Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has scheduled its 2020 annual shareholder meeting for May 28.
The meeting will be held at 9am at Royal Caribbean headquarters in Miami.
The meeting is for shareholders as of April 6, 2020.
It is no secret that refunds for the cancelled Royal Caribbean cruises has been taking longer than expected. The cruise line has even apologized for the delay in getting money back to guests.
I wanted to know what our readers' Royal Caribbean refund status is, and how many have gotten their money back.
With thousands of guests impacted by the cancelled sailings, it is impossible to get a good sense of where things are, but talking to RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers helps provide some insight into the current status.
Royal Caribbean has announced cruise cancellations three separate times, beginning in March and extending over the last two months. Each time, a large swath of sailings were impacted and guests had to choose between opting for a refund or a future cruise credit.
Refunds were expected to take 30 days to process, but some refunds are taking up to 45 days.
If you browse the comments on this site, or most Facebook groups, you will quickly run across posts from cruisers that are frustrated by having not received their refund or credit yet.
I posted a Facebook poll asking, "If your cruise was cancelled, have you received your refund or future cruise credit yet?"
The poll ran for the last six days, and 585 people responded with their experience.
The leading poll answer was "no" (they had not received a refund or future cruise credit yet) with 327 votes. In second place was "yes" (they had received their refund or future cruise credits) with 167 votes, and "some, but not all" coming in third with 91 votes.
Comments from those that took the poll run the gamut of experiences, from people that received their refunds, to those that received some, and others that are still waiting.
"I was due to sail on Majesty today and it was cancelled on March24 . I got an email last night to say my Future Cruise Credit was sent to my travel agent but I haven't received any refunds for taxes and gratuities or Cruise Planner yet."
Refund status is also proving to be difficult to track for some, as there are add-on purchases that are refunded separately from the cruise fare refunds.
It seems those that had multiple cruises cancelled were impacted the most, with some refunds being issued, but not all.
Have you received your refund or cruise credit yet? Share your Royal Caribbean refund status in the comments.
While there are no Royal Caribbean cruises to go on currently, the day when they will sail again is coming, and now is a great opportunity to prepare for that vacation.
One of the best ways to ensure you have a fantastic vacation is to plan ahead, as I see too many cruisers that do little to no research into their vacation.
Make the most of your cruise with these top tips.
Royal Caribbean does not post or publish Cruise Compasses for upcoming sailings in advance. Nor do they publish their entertainment schedules prior to a cruise. With that in mind, many veteran Royal Caribbean cruisers reference past Cruise Compasses to get an idea of what to expect on an upcoming sailing.
There is no way to know in absolute terms what your upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise will or will not offer, but Royal Caribbean insiders will consult past Cruise Compass' to see what was available on those similar sailings to get an idea of what to expect.
Generally speaking, Royal Caribbean sailings on a particular ship do not change that much from week to week in terms of the activities or entertainment offered. There will be some discrepancies, but an old Cruise Compass can give you a good ballpark of expectations to plan around.
By reading an old Cruise Compass, you can prepare yourself for activities and events that you might want to participate in, such as themed dance parties, sporting events and anything inbetween.
You can reference our Cruise Compass archive for a listing of past Cruise Compasses that we have found.
One of the most important things you need to get on any cruise ship is the proper travel documents.
Just like going on an airplane flight, you need to have the right paperwork, and depending on your nationality and where you are sailing from, this may vary.
The simplest answer is to have a passport. While Americans sailing from the United States do not need a passport, I advocate everyone sail with a passport.
If you have a passport, it is a good idea to check expiration dates and ensure your passport will be valid before and after your cruise sails.
You will need to arrange transportation to get you and your family from your home to the cruise ship terminal, and that can involve taxis, buses, airplanes or more.
Some options will be more economical than others, but here are a couple of tips you should be aware of to help get you there:
Shore excursions are a major part of any Royal Caribbean cruise because a large part of your overall vacation is exploring the ports of call you will visit. You have just a few hours at each stop, but it should be enough to get a taste of the city you are visiting.
Before you even look at one shore excursion, you should research the most popular activities in each port.
When looking at shore excursion options, you can book tours through Royal Caribbean or on your own. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks, so I advise to consult both.
The key is to determine which tours you want to book, and reserve it in advance. In some cases booking in advance will save you money, and everyone can benefit from having the luxury of time to consider all options.
Everyone wants to save money, and one of my best tips is to pre-purchase as much as you can.
There are plenty of cruise costs out there, but you can save money by acting early. Royal Caribbean regularly discounts drink packages, shore excursions, wifi access and more if purchased before the cruise.
You can book these via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site to take advantage of some big discounts.
Now, more than ever, travel insurance is a good investment to consider.
Travel insurance is relatively inexpensive, and provides peace of mind that protects against trip interruption, cancellation, and even medical costs.
More than likely buying a travel insurance plan will be money spent that you end up not needing, however, the protection it includes feels a heck of a lot more important these days than ever before.
The silver lining to a global pause in cruises is we have more time to save money for that upcoming vacation.
Saving for a vacation is often easier said than done, but with less money to spend on going to the movies or weekend trips, you might consider stashing away some of that cash for your vacation budget.
Whether you prefer a piggy bank, swear jar, or moving money around between checking accounts, putting away a few dollars now can help pay off cruise fun later.
A fun way to make friends on the ship before you step foot onboard is to join a Facebook group for your sailing.
If you go on Facebook and search for your ship name and sail date, there is very likely a group set up for it. It is free to join these groups, and often groups will set up special events, or simply provide a means of sharing in the pre-cruise planning excitement.
Every group is different, and depending on how many people have joined the Facebook Group, as well as everyone's level of participation in the group, you can get to know folks before the cruise. Plus it's just fun to find others who are as excited as you about your cruise (instead of annoying your friends).
To get a good visual of what you can expect for your Royal Caribbean, there are no shortage of videos on YouTube to check out.
Search for your ship name and odds are you will find hundreds of videos to watch. Some are tours, some are family vacation videos and others explain aspects of the cruise. Regardless, it's a fun way to see what you can expect on your cruise and add ideas to your little list.
While you are on YouTube, be sure to check out our channel of helpful trip planning videos.
If you have not been on a cruise before, you may quickly run across terms, options, and phrases that are unfamiliar to you. Frankly, it can be a bit overwhelming.
Thankfully, we have taken precautions to help you adjust to a Royal Caribbean cruise in advance. Our Royal Caribbean cruise ship term glossary will break down everything from Adventure Ocean to WOWband so that you understand everything in the cruise planning process.
Royal Caribbean announced a massive enhancement and extension to its Cruise with Confidence program, which allows guests to cancel their cruises up to 48 hours before sailing.
The "enhanced & extended Cruise with Confidence policy" was announced on Wednesday , where guests can cancel up to 48-hours prior to sailing in exchange for a 100% Future Cruise Credit on sailings through April 2022 for bookings made on-or-before August 1, 2020.
In addition, Royal Caribbean announced "Lift & Shift", where guests can move their existing booking to next year, protecting their original price and promotion.
Lift & Shift is available by selecting a future sailing on the same itinerary type, sailing length, stateroom category, and within the same 4-week period of their original cruise date same-time-next-year. It is not required that your client rebook on the same ship or ship class.
Guests are eligible to rebook under the Lift & Shift guidelines between now and August 1, 2020. After this point, Lift & Shift expires and is no longer eligible.
All pre-cruise purchases will be removed during the re-accommodation process and can be added to the future reservation, as desired, at prevailing rates.
You can opt to Lift & Shift only one time.
Guests who take advantage of the Cruise with Confidence program can get a 100% Future Cruise Credit if they decide they would like to cancel their cruise vacation due to the current global situation.
Non-Refundable Deposit bookings are eligible for Cruise with Confidence and follow the same guidelines.
If you purchased a hotel or transfer, here is how it works:
Lift & Shift blackout dates:
Another big change announced is guests can take advantage of Royal Caribbean's Best Price Guarantee up to 48-hours prior to their cruise vacation start date, ensuring the best rate and/or promotion.
This means guests can now take advantage of price drops after final payment date, up until 48 hours before the cruise. This is applicable to all sailings made on or before August 1, 2020 (including ones made before today's announcement).
Price variances will result in a rate adjustment if requested outside of final payment or a non-refundable onboard credit when inside final payment period.
Prior to this change to the Best Price Guarantee, price adjustments after final payment date would incur cancellation fees that would offset any price adjustment advantages.
Will you be more willing to book a cruise because of this enhanced policy? What do you think of the Lift & Shift offer? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Royal Caribbean's October offer features 30% off every guest, and Kids Sail Free during the month of May.
The May October offer is valid on cruises booked between May 6 – 31, 2020 and applies to select sailings departing on or after June 12, 2020.
It includes:
30% off cruise fare for all guests in the stateroom.
Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger as of cruise departure date, booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests in a triple or quad-occupancy stateroom. Kids Sail Free applies to select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, Repositioning and all 2020 Serenade of the Seas sailings departing between September 1, 2020 – December 17, 2020 and January 8, 2021 – May 17, 2021. Offer excludes 2020 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 21 - 28, 2020), 2021 President’s Day Sailings (Sailings between February 12 – 15, 2021), and 2021 Spring Break and Easter sailings (Sailings between March 13 – April 4, 2021). Taxes, fees, and port expenses are additional and apply to all guests.
30% Off Every Guest and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers, Free Upgrades, Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates. Promo Code driven offers are based on select ships and sail dates and must be applied at time of booking, limit one promo code per booking.
Offer available to residents of United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select countries in the Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean announced today it has decided to discontinue the introduction of Spa staterooms beginning with the 2021-2022 season.
After much consideration and as our product offerings continue to evolve in today’s environment, the brand has made the decision to discontinue the introduction of Spa staterooms beginning with the 2021-2022 season.
In a communication to travel agents, Royal Caribbean indicated beginning on May 5, 2020, all bookings in a Spa stateroom will be temporarily moved from their stateroom into a guarantee. Once the accommodation process is complete, guests will be moved back into their original stateroom with the stateroom location, dimensions, and cabin number all remaining the same.
There is no action needed from you as this process is completed.
In addition, Royal Caribbean is offering guests booked in these rooms a repricing to the prevailing fare of a comparable Ocean View Balcony and will also receive a refundable $50 USD onboard credit per cabin that can be used anywhere onboard – including in the spa as well as pre-cruise.
Royal Caribbean announced the new stateroom category in October 2019 that offered guests in-room amenities and spa privileges.
It included amenities and perks like lush bedding and bath products, daily tea and bottled water, and priority spa reservations.
It may be hard to imagine, but it has been exactly one year since Royal Caribbean officially opened its revamped private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
In the year since Perfect Day at CocoCay opened, it has quickly become a favorite destination of so many cruisers, even those who questioned the massive overhaul concept.
In celebrating the anniversary of the opening, I thought it might be fun to look back at the highlights from the first year of paradise.
At a ceremony in March 2018 in New York City, Royal Caribbean announced its plans to expand its private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay.
The $200 million transformation (later it increased to $250 million) was part of an even bigger announcement to reveal the Royal Amplified fleet upgrades.
Originally, the timeline had an early opening in September 2018 with the completion of the pier, followed by the majority of the island will launch spring 2019. This timeline changed quite a few times in the months to come, but the objectives remained in tact.
Royal Caribbean hoped this destination would offer guests more than just a beach day experience. A water park, zip-line, cabanas, dining venues, and even an upgraded luxury beach option were part of the initial plans.
“It’s true that our ships are technological and engineering marvels in their own right and offer a multitude of unexpected experiences; but our destinations are an equally important part of the cruise vacation,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “We are introducing the Perfect Day Island Collection to deliver the most memorable vacation for adventure seekers on land and on board our ships. Once completed Perfect Day at CocoCay will be the ultimate family destination in the Caribbean.”
Royal Caribbean took a phased approach to opening its private destination, beginning with opening its new pier, along with the Oasis Lagoon pool, Snack Shack and Chill Grill.
On March 16, 2019, Mariner of the Seas docked at CocoCay, marking the first time a Royal Caribbean ship docked and disembarked guests on the island.
While the water park and other venues were still under construction, guests got their first look at what Royal Caribbean had in mind.
The largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, Oasis Lagoon,offered a massive complimentary pool day for guests to enjoy. This included a swim-up bar, fountains and in-pool seating.
Two dining venues opened as well, Snack Shack and Chill Grill. These venues served up more than hot dogs and hamburgers, with the largest variety of private island food Royal Caribbean has ever had.
The Artisan Market was also revamped and opened, where Bahamians could sell guests their many wares in a straw market environment.
A few short weeks after the initial venues opened, Royal Caribbean opened up two new areas: Splashaway Bay and Skipper's Grill.
Splashaway Bay is a complimentary aqua park for kids that features geysers, drench buckets, sprays and more. A complimentary option, it is a real hit with younger kids who enjoy non-stop splashing.
Skipper's Grill is another complimentary dining option on the island that provides lunch and snacks to guests.
In addition to the newly opened venues, it appears Royal Caribbean has expanded its Voom internet access to the island, marking the first time any of its private destinations offer internet access on the island.
About a week later, one of the signature attractions Royal Caribbean added to Perfect Day at CocoCay launched.
The Up, Up and Away helium balloon takes guests 450 feet above Perfect Day at CocoCay, providing the highest vantage point in The Bahamas.
Fourteen months after being announced, Royal Caribbean officially opened Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Guests sailing on Navigator of the Seas were welcomed to Perfect Day at CocoCay, where a number of new venues, activities and offerings were officially open for guest use.
Among the many options now available to guests, Thrill Waterpark was highly anticipated and open as well.
Thrill Waterpark is home to Daredevil’s Tower, where guests can try a number of single-rider waterslides of various heights, including the 135-foot-tall Daredevil’s Peak – the tallest waterslide in North America.
Additional highlights are the twin Dueling Demon drop slides, launching riders from a vertical position; the Manta Raycers, where friends can race down twin open flume slides; the high-speed, fully vertical Screeching Serpent; and the coiling Green Mamba, a massive aqua tube slide.
Younger kids could enjoy the complimentary Captain Jill’s Galleon, which is an interactive play structure loaded with swashbuckling thrills.
Royal Caribbean also revamped its beach offerings with the dedication of Chill Island.
The 1,600 foot zipline opened as well, marking yet another fun activity for families to try.
Off the bat, Perfect Day at CocoCay was such a hit with guests that Royal Caribbean announced it would add select sailings that visit Perfect Day at CocoCay twice, along with late night stays.
Beginning September 30, 2019, Royal Caribbean began to offer 4-night itineraries to the private island destination across nearly 40 sailings.
In addition, three one-of-a-kind cruises with late-night visits to the island were offered on Navigator of the Seas. These visits included traditional Bahamian-inspired activities, including a Junkanoo Jam Up Party, an island barbeque and performances by a calypso band and fire dancers, topped off with unforgettable farewell fireworks before setting sail.
In the fall, Royal Caribbean teamed up with Funky Buddha Brewery to create an exclusive beer for Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The Chilla Thrilla beer is available only at the island, and offers a fun and different option for guests to enjoy while spending the day there.
The final phase of Perfect Day at CocoCay opened on January 31, 2020 with the grand opening of the Coco Beach Club.
The Coco Beach Club is a exclusive area of Perfect Day at CocoCay that offers an oceanfront infinity pool, upgraded cuisine and the only floating cabanas in the Bahamas. Plus, there is a complimentary restaurant at Coco Beach Club featuring lobster, snapper, and steak— plus a buffet of soups, salads, and starters.
Entry to the Coco Beach Club requires an additional cost. Guests can choose between a day pass to the Coco Beach Club, as well as the option to reserve a cabana or floating cabana.
The attention-grabbing floating cabanas also debuted, which sought to bring a bit of Bora Bora to the Bahamas.
The 20 luxurious cabanas feature a private slide into the ocean, overwater hammock, dining area, freshwater shower, wet bar and an unbeatable ocean vista.
Have you visited Perfect Day at CocoCay yet? What is your favorite spot on the island? Share your memories, tips and advice in the comments!
Happy Cinco de Mayo! While we cannot celebrate this festive holiday on a Royal Caribbean ship (or even at a bar near home), the next best thing is making the world famous Sabor margaritas at home!
The Grand Sabor Margarita is one of the premier beverages available at my favorite Royal Caribbean specialty restaurant, Sabor Modern Mexican.
Margaritas are a great drink to enjoy anytime of the year, but on Cinco de Mayo, it is a must-drink option.
If you were at Sabor, you could choose between a variety of margaritas, like avocado or jalapeño-cucumber.
Here is how to "plus" your Cinco de Mayo (and Taco Tuesday) festivities at home with the Grand Sabor Margarita recipe!
Royal Caribbean announced two upcoming sailings in June in order to assist with repatriating crew member efforts.
Vision of the Seas’ June 13th, 2020 and Anthem of the Seas’ June 20th, 2020 sailings are the two cancelled sailings that were announced today.
Royal Caribbean is using these ships to ferry crew members home due to local travel restrictions.
Unfortunately, local travel restrictions and commercial flights have made it extremely challenging to get our crew safely home. We’ve been working with our partners at Cruise Lines International Association and the CDC for months to get our crew safely home, and sailing to their home country is the best option.
As a result of the cancellation, Royal Caribbean is providing these guests with the option of a 125% Future Cruise Credit or a 100% refund.
Future Cruise Credits issued on these sailings should be received by Friday, June 5th, 2020.
The Vision of the Seas June 13th sailing was scheduled to be a 12-Night Mediterranean Greek Isles cruise from Barcelona.
The Anthem of the Seas June 20th sailing was scheduled to be an 8 Night Spain & Portugal Cruise from Southampton.
Royal Caribbean's plans to get crew members home was reported in the last 24 hours.
The crux of the matter that prevented crew from getting home sooner was evidently the CDC's rules for disembarking crew that included provisions such as requiring crew go home via chartered or private transportation.
In the letter from Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley to crew, it explains the legal entanglement that is created by sending crew home now, "The CDC will only allow us to disembark crew members if company executives, myself included, are willing to attest — subject to criminal penalties including imprisonment — that we will not use any public transportation and that each crew member will comply with certain conditions after disembarking the ships. We are happy to do all the things they requested, but the criminal penalties gave us [and our lawyers] pause."
While Bayley said he hopes the threat of criminal prosecution will be removed, he said, “we have decided that the importance of getting you home is so great that we will sign these documents as they are written today to help get you off the ships.”
Thanks to Katina Bradley for alerting us to this announcement.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd Chairman and CEO Richard Fain provided an update on Monday of what the cruise line is doing to repatriate its crew members, as well as prepare itself to resume sailings.
In a new video, Mr. Fain spoke to travel advisors on his view of what the world looks like as it attempts to slowly overcome the current global health scenario.
"Our role is to do everything that passion and ingenuity can offer to keep our ships safe and healthy. Our guests are off our ship and we still have crew on ships who want to go home and we're working feverishly to overcome all the travel barriers to do that. We believe we found ways to finish that imperative and expect to complete the process shortly."
"Looking forward to restarting, health and safety are absolutely paramount as I've said before, what was fine just a few weeks ago is no longer adequate. Good enough just good enough. We need to raise the bar to new heights, and we have teams of doctors, of scientists, of epidemiologists, and teams of people who know our business, all looking hard and charting the safest and surest path forward that we can."
In addition, Mr. Fain spent a great deal of time looking at the current state of flux in statistics, methods and policy changes.
"There is no silver bullet which will magically destroy this horrible infestation. On the other hand, there's a cornucopia of smaller actions, which taken together can bring it under control."
"We're not there yet, but every day seems to bring us just a little bit closer, and as we get closer, we can switch from focusing on only isolation to focusing on the other components of that cornucopia of actions."
At the conclusion of the video, Mr. Fain reiterated Royal Caribbean's support of the travel agent community and the cruise line's unwavering dedication to them.
You can view the other videos that Mr. Fain has produced over the last few weeks: