Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - Spring break cruise review

Cruise prices are on the rise, and that makes free cruise offers through the ship's casino much more enticing than ever before.

Royal Caribbean has its own loyalty program tied to gambling in its casinos. Similar to land casinos, the more you play, the better benefits you get.

I never paid much attention to the casino offers and its perks because I only casually gambled on my cruises and wasn't aware of how lucrative the program can be. The more I cruised, the more I became aware of what it offered, and I was intrigued.

Read more: How to get free cruises through the casino

Let's stop here and remind everyone gambling is very addictive and is not for everyone. Know your limits, and you could easily spend much more in gambling losses than what you could get on a cruise. There is definitely a bigger picture to consider.

You can earn free cruise offers based on how much you gamble during a sailing, and if things go moderately right, you could come home with a free cruiser offer.

How I got a room just by playing in the casino

On my spring break cruise in March, I had some good fortune in the casino and won enough money at the beginning of the cruise to budget my gambling for the remainder of the sailing.

Usually I'll play $100-200 on any given day in the casino, primarily in the evening after dinner and nightly entertainment on the ship. But on this cruise, my early win allowed me to play a bit more since I had a cushion.

In short, you can earn one point for every few dollars you wager (not wins or losses, just how much you play). 

At the casino host desk, there is a sheet that lists how many points during that sailing you need to reach certain reward thresholds. The lowest milestone is 1200 points, where you can get an inside stateroom for free and just pay taxes and port fees.

If you get more points, you can qualify for better cabins and/or more free play to go with it.

I got my 1200 points, and then booked an open cruise booking with NextCruise, which is a requirement to get your free room.  Once I got home, I called Casino Royale and booked my cruise based on the available sailings that qualify.

Read more: 4 common mistakes people make when booking another cruise onboard their ship

You can't use the free cabin offer on any cruise. There are a list of blacked out sailings, and it's no surprise they are over holidays.

I found an  offer on Freedom of the Seas in May, and went ahead and booked it. I opted for an inside guarantee cabin, because I would get an additional $25 in free play at the casino if I went with that instead of picking a room.

I then checked how much my room would have cost if I paid cash for it that same day, and it was $1499.29.

I paid $204.29 for my free room, which was just the port fees and taxes.  Meaning, I saved $1295 on the booking.

Of course, I'd have to refer back to how much I gambled on my cruise to get it, and in this case, I came out ahead because of my windfall that buoyed my play.  That's not always going to be case.

The counter-argument when someone says "you're paying for the room, it's just in gambling losses" is while true, some people are going to gamble anyway in the casino.  It's one thing to go out of your way to gamble, but some people play enough whether there's a free room offer or not.

By offering cruises to further entice play, someone could continue to cruise and save a lot of money on their cruise fare.

Of course, luck isn't always on your side. I've been on cruises where it seems like the you cannot win anything, and losses can mount quickly.  It's entirely possible to lose thousands of dollars and come home with just an inside cabin on a weekend cruise to show for it. It's important to keep this in mind when playing, and be realistic about your play.

The best last-minute deal on the market

In addition to winning a cruise based on your play, Royal Caribbean will periodically send offers select members to entice them to come sail again and play in the casino.

It's not uncommon to get online, email, or even printed letters with an offer of a free or reduced fare cruise. Often, these are for sailings coming up in the next few months.

With regular fares being so much more expensive, it's impressive how lucrative these casino offers can be even for just casual play.

An added bonus to relying on casino bookings is you can cruise more, which helps catapult you up the Crown and Anchor Society membership tier ladder faster.

In my situation, I found my Freedom of the Seas sailing to be a steal. I paid money to gamble that I probably would have done even if there was no free cruise offer, and I came away with a bonus sailing.

While you should expect gambling losses, I still think the Casino Royale offers are the best deal you can get on a cruise these days, especially on a close-in sailing.

It's certainly not an option for everyone, but those that have a stomach for casual gambling might find the best Royal Caribbean cruise deals coming through the casino.

Royal Caribbean is positioning itself to have a combination of port options no other cruise line can rival.

Private islands have been part of every major cruise line's game plan for decades, but Royal Caribbean is embarking on something different that will make it stand out.  They're investing in their private islands while building out a collection of beach clubs.

Last Friday, Royal Caribbean announced it would open a beach club in Cozumel, Mexico in 2026, and that's the latest in the line's salvo of upgrades and additions aimed at making it the market leader in what a cruise vacation is all about.

Cruise ships have long been seen as floating destinations, but the ports of call are just as important to what vacationers are looking for in their cruise. Last year, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider, said the top two reasons people book a cruise are the destinations and food.

While a cruise line has control over the onboard experience, a poor experience on shore still reflects on the overall cruise experience. To that point, Royal Caribbean seems to want to improve that aspect of the overall vacation by giving guests more in-house choices to enjoy.

This strategy has a multi-faceted approach in how it benefits passengers and the company at the same time.

More ports, more choices

From the cruise passenger standpoint, offering beach clubs add to a growing collection of Royal Caribbean branded and operated spots in the Caribbean.

New cruisers, which are the burgeoning market for any cruise line, struggle mightily with finding good choices for shore excursions. Even excursions sold through a cruise line can have its issues, as they're all operated by third-parties. There's a lack of consistency in the product.

With Royal Caribbean's traditional private islands, it offers passengers a safe place they can rely on to deliver a certain quality of experience.

Private islands are wonderful, but very expensive. Plus, you can't just buy up a private island anywhere, especially along routes already frequented by cruise ships.

Enter the beach club.

Royal Caribbean now has two beach clubs set to open in the next two years, in Nassau, Bahamas and Cozumel. Each addresses a need Royal Caribbean's customers have.

The Royal Beach Club in Nassau is located on a strip of land near where the cruise ships dock, which makes it extremely convenient. 

More importantly, Nassau is a port is one of the worst rated ports by Royal Caribbean's passengers.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said in April 2023 "Nassau is in the bottom ten percent," of customer feedback.

Mr. Bayley said cruise ship passengers have, "come here many times before and there’s nothing new, fresh or innovative. Secondly, there needs to be more product, more experience, more uniqueness, more options."

A beach club adds a quality product that passengers can trust, along with the sort of experiences Royal Caribbean already knows its customers want.

It will be 17 acres in size and there will be pools, beaches, dining experiences, and live entertainment too.

In 2026, the Royal Beach Club in Cozumel will open, and that serves a need for a different market.

Royal Caribbean is investing heavily in the Galveston, Texas cruise market.  They've built a brand new terminal, and deployed some of its newest and biggest cruise ships there. 

The need for a cruise from Galveston is something else to do, as ships sailing from Texas are limited to a handful of ports in this region.

Cozumel is a very common port of call for any ship sailing the Western Caribbean, similar to Nassau in how much traffic it gets.

Opening a second beach club in Cozumel means a new option exclusively for Royal Caribbean's ships, and a trusted spot.

While Cozumel is not as poorly rated as Nassau, there's always going to be subset of customers who greatly prefer cruise line-run operations. And it's something flashy that will get the attention of the highly sought-after new cruiser market.

Keeping more money

Besides guest satisfaction, Royal Caribbean stands to improve its bottom line with beach clubs.

If there's been one lesson the company can glean from Perfect Day at CocoCay it's that running a highly rated destination brings in a lot of money.

CocoCay has drawn a lot of interest from new cruisers, and it was designed to attract customers who otherwise wouldn't be taking a cruise.

Adding beach clubs to the mix means more money spent by customers that goes to Royal Caribbean. Ever since Perfect Day at CocoCay opened in 2019, it's been responsible for higher returns to the line, thanks to higher pricing.

Royal Caribbean Group estimates 3 million guests will visit the island in 2024, which is up from 2.5 million in 2023. Mr. Bayley spoke of the island’s success, "The demand for that product [Perfect Day at CocoCay] is exceptionally high. The demand not only is there from a volume perspective, but the rate is there and that rate has been going up again in a very healthy way."

When the new Hideaway Beach expansion went on sale in 2023, sales were described as "gangbusters" by top officials.

Clearly the company is seeing a correlation between high guest satisfaction, premium prices, and better profits.

Something other cruise lines don't offer

Another competitive advantage of Royal Caribbean's plan is it gives them something other lines can't offer.

Royal Caribbean wants to be the top choice for anyone considering a cruise, and in a crowed market, having both private islands and beach clubs could be a difference maker.

Cruise lines don't usually compete with each other for established customers because the new-to-cruise market is enormous and cheaper to attract. People that have never cruised before certainly take note of what stands out, whether it's a new ship or something fun to do.

While other cruise lines have their own private islands, none have announced plans similar to Royal Caribbean's beach club strategy.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore partially collapsed early Tuesday morning after a container ship ran into it, which will have a wide impact, including the cruise industry.

Maryland officials confirmed the ship lost power and ran into the bridge, causing its collapse. People and vehicles were sent into the water, creating a state of emergency.

The bridge's collapse has far ranging humanitarian, logistical and economic impacts, as well as the cruise industry.

Royal Caribbean operates year-round service from the Port of Baltimore, which is located inside the harbor and impacted and/or blocked by the now collapsed bridge.

A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson issued a statement no decisions have been finalized yet as it relates to cruise ship operations.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragedy and collapse of the Key Bridge that occurred last night and extend our heartfelt prayers to all those impacted."

"Our Port Logistics team is currently working on alternatives for our ongoing and upcoming sailings. We will message our guests and travel partners directly once our plans are finalized."

Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas sails out of Maryland, offering cruises to the Bahamas, Southern Caribbean, Bermuda, and Canada/New England. Other cruise lines, such as Norwegian and Carnival, sail from Baltimore, too. 

Vision of the Seas is currently on a 12-night Southern Caribbean sailing that is not due back into port until April 4.

What happened to the bridge

Traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore has been suspended following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge suffered a fatal blow after being hit by a large container ship early Tuesday. Meer moments after the collision, the bridge collapsed, sending vehicles and people into the Patapsco River. 

Officials were searching for "upwards of seven people," according to the Baltimore City fire chief, James Wallace. Two people have already been rescued, with one declining medical service and the other being transported to a trauma center in serious condition. 

At the time of the collision, workers were on the bridge completing repairs to its concrete deck. However, according to Paul J. Wiedefeld, Maryland’s transportation secretary, it's unclear how many workers were on-site during the incident. 

The container ship, named The Dali, was on its way out of Baltimore on a 27-day journey to Sri Lanka, striking the bridge less than thirty minutes after departing the port around 1:30am EST. It was scheduled to arrive on April 22, according to VesselFinder. 

This isn't the first time The Dali has been involved in an incident, as the ship hit a stone wall at the port of Antwerp in 2016. Thankfully, nobody was injured; however, the vessel did sustain minor damage.

In addition to rescue efforts streamlined by the Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a no-fly order around the bridge to allow workers to search for survivors from the air. 

According to the FBI, no evidence suggests this was a terrorist attack; however, the investigation is ongoing. Richard Worley, the Baltimore Police commissioner, made a similar statement, claiming that there's "absolutely no indication" the ship struck the bridge on purpose. 

No matter the cruise, there's always going to be a large contingent of first-time cruisers that inevitably make mistakes.

I took my family on a 7-night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas for spring break. It's an annual cruise tradition, as taking the kids out of school during the course of the calendar year gets more difficult as they get older.

Spring break has its pros and cons to sailing this time of year, but we find the comfortable outdoor temperatures, lack of tropical storms, and built-in time off as good reasons to sail this month.

Over the span of the week, I ran into many cruisers and couldn't help but notice some of the clearly new ones struggling with things I think could have been avoided. I'm far from perfect, but I've gotten a lot better at avoiding common pitfalls from experience. Therefore, I think it's helpful to share with our readers ways they can improve too.

Here are the six mistakes I saw first-time cruisers committing on my cruise.  These are the ones I witnessed, although I'm sure other first-time cruise mistakes were being committed elsewhere. 

Not knowing it's spring break

This may seem obvious, but there are always a few people genuinely surprised to be on a spring break cruise. Maybe it's because where they are from, spring break is a different week of the year. Or they don't think of March as when spring break might happen.

There were about 1700 children on our spring break cruise. To be clear, a ship like Wonder of the Seas would have been full if it were spring break or not. The difference is you have more kids than other weeks, but all the cabins would have been sold out one way or another given how popular cruising is, and how cruise lines sell their ships to sail at full capacity every week as a matter of economics.

Spring break might seem like it's one or two weeks, but in reality, it encompasses a few months.  Most people consider spring break season to begin in mid-February when it's President's Day weekend in the United States and go all the way through Easter.

That means you'll find spring breakers cruising anytime in late February, March, or early April. Depending on when Easter falls on the calendar, the season can be longer or shorter. You should expect more kids on the ship any of these weeks.

One way to double check is to spot check school calendars, especially if you're on the fringe of spring break. Google your own hometown school calendar, as well as a few others. For what it's worth, Orange County schools in Florida had their spring break beginning on March 18, while Osceola County had theirs March 11.

The good news is you don't get the rowdy college spring breakers on a 7-night cruise, as much as you would on a 4-night cruise. However, there are definitely more families onboard and that just means lines for the water slides, laser tag, or hot tub might be longer.

If you truly want to avoid a spring break cruise, try a cruise in January, early February, or May.

Not checking in online

As I barely stopped in my cruise check-in process, I couldn't help but shake my head at the folks who had to stop and have the terminal staff enter their paperwork for boarding.

Royal Caribbean allows you to start checking in for your cruise up to 45 days before the cruise begins, and you really should do all the pre-cruise check-in steps while you're at home (or work, I promise not to tell your boss).

In short, the time it takes to enter your travel information in the app at home is time saved in the terminal. I'm willing to bet it's faster for you to enter the information than the terminal staff can do it.

Whether it saves you five minutes or an hour, I personally would rather expedite the process to get on the ship and not start my vacation with an unnecessary line.

Read more: Royal Caribbean check-in process

Not specifying liquor brand when ordering a drink

Whether you buy a Royal Caribbean drink package or not, when you tell the bartender which drink you'd like, always specify the brand of liquor.

All too often, I see someone come up to the bar and ask for "a pina colada" or "a bloody mary" and not ask for Kraken rum or Tito's vodka.

When you ask for a liquor, you're almost always going to get the cheapest brand of liquor they have (better known as "well liquor"). It won't be nearly as smooth, and usually results in that cringe face after the first few sips.

Don't worry, most types of liquor are included with a drink package.  Unless you're asking for something super top shelf, it won't affect the price.

Read more: Avoid these Royal Caribbean drink package mistakes

Choosing My Time Dining

This next one isn't so much of a mistake, as it is something to think about for next time.

When you choose which dining time for dinner on your cruise, you have to pick between Traditional or My Time Dining.  There are pros and cons to both, but I really felt bad for the folks in My Time Dining.

When I walked past the Main Dining Room on Deck 4 at 6:30pm, there were two giant lines that went almost back into the casino.

I went back a half hour later to check, and the line had subsided, but hadn't gone away.

My Time Dining is a good choice for those that want flexibility in when they eat, but understand you may have to wait for a table.

Too much fun in the sun

To be fair, experienced cruisers succumb to the sunburn just as easily as a new cruiser. But it seems like new cruisers tend to end up with that "lobster glow" more often.

Even though it's only March, the sun is strong and a sunburn is something no one wants.

Not only should you remember to apply sunscreen before you start your day on shore, but you need to re-apply. A lot.

Every two hours or so is a good idea, and you want to take a break to avoid getting burned.  Once you're burned, it can be really uncomfortable for the next few days.  

Similarly, it's easy to start having a great time relaxing in the ocean or pool, but be sure to take breaks and remember to not over do it. 

Eating before you start day drinking is always a solid bet, and pace yourself. It's easy to get swept up in the fun and keep the drinks flowing, but drink responsibly so you don't end up being "that guy" later in the day.

Read more: 22 unpleasant cruise ship problems you aren't prepared for

Keeping luggage tags on bags on final night

At first I thought there was just one person that did this, but then I saw lots of bags.

The luggage tags you attached to your bag on embarkation should not be on your bags still when it's time to leave the luggage out on the final night of the cruise.

I have no idea how often (if at all) this really gets anyone into trouble with their luggage being lost, but if removing the original luggage tags is definitely a good practice to get into so there is absolutely no confusion if a piece of luggage in the cruise terminal is for a guest disembarking or a new guest boarding the ship.

Royal Caribbean will open a beach club in Mexico, exclusively for the use of its cruise ship passengers.

Royal Beach Club Cozumel in Mexico is the name of the line's next new enclave.

Beach clubs are a new idea for Royal Caribbean, which are private areas reserved for the use of Royal Caribbean ships visiting that day. An admission cost is also associated with the clubs.

The announcement was made on Friday and the new club will open sometime in 2026.

It will be located "along the western coast of the island."

“We are delighted to build on our longstanding partnership with the local community and government to continue bringing our guests to Mexico,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “The expansion of our destination offerings aligns with the growing global demand for the ultimate vacation experiences and enables our guests to connect with the beauty of local cultures and people in the places they visit.”

“The anticipation for what’s next when it comes to Royal Caribbean destinations has only continued to build since we revealed Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in The Bahamas that opens in 2025. Now is the perfect time to announce the next iteration of this collection with Royal Beach Club Cozumel,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Cozumel is an incredible destination, and the beach club will perfectly complement all the island has to offer as an experience that combines familiar Royal Caribbean touches with the spirit of Mexico, alongside amenities and activities for every type of vacationer.”

What the club offers

The exact details aren't known, but Royal Caribbean said the Royal Beach Club Cozumel will offer beach and pool access, along with scenic views.

We know of these features:

• swim-up bars
• Pools for families and all guests to enjoy
• Cabanas to rent
• Snorkeling
• Kayaking
• Restaurants, bars, and lounges with Mexican flare
• Street market offering hands-on experiences like tequila tastings and cooking classes.

Hints at the club

In retrospect, today's news was alluded to by Royal Caribbean's executives recently.

During the inaugural sailing of Icon of the Seas in February 2024, Mr. Bayley answered a question about the future of cruises from Galveston, Texas from a travel agent during a Q&A session.

Galveston has become one of Royal Caribbean's fastest growing markets recently, with the line opening a brand new cruise terminal there in 2022.

"It wasn't by accident we put Allure of the Seas into Texas, and now we've got Harmony of the seas. And if you just think forward a few more years, I wonder what we're going to do next."

"I'm not giving away our strategy here because it's pretty. It's pretty simple if you can just use your imagination, you know, big things are coming, baby."

First beach club opening in The Bahamas

In 2020, Royal Caribbean announced a new venture in Nassau that would allow passengers the ability to visit an exclusive destination outfitted with four beaches, private cabanas, a spacious swimming pool, and a watersports center.

Dubbed "Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island," this addition to Royal Caribbean's private offerings, specifically in a busy port like Nassau, aims to provide passengers with unparalleled beach experiences away from the majority of the crowds.

Since Royal Caribbean is designing the beach club as a public-private partnership, Bahamians are able to hold up to 49% equity in the venture.

While not a private island like Perfect Day at CocoCay, the 17-acre Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island is exclusively for guests sailing onboard Royal Caribbean ships. Although situated on Paradise Island, which is home to resorts like Baha Mar, Sandals Royal Bahamian, and Atlantic, the Royal Beach Club will be located in a more secluded area.

Additionally, it's not included in the cost of your cruise fare, so you'll have to pay extra for admission. Included in the cost of a day pass to the Royal Beach Club are complimentary beach chairs, food, and use of the swimming pool and kids' splash pad.

Apart from two food halls, there will be three Snack Shack locations offering convenient grab-and-go items like chicken sandwiches, french fries, and, of course, the ever-popular mozzarella sticks. Aside from dining, guests who pay for admission to the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island will have access to numerous bars, as they're scattered throughout the beach club.

To reach the beach club, passengers will have to taxi a complimentary water shuttle from Bay Street located near the Straw Market. Once onboard, guests will have two drop-off options: near Sapphire Beach and the west end of the pool.

At the time of writing, the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island is scheduled to welcome its first guests in 2025.

St. Thomas beach club next?

Earlier this week, the Hotel Director on Wonder of the Seas was speaking to guests during an event onboard and mentioned a beach club was coming to Mexico. He also said there were other plans for other islands.

At the Top Tier event, the Hotel Director talked about plans the company has to build more beach clubs, although at the time of his talk, nothing had been officially announced by the company.

"We're developing the Royal Beach Clubs as well. The first one of those is going to be in Nassau in the Bahamas," he said to the crowd.

"I believe that's going to be the first in a series of Royal Beach clubs. We're looking at St Thomas, we're looking at Mexico."

As it turns out, his announcement has been half right so far, with the Cozumel Beach Club announcement confirmed.

Brunch isn't something Royal Caribbean has offered a lot, but it's great you can find brunch more often now.

On Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, there are three restaurants that serve brunch throughout the cruise: the Main Dining Room, Solarium Bistro, and Mason Jar.

Brunch isn't offered every day, but it's available on select mornings of the cruise.

During my recent cruise on Wonder of the Seas, I stopped by all three to sample them all.

Only reservation you need is at Mason Jar

Both Solarium Bistro and Main Dining Room require no reservations for brunch, but you will need one at the Mason Jar.

Brunch is offered at Solarium Bistro on sea days (and on the day we docked in St. Thomas at 1pm). Brunch was only offered in the Main Dining Room on our late arrival day into St. Thomas, and the Mason Jar offers brunch on embarkation day and sea days (and St. Thomas day).

You can make a pre-cruise reservation for Mason Jar on the Royal Caribbean website. For the other two restaurants, simply walk up and ask for a table.

I was surprised by the menu choices

When I hear the word "brunch", I think of scrambled eggs and bacon served alongside spaghetti and a burger. In short, it's about a lot of choices you can intermix between the two meals.

The Mason Jar's brunch menu has items from both meals, including fried chicken sandwiches, avocado toast, biscuits, and more.

Being a Southern American styled restaurant, there are a lot of regional favorites here: blueberry johnnycakes, spinach 'n pimento cheese omelet, and fried chicken 'n waffles. There's also scrambled eggs, burger, and a chicken sandwich if you want something a bit more familiar.

At the Main Dining Room, their brunch menu leaned more heavily into the breakfast choices. It felt like their brunch menu was the standard breakfast menu, with a few of their lunch menu items added in.

The Solarium Bistro's menu was the largest of the menus, with multiple stations to choose from.  Served buffet style, there is no printed menu, but I found much more choices than I expected.

Solarium Bistro's brunch buffet bonanza

The Solarium Bistro is a complimentary restaurant at the front of the ship that I think many passengers overlook. However, on the day I ate there, it was definitely not uncrowded.

You will find lots of choices spread across multiple buffet stations. There are waffles, burgers, omelets, spaghetti, bacon, and more.

I was impressed by how much choice there was, which is why it felt the most crowded of the buffet spots I visited on Wonder.

The food quality was that of the Windjammer buffet, so it wouldn't be anything significantly different. But I think the sheer variety and the fact it's included in your cruise fare stood out a lot.

Southern comfort food at Mason Jar

The Mason Jar is Royal Caribbean's first specialty restaurant to lean into the brunch trend, and it wont leave you disappointed either.

You'll find a mix of familiar and maybe not-so-familiar choices (if you don't live near an SEC college). I'm all for new choices, and I appreciate it's not just more of the same.

The Sweet-Tooth Cinnamon Roll and the red velvet pancakes caught our eye almost immediately. The cinnamon roll was massive, and probably best suited as something to share with everyone at your table.

In fact, all the dishes were quite large and this is a good restaurant to order one more entree than people in your party and just share everything. 

A basic brunch in the Main Dining Room

The brunch menu in the Main Dining Room is perhaps the least inspired of the three, in the sense it's the standard breakfast menu they have every day, with a few staples of the lunch menu.

There's nothing wrong with any of the choices here, but don't expect to be wowed by anything new or different.

What I love about eating in the Main Dining Room for breakfast or brunch is the relaxed pace, dignified atmosphere, and ocean views (if you're near a window).

Whereas Solarium Bistro is busy with people, the Main Dining Room is more spread out and has you seated with waiter service.

The French toast and omelet your way are probably the top choices, but you could get a steak or burger here too.

Solarium Bistro is worth a try on your next cruise

Among the three restaurants, I enjoyed Solarium Bistro the most.

Not only is it complimentary, but I thought its variety of menu choices really stood out. It felt like I could mix and match the most of the three, and I thought there were some interesting choices too.

The Mason Jar is a strong contender too, as you'll find classic and reimaged southern-inspired breakfast dishes. I think being able to go to any specialty restaurant and get something you can't find elsewhere on the ship is a big selling point of spending extra.

However, there is a lot of bleed over between the Mason Jar's brunch and dinner menus. Plus, I think the bar scene is better than the restaurant experience, but that's a different debate.

Compared to Solarium Bistro and Mason Jar, the Main Dining Room's brunch offering was uninspiring. It wasn't bad food by any means, just nothing you're going to walk away from and think that meal really stood out.

Overall, I would recommend the Solarium Bistro for brunch as an easy choice that the entire family will find something they can enjoy. If you have a dining package, make a point to try Mason Jar on another morning.

I've rented plenty of cabanas at Royal Caribbean's private destinations in the Caribbean, but its latest creation is my favorite yet.

Perfect Day at CocoCay is an island in The Bahamas for its passengers to enjoy, and there's plenty to see and do without spending extra.

Around Perfect Day at CocoCay are cabana rentals you can choose to reserve for an extra cost to provide privacy, extra service, shade, and amenities.

I recently spent the day at CocoCay with some friends and splurged to book a Hideout Cabana in the adults-only area.

Booking the cabana

I booked my cabana online from Royal Caribbean's website a few months before the cruise. The pre-cruise booking experience is quite easy, as there have been a number of improvements to expedite the process.

Not only is booking a cabana online easy and fast, it's likely cheaper than waiting to book it onboard the ship. Royal Caribbean usually discounts its add-ons to entice customers to spend more overall. In fact, about 70% of passengers are pre-booking something.

There are two sets of cabanas at Hideaway Beach, which is the adults-only area that opened in 2024. The Hideaway Cabanas near the beach (between $899 - $1,699), and the Hideout Cabanas with a private pool (between $1,899 - $2,699).

Because I prefer the pool over the beach, I went with the Hideout Cabanas. For $2,000, we had the cabana for the entire duration of our stay at CocoCay for up to 8 people.

We checked in as early as possible the day we arrived

Cabanas open as soon as the gangway is open for passengers to disembark the cruise ship. Our ship, Wonder of the Seas, docked at 7am, and we walked off the ship at 8am to maximize our time.

It took us just a few minutes to walk down the pier and hop on a complimentary tram to take us to Hideaway Beach.

At the entrance to Hideaway Beach, we informed them we had a cabana and we then went to the cabana check-in desk.

The staff welcomed us and escorted us to the cabana.

Our cabana had plenty of shade, private pool access, drink and food service

The Hideout Cabanas offer in-pool loungers, a couch, and chairs in the cabana. In fact, two of the chairs can be converted to floats that can be used in the pool.

The pool itself is heated too.

The cabana provides privacy with three walls, along with a ceiling fan, Bluetooth sound system, shower, mini-fridge, and sink.

Our mini-fridge was stocked with beers, wine, sodas, and water. The bottled Evian water is complimentary, but the other beverages cost extra.  If you have a Royal Caribbean drink package, then that will cover the beverages consumed in the cabana (and elsewhere on the island).

We had everything we needed for the day

Part of the appeal of renting any cabana on CocoCay is it's your own little spot to enjoy without much care.

Your cabana attendant already has towels for you, so there's no reason to bring any on or off the ship. And they also bring you food and drink.

You can order food from Slice of Paradise or Hideaway Hut, which includes pizza, sandwiches, salads, burgers and more.

The only reason to leave the cabana is to go to the beach or the restroom.

We really enjoyed our poolside lunch

Lunch service begins at 10:30am and is available the whole day. There's no limit, so just keep ordering as much as you'd like.

The menu had something for everyone and the kind of food you'd like to have on a pool/beach day. While the food is not as high quality as the Coco Beach Club restaurant, there are additional items not available elsewhere on CocoCay, such as coconut shrimp basket or pizza.

I spent time before lunch going between dips in the pool and working from the table in our cabana. Blogging requires work, but I was sure to get as much done early so I could enjoy the rest of the day.

Our cabana attendant would come by every 20 minutes, but there was a button we could use to page him if we needed something.

The food was brought reasonably quickly, and we were not hungry for long.

There were lots of fun drinks to pick from

In addition to the typical beers and cocktails most people order, there are a half dozen featured cocktails you can order.

Having extra choices to consider is always nice, especially on a cruise where it seems like you gravitate towards the same choices.

Since we had a drink package on this cruise, we could try different cocktails without risk of being "stuck" with a poor choice.

Something else special about the Hideout Cabanas is there is bottle service, where you can order bottles of wine or champagne.

We spent most of the day in the pool

The Hideout cabanas have access to their own infinity pool, and I think this is the top reason to book one of these cabanas.

Only Hideout cabana guests can access this pool, so it has a sense of exclusivity as well as being very convenient as it's at the entrance to the cabana.

You could sit in one of the loungers, take a dip in the pool, stroll, or sun yourself. There's enough space for 8 people to enjoy and not feel cramped at all.

We loved having the ability to go out into the pool for a bit to get some sun, and then retreat into the cool shade when we'd had enough.

There's more to do, if you care to leave the cabana

The cabana is a blessing and a curse in the sense you have everything you need in one place, but leaving it to explore the rest of Hideaway Beach seems like you're wasting your investment.

Elsewhere in Hideaway Beach is a giant pool with DJ party, sports bar, and beach. In my opinion, these areas are great if you don't rent a cabana.  But there's nothing wrong with taking a walk to see them either.

The pool is definitely the party spot, with a giant swim-up bar and DJ nearby. It's big on energy.

The cost of the cabana seemed well worth it to me, and I'd rent one again

Although we only had the cabana for about 8 hours, it seemed worthwhile for our large group.

The cabanas are a great choice for family and friends looking to get the most out of their day at CocoCay. Since it's adults-only, no kids are allowed.  For cruises where we sail with our adult friends, it's the perfect add-on.

The cost is not insignificant, but when you split the cost across a group of people and then figure out the hourly cost, it's not a bad price at all. Especially compared to the price for Coco Beach Club cabanas.

Read more: Guide to CocoCay cabanas

I'd absolutely rent a Hideout Cabana again. The pool is such a nice idea, and I think it's better than the pricier over the water cabanas at the Coco Beach Club.

Among the many choices where to spend your day at CocoCay, having your own dedicated place to chill is key. Combined with a friendly host, lots of drink choices, and a delicious poolside lunch, a cabana rental feels like a no-brainer.

Royal Caribbean has cancelled all of its visits to its private beach in Haiti until further notice.

Last night, the line notified guests who had cruises with stops in Labadee over the next week that their visits have been changed to another port or swapped to sea days.

The worsening unrest in Haiti necessitated a change in plans, and thousands of passengers and travel agents received emails that their visit to Labadee would be cancelled.

It appears there will be more rolling cancellations until the situation improves.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted an update on Thursday morning to provide additional context as to the scope of the cancellations.

His Facebook post stated, "We have suspended calls into Labadee, Haiti for the next 7 days and will continue suspension on a rolling basis with 3 days advance notification to our guests sailing on itineraries impacted and changed as we monitor and evaluate the situation in Haiti."

Depending on the ship, the cancelled visit has been replaced with either another port or a sea day. 

• Symphony of the Seas March 17 replaced Labadee with a sea day
• Adventure of the Seas March 15 replaced Labadee with Turks & Caicos

Labadee is located in a remote part of Haiti, and has been a private beach for Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers since it opened in 1988. 

Haiti is experiencing a major civil upheaval following thousands of gang members escaping multiple prisons in Port-au-Prince.  As a result, the U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 warning for the country, meaning all travel to the country is discouraged. 

Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean initially cancelled just shore excursions, but retained visits to Labadee. This included jet ski, kayak, and fishing excursions.

It's not clear what change necessitated the full cancellation of visits to Labadee for the foreseeable future.

Passenger reaction

Mr. Bayley's update was met with plenty of opinions on if the cancellations were necessary, alternate port options, and other thoughts.

Ashley Sanders wrote, "I, for one, am glad you guys are thinking of the crew and passengers first. Nobody life is worth a stop in a place that's dangerous."

Rachael Correll Estevez brought up two issues with the rolling three day window, "Three days is not enough. It doesn't give people enough time to make other plans at a new port (if one is assigned)."

She pointed out a policy related to infants and the number of sea days allowable for them to cruise, "Some sailings removing Labadee and replacing it with a sea day makes 3 consecutive days at sea, making babies 6-12 months ineligible to sail... how is 3 days enough for those families to adjust to their options?"

Breeda O'Leary posted about the replacement port options, "Please find other ports instead of another sea day whenever possible."

Royal Caribbean wants to add more value to its guests at the very top of its customer loyalty program.

Pinnacle Club guests received an email on Wednesday informing them of an update to their Pinnacle Club benefits.

Pinnacle Club status is the top tier within its loyalty program, requiring a total of 700 points to attain it.

Read more: Crown and Anchor Society loyalty program info, tips & secrets

Overview of the new benefit

Effective on sailings beginning March 15, 2024, and onwards, each Pinnacle Club member may now bring one guest staying in their immediate stateroom to accompany them into the Suite/Concierge Lounge, Suite Sun Decks, and Coastal Kitchen.

Crown Lounge (formerly known as the Diamond Lounge is not included) in this change.

There are some special rules with this new option:

Non-Pinnacle Club guests must be always accompanied by a Pinnacle Club member.

Beverages consumed in these venues will be charged to guests' SeaPass cards - Diamond and above members may redeem their daily drink vouchers. 

On sailings where the number of eligible Suite & Pinnacle Club guests exceeds the Suite venue capacity, access for Pinnacle Club members will be determined by cruise points and extended to one of their stateroom occupants. Those eligible will receive access notifications 48 hours before the sailing and a reminder on boarding day in the Welcome Letter.

Access to Coastal Kitchen is based on space and availability. Reservations are required and can only be made once onboard.

Royal Caribbean went on to say that this new benefit for Pinnacle Club members has not changed Crown Lounge access and remains exclusive to Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members, unless communicated otherwise.

Why the change? Royal Caribbean wants to deliver the very best benefits to its most loyal cruisers, "We are committed to ensuring your cruise experience is exceptional, and we believe these updates contribute to that goal."

Adding the new benefit means Pinnacles can bring someone in their cabin with them to enjoy the reserved space.  Prior to this change, the benefit was only applicable to the Pinnacle Club guests.

The gap between Pinnacle Club and the next tier down, Diamond Plus, is significant at 175 points to 700 to move up.

Pinnacle Club benefits comparison

Beyond the benefits shared with lower tiers, Pinnacle Club guests enjoy a great deal of benefits.

Chief among them is a free cruise once they reach the tier. There's a free cruise for two people on a 7-night balcony stateroom for 700 and 1050 cruise point thresholds. 

Plus, a milestone cruise certificate valued at the prevailing rate of a Junior Suite stateroom for 1,400 and every 350 cruise points thereafter.

Pinnacles also get free internet packages for duration of every sailing, lapel pins, priority embarkation with the suite guests, and daily breakfast at a specialty restaurant.

How to qualify for Pinnacle Club

If you'd like to get to Pinnacle Club, you'll need to accrue at least 700 points in Crown and Anchor Society.

You'll earn one point per night of your cruise in a standard cabin (balcony cabin or smaller), which means you'd need 700 cruise nights to get there.

There is a faster way if you're willing to spend extra.  Staying in a suite gets you two points per night. Likewise, booking a standard cabin alone will get you two points per night.

If you stay in a suite by yourself, then you'll earn three points per night, which is the most you can earn per night in Crown and Anchor Society at the moment.

Unlike most hotels or most airlines, your points never expire and you don't have to requalify for your status annually.