Being respectful to other people on your cruise ship is something that should be automatic, and yet, there are plenty of times where cruise ship guests do things that make you shake your head.

Most of the time, people do the right thing, but occasionally you might witness someone breaking an unwritten rule of cruising. Whether it is poor etiquette, manners or selfish, these kinds of missteps are things no one wants to see.

In an effort to avoid any of these gaffes, here are the top commonly made annoyances you should avoid on your cruise

Grabbing food from the buffet with your hands

This might be a thing of the past when cruises actually resume (since buffets will change to full service for health reasons), but never grab food with your hands instead of using a tong.

While it may seem innocent enough to grab a roll, apple or strawberry as you pass by with your hands, doing this spreads germs more than you might think. Not to mention the fact if you touch something and then change your mind, no one wants to eat that.

The provided tongs are simple, so use them.

Chair hogs

People reserving chairs at the pool deck for the entire day is a major pain point for so many cruisers.

There is no issue with a family spending the day at the pool, but the people that get up at dawn to reserve chairs, then disappear for a few hours to arrive later on is something that has gotten out of control on many ships.

Of course everyone wants to have a chair near the pool, and obviously there are not enough chairs for everyone on the ship at once, so the considerate thing to do is only reserve the chair while you are there. If Aunt Beth is busy at the gym, getting her nails done, or sleeping in, reserving a chair for her for a few hours is also not cool.

Lead by example and regardless of what others do, only take chairs while you are actually there.

Not washing your hands

If the current global health crisis does nothing more than to force everyone to finally wash their hands after using the restrooms, then at least a little good came out of all of this.

If you go to the restroom, wash your hands upon leaving. 

You would be amazed how many people skip washing their hands after departing the restroom, or prior to entering a restaurant or buffet when there are crew members actively reminding everyone to wash.

For the benefit of everyone, keeping yourself as germ-free as possible is the right thing to do.

Removing gratuities to save money

Royal Caribbean allows guests to remove the automatic gratuity as a way to give crew members cash directly. It is not a mechanism for bypassing gratuities all together.

Like it or not, gratuity on a cruise is part of the overall cost.  Yes, technically they are listed as optional, but in practice, they are there to reward the hard working crew members that look after your every need. 

If you are removing the gratuity in order to make your vacation cheaper, you should reconsider a cruise vacation.

Bad elevator etiquette

This tip applies to not only cruise ships but elevators everywhere: when the elevator opens, let the people in the elevator out first.

Whether you are in a rush or just on your way, there is no reason not to let the people in the elevator out first. Letting them out speeds up the process for everyone, and it makes it clearer how much room there is for others to board the elevator.

Ignoring crew member instructions

When a crew member gives a guest an instruction, it is not a suggestion.

Crew members are not only present to serve, but also to maintain order and ensure safety protocols are being followed. So when a crew member tells you to do something, ignoring them or circumventing their instruction is a bad idea.

Not only is it disrespectful, but you may be putting yourself or others at risk by continuing to do whatever you were just told not to do. 

Flaunting your Crown and Anchor status

If you have cruised enough to get to the top tiers of Crown and Anchor Society, you should be proud of the fact you made it that far, but everyone else does not really care.

Royal Caribbean provides pins, lapels and even special events for its top cruisers as recognition for their loyalty. But being a top tier member does not mean everyone else on the ship needs to be constantly reminded of that fact.

Essentially, take the benefits Royal Caribbean provides for being a loyal cruiser, but conversations involving your Crown and Anchor tier are not necessary.

Getting in a fight

Not only is getting in a verbal or physical altercation really silly, it is against the cruise line rules and you will likely regret it later.

Think about any shouting match or fracas you may have been involved in, and then think about if you wish now that you avoided the whole thing.

If there is a problem with another guest, speak to a crew member so they can get involved. Even if it is one of the annoyances listed in this post, it is not your place to enforce the cruise line rules or even common courtesies. 

There is no winning when it comes to these sort of altercations, so move on or alert a crew member to take care of it.

Royal Caribbean has added two new sailings on Odyssey of the Seas ahead of her published schedule to sail out of Southampton, England in 2021.

A 3-night Weekend Getaway Cruise from Southampton is available on April 2, 2021, which will include stops in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Following that sailing, Odyssey will have a 5-night repositioning cruise between Southampton and Barcelona, Spain.

In addition, Royal Caribbean added new sailings from Barcelona ahead of her previously scheduled cruises from Rome.

The Barcelona sailings include a 4-night cruise on April 26 and two 5-night sailings out of Barcelona on April 12 and 21.

Prior to these newly added sailings, Odyssey of the Seas was scheduled to debut in Europe with cruises from Rome in April 2021.

Odyssey will then spend her inaugural season sailing Eastern Mediterranean cruises from Rome, before arriving to the U.S. in November 2021.

The next new Royal Caribbean cruise ship was originally to debut in November 2020, but delays at the shipyard due to the global health crisis changed plans.

The Quantum Ultra Class ship will tout game-changing, technological innovations like the next generation SeaPlex, the largest indoor space for recreational activities at sea, which will see the addition of this venue’s first Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade with club-level views of the competition below; a reimagined Adventure Ocean kids program and a maxed-out teen lounge with gaming consoles, music and movies.

Guests onboard Odyssey can enjoy all-new dining, including Teppanyaki, serving East Asian flavors in a traditional Japanese style; and Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar with rustic Italian dishes and a contemporary flair. Odyssey’s vibrant, two-level pool deck will feature two open-air, resort-style pools and four whirlpools with shady casitas and hammocks.

The ship will also feature guest favorites, including FlowRider surf simulator; skydiving with Ripcord by iFly; the iconic North Star glass capsule that boasts 360-degree views from 300 feet above sea level; and robot bartenders at Bionic Bar.

Longshoremen, hotel workers, port officials and everyone affected by the effect of cruise lines shut down held a rally across different cruise ports on Wednesday in support of cruise lines being able to restart sailings again.

Cruise industry workers rallied in Florida and Texas to tell lawmakers to allow the cruise industry to restart.

Cruise lines have been shutdown since March due to the global health crisis, and are currently unable to restart cruises because of the U.S. Center for Disease Control's No Sail order that prevents passenger service in the United States.

Rallies were held in Port Canaveral, PortMiami and the Port of Galveston to protest the shutdown and the effect it has had on all the jobs.

Photos by the Port of Galveston

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) stated cruise activity in Florida supports over 150,000 local jobs, contributing $7.7 billion in wages and salaries to Floridians across a variety of local sectors and industries. 

U.S. Senator Rick Scott went on Fox News Radio to talk about the work he has been doing to try to convince the CDC to work with cruise lines on a way to restart the industry.

Senator Scott was clearly upset with the lack of any kind of progress with the CDC, "not being responsive. I don’t get it. It’s like a black hole."

Government, said Scott, should do as he did when he was Governor, and “tell people yes or no” and “make the regulations really clear.”

“Tell me no, that’s an answer,” Scott said.

Why the CDC has banned cruise ships

If you read the opening portion of the No Sail Order, it explains early on out why the CDC believes cruise ships should not operate.

"Cruise ships continue to be an unsafe environment with close quarters where the disease spreads easily and is not readily detected," is the direct rationale for why cruise ships may not sail.

In order to prove this, the Executive Summary cites CDC data on COVID-19 cases aboard cruise ships.

"Cumulative CDC data from March 1 through September 28, 2020, show a total of 3,689 confirmed cases of COVID-19 or COV1D-like illness cases on cruise ships and 41 deaths. These data have also revealed a total of 102 outbreaks on 124 different cruise ships, meaning more than 82% of ships within U.S. jurisdiction were affected by COVID-19 during this time frame. In addition, four cruise ships still have ongoing or resolving COV1D-19 outbreaks on board. Recent outbreaks on cruise ships overseas continue to demonstrate that reduced capacity alone has not diminished transmission."

In addition, the CDC cited small-scale cases of the virus on a few sailings that have restarted outside the United States.

All of this lead the CDC to believe cruise ships, "would likely spread the infection  into U.S. communities if passenger operations were to resume prematurely in the United States."

Royal Caribbean announced some new changes to its winter 2021-2022 cruise schedule for the Caribbean and Australia regions.

The changes encompass six ships, which offer new ships, as well as new itineraries, from a few different ports. Royal Caribbean says, "we’ve listened to our guests and valued travel partners, and are ready to share some Winter 2021 – 2022 deployment updates."

Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service announced the changes during a webinar with travel advisors, "We've modified our schedule to make room for some incredible new itineraries."

Royal Caribbean issued a statement that elaborated on the changes, "Our new deployment line-up provides guests with greater variety, including new itineraries in the Caribbean and Australia that will help strengthen the cruise line’s footprint globally."

These changes are in addition to five other Royal Caribbean ships that were redeployed for summer 2021.

Caribbean

Explorer of the Seas will sail 7-night Southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Explorer will replace previously scheduled sailings on Freedom of the Seas.

Freedom of the Seas will offer 3- and 4-night Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay cruises from Miami, Florida.

Radiance of the Seas will offer 5- and 9-night Caribbean cruises from Miami, Florida.  Radiance will replace Explorer of the Seas.

Australia

Royal Caribbean will offer new sailings from Brisbane and Sydney, including 25 itineraries sailing from Brisbane to 18 destinations across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Ovation of the Seas will sail from Sydney, Australia and offer guests a variety of sailings, including:

• 9/12 night New Zealand cruises
• 5/7 night Queensland cruises
• 6/8 night Tasmania cruises

Quantum of the Seas will sail from Brisbane and offer 3-night Weekend Getaway cruises along with 7/9 night South Pacific sailings. Quantum of the Seas will be the newest and biggest ship to ever call Brisbane home

Serenade of the Seas will also sail from Sydney and offer 7-night Australia cruises.

These new itineraries are currently open and available to book immediately.

Guests who may have been booked on the previous sailings should be hearing from Royal Caribbean soon with their rebooking options.

Individual reservations will be moved to the new ship/sailing on-or-before October 30, 2020.

The re-accommodation of Groups with at least one (1) named reservation will be completed on-or-before November 18, 2020.

More helpful resources

• What is the best time to cruise to the Caribbean?
• Should I take a short or a long cruise?
• Which is the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship?

A Royal Caribbean drink package offers unlimited drinks for a fixed price, which makes it a very attractive offer for many guests.

Should you spend the money to get a drink package, or is it better to pay for drinks as you go? This is a debate many cruise fans have time and time again.

While the decision to get a drink package or not is going to vary from person to person, here are the top reasons you might want to get a drink package on your cruise.

Convenience

The best part of having an unlimited drink package on your cruise is you can order a drink whenever and where you feel like onboard.

This means not having to compromise on when you feel like getting a drink, and it is great when traveling with friends or family.  There is no worrying about how much a drink costs, or if you will like a new cocktail.

With a drink package, there is no risk in trying new drinks and then being "stuck" with something you do not like.

Fixed cost

By pre-paying the cost of drinks on a cruise, having a drink package means an easier means of staying within your vacation budget.

For a lot of guests, not having to think about money on a vacation is a major relief.

Moreover, if you pre-purchase your drink package before the cruise begins on Royal Caribbean's website, there are often significant discounts that bring the daily cost down compared to waiting to buy it onboard.

There is no need to be concerned with receipts, gratuity, or how much one drink costs over another.

Not just alcohol

While the unlimited alcohol package gets a lot of attention for all the various beers, cocktails and wine included, there is way more included than just booze.

The Deluxe Beverage Package also includes a lot of non-alcoholic beverages that can greatly sway the value proposition for any guest.

It also includes bottled water, sparkling water, sodas, juices, and premium coffee or tea. 

Considering how so many of us rely on a morning espresso, as well as having bottled water available to bring on shore excursions or while in the gym, the fact these are included with the Deluxe Beverage package is a major benefit.

It can (potentially) save you a lot of money

If you can drink enough every day of your cruise, the drink packages will absolutely save you money compared to ordering the same amount of drinks individually.

When you calculate how many drinks per day you would need to drink to "break even" on a drink package, it often sounds a bit much to new cruisers. However, those that have bought the drink package in the past will tell you it is not as bad as it looks.

When you consider a beer will set you back around $8, a cocktail between $10-12, soda around $3 and a latte around $5, breaking even on a drink package investment is not that difficult to achieve.

When you spread your drink consumption out throughout the day and evening, the result tends to be a good value. Especially if your cruise visits a Royal Caribbean private destination where your drink package benefits also work.

Read more

• How much is the drink package on Royal Caribbean?
• Top signs a Royal Caribbean drink package will probably save you money
• How to avoid the most common cruise drink package mistakes

It has been a few weeks, but we have an updated construction photo to share of the progress being made on Odyssey of the Seas.

October 10 photo

The Meyer Werft shipyard webcam was updated this week, following a nearly month-long absence of new photo updates. However, the new photo is labeled as from October 10, so it may simply be a "not as old as the previous photo" update.

September 22 photo

This new photo is from the other end of Hall 6, with a good look at the bow of Odyssey of the Seas.

In a SEC filing last week, Royal Caribbean indicated that Odyssey of the Seas will be delivered within the planned time frame. The new ship has been delayed once due to the impact of the global health crisis.

Odyssey of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean's second Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship, and first to sail from Europe and North America.

She will debut with European cruises out of Rome in Summer 2021.

After her inaugural season in Europe, Odyssey will then continue its inaugural year in Fort Lauderdale, FL with 8- and 6-night Caribbean itineraries.

What is special about Odyssey of the Seas?

Like all new Royal Caribbean cruise ships, Odyssey of the Seas will feature some new changes and enhancements that make it stand out from the fleet.

When she debuts in Europe, Odyssey will offer longer stays in every destination and overnights across select Mediterranean cities.

In terms of features onboard, Royal Caribbean has not revealed the full extent of entertainment or things to do onboard, but here is what we do know about:

• SeaPlex - the largest indoor space for recreational activities at sea
• Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade with club-level views of the SeaPlex
• Reimagined Adventure Ocean kids program and a maxed-out teen lounge with gaming consoles, music and movies
• Teppanyaki restaurant
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar
• Two-level pool deck will feature two open-air, resort-style pools and four whirlpools with shady casitas and hammocks
• FlowRider surf simulator
• Skydiving with Ripcord by iFly
• North Star glass capsule
• Robot bartenders at Bionic Bar
• SkyPad bungee trampoline experience 

The current health crisis has lead Royal Caribbean to file a new trademark for something that sounds like a contact tracing bracelet concept.

Royal Caribbean has filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for "Tracelet".

The trademark lists the description of the trademark simply as:

A tracelet seems to be made of rubber or silicone, which is exactly the same material as the cruise line's WOWBands, which debuted in 2014 as RFID wristbands.

The exact purpose of a tracelet was not explained in the trademark, and it is not clear if it will be used for contact tracing at all.  The name seems to indicate it could be used for that purpose.

The trademark was filed on October 19, 2020, and is intended for cruise ship services. The trademark lists it as jewelry, as well as"Receptacles" and  "Horological Instruments".

Trademark applications usually quite vague in regard to their intended use, so it remains to be seen precisely how it will be used, if at all.

Royal Caribbean registed a trademark for its own brand of face mask, but ended up deciding not to do anything with it.

Wearable devices for all guests

While the trademark is vague, Royal Caribbean's new rules clearly indicate that a wearable device will be provided to all guests.

"Contact tracing is an important part of our enhanced protocols to keep all our guests and crew safe. Each guest will be provided with a wearable device that allows rapid tracing in the event it is necessary."

Based on the description provided by Royal Caribbean, the device may work with the TraceTogether app. 

"The TraceTogether App installed on their smartphones or keep their TraceTogether token with them for the duration of their sailing"

Contact tracing part of new cruise protocols

Contact tracing is a major component to the cruise industry's plan to restart cruising, as outlined in the Healthy Sail Panel's 74 recommendations.

The blue ribbon panel of health experts recommended Royal Caribbean "identify all potential cases on board using robust contact tracing". Part of mitigating the spread of an infection onboard is to determine who else might have been exposed. Contact tracing is one of the critical methods of identifying who these individuals might be.

The Panel also made a recommendation to employ different methods of collecting contact tracing data, including "collecting potential exposure data from cruise line-provided wearable devices."

"Potential contact tracing methodologies include, but are not limited to: identifying guest location/exposure by pulling transaction data, collecting information about potential exposure from applications utilizing Bluetooth technology, collecting potential exposure data from cruise line-provided wearable devices, using video analytics and facial recognition to determine exposure risk, and conducting interviews with suspected cases."

It remains to be seen if tracelets will be those wearable devices, and how they will function, but the trademark indicates a potential direction for the cruise line in developing an overall strategy.

In the hours since Royal Caribbean announced it would offer double loyalty program points on 2021 cruises, the cruise line changed the terms and conditions so it is combinable with just about any 2021 sailing.

Initially the Loyalty 2X Points benefit was not available for certain fares, such as group rates, or even existing bookings

Royal Caribbean changed its mind and updated its terms and conditions so that Loyalty 2X Points applies to new, individual, and named group bookings confirmed at prevailing rates, and existing bookings made for bookings made before December 31, 2020 on sailings between January 1 – December 31, 2021.

Throughout the day, the terms and conditions of the Loyalty 2X Points benefit were changing, with existing bookings being added and then named group bookings. These changes lead to a lot of confusion among cruisers.

A named group booking is when a travel agency submits the names in their group block to Royal Caribbean.

As of Tuesday, the Loyalty 2X Points enhancement applies to an existing or new booking that is made prior to December 31, 2020, for sailings departing January 1 – December 31, 2021.

If you have an existing reservation made before December 31, 2020, there is no need to re-book in order to get this benefit. You just need to make certain that a valid Crown & Anchor Society membership number is included in the reservation

Crown and Anchor points will be applied once the guest has paid their booking in full and completed their sailing. If in a group, make sure the travel agent submits full booking details for you so that your cabin is now named.

On social media, Royal Caribbean explained this benefit is combinable with other offers, and is not a promotion, but rather a program enhancement for qualified bookings.

Double Points

The other big change with the Loyalty 2X Points benefit is Royal Caribbean changed how many points guests will receive.

Initially, it looked like guests would receive one additional point per night (thus "doubling" a standard room), but Royal Caribbean's social media team now says guests across all stateroom categories will receive double points.

• Standard room: 2 points per night
• Suite room: 4 points per night
• Solo guest in standard room: 4 points per night
• Solo guest in suite: 6 points per night

A reservation for a Royal Caribbean cruise comes in a variety of cruise fare choices, including a group rate that comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

So what is a group rate, and why might you want one?

Group rates are a type of cruise fare, where a travel agency reserves a bank of staterooms on a particular ship and sailing that locks in the price for a set period of time.

Traditionally, group rates are used to facilitate gatherings of guests sailing on the same same cruise ship in order to better organize their sailing, as well as provide additional benefits specifically for the group.

One key reason group rates are popular with travel agents are the fact the prices freeze, and even if the price for the same category room rises in the weeks and months after a group is made, the group rate remains frozen at the lower rate.

While group rates are most commonly associated with a gathering of people who are tied together somehow, there are no rules about who may or may not take advantage of a group rate.  This means, travel agents who are booking a new client that wants to sail on a cruise where there is an existing group set up, can book that client into the group and provide them additional savings.

In fact, many online websites that sell cruises tend to use groups as a tool for offering lower cruise fares. 

If you have ever shopped around for a cruise, and noticed a certain website offering a lower price than anywhere else, it is almost always the result of a group fare.

In most cases, being part of a group rate is something guests will never know about or need to be concerned with since it is has no impact on the onboard experience.

Differences between group rates and individual rates

There are a few differences between a group rate and an individual rate that occasionally pop up.

First, group rates require a full deposit when making the booking. This means if there is a discount on the cruise deposit offered by Royal Caribbean (i.e. NextCruise bookings), you must pay the difference in deposit amount in order to get into the group.

Likewise, some Royal Caribbean booking promotions may not be compatible with the group fares.  

Since there is a significant discount for being in a group, Royal Caribbean tends not to offer the same discounts as someone who is potentially paying more with an individual fare. While this sounds unfair, more often than not, the person in the group is still getting a lower price.

Different kinds of cruise fares: Here be dragons

If you are not confused yet, there is way more options available when it comes to cruise fares that can blur the line between individual rates and group rates.

Travel agents (and yes, third-party websites are a kind of travel agent) have a lot of leeway with how they book their customers. After all, nearly any client is interested in the best rate and the type of fare is almost always irrelevant.

You can be booked into a standard cruise rate and then be pulled into a group later. That means you have still a standard rate, but not a group rate.

Most good travel agents will tell you if you actually have a group rate versus a standard rate.

In addition, families of 3 or 4 do not get group rates.  Group rates tend to be for two people in a room, so someone booked with that many people in a room are just standard rates pulled into a “group space” or block.

Should I care if I have a group rate?

Most of the time, it does not matter at all what type of rate you get, as long as you are getting the lowest possible fare.

The two concerns are if you really value a lower deposit amount, or a specific promotion.

If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can be assured you have a standard individual rate.

If you booked with a travel agent, you can ask what type of rate you currently have and if it is part of a group or not.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley took to social media on Monday to warn crew members not to fall for an email scam going around that targets private information.

Mr. Bayley posted on Facebook the warning that scammers are trying to get crew members to fill out information in order to get crew member's personal information.

Furthermore, Mr. Bayley emphasized crew not to click the links, and that all information will be shared via the Royal Caribbean employee portal.

"We will never ask you for your personal information via e-mail," he warned.

The scam email even went to the length of copying Royal Caribbean email letterhead and Mr. Bayley's email signature in order to convince employees it is legitimate.

Phishing scams not uncommon

Unfortunately, scammers using emails that look like the real thing are an all-too-common hack that works equally as well as it is prevalent.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that people lost $57 million to phishing schemes in one year.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the scammers are trying to steal someone's passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers.

Phishing emails like this one are designed to look like they are from a company you know or trust.

Carnival hit hard by similar hack

While this scam seems to target personal information, Carnival Cruise Lines was recently the victim of a similar attack, where ransomware ended up stealing personal information about the cruise company’s guests and employees.

The attack accessed an encrypted portion of technology systems for one of the cruise line's brands and certain data files were downloaded, the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

While Carnival did not divulge how the hackers were able to install the ransomware, quite often legitimate looking emails targeted to employees are the preferred vector of attack.