Could Royal Caribbean be in the very early phases of developing a new private island experience in The Bahamas?

Royal Caribbean has a private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, but is a second destination something the line would pursue? 

A Bahamas newspaper reported a team from Royal Caribbean was sent to Rum Cay to look into the island as a potential new destination for cruise ships.

When questioned about it, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley confirmed the report.

"It’s true."

"Our perspective us that you can never have enough great product. We are constantly looking for any opportunity where we can create a customer experience that we think the customers will love. We were approached about a potential opportunity, and sent a team to look at that opportunity."

While it sounds exciting that this may be the first step in a new endeavor, Mr. Bayley was quick to temper expectations, as the cruise line looks at new places all the time, but it's not necessarily an indication of anything more than a passing glance.

"We send teams around the world constantly looking for opportunities. I wouldn’t read too much into it.'"

We were approached, looked and it’s a great space. It was a look and evaluation. We have to look at things. Everything comes with pros and cons."

Mr. Bayley did not say if there are any plans to go beyond an initial scouting mission at Rum Cay, nor did he talk about any kind of negotiations starting.

Royal Caribbean's interest in another Bahamian private destination should come as no surprise considering how popular Perfect Day at CocoCay has been since opening.

Not only has CocoCay ranked favorably among cruise ship passengers, but it has been a revenue generating machine for the cruise line.

Mr. Bayley talked about how popular the island has been with passengers, "CocoCay is the number one destination that Royal Caribbean goes to in the world out of 100 global destinations, because it’s a curated experience designed and built to deliver a high-level experience to the customer."

"At the end of the day that’s all that matters."

In February 2023, Royal Caribbean Group talked about demand for Perfect Day itineraries.

“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," said Mr. Bayley.

Royal Caribbean Group estimates around 2.5 to 3 million guests will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay in 2023.

It’s no secret that prices for these add-ons have gone up since the restart of the cruising industry in 2021, but Bayley explained how “we’ve seen a great demand and a lot of resilience as the prices go up. So it’s a hit and it’s very successful.”

Rum Cay

Rum Cay measures 30 square miles and is approximately 283 miles southeast of New Providence.

It's sparsely populated and is mainly flat, but has a few rolling hills rising to about 120 feet. 

The report claims Royal Caribbean looked at a 375-450 parcel in the island’s north-west corner right by the sea that was recently appraised. 

It is understood the site is part of a larger 1,000-acre tract that had previously been caught-up in the multiple land disputes that have afflicted the island, but it is thought all title issues and legal battles have now been resolved.

Prior to the cruise industry shutdown in 2020, Royal Caribbean said it intended to build a portfolio of Perfect Day destinations around the world to follow up on first iteration at CocoCay.

Back in 2019, the line said it would open five "Perfect Day" private islands over the next five years.

One such destination is Perfect Day at Lelepa, which is located in the South Pacific. 

Update on Freeport

Royal Caribbean's other plans to build a new port in Freeport, Bahamas may also be still happening.

According to The Tribune, Mr. Bayley was "increasingly optimistic" that its Freeport port project will finally happen.

"That’s still going through its process."

"I would say we are increasingly optimistic about the timing of that. In the coming months hopefully we will be in a position to make some positive announcement on Freeport."

"Our intent is to bring more capacity into Freeport. The first step, which will be in conjunction with others, is investing in improving the port."

The exact plans have likely changed for Freeport, but Mr. Bayley said development of a water-based adventure theme park for passengers in close proximity to the port area was still the plan.

Did you get Royal Caribbean onboard credit on your next cruise, but now sure how to spend it?

Onboard credit is essentially free "cruise cash", but there was not only restrictions on how you can use it, but a few ways to make your credits go further.

Spending it wisely is a good idea to ensure it helps maximize your vacation experience, especially if you have a lot of it.

How does onboard credit work?

Think of onboard credit as free money you get to spend while on your cruise.

Royal Caribbean's ships are cashless, which means all your transactions occur via your SeaPass account. When you buy something onboard, you scan your SeaPass card and the cost is debited against your account.

Onboard credit is money the cruise line places in your account that goes against any purchases you make during the cruise.  

When a guest receives onboard credit, their SeaPass account is credited with that amount of money to offset any onboard purchases, such as shore excursions, specialty restaurants, spa treatments, drink purchases and anything else you can charge to your SeaPass account.

Once onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, a guest's SeaPass account will receive a credit that corresponds to the onboard credit value they were promised.

A common misconception is you can take onboard credit and apply it towards a specific purchase.  Your onboard credit is applied against any and all onboard purchases you make in general. So there is no need to worry about ensuring you use it for one purchase or another.

How to get Royal Caribbean Onboard Credit (OBC)

There are a lot of ways to get onboard credit, but you may not have access to all means of getting onboard credit. Regardless, it is important to understand all the possible manners available.

The simplest answer on how to get onboard credit is you have to be given onboard credit from someone else, either Royal Caribbean or another entity.  

Let us explore the possibilities.

Booking promotion

The most common way guests receive onboard credit is to receive it from Royal Caribbean as part of a deal to book a cruise.

Royal Caribbean regularly offers onboard credit as an incentive to get guests to book a cruise.

These are typically periodic promotions, where the amount of onboard credit you receive is tied to the stateroom category you book, as well as the exact promotion offered. Some promotions will offer more onboard credit than others.

The amount of onboard credit will vary from promotion to promotion and it is important to read the deal's rules and conditions. There can be hundreds of dollars of onboard credit offered, including up to $500 per cabin.

This may not be the most lucrative source of onboard credit, but it is regularly the simplest way of getting some.

Booking onboard

If you happen to be on a Royal Caribbean cruise and cannot wait to reserve space on another sailing, then take advantage of Royal Caribbean's onboard booking bonus.

Royal Caribbean incentives its guests to re-book another cruise while still onboard by offering them extra onboard credit on top of whatever promotion is currently running.

Guests can visit the NextCruise office and get up to $500 in onboard credit to spend on their current sailing or defer it to an upcoming sailing.

The onboard credit you get at the NextCruise office is free money, because Royal Caribbean is rewarding you for reserving another sailing and is one of the best, and most lucrative means of getting a lot  of onboard credit.

Book with a travel agent

We love using travel agents to book our Royal Caribbean cruises for the wonderful value they provide in terms of service, but travel agents are also a great source of onboard credit.

In general, many travel agents offer their own booking bonus for working with them.

The amount of onboard credit a travel agent can give you on top of whatever Royal Caribbean is offering will vary greatly, and depends on the agency size and the stateroom category you book.

Onboard credit is one way travel agents differentiate themselves from one another and take steps to earn business.

Royal Caribbean Visa credit card

Royal Caribbean has its own branded Visa credit card, which allows guests to earn points that can be redeemed for onboard credit on future cruises (as well as other rewards too).

Each purchase you make with the card earns you points, and as you save those points, you can redeem them for onboard credit.

As an example, the Royal Caribbean card will net a guest $100 in onboard credit for 10,000 points.

Price drops

Sometimes Royal Caribbean will give onboard credit if the price you paid for a cruise is now cheaper than when you paid.

Royal Caribbean Group shareholder

If you own at least 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Group stock at the time of sailing, you can get onboard credit.

The benefit is only available for the stateroom in which the shareholder (with a minimum of 100 shares) is sailing. 

• $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights
• $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 13 nights
• $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less

There is no limit on how many times you may take advantage of this discount, but it is one benefit per sailing.

Active or retired military members

From time to time, Royal Caribbean offers active and retired military personnel onboard credits.

It usually applies to those who are active or retired from the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves or Canadian National Defense.

A Royal Caribbean mistake

No one is perfect, certainly not Royal Caribbean, and while you probably will not like the mistake itself, the silver lining is often Royal Caribbean offers guests onboard credit as a means of making it up to them.

Incidents like poor service, billing inaccuracies and other frustrations are often handled with onboard credit (in addition to remedying the situation as best they can).

The exact amount of onboard credit will depend on the nature of the incident.

Cancelled cruise

In a lot of cases, Royal Caribbean will try to make up for a cancelled cruise with onboard credit.

Hurricanes, a health crisis, maintenance issues and a variety of other possibilities can lead to Royal Caribbean cancelling a cruise.

In order to smooth things over with guests, the cruise line may offer onboard credit for a new sailing in order to make up for the disappointment of having to cancel the original sailing.

Royal Caribbean gift certificate

It's not well-known, but Royal Caribbean sells gift certificates and the value gets applied as an onboard credit.

Before you run out and buy one, I don't recommend buying them because of the complicated redemption rules. They don't work as easily as traditional gift cards.

However, gift certificates are truly the only way to give someone else onboard credit without being a travel agent.

How is onboard credit different from a future cruise credit?

While onboard credit and future cruise credits might sound the same, they apply to different aspects of your cruise booking.

An onboard credit is for spending on purchases made on your cruise while you're actually sailing, whereas a future cruise credit is for booking another cruise.

The two are not interchangeable, and you cannot use future cruise credits as spending money on a cruise as you would onboard credit. Moreover, you cannot convert Future Cruise Credit into Onboard Credit.

What happens if I don't spend all my onboard credit?

If you have unused non-refundable onboard credit because you didn't spend it all, you lose it. Nearly all onboard credit is non-refundable because it's a gift from the cruise line or a travel agent in a "use it or lose it" scenario.

You cannot roll over the onboard credit to another cruise.

Sometimes guests will get refundable onboard credit, usually as the result of cancelling a purchase while onboard a cruise (i.e. shore excursion). In this scenario, unused onboard credit will be refunded back to your credit card.

It's a good idea to check with guest services while still onboard your cruise for which type you have. Never assume it's refundable.

What are the best ways to spend your Royal Caribbean onboard credit?

Spa

Bookable: Pre-cruise and onboard

Splurge and treat yourself with a spa treatment!

Royal Caribbean's Vitality Spa isn't cheap, but onboard credit is a great way to use your free money on something that you can instantly enjoy.  

For a lot of cruisers, going to the spa is an essential way to relax and enjoy time away from work, school, and the daily routine.

Shore excursions

Bookable: Pre-cruise and onboard

Your ship will many ports of call during your cruise, so onboard credit might be the ticket to a fun day on shore.

There's usually a multitude of tours you can consider, and onboard credit can be spent before the cruise or once onboard. My advice is to book shore excursions before your cruise because many tend to sell out.

Gratuities

Bookable: Onboard only

Gratuity on a Royal Caribbean cruise is compulsory and you'll either pay it before your cruise or automatically every day of the sailing.

The automatic daily gratuity charge is $16.00 per day, per person in standard cabins (Junior Suites and below) and $18.50 per day per person for suites.

These gratuities cover your stateroom attendant, and dining room staff, and it's important way to thank their hard work.

If you elect for the automatic gratuity, each night of your cruise there will be an automatic charge on your SeaPass account per person. Your onboard credit will be offset against your total spending onboard, including the gratuities.

Specialty dining

Bookable: Pre-cruise and onboard

Royal Caribbean's specialty restaurants are a great way to enjoy top-notch dining, but they come with an extra cost.

The cost of a specialty restaurant differs depending on the restaurant.  Most have a cover charge, but there are a few a la carte restaurants.

As an example, Giovanni's Table for lunch comes in at $25 per person, whereas Chef's Table dinner is about $100 per person.

Another way to use your onboard credit is to buy a specialty dining package, which includes a set amount of specialty restaurant meals for a fixed price.

If you're planning to eat at more than 2 specialty restaurants, a dining package makes a lot of sense to buy instead.

Extra cost onboard activities

Bookable: Pre-cruise and onboard

Not every fun thing to do on your Royal Caribbean cruise is included in your cruise fare.

North Star:  $25
iFly skydiving simulator: $55
Behind the scenes ship tour: $49 to $129
Escape room: $20
Private Flowrider lessons: $69 to $500
Fitness classes:$12
Cooking classes: $35 to $70
Video games in arcade: $1 to $3 per game

Laundry

Bookable: Onboard only

You're going to amass a pile of dirty laundry during the cruise, so why not get some or all of it cleaned for you?

Royal Caribbean offers full-service laundry options for an additional cost:

• Wash & Press
• Pressing only
• Steaming only
• Dry Clean & Press

Souvenirs

Bookable: Pre-cruise and onboard

Whether you want a Royal Caribbean brand shirt or a pair of designer sunglasses, you can find a great array of choices onboard to buy.

Some souvenirs are cheap, while others can be hundreds of dollars.  The Royal Caribbean branded items tend to be much less expensive than the designer items.

There's also lots of toys and kid-focused items you can purchase, and when your kids start begging for a must-have gift, this could be the perfect time to use your onboard credit.

Look for sales advertised in the Cruise Compass as ways to possibly save money on something to bring home later.

Drinks

Bookable: Onboard only

Individual drinks can be ordered at any bar, lounge, and restaurant.  After all, few things are as synonymous with being on vacation as a fruity drink!

Royal Caribbean includes some drinks in your cruise, such as water, tea, coffee, juices, and milk. But anything with alcohol will cost extra.

Instead of paying for each drink individually, you could use your onboard credit towards a Royal Caribbean drink package. They have a large up-front cost, but if you can drink enough during your cruise, a drink package can save you a lot of money.

Adventure Ocean after hours care

Bookable: Onboard only

Adventure Ocean is complimentary until 10pm, at which point there is an hourly charge.

As a parent, I find the cost worth every penny so that I can enjoy more time without the kids!

If you have a toddler or infant, the nursey has an hourly charge anytime of $6 during the day and $8 at night. 

Wifi

Bookable: Pre-cruise and onboard

Staying connected for pleasure or work (or both) is a necessity for many, and you have to buy an internet package if you want access to the full internet.

You don't need an internet package to use the Royal Caribbean app or the chat feature in the app, but anything else will need a wifi package.

Royal Caribbean sells a few different internet packages, both before the cruise and while onboard.  Keep in mind that a wifi package will be cheaper if you pre-purchase before the sailing on the Cruise Planner site.

Photos

Bookable: Pre-cruise and onboard

Every evening there will be photo opportunities to get professional photos taken, and the price of a single photo starts at $19.99.

Photo packages allow guests to take home a select amount of photos taken onboard their Royal Caribbean ship. One photo package covers all guests in your stateroom.

Whether you buy a single photo or an entire package, your onboard credit can be used towards it.

Casino

Bookable: Onboard only

You can't directly apply onboard credit to a game in the casino, but you can charge your SeaPass account. Those charges can, in turn, be offset against your onboard credit.

How do I know if I have a Royal Caribbean onboard credit?

Prior to the cruise, you may see onboard credit listed in your account that you can use on Cruise Planner purchases. Keep in mind not all onboard credit is spendable before the cruise.

A good way to get a sense of how much onboard credit you should be getting is to ask your travel agent.  Royal Caribbean will list onboard credits you are entitled to in the invoice for the cruise when you book.

On the ship, your onboard credit will automatically appear on your account, typically two or three days into your sailing.

If all else fails, once you get onboard your cruise ship, you can go to Guest Services and inquire how much you have.

Can you cash out onboard credit?

Yes, but it's kind of a cruise hack.

Guest services will not issue your onboard credit back to you as cash, but the casino will.

You can go to the casino cashier and get a cash advance against your SeaPass account, which is a charge like anything else you buy onboard.  That charge will be rectified against your onboard credit. Keep in mind the casino charges you 5% on every cash advance you make (unless you are Prime or higher in Casino Royale).

There is a workaround, where any money you take out as a cash advance from a slot machine does not accrue the 5% charge for some reason.

Ask the casino cashier for instructions on how to make a cash advance from the slot machines.

Can you pay gratuities with onboard credit Royal Caribbean?

If you go with the automatic gratuities that get charged each evening of your cruise, yes, your onboard credits will be deducted against the gratuities you are assessed (and anything else you charge).

It's a common misconception you can apply your onboard credit directly towards gratuities.  The automatic gratuity is a charge like anything else you buy, so if you spend nothing else on your cruise, then your onboard credit will be applied towards your total expenses.

Can you use onboard credit in the casino?

You cannot directly access the onboard credit, but you can get a cash advance from your SeaPass account.

This charge will be an expense on your final bill, which any onboard credits you have will be deducted against.

The casino will charge you a 5% fee (unless you are Prime or higher in Casino Royale), unless you make the charge at a slot machine. Slot machines do not have a fee when withdrawing money from your SeaPass account.

How to use onboard credit in the Cruise Planner

When you add any pre-cruise purchase in the Cruise Planner to your shopping cart, there is an option to redeem onboard credit.

Remember, not all types of onboard credit may be available for use in the Cruise Planner. Onboard credits offered by a travel agent are not usually available until you get on the ship.

When you checkout, in addition to entering your credit card information, you have the option to apply some or all of your onboard credit to the purchase.

Don't worry, if you change your mind later and want to cancel your Cruise Planner purchase, the onboard credits will instantly become available again to use.

When Royal Caribbean's new beach club opens in The Bahamas in 2025, its intent is to offer something for both cruise ship passengers and the people of The Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley spoke to the Bahamian press on Wednesday about the cruise line's new plans. He specifically addressed why the beach club not only benefits the cruise line, but locals as well.

In 2025, Royal Caribbean will open its first Royal Beach Club, which is an extra-cost all-inclusive beach on Paradise Island, just across the waterway from where Royal Caribbean's ships dock their ships in Nassau.

It will be a limited capacity area, and a shore excursion option that will be open exclusively to Royal Caribbean ship passengers.

There will be pools, beaches, dining experiences, and live entertainment too.

"The model for this project is a world class model for public private partnerships," Mr. Bayley said. "There is nothing in the Bahamian tourism sector of this quality. Forty nine percent of this entity will be owned by Bahamians."

The new beach club is part of an overall strategy to bring more cruise ship tourists than ever before to The Bahamas. Mr. Bayley shared the cruise line's overall strategy and how the beach club fits in, "We are building ships and bringing them to the Bahamas and Nassau. We are bringing the capacity. In Nassau we bring around one million tourists a year and nearly three million visitors a year to the country."

"By 2027 in Nassau, it will be 2.5 million. The Beach Club is obviously not capable of holding all of the visitors we bring. It can hold on average 2,750 guests per day.

"By 2027 we will be bringing 7,000 guests per day to Nassau. Sixty percent of the additional capacity coming cannot go there. That means there will be plenty of tourists for Bay Street and elsewhere. "

Passengers don't love Nassau

Mr. Bayley was also open about how cruise ship passengers perceived visiting Nassau, saying it ranks among the bottom 10% of ports in feedback.

Royal Caribbean surveys its customers regularly about the places they visit on a cruise in order to ascertain trends.

"Nassau is in the bottom ten percent,” he said.

Why so low? Part of the answer is there aren't enticing options.

According to Mr. Bayley, 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."

"We want to improve the experience of our guests. We can’t keep selling experiences to people who say we love going to Perfect Day, it’s fantastic, we want to go back, but the Nassau thing, can you guys stop going there? We can’t do that, so yeah, we want to be a part of the solution."

In case you're wondering, Perfect Day at CocoCay ranks as the number one destination among Royal Caribbean guests.

"CocoCay is the number one destination that Royal Caribbean goes to in the world out of 100 global destinations, because it’s a curated experience designed and built to deliver a high-level experience to the customer. At the end of the day that’s all that matters."

In the case of Nassau, Royal Caribbean sees an opportunity to improve and make the destination more appealing, "We get data from every single cruise every single time from every single customer. If one person says they don’t like something, fine. When we look at the trend data and we see that a lot of people are not enjoying their experiences, what do we do? We change it. We renew it. We invigorate it to try to remove obstacles to their satisfaction."

Partnering with the Bahamas

Royal Caribbean is adamant the beach club is not just about benefiting the cruise line. It's been designed to be financially beneficial to Bahamians too.

"Forty nine percent of this entity will be owned by Bahamians," said Bayley.

"With regards to employment, everyone who works there will be Bahamian except four to five persons who will be brand managers ensuring everything is up to Royal Caribbean standards."

"We are looking for a Bahamian to be the president of the Royal Caribbean Beach Club and any construction activity will heavily involve Bahamian companies."

The beach club's benefits for the people of the Bahamas includes:

• First public-private tourism development that gives Bahamians the opportunity to own up to 49% of the beach club
• The land contributed by the Government will provide benefits to The Bahamas for generations to come in the form of equity
• Individual Bahamians will have the opportunity to buy equity in the beach club and benefit from the profits
• Local businesses and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to manage and participate in the vast majority of the beach club
• Hundreds of jobs will be created during construction and through operations, either directly or indirectly through new partnerships
• 1% of gross revenue of the beach club will be invested in a new fund to develop other attractions around The Bahamas
• Growth of the number of guests Royal Caribbean brings to Nassau

Earlier this week Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider echoed Mr. Bayley's comments of just how good this project will be for both sides, "We look at the totality of kind of the structure that we created with the government and the kind of net new employment opportunities and job creation and profit creation for  the government and individuals and the money that we're putting back into the Bahamas is really something that nobody's ever done before, for sure, for the Bahamas. And it's rare to see worldwide."

"We think this is a home run for the Bahamas."

The fine print associated with a Royal Caribbean cruise has been updated.

Royal Caribbean informed passengers with a cruise booked that the cruise line has amended Cruise Ticket Contract, which is the legal terms all passengers agree to when booking a cruise.

In an email to guests, Royal Caribbean says the updates "simplify" the method in which guests have access to the contract. 

We’re making important changes to our legal terms and simplifying the process by which these terms – which are applicable to your cruise purchase and other activities, services, and products related to your cruise – are communicated to you and all our guests from around the world.

Royal Caribbean also highlighted three areas where the new cruise contract has been updated.

The changes will go into effect on April 12, 2023 and will apply to sailings that depart on or after that date.  

If you are currently booked on a voyage that departs on or after April 12, 2023, the new legal terms will apply. Additionally, the new legal terms will apply to those guests that book on or after April 12, 2023.  

The changes apply to the Cruise Ticket Contract, Booking Conditions, and Global Purchase Terms and Conditions.  Royal Caribbean highlighted three changes they believe are the most important.

In comparing the updated terms to the previous terms, here are the changes we noticed based on the USA terms of service.

Please keep in mind this writer, nor RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com, is not a legal expert of any kind. You should review the legal terms on your own and not rely in any way on a blog post to convey important legal information that affects you and/or your traveling party. This blog post is not to serve as offering legal advice of any kind.

Primary Country of Residence

One of the biggest changes appears to be the cruise contract now varies depending on where you live.

The cruise line says the the Cruise Ticket Contract or Booking Conditions applicable to your cruise purchase are now determined by your Primary Country of Residence.

This means whichever country you live in primarily at the time of booking will be which contract applies to you. Royal Caribbean will determine the primary country of residence based on what's indicated by you, your agent, or other representative at the time of booking the cruise or at online check-in.

This applies to each guest on a booking on an individual basis.

Countries listed as options for the cruise contract include:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• Canada
• Singapore
• Australia
• Spain
• Norway
• Sweden
• Germany-Austria-Switzerland
• Italy
• France
• Israel
• New Zealand
• Hong Kong
• China
• All Other Locations

Covid-19 policy

Royal Caribbean also updated their cancellation and Covid policies.

Pre-cruise cancellation due to Covid

One change in comparing the two American cruise contracts is there is now less days prior to a cruise beginning to have tested positive for Covid to qualify for a refund.

Royal Caribbean changed the policy from 14 to 5 days prior to embarkation if a passenger tests positive for Covid, exhibits signs or symptoms of Covid, or has had close contact with a person confirmed or suspected as having Covid, Royal Caribbean may deny boarding. 

The two changes here are 14 to 5 days, and the word "will deny boarding" to "may deny boarding".

Unless the passenger failed to follow Royal Caribbean's Covid policies and procedures, any passenger denied boarding under these circumstances will be entitled to either a refund or a future cruise credit equal in value to the cruise fare passenger paid.

Cruise cancellation or deviation due to Covid

The updated cruise contract removed verbiage under the "Cancellation, Deviation, Or Substitution By Carrier" section related to public health emergencies.

The phrase "as a result of a declaration of a public health emergency or government order" has been removed.

There's a few times the text was amended, here's one such change that exemplifies the nature of this change:

Old text

Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing, port of call, destination, lodging or any activity on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or activity. Except as provided in Section 7.e below, and except as provided in Section 4.e or Section 4.f regarding an actual or suspected COVID-19 infection, and except where a refund is required by law as a result of a declaration of a public health emergency or government order cancelling the Cruise or delaying boarding of the Vessel by Passengers by three (3) days or more, Carrier shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including but not limited to loss, compensation or refund, by reason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation.

Revised text

Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing, port of call, destination, lodging or any activity on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or activity. Except as provided in Section 7.e below, and except as provided in Section 4.e or Section 4.f regarding an actual or suspected COVID-19 infection, and except where a refund is required by law because Carrier cancelled the Cruise or boarding of the Vessel by Passengers was delayed by three (3) days or more, Carrier shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including but not limited to loss, compensation or refund, by reason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation.

Forum selection

The last highlighted change is to choosing where a lawsuit would be heard.

"The forum selection, exclusive jurisdiction and choice of law provisions have been modified to and now correlate to your Primary Country of Residence or the location of your cruise itinerary. "

A great deal of new legal terms were added to the "FORUM SELECTION; GOVERNING LAW; TIME LIMITS TO BRING SUIT; ARBITRATION; CLASS ACTION WAIVER:" section.

Essentially, there's a lot of new legal information related to how any legal action could occur and where it might occur. 

Why the cruise contract is important

The cruise contract is an important legal document that you agree to when booking a cruise.

It encompasses protocols and policies related to guest conduct and expectations during a cruise.

Every cruise line includes this as part of the agreement you make when you book a cruise.  

Upon placing a deposit, Royal Caribbean adds a check box to indicate the guest has read through the Cruise Contract and agrees to everything inside.

Airlines also have something similar, known as the Conditions of Carriage, that cover almost every scenario a passenger can encounter to clearly indicate expectations of rules and penalties for violating those rules.

Utopia of the Seas might be Royal Caribbean's sixth Oasis Class cruise ship in the fleet, but she will have at least one new innovation not offered on her sister ships.

Royal Caribbean will debut a brand new dining experience never before offered onboard that sounds different from anything else on other ships, RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com can exclusively confirm.

The cruise line has steadily been moving towards new food and beverage concepts that aim to differentiate restaurants from being just another place for dinner.

In speaking with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider, he provided details on one such restaurant coming to the next Oasis Class ship.

There's no name announced for it yet, but Mr. Schneider calls it, "an immersive train dining experience."

He wasn't able to provide all the details yet, but here's what we know about it.

Mixed reality dining train experience

In talking about future plans, Mr. Schneider referenced a train car experience coming to Utopia, "That will be pretty amazing."

"There is a mixed reality immersive dining experience with a train motif coming to a ship near you that's going to blow people away."

Royal Caribbean has been on this path to develop new dining concepts since announcing a new technology initiative in 2017.

Back then, there was a virtual reality dining demo where people wore virtual reality visors, but Mr. Schneider said it isn't ideal, "people don't want to eat food with a goggle on their head."

Since then, a lot has changed with trends in dining.  He pointed to "Sublimotion" in Ibiza, Spain which is a new high-end Mediterranean dining concept with VR tech & immersive film projections, as an example of how the culinary world is exploring this medium. 

He thinks there's more than can be done in a less jarring way, "nobody's really done thematic immersion until what you're about to see on Utopia."

Here's how Mr. Schneider explained what this dining experience will be like once guests are able to experience it for themselves, "imagine seeing a series of train cars built out on a cruise ship."

"What if you could go to land based destinations while on a cruise ship in a dining experience that happened to look like 1930s to 1960s train and go through a series of destinations that you've never done before or might do on some of our other ships but in a way that could give you then a platform for culinary and immersion that you've never seen before."

Experimenting with new ideas

When Royal Caribbean builds a new ship, they champion the mantra of "tradition, evolution, and revolution" as a way to bring back favorites while also pushing the envelope of what guests can expect onboard.

Mr. Schneider says this guiding principle is more like consistency and experimentation than anything else, "Our guests expect some sort of consistent experience. And I don't mean consistent in a negative way. Consistent in what they expect from us and quality."

"There's no reason that you wouldn't expect to find a Chops on every ship that we build in the future. And there needs to be, if you think of the concept development, we do a significant percentage of that, whether it's Main Dining, Chops, great Italian in our new Giovanni's kitchen concept."

"And then there needs to be experimentation."

An example of small experimentation is the Bubbles champagne bar in Central Park on Icon of the Seas. Beyond that, Royal Caribbean also moves towards full restaurants, such as the Mason Jar concept.

"New cuisine also then takes you to new experiences. And so things like and again, we don't have a name yet, but this railroad mixed reality culinary immersion is is part of that experimentation."

Part of the rationale for developing new concepts is food is a major reason why people go on a cruise. On a high level, Mr. Schneider says the two predominant reasons people book a cruise are for destinations and food.

"You want that kind of diversity, given again, people want destinations and food is their two drivers to go on a cruise."

Utopia of the Seas launches in 2024

While Icon of the Seas is garnering the lion share of attention right now, Utopia of the Seas will also launch later that year.

"Utopia is going to be for the Oasis class yet another great step forward. You're just going to be amazed by kind of the next set of changes that we make, " said Mr. Schneider of what we can expect from Utopia.

He admitted Utopia won't have the same level of new experiences Icon of the Seas has, "but when you look at them, they'll make a ton of sense."

When might we be able to start booking Utopia of the Seas? Mr. Schneider alluded to summer 2023 as when you can expect more information on bookings and details for the public to be able to start making plans.

The ship will debut in the spring of 2024.

What can we expect when Royal Caribbean opens its first beach club experience in 2025?

Royal Caribbean confirmed last month it was moving forward with plans to build a beach club in Nassau, Bahamas, which is set to open in the first half of 2025.

This will be the first of its kind experience for the cruise line, as the beach club is not going to be another private island type of experience.  But how different will the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island be and what can expect once the first passengers visit the beach club?

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider has a large hand in the planning of the new destination, and has been working with the Bahamian government for years through two different administrations to get approval for their work.

The Bahamian government gave Royal Caribbean "approval in principle from the government", which means the government of the Bahamas and Royal Caribbean have reached an agreement on kind of the key principles that they both think are important.

How is the beach club different than a private island?

Up until now, the only context cruisers have for a land-based experience offered by Royal Caribbean are the private destinations of Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee.

Mr. Schneider calls the beach club, "a really rich Royal Caribbean service experience attached to a high volume destination or strategic destination for us."

"Whereas a Perfect Day it is the destination, it is the only thing you can do... and it's typically far flung."

To better explain the differences, Mr. Schneider confirmed that the beach club will cost extra, as it's not intended to be something for everyone to visit like it would be at CocoCay.

"Not everybody's going to have an opportunity to go to the Royal Beach Club. It wasn't designed for that purpose."

"Because we then hope you sail with us again the next weekend and have that opportunity. And so that's where it kind of fits into our strategy."

He also confirmed that the beach club admission will be all-inclusive, which means your admission cost will cover:

• Water taxi ride to/from the beach club
• All food and beverage, including alcohol.
• Beach chairs
• Umbrellas
• Non-motorized activities (swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, etc)

"It's really meant to be this kind of all inclusive, ultimate beach day," Mr. Schneider said of the plans.

The beach club will have three primary areas:

• Family beach zone
• Active pool space
• Quieter beach area on the western side

In addition to the beach, the pools are going to be a focal point, "At the heart of it, you'll find a series of pools. And part of the reason for a series of pools is you need heated pools in the Bahamas to have a really great experience year round."

Don't expect a giant pool akin to the Oasis Lagoon pool at CocoCay. Rather, for a better environmental footprint, these pool spaces will be smaller, "They're not terribly small, but smaller experiences. So imagine a Splashaway Bay sort of experience."

"Imagine if you were to take Oasis Lagoon and kind of break it into a couple different parts."

There will be live Bahamian music to enjoy, cabanas to rent for an additional cost, snack shack restaurants, along with beach bars around the club.

One thing you will definitely not find at the beach club are thrills, "there's no massive thrill experience. And frankly, you know, there's two reasons not to have a massive thrill experience."

"One is the land is just not that big."

"The second is there's really great thrill elsewhere in Nassau. This wasn't meant to steal thrill from other things in Nassau."

How much will the beach club cost?

You're probably wondering how much this experience will cost, and there isn't yet a price determined.

Mr. Schneider confirmed the all-inclusive admission will include food and drink (including alcohol), but said it was too early to know what the cost will be.

I then asked if admission will be a full or half day experience, and Mr. Schneider said he wasn't sure yet what to expect.

Why build beach clubs?

Why would a cruise line invest millions of dollars in a project like this when there are already lots of places to visit in Nassau, as well as destinations around the Caribbean.

On a high level, Mr. Schneider says the two predominant reasons people book a cruise are for destinations and food.

"The reason people go on a vacation is they want to go visit destinations. We break that down into destinations have two parts: the places we take you to and the ships and hardware that you sail on as a destination."

In speaking about the places Royal Caribbean already goes to, Nassau fell into a grouping of ports that have high volume but don't have high appeal or high satisfaction rates. This is the primary reason for leading Royal Caribbean down the path of planning a Royal Beach Club.

"Nassau is a great place to go. We wanted to add a Royal level service to that destination. This this gave us that model to to really expand."

Profiting the Bahamas too

Mr. Schneider was adamant about the fact the Royal Beach Club in Nassau isn't a cash grab by the company that only benefits the cruise line.  

He called it a "public private partnership", which has the goal of ensuring, "that the profits from the Beach Club stay in the Bahamas for generations to come."

How does it work? There's a few components to this deep partnership between cruise line and government.

First is equity, "Bahamians will have the opportunity to own up to 49% of the Royal Caribbean Beach Club."

"And so we felt and the government felt as we went through our discussion that it was important that Bahamians have ownership in this as a result of the Bahamas contributing crown land."

"We want to make sure that that the Beach Club has real ownership of local Bahamians so that it's beloved for years to come.

"The equity comes in two parts. First is the government. The government sovereign wealth fund, which is called the Bahamas National Investment Fund, will get essentially equity for the fair market value of the four acres of crown land that they're contributing."

"The second part of the equity is really then individual Bahamians will have an opportunity through an investment fund to essentially buy shares in the investment fund to buy equity into the fund."

In addition to the equity being built up from the crown land, is to open up every kind of bespoke part of the operation to local Bahamians.

Mr. Schneider said this includes all sorts of jobs, such as security, lifeguards, environmental monitoring, food, music, and more, "All of those will be open to local businesses and entrepreneurs. And our hope is that the entire operation is through partnerships from Nassau."

He mentioned the first employee hired will be the new president of the Royal Beach Club, "the goal is to hire somebody who is Bahamian. So from the senior most executive down to the landscaper, the idea is all Bahamian or Bahamian partnerships."

On top of all of that, a new tourism tax will be part of this project that benefits local Bahamians, "one of the things we're really excited about is not just the growth of tourism, but we agreed to a new tourism levy that doesn't exist."

"We'll be the first new development kicking 1% of gross profits into a new tourism levy in perpetuity. And the purpose of that tourism levy is a new tourism fund to improve other attractions throughout New Providence in the Bahamas."

Mr. Schneider also took some time to address local press coverage regarding the beach club, "we've seen some negative press that people think this is just a mini Perfect Day at Nassau such that we'll suck all the air out of the local businesses and this will be the only place our guests go."

He was emphatic that is not the case, "Less than 40% of our guests will have an opportunity to go to the Royal Beach Club of our deployment to Nassau on an annual basis."

"It's important they have other things to do because the other 60%, we want to have a great destination as part of a rich itinerary."

In 2017, Royal Caribbean was bringing about a million passengers to Nassau.  By 2027, the cruise line expects to be bringing 2.5 million visitors to Nassau.

"The number will have grown the number of calls and visits and guests into Nassau far in excess of the total capacity of the beach club."

Something else Royal Caribbean is doing to benefit local businesses is to build a water taxi service, "we're partnering with local Bahamians to create a new water taxi infrastructure."

"That water taxi infrastructure is serving the beach club will then also serve other attractions throughout the harbor and New Providence."

In short, Royal Caribbean is doing something no other company has done for the Bahamas, "We look at the totality of kind of the structure that we created with the government and the kind of net new employment opportunities and job creation and profit creation for  the government and individuals and the money that we're putting back into the Bahamas is really something that nobody's ever done before, for sure, for the Bahamas. And it's rare to see worldwide."

"We think this is a home run for the Bahamas."

First of many beach clubs

When The Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island, it will be the first, but not the last, beach club.

"We want to build multiple beach clubs around the world because every geography is is somewhat unique," stated Mr. Schneider. 

But don't expect each to be an exact replica of each other, "as we think of the future beach club kind of portfolio, our hope is they'll have similar components."

Spring is here and it is also Sunday, which means we are celebrating warm(er) temperatures and Royal Caribbean news from this week!

Royal Caribbean will open its own private beach club in Nassau, Bahamas and it looks incredible!

The Royal Beach Club in Nassau will open in 2025 and we have all the information we know so far about the project for you to catch up on.

This extra cost excursion will include beach access, pools, cabanas, and much more.

Royal Caribbean News

• Celebrity Cruises announces new CEO to succeed Lisa Lutoff-Perlo
• 10 worst cruise fails by our readers
• 15 things to pack in your cruise carry-on
• Best hotels near Port Canaveral before the cruise
• I visited three ports on my cruise, but this one was by far my favorite, and here’s why you should go there

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 494th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, which answers as many listener emails as possible.

It's been a while since we had a podcast episode all about your questions, so this week's episode is just listener emails!

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.

New RCB Video: Best things to bring on a cruise under $10

{"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/vXKgVXFrTA4.jpg?itok=5fzQYURu","video_url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXKgVXFrTA4","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — Best things to bring on a cruise under $10 I always regret forgetting to bring — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

8 reasons to get off your ship as early as possible on disembarkation day

No one wants their cruise vacation to end, but on the last morning of the cruise, there are a few good reasons to hustle off the ship.

Just like the idiom of "ripping off a band-aid" to get it over with, disembarking your cruise ship when it ends sooner than later has a few advantages.

From beating the traffic, to getting on an earlier flight, here are the compelling arguments to plan on leaving your ship as soon as possible.

20 rules of cruise ship etiquette no one ever tells you (but should)

You don't want to be "that guy/gal" when it comes to committing a faux pas, so we have a guide to proper cruise ship etiquette.

Being polite to your fellow passengers and crew member should go without saying, but there are a few nuances of a cruise that you might not think are an issue, but in reality, should be avoided.

Knowing proper ship etiquette will help ensure that you do not feel disrespectful or underdressed, as well as make sure that you are able to contribute to a positive atmosphere. 

What it's like when a cruise ship is empty

Mariner of the Seas just finished a dry dock in Europe and returned to the United States without any passengers.  Not having passengers onboard doesn't mean there's nothing to do for crew either.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Director Marc Walker shared a glimpse of what crew members do in the time there are no paying passengers onboard to prepare for a return to service.

Over the course of an 8-night crossing, we've got a look at what the crew did with no passengers to attend to.

What is the best time to cruise the Mediterranean?

If you are thinking about the best month to go on a Mediterranean cruise, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of each month.

 While there isn’t necessarily a “perfect” time to take a Mediterranean cruise, this guide should help you decide which season works best for you.

8 questions to ask yourself before picking a cruise ship

Before you book a Royal Caribbean cruise, it's a good idea to go over some important considerations.

Depending on your preferences, one ship might be a better idea than another to sail on.

Here's a look at the questions you should be asking yourself prior to selecting a Royal Caribbean ship to ensure you find the best ship for you.

Laura Hodges Bethge will take over as CEO of Celebrity Cruises in May, the cruise line announced on Thursday.

Laura Hodges Bethge will take over the role from Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who has been CEO since 2014.  Hodges Bethge was most recently executive vice president,
shared services operations at Royal Caribbean Group.

In her current role, Hodges Bethge was responsible for Royal Caribbean Group’s safety, security and environment, risk management and crew movement teams.

"I look forward to building on the incredible achievements of Lisa and this world class team, as we continue to break boundaries and chart new courses in the industry," she said in a statement announcing the change.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty welcomed Laura Hodges Bethge to the new role, "I would also like to congratulate Laura for her appointment as the next brand president of Celebrity Cruises. With her operational experience, business acumen and deep understanding of our company and the cruise industry, I know Laura is the right person to lead Celebrity Cruises to its next phases of growth."

Hodges Bethge has been a part of many aspects of the cruise industry. She served as senior vice president of Product Development for Royal Caribbean International, where she spearheaded the Royal Amplification ship upgrade program, and the Perfect Day at CocoCay makeover.  She also oversaw the design and construction of six new ships, including Spectrum of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas.

She joined the company in 2000 and has been a part of the Hotel and Marine Operations, Sales, Marketing, Product Innovation and Investor Relations teams.

She was also based in Shanghai as vice president of Market Development, where she oversaw commercial operations for this strategic market.

Departing Celebrity

Celebrity's current CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, will transition to Vice Chair, External Affairs for Royal Caribbean Group, effective May 1.

Mr. Liberty thanks Ms. Lutoff-Perlo for her hard work as CEO, "Lisa has been instrumental in transforming the Celebrity Cruises brand to what it is today."

"From helping us introduce the revolutionary Edge Series of ships to advancing the role of women in maritime careers, Lisa has had an incredible career during her time leading Celebrity Cruises, and multiple parts of our Royal Caribbean International brand. I have had the pleasure of working with Lisa for almost 18 years, and I know her expertise will be invaluable as she transitions to serve as my Vice Chair, External Affairs.”

Lutoff-Perlo’s career started with Royal Caribbean Group in 1985, when she was a district sales manager. 

She leaves behind a legacy of many firsts: In 2005, Lutoff-Perlo became Celebrity’s first female senior vice president of hotel operations. In 2012, she was named executive vice president of operations for Royal Caribbean International, the first woman in the industry to oversee both hotel and marine operations. Two short years later, she was the first woman appointed to president and CEO of one of Royal Caribbean Group’s brands.

As CEO, Celebrity Cruises added four new cruise ships to the fleet, and implemented cruise ship revitalizations under the Celebrity Revolution program.

"It has always been difficult for me to imagine leaving the incredible Celebrity brand, but the time is right for me to start an exciting new chapter and turn the helm over to a new leader," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

"It has been my great honor to lead this brand and work alongside the phenomenal Celebrity shoreside team and crew. Together, our accomplishments have been extraordinary. I'm excited to now work closely with Jason on broader initiatives as we sail toward an even brighter future."