Royal Caribbean has released its Short Caribbean sailings for April 2024 — April 2025, which are now available for booking.

Royal Caribbean's website has been updated with the new itineraries, which are available to book immediately.

Eight cruise ships have new sailings you can book through mid-2025.

Short Caribbean sailings

Allure of the Seas will continue offering 3- and 4-night weekend cruises from Port Canaveral that visit Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Enchantment of the Seas will sail from Tampa and offer primarily 4- and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises to destinations in Mexico, and Grand Cayman. 

There's also a 10-night Southern Caribbean sailing included.

Read more: What is the best time to cruise to the Caribbean?

Grandeur of the Seas will also sail from Tampa and offer 4- and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises.   

Independence of the Seas will offer more of a variety of short Caribbean cruises, including 4-, 5- cruises. Independence will sail from Miami, Florida.

Read more: How different is a 3-night vs 4-night cruise?

Liberty of the Seas will continue offering 3- and 4-night short Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas.

Mariner of the Seas will shift to Galveston, where she will offer 4- and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises.

Navigator of the Seas will remain in Los Angeles and offer a mix of 3- and 4-night cruises along with 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises.

Read more: I tried my first 3-night cruise, here's how it went

After completing a transatlantic from Barcelona, Voyager of the Seas will sail 4- and 5-night cruises from Port Canaveral.

View the full Short Caribbean 2024-2025 sailings:

• Allure of the Seas
• Enchantment of the Seas
• Grandeur of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

Read more: Should I take a short or a long cruise

The release of the short Caribbean sailings is the first of the new spring deployments.

Over the next few months,  more sailings will be released for the 2024-2025 season, although changes to the deployment schedule are possible.

Royal Caribbean's deployment schedule is as follows:

• Week of February 20, 2023: Winter Caribbean
• Week of May 1, 2023: Australia
• Week of July 24, 2023: Singapore
• TBD: China

Planning on booking a new cruise? These stories will help:

• Is it worth it to book a short 3-night cruise?
• What was added to each Royal Caribbean ship during its Royal Amplified refurbishment
• Which is the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship?
• Why taking a weekend cruise is a great escape

Royal Caribbean has released its deployment schedule of when it will put new summer 2024 - 2025 cruises on sale.

In a follow up to Royal Caribbean's new itineraries that were released in November and December of 2022, more sailings will go on sale between February and July.

Royal Caribbean posted the new deployment schedule for a variety of itineraries, such as Short Caribbean, Australia and more.

While the schedule is out, most sailing windows are still to be determined.

• Week of February 13, 2023: Short Caribbean
• Week of February 20, 2023: Winter Caribbean
• Week of May 1, 2023: Australia
• Week of July 24, 2023: Singapore
• TBD: China

Keep in mind this deployment schedule is subject to change, and may end up being del

If you missed it, here is a look at the 2024-2025 cruises already available to book now:

• Alaska & Hawaii
• Europe
• Year-round/Summer Caribbean

What is a deployment schedule?

Essentially, the deployment schedule is when Royal Caribbean releases its new sailings to the public.

During a given week, at some point in that week, the new cruises go on sale. Usually, this happens in the evening of one day and then by morning of the next day all of the itineraries are fully available for booking.

It's important not to interpret the date as meaning that this is when the sailings will first become bookable – rather, between Monday and Friday of any given week is when you'll find out what new cruises have been released and be able to start your journey toward an unforgettable trip.

Why do new deployments matter?

The deployment schedule offers up so many exciting opportunities for those who love cruising with Royal Caribbean. Newly added options mean more choices when it comes time to plan your vacation: destinations ranging from Central America to Europe and Asia await you! Whether you're looking for a shorter itinerary or something longer-term, you're sure to find plenty of options within Royal Caribbean's ever-expanding selection of voyages. 

Cruising is one of the best ways to take a vacation, and it's always exciting when a new sailing is released. When you book at this time, you can lock in a low price and have first pick of all the best cabins–especially if you're looking for something special! 

Cruise ship pricing follows a supply and demand model that works similarly to airfare. At the start of each sailing, all cabins are available, meaning prices will be lower than usual. As more people book their stay on the cruise ship, supply decreases which causes the price to rise.

Booking early is essential if you want the best room; especially if you're interested in suites or cabins in popular areas like the aft. 

Royal Caribbean ships offer plenty of balcony and interior cabins, but suites tend to be most sought-after due to their luxurious amenities and spaciousness. Suites also often boast stellar views from large picture windows or balconies that overlook some of the world's most breathtaking destinations. Additionally, cabin selections located near popular areas like pools or lounges tend to fill up quickly – so make sure to reserve yours as soon as possible! 

What you can do now while you wait

Now is a great time to start planning for your next journey. With this announcement of new bookings coming soon, it's time to get excited - and start preparing! 

The best way to be proactive about this exciting development is to begin by talking to a trusted travel agent about your interests. Letting them know what type of cabin you are considering and what type of itinerary you are interested in will give you an edge over those who wait until the sailings open up. Exploring different options before any bookings go live can help make the decision-making process much quicker, easier, and less stressful. 

When researching possible cabins and itineraries, there are many aspects to consider. Think about how long you want to stay, where you would like to go, what type of activities interest you most, and which amenities are important for your group.

Speaking of booking plans, once the new Royal Caribbean sailings are released and ready for booking there will likely be high demand so it's important to have a plan in place in advance.

Start by looking into different payment options including installment plans if needed - this can help make budgeting easier on everyone involved. Also consider if deposits or onboard credits may be offered that could help stretch your dollar further during your vacation. 

Taking just a few steps ahead of time can save a lot of stress later on as well as help ensure that all aspects of the trip match up perfectly with what you had in mind from the very beginning!

Royal Caribbean's second Icon Class cruise ship is on its way to becoming a reality.

A steel cutting ceremony was held yesterday for the second Icon Class cruise ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet.

When the first piece of steel is cut, it marks a pivotal point in the ship building process, setting off an array of crucial landmarks to follow. This major milestone indicates that the groundwork has been set and the foundations have been laid for any further adjustments 

The first piece of steel was cut at a ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, which is the same shipyard that is building Icon of the Seas and where Allure and Oasis of the Seas were built as well.

The second Icon Class ship is unnamed as of yet, but she will begin her first cruises in 2025.

Royal Caribbean has an order for a third Icon Class ship as well, which has a delivery date in 2026.

Both Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku celebrated this event at the shipyard.

Essentially, when the first piece of steel is cut, it's one of the major milestones for ship construction. Other milestones include keel laying, floating out, and delivery.

Moreover, this is also a positive sign about the health of this project and Royal Caribbean's intention to continue forward with the new cruise ship.

What's different about the Icon Class?

The Icon Class is Royal Caribbean's newest class of cruise ship, and it's the first new class of ships in many years.

While we don't yet know anything about what Royal Caribbean has planned for the second Icon Class ship, there's no doubt it will inherit many aspects of Icon of the Seas.

These vessels represent the very best the cruise line has to offer going forward, and as we've seen with Icon of the Seas (the first ship in the class), there's a lot of innovations.

The Icon Class ships are not only bigger than the Oasis Class, coming in about 6% bigger, but they can hold more passengers too. Icon of the Seas has a maximum capacity of 7,600 passengers.

Royal Caribbean has already revealed a great deal of new concepts for Icon of the Seas. Boasting an impressive 20 decks and 7,600 passenger capacity, it's actually two decks higher than the Wonder of the Seas.

With new entertainment, 23 food venues, 8 fantastic neighborhoods, 7 pools and a waterpark, the ship offers something for everyone, including a vast array of cabin options not seen on other Royal Caribbean ships.

The Icon Class ships will be powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas). LNG and the state-of-the-art ship’s additional environmentally friendly applications, such as shore power connection, will boost energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint. 

What will be the name of Icon 2?

Royal Caribbean did not announce a name for the second Class ship, so it's anyone's guess at this point what to expect.

In November 2022,  Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider talked about naming the next two Icon Class ships, "I'm still taking ideas on Icon two and Icon three. I feel really confident in the name we have for Icon three, it's actually two that we're still working on."

Then in January 2023, Royal Caribbean launched an online poll to let the public vote on the name of its second Icon Class ship.

Royal Caribbean posted on social media the choices of Star of the Seas, Idol of the Seas, Love of the Seas, or Queen of the Seas. There's been no indication of which, if any, of these names won.

On Twitter, Star of the Seas won the poll with 44% of the vote.

Let's take a peek at the what Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship looks like while still under construction.

Icon of the Seas is at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, where she is being assembled.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com commissioned a set of aerial drone photos to survey the progress being made for the benefit our readers.

These drone photos were taken on the morning of February 14, 2023.

Icon of the Seas will have her inaugural sailing January 2024, and the ship is already incredibly popular based on the bookings Royal Caribbean has seen so far.

"That ship literally has been the best-selling product in the history of our business," said Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley during last week's earnings call with investors.

"It's been absolutely outstanding in terms of the demand and the pricing that we're generating."

Icon is the first ship in a new class of Royal Caribbean cruise ships, and that means it introduces a host of new innovations and concepts that have resonated with consumers.

Icon of the Seas will have 26 new features never before seen on a Royal Caribbean ship, which includes 15 new water experiences.

It will have have more than 40 food and beverage concepts, with 23 of them completely new to Royal Caribbean.

The 20-deck-high vessel will feature a variety of new-to-fleet ideas, such as a water park, Vegas-style pool area, indoor AquaTheater, dedicated neighborhood for young families and so much more.

Royal Caribbean has also added new types of cabins that are designed to hold more guests.

The new ship will be 250,600 tons in size and take the title of the biggest cruise ship in the world.

The first sailing of Icon of the Seas will be a seven-night cruise from her homeport of Miami to the Eastern Caribbean on January 27, 2024.

Icon will then alternate between Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries through April 2025.

Much of the construction shows more cabins have been added since our last photo update.

Cabins are constructed elsewhere and then slid into the superstructure of the ship once the slot for them is ready.

Icon of the Seas was floated out for the first time in early December 2022.

Royal Caribbean shared a timeline of events for Icon in December, and the plan is for the new ship to have her first sea trials in May 2023.

Sea trials are when a new cruise ship tests out her systems at sea in order to evaluate performance and stability.

Icon's second sea trials are scheduled for June 2023, with deliver in the second half of 2023.

Once complete, she'll be a bit longer and higher than Wonder of the Seas, which is currently the largest ship in the world.

Icon will have two more passenger decks than Wonder, and about 10 feet longer.

Icon can accommodate up to 5,610 passengers at double occupancy (7,600 passengers if you maxed out every bed).

She will also be Royal Caribbean's first ship to use liquified natural gas (LNG) and fuel cell technology. 

Icon of the Seas is the first of at least three Icon Class cruise ships.

The next one will be completed in 2025 and the third in 2026.

Beyond the Icon Class, Royal Caribbean has no current orders for more ships, but the company hasn't ruled anything out.

Speaking with Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty in December 2022, he said there is more time to order ships than a few years ago, "The level of demand for new ships was so high that you had to order ships much further out in order to have access to those slots. So you were seeing people order ships six or seven years out."

"If you think about the Icon one's and the Icon two's, there's a little bit more breathing time for us to have to place in those orders because of that structural change pre-pandemic."

Happy early Valentine's Day! Hope the holiday is filled with chocolate, flowers and a Royal Caribbean cruise! I'm spreading the Royal Caribbean love with our look at all the Royal Caribbean news from this week.

During Royal Caribbean Group's earnings call this week, the top executives shared details on a variety of topics that interesting to cruise fans.

The top brass talked about opening a CocoCay expansion, how much passengers are spending, and how popular Icon of the Seas is so far.

These important takeaways share how Royal Caribbean is doing and what their plans are for the rest of 2023.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean Group Q4 earnings beat Wall Street expectations with smaller-than-expected loss
• Cruise ship passengers are booking activities months earlier than in 2019 - and paying more too
• I cruise almost every weekend: here's my walking tour of Nassau
• Royal Caribbean laundry services on your cruise
• The craziest things we've seen on our Royal Caribbean cruises
• I checked out a private island in Honduras —with crystal clear beaches and all-inclusive drinks, it far exceeded my expectations

New RCB Video: 15 things I look forward to every time I go on a cruise ship

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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 — Boarding day tips you need in 2022 — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Inside cabin vs. oceanview cabin: Is it worth an upgrade?

Comparing an inside cabin vs  oceanview cabin, you might be wondering if it's worth spending extra between the two.

Inside cabins are the cheapest option, but oceanview gives you a bit more space, and most importantly, natural light.

Let's help you decide if the differences are worth an upgrade from an inside cabin to an oceanview.

I cruised in a suite for the first time. Here are 5 things I learned from the experience

After trying a suite for the first time, Jenna has a few takeaways you should know about before trying a suite.

Suites have their own sets of amenities and benefits, but to best take advantage of these, there are definitely a few lessons learned.

Jenna shared 5 things she learned from her first time staying in a cruise ship suite.

Over 60 years old? A cruise vacation is for you!

Cruising is great for all ages, but it's well-suited for anyone over the age of 60 years old.

After years of family vacations, Brad fell in love with cruises and thinks it's the perfect kind of trip for seniors.

From the relaxing atmosphere to the many places you can visit, Brad shared 10 reasons you should give cruising a try.

When your clothes get dirty, soiled, or just need to be pressed, how do you handle laundry on a Royal Caribbean cruise?

Going on vacation for even just a few days will likely result in a lot of dirty clothes, and you may want your options are to take care of wrinkles, stains, and what to expect if you want to have your clothes laundered.

Laundry options on a cruise ship are limited compared to on land, especially if you're used to doing it yourself.

Since keeping clothes clean and wrinkle-free is something a lot of cruisers worry about, here's what you can expect when it comes to cruise ship laundry.

Self-service laundry options

If you'd like to do your own laundry on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you wont find any facilities to do it yourself.

Royal Caribbean does not offer any self-service laundry options. This includes washing machines or dryers.

Moreover, Royal Caribbean does not provide irons to use in any cruise staterooms.

Keep in mind that Royal Caribbean prohibits passengers from bringing irons onto the ship, because they are a fire hazard. It will be confiscated for the entire voyage.

Paid laundry and dry cleaning options

While you wont be able to do laundry on your own, there are paid laundry services available to Royal Caribbean passengers.

Both washing and dry cleaning services are available on all Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

For either option, you need to provide your stateroom attendant with the clothes to be cleaned, as well as a form listening all the garments. Look for a bag and form hanging in your cabin closet that you can use.

Once you have the form filled out and the clothes in the bag, just leave it on your bed and the cabin attendant will pick it up at their next cleaning.

Royal Caribbean offers:

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

 The cost of the order will be deducted from your SeaPass account.

How much does laundry cost on Royal Caribbean?

The exact price depends on which laundry service you want, if it's expedited or not, and the type of clothing.

Pressing or steaming only will be the least-expensive laundry option, with dry cleaning being the most expensive.

How long does it take for Royal Caribbean to do your laundry?

The standard turnaround time for laundry on a Royal Caribbean ship is the next day by 5:30pm. This assumes you drop the clothes off with your stateroom attendant the day before.

Royal Caribbean also offers same day laundry service at a 50% extra charge.

Same day service must be picked up before 11am, so that it can be done before 5:30pm.

Wash and fold specials

Royal Caribbean ships usually offer a "Wash & Fold" special, where you can get as many clothes washed and folded that you can fit in one bag for a fixed cost.

For $34.99, you get a bag (usually plastic) that you can fill to be washed and folded for $34.99. Royal Caribbean says you can "fit as much as you can into the bag provided."

Just as your stateroom attendant for this special, although it's also advertised in the Cruise Compass as well.

How to get free laundry on Royal Caribbean

One of the best Crown and Anchor Society perks are for passengers that are at least Diamond Plus actually get this for free once per cruise.

Read more: The Crown and Anchor perks you should use on every Royal Caribbean cruise

While not free, there are discounts for the Wash & Fold bag for Gold members and higher (basically anyone that's cruised before).

If you're staying in a suite (Grand Suite or above), you automatically qualify for complimentary clothes pressing for the first formal night only.

Since the first formal night is usually the second night of the cruise, all you need to do is ask your stateroom attendant about the service on the first day so that there is sufficient time for it the pressed and returned to you before formal night.

Read more: What are the Royal Caribbean suite perks?

Laundry hacks to clean clothes yourself

While you wont find laundry machines you can use, there are a few ways to get laundry done on your own without paying the cruise line.

The tried-and-true method is to bring single-packet detergent on the cruise and then fill your sink up with water to wash small loads of laundry.

Wash the clothing in your sink and then hang the clothes to dry in your shower on the laundry line provided by the cruise line. This is best for undergarments and shirts, and kids clothing.

If the clothes don't dry fast enough, there is a hair dryer in the room you can use on anything that stubbornly won't dry.

Some cruisers on longer sailings (or back to back cruises) will bring their own clothes lines so they can dry more clothing at the same time.

Another idea is bring wrinkle-release spray that is useful for keeping clothes looking good after being packed away in your suitcase.

It's not your imagination: more people are booking up activities and things to do before their cruise than ever before.

If your approach to cruising has been to wing it and leave things to the last minute, you're likely going to face an uphill battle going forward if you want to try certain activities onboard.

One of the interesting anecdotes to come out of Royal Caribbean Group's quarterly conference call with Wall Street analysts was a revelation about how soon customers are booking things to do on a cruise.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty talked about a change his company is seeing in how far in advance people book up experiences once booked on a cruise, "Approximately 60% of our guests book some of their onboard activities in advance of their cruise, representing double digit growth in pre-cruise purchase penetration when compared to 2019 at significantly higher rates."

So not only are people booking things sooner, they're also willing to pay more for it.

Prices of shore excursions, drink packages, and just about anything you can reserve before a cruise have anecdotally gone up by cruise fans.  The exact price of these items varies from ship to ship and sailing to sailing, but without a doubt, prices are generally higher for 2023 cruises compared to a few years ago.

This is exactly what Royal Caribbean wants from a business standpoint, because people that book things early generate more revenue for the cruise line.

"Every dollar a guest spends before the cruise translates into about $0.70 when they sail with us, and over double the overall spending when compared to other guests," said Mr. Liberty during the call.

While the dollars and cents of the cruise industry business may not matter much to you, the trend of booking earlier should.

Royal Caribbean offers many different activities and things to do on a cruise, and these are quite popular.

Cabana rentals, shore excursions, culinary classes and more are popular among cruise ship guests, and Royal Caribbean sees more people booking them sooner.  This puts people that wait to the last minute at a disadvantage if they want to lock in these activities for themselves.

"Our guests are now engaging with us to book on board activities much earlier than in 2019."

"So far, guests booked on 2023 sailings purchased onboard experiences an average of more than two months earlier than in 2019."

For the company, they see this as a win-win for the company and passengers, "This translates into more revenue, stickier bookings and happy guests."

What's driving this change? Royal Caribbean thinks at least part of it is a consumer that is more comfortable making online purchases.

"The consumer at all different levels have gotten more comfortable using digital commerce to make their purchases," Mr. Liberty said.

Higher prices for cruises too

Besides excursions, wifi, and drink packages, the price for a cruise will cost you more than in 2019.

At the onset of the earnings call, Mr. Liberty talked about how cruise prices cost more today, "Pricing for our vacation experiences was higher than record 2019 levels when we operated with normalized occupancy."

North American itineraries in particular are trending up in terms of costs, which is where about 70% of its deployments are in 2023.

"From a cumulative standpoint, these itineraries are now booked at the same load factor as they were in 2019 and at higher prices," Mr. Liberty stated.

So far in 2023, Royal Caribbean Group has enjoyed busier than normal cruise bookings during wave season, which is an industry term for a popular time to book new cruises.

Demand has been so strong that even higher prices haven't diminished interest in new bookings.

"The demand is that is that strong that we're able to raise price across these different products and really not seeing a pullback from the consumer as we continue to do so."

"And that is really a reflection of what we've seen since our last earnings call, or really since the announcement of the protocols being dropped."

"Just acceleration and the propensity to cruise across all three categories of new to cruise, first to brand first cruise has returned and in many cases is better than what we saw pre-COVID."

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?
• 30 Do's and Don'ts for the first day of your cruise
• The 20 worst cruise mistakes that will ruin your cruise vacation
• The best cruise itineraries for every type of traveler
• How to plan a Royal Caribbean cruise on any budget
• Best shore excursion in every Caribbean cruise port

Royal Caribbean Group posted its fourth quarter 2022 earnings on Tuesday with a smaller-than-expected loss.

The company reported a loss of $500.2 million in its fourth quarter and losses of $1.12 per share, which beat Wall Street predictions of of $1.37 per share loss.

Royal Caribbean Group posted revenue of $2.6 billion in the period, which met analysts' expectations.

The better results were a result of better pricing on close-in demand, strong onboard spend, favorable timing of operating costs, and lower interest expense.

"2022 was a pivotal year as we successfully returned our business to full operations and delivered memorable vacation experiences to 6 million guests," said Jason Liberty, president and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean Group.

"We also returned to positive Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Cash Flow by consistently growing revenue and controlling costs. Our teams have worked tirelessly to deliver the best vacation experiences, responsibly, and we are grateful for their extraordinary efforts."

Fourth quarter numbers

Here's a breakdown of Royal Caribbean Group's fourth quarter earnings:

Ship capacity (aka load factors) across the fleet were at 95%, with Caribbean sailings reaching 100%, and holiday sailings close to 110%.

For the entire year, load factors were at 85% full. This averages out every sailing, in every market, for the year.

Total revenues per passenger cruise day were up 3.5% as-reported and 4.5% in Constant Currency, compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.

Royal Caribbean Group incurred a $130 million hit as a result of a lawsuit stemming from the former owners of the cruise ship docks in Cuba. The company that owned a port terminal in Havana prior to the Cuban Revolution, sued the cruise lines under the Helms-Burton Act, which allows certain U.S. nationals with claims on properties confiscated by the Cuban government on or after Jan. 1, 1959 to seek compensation from the companies operating those properties.

Royal Caribbean Group said it, "continues to vigorously defend" against the lawsuit.

For the full year, the company reported Net Loss of $2.2 billion compared to Net Loss of $5.3 billion in the prior year. 

Predictions for 2023

The year started off quite well for Royal Caribbean Group with a record-breaking WAVE season, driven by strong demand. 

Demand is so strong that the company had its seven biggest booking weeks in its history since the last earnings call in November 2022.

Customers are returning to a more normal process of booking cruises in advance, which RCG sees as confidence for its business that the booking window returns to normal.

All those drink packages, shore excursions, and wifi purchases continue to exceed prior years driven by greater participation at higher prices, which the company sees as quality and healthy future demand.

North America sailings, many of which visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, are leading the way and are booked in line with record 2019 levels for the full year and ahead for the second quarter through the fourth quarter.

Bookings for European itineraries have been accelerating during WAVE and are now higher than 2019.

"Leisure travel strength continues as consumer spend is shifting towards experiences, with cruising remaining an attractive value proposition," said Mr. Liberty.

"The quality demand trends further exhibit the strength of our brands and the growing propensity to cruise."

Happy weekend! We hope you are in the midst of a wonderful weekend full of things to do to pass the time between cruises.  We have a summary of all of this week's Royal Caribbean news in case you missed any of it!

Royal Caribbean has provided an in-depth look at its new neighborhood aimed at young families, Surfside.

When Icon of the Seas debuts, Royal Caribbean thinks it will have the best family vacation in the world, and they totally mean it.

Part of that strategy is by creating a purpose-built neighborhood for families.

Royal Caribbean News

• I learned how to surf on a cruise ship
• Alaska cruise ports guide
• How a cruise is totally different from other kinds of vacations
• What my $870 per night suite on Liberty of the Seas looked like

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 486th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt reviews his Liberty of the Seas sailing.

Matt sailed on Liberty of the Seas for the first time, and he compares the ship to other Freedom and Voyager Class ships and talks about what stands out about Liberty.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

New RCB Video: 12 things I'd tell anyone new to cruise ship travel

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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 — 12 things I'd tell anyone new to cruise ship travel — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

10 commandments of a great cruise ship vacation

Thou shall follow these 10 cruise commandments for a thoroughly awesome vacation.

While a lot of cruise advice could benefit you, there are a few core tenants of cruise ship travel that I think are a must for just about anyone.

In reflecting on the cruise tips and advice I dole out each week, I wanted to come up with the 10 most important pieces of cruise advice I would give to just about anyone. 

This regular cabin includes free ice cream and suite lounge access!

Have you ever heard of the Ben and Jerry Sweet on Royal Caribbean's Freedom Class ships?

This Promenade View room is situated right above the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream parlor, and it comes with cow-themed decor, vouchers for free ice cream and highly-coveted suite lounge access - all for the same price as every other inside promenade stateroom onboard.

Best extras for a cruise under $10

When I sailed on Liberty of the Seas last week, I forgot to bring liquid soap and it reminded me of some cheap things to bring on a cruise that I always regret forgetting.

Underwear, toothbrush, sunscreen, are all examples of things you probably bring with you on any trip, but certain "good to have" extras for a cruise vacation aren't as obvious.

Before you hit the road to get on a cruise, double check you packed these under $10 things that will make your cruise better.