Wonder of the Seas is packed with lots to see, do, and eat onboard, and you likely want to know where everything is onboard.

Photo by @AdamsAway

Royal Caribbean designed Wonder of the Seas to offer a lot, and be easy to navigate.  Being the biggest cruise ship in the world means it has to be simple for passengers to get around to avoid a negative experience.

All Oasis Class ships are separated by neighborhoods, with each area being visually distinguished from the others. Essentially, after you see one neighborhood, you should be able to quickly get a sense of what is offered there. In fact, Wonder of the Seas is the first Oasis Class ship to have eight neighborhoods instead of seven.

Before you step foot on Wonder of the Seas, here is what each neighborhood has to do, including dining and entertainment.

Boardwalk

Location: Deck 6

The Boardwalk neighborhood is meant to evoke a feeling of the old the seaside piers that dot the coast of England and the nostalgic boardwalks of yesteryear such as Coney Island.

Located on the back of deck 6, it is an outdoor area that has dining and entertainment.

As soon as you walk onto the Boardwalk, you will be greeted by a handcrafted carousel. It is a full-sized, traditional carousel and complimentary to ride day or night.

If you're hungry, you will find lots of great dining choices for guests of all ages.

Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade takes up one entire side of the Boardwalk, and features as many television as they do beers and food to enjoy while you watch. There's also an arcade with fun games to play between innings or during halftime.

Boardwalk Dog House is where you can grab a hot dog customized just the way you like it and served quickly so you can be on your way.

Sugar Beach candy and ice cream shop is the sweet spot on the Boardwalk with more than 100 types of candies, a variety of ice cream flavors and toppings.

Filling out the nostalgic factor for the Boardwalk is Johnny Rockets restaurant.

You will also find the AquaTheater at the very rear of the Boardwalk, which is an amphitheater-style entertainment space. You can expect movie screenings and game shows by day and stunning aqua acrobatics and high-diving performances by night.

Pool and Sports Zone

Location: Decks 15 & 16

Whatever kind of active fun you are into is sure to be available in the Pool and Sports Zone on Wonder of the Seas. Pools, slides, simulators and hot tubs are all available to enjoy every day of your cruise.

The adults-only Solarium is located at the front of the ship, which is enclosed in glass and offers a relaxed pool and lounging experience.

If you want a little more thrill with your pool fun, check out the Perfect Storm waterslides. The multistory waterslides’ clear sections offer sliders views of Central Park down below.

Kids can also splash to their hearts' content at Splashaway Bay, which has water cannons, slides, drench buckets and more.

Wonder of the Seas has a resort-style Caribbean vibe to the pool deck, centered around the Lime & Coconut.  You can find two poolside bars and live music.

In fact, Wonder of the Seas has the largest poolside movie screen in the Royal Caribbean fleet.

Something else new for Wonder of the Seas is The Vue, which is a new cantilevered bar. The Vue offers panoramic ocean views from high above on the pool deck all day, and after sunset, it shines bright with a colorful mosaic canopy overhead.

If that isn't enough, Royal Caribbean came up with another new concept for the Sports Zone in Wonder Playscape. This is an underwater-themed play area with slides, climbing walls, games, an interactive mural activated by touch and puzzles.

Of course, no Oasis Class cruise ship is complete without signature activities Royal Caribbean always includes: the tallest slide at sea, The Ultimate Abyss; Wonder Dunes mini-golf; the FlowRider surf simulator, twin rock-climbing walls and the ten-decks-high zip line. 

If you're hungry, you will find quite a few options for dining in the Pool and Sports Zone.

• Solarium Bistro
• Windjammer Cafe
• Unnamed specialty restaurant (to be announced later)
• Hooked Seafood
• El Loco Fresh
• Cantina Fresco

Central Park

Location: Deck 8

The outdoor park found on Oasis Class ships is an open-air venue with lots of plants, trees, and shrubs that surround restaurants and retail venues.

There are quite a few specialty restaurants in Central Park, beginning with the new Giovanni's Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar.

Royal Caribbean revamped its Italian restaurant with a new menu that also extends into the nearby wine bar. Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen is a new take on authentic Italian dishes, including made-to-order pizzas hand tossed front and center, and baked in the new, in-house pizza oven. 

150 Central Park is known for its seasonal menu, while Chops Grille is the cruise line's well-known steakhouse.

At Park Cafe, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and snacks, including the Kummelweck roast beef sandwich.

While in Central Park, you can take a ride on the Rising Tide bar, which moves slowly between Central Park and the Royal Promenade. The bar slowly rises and descends between the two decks, giving guests a great view all along the way.

Right outside Central Park is Music Hall, which is a dance venue that features live musical acts in a club atmosphere.

Royal Promenade

Location: Deck 5

Royal Promenade is like the downtown of Wonder of the Seas.  It is a busy thoroughfare with lots happening around its services, dining, bars, and entertainment.

Spotlight Karaoke is a dedicated venue for everyone that loves to either sing or see others try to sing well-known songs. There are even private karaoke booths if you prefer to sing without the audience to judge.

Boleros is Royal Caribbean's latin-themed bar where you will find music, mojitos, and mexcal.

The English-style pub has the widest selection of beers onboard, as well as a guitarist each evening.

After all that singing and drinking, a slice of pizza hits the spot.  Sorrento's serves up plenty of it most hours of the day and night for no additional cost.

Speaking of no additional cost, Cafe Promenade is where to go to get a cup of coffee or tea, a sandwich, and maybe a cookie.

There is also shopping to be done on the Royal Promenade, where you can pick up souvenirs and duty-free goods. 

You can also book another Royal Caribbean cruise at the NextCruise office, which gets you bonus onboard credit for simply booking something while onboard.

Wonder of the Seas has its own set of robot bartenders at Bionic Bar.  Use tablets to order your favorite cocktail, and a robot arm will shake, stir, and serve it.

You will also find one of the main dining room decks on deck 5. The main dining room is a staple of dining on any cruise ship, and it serves up meals for breakfast and dinner every day (plus lunches on sea days).

Entertainment Place

Location: Deck 4

Whether you are looking for a show, drink, or performance, the Entertainment Place neighborhood is the spot for you.

At the front of the ship is the Royal Theater, home to nightly live entertainment, including shows, comedians, and performers.

Studio B is at the heart of the space. Studio B is an ice skating rink that hosts regular performances (as well as open skate sessions for guests).  It can also be used for a glow-in-the-dark laser tag game.

The signature ice skating show on Wonder of the Seas is 365: The Seasons on Ice, which brings guests on a journey through Earth's changing seasons through figure skating, aerial performances, and lighting and sound effects.

The Attic is where to go to see comedy shows.

Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members in the Crown and Anchor Society have a dedicated lounge to enjoy drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and meet other guests.

Since Wonder of the Seas was originally designed for the Chinese cruise market, extra casino space was allocated. The Golden Room is an extra casino room designated for high-roller casino guests, although this space is currently open to everyone. On other Oasis Class ships, this space is a jazz music lounge.

Speaking of gambling, Casino Royale is also found in the Entertainment Place neighborhood. All of your favorite casino games can be found here to try your luck at.

Royal Caribbean's Japanese cuisine restaurant, Izumi, is also found on deck 4. Maki, nigiri, and hand rolls are all available here, in addition to the crowd-pleasing hibachi tables.

Youth Zone

Location: Deck 14

Wonder of the Seas has a lot of great programming for kids and teens to enjoy. Adventure Ocean covers kids as young as 6 months old, and through their teenage years.

Adventure Ocean on Wonder of the Seas follows Royal Caribbean's updated programming and design, including areas like as The Workshop, where kids can participate in craft and science activities. There are also newly designed teen spaces, with both an indoor and outdoor patio for guests aged 13-17.

The age groups each have a dedicated space: AO Babies, ages six months to two years; AO Juniors, ages 3 to 5; and AO Kids, ages 6 to 12.

Vitality Spa and Fitness

Location: Deck 5 & 6

If you are looking to relax and indulge at the same time, the Vitality Spa is the spot for you.

The Vitality Spa includes a Thermal Suite, featuring heated ceramic loungers, saunas and steam rooms; more than 50 facial and body services in various treatment rooms, including the Thai Herbal Poultice Massage, acupuncture and medi-spa services.

In addition, the space offers a beauty salon and barber shop for hairstyling, hair treatments, manicures, pedicures, a clean share and more.

For those that want to get in shape during their cruise, the Vitality Fitness Center offers a wide selection of exercise machines, including the latest cardio and resistance equipment.

Suite Class Neighborhood

Location: Deck 17 & 18

Wonder of the Seas is the first Oasis Class cruise ship to feature an eighth neighborhood, dedicated exclusively to suite guests.

What makes the Suite Class neighborhood different? Royal Suite Class guests have their own plunge pool, bar and plenty of loungers and nooks.

There are also suite favorites including the suites-only restaurant Coastal Kitchen and the Suite Lounge.

Wonder of the Seas also has the biggest Ultimate Family Suite on an Oasis Class ship yet, able to accommodate a family of ten.

While cruises have been able to restart in the United States and Europe, Australia will have to wait another year for cruise ships to return.

Royal Caribbean announced on Thursday morning in Australia it has had to cancel its Australia 2021-2022 season.

"A clear pathway for the return of cruising is yet to be established by the Australian Government. As a result, we’ve reviewed our Australia 2021-2022 season."

This affects scheduled Ovation of the Seas sailings from Sydney between December 13, 2021 - March 31, 2022.

Australia still has a cruise ship travel ban that runs through December 17, 2021.

The cruise line said in a statement, "We know this news is disappointing, and we’re sorry for the impact to your holiday plans."

The cruise line added that it is still working with Australian officials to find a way to resume sailings there, "We are proactively engaging with Federal and State governments to recommence cruising in Australia and will provide updates as they come to hand.​"

Guests booked on cancelled sailings have the choice of a 125% future cruise credit that they can use by April 30, 2022, Lift and Shift to a new sailing on the Australian 2022-2023 season, or 100% refund.

The Ovation of the Seas cancellation comes a few months after Royal Caribbean cancelled cruises from Australia on four ships.

Since March 27, 2020, no foreign-flagged cruise ships may enter Australian waters.  The Australian Health Principal Protection Committee reviews the ban regularly.

Cruise Passenger, an Australian site about cruising, quotes sources that say the Australian government has ignored requests for talks for a safe and phased approach to a cruise restart from Cruise Lines International Association Australasia. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandate over Covid-19 protocols is set to expire at the end of this month, leaving many to wonder what will happen next.

The Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) is a phased approach for cruise lines to follow in order to get ships approved to sail from the United States again. It is set to expire on November 1, 2021 unless extended.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley was asked about the upcoming end to the CSO and what it means for his cruise line going forward.

He was asked to provide the latest information related to the CSO, and he shared his thoughts on what is still very much an unknown situation.

"There has been discussion with the CDC and with other government entities that are part of this process," Mr. Bayley explained. "We're waiting to get guidance on what could be the next steps."

Mr. Bayley then offered some ideas of what options might be possible, "One of those next steps could be that the Conditional Sailing Order would just expire, and we would continue as we are voluntarily working with the CDC and operating with various protocols and guidelines that have been recommended."

Mr. Bayley believes the success cruise lines have had in getting back to service has been a result of the work with the CDC, "We've got 15 ships operating and the protocols are really working."

"Everything is operating extremely well, and that really was only possible through a lot of collaboration with the CDC and working with them and other health authorities around the world."

"We don't know what the next step will be. I think what's important is that, there's different ways of doing it, but everybody has the same goal and that is to keep people safe."

He added the CDC has been largely been supportive of what the cruise lines have been doing under the CSO, I think in many of the calls I've been on with the CDC, I think they have a sense of accomplishment that that the cruise industry really now is used somewhat as a gold standard example for other forms of travel and transportation on how things can really operate well."

Protocols

Dovetailing into that conversation is the question of protocols on Royal Caribbean's cruise ships, and when a change may occur there as well.

Related to the CSO, Mr. Bayley added, "I think what's what we're all hoping for is a continuation of an improvement of the environment and a decrease in all of the protocols that are currently in place."

When asked about protocols being changed, he pointed to the fact the stringent protocols are mostly tied to what is happening with Covid-19 case counts around the country.

"The relationship between these protocols...masks, testing vaccines, et cetera, is directly related to what's really going on with COVID and how the in the case of the United States, the CDC views that."

Mr. Bayley provided a possible outlook at protocols changing, "I think what we'll see is as infections decline and continue to to to decline, these things will will change."

He admitted while he is not "a big fan of masks," he said wearing it on the ships "was really no big deal."

"I would pop it on when I was walking through corridors or if I was going to get into an elevator. And most of the time I didn't have it on. I was outside most of the time. You don't have to wear a mask outside plenty of places in spaces where it's not required, so I didn't find it to be too too bothersome."

"I think we just have to try and work within these, these these guidelines that have been offered to us. But I do think it's all going to start stripping away as the environment gets better."

Update on Perfect Day at Lelepa

Mr. Bayley also briefly talked about previously announced plans for a new private island in the South Pacific.

Royal Caribbean announced Perfect Day at Lelepa, which is an island in Vanuatu that would be used to bolster the Australian cruise market.

"That project, we paused, you know, for obvious reasons. But we will plan is to re-engage and restart that project in the coming months."

It looks like the next Royal Caribbean President's Cruise will be in summer 2022 and visiting Alaska.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley hinted the next President's Cruise will be held in Alaska on an unspecified sailing in June 2022.

The President's Cruise is centered around celebrating its most loyal customers, who get the chance to cruise with Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley, as well as attend special events just for them.

"I'm not sure whether we've communicated the next President's Cruise, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be it will be in Alaska next June or July."

"I am pretty sure it's going to be in Alaska in June, so we haven't communicated it. I'm sure we'll be communicating it shortly after what I've just said."

Mr. Bayley did not specify which ship or sailing it would be hosted on.

In 2022, Royal Caribbean will send four cruise ships to Alaska on Ovation, Quantum, Serenade and Radiance of the Seas.

Ovation and Quantum of the Seas will sail from Seattle, and offer 7-night Alaska cruises.  

Radiance of the Seas will offer alternating 7-10 night open-jaw itineraries Alaska cruises from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Serenade of the Seas, which will sail out of Vancouver and offer 7-night Alaska cruises.

The President's Cruise has become a popular annual Royal Caribbean tradition that invites fans of the cruise line to sail with the cruise line's CEO, and enjoy a series of special events, surprises and offerings.

The 2020 President's Cruise was cancelled due to the global cruise shutdown, and a 2021 President's Cruise was never scheduled.

More about Alaska cruises

• What is the best time to cruise to Alaska?
• What Is an Alaska Inside Passage Cruise?
• What to pack for a cruise to Alaska?
• Top 10 tips for planning your Alaska cruise
• 6 mistakes & 3 things we did right on our Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska

Royal Caribbean is offering a potential discount on cruise add-ons, such as drink packages, shore excursions and more, with its new sale.

The "Set Sail & Save" sale runs between October 13 - 21, 2021 and is valid on sailings between October 17, 2021 - October 31, 2022.

Here is what is included during the sale:

BEVERAGE: Up to 40% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% off onboard prices.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship.
• Dasani Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• Evian Water Bottles: 40% off onboard prices. (excl. Rhapsody, Vision, Voyager, and Wonder of the Seas)
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship.
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship.
• Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices.

DINING: Up to 55% off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship.

INTERNET: Up to 50% off

• The Key: Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 25% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 70% off

• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Picture This Private Studio: Discount varies by ship.

Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off

• Anniversary Decorations with Champagne
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries
• Inky Beach Set
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe)
• Inky Travel Set
• Red Wine and Cheese
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel
• Strawberries with Champagne
• White Wine and Cheese

ACTIVITIES: Up to 20% off

• All Access Ship Tour (Excludes Grandeur, Quantum, Rhapsody, Radiance, Voyager and Wonder of the Seas)

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

More helpful information

• Should you buy pre-cruise purchases now or wait to buy it onboard?
• 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How much should I budget for a cruise?

A trio of new trademarks registered by Royal Caribbean could point to a new dining concept for a Southern cuisine restaurant.

On October 5, Royal Caribbean registered three trademarks that seem to evoke a Southern motif:

• Mason Jar
• Savannah's Table
• Palmetto Room

Savannah is a prominent Southern city, located in Southeast Georgia on the Atlantic Ocean. The palmetto tree is on the flag for South Carolina. Mason jars are widely used in the south, and used for canning, preserving, or storing food. In fact, southerners commonly refer to any glass storage vessel used for these purposes generically as a Mason jar.

All three of the trademarks simply state the trademark is "intended to cover the category of cruise ship services."

The new trademarks line up with surveys sent to cruise passengers in September 2021 asking them their opinion of a new restaurant based around the concept of "southern hospitality."

The classic BBQ restaurant idea was sent in an email survey and described as offering smoked brisket, rubs, fried chicken and plenty of appetizers, sides and desserts.

In the survey, Savannah's Table, The Mason Jar, and Palmetto Room were all listed as possible names for this new BBQ restaurant.

It is worth noting that Royal Caribbean regularly trademarks names and not all trademarks end up becoming actual venues.

Quite often Royal Caribbean trademarks words and phrases with little to no detail on how it may or may not be used.

If a southern BBQ restaurant becomes a reality, it would be the second BBQ restaurant concept for Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean first introduced a BBQ venue on Oasis of the Seas during her 2019 amplification known as Portside BBQ.

Portside BBQ is priced a la carte, with a menu of tender brisket, pulled pork, chicken, beef ribs, burnt ends and even turkey legs. In addition, there's sides like homestyle cornbread and irresistible mac & cheese.

Currently, Portside BBQ is only available on Oasis of the Seas. There were plans to add it to Allure of the Seas, but Allure had her amplification cancelled in 2020.

The cruise ship restart process has seen plenty of policy changes along the way, and while many aspects have gotten more predictable, going on a cruise with kids that are not old enough to be vaccinated is one part of the experience that is a bit different.

While I have been on quite a few cruises since Royal Caribbean restarted operations in June, my kids have mostly not been with me since school restarted very shortly after cruises did.

I took the kids on two sailings in early June, but that was before the Delta variant hit the United States hard, and I wanted to see what it was like to take unvaccinated kids on a cruise now.

To that point, we booked a 3-night cruise on Mariner of the Seas to see what the experience is like for vaccinated parents taking their unvaccinated kids onboard.

Pre-cruise testing

Luckily for us, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eased the pre-cruise test protocols a few weeks before our cruise, which made things simpler.

Unvaccinated kids have up to 3 days before their cruise to get either a PCR or antigen test before their cruise. The only restrictions are the test cannot be done on embarkation day, and they cannot do the at-home test.

I scheduled my kids to get a complimentary test at CVS.  Using my recommendations for getting a pre-cruise Covid test, I booked an appointment exactly 13 days before I needed it and had no problem finding a CVS location less than 30 minutes away that would do an antigen test for them after school.

I've done many tests at CVS because it's complimentary and easy to schedule in advance, and this was no different. We were in and out of CVS in less than 15 minutes for both kids, and test results emailed back in less than hour.

If you're wondering, my wife and I did the at-home test with the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test and it was even easier than CVS.

Check-in

The biggest difference in protocols for going on a cruise with unvaccinated kids is the test required on embarkation day.

For vaccinated guests, the pre-cruise test is sufficient, but unvaccinated kids have to get an additional test at the cruise terminal on the first day of the cruise.

In the weeks leading up to your cruise, Royal Caribbean will email you with a way to register the kids for the test, which is complimentary.

After walking into the terminal to do the pre-check-in and through security, families head into the luggage area to get their kids tested.

Just like CVS, the nurse checks you in and administers the test.  No "brain tickler" as we had feared, just shallow nose swab. 

After that, they instruct you to have a seat and wait for your results.  An estimate of 40 minutes is how long it should take to process.

In our case, one of my kids' test came back almost exactly 40 minutes after we took the test, but my other daughter's test was invalid (which means they have to run the test again).  

We ended up waiting about 90 minutes in total while the test could be re-run again.

Even without the invalid test scenario, I don't know why anyone would want to have their test done at the terminal. It's a lot of wasted time that you could be onboard, and I would gladly prefer to get my test done on my own and be able to get onboard the ship faster on embarkation day.

I understand that getting a test is a bit of a challenge, but with at-home tests or a little bit of foot work to get an appointment in advance, I would never advocate getting the test done at the terminal if you have a choice. The fear of missing out on that first day is just too much.

Masks

Vaccinated or not, you have to wear a mask while indoors and can remove the mask while outdoors, in your stateroom, or while dining.

Kids cannot go into the unvaccinated only areas of the ship, where masks can be removed, but these are almost all bars, lounges, or the casino.  These are areas of the ships my kids rarely hung out at pre-Covid.

The biggest difference I saw her was bingo was for vaccinated only, which was not the case on our Adventure of the Seas cruise in June. I took it as an omen to avoid spending money on bingo I likely would have lost, but it was one instance where the rule stopped our plans.

Dining

Another significant change for cruising with kids is there are certain venues you cannot go into, including dining.

Restaurants like Izumi and many bars are only for fully vaccinated guests.

My kids love Izumi, so unfortunately we had to forgo dining there.

More problematic is the fact kids cannot walk through vaccinated only zones, which means kids cannot walk through Deck 4 of Mariner of the Seas because the casino and Schooner Bar are for vaccinated only. 

Luckily, kids can still dine at the other specialty restaurants onboard, and we had a nice meal at Jamie's Italian, Chops Grille, and the main dining room.

For the main dining room, deck 4 has areas for all parties (vaccinated and those with unvaccinated children.)  My Time Dining is not available to unvaccinated children, which is not a problem for us since we always do traditional dining.  Of course, that may be a problem if you prefer My Time Dining.

I think the biggest issue was simply not being able to dine at Izumi. I wish we could have taken them to Izumi, but understand the reasoning for that being vaccinated only as there is no way to socially distance at the hibachi tables.

Adventure Ocean

Our experience with Adventure Ocean was identical to our cruise in June on Adventure of the Seas.

Adventure Ocean operates on a limited capacity, and each family is only allowed to sign up for a certain amount of sessions on the first day of the cruise.

On this 3-night sailing, Voyagers (9-11 years old) were limited to one session sign up, whereas Explorers (6-8) were able to register two sessions. 

They allowed us to sign up for other sessions later on, and it was never an issue in our case to get our kids into Adventure Ocean while on Mariner.  We did encounter more demand for Adventure Ocean back in June, as more families opted to use the service back then.

My advice for anyone who wants to use Adventure Ocean is to register on the first day in the afternoon when they hold their open house, and book as many sessions/hours you can up front.  Then ask when more hours will become available to book and be sure to sign up at that time.

Shore excursions

Another big hurdle for families is if you have unvaccinated kids, you can only get off the cruise ship if you have a Royal Caribbean shore excursion booked.

At Perfect Day at CocoCay, there are no restrictions because it is run by the cruise line. By far, visiting CocoCay is the easiest to plan day for families with kids.

Our only other port stop was Nassau, and we decided to stay onboard.

For our cruises coming up later this year with the kids, this restriction is particularly problematic and I foresee us leaving the kids in Adventure Ocean because if only the vaccinated people in your family wish to disembark, they can do so and tour on their own.

Depending on the port of call you visit and your kids' interests, there can be very limited options. On our Navigator of the Seas cruise in December, there are only three shore excursions to choose from in Puerto Vallarta.  Two of those three tours are for kids at least 12 years old.

While the shore excursion rule did not impact us for our 3-night cruise on Mariner of the Seas, it could prove to be a bigger problem on longer sailings.

Bottom line

In short, cruising with my unvaccinated kids was still plenty fun, even with a few extra hurdles.

The embarkation day test was by far the worst issue we encountered, but even that was a fleeting issue.

I think the shore excursion limitation and the Adventure Ocean limited capacity have the potential to be problematic for some, depending on what you like to do and the itinerary you are on. I think some people will find this a major problem, while others may not mind at all. 

Overall, I still felt much safer taking my kids on a cruise than sending them to school.  My kids underwent two different covid tests on the cruise, and strict mask wearing rules were in place.  At school, there are multiple calls from the principal each week about some student or staff member that tested positive for Covid-19 with absolutely no changes to address that there.

As a parent, I greatly appreciated the "bubble" Royal Caribbean created for all passengers, and compared to other land vacation alternatives that have no testing and/or vaccine requirements, the cruise lines are doing an admirable job.

With cruises sailing again, changes are happening at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

While visiting Royal Caribbean's private island on a Mariner of the Seas sailing this past weekend, I took a look around some of the most recent changes happening on the island.

Hideaway Beach progress

As you may or may not know, Royal Caribbean is expanding Perfect Day at CocoCay with a new area called "Hideaway Beach".

There are no details yet as to what this area will offer, but here is a look at where the new venue will be located.

These photos were taken from the family tower in Thrill Waterpark, as well as from the cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean recently sent guests an email survey with ideas for what Hideaway Beach could offer.

South Beach reopened

This weekend saw Royal Caribbean re-open South Beach.

Since cruises restarted, South Beach had been closed since ship capacity was so low that there was no need to open up South Beach.

However, Freedom of the Seas and Allure of the Seas were in Perfect Day at CocoCay this past Saturday, bringing around 7,000 guests in total to the island. As a result, South Beach was opened up again for passengers.

South Beach has two bars, Coconut Willie's Bar and South Beach Bar.

There are also cabanas for rent at South Beach.

Not only did Royal Caribbean re-open South Beach, they moved the floating bar back to South Beach. It was previously located at Breezy Bay at Chill Island, but that was a temporary location while South Beach was closed.

Florida's Department of Health released a list of groups and companies under investigation for possibly violating Florida's ban on companies asking for proof of vaccine, and Royal Caribbean is on the list.

In May 2021, the Florida Legislature passed a new law that states all business entities “may not require patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-infection recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or services from the business operations in this state,” subject to the imposition of a fine not exceeding $5,000 per violation.

The list of 120 groups was released by the the Department of Health in response to a public records request by the Orlando Sentinel.

Royal Caribbean is among many other companies that made the list, including the Miami Marlins, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s counterterrorism squad, and AT&T.

Royal Caribbean is not the only cruise line on the list. Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line also made the list.

Violators could face a $5,000 per violation fine, which is enforced by Florida's Department of Health.

If a violation is issued, there is a right for a hearing before an administrative law judge.

Florida Governor's press secretary said Christina Pushaw has said the state would not enforce the law for the cruise industry until a decision is made on the injunction.

Last week, Florida announced it would appeal the decision against it in its fight with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) over the vaccine passport ban.

According to court documents, Florida believes the U.S. constitution gives companies no right for private companies to refuse service to prospective customers who fail to disclose private medical documentation.

NCLH said in the court proceedings Florida's law violated its First Amendment rights and dormant Commerce Clause claims.