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Royal Caribbean Third Quarter 2015 Earnings Call Scheduled

In:
15 Oct 2015

Royal Caribbean will hold a conference call on October 23, 2015 at 10am to discuss its third quarter 2015 financial results.

The call will be available on-line at the company's investor relations web site, www.rclinvestor.com. To listen to the call by phone, please dial (877) 663-9606 in the US and Canada. International phone calls should be made to (706) 758-4628. There is no passcode or meeting number.

A replay of the webcast will be available at the same site for a month following the call.

Royal Caribbean Classic: BBC Recipe

In:
15 Oct 2015

Some aspects of a Royal Caribbean cruise are experiences that become forever associated with being onboard one of these amazing ships and certain drinks onboard are among those moments.

Guests who enjoy a tasty, creamy cocktail that is almost like a dessert, often order a Banana Baileys Colada, better known as a BBC on their Royal Caribbean cruise.

Photo by Steve Crofts

The BBC is a creamy drink that combines bananas with the always-pleasing Baileys liquor.

Some of the bartenders will drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass before they fill it, which is sometimes referred to as a Chocolate BBC.

Photo by Mary ND

BBC's have become a fan favorite across Royal Caribbean ships and we are including it in our list of Royal Caribbean classics!

If you need a BBC fix between cruises, here is the full recipe for how to make one (or more) at home.

Banana Baileys Colada (BBC) Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Creme
  • 1 1/2 oz. Creme of Coconut
  • 1 oz. Pineapple Juice
  • Half a banana (or banana liqueur)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and blend well. Add crushed ice and blend until smooth.

Save this recipe on Pinterest

Banana Baileys Colada

Royal Caribbean launching new marketing campaign that shows off incredible and immersive vacations

In:
15 Oct 2015

Royal Caribbean is launching a new marketing campaign entitled, "Come Seek", that aims to show a Royal Caribbean cruise is more than just a vacation on a floating hotel.

The new campaign will debut on October 19, 2015 and conveys that a Royal Caribbean vacation is not simply a cruise and those that take a cruise are not taking a conventional vacation.

Royal Caribbean's multi-million dollar campaign wants to "roll out red carpet for next generation of cruisers" that are not just new to cruising, but also tech-savvy and relish an immersive and experiential kind of vacation.

Royal Caribbean are calling these people "Seekers" because, travel is not about vacations or being a tourist: travel is a way of life.

"Come Seek" has three main messages: This is not a cruise; You are not a tourist; This is not the Caribbean.  At the end, it ends with simply, "This is the Royal Caribbean".

Through a variety of channels, Royal Caribbean aims to have "Come Seek" invoke imagery of mashing up surprising onboard experiences, such as North Star, the FlowRider and connecting on social media with Voom high speed internet.  

In addition, Royal Caribbean wants to show the depth of places to explore in the Caribbean.  All of this works towards giving guests experiences and memories that they cannot wait to show off to their friends and family.

New television ads will begin to debut on the October 19th in 15 and 30 second spots.

In addition, Royal Caribbean will be add 5 second ads in programs with heavy live viewership, such as The Voice and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, with a 30 second ad later on to expand upon the 5 second teaser.  

Guests will also see 5 second ads will run across the web including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Going beyond traditional media

Perhaps one of the most innovative parts of this new campaign are the brand new "live billboards" in the New York city area that will feature live look-ins to Royal Caribbean's ships.

Two hundred and thirty geo-target units across New York City will show live broadcasts via Periscope in high traffic commuter areas, such as John F. Kennedy International Airport terminal, newsstands and subways.  Using the Voom high speed internet, these live tune-ins from the ships to show off the experience as it's happening in real time.

These live look-ins will occur throughout the month of November and be shown around peak commuting times.  Most, if not all, of the tune-ins will come from Anthem of the Seas sailings.

Royal Caribbean will also look to guests to suggest experience that Royal Caribbean should broadcast back on Periscope.  

Going off the map

Royal Caribbean is also trying something else new to show off the kind of amazing experiences waiting in the Caribbean with a new Tumblr page called, "Uncharted".

Royal Caribbean crew members will become ambassadors and share content as they experience it on their cruises.

These Uncharted experiences will also be on the website, advertising and social media.  If it proves successful, the program could eventually extend to guests and travel agents.  

Getting noticed

The idea behind this kind of advertising is to get past the traditional produced and polished advertising people expect.

Royal Caribbean believes authentic experiences will be something guests really value and notice.

Royal Caribbean is very cognizant that consumers are used to being advertised so much that a lot of gets tuned out or fast forwarded.  With live Periscopes and crew ambassador reviews, the hope is the public will take notice because this is not a traditional kind of ad.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas finishes first homeport season in Hong Kong

In:
14 Oct 2015

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas entered Victoria Habour earlier today in Hong Kong for the final time this cruise season.

From July to October this year, Voyager of the Seas has seen nearly 70,000 guests enjoy cruising on her during this season.

Voyager of the Seas will return for another season in Hong Kong in 2016. 

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - NextCruise

In:
14 Oct 2015

Listen to the Show

The only feeling that can come close to the pure enjoyment of taking a Royal Caribbean cruise is probably booking another Royal Caribbean cruise.  Royal Caribbean offers guests a great program known as NextCruise to book future Royal Caribbean cruises while onboard a cruise yourself.  In terms of benefits, it is one of the best deals guests can enjoy and this week, we will go over the details of the NextCruise program and why you should consider booking another cruise while onboard a cruise.

Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via...

On this episode:
Running time:

Royal Caribbean makes improvements to private island of CocoCay

In:
13 Oct 2015

Royal Caribbean's private island of CocoCay is very popular with guests and on your next visit there, it may be slightly different than you remember.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Sean McLellan recently visited CocoCay over the weekend and sent us a report of some noticable changes.

Cabanettes have been renamed

The "cabanettes" that are available to rent now have a new name

Excursions desk indicates that they are now called "Beach Loungers" and it now runs just under $50 for 2 people for 2 big bottles of water, a fruit plate and towels.

New trams between Tender/Barefoot Beach

In the past, Royal Caribbean has provided a shuttle that is pulled by a tractor to get guests to help with the long distance walk involved.

There are now some new trams availabe to take guests.

Sean notes these new trams, "run quieter, a tad smoother, and taller so there's less chance of bonking your head on the way out. Oh, the driver gets a little fan."

New tram route

Previously, the tram ran on a path south of the nature trail that went past the island's barracks and ended up east of the Cabanettes.

There's now an entirely new tram path that is "shorter" according to the tram driver, which has newly been created that runs north of the nature trail and ends up east of the Cabanettes.

There's some big piles of sand marking the terminus that look new.

New shower at Barefoot Beach 

A new fresh water shower has been added to Barefoot Beach.

Sean indicated it is, "a nice addition that is just north of the Barefoot Beach Cabanettes/Beach Lounger bar".

Promise of a Barefoot Beach restroom facility

For the past year or longer an outhouse has been stationed on the previous tram route that is about a 2 minute walk from the cabanettes.

Sean's tram driver indicated that there are immediate plans to construct a restroom facility at the cabanettes, which would be a highly welcome change.
 

Royal Caribbean offering new Harmony of the Seas short sailings out of the UK

In:
13 Oct 2015

Royal Caribbean's soon to debut Harmony of the Seas will offer two new short cruise sailings out of Southampton, England.

PortsOfCall.co.uk spotted a three and four day cruise out of Southampton that will take place just before the official inaugural cruise.

There is a 4-night cruise on May 22, 2016 to Rotterdam, The Netherlands.  Prices start at $469 per person.

The other cruise is a 3-night cruise to Cherbourg, France. Prices start at $399 per person.

Both of these cruises are just before the official inaugural cruises in June 2016.

5 things you will love about Royal Caribbean's Izumi restaurant

In:
12 Oct 2015

If you are a fellow sushi lover, then you will feel right at home at Royal Caribbean's premier sushi restaurant Izumi.

The next time you make a reservation at Izumi, be sure to consider these fun and tasty aspects of the restaurant that are worth trying!

5. Complimentary edamame

Some of the best things in life are free and when you eat at Izumi, you will get a great starter for no additional cost.

Izumi currently offers complimentary edamame (a preparation of baby soybeans in the pod boiled in water together salt, and served whole).

Not only is this a tasty choice for starting your meal off right, but they are priced right too!

4. Eating at the bar

Eating sushi is an experience and if you like a little show with your meal, try eating at the sushi bar.

Sitting at the sushi bar will get you a front row seat to the sushi chefs creating their masterpieces.

And let me tell you, making sushi is no pedestrian task.  Sushi is as much an art form as it is a kind of food and watching sushi being made is really entertaining!

3. Signature Rolls

If you consider yourself a sushi fanatic, then you will need to flip your menu over to the signature roll section.

The signature rolls often are larger and offer superior flavor than the other rolls on the menu.  It really is the best offering Izumi has.

In addition, be sure to inquire if there are any sushi specials.  From time to time, Izumi will offer certain rolls that are not on the regular menu and these special rolls can be terrific choices too.

2. Teppanyaki experience

In addition to just sushi, select Royal Caribbean ships offer teppanyaki style dining at the restaurant's hibachi section.

Izumi's hibachi is a fun and creative experience, where your chef cooks your food in front of you with a splash of entertainment thrown in.

Hibachi dining is a great way for family and groups to enjoy a meal together and if you want to have a memorable dining experience .

The hibachi meals have a cover charge of $25 for one choice of meat, or $30 two choice of meat. Choices include Beef, Chicken, Lobster or Shrimp.

Each meal includes soup or salad, edamame app, fried rice or lo mein noodles, cooked veggies and dessert.

1. Hot rocks

Whether you eat sushi or not, no trip to Izumi is complete without an order of hot rocks.

Hot rock (Ishiyaki) plates are rocks that are heated to 575 degrees °F, where guests take raw meat and vegetables and cook them on the rock, right at your table.

This ultimate-self serve meal is a really fun way to enjoy a Japanese delicacy.  Each plate comes with lemon ginger vinaigrette, sweet soy sauce and Thai sweet chili dipping sauces.

Guests have the choice of mixed seafood, chicken breast, chicken and beef skewer rock or beef tenderloin.

The hot rocks are perfect for those that do not enjoy sushi necessarily or just someone looking to try something different!

What to do if your Royal Caribbean dining preference is not available

In:
12 Oct 2015

We get a lot of questions on the blog, and a common question is about what to do if the dining choice for dinner that a guest wants is not available.

Sometimes a guest will book a Royal Caribbean cruise, but discover that a particular traditional dinner seating is not available.  Or perhaps My Time Dining is booked up.  Is there any chance to change it?

The answer is, there are two strategies to use when trying to get into the dining option you really wanted.

Add yourself to a waitlist

When a particular dining option gets filled up, Royal Caribbean will allow guests to be added to a waitlist.

These waitlists are virtual queues, where if another guest leaves that dining option for some reason (usually due to cancelling or transferring their cruise reservation), the next guest "in line" can take their spot.

To be added to a waitlist, you need to contact either Royal Caribbean directly or have your travel agent do it on your behalf.

Once you are added to the waitlist, you should see a notation on your reservation in the My Cruises section of Royal Caribbean's web site.

In many cases, the waitlist will eventually come through and you will be automatically added to the dining option of your choice  You will likely not be notified of the change, so you will have to log in periodically to your cruise reservation to see if something has changed.

The fallback: speak to the head waiter

Serenade of the Seas dining room

Sometimes, the waitlist option does not work and your next best option is to go speak to the head waiter on embarkation day.

Once you board your Royal Caribbean cruise, go to the main dining room in the afternoon to speak to the head waiter.

There should be a head waiter on duty in the main dining room for a few hours in the afternoon.  

Harmony of the Seas dining room

Politely explain your request to the head waiter and ask if there is a way to be moved to the dining option you prefer.

In our experience, this fallback usually gets the job done.  Royal Caribbean wants their guests happy and the head waiters have a good sense of the guest dinner distribution.

Can I move between My Time Dining and Traditional Dining during my cruise?

Oasis of the Seas Live Blog | Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean says once you are in one of the dinner options, you are primarily limited to it.

The policy does state they can honor requests to change only once based on availability.

Read more: My Time Dining versus Traditional Dining

More dining room tips

Check out these other helpful posts about dining on a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Hopefully one of these two choices will get you the dining preference you really want!

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: October 11, 2015

In:
11 Oct 2015

Sit back and catch up on this week's Royal Caribbean news. We've gone through and hand-picked some fun articles for you to take a look at in case you missed any of it.

Royal Caribbean released all the Liberty of the Seas refurbishment details this week and there are some big changes coming.

First and foremost, Liberty of the Seas is getting new water slides, including the Perfect Storm slides that were first announced for Harmony of the Seas.

In addition, Liberty of the Seas will feature the first boomerang style waterslide at sea known as the Tidal Wave. We had first announced this type of slide coming to Liberty of the Seas back in August.

There are also lots of other changes coming to Liberty of thre Seas, such as new restaurants, staterooms and an adult-free aqua park.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 114th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we discuss the popular activities to do in St. Thomas.

In this episode, Matt and Scott talk about getting off your cruise in St. Thomas and go over the popular stops in St. Thomas and which excursions are worth checking out, including the nearby island of St. John.

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.

Join us aboard the largest cruise ship in the world!

We're so excited to announce the next group cruise for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboard Allure of the Seas!  This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on a fantastic Allure of the Seas sailing on an 7-night cruise to the Western Caribbean.

This Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is all about enjoying a fun Royal Caribbean cruise along with other fans who are big fans of Royal Caribbean.  Don't miss this opportunity to check out the amazing ship as well as be a part of exclusive events for those that book with our group!

For more details on booking the cruise, the itinerary and prices, check out the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise page and if you have any questions, email me!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Royal Caribbean has a list of 7 tropical cocktails you need to try.

Healthiest100 lists Royal Caribbean in its list of the 100 healthiest workplaces in America.

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