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One of the many new amenities coming to Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship will be the cruise line's first southern American food restaurant.
Wonder of the Seas will feature a new restaurant, known as The Mason Jar.
According to Royal Caribbean, The Mason Jar is all about food from the southern part of the United States.
Mason Jar was one of the trademarks Royal Caribbean filed back in October 2021 that seemed to point to a new dining concept based on Southern food.
In a newsletter update to travel agents, Royal Caribbean confirmed the existence of this new restaurant concept, "In the South, food is meant to soothe the soul."
"Enter The Mason Jar, reinventing Low Country classics, Bayou staples, and bold BBQ."
Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley also confirmed the news via his Facebook page.
The new restaurant will offer comfort food, such as creole-style Lobster ’n Crawfish Gumbo and Gran’s Fried Chicken.
There will also be a brunch menu that offers breakfast dishes, such as Sweet-Tooth Cinnamon Roll or southern Chicken ’n Waffles.
If you're thirsty, you'll find spiked peach tea or a decadent shake made with peanut butter, banana and bourbon.
Naturally, country music will be played as well.
While not confirmed, it is expected The Mason Jar will be a specialty restaurant location that has an additional fee to dine there.
Given the restaurant serves south food, it makes sense to call it The Mason Jar.
Mason jars are widely used in the south, and used for canning, preserving, or storing food. In fact, southerners commonly refer to any glass storage vessel used for these purposes generically as a Mason jar.
Other names Royal Caribbean considered included Savannah's Table and Palmetto Room.
According to the deck plans, it will be on Deck 15 near the Windjammer.
In zooming in on the concept art for the Mason Jar, it's clear to see a menu. Whether or not the menu is accurate remains to be seen.
Here's what it lists:
Fresh buttermilk biscuits & jalapeno cornbread (served with cajun and whipped honey butter)
Pick from one protein, fixins and two signature BBQ sauces
Sides:
Beginning today, the U.S. government is giving away free Covid-19 tests, so naturally people want to know if these tests are acceptable for a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Beginning on Tuesday, the Biden administration soft launched the free at-home Covid tests that you can order directly from the U.S. Postal service.
People can order four at-home tests per residential address, and they represent an easy and very affordable way to get a Covid test.
Royal Caribbean requires all passengers to take a pre-cruise Covid-19 test to bring with them to the cruise terminal.
Royal Caribbean does accept an at-home test, which can be conducted pretty much anywhere that you have a good Wi-Fi connection - hotel room, airport, vacation home - as long as it meets this criteria:
So can you use these tests for your pre-cruise test? Probably not.
The third bullet point is the key factor, because the free rapid tests the government is distributing are generally not the type that are proctored.
As of right now, the only at-home test Royal Caribbean accepts is Abbott's BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test (not to be confused with the Abbott’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test).
Read more: I tried the at-home Covid-19 test that Royal Caribbean accepts
When ordering the free tests from COVIDTests.gov, there is no indication which test you will actually receive.
For now, your best bet is to order the tests anyway because they are free and sooner or later having access to rapid Covid-19 tests is going to be something you will likely benefit from having around. If they are the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test, you're set, but if not, you can plan to buy those seperately.
You can purchase the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test from eMed.com or Optum. eMed sells a six pack for $150 for six Covid tests, or $25 apiece.
The good news is part of the initiative by the Biden administration to provide easier testing accessibility is you can save the receipt to get reimbursed by your health insurance company later.
There are plenty of challenges when traveling right now, so which of these are the top concern for cruisers?
Royal Caribbean, and other cruise lines, have had to adjust their health protocols and plans due to the Omicron variant. Some ships had to cancel cruises, itineraries changed, activity schedules altered and more.
I wanted to know which concern is the top one for most cruisers to get a sense of what potential issues are at the top of everyone's mind.
The point of running this poll was to really see which issues cruise fans thought about, and which concerns were less important.
I posted a Facebook poll with the question which of these options is your number one concern you have about going on a cruise ship right now?
In less than 24 hours, 2,893 people participated in this unscientific poll and the results were a bit surprising in some cases.
The number one concern among the respondents was having to quarantine onboard the ship because they, or someone in their family, tested positive for Covid-19 onboard the ship.
Passengers that test positive for Covid-19 are brought to an area of the ship with rooms dedicated for quarantining guests while they recover.
Jane Allen summed up the quarantine issue for many, "We could even live with quarantine if we could keep our balcony room, but to be locked in a room where we could not have doors open would be too much."
Dru Mason wrote, "I understand the reasoning behind moving positive cases to a deck specific to quarantine, however, I would be disappointed to lose my cabin."
Blanche Bryant wishes the quarantine process could allow for them to be in their own cabin, "I wouldn't mind the quarantine so much - if I could stay in my original cabin."
Read more: What happens after testing positive for Covid on Royal Caribbean cruise ship
Actually catching Covid-19 as a concern ranked number 6 in the poll, which may be reflection of a cruise audience that is vaccinated (and possibly boosted), as well as perhaps the less-serious nature of the Omicron variant.
The surprising result in this poll for me was the fact having to get and pass a Covid-19 test before the cruise came in a close second in the results.
Anxiety among people that have a cruise and need to find somewhere to get a test done, and then hope no one tests positive, ranked high because that would put their entire cruise in jeopardy.
Tracie Rohner found getting a test for her unvaccinated child is a major challenge, "Getting my two year old a PCR test 3 days prior to boarding. It is so hard to get a child tested if they aren’t over the age of three. Local pharmacy will not test two year olds. "
Charleen Rader shared it's been difficult to get tests done with regularity, "We ran into problems getting tested, places are changing their policies almost daily about who they will or won't test, make an appointment and hope they follow through."
Melissa Chin thinks the test coming back without feeling sick gives her concern, "Passing the test prior to boarding simply because of the potential of being asymptomatic. "
Mark Greenwald also thinks the potential for a last-minute cancellation because someone tests positive give him pause, "The pre-test is the most stressful."
"Knowing that all the excitement, anticipation, planning could be tossed out the winner 2 days prior, especially when there are flights, hotels, pet boarding involved, really ruins the excitement of the countdown. It's like a dark cloud."
The poll was an interesting look in the different opinions on what worries cruisers the most.
It seems the vast majority of respondents are planning to sail, but they certain think about potential pitfalls that could interrupt their vacation plans.
It's understandable why the answers were so widespread because how much of a risk there is will always subjective.
The rumor mill has been swirling lately with the unconfirmed possibility that Royal Caribbean's other private destination may reopen.
Labadee, a private destination in northwest Haiti, has been shutdown since cruises stopped in 2020. While Perfect Day at Cococay has reopened, Labadee has not and there has not been a great deal of detail as to why or when it might resume.
Up until now, scheduled visits to Labadee have been routinely cancelled and replaced with visits to other ports.
There are two new pieces of very circumstantial evidence that point to Labadee possibly welcoming guests back again sooner than later.
First, Harmony of the Seas is scheduled to visit there next week when she sails on January 23, 2022.
According to the Royal Caribbean app, Harmony is scheduled to visit Labadee on Day 5 of the sailing during her 5-night Western Caribbean cruise.
Of course, itineraries can change at any time.
Someone also shared a post on Facebook, claiming that the visit to Labadee is scheduled and that a "test cruise" is headed there on January 27th.
The other thing we spotted is Royal Caribbean is actively hiring for Labadee, posting on social media an opening for a Shore Excursions Manager to work in Labadee.
Royal Caribbean has made no announcement either way about Labadee reopening or not.
Thus far, the only public comments have been made in emails to guests on booked sailings that have had to have their itinerary revised.
Labadee is a 260-acre private destination that Royal Caribbean has operated since 1986, and was visited by both Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises ships.
The exact reason why Royal Caribbean has not resumed visiting Labadee is not entirely clear.
Haiti has dealt with the assassination of its president, as well as a major earthquake.
The U.S. State Department lists Haiti as having a level 4 warning not to visit, which is the highest level of warning to avoid travel.
It's still too early to tell what to expect for Labadee and when ships will visit there again.
Certainly ancillary evidence after months of little to no updates or information is a step in the right direction, but we still lack Royal Caribbean's confirmation.
For now, we will keep an eye on the situation and share any updates if the situation changes.
Happy weekend! We hope you are enjoying a wonderful and relaxing weekend and managing to stay warm. Now it is time to sit back with a cuppa tea or java, and check out the latest in Royal Caribbean cruise news.
The cruise industry and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have had their ups and downs over the last two years, but the CDC Director was pleased with the work done by the lines.
At a U.S. Senate Hearing on Tuesday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress it will let the Conditional Sailing Order transition to a voluntary program. She also complimented the work done by cruise lines.
"I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding, as you know, the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."
The 437th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Matt talks about what the cruise industry is doing in response to Omicron.
Bari Golin-Blaugrund from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) shares insight into what cruise lines are doing despite all the negative press, as well as discuss recent changes from the CDC.
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.
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 — How to get the cheapest cruise ship suite — and don’t forget to subscribe here.
I love sharing cruise tips, but this year there's a few things that you should really focus on when planning a cruise.
Cruise ships are sailing, and despite some hiccups, there are a few important things you can do during this time to prepare for a 2022 spring, summer, winter or fall cruise.
Appropriately, I've come up with a list of 22 things you should know when planning a cruise in 2022.
You might not know it by reading the news, but lots of people are cruising and loving it. So much so, some people are going on multiple cruises in a row.
RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Greg is sailing on Freedom of the Seas for 5 consecutive cruises, and has completed the first four legs.
Greg shared what it's like to stay onboard a cruise ship right now after all those sailings.
Our editor just completed a 4-night cruise on Independence of the Seas, and shared what her cruise experience was like onboard.
Jenna's sailing visited Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay, along with plenty of fun onboard.
Check out all the daily posts from Independence:
Royal Caribbean has released its deployment schedule of when it will put new summer 2023 - winter 2024 cruises on sale.
While some new itineraries were released in November and December, the bulk of the new itineraries are set to be released between February and April 2022.
Royal Caribbean posted the new deployment schedule for a variety of itineraries, such as Long and Short Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, cruises from the Northeast and more.
Keep in mind this deployment schedule is subject to change, and may end up being delayed.
If you missed it, here is a look at the 2023-2024 cruises already available to book now:
The deployment schedule is when Royal Caribbean plans to release new cruises to book by the public.
At some point in that week, the new itineraries will go on sale.
This means at some point between Monday and Friday of that week, the new cruises will be loaded into Royal Caribbean's system to become bookable.
Typically, the new sailings start getting loaded into the system in the evening, and then fully available by morning of the next day.
A common mistake is for guests to read the date, and assume that will be the first day the sailings on on sale.
Generally speaking, when a new sailing is released, this is one of the best times to book a cruise to lock in a low price.
Cruise ship pricing follows a supply and demand model, similar to airfare. When a new sailing opens up, all the cabins are available and that means price is low. As more and more people book cabins, supply goes down and that can drive the price up.
Booking first is also super important if you care about being in a specific cabin, especially suites.
While there are plenty of balcony and interior cabins on Royal Caribbean ships, suites and cabins in special areas (like the aft) are always in high demand. Securing one of these rooms early is important.
While you wait the weeks and months until Royal Caribbean releases the new bookings, there are a few things you can do to prepare for when they become available.
It's a good idea to talk to your travel agent now to let them know you're interested in pricing something out when it becomes available.
By telling your travel agent now what you are considering, you might be able to get a head start on everyone else.
Researching the type of cabin you want, as well as what each type of itinerary offers can make the decision-making process later when the sailings open up much easier.
Planning on booking a cruise in 2023-2024? These posts will help:
One sailing of Independence of the Seas has been cancelled due to Covid-19.
Guests sailing on the January 22, 2022 2-night cruise were informed today about the cancellation.
In the email, Royal Caribbean says the cruise was cancelled, "as a result of ongoing Covid-related circumstances."
If you're wondering why one two-night cruise was cancelled, it may have to do with two chartered sailings that were scheduled to sail before and after it.
An 8-night charter cruise on Independence of the Seas was supposed to set sail on January 22 was cancelled as well.
The January 14 sailing of Independence of the Seas had been a chartered 8-night sailing, known as "The Super Cruise XIV", put on by Capital Jazz.
On the charter website, the group said their charter was cancelled on January 7, "The supercruise program scheduled for January 14-22, 2022 has been canceled due to the recently issued CDC level 4 alert for cruise ships."
It also appears the January 24 cruise was a charter that was cancelled. This was the K-Love charter cruise, scheduled for January 24 - 29, 2022.
According to the K-Love website, it was cancelled due to Covid concerns, "Unfortunately, the current health and wellness challenges make it impossible to deliver the K-LOVE Cruise experience at this time."
In the case of both charters, it appears the group organizing the cruises cancelled the sailing.
Independence is the latest cruise ship to be cancelled due to Covid-19.
Royal Caribbean cancelled sailings on 4 ships last week due to Covid-19 cases among the crew.
Crew members that test positive for Covid-19 are isolated and quarantined.
If a cruise ship has too many crew members that test positive, the cruise line pulls the ship out of service so that it can give the crew time to recuperate before restarting cruises again.
All cruise lines are working around the issues caused by Covid, as the Omicron surge has seen cases rise everywhere. Almost 900,000 people testes positive for Covid-19 in the United States on Thursday, which is almost 10 times the amount that tested positive a few weeks ago.
Unlike land-based businesses that have barely any health protocols, cruise lines have the most stringent and most scrutinized industry of all, reporting directly to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with their testing protocols and numbers.
Royal Caribbean, and other lines, require mask wearing, pre-cruise tests, and social distancing. All crew members are fully vaccinated, and all passengers 12 years old and older are required to be fully vaccinated.
Royal Caribbean intends to sail as many of its ships as possible going forward, so you should plan on your booked cruise to happen until something changes.
Covid-19 is impacting all businesses in a way that it can wreak havoc on having proper staffing levels.
The bottom line is any scheduled cruises you have scheduled now are still planned to happen.
Royal Caribbean is offering a potential discount on cruise add-ons, such as drink packages, shore excursions and more, with its new sale.
The "Rise to the Vacation" sale runs between January 14, 2022 - January 20, 2022 and is valid on sailings between : January 18, 2022 - December 31, 2022.
Here is what is included during the sale:
BEVERAGE: Up to 40% off
DINING: Up to 55% off
INTERNET: Up to 50% off
SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 25% off
ACTIVITIES: 20% off
PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 70% off
Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off
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
Once again, Royal Caribbean is giving its customers more time to take advantage of its flexible cancellation program.
Cruise with Confidence has been extended again for bookings made through March 31, 2022 on sailings departing on or before September 30, 2022.
What this means is you can cancel a booked Royal Caribbean cruise for any reason for a 100% future cruise credit.
In an email travel agents, Royal Caribbean explains the Omicron variant impact to its business, "With the rise of the Omicron variant, we have strengthened some of our health protocols to ensure that we mitigate the spread of COVID-19 onboard. We are confident in our approach as Royal Caribbean Group has carried 1.1 million guests since the restart of cruising from the US in June of 2021. We remain in constant communication with various government health authorities and will continue to work collaboratively with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."
"At the end of the day, we want to ensure that planning your clients' vacations is as worry-free as possible. Therefore, we've made the decision to extend our popular Cruise with Confidence program to reservations confirmed on or before March 31, 2022 on sailings departing through September 30, 2022."
Prior to this extension, the Cruise with Confidence program was set to expire on January 31, 2022.
When a guest cancels their cruise past the final payment date, they can get a future cruise credit worth 100% of the cruise fare paid as long as they cancel at least 48 hours before the sail date.
It was originally introduced right before cruises began shutting down due to Covid-19 as a mechanism to give guests piece of mind they could change their plans after the final payment date.
Without the Cruise with Confidence program, there would be a penalty if you cancelled a cruise after the final payment date.
Included with the ability to cancel a cruise under Cruise with Confidence is the Best Price Guarantee, which allows guests to reprice their sailing up to 48-hours prior to the sail date if the price drops.
If you have a cruise booked already, then you qualify automatically for Cruise with Confidence. Going forward, you have until at least March 31, 2022 to qualify for Cruise with Confidence.
Cruise with Confidence is applicable to all sailings.
It is not available to guests booked on chartered sailings or residents of mainland China.
You simply need to book a cruise before March 31, 2022. Existing bookings automatically qualify for Cruise with Confidence.
The reason Royal Caribbean has extended this flexible cancellation program again is to give consumers more time to change their mind if they are worried about going on a cruise during the pandemic.
Traditionally, the final payment date would be the point in time when you would have to cancel without incurring a penalty fee.
At the onset of Covid-19, people were uncertain what to expect and cancelled their bookings early out of concern they could not predict if they would want to sail or not.
As a result, Cruise with Confidence was introduced so that anyone who has a cruise booked could wait longer to make a decision if they want to sail or not.