Did you know July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day? Did you know you don't need an excuse to eat really good fried chicken?

I never considered myself much of a "fried chicken guy" until I went on Wonder of the Seas.  Sure, I enjoyed fried chicken, but outside of Nashville, it was tough to find really good fried chicken.

Then I ate at the Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar.

Maybe it was the country music band playing in the bar, or the PB&J old fashioned (I'd love to get a recipe for that, by the way) that I had a few sips of first, but the Meemaw’s Fried Chicken was really darn good.

The chicken fell apart quite easily at the first tug, so there was no wrestling with a tough bird this time around.

Even better was the same fried chicken they put on the "Nashville Hot" Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

We ended up dining at Mason Jar at least 4 different times (not counting a snack at the bar late at night), and I'm fairly certain every order I made had fried chicken as part of the recipe.

Then I tried Meemaw’s Fried Chicken N’ Waffles, which is a golden waffle topped with fried chicken and sweet maple syrup. It's an ideal mix between sweet and savory flavors. Suddenly, I began to question a lot of foods I previously thought I wasn't a huge fan of.

I can't sail on Wonder of the Seas every week (or so my wife tells me), but Royal Caribbean has shared a copy of Meemaw’s Fried Chicken so anyone can make it at home. A copy of Garth Brooks' "Friends in low places" not included.

Here's how to make the fried chicken at home inbetween Wonder of the Seas cruises.

Meemaw’s Fried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients: 

Chicken Marinade 

• 2 whole chickens (3-3.5 lbs each) – broken down 8 pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breasts) 
• 1 teaspoon of salt 
• 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper spice 
• 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of your favorite spice rub (we use our Royal secret recipe seasoning) 
• 3 teaspoons of granulated garlic powder 
• 1 ¾ cups of buttermilk 
• 5 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce 
• 1 medium egg 

Chicken Coating 

• ¾ cup of flour 
• ¾ cup of corn starch 
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder 
• ½ teaspoon of salt 
• ¼ teaspoon of granulated onion powder 
• ½ teaspoon of granulated garlic powder 
• ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper 
• ⅛ teaspoon of Cayenne pepper 
• ¼ teaspoon of oregano 
• ¼ teaspoon of dry mustard 

Instructions

Steps: 

Marinate the Chicken 

1. In a container, mix salt, pepper, granulated garlic, Cajun seasoning, spice rub of your choice, buttermilk, hot sauce and egg. 
2. Add chicken pieces to the marinade, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours (6 hours is suggested). 

Coat the Chicken 

1. In a separate container, mix the chicken coating by adding the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, granulated onion powder, granulated garlic powder ground black pepper, Cayenne pepper, oregano, dry mustard. 
2. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and uncover. 
3. Dredge each piece of chicken individually in the coating mixture, shaking any excess mixture and put aside (we’ll do this a second time). 
4. Let the chicken rest for about 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack – this will help the coating stay on better (we suggest putting sheet pans under the rack to help with cleaning up). 
5. Dredge each piece of chicken individually in the mixture for a second time. Shake off excess mixture. 

Fry the Chicken 

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer at 284 degrees F (140 degrees C). 
2. Once temperature is reached, carefully place chicken in the deep fryer for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature is 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). 
3. Remove chicken from deep fryer and transfer to a cooling rack over a sheet pan. 
4. Let fried chicken sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.  
5. Plate, serve and enjoy! 

Doesn't the fried chicken look amazing? It tastes even better!

Next time you've got family coming over, wow them with this fried chicken recipe. Then tell them they should come on a cruise with you so you can compare this to the real thing on Wonder of the Seas. You know, in the name of "research".

Everyone wants to save money, so when is the best time to buy popular add-ons for your Royal Caribbean cruise?

Drink packages, specialty dining packages, internet, and shore excursions are just a few of the very popular extras lots of cruise fans buy for their cruise vacation.

While you could wait to buy these items on your ship, you will pay more for them because Royal Caribbean typically offers a pre-cruise discount.

A common reason for trepidation to pre-purchase is not knowing fully if someone needs them. After all, Royal Caribbean includes a great deal of food and activities with your cruise fare.

While you can have a very nice cruise without spending extra on a tour, cocktails, specialty restaurants or the spa, these optional purchase will enhance your cruise experience. After all, you're on vacation and this is all about splurging and treating yourself.

If you decide to buy any cruise extra-charge items, it's a really good idea to take advantage of the lowest price possible so your money can go further.

Here is my advice for when to buy these cruise-addons.

Why you should buy extras before the cruise begins

There's a few good reasons you should buy certain cruise add-on's before your cruise, and not all of them are purely related to dollars and sense.

Here's a few compelling reasons to do so.

Discounted Price

In many cases, Royal Caribbean promises a discount on select pre-cruise purchases compared to the price onboard.

The discounted savings can vary, with the price of drink and internet packages varying from ship to ship and sailing to sailing. 

Break up total cruise cost

When you purchase anything before your cruise via the Cruise Planner site, you will be required to pay for it at the time of purchase.  This provides the ability to break up the total cost of the cruise.

When you make purchases onboard your cruise, at the end of the cruise you get a final bill with all of the charges tallied up. 

By pre-purchasing certain items, you can pay off parts of the cruise months or years in advance, allowing you to reduce the cruise bill at the conclusion of your cruise. This is incredibly helpful for budgeting to have control of what charges come in on which billing cycles.

Save you time onboard

An intangible benefit to pre-purchasing anything is it saves you time onboard from doing the exact same thing, which means more vacation time back to you.

Taking the time to purchase anything onboard does not take very much time, but every little bit helps, and some purchases on the first day of the cruise can require waiting in a line, such as drink packages.

You can use onboard credit

When you buy something on Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site, you can use any onboard credit towards these purchases. This alleviates a primary concern among cruisers in the past that wished to use onboard credit towards any purchases first.

One thing to consider is the onboard credit available for use in the Cruise Planner is limited to onboard credit provided by Royal Caribbean.  This means, if you are receiving onboard credit from a travel agent or other source, it may not be available for use online. 

Granted, while I have never had any trouble using up onboard credit on a Royal Caribbean cruise, some guests prefer to save their credits for on the ship.

You can re-price if the price goes down

No matter what price you pay today, if there's a lower price at any point before your cruise, you can cancel and rebook it.

Cruise Planner purchases are fully refundable with no cancellation penalties. This means you can book something now and lock in the price, but if there's a lower price later, you can cancel it and rebook online.

This also helps protect you if the price goes up.

Best time to buy Royal Caribbean drink package

You should buy a Royal Caribbean drink package at any point before your cruise because it will be cheaper online.

Royal Caribbean runs many pre-cruise sales, and even when there's not an active promotion going on, the price of an unlimited drink package is cheaper before the cruise that onboard the ship.

You'll find the drink packages available to purchase on Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner website.

It can be a little confusing to understand how much of a discount you're getting, since Royal Caribbean bases its discounts on an unknown onboard price, and then combines the price of a drink package with a buy one get one 50% off deal.

When you look at the drink package price online, ignore the sale details and look at the price when you add the drink package to the cart.

It's a good idea to keep track of the drink package price, as there's new sale promotions every few weeks. These sales don't always lower the price, but sometimes it can.

Best time to buy a shore excursion

It's a good idea to book your shore excursions at least 2-3 months before your cruise.

Just as important as the fun things to do on your cruise ship are the things you can do in the ports of call you will visit.

Royal Caribbean will list a variety of shore excursions you can pick from in the Cruise Planner, and some of the most popular excursions will sell out before your cruise.

Royal Caribbean will begin listing excursions as early as six months before your cruise (although they can show up even earlier than that). 

Many cruisers prefer to book their shore excursions through the cruise line for the convenience and peace of mind Royal Caribbean offers. For that reason, tours can sell out.

I find the majority of people on a cruise don't start really booking tours up until closer to the sail date because they are unaware of all the tips and tricks cruise fans know, so you'll notice things begin to sell out around six weeks before the cruise begins.

Excursions selling out are at a much higher risk in destination cruises, such as Alaska or Europe.  If you are booked on one of these sailings, it's a good idea to start booking up tours as much as 3 months before you sail.

You could always reserve a tour on your own, and outside tours do not sell out nearly as early. If you go on your own, it's a good idea to book these 1-2 months before the cruise.

Best time to book a Perfect Day at CocoCay or Labadee activity

Due to the popularity of Royal Caribbean's private destinations, you're going to want to book something fun here to do even earlier than shore excursions.

It's a really good idea to book a cabana as much as 4-6 months before your cruise to assure yourself of one, and get a lower price.  Cabanas have become the hottest selling commodity at either Perfect Day at CocoCay or Labadee, so you're going to want to act fast to get one.

Read more: Guide to CocoCay Cabanas

The days of cabanas going unsold are pretty much gone, so act quickly if you want one. Just like everything else in the Cruise Planner, they're refundable if you change your mind later.

Another hot ticket is the CocoCay water park, which can sell out. The entire water park selling out is less likely, but the price going up certainly is common. So book that 3-5 months early whenever possible.

The other must-book early add-on is admission to the Coco Beach Club. 

If the idea of going to an exclusive area of CocoCay appeals to you, then book your admission before it sells out.  I suppose the word is out about this place, because it's pretty rare for the Coco Beach Club not to sell out before the cruise begins.

Other CocoCay extras like the zip line, helium balloon ride, and aquatic activities rarely sell out, so book them at your convenience.

There is one extra I'd recommend not booking in advance at Perfect Day at CocoCay and that's the Up, Up & Away Helium Balloon Ride. The balloon can only go up in near-perfect wind conditions, and that tends to be fairly rare. 

My advice is hold off and if you get to the island and see it going up, run over and book a spot. You might pay more, but I think it's a safer bet than waiting for an almost inevitable refund when it gets cancelled.

Over in Labadee, the zip line is a good idea to book in advance just to get a good time. Zip line rides are based on ride times, and it's a good idea to go in the morning before it gets overly hot or the threat of rain grows.

Best time to book an internet package

Just like the drink package, the price of an internet package is always cheaper before the cruise.

These packages are good for the duration of your cruise, and are limited per device (not per person).

Unlike the drink package, wifi prices rarely change much. So you don't need to book it well in advance. Just book yourself a package at some point before you board.

Best time to book specialty dining restaurants

These days, you absolutely should pre-book a specialty dining package before your cruise, at least a month before your sail date.

Ever since Royal Caribbean restarted cruises after the global health crisis, demand for specialty dining has gone through the roof. A combination of pent-up demand, new dining concepts, and more cash to spend on vacations have lead a lot more people to try specialty dining.

If you are booking an individual restaurant, book it before the cruise. Izumi hibachi is one restaurant you must-book before the cruise because it sells out quite often before the cruise begins.

If your cruise is over a major holiday, such as Christmas, New Years or Valentine's Day, pre-book a specialty restaurant to assure yourself of a spot. Everyone else will be thinking of a special meal on a special day.

Dining packages are just as popular, and it's becoming more commonplace to find dining packages sold out onboard. To be safe, if you want a dining package, buy it a couple months before your cruise.

Read more: How to know if you should buy a Royal Caribbean dining package

Best time to book spa services

It's less clear of an advantage when to book a spa service, and it may make more sense to wait and book a spa service onboard on a port day.

Deciding to book a spa service before or after your cruise is not always a crystal clear decision, primarily because the spa services offered online do not always match up with the total services offered onboard.

Spa services are often discounted on the Cruise Planner, with the discount percentage depending on the day and time you select for the service.  The most lucrative discounts are usually earlier in the cruise.

The challenge in figuring out whether to purchase or not prior to the cruise, is each day of your cruise will have some spa specials offered.  These spa specials are usually combination offers, which are not offered as an option in the Cruise Planner before the cruise. In my experience, the Cruise Planner offers individual services which are good for those that just want a massage, service or therapy.  

Royal Caribbean offers an onboard discount on an individual spa service, which varies depending on your Crown and Anchor Society status level.

Best time to book shows

You want to reserve a show as soon as you get onboard the ship.

Royal Caribbean allows guests on all ships to pre-reserve theater shows, but you're going to have to wait until you get onboard to do so.

Once on the ship, reservations open up via the Royal Caribbean app or at Guest Services.

You'll want to log onto the Royal Caribbean wifi and then open up the app and begin making reservations for shows because they will sell out, especially on ships that have must-see shows, such as the Oasis Class or Quantum Class.

There is no cost to make show reservations.

How to check for a price drop

Regardless of which pre-cruise purchase is of interest to you, your best bet is to watch the price online in the months leading up to your cruise in case there is a price drop (or increase).

Royal Caribbean allows its guests to cancel and rebook any Cruise Planner purchase without a penalty.  This means that if you purchase something online, and then the price drops before your sailing, you can log back in and cancel the purchase and then immediately rebook to take advantage of the lower price.  Similarly, booking in advance protects against a price increase.

Moreover, if you decided to buy something online but change your mind later, you can get a refund on the pre-cruise purchase prior to your sailing.

More cruise advice

• What is the best room on a cruise ship?
• Picking a Cruise Line and Ship
• Avoid these mistakes when picking a cruise ship cabin
• 25 best Royal Caribbean tips, tricks & hidden secrets
• 5 Costly lessons learned on a cruise (and how to avoid them!)
• 15 really cool things to do that you can only find on Royal Caribbean cruise ships
• Ultimate Cruise Packing List

Royal Caribbean has updated the situation with Quantum of the Seas needing to slow its speed and skip Alaska glacier visits.

Earlier this week, guests booked on Quantum of the Seas on August sailings were sent an email to inform them that the ship would skip glacier viewings on their sailing.

Thus far, the August 1, 8, and 15 Alaska cruise sailings are impacted. Quantum of the Seas is sailing 7-night Alaska cruises from Seattle.

A new email was sent today to guests booked on Quantum of the Seas to update the situation as to why the change is necessary.

Royal Caribbean says the speed limitations are caused by a technical issue with one of the engines.

While that may sound alarming, the cruise line reminded guests the ship has four engines, and one of them requires repairs and the repair parts are delayed, "Quantum has four engines. One requires some repair and there's a delay in receiving the parts needed. Additionally, another engine is scheduled for routine maintenance soon, which means we'll have to reduce our overall speed during these sailings."

"While we're doing everything we can to expedite this, the global supply chain situation that we're all experiencing is further impacting the delay."

Royal Caribbean was sure to note the safety of the ship is not compromised, "Safety is always our top priority. Our ships can safely sail in these kinds of situations, just at reduced speeds."

Trying to make up for a missed glacier

As to skipping a visit to Dawes Glacier, Royal Caribbean says they have tried to find an alternative but the logistics are not simple, "We've been working tirelessly to find a way to visit Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier for your sailing, but this would result in drastically reduced port times."

"And given that there's always a risk of missing the Glacier due to weather, it's best to go with the surer option of keeping better times in port. The decision to modify our itinerary wasn't taken lightly."

"We've done everything possible to minimize the impact to your time with us and are sorry for the inconvenience."

Increased compensation

Royal Caribbean also included a change to the compensation for the change in itinerary.

First, the amount of onboard credit offered is now one full day of cruise fare paid, per person.

Any unused onboard credit will be available to be refunded back to your credit card.

If not visiting the glacier causes someone to no longer want to sail, Royal Caribbean will allow them to cancel.

Guests have until July 17 to change their mind if they no longer want to sail and they can get a full refund, including non-refundable deposits and/or pre-paid amenities.

Guests will need to contact their travel agent to cancel, and should get a refund within 14 business days.

Royal Caribbean will also allow the refund amount to be moved to a different sailing.

Full letter

Here's a copy of the full letter Royal Caribbean sent.

Thanks to John Trivedi for sharing the email.

Happy July 4th and Canada Day to everyone out in blog land! Many of you are enjoying a relaxing and long weekend, and I hope this week's round up of all the Royal Caribbean news makes it even better!

When will Covid testing and vaccine requirements go away?

That might be the most frequently asked question cruisers want to know and Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley addressed this question.

He also talked about if Royal Caribbean will add a fuel surcharge, when the Icon of the Seas reveal will be, smoking in the casino & more.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean updates: Labadee suite change, Starlink approved, cup change & more
• Quantum of the Seas will skip glacier viewing in August due to engine trouble
• Royal Caribbean's July 4th Cruise Planner sale is happening right now
• Flight attendant shares 20 tips to minimize air travel fiascos

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 459th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, in which Matt reflects on his Covid experience on an Alaska cruise.

As an addendum to last week's podcast episode, Matt talks about his experience with Covid on a cruise ship and what his takeaway from it all.

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

New RCB Video: What’s the best piece of cruise advice you have ever received?

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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 — What’s the best piece of cruise advice you have ever received? — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Read our Greek Isles Live Blog

A European cruise is a bucket list cruise for so many people, especially a Greek Isles cruise.

We have a day-by-day look at what it's like to sail on Rhapsody of the Seas around Greece.

Read our 7-night Greek Isles cruise live blog and see all the fun you can have exploring these beautiful islands.

Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas reaches first major milestone

The next Oasis Class cruise ship is on its way to becoming a reality.

At the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, a keel-laying ceremony was held for Utopia of the Seas.

Utopia of the Seas will be the first LNG-powered ship in the Oasis Class when she debuts in 2024.

We tried the new Starlink internet on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship

How fast is Elon Musk's Starlink internet service? We put it through its paces on a weekend sailing of Freedom of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean has quietly begun testing Starlink on Freedom of the Seas, and many are curious just how much faster this internet is compared to the traditional onboard internet service.

Over the course of 3-nights, Nicole tested the ship wifi and the results did not disappoint.

We have a look at some of the changes Royal Caribbean has made or announced over the last week.

With a fleet of 26 ships, there are always going to be things happening and in an effort to keep everyone up to date, here's a quick run through of the latest news from this week.

In addition to starting construction on a new cruise ship and Royal Caribbean's CEO sharing his thoughts on policy changes, here is a look at everything else that happened this week you should know about.

Labadee suite cabanas now available online

It's now easier to book a cabana for suite guests when visiting Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

Royal Caribbean alerted guests booked in a suite that they can begin reserving cabanas at Barefoot Beach online via the Royal Caribbean cruise planner.

These suites are only available for guests booked in grand suites or higher.

Prior to this change, cabanas were reserved once the ship's suite concierge emailed guests a week before the cruise. The entire process was done offline.

With the update, suite guests can book a Barefoot Beach cabana just like other cabanas at Labadee.

SpaceX Starlink gets FCC approval

Starlink internet service on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship got one step closer to reality this week.

The Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite internet to vehicles in motion, which includes cruise ships.

A few weeks ago, Royal Caribbean petitioned the FCC to approve Starlink for moving vehicles so that cruise ships could utilize the service, hinting that a deal between Royal Caribbean and Starlink was possible.

As of now, Freedom of the Seas is actively testing Starlink with impressive speeds thus far.

Royal Caribbean has not publicly commented on if a deal with Starlink is going to happen, nor what ships could see the service implemented onboard.

Soda cup change

If you purchase a Royal Caribbean drink package, expect a different cup design.

Guests on a few different Royal Caribbean ships have reported a change in the soda cup guests receive with their purchase.

The cups seem to come in either orange or blue color, and don't have the Coca-Cola branding typically seen with other designs.

While a definite change in look, the cup design is not new.

Royal Caribbean first used these cups at Labadee and CocoCay as far back as 2016.

Italian airport transfers

Royal Caribbean has added new transfer options for cruises sailing from Ravenna, Italy.

Due to the distance from Venice to Ravenna, guests will need to arrange transportation both to and from the ship on boarding and departure day either by purchasing a competitively priced transfer through Royal Caribbean International or by making their own private arrangements.

Guests can book these transfers before their cruise by contacting their travel partner or by reaching out to Royal Caribbean.

Additionally, guests may purchase transfers at Venice Marco Polo Airport on boarding day. However, please note that boarding day transfers will have limited availability and are available for purchase on a first come-first served basis.

Pre-Cruise Shuttles:

• Shuttle services will be available from locations in the area including Venice Marco Polo Airport and Venice City Centre (Tronchetto). Guests may select their preferred transfer based on their flights and selected check-in time for boarding the ship.
  • When booking a shuttle, guests will also be advised of the latest possible flight arrival time to board their shuttle.
  • If you are arranging transfers on your own, flights should arrive into Venice no later than 11:35 AM to allow time to arrive to the ship.
• Each shuttle will be boarded at 50% capacity to ensure physical distancing.
• The journey to the ship from Venice, Italy can take up to 3 hours (depending on traffic conditions), so please be sure to dress comfortably and keep travel documents, medications, or any other important items in your carry-on luggage
• Once onboard shuttles departing from Venice, guests will have access to phone charging stations and will be provided with bottled water. Then, about halfway through the journey,  a comfort stop will be made where guests will be able to stretch their legs, use the restroom, and purchase snacks for the remainder of the trip.
  • Please note: Depending on driving conditions, the comfort stop may be skipped depending to ensure all guests arrive to the ship on time.
• Check-in for your sailing will take place at the cruise terminal in Ravenna, Italy.

Post-Cruise Shuttles:

• When booking a shuttle, you’ll be advised of the earliest possible flight departure time to board your shuttle.
• Just like on boarding day, the journey back to Venice, Italy can take up to 3 hours, so don’t forget to dress comfortably!
  • All the same amenities available on the pre-cruise shuttle from Venice – bottled water and the ability to charge your phone – will also be available for guests traveling on the post-cruise shuttle to Venice.

Guests booked on Quantum of the Seas to Alaska this season will have to forgo scheduled glacier visits.

Royal Caribbean notified guests booked on Quantum of the Seas this season that due to "a speed limitation caused by a technical issue with one of the ship’s engines", planned visits to Dawes Glacier have been cancelled.

Thus far, the August 1, 8, and 15 cruises are impacted.

Dawes Glacier is famous for its 600 foot tall, half-mile wide active icecap. It's one of the major highlights of an Alaska cruise.

Royal Caribbean did not disclose what the engine issue is exactly.

Quantum of the Seas is sailing 7-night Alaska cruises from Seattle.

While the engine issue is not a major problem, it will require itineraries to be adjusted. Primarily, Royal Caribbean has adjusted some arrival and departure times in Alaska and British Columbia.

"As a result, we’ve replaced our visit to Skagway, Alaska with Ketchikan, Alaska on Wednesday, shifted our visit to Sitka, Alaska to Thursday, and we’ll no longer visit Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier on Friday. We’re terribly sorry for any inconvenience caused by this, but the safety and comfort of our guests and crew is always our top priority."

Depending on the itinerary, times and ports of call are being adjusted, such as dropping Skagway or replacing it with Ketchikan.

The cruise line is offering compensation due to the loss of Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier from the itinerary.

• $75 USD for Interior and Ocean View staterooms
• $100 USD for Balcony staterooms
• $200 USD for Suites

If at the end of the cruise you there is a remaining amount left over, it will be refunded to the card on file.

Cruise ship propulsion problems not uncommon

While unsettling, engine problems are not unheard of in the industry.

In just the last few years, both Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas had engine issues that restricted their speeds. Allure in particular had propulsion issues in 2019, 2017, and 2013.

Fellow Quantum Class ship Anthem of the Seas had an issue with her azipod in 2016.

It's important to note that a propulsion problem is not a safety concern for guests sailing.

Reader reaction

No one is ever happy when a scheduled port visit has to be dropped, and cruise fans shared their dismay on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards.

smokeybandit wrote, "I wonder what the decision point was between cancelling a couple cruise to fix the issue vs. taking away one of the most sought after aspects of an Alaskan cruise and handing out OBC to just sail with a busted engine."

Tom Trudnowski thinks dropping a visit to the glacier removes the primary appeal of an Alaska cruise, "the only reason you pretty much book an Alaska cruise, is to cruise the inside passage and see the glaciers, everything else is secondary, if important at all."

D Alt recognized this issue as something that can happen to any sailing, "These things happen. Mechanical equipment needs repair from time to time and they can't always predict when something is going to break down."

Construction for Royal Caribbean's next Oasis Class cruise ship has reached a major milestone.

At the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, the keel was layed for Utopia of the Seas.

A keel-laying ceremony was held for the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered Oasis Class cruise ship.  Utopia will be the second Royal Caribbean cruise ship to be powered by LNG, following Icon of the Seas.

Keel-laying is a very important milestone because it signifies the official start of physical construction.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked about the importance of this occasion, "The keel laying for Utopia of the Seas represents the first milestone of an incredible ship and the next step toward a bolder, thrilling future for Royal Caribbean and vacations."

"Utopia’s debut in 2024, on the heels of Icon of the Seas setting sail in fall 2023, will build on a new, exciting chapter that is set to redefine family vacations and getaways for all ages in ways we’ll soon reveal."

"Today, we are celebrating with Royal Caribbean International an important tradition and milestone for Utopia of the Seas" said Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique.

"The construction of Utopia is an exciting opportunity for the Chantiers de l’Atlantique teams that are aiming to make this cruise ship one of the most environmentally friendly ships in the world equipped with new generation dual-fuel engines."

Utopia of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean's sixth Oasis Class cruise ship, and final Oasis Class ship that they currently have on order. Royal Caribbean has been cagey about confirming they will not order another Oasis Class ship.

Utopia of the Seas is scheduled to enter service in spring 2024.

Royal Caribbean believes having Utopia powered by LNG is an important step forward in its commitment to the environment.

The ship’s LNG technology will join a lineup of the cruise line’s already-established environmentally friendly initiatives on its ships. From shore power connection to waste heat recovery systems, the applications have been developed and continually enhanced as part of Royal Caribbean’s dedication to innovation and making strides toward a clean-energy future.

Royal Caribbean kicked off its July 4th sale for pre-cruise purchases with a new offer that runs through the holiday weekend.

The Fourth of July sale applies to new purchases made , June 29, 2022 – Wednesday, July 6, 2022.

The sale includes sailings that depart between July 3, 2022 – April 30, 2023.

It's important to note that just because there is a Cruise Planner sale doesn't mean the prices of items you see has gone down. Cruise add-on prices aren't marketed the same as apparel or electronics, where prices are marked down across the board.

Here is what is included during the sale:

Beverage: Up to 40% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% Off onboard prices
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 30% Off onboard prices
• Spring Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• San Benedetto Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• Evian Water Bottles: 40% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: 30% Off onboard prices
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship. 
• Refreshment Package: Discount varies by ship. 

Shore Excursions: Up to 25% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship.

Internet: Up to 50% Off

• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. 
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.

Dining: Up to 50% Off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship. 

Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off

• Anniversary Decorations with Champagne
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries
• Inky Beach Set
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe)
• Inky Travel Set
• Red Wine and Cheese
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel
• Strawberries with Champagne
• White Wine and Cheese

Photo Packages: Up to 70% Off

• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship. 
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship. 
• Photo Package: All Digital: Discount varies by ship. 

Casitas: Up to 20% Off

• Casita Packages: 20% Off Onboard Prices

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

More helpful information

• Should you buy pre-cruise purchases now or wait to buy it onboard?
• 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How much should I budget for a cruise?

Will Royal Caribbean ever ban smoking? When will we get more Icon of the Seas details? Can we expect a fuel surcharge?

These were some of the questions Royal Caribbean cruise fans asked President and CEO Michael Bayley during a Q&A session this week.

Royal Caribbean hosts a President's Cruise each year, and there's always an opportunity for the top executive from Royal Caribbean International to take questions from its loyal cruisers.

There's usually an assortment of questions, gripes, suggestions, and compliments included each time, and a few of the questions were intriguing to a wide audience.

In addition to talking about when pre-cruise testing and vaccine requirements might come to an end, Mr. Bayley touched on a few other hot button topics.

Here's what Mr. Bayley had to say when asked some of the top questions.

Will Royal Caribbean ever ban smoking in the casinos?

Royal Caribbean temporarily banned smoking in its casinos earlier this year during the Omicron variant in order to implement a stricter face mask rule, but that rule was rolled back a few months later.

When asked about revising the smoking policy indoors, Mr. Bayley admitted, "smoking in the casinos is a bit of a conundrum."

"The dilemma is that there are many people who do want to smoke in the casino. I know that's not a popular response, but it's it's the truth."

"I'm not judging anyone or anything, but there's a large group of people who do want to smoke in the casino."

He explained, "Every, I would say every couple of years, we do test this and we take one or two or three ships we ban smoking in the casino. And the result is less people go in the casino and that that's the reality of it."

While a full smoking ban in the casino doesn't seem likely, Mr. Bayley said they are looking at ways to create more non-smoking areas, "we're looking at trying to create more smoke free spaces in the casino, which I think will be helpful."

Will Royal Caribbean add fuel surcharges?

While the price of oil is high, Royal Caribbean still has no plans to add a fuel surcharge to cruise guests.

"The fuel fuel bill for Royal Caribbean is, as you can imagine, it's massive and it's gone up by I don't know what the percentages, but it's a huge chunk. It's hundreds of millions of dollars."

"But at the moment, we're not planning on putting a fuel surcharge on."

The cost of West Texas Intermediate oil, a common benchmark, spiked above $120 a barrel at times this year, but has since dropped back to around $110 a barrel. That’s up from around $76 a barrel at the start of the year.

In 2008, the price of West Texas Intermediate peaked at around $146 a barrel. That’s around $192 in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation.

Mr. Bayley did admit, the issue is still up in the air, "We try to understand what the implications are of a fuel surcharge."

"I'd say we don't know. We've all seen the uncertainty of all of these dynamics. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or next week or the week after."

He mentioned the fact Royal Caribbean hedges its fuel quite a bit every year, with 50% of its fuel hedged for this year and a smaller percentage for next year.

When will Royal Caribbean share more information about Icon of the Seas

It seems like everyone can't believe Royal Caribbean hasn't shared more details yet about its next new cruise ship, but everything is still under wraps for a little while longer.

Icon of the Seas is set to debut in late 2023, and Mr. Bayley was asked when they will share more information about the ship, "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."

He echoed previous comments about how impressive this new class of ship will be, "It is the next generation of Royal Caribbean ship and we're super proud of the work we've been working on for five years."

"It follows a normal formula of tradition, evolution, revolution."

"So there's much of Icon of the Seas is everything we all love about Royal Caribbean, much of Icon of the Seas is the next generation of thinking for many of the things that we really love about Royal Caribbean."

"And there's a chunk of stuff that we've never done before which is really going to be super cool."

The Pearl

Michael Bayley was pretty good at keeping all the Icon of the Seas details under wraps, until he accidently let slip the name of that mystery sphere we've seen photos of for months.

A guest wanted to know what the "big white ball" was, and Mr. Bayley immediately responded, "the Pearl?"

When someone pointed out he said it, he responded, "I know, but I did it by accident.

Royal Caribbean filed for a trademark for the phrase, "The Pearl" earlier this month.

Will double points promotion return?

One guest wanted to know if Royal Caribbean would ever bring back its double points promotion, which allows guests to get double the usual points per night of the cruise in the Crown and Anchor Society customer loyalty program.

"I'm so tempted to say yes. But I got to tell you our Pinnacle members are not such advocates for the idea."

He then joked, "I know it's very popular and you've got to cling onto it as a memory."

"Unreasonable and unfair" treatment during pandemic

Twice during the session, Mr. Bayley was asked about what it was like during the cruise industry shutdown as a result of Covid.

"I've got to be honest with media, particularly in the beginning of the pandemic... we felt like we couldn't get a break."

"It's like we were responsible for COVID."

"Relentlessly reporting was always, always negative about about the industry and Royal Caribbean. I don't think we ever saw a positive article."

"Even on the crewing situation, where we were working night and day to get our crew home, we just received criticism for the current situation."

He went on to say, "At the beginning of the pandemic...the cruise industry was generally regarded as the bad actor, which I have to tell you was totally unreasonable and unfair."