It takes great knowledge and skill to manage the daily operations of the Engine Department on a mega cruise ship. See exclusive behind-the-scenes video of Chief Engineer, Marco Marzoochi, as he ensures that Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas runs safely and smoothly.
Royal Caribbean fans down under can look forward to two Voyager-class ships offering cruises to the South Pacific this summer on Explorer of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.
Both ships where revitalized recently from bow to stern, costing a total of $180 million, and will offer 2016/2017 summer cruise itineraries to destinations like Mystery Island and Port Vila in Vanuatu, and Noumea, Isle of Pines and Lifou (Loyalty Islands) in New Caledonia.
In addition, both ships will offer more stops than ever to Fiji, which has proven to be a real favorite port of call. Royal Caribbean will more than double the amount of Fiji calls year on year, with 34 visits across the season to two destinations, Suva and Lautoka. There will even be two Fiji overnight calls, when Explorer of the Seas stays the night in Suva during her repositioning voyages between Australia and Seattle.
Royal Caribbean Managing Director for Royal Caribbean International in Australia and New Zealand, Adam Armstrong, thinks these two ships will offer guests a lot of fantastic cruise options, "Since we arrived in Australia some eight years ago, we have been delivering Australians with the style of cruising they had previously been traveling overseas for. With two Voyager Class megaliners now sailing from Sydney, there’s double the opportunity to cruise on Australia’s most feature-packed ships, and double the fun."
Fares for a seven night roundtrip sailing on Voyager of the Seas start from AUD$1,009 for the first guest and AUD$549.50 for the second, when booked before 30 July 2016. The cruise departs Sydney 1 November 2016 and includes calls to Noumea and Isle of Pines in New Caledonia.
Royal Caribbean will begin its newest sales promotion on July 19, 2016, with a new BOGO offer, with additional savings for one day only on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas sailings.
In addition to the benefits of the normal BOGO deal, 50% off second guest and their deposit, guests can save up to an additional $250 off the cruise fare.
Offer details
Also, for eligible Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas holiday sailings departing December 18-31, 2016, offer includes a per person onboard credit: $100 OBC per person up to 4 guests for sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 OBC per person up to 4 guests for sailings 5 nights or less.
The one day bonus sale for Oaiss and Allure of the Seas is valid on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas sailings departing between August 19, 2016 and December 31, 2016.
One Day Sale is combinable with adjoining BOGO, 25% Savings for 3rd and 4th guests, Holiday OBC, Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers. BOGO and 3rd and 4th Guest Savings are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). One Day Sale and Holiday OBC are combinable with each other and restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military) and NextCruise offers. One Day Sale and Holiday OBC are not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts. One Day Sale is not combinable with any other Dollars Off promotion. All 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, Net Rates, Shareholder Benefits.
Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.
Royal Caribbean is celebrating a double win at the AFTA National Travel Industry Awards 2016, which marks the first time the cruise line has taken home both honors.
Royal Caribbean was awarded Best Cruise Operator – International, and Best Cruise Operator – Domestic.
Since 2005, Royal Caribbean has been the proud recipient of Best Cruise Operator award wins five times. 2016 marks the first time the line has secured both the international and domestic prize, a particularly special achievement, according to Adam Armstrong, Royal Caribbean’s managing director in Australia and New Zealand.
“These awards are significant because they demonstrate recognition from the travel industry. Our travel agent partners play a huge role in the success of our cruise brand sailing here in Australia and around the world.
“It’s a great honour to be recognised and solidifies our commitment to delivering our style of innovative and international holidays at sea. We are truly grateful to the industry for their ongoing support.”
“Our congratulations go out to all other finalists and winners of the AFTA National Travel Industry Awards,” Armstrong concluded.
Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas will skip a scheduled port stop in Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey this week following the news of the attempted coup in the country.
Royal Caribbean issued a letter to guests, informing them that the scheduled stop in Ephesus on Wednesday, July 20, will be canceled. Royal Caribbean is working to find an alternative port of call to replace the stop.
"Since we became aware of the incident, we have been in close contact with our Global Security Team in Miami, as well as our local contacts in Turkey. After taking all of their intelligence and advice into consideration, we have decided to cancel all port calls to Turkey, including our scheduled call to Ephesus (Kusadasi) on Wednesday, July 20. We are currently working to find an alternative port of call and will let you know as soon as one is confirmed.
We truly regret having to take this action, but feel it is in the best interest of all guests. The safety and security of our guests and crew members is always foremost in our minds."
All shore excursions purchased through Royal Caribbean International will be refunded to the form of payment used.
Thanks to Royal Caribbean Blog reader Jacob Holness for alerting us to this change.
Happy Sunday! We hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and are ready to catch up on all the Royal Caribbean news from this week!
Royal Caribbean added new Empress of the Seas sailings, offering cruises through the end of September 2016.
The new sailings visit destinations in the Bahamas and Caribbean.
The new sailings are available for booking immediately and are 4- and 5-night itineraries.
The 154th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we are answering your Royal Caribbean emails
In this episode, Matt and Michael read the emails our listeners sent in about lots of Royal Caribbean topics and share the answers to them.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
Skift interviewed Royal Caribbean's CIO about the direction of the company.
Business.com interviewed Royal Caribbean's Vicki Freed.
Cruise Fever reports on which Royal Caribbean ship got a perfect score from the CDC.
Royal Caribbean's next sales promotion offers guests 50% off second guest and 25% off third and fourth guests.
This BOGO offer is valid between July 18 and August 3, 2016 on all sailings departing on or after August 7, 2016. Offer excludes China departures.
The promotion gives guests
BOGO is combinable with 25% Savings for 3rd and 4th guests, Holiday OBC, Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers.
BOGO and 3rd and 4th Guest Savings are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). All 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, Net Rates, Shareholder Benefits.
Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.
Royal Caribbean released a statement indicating a scheduled stop for one of its cruise ships in Nice did not occur due to the recent terrorist attack.
Cruise Critic posted a statement released by Royal Caribbean that stated Navigator of the Seas skipped a stop in Nice, France.
"After reviewing all of the available information and along with discussions with our Global Security team in Miami, we have decided to cancel our next two calls to Nice. Navigator of the Seas was scheduled to visit Nice on Friday, July 15. Instead, the ship will spend the day at sea."
No other itinerary changes have been announced for Royal Caribbean ships.
Every Friday we showcase Royal Caribbean photos that our readers sent in, and we have a great batch of photos to share with you again this week!
What happens when you order nothing for dessert? Mike Dinsmore sent us this photo proof of what nothing looks like!
Jeff Covello shared with us this photo Explorer of the Seas in Alaska. Great contrast between the ship and the mountains!
Here is another photo from Alaska, and this one is from John that was taken from his Junior Suite balcony. I cannot get enough sunset photos and this one is beautiful.
Dan Stewart sent us this photo from Oasis of the Seas right before a storm rolled in near Jamaica. Check out the colors in the sky and on the ship!
Dave shared this photo of Jewel of the Seas. I am not sure which port this was taken in, but it is hard to deny the beauty of the lines of a Radiance class ship.
Matthias & Klaus combined their love for cruising with their love for baking. This is such a fun idea!
Our last photo is from Tom & Diane Trudnowski and it is of sunset in Tampa, as seen on Vision of the Seas. Gorgeous!
Thank you to everyone that shared these great photos. Do you want your photo included in our weekly photo showcase? Use this form to send us your favorite Royal Caribbean photos and we will be sure to show it off to the world!
Royal Caribbean cruises that stop in the island paradise of St. Maarten/St. Martin will often find guests heading over to the French side of the island to enjoy the many terrific activities, and certainly French cuisine has to be at the top of that list.
Those that want to enjoy an authentic French cafe experience, will absolutely love a stop at La Sucrière in the French capital of Marigot for the fresh foods, cafe atmosphere and little taste of France in the Caribbean.
Across the street from the ocean are a great many restaurants, including the La Sucrière bakery.
Before you even set foot in this boulangerie, you will have a great view of the harbor in Marigot, with its many yachts and sail boats anchored just off shore.
La Sucrière is set up like an open-air cafe, with plenty of seating underneath a roof that has no walls. Like many French cafes, dining at La Sucrière is as much about enjoying the ambiance and weather around you, as the food itself.
Inside the bakery is a semi-circle shaped large room with plenty of freshly baked good to consider. The area is lined with fresh breads, pastries, sandwiches and beverages.
The staff speak French and English, and nearly everything available was made fresh earlier in the day. In fact, the smells alone as you walk in are worth the visit.
You will find a fairly wide selection of baked good to purchase at La Sucrière. The French bakery advertises itself as a boulangerie and patisserie, which means it is a bakery and pastry shop.
Frankly, there is a lot of great choices and we quickly found ourselves in danger of over-ordering because everything looked so good. You should definitely skip eating on your cruise ship prior to visiting this bakery.
La Sucrière features freshly baked breads, French open-faced sandwiches (known as tartines), quiches, cakes, fruits and more.
If there is one thing missing, it would be cheeses. Some of the sandwiches have cheese with them, but if you want to enjoy bread with your favorite kind of cheese, you should consider stopping elsewhere prior to eating here so you can combine it.
The food can be enjoyed at the cafe or wrapped up for a meal later. Certainly if you are planning on spending time elsewhere on the island, taking some of the amazing food with you is not a bad option.
In terms of the food, it certainly is fresh and sweet. French breads, like baguettes and croissants, are always good choices and the fact they are baked on the premises really makes it taste better.
La Sucrière was a highlight of our stop to Marigot, because of the quality of the food offered here. Part of the appeal of visiting ports of call on a Royal Caribbean cruise is the opportunity to sample the local cuisine, and La Sucrière is a fantastic example of French baking.
The combination of atmosphere, freshly baked goods (the smells!) and views from the cafe seating area made this a great meal. There is some great shopping just steps away, so there are some nice activities to do before or after your meal here.
If you are going to visit the French side of St. Martin/St. Maarten, you ought to stop in at La Sucrière for a bite to eat.
Location: Front de Mer, Marigot 97150, St. Maarten-St. Martin