wish I could transport my 14 year old self to the new CocoCay! That big blowup waterslide from the old CocoCay couldn’t even compete with all the new amenities offered.

If you haven’t visited the new Perfect Day at CocoCay, or you’re avoiding it like we were, think again! I promise you’ll be impressed by everything that Royal Caribbean has done to make the island an amazing destination. 

Royal Caribbean Group has a new CEO, Jason Liberty, but who is he and how did he get to be the new head of the cruise giant?

Just a few weeks ago, Royal Caribbean Group began the year with a new CEO, following the departure of former CEO Richard Fain. The company announced in 2021 that Richard Fain would be stepping down from his CEO role and would be promoting Jason Liberty to Chief Executive Officer and President. 

According to Royal Caribbean’s website, Jason Liberty, 46, will be the President and CEO of the company’s three global cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea cruises.

In addition, Liberty will oversee TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd cruises, which it is a 50% owner in a joint venture. Liberty will also oversee the Group’s strategy, technology, supply chain, port operations and legal functions. 

Stepping into this role, Liberty will oversee the company’s 60 ships that carry more than 7.5 million passengers to ports around the world, including all 7 continents. 

Fain’s departure from Royal Caribbean Group came as a surprise to some, as he was the third-longest serving CEO among current S&P 500 leaders. When it comes to contributions, Fain was an instrumental leader for the Royal Caribbean Group. He introduced new ship categories and helped transform Royal Caribbean’s classes of ships from Sovereign, Voyager and Oasis ships to Celebrity’s Solstice and Edge classes.

Fain most recently was a leader for the company through the unprecedented nature of the pandemic’s shutdown on the cruise industry. Many have praised his role and involvement as CEO during the cruise shutdown, including his visionary leadership and creation of Royal Caribbean's Healthy Sail Panel. 

History with Royal Caribbean

Liberty is not a new name to the Royal Caribbean Group, as the new CEO joined the company back in 2005. With more than 16 years of experience under his belt, Liberty has held many positions with Royal Caribbean Group. 

Liberty joined Royal Caribbean Group as a Vice President of Audit and Advisory Services before moving into Corporate Strategy, Revenue and Planning.  In 2012, Liberty transitioned into his role as Senior Vice President of Finance and Strategy. The following year, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Liberty held those positions for 8 years before his current promotion to President and Chief Executive Officer. 

Prior to his positions at Royal Caribbean Group, Liberty worked for the account firm KPMG LLP as a senior manager. According to LinkedIn, Liberty held this position for 8 years before transitioning to Royal Caribbean Group. 

Throughout his many roles with the Royal Caribbean Group, Liberty has been heavily involved in the company’s biggest strategic initiatives. He’s also been praised for his leadership during the pandemic, an especially difficult time for the cruise industry. 

Education

Jason Liberty is a graduate from the University of Miami School of Business, where he holds a bachelor's degree in accounting. Liberty also attended Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, where he earned a second bachelor’s degree in finance. 

In addition to his bachelor’s degrees, Liberty attended University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagar Business School in Chapel Hill to earn his Master of Business Administration. He currently serves on the board of directors of WNS Limited, which is a business process management company. 

A New Chapter

With help from the board, Fain has stated that he had carefully planned a succession process for when the time was right for him to step down. After seeing most of the company’s ships return to service, Fain felt it was the right time for Liberty to take over as CEO and President.

On the topic of Liberty’s new role, Fain stated, “He is a highly versatile and strategic leader, who has been integral to all aspects of the company’s accomplishments and performance.” Fain expressed, “I couldn't be happier to have such a superbly qualified and principled leader succeed me as CEO. Jason will lead the Group to new heights.”

Additionally, Fain praised how Liberty has played a crucial role with organizing over $12 billion of financing during the pandemic cruise shutdown. Because of Liberty’s ‘methodical manner’, Fain is confident that the company will be well served for many years to come. 

In his new position, Liberty will also join the board, which Fain will continue to chair. In addition, Fain will continue to be involved in the company’s ship construction program

‘Humbled and Honored’

Liberty will be stepping into his role as CEO as a very qualified and principled leader. With culture at the forefront of the Royal Caribbean Group’s business success, Liberty will be embodying the company’s values through his leadership. 

In reference to his new role, Liberty shared that he is both honored and humbled to become CEO for the Royal Caribbean Group. He stated, “Our incredible people and culture, combined with our leading brands and the most innovative fleet in the world are what make our organization so successful."

"I'm grateful to both the board for selecting me, and to Richard, for his friendship, mentoring and guidance. I look forward to building upon the company's remarkable record in the years ahead."

I should be on a cruise heading towards Mexico right now. I’d probably be sipping a drink on the pool deck watching the gorgeous sunset on the sea.

But fate had other plans for me and I had to cancel my cruise because I caught Covid before my cruise began. 

I was scheduled to sail on the Brilliance of the Seas on January 8 for a 5 night sailing to Mexico. I snagged a super cheap cabin last month. My bags were packed and I was ready to go.

‘Tis the Season

I was happy to spend my Christmas back home in South Dakota with my family. My husband is deployed and this cruise was giving me something exciting to look forward to, which I was desperately needing after my husband deployed.  My dad was nice enough to fly down to me in Florida to help me drive 20 hours back with our pups. 

I couldn't watch TV or look at my phone without seeing news about rising Covid cases and the new Omicron variant. However, after 2 years of not catching Covid, I was starting to feel kind of invincible. 

I went to multiple weddings, bachelorette parties, concerts and music festivals last year. My husband and I traveled to Ireland in October and we cruised to Alaska over the summer. With a combination of vaccines, some precautions and a little luck, we had avoided getting Covid throughout the entire pandemic. 

With cases in the Midwest remaining fairly low, I felt pretty safe with our holiday gatherings. Almost everyone in our family was vaccinated and most had received their booster. I still wanted to lay low and avoid unnecessarily risk leading up to our cruise, just to be extra safe. 

Cruises in the Media

With the rising cases of Covid across the US, I read many stories of vaccinated people getting Covid. The media started blowing up with stories about cruises getting denied in ports, returning early and sailings getting canceled. 

Some family members asked if my sister and I were still planning to cruise. We both agreed that we were comfortable cruising. With vaccine requirements and health protocols, we agreed that being on a cruise is not more dangerous than living our normal lives. 

We reviewed Royal Caribbean’s current cruise protocols and felt that the cruise line was doing everything they could to mitigate the spread of the virus. They also had great policies and procedures in place if you test positive onboard. 

I made lots of cruise and travel plans over the next few months to keep myself busy while my husband is deployed. At this point, I was more worried about testing positive unexpectedly during my travels than I was about getting super sick. 

Just a cold?

The holidays come and go - we’ve been busy with dinners, brunches and even a pretend royal tea party with my cousin’s three little girls. 

My mom tells us one morning that she has a stuffy nose and scratchy throat. After a few days though, she is quickly on the mend; so that truly didn’t seem to be more than a cold. 

Shortly after New Year's Eve, my sister wakes up with a mild sore throat. This isn’t surprising, as my cousin’s kids are always sick with colds because they’re little. My sister takes a rapid test at home before we see my grandparents for brunch. 

Her test comes back clearly negative, so it must just be a cold.

A few days later, I woke up feeling more tired than normal. I hadn’t slept well so I figured that was why. I napped over my lunch break and went to bed early. 

The next morning I woke up feeling a tad stuffy with some light congestion. I have allergies, so this isn’t unusual. Being tired for me isn’t unusual either, as I never sleep that great - and the holidays were exhausting. 

My sister tested negative so I figured if anything, I had what she had. We’d been sharing some food and drinks before she got her cold. 

It’s Tuesday morning. We planned to leave on Thursday to start making our way to Tampa from the Midwest. Our upcoming trek involved a quick visit with friends before flying down to the sunshine state and boarding our ship.

Around 2pm, I started to feel a tad achy in my legs and lower back. It was nothing major, but I have become hyper aware of any symptoms at this point.

I started to get conflicting thoughts about whether I should take a home test or not. 

My Internal Conflict

I’ve tested myself for Covid numerous times over the last year. Some of these tests were needed for travel; other tests were ones that I did at home when I didn’t feel well.

I thought back to all the other home tests that I’ve done last year. Honestly, I felt way more sick every other time I took a home test than I did today with these very mild aches. My nose wasn’t even stuffy this time. 

I started to feel conflicted. 

Was I being overactive? Should I waste a home test that I diligently searched around town trying to find? My sister didn’t have Covid, so why would I have it?

If it was Covid, that meant I couldn’t go on the cruise. Royal Caribbean’s policy is currently that you can’t board any of their ships if you’ve tested positive in the last 14 days. 

Part of me just wanted to wait until Thursday when we would start our trip. I would probably feel better by then anyway. I work from home so I could easily lay low and get rest. 

Honestly, I was scared to get confirmation of what I feared. 

My legs were unusually sore. It’s been blistering cold in the Midwest so it certainly isn’t from being active outside or taking the dogs on their 5-minute walk around the block. I had influenza a few years back, and my legs had a similar achy sensation (although this was much more mild).

I started to think about the worst case scenario. If it was positive, at least I have a few days to cancel everything. I am at my parent’s home where it’s comfortable to be isolated.

I also knew in my heart that it would be best to find out now rather than hope whatever I had would run through me before on the cruise. I didn’t want to risk spreading anything to friends or family. It would be better to find out now at home than potentially find out on the cruise ship. 

Home Test Results

Before taking the dogs for a brisk walk, I took out one of my home tests. Luckily, I had stocked up before Christmas in anticipation of the spike in cases.

I swabbed my nose as instructed and also swabbed my throat since that’s where my congestion was.

Every time I’ve hyped up myself that I probably had Covid, the tests always came back negative. I dropped my sample into a rapid test and ran downstairs to change before taking the dogs out.

In the midst of getting the pups ready to go, I glimpse over at the test on the counter. My mom jokes to me that I am not even sick, so why would I take the test?

I looked down to see 2 red lines on the rapid test. 

I literally gasped. My heart sank.

It was positive.

I had a flurry of emotions. First I am surprised, as I really didn’t feel that sick. Then again, I guess I am not super surprised, the case rates around the US are rising like crazy. My mind is all over. 

Even though I may feel fine now, my symptoms might worsen. I have no idea how long I’ve actually been sick.

Cancellation

I quickly realized there was no way we could cruise. Royal Caribbean’s Covid policy is clear: If you test positive within 2 weeks of your cruise, you aren’t able to sail. 

I told my sister to take another rapid test, as I am sure she will test positive too. She takes another test and it comes up negative, again! I had her take a second one; that also comes back negative. 

This was very confusing, as she had more respiratory, classic Covid symptoms than I did. Regardless, we wouldn’t be cruising with my positive test. 

Luckily, canceling the cruise was very easy. I alerted our travel agent of the unfortunate news. She asks if I prefer a refund or cruise credit. Since this is Covid related, and per Royal Caribbean’s Cruising with Confidence program, we are eligible for a full refund so I opt for that. 

The Right Choice

Obviously, it was a huge bummer that we caught Covid and couldn’t go on the cruise. In the end, it was the right choice to take the home test when I started to question if I was showing Covid symptoms. 

In the grand scheme of life, we are lucky to have very mild cases, which I am confident is because we’ve had our vaccines and boosters. 

My sister’s symptoms have lingered a bit longer than mine. Today, the day we should have been boarding our ship, she tested positive for Covid as well. I am feeling almost 100% today, although I was fatigued most of the week.

But, it was better to be safe and proactive than sorry. Testing positive at home is much more comfortable and easy than having Covid while traveling. 

Cruising is an excellent vacation choice for many reasons, but one of the most important reasons for me is how affordable it is. I like to think I am a savvy travel planner - always looking for the best deals whenever I can. Cruising is my favorite way to vacation, so I need to save money where I can to ensure the next cruise isn't too long after the last.

With a little flexibility and research, you can find super affordable cruises for less than $60 a day. In fact, I just booked a cruise for January 2022 that will cost me only $57 each day on the Brilliance of the Seas. If I took myself out to a fancy restaurant, I would easily spend more than that on a single meal!

Using the search function on Royal Caribbean’s website, I started to research different sailing options. Since my schedule was wide-open for January, I selected that month with a few options for departure port in Florida. 

Sorting prices from 'low to high' is my favorite way to find cheap cruises. It might be a no-brainer, but this really allows me to quickly compare a few different options between departure dates, ships, number of nights, and initial cruise cost per person.

Although 3 and 4 night cruises might be the cheapest options, these can be more expensive per day than sailings that are 5 to 7 nights. Weekend cruises have their own demand from short vacationers, while longer cruises can really offer the potential for huge savings.

There are a few other key factors to keep in mind while looking for the cheapest cruise option. When looking at January cruise options, it didn’t shock me that the most expensive cruises were the ones that sailed over New Years.

I also figured that I wouldn’t be sailing on a huge, new ship. As expected, I found the cheapest option per day was on Brilliance of the Seas, which is a smaller and older ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. The sailing was just 31 days away when I booked it! 

Based on my experience booking cheap Royal Caribbean cruises, here are the key tips that I would share to find the best deal on a cruise.

Two kinds of cheap

When someone wants to book a cheap cruise, do they mean the cheapest out the door price for a cruise or the cheapest nightly rate?

While the total price for your cruise is usually what most people consider when booking a cheap cruise, sometimes there is better value in a cruise that gets you more time onboard for less.

Short sailings (under 5 nights) will almost always be the cheapest bottom line price for a cruise because their duration is limited enough it comes in at a low price.

However, short sailings usually have a higher per-night cost than some longer sailings.

When choosing between sailings to find the best deal, often a longer sailing can be a better deal even if the total price is higher because you're paying less per night of the cruise. Moreover, you're getting more vacation time with a longer sailing.

Read more: How to have the best experience for cheap on Royal Caribbean

When to book

In my experience, there are two approaches to finding the cheapest cruise fares. I’ve found that booking cruises 1-2 months in advance is a good timeframe to snag the best deal. Last minute cruising is very lucrative, especially if you live close to a cruise port!

On the other hand, booking a year or two in advance, especially for more unique sailings or highly sought after itineraries, can help you lock in the cheapest fare. This is because the cheapest rooms usually book first on popular sailings, like my 2022 Holy Land cruise. My family and I booked this sailing shortly after it was announced to make sure we could get two interior cabins.

My husband and I looked at booking an Iceland and Ireland cruise for May 2022 just recently. The only available rooms were balconies and suites, which isn’t great for our travel budget. We ended up booking a different sailing where we could have an interior guarantee cabin, which saved us $1,500. 

Read more: Should I book a guarantee stateroom on a cruise?

For my next cruise on January 8, I booked the cruise with only  one month to go before the sail date. If cabins aren’t filling for a cruise with a closer departure, the cruise line is more likely to drop the price in an attempt to make the sailing more profitable. When demand is low, they have lots of cabins to fill! I was able to snag an inside guarantee cabin for $570 for 5 nights!

Flexibility

If you’re trying to book an itinerary with a specific date that aligns with a holiday or spring break, you can expect to pay extra. When kids are in school, you’ll find that fares are the cheapest. The same is true for sailing in the travel offseason.

I cruised the Southern Caribbean in 2018 over New Years Eve and found the itinerary to be nearly 3x the price as the same itinerary that sailed a few weeks later. Since we didn’t have flexibility with our schedule, we were stuck with paying the inflated price.

Mid-January is right after the holidays; families cruising with kids will be looking to take advantage of the week between Christmas and New Years. By having flexibility in my schedule, I was able to find this cheap cruise for $57 a day.

For example, a 7 day cruise on the Serenade of the Seas that sails on December 24 is $2,370 for 2 people. The same itinerary on January 22 is less than half with the cost coming out to be $970.

Smaller Ships

Royal Caribbean loves to hype and advertise that they have the biggest ships in the world. The biggest ships typically come with the highest price tags. Ships that have more amenities and attractions are expensive for the company to operate. For them to be profitable, the cruise fares simply need to be more expensive.

If you are willing to sail on smaller ships, you can typically find great prices! Smaller ships don’t have all the bells and whistles, but they certainly can still provide a great cruise experience. You are also able to visit more secluded ports that can’t accommodate the bigger ships. I find that smaller ships are more relaxing because they don’t attract as many kids either. 

Read more: What’s the difference between a large and small cruise ship?

Older Ships

If you’re looking to sail on a brand new ship, you likely won’t be snagging a stellar deal. When it comes to older ships, pricing comes down to supply and demand. The newer ships are likely to have higher demand, meaning Royal Caribbean can charge more than they typically would. They know travelers are eager to sail on the latest and greatest, which means you’ll be paying a pretty penny to be among the first to sail.

On the other hand, older ships are much cheaper to operate. More often than not, older ships are more affordable. You can still have a great cruising experience while sailing on an older boat - without breaking the bank!

Read more: What was added to each Royal Caribbean ship during its Royal Amplified refurbishment

Itinerary Choice

Back to flexibility! If you’re like me and just love to cruise, I will go to Cozumel 100 times over if it means I am on a cruise ship and I snagged a good deal! By having some flexibility in our destination choices, we are able to have more options available.

Read more: What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?

If we want to book a unique itinerary, we know we will be paying more. My last cruise before the pandemic was a 7-day Best of Japan sailing on Spectrum of the Seas. Although one of my favorites ever, it was the most expensive cruise of my life. No surprise though, as it was a unique itinerary on a brand new ship.

During its deployment to Asia, Spectrum of the Seas was a brand new ship and typically only offered 4 and 5 night sailings. There were only a handful of itineraries that offered 7 nights. For those of us traveling to China for the cruise, we were more interested in a longer sailing so we could see as much of Japan as possible!

With only a few longer itineraries available to Japan, Royal Caribbean was able to charge us more. We knew it was costly, but it was a big trip for our family and we wanted to sail for 7 days to make the trip feel worthwhile. We were told that sailing had more non-resident cruisers than any other sailing that season - so many other cruisers had the same mindset!

I might be sailing to Cozumel for the 7th time next month, but I am happy to be cruising regardless of the itinerary given how affordable it is. For me, any cruise is a great cruise!

Read more: 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise

World cruises are the ultimate bucket list item for many dedicated cruisers. You’re not alone if you’ve dreamed of sailing the world, taking in each world wonder from the balcony of your stateroom. Unfortunately, these cruises are typically very expensive and require months of being away from home. 

In a surprise announcement, Royal Caribbean released a 274 day world cruise with an outstanding lineup of ports for 2023. If time and money were unlimited, you’d be seeing me on that itinerary in a heartbeat! Sadly, I doubt my boss would approve that much time away from work. Not to mention, our dogs would miss us terribly.

Maybe you aren’t able to spend that much time away from your home or family. Perhaps you simply cannot afford to sail around the world on a voyage like this. But, fear not! You can still visit plenty of world wonders on shorter (and cheaper!) cruises. 

Some of the world’s most historic and famous monuments can be visited on a cruise. For example, Eastern Mediterranean itineraries often stop at historic cities in Italy, Greece and Turkey, making it super easy to visit multiple famous monuments.  

Below is a list of world wonders you can visit on your next cruise. If you didn’t know, there are multiple categories of world wonders, including the new world, ancient world, medieval world, modern world, industrial world, etc. So many places to see!

From the 7 New Wonders of the World

• The Great Wall of China (Tianjin, China)

• Petra, Jordan (Abaqa, Jordan)

• Colosseum (Civitavecchia, Italy)

• Chichen Itza (Cozumel, Mexico)

Cozumel is a common port for Caribbean cruises, making this an easy visit if you are cruising from the United States. I’ve been to Cozumel more times than I can count, but still haven’t made the trip to Chichen Itza. Adding it to my list currently!

Ships sailing Cozumel

Adventure of the Seas - 5 and 4 night sailings to Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico. November 2021 - March 2022 from Galveston, TX

Allure of the Seas - 6 night sailing to Cozumel, Puerto Costa Maya and Perfect Day at CocoCay. April 2021 to September 2021 from Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

Over in Europe, cruises to Italy almost always include a stop in Civitavecchia, which is a port city located an hour outside of Rome. No excursion to Rome is complete without a stop at the Colosseum in the heart of the city! 

Itineraries to Jordan are less common, but Royal Caribbean has featured this port a few times on Middle Eastern or Suez Canal cruises.

Ships sailing to Europe

Vision of the Seas - 8 night Western Mediterranean to Rome, Nice, Sicily and Portofino. June 2022 to October 2022 from Barcelona, Spain.

Rhapsody of the Seas - 7 night Greek Isles cruise to Cyprus and Greece. August 2022 to September 2022 from Haifa, Israel. 

Brilliance of the Seas- 6 night Italy and Adriatic Sea cruise to Croatia, Italy and Montenegro. October 2022 from Venice (Ravenna), Italy.

Finally, Tianjin in China is a common stop and departure port for Royal Caribbean’s Asian cruises. The city is conveniently located 2 hours from Beijing and the famous, historic Great Wall of China. Add this one to your bucket list!

Ships sailing to China

Spectrum of the Seas - 7 and 8 night Best of Japan sailings to Nagasaki, Osaka and Kyoto. September and May 2022 from Tianjin (Beijing), China. 

From the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World

• The Parthenon (Athens, Greece)

• Great Pyramid of Giza (Cairo, Egypt) 

• Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes, Greece)

• Status of Zeus (Olympia, Greece)

• Temple of Artemis (Ephesus, Turkey)

If you’re new to traveling and want to see as much ancient history as possible, a Greek Islands cruise is your best bet. You’ll be able to see 3 of these world wonders in Athens, Rhodes and Olympia. 

Cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Holy Land and Greek Isles, often include a stop at Turkey’s port city of Ephesus. This is a great stop packed with centuries of history. 

If you’re hoping to see the Great Pyramid of Giza, you’ll want to look for cruises that stop in Cairo. This is a less common stop in recent years for Royal Caribbean, but hopefully will make its return to itineraries in the Mediterranean. 

Ships sailing to Greece and Turkey

Jewel of the Seas - 9 night sailing to Italy, Greece and Turkey in September 2022. Sailing from Barcelona, Spain. 

Odyssey of the Seas - 9 night Greek Isles sailing to Italy, Greece and Turkey in May 2022 and September 2022. Sailing from Rome, Italy. 

The 7 Wonders of the Medieval World

1. Stonehenge (Southampton, UK)

2. Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey)

3. Leaning Tower of Pisa (Livorno, Italy)

These 3 wonders of the medieval world can be found in Europe as well. Stonehenge is a common excursion for ships docked in Southampton, which is a port located 1.5 hours from London. 

To visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, your ship will dock at Livorno, which is conveniently located to both Florence and Pisa. Very doable to visit both cities in one day! 

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is one of the most popular mosques in the world. No stop to Isanbul is complete unless you visit this famous medieval wonder. 

Ships sailing to UK and Italy

Anthem of the Seas - 7 night France and Spain cruise from Southampton, England from May 2022 to September 2022. 

Rhapsody of the Seas - 7 night Western Mediterranean cruise from Venice, Italy to Barcelona, Spain with stops in Rome, Cannes, Livorno (Pisa) and Sicily in June 2022. 

From the 7 Wonders of the Modern World

1. The Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, California)

2. Empire State Building (New York City, New York)

3. Zuiderzee Works (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

4. Panama Canal (Panama)

Two of these modern world wonders can be found in the United States - one on each coast. Itineraries to the Pacific Northwest will typically include a stop in San Francisco where you can see the famous Golden Gate Bridge. 

New York is also a popular departure port on the east coast, where you’ll be able to see the Empire State Building.

Ships sailing from East Coast

Oasis of the Seas - 9 night Eastern Caribbean from Cape Liberty, New Jersey to Labadee, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten in August 2022. 

Adventure of the Seas - 9 night Canada and New England Cruise from Cape Liberty, New Jersey from September 2022 to October 2022. 

Ships sailing from West Coast

Serenade of the Seas - 7 night Pacific Coastal cruise to San Francisco, Oregon and Victoria, British Columbia in September 2022 from Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Further south is where you’ll find the Panama Canal. Sailing through the canal is an incredibly memorable experience and the best way to see this modern wonder and engineering accomplishment.  

Ships sailing to Panama

Grandeur of the Seas - 14 night Ultimate Caribbean cruise sailing to Colon, Panama in January 2022 and February 2022 from Bridgetown, Barbados.

Finally, Zuiderzee Works is located just outside of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Royal Caribbean has Amsterdam as a common departure port for Northern European cruises. 

Ships sailing to Amsterdam

Voyager of the Seas - 9 night Best of Western Europe cruise to Amsterdam, Netherlands from Barcelona, Spain to Copenhagen, Denmark on April 15, 2022.

Jewel of the Seas - 12 night Iceland & Ireland cruise from Amsterdam, Netherlands from May 2022 to August 2022.

From the 7 Wonders of the Natural World

1. Northern Lights (Arctic Circle)

2. Great Barrier Reef (Cairns, Australia)

Most of the natural world wonders are located more inland than ports can accommodate, but there are 2 famous sites that are easily accessible by cruise ship. 

The Northern Lights can be seen on Arctic Circle cruises or itineraries that feature northern ports in Norway. If you catch a glimpse of these dancing natural wonders, you’ll remember the sight for the rest of your life!

Ships sailing to Arctic Circle

Voyager of the Seas - 14 night Arctic Circle Crossing to Greenland and Iceland in September 2022 from Amsterdam to Boston.

Jewel of the Seas - 12 night Arctic Cruise to Norway’s Arctic Circle from Amsterdam, Netherlands in June and July 2022. 

If snorkeling or swimming in the Great Barrier Reef is on your bucket list, you’ll want to look for itineraries that feature stops to Cairns, Australia, which is located on the northern side of the continent.  

Ships sailing to Australia

Quantum of the Seas - 6 night Queensland cruise visiting ports in Australia from Brisbane, Australia in November 2022.

Special Mention: Other Famous Monuments

• Big Ben (Southampton, England)

• Eiffel Tower (Le Havre, France)

• Church of Spilled Blood (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

• Arc de Triomphe (Le Havre, France)

• Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)

• Burj, Khalifa (Dubai)

• The Berlin Wall (Warnemunde, Germany)

• Mont Saint-Michel: (Normandy, France)

• The Western Wall (Jerusalem)

• Giant’s Causeway (Belfast, UK)

• La Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, Spain)

• The Grand Palace (Bangkok, Thailand)

• Ha Long Bay (Vietnam)

• Blue Domes of Oia (Santorini, Greece)

In addition to the world's wonders, there are plenty of other famous landmarks that you can visit on your next cruise! From Europe to Asia and the Middle East, cruising makes it easy to see multiple famous monuments from the comfort of your stateroom.

If you’re dying to visit a historic city or see a world wonder, consider looking at more unique cruise itineraries that include these stops!

Walking onto a cruise ship for your first day of vacation is one of the best feelings. There’s so much excitement that comes with exploring a new ship and getting settled in your cabin. The first dinner at sea always feels extra special as the servers go above and beyond to take care of you. Finally, you don’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning for a few days!

If you’re like me, you love looking forward to your next cruise. This is a time for me to disconnect from reality and reconnect with my family. I greatly value the opportunity to relax and reset, all while enjoying delicious food and visiting amazing destinations. 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. If only vacation could last forever! 

You might find yourself feeling depressed after a highly anticipated cruise. As a kid, I would cry as we left the ship because I was so sad for our cruises to end. My mom used to remind me that the anticipation was sometimes just as exciting as the cruise itself. It’s so hard to not feel sadness after your cruise ends, especially if it was a once in a lifetime vacation for you. 

Luckily, there are few ways to avoid post-cruise depression while still having a great time at sea!

Planning another cruise

Maybe this is too obvious, but planning another cruise is probably the quickest way to avoid the post vacation blues. I am a firm believer that mundane, daily life is better when you have something exciting to look forward to. 

Royal Caribbean makes it super easy to book a future cruise onboard any of their ships. Next Cruise is typically located near the promenade or central atrium. You can meet with one of the travel planners to book your next cruise. These specialists will answer all of your questions and help you book the best cabin with the best rate.

If you decide to book your cruise with Next Cruise, you’ll also receive some pretty sweet benefits. You can reserve an itinerary with reduced deposits and increased onboard credit. This makes it very convenient and affordable to plan your next cruise - and immediately gives you something to look forward to when your cruise concludes!

Disconnecting

Our lives are deeply intertwined with technology, making it harder to truly disconnect from our everyday stress. One of the reasons I love cruising is having the rare opportunity to put my phone down and enjoy the present. Internet packages and international cell-service can be pricey anyway, which gives me a great excuse to disconnect as much as possible. 

I spent 105 days at sea in college during my study abroad with no internet. Can you imagine a ship full of college students in the 21st century with only access to email?! While you might imagine we were miserable, almost everyone agreed that being forced to disconnect was one of the best aspects of life at sea. We learned to live in the moment and soak up every experience. We journaled about our travels and read plenty of books. I took more naps in 4 months than I had my entire life! We all realized very quickly how easily technology distracts us from seizing the day. 

By leaving my phone and computer behind, I am able to be present and live in the moment while cruising. I try to avoid emails, texts and phone calls from home as much as possible. 

This is especially important with work emails and messages! Unless there’s an absolute emergency, I always set the expectation that I will be unreachable on my cruise. I also refrain from reading news articles and checking social media to help myself live in the moment.

The more present you are for your vacation, the less likely you’ll leave your cruise feeling desperate for another vacation. 

Prioritize Your Needs

I always recommend cruising for people looking to take a vacation with a large group of friends or family. There’s something for everyone to enjoy because there’s so much to do! 

However, sometimes traveling in a group can be stressful. Having too many excursions planned or packing your itinerary full might leave you feeling exhausted on the last day of your cruise. No one wants to feel like they spent time and money just for vacation to be stressful and exhausting. 

Cruising should be all about relaxation. Prioritizing your needs is vitally important to fully relax and rejuvenate. 

Book a massage or schedule some alone time to take advantage of self-care opportunities. My mom always takes one port day to stay onboard for alone time - she typically reads a book, takes a nap and enjoys the quiet ship. Similarly, if you want to see a certain landmark but no one else does, take that opportunity to do what you want! 

That 7am excursion you booked months ago? Don’t feel bad if you need to cancel and sleep in that morning instead. Your 7am wakeup call will be at home when you return from your cruise anyway.

Prioritizing and catering your vacation to fit your needs ensures you’ll leave the ship feeling refreshed and rested. We’ve cruised with no plans or obligations because we just wanted to relax and prioritize rest. Other cruises, we’ve been exploring nonstop in each port and walking 7+ miles a day. 

Evaluate what you want out of your cruise and try your best to honor those needs, even if you’re traveling with a group. There’s nothing worse than needing a vacation after your vacation!

Help your future self

After being pampered for days on end, it can be a rude awakening returning to life back on land. No one is making your bed everyday or cooking you delicious food to your heart’s content. The view from your window is just your backyard now rather than the beautiful blue ocean. It can be depressing that your long-awaited cruise is over and you’re back to the normal stress and routine of daily life.

Make a few arrangements to ease your future self back to reality after you return. I found that giving myself a day to get reacclimated before returning to work helps tremendously. Too many times have I flown back from a cruise on Sunday night and dragged myself to work the next morning. I was never productive and always felt depressed that I wasn’t cruising anymore. 

I also schedule a grocery pickup for the first day back so I don’t have to worry about what to cook for dinner. If you have time before your cruise, you can also prepare a freezer meal to easily heat up when you return.

We enjoy meal-delivery services (like HelloFresh or HomeChef) to reduce the stress around cooking and meal-planning. After returning from our last cruise, I scheduled our weekly delivery for the following day with low-effort meals. This helped me feel less overwhelmed about getting back into a routine or needing to go grocery shopping right away.

We also try to leave the house clean and organized before leaving for our cruises. Coming home to a messy house with dirty laundry or chores only makes the post-cruise depression worse. 

In this way, a little preparation can help ease you back into your normal routine again - hopefully with a new cruise to look forward to!