For the first time in seven months, Royal Caribbean reopened to its private beach destination in Haiti, and the timing couldn't have been better.

Labadee is the name of its private beach, which was closed since early March because of civil unrest in Haiti. 

Read more: Guide to exploring Labadee, Haiti

As Hurricane Milton approached Florida, it wreaked havoc with cruise ships plans.  As Royal Caribbean scrambled to find new places to visit, a few ships went to Labadee.

One ship was Utopia of the Seas, which made its first-ever visit to Labadee. The ship was originally scheduled to visit Nassau, Bahamas before the itinerary update. Instead an extra day was added and the ship sailed to Labadee.

What does Labadee look and feel like after sitting empty for most of 2024? One Royal Caribbean Blog reader, Alex, called it, "better than ever." 

Alex shared their thoughts with us on what it was like to re-visit Labadee.

Seeing Labadee again

All the features and amenities that were there before the shutdown are still there, and the staffing seemed to be at normal levels. 

It was understandable that many would-be guests expected the worst and were apprehensive about coming here, but the people we saw visiting from our cruise ship seemed to love it. 

When the announcement was made on Wednesday at 2pm that we would go to Labadee instead of Nassau, I was completely surprised. The announcement was met with a roar of approval on the pool deck as the Plunge Party was just beginning.

My only prior visit there was a terrible weather day in December 2023, and we felt like we didn’t truly get to experience it properly. So the opportunity to go back, was welcome news. 

At the same time, I was concerned that the port might not be totally ready or the way it was meant to be yet. I assumed there could be staffing issues, certain amenities might not be ready, or that any damage or wear might not have been fully addressed yet. 

I was excited to go, but mentally prepared for disappointment, even if just a little. 

Thankfully, my concerns were unwarranted. Plenty of staff, everything working, plenty of amenities, food, drink, etc. Dozens upon dozens of entertainers and performers were out dancing and singing. I was also surprised by how many photographers Royal Caribbean had out and about. 

It was as though we were at any other beach stop at a private destination and the entertainment was just as visible as the last time we were here nearly a year ago. Also, this stop by Utopia was just second ship to port here since Royal Caribbean made the decision to return.

Many guests have been skeptical about returning here given the U.S. State Department’s “Do Not Travel” status listed for Haiti.

While there has been much discussion and concern online given the political unrest that forced the cruise line to stop visiting Labadee in the first place, cruisers can take comfort in knowing that the port is far removed from the heartbreaking challenges seen on the southern side of the country, some of which persist still to this day. 

While Labadee is not an island (it's a peninsula on the northern coast of the country), it is important to remember that the Labadee is privately operated and controlled by Royal Caribbean, so it is heavily secured. Guests are not permitted to venture beyond the fencing that surrounds the property, and only cruise passengers and employees are permitted inside.

For those that haven’t been, picture a more mountainous version of Coco Cay. It has plenty of beachfront with the same seats, umbrellas, and cabanas that you see in Coco Cay. But it also has hiking trails and significantly more souvenir shopping. 

Your drink package works here just like Coco Cay, which is great since there are several bars in Labadee and often with relaxing, comfortable seating areas (try their signature frozen drink, the “Labadoozie” and thank me later!). Be forewarned that there is no WiFi coverage around the island. 

The food options are excellent and free to all guests, with numerous delicious offerings not found onboard (try the Grandma Chocolate Sponge Cake and thank me a second time!) 

There are also numerous photographers throughout Labadee and as you can see in this post, photo-friendly spots are plentiful.

Truth be told, not only is it comfortable, enjoyable, and my wife and I felt perfectly safe to be here. In fact, we actually prefer it over Coco Cay, if for no other reason than it’s a different port that’s more rare to visit. 

Weekend cruises from Florida can’t make it to Labadee and back, meaning finding itineraries that stop here are less common. We find the service fast and friendly, and quality of the overall product here to be excellent 

We are excited about future visits here now that Royal Caribbean has made its return and anyone curious or interested should be just as excited and ready when their day comes. 

Advice for anyone visiting Labadee soon

If you have a visit coming up to Labadee, here's what I would recommend.

First, don’t be afraid. Every social media post bout Labadee you’ll find people speaking negatively and afraid of the unrest to the south affecting your safety. I feel this is completely unfounded at this point. 

Also, treat it like a visit you’re planning for Coco Cay. What do you like to do on the island? Virtually everything you can do there you can also do in Labadee, so give it some thought for activities and excursion purposes. Cabanas, daybeds, water sports, all fully available. There are more beach chairs here than people on the ship, it feels like, so you don’t even need to rush out early to get a good one. 

Be aware that lunch is only served from 11:30am to 1:30pm, so be sure to plan accordingly. 

Also bring cash for the local vendors. Labadee has tons and many have nice souvenirs. 

Tipping on a cruise isn't new, but many are questioning why it's not part of the cruise fare.

Royal Caribbean announced this week it will increase the daily gratuity rate it charges passengers by 50 cents per day, per person.

It's not a major increase, and it's in line with the cruise line's more or less annual gratuity rate change. But a major debate erupted online as to why gratuities are still charged as if they're an optional cost.

"May as well be shouting into the wind, but stop separating gratuities and just put it in your pricing," is what one user on the Royal Caribbean sub reddit posted. It's a sentiment a lot of other people seem to share.

As of right now, gratuities are an extra cost beyond the base cruise fare. If you book a cruise and do nothing else, every person in your cabin would be charged automatically the daily gratuity rate every night of the cruise.

• $18.50 per person, per night for standard cabins
• $21.00 per person, per night for suites

Royal Caribbean says customers can prepay gratuities before the change takes place on November 1 and lock in the old rate for any existing bookings they have.

Those gratuities cover your stateroom attendant and dining room staff during the cruise.  The automatic nature of it means there's no awkward tipping at the end of the cruise, as was the tradition for many years.

Tipping on a cruise extends beyond the automatic daily gratuities, because Royal Caribbean also charges gratuity on many onboard purchases. If you order a cocktail or get a spa appointment, there is an automatic 20% gratuity added onto that purchase (up from 18%).

Gratuities are one of the top hidden costs of a cruise vacation, and Royal Caribbean's increase has sparked debate if it's time to roll them into the fare.

Fierce opinions

Should tipping be included in the cruise fare? Many people shared their thoughts on the matter.

"Tipping is stupid," wrote sonuyosrox. "It should be included in the price. It's not my responsibility to pay your staff. On top of that I don't even know where the tip is going."

Sweetydarling77 pointed out, "That’s exactly how it should be and how it is if you book from Australia. They have to include gratuities in the price here, as it should be."

That user is correct. Royal Caribbean includes gratuities in the cruise fares for certain countries already, where tipping is not part of their culture.

"If the cruise line can arbitrarily raise gratuities then it's not a gratuity. It's a fee," added carefreeguru.

User midtreblebass thinks Royal Caribbean could learn from other lines, "I think they need to seriously consider what Virgin is doing. Make it part of the cruise fare, so that everyone pays into it."

"I'm on team just pay your employees directly and leave me out of it and put the gratuities into the price of the cruise," wrote ZacPetkanas.

"Rising gratuities and declining services is a hard pill to swallow."

What some passengers do instead of tipping

Royal Caribbean provides a recourse for anyone who isn't satisfied with the service they receive on a cruise by allowing them to remove the gratuities once onboard the ship.

If a passenger goes to Guest Services, they can request to have the gratuities removed from their account.

"Gratuities may be modified in the guest’s sole discretion by visiting the Guest Services desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation."

This option is meant for passengers to pay cash tips instead, either because they prefer to give out cash or they want to adjust the gratuity rate.  Usually because service has been so good, they want to reward a crew member.

The online debate about tipping lead to if it's ethical to remove gratuities and not tip, either to save money on the vacation cost or on principle that tips should be earned for over the top extraordinary service.

"Tipping is something you do out of your heart. If they don't feel like tipping then it is totally OK not to tip. People really need to stop guilt tripping others into tipping," wrote sonuyosrox.

User twaggle countered that until the policy changes, not tipping hurts the wrong people, "Because whether it’s stupid or not or you hate it or not you still agreed to it by purchasing the voyage."

"I’m all for hating it, but putting your foot down literally only hurts the lowest man not [Royal Caribbean]."

Why Royal Caribbean doesn't want to offer all-inclusive prices

The debate of including more in the cruise fare isn't new, and Royal Caribbean's top executives have certainly considered the options.

During the 2024 President's Cruise, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley indicated there were no plans to include more in the cruise fare.

The cruise line has found from its internal research that the brand needs to give everyone the decision of what they want to be included in their vacation.

His rationale was how tipping is viewed in certain countries, such as the United States.

"Because of the scale of our brand, we need to give everybody the choice," Mr. Bayley said.

Bayley, who's lived in the U.S. for decades, joked, "You're just you're trained to tip for everything. You tip for this, tip for that."

"I'm Americanized, [so] when I go to the UK and I go to the pub with my sister and we have drinks, they bring the change and she puts it in her pocket. And I'm like, what is the matter with you?"

Mr. Bayley did not mention it, but not including gratuities in the cruise fare also helps with marketing cruise fares. By keeping the base fare lower, it's more attractive when customers are pricing out a vacation.

Hurricane Milton is disrupting the cruise industry beyond changes in ports, as three different Royal Caribbean ships are stuck at sea.

Guests onboard Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, and Adventure of the Seas were all due back into port on Friday, but that is now not possible.

The combination of Hurricane Milton and port closures are why these ships will need to delay their return.

October 10 Update: Independence of the Seas will be delayed by a day returning to port.

Guests booked on the October 10 sailing received a letter that because Port Miami is closed, their departure will be delayed by a day.

Independence will not return to Miami until Friday, October 11.

In addition, their scheduled stop in Labadee has been replaced with Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The Captain of Utopia of the Seas announced to guests because of the hurricane, Utopia will not return on Friday.

Instead, Utopia will head to Royal Caribbean's private destination Labadee on Thursday, with the plan it will return to Port Canaveral on Saturday.

Guests that were booked on Utopia of the Seas for the sailing originally set to depart on October 11 received an update their cruise is delayed until Saturday.

An email sent to guests explained the situation. "Due to the closure of Port Canaveral, our previous sailing will be delayed in returning. As a result, our sailing will now take place on Saturday, October 12, 2024, and we'll have to skip our visit to Nassau, Bahamas."

The cruise terminal in Port Canaveral will be closed until 3pm, and the ship will sail at 7pm.

With one less day, the weekend sailing will only be two nights.  Understandably, that's left some people questioning the point of having the cruise at all.

"2 day cruise sounds like torture, what's the point," posted Ashley Ingram.

Sammie Klopf wrote, "36 hours is just silly they should cancel and refund."

Another person added, "36 hr cruise is ridiculous. [Obviously] the weather can’t be helped but it seems like [Royal Caribbean] just doesn’t want to refund anyone. What a waste."

Adventure of the Seas is also getting extended by a day.

Royal Caribbean will bring Adventure of the Seas back to Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 12 at 2:30pm.

The impact to the next sailing that was originally scheduled for October 11 is a change in itinerary, along with the shortened sailing.

"Due to the closure of the Port Canaveral, our previous sailing will be delayed in returning. As a result, our sailing will now take place on Saturday, October 12, 2024, and we'll have to skip our visit to Willemstad, Curacao," a letter to guests booked on the cruise said.

While Utopia and Adventure are trying to return to Port Canaveral, Grandeur of the Seas is in an even more precarious position as the Port of Tampa Bay is unlikely to re-open soon due to being in the path of Hurricane Milton.

Royal Caribbean is working on contingency plans if the cruise ship cannot return to Tampa. 

“Due to the predicted impact of the hurricane to Port Tampa Bay, our Port Logistics team has secured a couple of backup plans for safety and to ensure that we are prepared,” said in a communication to guests on Grandeur of the Seas.

“Should Tampa not be available, we are currently evaluating Port Canaveral and Port Everglades as potential options for debarkation and transportation home."

Port Everglades is located in Fort Lauderdale on the east coast of Florida, and far enough away from the worst aspects of the hurricane.

The distance between Port Everglades and Tampa is about 262 miles by car.

Port Canaveral is also on the east coast of Florida, but closer to Tampa, at only 127 miles away by car.

No decision has been made yet, but guests are being given an hour of complimentary internet access as well as a survey to help firm up travel plans.

“A final decision will be made on the status of the ports post-storm. We are committed to keeping you posted every step of the way. Hopefully, everything remains the same."

Hurricane Milton is a major hurricane

Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 130 mph that is set to cross the Florida Peninsula.

Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late tonight or early Thursday morning, with devastating impacts from storm surge, flooding rain, possible tornadoes and damaging winds.

The National Hurricane Center said in a special advisory "Milton's exact landfall location is not possible to predict even at this time, particularly if the hurricane wobbles during the day and into this evening."

When the storm crosses Florida on Thursday, it should remain a hurricane.

Royal Caribbean is doubling down on the private island experience by announcing a new, bigger and bolder beach day, and this one is in Mexico.

Perfect Day Mexico will open sometime in 2027, transforming the port of Costa Maya.

Royal Caribbean has hinted it has big plans to develop an ambitious cruise day experience for its passengers, and it's positioning it in the Western Caribbean to compliment the already popular Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.

Perfect Day at CocoCay was the cruise line's expansion of its existing private island, but it overhauled the beach day experience to offer so much more.  Multiple beaches, pools, adults-only areas, new dining offerings and more were all added, and it was an instant home run with cruise ship passengers who loved the variety of choices and high quality offerings.

Now Royal Caribbean wants to expand that magic with a second offering.

Where will Perfect Day Mexico be located?

When Perfect Day Mexico opens in 2027, it will be where cruisers currently refer to the port of Costa Maya.

The port was originally built specifically for cruise ships to have another place to go in Mexico's Caribbean coast. Mahahual is the name of the village adjacent to the port.

Royal Caribbean has signed an agreement to acquire the Port of Costa Maya, and they've also been on a journey to buy lots of adjacent land for about about a year. 

According to the cruise line, the total project will encompass 90 hectares, with is about 220 acres. That's roughly double the size of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Not all the land is developable, and Royal Caribbean is paying special attention to preserve environmental protected areas, such as nearby mangroves. About 100 acres is in development under the current plan, and the rest is for conservation.

Royal Caribbean wouldn't talk number of passengers, but today, Costa Maya can accommodate up to four megaships.  While other cruise lines will still be able to dock there, there are days where four Royal Caribbean ships could conceivably be there at once.

Given that berthing capacity, it stands to reason Perfect Day Mexico will have a higher capacity than Perfect Day at CocoCay, and thus, be bigger in size.

During construction, the port will remain open to other cruise lines, and remain open to other lines even after Perfect Day Mexico opens. Only Royal Caribbean passengers will have access to Perfect Day Mexico, while other lines will proceed to a transportation center to go off on shore excursions.

Activities and things to do during a visit

It's too early to get details of what exactly Royal Caribbean will have inside Perfect Day Mexico, but suffice to say, the popular parts of CocoCay will be brought over.

Specific details will be coming in the "coming months", but they did say in a statement that you can expect "an all-new, thrilling waterpark; jaw-dropping pools and beaches; restaurants, bars and more spots for all tastebuds; music; and more."

Expect a bigger reveal with more details sometime in Spring 2025.

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider said their research shows customers want a place that feels like it's part of Mexico. In the same way Royal Caribbean leaned into a Bahamian flair to CocoCay, they'll want to evoke a Mexican vibe to this Perfect Day experience.

There will be different areas around Perfect Day, similar to the neighborhood concept on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.  They are bringing over everything that is core to Perfect Day at Cococay: adults-only area, a chill area, a thrill area, and a family area.

This means there will be beaches, pools, and even a water park, among many other ideas the team is dreaming up.

One area we know is being acquired is the Mayan water park located near Costa Maya today. That land will be part of the future site, although Royal Caribbean will develop its own water park.

"There will be new experiences inside of that. Some, to be honest, we're literally still exploring," Mr. Schneider said while discussing what cruisers can expect.

He said his team is "obsessing right now" over what cruise ship passengers would want in a day in Mexico, "we stay highly in touch with our customer and we design and build with our customer."

Suffice to say, Royal Caribbean wants to build on the success of what's already successful at CocoCay, but make it bigger and better in Mexico.

Mr. Schneider admitted plans for the project are still being finalized, and design work is still in the "preliminary" phase. Royal Caribbean has been working with the Government of Mexico for the past nine months leading up to today's announcement.

Mr. Schneider confirmed Celebrity Cruises will be welcomed to have their passengers visit Perfect Day Mexico, just as they began doing this year at CocoCay.

Something else shared is a passenger could opt to do their own shore excursion outside of Perfect Day Mexico if they preferred. In fact, Royal Caribbean will sell shore excursions.

When Perfect Day Mexico opens in 2027, the initial ambition is it will open in once, and not in phases like CocoCay did.  

Building up their Western Caribbean portfolio

It's no coincidence that Royal Caribbean has chosen the Western Caribbean for the site of its next private destination.

Perfect Day Mexico will compliment the previously announced opening a Royal Beach Club in nearby Cozumel.  It's quite common for Royal Caribbean ships to visit both Cozumel and Costa Maya currently, and that would add a one-two punch of great experiences for their customers.

Royal Beach Club Cozumel will open sometime in 2026, and this is an extra-cost option exclusive to Royal Caribbean customers where they can find great views, with great access to water.

Unlike Perfect Day Mexico, the beach club is not included with the cruise fare.

Admission into the beach club will include access to swim-up bars, pools cabanas to rent, snorkeling, kayaking, restaurants, and street markets.

More details on what experiences will be offered there are still forthcoming.

Royal Caribbean also built a massive new cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas that opened in 2022. Cruises from Galveston almost exclusively visit ports in the Western Caribbean.  The terminal is capable of handling Royal Caribbean's biggest ships, including the Icon class.

Of course, cruises from Florida go to Mexico too, adding to the value of a strong playbook of exclusive and enticing Royal Caribbean properties.

Hurricane Milton's wrath has changed so many cruise ship itineraries, even as the storm approaches landfall in Florida.

Cruise ships have been altering their plans for a few days now, but because of the storm's enormous size and changing forecasts, more changes are still occurring.

Forecasters say Hurricane Milton will make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.

The storm is expected to cross central Florida while heading toward the Atlantic Ocean. 

Royal Caribbean already modified the itineraries for 8 of its cruise ships, and one ship has had to change their plans twice to avoid the hurricane.

Harmony of the Seas, which is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, departed Galveston, Texas on October 6 and had to skip a port call in Honduras. They replaced it with a stop in Costa Maya, Mexico.

Yesterday, passengers were informed that plan had to change again because the widening storm meant a visit to Costa Maya would be impossible.

"To maintain a safe distance from the storm, and its widespread impacts, we've decided to adjust our heading and find smoother seas before resuming our original course towards Cozumel, Mexico," a letter distributed to passengers read.

Instead, Harmony will skip Costa Maya and remain at sea. That means just one port visit in total for the entire cruise.

Royal Caribbean will do everything it can to avoid the impact of a tropical system to their passengers, crew, and ship.

While under no obligation to do so, Royal Caribbean also provided passengers extra onboard credit worth one day's value of their original cruise fare price.

Harmony's change is emblematic of what's happening to many other ships as they change course to avoid Hurricane Milton.

More ships avoiding Hurricane Milton

Even the world's biggest cruise ship has had to change its plans because of the storm. Here's what's changed so far:

Icon of the Seas will skip a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island on Friday and instead stay out to sea.

However, Icon will stay docked in port longer in St. Thomas and St. Kitts until sunset.

Adventure of the Seas originally was to spend Wednesday at Sea and visit CocoCay on Thursday. Instead, the ship will visit Turks & Caicos on Wednesday and have a sea day on Thursday.

Mariner of the Seas dropped a visit to Cozumel, Mexico on Tuesday and remained at sea instead.

Symphony of the Seas re-arranged their itinerary. It was supposed to visit Port Canaveral, Florida, Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay. Insted, Symphony will go to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

Wonder of the Seas skipped a visit to Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico. Instead, Wonder will visit Cozumel on Day 6 and Falmouth, Jamaica. 

Utopia of the Seas swapped it's schedule to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay on Tuesday and then wait to visit Nassau until Thursday.

Grandeur of the Seas went from a cruise to Mexico to a cruise that just visited The Bahamas. Instead of visiting Costa Maya and Cozumel, the ship is visiting Nassau as the only port destination.

Independence of the Seas will skip a scheduled stop in Cozumel and instead go to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic.

More changes possible after the storm passes

Even as Hurricane Milton is on the brink of making landfall and cruise ships are well out of the path, there are question marks that remain for what will happen in the coming days.

The hurricane will cut across Central Florida, and that means its rain and winds will affect four of the major cruise ports in Florida in one way or another: Tampa, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and PortMiami.

The U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for managing access to any cruise port in Florida, and they control if ships of any size can enter the port. This depends on the weather conditions.

Once the storm passes and a port is closed, the Coast Guard will conduct an inspection of the waters to verify it's safe to reopen to ships. That could take a few hours or days, depending on the damage.

Port Tampa Bay and Port Canaveral are already closed, and that has a potential impact to a few ships.

Adventure of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas are both scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Friday to conclude a sailing and start the next one. No word yet on any changes to either ship's plans.

Guests on Adventure of the Seas received a letter in their cabins the ship will have a slightly delayed scheduled arrival of 8AM on Friday (delayed from 6AM) into Port Canaveral.

We were suppose to have a sea day on Wednesday and be at CocoCay on Thursday, but that's been cancelled with a new stop at Turks & Caicos on Wednesday (tomorrow) and a sea day on Thursday with a slightly delayed scheduled arrival of 8AM on Friday (delayed from 6AM) into Port Canaveral (assuming the port is open). 

Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and PortMiami remain open for the time being.

Changes coming to Royal Caribbean may offer you new ways to vacation, or shake up the cruise industry.

Royal Caribbean is never content maintaining the status quo when it comes to their product. I'm reminded of Royal Caribbean Group Chairman Richard Fain's comments about how there is no "new normal" when it comes to cruise.

"When we design our ships, we talk about a design formula of one third tradition, one third evolution and one third revolution," he said in a video a few years ago. 

"As I said, our mantra is continuous improvement. And it means just that everything gets better. Every chance we get."

To that point, there are four big changes that we know about already for Royal Caribbean in 2025 that you should be tracking now. 

The line will undoubtedly add other changes during the course of the year, but these are significant evolutions you can expect in the coming year.

Opening the first beach club

The first of three beach clubs in Royal Caribbean's portfolio will open in 2025.

Royal Beach Club Paradise Island will open in Nassau, Bahamas and be unlike a private island experience.  It will be limited to just Royal Caribbean guests, but there will be an admission cost to it and not every passenger will have the opportunity to go because there is a maximum capacity.

It's essentially a Royal Caribbean run shore excursion, built to the standards their customers expect from them.  It incorporates some of the best features from Perfect Day at CocoCay, along with some new improvements.

The beach club is conveniently located where the cruise ships dock.  It will offer three pools with swim-up bars, live music, two beaches, and four restaurants.

There is no official opening date, but Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said last month he expects the opening to happen sometime between October-December 2025.

Two more beach clubs will open in the next few years in Cozumel, Mexico and Vanuatu.

It's a bold plan to offer something no other cruise line has, separating it from other vacations.

Major upgrades to Allure of the Seas

After delaying improvements to Allure of the Seas in 2020, one of the biggest cruise ship's in the world is about to get some serious enhancements.

In March 2025, Allure of the Seas will take a break for a month and undergo significant changes.

The ship is getting all sorts of additions:

• Redesigned Caribbean pool deck
• Ultimate Abyss slide
• New waterslides
• Kids aquapark
• Pesky parrot tiki bar
• Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade (specialty)
• Mason Jar southern American food restaurant (specialty)
• El Loco Fresh Mexican restaurant (included)
• Escape room
• Laser tag
• Upgraded kids & Teens spaces
• New suites

The total cost of all this work is $100 million-plus, and it will breathe new life into Allure.

Cabin recategorization

Beginning with cruises in 2025, Royal Caribbean will implement its new cabin codes.

These became visible when the 2025-2026 deployment was released, but we'll now have new room codes for certain cabins.

Part of the reason to make this change is to simplify the choices for travel agents as well as add new room types meant to appeal to certain types of people that cruise.

The goals of the room recategorization are:

• More options & configurations for guests with large families
• Separated Triple and Quad occupancy interior & oceanview staterooms
• New high occupancy guarantee staterooms
• New Junior Suite & Balcony categories

What this really means is this will be the first year the new room categories are in effect as it relates to the actual cabins on a ship. Most of this is changing the cruise lexicon, but it's important to be aware of these new sorts of cabins, especially if you're used to booking a certain room.

A prime example of this are the aft balcony cabins.

The aft facing balconies and Junior Suites are now going to be separated out as new categories new categories, starting with the Sunset Junior Suite.

Royal Caribbean says they are making the change so that guests can quickly and easily find these cabins.

Star of the Seas launch

It doesn't get more exciting than welcoming a new cruise ship, and the second Icon Class ship joins the fleet in 2025.

Star of the Seas will begin offering cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida in August 2025.

Star is the follow-up to Icon of the Seas, and considering how popular Icon has been, this will be Royal Caribbean's attempt to match their success.

While the ship will be more similar to Icon than not, there are a few tweaks, updates, and changes we can expect on Star.

There will be a couple revamped and new dining choices. Pier 7 is getting completely replaced, while Empire Supper Club is getting a new motif.

It also looks like Star will have a Broadway show onboard, with Back to the Future: The Musical.

The launch of Star of the Seas has a side effect, in that it will shift Wonder of the Seas to offer short cruises from Miami. This is significant, because Wonder will become the second Oasis Class ship to sail weekend cruises.  And with Icon and Star offering weeklong cruises, and Utopia and Wonder doing short cruises, it sets up Royal Caribbean's proverbial chess pieces exactly where they want to be.

When Toby Keith sang his hit song about loving a bar, I feel the same thing about the Mason Jar bar.

Royal Caribbean created the first Mason Jar on Wonder of the Seas when that ship debuted in 2022, and followed it up with a second on Utopia of the Seas. A third location will be added next year to Allure of the Seas when she gets a major update.

On any ship, there are dozens of bars you could visit, but I think the Mason Jar combines great music, a special drink menu, and energetic staff to create an experience I haven't found elsewhere.

Over the years, I've been fond of spending time at the English Pub or Schooner Bar for the great live music. Even Playmakers has a great setup with the sports coverage, and the new Pesky Parrot bar on Utopia deserves some attention for creativity. But I don't head to any of them as quickly as the Mason Jar.

Music and the band

The Mason Jar is a country bar, which may seem like a polarizing choice.  Heck, I don't even consider myself a fan of country music in the sense while at home I never listen to it.

But just like the Schooner Bar performer picks the well-known hit piano classics to sing, the Mason Jar band tends to lean heavily into popular songs that just so happen to be country music tunes.

I never thought I'd be that into country music until I started to realize a lot of the songs they sing there are songs I like:

• "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks
• "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker
• "Take Me Home Country Roads" by John Denver
• "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band
• "I Love This Bar" by Toby Keith
• "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood

There's also more traditional country songs too, but I find the majority of songs played are the tunes I've not only heard before, but probably know the chorus too.

And I can't talk about the music at the bar without mentioning the Country Trio band that perform there. In particular, the trio that include Bryan, Jeff, and Colin/Josh are my top favorite.

They embody the ideal stage performer on Royal Caribbean: talented musicians that have a great personality and get the crowd into the show while they perform.

There have been many evenings that I have re-arranged my plans to see their sets.

The unique drinks

Royal Caribbean's Food & Beverage team has been waging a secret war on clichéd cruise drinks, and you'll find one of their crowning achievements in the Mason Jar.

Sure, you can get a pina colada or daiquiri there, but there is an entire menu of special drinks developed just for the Mason Jar.

Many of the drinks source specific liquors that you don't usually find on a Royal Caribbean ship. The beverage team came up with 8 new cocktails to try, only available at the Mason Jar.

My absolutely favorite drink is the PB&J Old Fashioned: Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey mixed with Kentucky Bourbon, strawberry jelly and walnut bitters, garnished with a mini crustless PB&J.

It tastes amazing, and I can easily drink a few of these any evening. It's single handily a reason for me to get a drink package given it maxes out the per-drink value allocated by the package.

My wife's go-to drink is the Mississippi Moonlight: Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine, fresh blackberries, topped with lemonade.

For Utopia of the Seas, Royal Caribbean added an Apple Pie Old Fashioned cocktail to the menu, which is served with an apple turnover.

I really like that the drinks here are not "more of the same", and it adds to the appeal to stop by for something special.

Mason Jar drink menu

The secret ingredient: crew members

Crew members across any ship work hard, but it seems like the bar staff at the Mason Jar really love their jobs.

It's kind of funny to think about crew members from Romania, Ukraine, and the Philippines getting so into a bar designed around the American south, but they bring an energy to the experience.

They know the drink menu quite well, but they also sing and dance during the performances.  They're quick to share a laugh, and on a rare occasion, come up on stage for a song.

As you get to know Effy, Claudia, Cristian, Michael, "Sexy" Rex, or Herbert, you'll quickly see what I'm talking about.

Mason Jar menus

Brunch menu

Dinner menu

Royal Caribbean is making changes to avoid Hurricane Milton.

UPDATED: October 08, 2024 9:40 AM

The storm is a massive hurricane, expected to reach Category 5 before making landfall in Florida midweek.

In anticipation of the storm, Royal Caribbean has changed the itineraries for eight ships so far to avoid the storm.

The world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, will skip a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island because of the major hurricane.

"In order to steer clear of any adverse weather, we'll need to skip our visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas, and enjoy a Sea Day instead."

The ship was scheduled to go to CocoCay on Friday.

To make up for the change, Icon of the Seas will stay docked in port longer in St. Thomas and St. Kitts until sunset.

Mariner of the Seas is also skipping a port day.

Because Cozumel, Mexico is closed to sea traffic, Mariner of the Seas will remain at sea and enjoy a sea day.

Mariner was sailing from Galveston, Texas on a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise.

Harmony of the Seas, which will leave Galveston, Texas on Sunday, will skip a visit to Roatan, Honduras and visit Costa Maya, Mexico on Wednesday.

In addition, Harmony will enjoy a Sea Day on Day 3, and depart Cozumel, Mexico, at 5:00 PM on Day 5.

Symphony of the Seas is departing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey on Sunday and will now skip a scheduled visit to Port Canaveral, Florida and replace it with a sea day.

Symphony has also decided to skip visits to Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay and head to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

Another megaship, Wonder of the Seas, had made changes to avoid the widespread effects of Milton.

Wonder will skip a visit to Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico. Instead, Wonder will visit Cozumel on Day 6 and Falmouth, Jamaica. 

Utopia of the Seas has re-ordered its itinerary due to the storm.

Utopia will swap the days the ship will visit Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay. They will visit CocoCay on Tuesday and then wait to visit Nassau until Thursday.

One of Royal Caribbean's ships sailing from Tampa, Florida is completely changing its itinerary.

Grandeur of the Seas was originally scheduled to offer a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico. Instead, she will sail to The Bahamas and visit Nassau on Day 4.  

Independence of the Seas will skip a scheduled stop in Cozumel and instead go to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic.

"We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority. Please know, being onboard is one of the safest places because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather," the cruise line said in a statement.

What about other ships?

If you have a cruise on another ship this coming week, expect updates if the occur to be communicated by the cruise line.

Royal Caribbean advised passengers with cruises in the projected path of the storm to keep an eye on their emails.

Given the uncertainty of where exactly the storm will hit, the precise strength, and path, other changes will take a little longer to come to fruition, especially cruises that depart or return to Florida mid-week.

Royal Caribbean employs its own meteorologist to help track storms.

Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer works with cruise ship Captains to determine the best plan when a tropical storm hits.

Milton expected to be a major hurricane

Forecasters believe Milton will wallop the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane.

As of Monday morning, Milton is about 735 miles southwest of Tampa with winds now sustained at 150 mph with a forward motion to the east-southeast at 8 mph.

Most cruises depart on weekends, and the storm should be impacting Florida between Wednesday and Thursday.

The storm is forecast to possibly reach Category 5 before making landfall on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday afternoon.

Models are not in agreement yet which part of Florida will be directly in the path of the storm. But it appears all but certain to be a problem for Central Florida.

Mr. Setzer wrote on X/Twitter, "The cone represents where the center is expected to track 2/3’s of the time.  Because the system is still coming together there may be some larger track shifts, especially at days 4 and 5.  It’s not impossible but also lot highly likely."

That's part of why Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines may take time to determine further changes to itineraries.

With it looking likely Florida will see a major hurricane next week, many cruisers are eager to know how the storm will impact their cruise.

It's quite early, but Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer is already tracking the storm's development and working with ship Captains to determine the best approach.

Mr. Setzer provides expert advice, but ultimately the Captains decide the best and safest voyage plan.

Mr. Seztzer took to X/Twitter to share that Royal Caribbean is actively looking at options, but no changes have been announced yet.

UPDATE: Royal Caribbean has begun changing ship itineraries due to Hurricane Milton.

"Thanks for all of the cruise questions. I have spent nearly the entire day working with Captains and teams discussing safely altering itineraries where needed to avoid dangerous weather.  The Captain has the final say, and until he makes the decision, I don't know anything firm."

Cruise ships will seek new itineraries to avoid any tropical storm.  Certainly there's a lot of variables involved, especially with the timing of a storm and where it will actually hit worst.

Mr. Setzer added, "One thing I do know is Royal is very proactive with their guest communications, and as soon as a plan is finalized, the message goes out to the guests right away."

Based on the information available today, Mr. Setzer replied to questions he received on expectations. For cruises on the east coast of Florida, such as Port Canaveral, he expects strong winds, "It will likely weaken crossing the peninsula but still be quite powerful."

A strong storm going west to east

The latest update on Tropical Storm Milton is to call for an intensity forecast of category 3 near landfall on the west coast of Florida.  

Mr. Setzer noted it's different with the path of this storm and the effect it has on both land and the intensity, "Unlike a storm moving north & along the coast where little track shifts make large up/down the coast differences, little shifts will not change landfall location as much, bigger shifts matter and that's what we will watch for."

He believes there will be a "potentially significant hurricane event on Sunday."

Tracking Milton

The National Hurricane Center said on Saturday that Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and will strengthen into a hurricane headed toward Florida.

As of 5 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday, Milton was centered 245 miles north of Veracruz, Mexico, and 385 miles west-northwest of Veracruz, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was inching north-northeast at 3 mph. 

After rapid intensification, the storm is expected to, "bring the risk of life-threatening impacts to portions of the west coast of Florida next week."

The forecast also calls it for Milton to be a major hurricane, because it will reach category 3 status.

What should you do if you have a cruise next week?

Based on my experience cruising during hurricane season, you shouldn't change or make any new plans yet.

It's too early to cancel your trip because the exact path of the storm is unknown, and cancelling now will incur change fees and cancellation fees.

As Mr. Setzer said, Royal Caribbean will contact you when there's a change made to your itinerary or sailing. Until that time, you're best off waiting.

That can be agonizing because it feels like you're limbo, but cancelling before Royal Caribbean makes a change not only means lost money, but you also won't qualify for any onboard credits or future cruise credits if the line later makes a change.

Perhaps the top question you have is, "will my cruise be cancelled because of Hurricane Milton?" and it's simply too early to know.

Royal Caribbean will make every effort to get the cruise out, as long as it's safe. A sailing might be lengthened or shortened in order to avoid having the ship in port during a storm.

Cancelling a cruise is usually the last option, and quite rare.  But it could occur.

As was the case during Hurricane Helene, no cruises were cancelled due to the storm.  But many were re-routed and itineraries changed.

Read more: What experienced cruisers do differently during hurricane season

We're about a year away from the potential opening of Royal Caribbean's first ever beach club.

Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is an ambitious new project that will introduce a pay-to-play option for cruise ship passengers in the heart of Nassau, Bahamas.

While visiting Nassau on Saturday, construction progress shows land that's been cleared of the old buildings and looks to be in the prep stages for construction to begin.

Royal Caribbean doesn't provide construction updates with any regularity, but work has been underway for months to get the project moving.

Future Beach Club area in May 2024

Future Beach Club area in September 2024

The cleared ground is prepared for what will be multiple structures that make up the beach club.

Although no actual building has begun, there's not much left to impede that progress.

The narrow strip of land is located near where the cruise ships dock in Nassau, and once complete, will be Royal Caribbean's first beach club that will be open exclusively to its customers.

It's a 17 acre site that will cost extra to access, and be limited to Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers.

There is no official opening date, but Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said last month he expects the opening to occur between October-December 2025.

One of the goals of the beach club is to address a need among passengers who consistently rank Nassau poorly.

The extra-cost, exclusive club will offer access to three pools with swim-up bars, live music, two beaches, and four restaurants.

Additionally, the club will have three distinct zones: a family zone, a party zone, and a chill zone.

In fact, Mr. Bayley confirmed the beach club will have the largest swim up bar in the world.

"Next year we'll be opening the Royal Beach Club in the Bahamas," Mr. Bayley said at a meeting with members of the press on Utopia of the Seas. "We're kind of hoping we're going to have the largest swim up bar in the world. Can you imagine that?"

About 2,000 people will be able to purchase a pass each day. No word yet on how much admission will cost.

After the beach club in Nassau, Royal Caribbean will open a second beach club in Cozumel.

The goal is to offer something no other cruise line can match, with a series of unparalleled experiences around the Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean announced that cruisers who visit the private club "will be welcomed by local architecture that complements the exceptional views of The Bahamas’ turquoise-blue waters and white sand beaches, along with experiences that feature Bahamian fare, island-style barbecues, live music, and local artisans."