When you're on a cruise ship, you might be curious about a ship's top speed so that it could avoid something like a storm.

Severe weather is enough to give almost anyone a bit of anxiety, and riding out a storm at sea isn't usually at the top of anyone's wish list when it comes to things to do on a cruise.

On every Royal Caribbean cruise, there is an event held for guests to ask the ship's Captain questions.

On a recent Odyssey of the Seas cruise, a passenger wanted to know in case of a storm, how fast can the ship sail away from a storm?

How fast can a cruise ship go?

Before we talk about the chances of running into a storm, let's look at a cruise ship's top speed.

Captain Sindre Borsheim answered how fast do cruise ships go when he was captain of the ship earlier this year. Captain Sindre has more than 20 years of experience with Royal Caribbean, so he's no stranger to ships and conditions at sea.

According to Captain Sindre, the top speed of Odyssey of the Seas is around 23.7 knots.

"That is full speed," he said and then joked maybe the ship could go a bit faster if they went downhill at the time.

The top speed of any cruise ship varies greatly depending on the ship’s size and engine power. 

Most of the time, a cruise ship doesn't get near that top speed. Instead, they remain at a more comfortable cruising speed. Going at a slower speed also reduces the ship's fuel consumption.

But if necessary, the ship can accelerate to that 23.7 knots figure, which is about 27 miles per hour.

Outrunning a storm is unlikely

The question about needing to outrun a storm is very unlikely to be a scenario your cruise ship will encounter.

"With today's technology, you see where the storms are coming," Captain Sindre explained.

"You can predict days in advance. So it's very rare that nowadays we get caught by surprise storms."

He did recall one time a few years ago when bad weather developed quickly, "I was on a ship over in Southeast Asia sailing out of Hong Kong. And we just happened to be exactly where the typhoon was born."

"We managed to get away before it was building up."

"Normally we see that they are born and then you predict the path. But if you happen to be exactly right there during birth, then then you may be caught by surprise."

It's important to also note that Royal Caribbean employs its own meteorologist to keep track of severe weather, anywhere around the world.

Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet gives the captain of each ship the best outlook on what the weather is doing now and what it is likely to do in the near future.

Read more: How Royal Caribbean navigates bad weather with its own meteorologist

More efficient engines than ever before

On a cruise ship like Odyssey of the Seas, it has the best engines in the fleet given how new it is.

Another guest asked if Odyssey's engines are quieter or eco-friendly than before.

"Yes, they are," Captain Sindre answered. "we have four diesel engines, our azipods are electric motors. The electric motors are propulsion motors. And then you have the diesel engines driving the generators, creating the electricity for the ships."

"If you combine the performance of an old diesel engine and the new ones that we have on board, it is a remarkable difference."

The use of azipods, which are omnidirectional form of propulsion for cruise ships, are great for many reasons.

"The azipods are placed there for fuel efficiency, which is of course serving two purposes. One is to reduce the fuel for environment. And that is also more cost beneficial for the company. So those two things go hand in hand."

"We have state of the art engines, which means that they are far more efficient. They're far more environmentally friendly than older engines."

Captain Sindre pointed out the shift in the cruise industry to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead of diesel, "Most cruise lines are already starting heading in the direction of LNG instead of diesel engines. So LNG powered ships, which is again very more environmentally friendly."

Read more: Which Royal Caribbean ships are powered by LNG?

Royal Caribbean wont require passengers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 on select sailings beginning in September.

Up until now, only unvaccinated guests under the age of 12 have been allowed on Royal Caribbean ships.

Starting with September 5th departures guests regardless of their vaccination status, can cruise on the following itineraries, as long as they meet any testing requirements to board: 

• Cruises from Los Angeles, California 
• Cruises from Galveston, Texas 
  • Please note, currently, only guests that show a valid vaccination record can get off the ship in Grand Cayman.
• Cruises from New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Please note, currently, only guests that show a valid vaccination record can get off the ship in Grand Cayman.
• Cruises from a European homeport 
  • Please note, guests who are not “up to date” on their vaccination per EMA standards will need to take a test onboard in order to get off the ship in Greece and Spain. 

Vaccination requirements remain in place until further notice for any homeport that is not mentioned above. 

Royal Caribbean says it is working to allow unvaccinated on other sailings, but they need to coordinate with other countries first.

"We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. We want to ensure a great experience going ashore at these ports, for guests of any vaccination status, while meeting local health regulations."

Missing from this list are cruises that visit destinations in The Bahamas or Eastern Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean believes that even by allowing unvaccinated passengers onboard, their health protocols far exceed that of other forms of leisure travel, "We continue to maintain additional layers of protection that far exceed any other vacation experience. This includes vaccination of all crew and keeping them up to date with boosters when eligible, routine surveillance of all crew, enhanced testing and treatment capabilities in our onboard medical centers, and much more."

Testing requirements

Here are the pre-arrival testing requirements for the sailings that allow unvaccinated passengers onboard.

Los Angeles & Galveston departures:

• Cruises 5 nights or less: 
  • Unvaccinated guests aged 2 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 3 days of the sail date. 
  • Vaccinated guests, regardless of age, no longer need to test for sailing lengths of 5 nights or less. 
• Cruises 6 nights or more: All guests aged 2 years and older, regardless of vaccination status, must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 3 days of the sail date.
• Accepted Tests: Any FDA‐approved PCR or antigen test supervised in person or by a telehealth professional meet this requirement.

Europe departures:

• Testing requirements remain unchanged

New Orleans departures:

• Testing requirements have not been finalized

Why can cruise lines now allow unvaccinated passengers onboard?

The change in policy is rooted primarily in a change in policy by the U.S. government.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ended its Covid-19 program for U.S. cruise ships July 18, 2022. This allowed the cruise lines to develop their own protocols, instead of it being mandated.

The CDC still makes recommendations to the lines, but ultimately, cruise lines craft protocols as they see fit, similar to other forms of leisure travel.

Celebrity Cruises will allow unvaccinated too

Celebrity Cruises will also allow unvaccinated cruisers onboard.

Beginning September 5th, 2022, all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can now cruise on the following Celebrity Cruises sailings as long as they meet any testing requirements to board:

• All sailings departing from the UK and Europe (with the exception of Iceland)
• All sailings departing from Los Angeles to Mexican Riviera 

All other sailings (and sailings departing before September 5, 2022), the old restrictions still apply.

Other cruise lines also allowing unvaccinated onboard.

Royal Caribbean's announcement follows other cruise lines that have already relaxed their vaccine restrictions recently.

Norwegian Cruise Line made headlines when it announced it would end its vaccine requirement.

Beginning September 3, cruisers that are 12 or older who are unvaccinated or don't show proof of vaccination will be allowed onboard as long as they can show the results of a negative antigen or PCR test taken in the 72 hours before boarding. 

Children under 12 will have no testing or vaccination requirements.

NCL's policy also applies to sister brands Oceania and Regent Seven Seas.

NCL's rule change is subject to certain local guidelines, so cruises visiting Canada, Bermuda, or Greece will still require adults to be vaccinated.

Princess Cruises will also begin welcoming a small amount of unvaccinated adults onboard.

Princess said it will allow up to 10% of unvaccinated guests on most sailings without exemptions or vaccine status justification. Unvaccinated cruisers must apply on a first-come, first-served basis.  Guests will need to notify the reservations team at time of booking to ensure that they are counted as part of the 10% threshold.  

Paradigm shift in policy

Allowing unvaccinated guests back on at least some ships is a major shift in policy from the last two years.

Cruise lines have restricted their ships to only allow adults that are fully vaccinated onboard since sailings restarted in late 2020.

When Royal Caribbean resumed cruises in summer 2021, vaccine requirements were in place and remained so until now.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty spoke about the change during an earnings call with investors a few weeks ago and said the change is a move to be more like other forms of leisure travel, such as theme parks, casinos, or air travel. 

"We are continuing to adapt our protocols to align more closely with how the rest of society and other travel and leisure businesses are operating."

"This means that we're transitioning to the point where everyone will be able to vacation with us while always working with our destination partners to meet their regulations."

Royal Caribbean is slowly beginning to talk about its next new cruise ship by launching a new video series.

"Making an Icon" will be a new video series that Royal Caribbean will produce to provide more details and insight into Icon of the Seas.

Icon of the Seas will be the first ship in a new class of Royal Caribbean ship that the cruise line says will be, "the most transformational ship the world has ever seen."

New episodes will launch in advance of when Icon is unveiled this fall and continue leading up to the 2023 debut.

The teaser for this new series launched today, which hypes the coming episodes that promise a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Icon of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean describes the video series as an "inside look at Royal Caribbean International’s journey to create the world’s greatest vacation – Icon of the Seas"

"Industrial engineers, interior designers, architects, artists, innovators, teams across entertainment and food and beverage, and more take you behind the scenes to see all that goes into envisioning, designing and constructing the soon-to-be-revealed cruise ship."

"In each episode, experts from Miami, Turku, Finland; New York City, Toronto and beyond come together to create the vacation to rival all vacations."

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A few familiar voices are heard in the video, including:

• Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO
• Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President, Maritime & Newbuilding
• Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer (CXO) at Royal Caribbean Group

Up until now, Royal Caribbean has been extremely quiet about revealing any details regarding Icon of the Seas.

We still don't have a design of the ship, or are aware of any features.

It did slip out the name of the large white ball we've seen teased as a feature of Icon will be called, "The Pearl".

When Mr. Bayley was asked in June 2022 about when we might get more information, he pointed to September, "We are launching Icon of the Seas starting this September."

"By launching, I mean, we are we are starting to communicate. We have a whole planning program of communication, social media, marketing, TV, radio, you name it."

Icon of the Seas is set to debut in late 2023.

Icon of the Seas by the numbers

While there is not a lot of information about Icon of the Seas, we at least know a few stats based on publicly disclosed information.

Royal Caribbean Group shared in its form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at the end of July that Icon of the Seas will have approximately 5,600 berths, which is the ship's capacity.

In terms of passengers, Icon would have slightly less passenger capacity than an Oasis Class ship. However, it remains to be seen if Icon will indeed be larger than the Oasis Class ships.

In March 2022, Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, Sean Treacy, indicated Icon of the Seas will be larger than the Oasis class cruise ships.

"Icon will be the biggest. It launches in the fall of next year and will be the first new ship class for Royal in a decade," Mr. Treacy said while onboard Wonder of the Seas during a trade event.

Royal Caribbean announced its health protocols for cruise ships sailing from Australia during the upcoming cruise season.

These include government mandates and boarding day requirements.

Royal Caribbean warned that protocols can likely change between now and when your sailing may occur.

Health policies

All guests must review and acknowledge they have read and accepted their obligation to comply with Australian Government protocols and Royal Caribbean supplementary terms and conditions.

• Health, Travel & Risk Acknowledgement
• Supplementary Terms & Conditions
• Australian Government Fact Sheet

All guests, including Australians citizens, must ensure they meet Australia’s international border entry requirements, including vaccination status, visa, and travel exemption requirements.

Vaccine Requirements

Per Australian Federal and State Government guidelines for cruising, at least 95% of guests must be fully vaccinated for Covid-19.

All guests ages 12 & older will need to present proof of full vaccination approved by the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration),  at the terminal in order to sail. 

Full vaccination requires that guests have all doses of their Covid-19 vaccine completed no less than 14 days prior to sailing.

Children ages 11 and under, and guests with medical exemptions, are permitted to travel however there is a limit on the number of unvaccinated guests that can travel on each cruise departure.

If you are travelling with unvaccinated children under the age of 12, or if anyone in your travel party is unvaccinated due to a medical exemption, please be sure to advise Royal Caribbean of their vaccination status by contacting your travel advisor, completing our form sent 7 days after your booking is created, or by calling your local office directly.

Testing

Pre-Cruise

Before arriving on boarding day, it is likely that all guests travelling with us will need to receive a negative COVID-19 test on their own, at their own expense, to meet boarding requirements in line with Australian Federal and State Government guidance.

Please note: More information regarding testing requirements will be made available closer to your sailing.

Masks

At the cruise terminal, it is likely that masks will be required.

Onboard, it is likely that masks will be optional for vaccinated guests and recommended for unvaccinated children while onboard.

Some of the destinations may require masks. Guests under 2 years of age will not need to wear a mask.

Dining & Other Venues

Tables and chairs in all the dining areas onboard are sanitized frequently.

Shore Excursions

Requirements for going ashore are subject to change as circumstances evolve, and we will continue to update booked guests of any requirements for their upcoming sailing via email.

One person has reached the top echelon of Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program that no one has ever gotten to before him.

Mario ‘Super Mario’ Salcedo just reached 10,000 points in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society this past weekend.

By hitting 10,000 points, he is the the highest-level Pinnacle member who has sailed on over 900 Royal Caribbean cruises!

Super Mario was onboard Explorer of the Seas when it happened, and Royal Caribbean celebrated his incredible milestone.

To mark this special occasion, Mario celebrated onboard alongside crew, ship/shoreside leadership, including

• Sean Treacy – SVP Hotel Operations
• Linken D’Souza – Vice President Food & Beverage
• Raimund Gschaider – Vice President Hotel Operations
• Ken Rush - Director Entertainment Activity Programming  
• Ed Eiswirth – Director of Beverage Operations
• Toni Tomlijaovic – Captain
• Julie Young – Hotel Director
• Elvis Pinto – Cruise Director
• Nancy Ramos – AVP Loyalty & Onboard Marketing
• Courtney Brant – Director Loyalty Marketing
• Abundance Boekenstein – Senior Manager Product Development
• Sylvia Chougle – Lead Loyalty Systems
• Michelle Illance – Senior AE Loyalty Marketing
• Loyalty Ambassador: Justin Alducente
• Guest Services Manager: Federico Rodriguez
• Activities Manager: Moe Vatuloka

To reach this milestone, he cruises about 50 weeks a year and has been doing so for decades now.

His favorite itineraries are to the Caribbean, and his favorite stop is our private destination in Labadee, Haiti

How Mario became Super Mario

Mr. Salcedo became Royal Caribbean's top cruiser years ago, but he only got started in 2000.

His family moved from Cuba to Miami in the early 1960s to start a new life in pursuit of freedom and opportunity.

"We are eternally grateful to this country for having welcomed us with open arms," he said about moving to the United States.

For the past two decades, Mario has been a full-time resident on Royal Caribbean, having sailed at this point on over 900 sailings.

Read more: Life at sea - An interview with Royal Caribbean's top cruiser, Super Mario

In 1997, Mr. Salcedo opened a small business managing investments for clients in 1997. That same year he took his first cruise and fell in love with the experience and began sampling different lines, regions, and itineraries.

Since then, cruising has become a way of life.

Since his first Royal Caribbean cruise in 2000, Mario has sailed exclusively on Royal Caribbean International ships around the world -- that’s 22 years and counting!

His first ship was Voyager of the Seas, which caught his attention because of how massive the ship was and that got him hooked.

"The ship took my breath away. I had never seen such a grandiose ship. It was then that I became Loyal to Royal and accelerated my cruising pace rather dramatically."

"The internet cafes onboard enabled me to run my business online and cruise at the same time. So, I decided to make a transformative lifestyle change and live onboard full-time."

How long will we cruise? As long as he can.

"With so many friends and memories made out at sea over the years, I plan to continue cruising indefinitely so long as I’m in good health and having fun."

Mario's favorite cruise memory

Mr. Salcedo shared recently the answer to what is his most memorable cruise memory.

“Without a doubt, the ‘hurricane evacuation’ cruise onboard Enchantment of the Seas in September 2017.

Hurricane Irma was headed towards South Florida packing maximum winds of 150 mph. Evacuation orders were issued, but there were no flights, car rentals, or hotel rooms. Bottled water and essential items ran out quickly and even gasoline was scarce. Miami’s residents were essentially trapped.

A famous CEO came up with the brilliant idea to offer Enchantment of the Seas to the Miami-based shoreside employees and their immediate families as a means of quick, safe, and free evacuation.

I believe the ship carried nearly 3,000 employees and families as she sailed out of Miami and out of harm's way for a 4-day cruise to nowhere. I may have been the only real guest onboard.  

That sailing gave me the unique opportunity to meet, chat, and socialize with many shoreside employees. It was a new and truly unforgettable experience.

I love the onboard crew, but this unplanned encounter with the shoreside employee population was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.”

Happy Sunday! We hope you are having a great weekend! Now it is time to sit back, relax, and catch up on all the Royal Caribbean news from the week!

Royal Caribbean announced an end to Covid testing for vaccinated passengers on short cruises.

Fully vaccinated guests will only have to show a test result at boarding if the sailing is 6 nights or longer.

For those that have to test, Royal Caribbean has made it easier by simplifying the testing time window. Guests will now have the same test standard, regardless of vaccination status: You can show a negative test result from a supervised PCR or antigen test taken within the 3 days before your boarding day. 

These new rules apply to cruises departing from U.S. homeports on or after August 8, 2022 that do not visit Bermuda or Canada. 

Royal Caribbean News

• New Royal Caribbean cruise terminal in Galveston is nearly complete
• Royal Caribbean cancels more Quantum of the Seas Alaska glacier viewings due to engine trouble
• Here's how much Royal Caribbean makes on each passenger
• 8 ways to get the best cruise deals
• Best Royal Caribbean itineraries with overnight ports
• Tips for taking an Alaska cruise on a budget
• When is the best time to cruise the Mexican Riviera?
• Top 10 things to do in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on a cruise

Video: Ranking EVERY SINGLE Free Royal Caribbean Restaurant

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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: Ranking EVERY SINGLE Free Restaurant on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 463rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Matt lists the things to do in the final days before your cruise.

This week's episode is about sharing a a list of the most important things you should be doing in those last couple days leading up to your cruise.

Please subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! 

Guide to RoyalUp

Need the inside scoop on how to bid for a stateroom upgrade?

RoyalUp is Royal Caribbean’s stateroom bidding program that allows passengers to bid on higher cabin categories before their cruise, offering the chance to “win” an upgraded stateroom.

Before you bid, check out our RoyalUp tips and tricks for what to expect.

Why booking a last-minute cruise isn't always a great idea

While booking a last-minute cruise might seem like a great way to sneak in a cruise vacation, there are serious drawbacks to waiting to book.

There are a variety of considerations you should be aware of before booking a cruise in the final weeks or months prior to a cruise beginning that could make a last-minute cruise booking a problem.

From fewer choices to a higher overall vacation cost, here are the reasons why you shouldn't book a last minute cruise.

10 things I learned on my recent Royal Caribbean cruise

Angie just sailed on Mariner of the Seas for 8 nights and came back with her list of things she noticed, observed, and learned while onboard.

From dining to the Royal Caribbean app to secret areas of the ship, here's what Angie learned on her recent cruise.

Royal Caribbean has posted its initial Covid-19 health protocols for cruises that include the dropping of Covid-19 testing on short sailings for vaccinated passengers.

Last week, Royal Caribbean Group announced it would not test passengers on short sailings from the U.S.

Royal Caribbean's website has been updated with new rules for cruises departing from U.S. homeports on or after August 8, 2022 that do not visit Bermuda or Canada. 

Guests on cruises visiting Canada or Bermuda will still need to follow the current testing protocols until further notice.

Royal Caribbean said in a posting on its website, "We are currently developing updated protocols that provide for the continued safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, better align with the travel and hospitality sector, and meet destination regulations. This means we’re transitioning to the point where everyone will be able to vacation with us."

New Covid policy changes

The major change is in testing for passengers sailing from the U.S. August 8 -  August 14th, 2022.

Fully vaccinated guests will only have to show a test result at boarding if the sailing is 6 nights or longer.

Unvaccinated children will still need to show a test result to board all sailings, regardless of length. However, they will not need to test again at the terminal.

Guests will now have the same test standard, regardless of vaccination status: You can show a negative test result from a supervised PCR or antigen test taken within the 3 days before your boarding day. 

Previously, unvaccinated children were required to only take a PCR test. Moreover, vaccinated guests had to get their test done within 2 days of sailing. This new change gives vaccinated guests more time to get a test completed and unvaccinated kids the choice to take a rapid antigen test instead.

Required testing for all guests, regardless of vaccination status, must be completed using a PCR or antigen test that is supervised by a healthcare professional or a home test kit that is conducted under live video supervision.

Tests must be arranged on your own and are at your own expense. 

Guests confirmed on U.S. sailings departing on or before August 7, 2022, should adhere to protocols previously communicated.

For those guests booked after August 14, 2022, please await the specific protocol details from the cruise line related to those sailings. 

No change in vaccination policy yet

There's been no change as of yet to the vaccination requirements, despite Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley confirming a change was coming.

"Additional information will soon follow, however, until then, current vaccine guidance remains unchanged."

The website does include language that points to a change, but no policy shift has happened yet, "We are continuing to work with our destination partners to evolve and finalize other travel protocols, as we begin transitioning to the point where everyone will be able to vacation with us."

"We look forward to providing more updates in coming days."

Last week, Mr. Bayley posted on Facebook that Royal Caribbean cruise ships will sail at 80% vaccinated, leaving the extra 20% for unvaccinated. 

Back-to-Back Sailings Testing

Celebrity Cruises also posted their new protocols, which include a mention of back-to-back sailings.

Testing for back-to-back sailings is not required for all sailings. Guests will be notified onboard if testing is required and will be provided testing at no cost if needed.

This back-to-back testing policy applies to sailings on any ships within the Royal Caribbean Group which includes Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and SilverSea.

Royal Caribbean's new cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas is nearing completion.

One of the few projects to continue work during the cruise industry shutdown of 2020-2021 was an expansion of Royal Caribbean's presence in Galveston. 

A construction update shared by the cruise line indicates they are 75% complete with construction.

The $125 million, 161,000-square-foot cruise terminal will cement the company's presence in the Texas cruise market for decades, not only with a larger building, but with increased capacity as well.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted on Facebook, "Texas will soon be able to welcome our Oasis Class ships – some of the largest in the world! And we’re kicking off with Allure of the Seas!"

The first Allure of the Seas sailing is scheduled on November 13, 2022 to coincide with the opening of Terminal 3 cruise terminal.

Not only can Terminal 3 handle Oasis Class ships, it will also be able to accommodate Royal Caribbean's new Icon Class ships.

Allure will sail 7-night Western Caribbean cruises to destinations like Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Roatan, Honduras.

Inside the terminal

New cruise terminals are more than just a place to check-in and board your cruise. With the new building comes a smoother process, as well as enhancements in the embarkation and disembarkation procedures.

Royal Caribbean says it will be a state-of-the-art building that will be LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which means it will be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently. 

Galveston's new terminal will also have a special area for suite guests with their own "plussed" seating area before boarding begins.