Royal Caribbean Group's earnings call on Thursday was filled with insights into what the company is thinking on a variety of subjects.

While the hour-long call with Wall Street analysts is meant to provide clarity for investment purposes, it also doubles as a way to share guidance on the direction of the cruise industry.

For consumers, there's candid discussion of topics that will have an impact on what it's like to go on a cruise.

Here's an overview of the topics discussed that cruisers will want to know about.

Better demand than ever expected

Without a shadow of a doubt, business is really good across the Royal Caribbean Group brands.

"The first quarter was tremendous, sending us well on our path to a year that is significantly better than we expected just a few months back," is what Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said at the onset of the call.

"What transpired over the past three months was even better than our already elevated expectations. Our brands are stronger than ever and demand for our vacation experiences continues to accelerate."

In the first quarter, over 2 million people took cruises on a Royal Caribbean Group brand ship, and that lead to a lot of people paying for cruises, along with add-ons extras.

Demand is so strong that the company is raising its earnings forecast by fifty percent compared to what it forecast in February.

At one point in the call, Mr. Liberty pointed out that April was double the usual business. He sees this as a sign demand for cruises is accelerating. They thought things were getting better in February, but it went much better in the months since.

Royal Caribbean Group Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz explained later in the call that having two million passengers was great, but higher cruise costs was a difference maker, "While a load factor recovery was a contributor, most of our yield growth was driven by rates that were up by 14% versus 2023."

Cruises in the Caribbean stood out given that 55% of their fleet was in this market, and the combination of new cruise ships and "much higher pricing on existing ships" drove up revenue.

80% of customers are from North America

The vast majority of people going on a Royal Caribbean cruise are from North America.

"North America continues to be extremely robust, where approximately 80% of this year's guests are sourced," is a key stat that Mr. Liberty mentioned in his opening remarks.

While next year may see a slight shift in that number with China cruises restarting, Mr. Liberty doesn't see a lot of change in that, "we're going to follow the demand patterns and that is how we have we've done it for a very, very long period of time."

New cruiser numbers are up

A fascinating stat shared during the call is how many new cruisers are coming to Royal Caribbean.

People that have never taken a cruise ever are up more than 16% year-over-year, while almost one in two guests are millennials or younger.

"Millennials and younger generations have gained 11 percentage points share compared to 2019," Mr. Liberty explained.

Sourcing new customers is always important, not just for a new booking, but for the repeat business.  He said new cruisers that try a Royal Caribbean Group cruise are seeing return rates over 30% higher compared to 2019.

New Bahamas beach club will be the envy of other cruise lines

Royal Caribbean has said it targets the new to cruise market over other cruise lines customers, but that doesn't mean there isn't a game of one-upmanship to be played.

Royal Caribbean broke ground on its new private beach club that will be exclusively for the use of Royal Caribbean customers, and it's located on the front door step of every major cruise line.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley pointed out, "The beautiful thing is the Royal Beach Club in Paradise Island is positioned pretty much at the entrance to Nassau."

"On a given day, there's 25 to 30,000 cruise guests coming in on multiple different cruise brands. And of course, when they sail into Nassau, the only thing they're going to see is the Royal Caribbean Royal Beach Club, which is going to be absolutely stunning. And they will be unbelievably jealous knowing that they can't go there."

Royal Beach Club, Paradise Island is a new land-based offering for the cruise line, and it will have an admission fee with a limited capacity.

Mr. Liberty confirmed that other Royal Caribbean Group brands will be able to go to the beach club too, but no other cruise line customers.

Almost everyone is using the mobile app

Interestingly enough, almost every passenger is using the cruise app now.

About 94% of cruise ship passengers are using the app onboard, and that's important because it makes for an easier cruise experience for the guest, while making it easier to spend more money at the same time.

"We are removing friction and unlocking travel planning by investing in a modern digital travel platform, making it easier than ever for guests to book their dream vacations while allowing us to expand wallet, share our digital experiences, delight guests," Mr. Liberty said.

He touted a number of new features added to the app in the app, such being able to book flights, better cruise booking choices, tracking loyalty benefits, and more.

Read more: 14 improvements Royal Caribbean developed just for Icon of the Seas

Middle East issues not affecting European cruise demand

While the geopolitical problems in the Middle East are troubling, it's not stopping people from taking a European cruise.

Europe accounts for around 15% of capacity for the full year, and close to 25% during the summer.

"Despite the fact that we had to modify some of our eastern Mediterranean sailings that were previously expected to call in Israel or sail through the Red sea, our European itineraries have been performing very well and we are currently booked nicely ahead of last year in both rate and volume," Mr. Holtz said during the earnings call.

As for the issues affecting ships traversing the Red Sea, the company has already re-routed a number of ships and has, "contingency plans for a few other sailings that may be impacted in the fall."

Ordering more ships?

One analyst asked Royal Caribbean Group about the prospect of ordering more cruise ships given that Carnival and Norwegian both placed big orders recently.

Mr. Liberty was quick to point out that new orders don't take into account options and slot reservations.  

Options are opt-in ship orders a cruise line can elect to take that is built into the original ship order contract. Think of it like a sports contract where the player signs for a few years, but has the choice to stay with the team instead of returning to free-agency.

Slot reservations are a way cruise lines pay to reserve space at a shipyard in the future. There's no order placed, but just in case they do place an order, there's capacity to build.

"I think we feel very good, not only about our current order book and about the potential of that order book to grow moderately, but also our access to build those ships over an extended period of time," Mr. Liberty said.

Would Royal Caribbean ever consider offering river cruises? It's not as far-fetched an idea as you might think.

The Royal Caribbean Group has ownership in many cruise lines, but none are river cruises.  River cruises are quite popular in Europe, and it's an area of the market untouched by the company.

During Royal Caribbean Group's earnings call with investors on Thursday, a Wall Street analyst asked if they'd ever consider getting into river cruising.

Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty didn't dismiss the idea, "that could be something that we would consider at some point in the future."

But before you pack your bags, it's not on the horizon, "we're very focused on excelling in our core, growing our core and also further building out our destination platform."

He sees those tenants of the brand being the best path forward to deliver returns to their shareholders and grow the business.

However, Royal Caribbean Group does see the market as an opportunity, "River is an area where we do see some overlap, not a lot of overlap, but we do see some overlap occurring."

River cruising is a rapidly growing market and appeals to a lot of people who also enjoy expedition cruises.

River cruises are significantly smaller ships than an ocean going vessel, and travel slowly down popular rivers to offer stops at major cities along the way. 

Traditionally, river cruises appealed to an older clientele, primary retirees.  But in recent years that has changed. Some river brands are targeting younger vacationers who are interested in active outings.

Companies such as Viking, Avalon Waterways and AmaWaterways have all added more ships to their fleet to respond to a growing market.

Keeping customers within the brands

One reason that getting into river cruises might make sense is it would align with Royal Caribbean Group's general strategy of offering something for everyone.

Mr. Liberty spoke about the importance of retaining its customers as they age during the earnings call, "We remain intensely focused on attracting and keeping guests within our unique portfolio of brands, and providing experiences for all of life's moments."

"We have been very thoughtful about having the right brands and the right segments," he explained and gave an example of how customers can dip between the different companies.

"You could have a set of grandparents on Silver Sea that next month are going on a cruise with their kids and grandkids on the Royal Caribbean brand."

"That happens all the time. And one of our ultimate goals here is to make sure that we keep our customer and our ecosystem."

Offering different types of sailings has been a strategy Royal Caribbean Group has embraced ever since it acquired Celebrity Cruises. Since they, the company has grown to include full and partial ownership in other lines.

The company has full ownership of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises and it is also a 50% owner of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

Mr. Liberty indicated they're always looking for ways to get better at what they do, and making their customers aware of ways to cruise within the company ecosystem is one component to their plan.

Cruise lines offering combined river and ocean itineraries

A few companies have already started to embrace river and ocean cruises together.

Viking Cruises was the first line to offer both river and ocean cruises.  

They started out offering river cruises and has added ocean going vessels to their fleet.  They even offer "Ocean & River Voyages" where you can go on a river and ocean going cruise in the same vacation.

Disney Cruise Line bridged the gap by partnering with AmaWaterways. Through the Adventures by Disney brand, Disney employees act as guides on the sailing that is operated by Ama.

There are special excursions that include a Disney touch to the experience.

However, AmaWaterways are adults-only, and kids aren't allowed on these sailings even if they are sold by Disney.

The year 2024 is off to a great start for Royal Caribbean Group's bottom line.

Royal Caribbean Group posted its first quarter financial results, which saw Net Income of $360 million, with total revenues of $3.7 billion.

"Wow, what a great start to the year!" is how Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty started his statement off in the press release for the earnings report.

"Demand for our leading brands and the incredible experiences they deliver continues to be very robust, resulting in outperformance in the first quarter, a further increase of full year earnings guidance, and 60% expected earnings growth year over year."

That demand he talks about is what drove the company's financials into a better financial position than the company had originally anticipated.

Strong demand and strength in onboard spend pushed first quarter earnings ahead.  In fact, there was better demand anticipated during the lucrative WAVE season. This is an industry term for the beginning of the year when the general public books the most cruises of the year.

Read more: Royal Caribbean is making more money than it expected. The good and the bad news for cruisers

High demand persisted across all of the top cruise markets, and on top of that, customers were spending more on cruise extras.  That combination lead to higher revenue, as well as Royal Caribbean Group updating its guidance for the rest of the year.

First quarter by the numbers

Here are the key stats from the Royal Caribbean Group's first quarter.

Cruise ships sailed at an average of 107% full during the quarter. That's up 5 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2023. 

Occupancy rates over 100% are a good stat, and it means there were more than two people in a lot of cabins.

Total revenues were $3.7 billion, Net Income was $360 million or $1.35 per share, Adjusted Net Income was $478 million or $1.77 per share, Adjusted EBITDA was $1.2 billion, and operating cash flow was $1.3 billion.

About half of the first quarter yield growth was driven by higher ticket pricing on the fleet of ships, with the remainder driven by a combination of guest spending on extras, ships sailing with more passengers onboard, and new cruise ship demand. 

As of March 31, 2024, the Group's customer deposit balance was at $6.0 billion. 

Record booked position

Once again, 2024 is another year seeing more people book cruises than ever before.

Royal Caribbean Group is seeing "very strong" demand and prices. Overall, this has been the strongest WAVE season in the company's history from both a demand and pricing standpoint. 

Prices for a cruise in 2024 are higher than they were at the beginning of the year in 2023.

Plus, passengers are spending more on add-ons and making purchases before the cruise at a rate higher than prior years.  The company said this is due to, "greater participation at higher prices." That essentially means more people are buying add-ons and they cost more than the used to.

Mr. Liberty called out the new Icon of the Seas as being a difference maker, "Our existing fleet along with our new ships continue to perform exceptionally well, highlighted by the market response to the launch of Icon of the Seas, which has exceeded all expectations."

"The momentum continues with Utopia of the Seas and Silver Ray, set to launch this summer. And, just this quarter alone, we announced an order for a seventh Oasis Class ship and the expansion of our Royal Beach Club portfolio in Cozumel; and we officially broke ground on Royal Beach Club Paradise Island.  These strategies will further propel our leadership in the cruise industry and push us to new heights in the vacation industry."

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas has encountered a propulsion issue that has slowed the ship, and will now head to its final port of call.

Guests onboard Radiance of the Seas were alerted by the ship's Captain of the issue, which occurred on Tuesday as the ship was sailing up the west coast of the United States.

Radiance of the Seas is sailing an open-jaw 4 Night Pacific Coastal Cruise to move the ship from Los Angeles to Vancouver and get the ship in position for her 2024 Alaska season. An open jaw cruise is one that begins and ends in a different port.

The Captain spoke to guests over the public address system to inform them of the issue, "Our teams have discovered that radiance of the seas is experiencing a technical issue with one of its propulsion systems, resulting in the ship being required to sail at a much slower speed."

He emphasized the ship is still safe to operate, "Please know your safety and comfort, along with that of my crew are my top priorities and our ship remains seaworthy and safe. It's just slower."

He did not specify exactly what the propulsion issue is, or what happened to cause it.

Radiance of the Seas has two Azipods, which are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees and are have been the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ships in recent years.

Guests could see only one Azipod is being used once the incident occurred.

As a result of the slower speed, Radiance of the Seas now needs to skip the rest of the ports on its itinerary and go straight to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

According to the Captain, Radiance of the Seas will arrive there on Thursday, April 25th in the evening between 9 and 10 p.m. The ship can then be ready to disembark guests on April 26 as scheduled.

Radiance of the Seas is a 90,900 gross ton Radiance Class cruise ship. Her maiden voyage was in 2001.

Radiance is a smaller ship by today's standards, and has a capacity of 2,466 guests at double occupancy.

She is 962 feet long.

Compensation

Letters were distributed to guests in their staterooms to confirm the changes.

As a result of the altered itinerary, guests can expect a partial refund for the disappointment. Royal Caribbean is not obligated to offer compensation for technical problems, but tends to do so as a gesture of goodwill.

Guests will receive 50% of their cruise fare paid back as an onboard credit.

Any shore excursions purchased for ports that will be skipped will be refunded fully as an onboard credit.

The onboard credit can be used onboard the ship, and any unused credit will be refunded back to the credit card on file within 14 business days after the sailing concludes.

What about the next cruise?

A propulsion issue on Radiance of the Seas is cause for concern for anyone with an upcoming sailing booked on her as to what impact it may have on it.

In the letter given to guests onboard Radiance, the ship's staff conveyed a message for back-to-back cruisers that are booked for the next sailing.

 "Our teams are hard at work to correct this issue and our current progress is meeting our timeline. However, we'll need to be docked to complete the required repairs," the letter explained.

"At this time, we intend to sail as planned on April 26th, 2024, and we are committed to keeping you informed every step of the way."

"We'll provide you with another update by April 26th."

Guests booked on the April 26th sailing also received an email summarizing the same information mentioned previously in this article.

Recent propulsion problems for Radiance

Radiance of the Seas has had some bad luck lately with its propulsion system.

Last year, Radiance encountered a propulsion issue during her Alaska season that cancelled a few cruises at the last-minute.

Two cruises were cancelled before Radiance could resume sailings.

Cruise ships have redundant engines for this situation

As the Captain of Radiance of the Seas explained, propulsion issues like this are not unheard of and the ship is quite safe to sail on.

Cruise ships can sail with less than both engines running. In fact, it's common not to have all engines going at once in order to conserve wear and tear.

When a situation like this occurs, the ship can still operate at a reduced speed safely.

Historically, ships with propulsion problems have been able to sail and either make repairs along the way, or hold off until a scheduled upcoming dry dock. The incident with Radiance last year having to cancel a couple of cruises was certainly an outlier.

More cruise ships will skip a visit to Royal Caribbean's private beach in Haiti.

Guests booked on cruises in the summer and early fall are getting notifications from Royal Caribbean, that their visits to Labadee have been cancelled.

Following on cancellations that began in March due to civil unrest in Haiti, the cruise line has been forced to cancel more cruises into September 2024.

Royal Caribbean had previously cancelled visits to Labadee through the end of May 2024.

Read more: Is Royal Caribbean still going to Labadee, Haiti?

More Labadee cancellations

On Tuesday, cruisers began to share updates they received from Royal Caribbean that their itineraries have been updated to drop Labadee and replace it with another port or a sea day.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog has spotted different cruises cancelled in June, August, and even September.

In most cases, ships are being re-routed to Grand Turk in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

As an example, the Adventure of the Seas September 21st sailing has had her visit to Labadee replaced with a visit to Grand Turk.

"Due to the continuing situation in Haiti, we'll now visit Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, instead of Labadee, Haiti," the statement said in an email to booked passengers.

"We're sorry for the change - your safety is our top priority."

Similar emails have been sent to guests booked on cruises with scheduled stops in Labadee throughout summer 2024.

Guests who had any shore excursions booked for their visit to Labadee will automatically receive a refund to their onboard accounts.

The cancellations affect ships such as Adventure of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, and Symphony of the Seas all due to visit Labadee in the summer.

No other cruise lines sail to Haiti.

Understandable disappointment

Guests have already started sharing the news and their opinions on the change.

"For the folks looking forward to Labadee, for the folks in Labadee, and for Royal, I am sorry this has been so tough," wrote WAYNO on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards.

"Understandable but sad as I was pumped to visit both private destinations in a single sailing," wrote tntornadox on another message board.

A necessary change

The civil unrest in Haiti has forced Royal Caribbean's hand in this situation, even if Labadee is not near the areas of conflict.

Located on the north coast of Haiti, Labadee is a walled-off private enclave for Royal Caribbean cruise guests. It's at least a 6-and-a-half hour drive from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Royal Caribbean started cancelling visits to Labadee following the fallout of a siege of the government by gangs that began in mid-March. Since then, the country has experienced a major upheaval with a new government, prison break, and many deaths.

More than 53,000 people have fled Port-au-Prince and food shortages are taking place across the island, according to reports.

A state of emergency was declared on March 3, followed by the prime minister’s resignation on March 12. 

In July 2023, the US State Department raised the security threat to a Level 4 due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.

Where is Labadee?

Labadee is located on the northern coast of Haiti, whereas the majority of the violence is occurring further south in more populated areas.

In short, it's walled off from the rest of the country and is in a remote area. It's guarded by a private security force. Guests aren't permitted to leave the area. 

Unlike other ports, such as Cozumel or Nassau, you won't be able to book a third-party excursion. Instead, all tours in Labadee have to be reserved directly through Royal Caribbean. Moreover, all food and supplies are brought ashore from the ship, rather than from elsewhere in Haiti. 

Work is officially underway on Royal Caribbean's new beach club in Nassau, Bahamas.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday for the new Royal Beach Club, Paradise Island.

The 17-acre Royal Beach club project was first announced in 2020, but the cruise industry shutdown of 2020 forced a delay in it becoming a reality.  Nonetheless, today's milestone signifies the official start of work for the new offering.

The official opening is slated for sometime in 2025.

Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty and Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley were joined by The Bahamas' Prime Minister Philip Davis and Deputy Prime Minister I. Chester Cooper to commemorate the major milestone.

Construction will begin in the next few months, and Royal Caribbean hopes it will offer an authentic Bahamian experience. Plus, it is the first-of-its-kind project that gives back to the people of The Bahamas with a unique public-private partnership allows Bahamian nationals to hold up to 49% equity in the venture. 

The first of the Royal Beach Club destinations, the Nassau club aims to offer Royal Caribbean passengers exclusive access to a prime spot to enjoy an unparalleled beach experience.

Unlike the private island experience, the Royal Beach Club is an extra-cost venue with a limited capacity.  Guests visiting Nassau on a port stop will have the opportunity to purchase admission to the beach club.

The club is located on a narrow strip of land near where the cruise ships dock on Paradise Island.

The club will have three pools with swim-up bars, live music, two beaches, four restaurants serving local food.

The capacity of the club should be about 2,000 guests.

More details are expected closer to the opening.

To reach the beach club, passengers will have to taxi a complimentary water shuttle from Bay Street located near the Straw Market. Once onboard, guests will have two drop-off options: near Sapphire Beach and the west end of the pool.

The look of the club will take inspiration from its home country. The local architecture will be crafted by a local Bahamian architectural firm. Bahamian entrepreneurs and businesses are integral to the construction and management of the new venture, creating hundreds of job opportunities both immediately and in the future. Bahamian residents have already engaged in workshops. 

Another world-class experience

The start of construction means this dream is coming to fruition, and Royal Caribbean couldn't be more excited for it.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty said at the event, "Marking more than the beginning of the construction process, today’s groundbreaking event symbolizes partnership, momentum and continued economic development for so many Bahamian entrepreneurs and the entire community."

"We are grateful to our partners for their support, especially the Bahamian government, who stand with us here today in celebration of what is to come"

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley also spoke, "As we break ground on Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, together with the government and the people of The Bahamas, we are celebrating what partnership and innovation can achieve. This will be yet one more reason, in Nassau’s bright future, to experience a destination we have visited since the very beginning of Royal Caribbean more than 50 years ago."

"The beauty and charm of the island are why we chose to debut the Royal Beach Club Collection in Nassau, and with the collaboration and support of local entrepreneurs and the wider community, we know that what we create will far exceed everything we imagined.”

Honorable Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas spoke about the importance of this new beach club, "With the signing of this Heads of Agreement for the development of Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, we embark on this project to further enhance the vitality of our tourism product. Signing today’s agreement, we add another world-class experience to our tourism offerings. And even more importantly, we take a bold step toward greater Bahamian empowerment in the tourism industry."

No one wants to get sick, especially on vacation, and Royal Caribbean implemented a program in 2023 that got rid of one of the worst illnesses people sometimes catch on cruise ships.

Within Royal Caribbean Groups' environmental stewardship report for 2023 is a section that details what the company is doing to improve public health on its ships.

The Norovirus Eradication Campaign was launched in 2023 on Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises vessels with the ultimate goal of eliminating transmission of norovirus on its ships.

Norovirus is referred to as "the stomach flu", and is easily spread from person to person.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 19 to 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea illnesses caused by norovirus each year. 

Norovirus is transmitted when someone ingests particles of vomit or feces from an infected person, such as through consuming food touched by an infected individual, touching contaminated surfaces and then their mouth, or placing contaminated objects on clean surfaces.

The CDC says the most common symptoms of norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. 

While only about 1% of all annual norovirus cases reported in the U.S. happen on cruise ships, the perception is it occurs more frequently due to media reports of gastrointestinal viral outbreaks on cruise ships. This is partly because health officials track illness on cruise ships, so outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.

You're far more likely to catch norovirus at a long-term care facility, hospital, childcare center, or school.

Regardless, because of the media attention reports of the virus on cruise ships attract, Royal Caribbean Group took action to mitigate cases.

A new approach

In June 2023, Royal Caribbean launched a norovirus eradication campaign that included a range of new protocols and policies.

The six tenants of the program were outlined in the Seastainability report:

1. Enhanced acute GI training for onboard medical teams and traveling PHOs 

2. Increased PHO oversight of our Outbreak Prevention Plan, which covers requirements like hand washing, buffet oversight and disinfectant mandates for all public areas aboard our ships

3. Switching to PDI SaniCloth Prime hospital-grade disinfectant wipes (Link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use!)

Unlike earlier wipes, PDI wipes carry an EPA claim against norovirus, helping them play a key role in reducing acute GI cases onboard cruise ships.

4. New contactless tap technology, eliminating the need for crew to handle guest cards

5. Enhanced crew training on what to do when experiencing acute GI symptoms and how to avoid cross-contamination in food and beverage service areas

6. An update to our Safety & Quality Management system to stop self-service in buffets if the onboard norovirus rate exceeds 1.5%

According to the report, after the eradication campaign was implemented in June 2023, there was not a single norovirus outbreak onboard any Royal Caribbean International or Celebrity Cruise ship for the remainder of 2023.

It is worth noting the CDC outbreaks page does list Celebrity Constellation as having an outbreak in January 2024.

Something else trialed was the implementation of Synexis BioDefense purifiers. On eight cruise ships, these units reduced the presence of microbes associated with diseases like COVID-19, influenza and norovirus.

97.3% public health inspection scores

Another big step Royal Caribbean Group made in improving the health of guests and crew members on its ships was to invest more in its public health inspection program.

All cruise ships participate in the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, which has been in place since the 1970s to conduct random, unannounced inspections of ships if they wish to visit a port in the United States.

The program enforces strict health and safety guidelines, covering the cleaning of high-touch areas and the management of food storage in freezers, refrigerators, and galleys.

Royal Caribbean Group hired  new internal public health inspectors to help the ships improve their public health practices.

The team reviewed public health trends and past areas of concern to come up with recommendations to do better.

As a result of these and other improvements, the average United States Public Health Services (USPHS) inspection score was 97.3 across the fleet. In fact, 10 ships scored a perfect 100

A ship must score 85 or above to pass inspection.

Should you be concerned about getting norovirus on a cruise?

Royal Caribbean Group's eradication program is certainly a positive step, but if you're still worried about catching norovirus, the risks are low.

Even before this new initiative was put into place, the CDC acknowledges that risks are quite low on cruise ships compared to your chances of catching it elsewhere on land. In short, the math points to it being an unlikely scenario for you to encounter.

Moreover, the cruise industry as a whole was already headed to a better place prior to 2020. The rate of acute gastroenteritis illnesses on cruise ships decreased during 2006-2019 for passengers and crew, according to CDC data.

Read more: How To Avoid Getting Sick on a Cruise

The CDC advises frequent hand washing with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds to prevent the spread of norovirus. Key times for handwashing include after using the restroom or changing diapers, and before eating, preparing food, or handling medicine.

If you want to bring something on your ship to help lower the chance of catching norovirus, Lysol and Clorox products are among the bleaches the Environmental Protection Agency lists as being effective against norovirus.  Before you buy anything, keep in mind bleach isn't allowed on cruise ships.

Read more: What can you not bring on a cruise

Instead, you could pack hydrogen peroxide wipes (just don’t flush them down the toilet). We recommend these Clorox Healthcare Hydrogen Peroxide Wipes for taking with you on your ship (Link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use!).

Royal Caribbean Group's work is far from done, but it's getting closer than ever to its big eco-friendly goals.

On Monday morning, Royal Caribbean Group released its annual "Seastainability Report", which outlines its environmental goals and progress made to reach them.

In 2023, Royal Caribbean Group advanced its goal of achieving net zero emissions by surpassing half of its carbon intensity reduction target, conducting successful biofuel trials in Europe, and launching the first waste-to-energy system on a ship in the maritime industry.

Plus, there are the overarching goals of reducing carbon intensity by double-digits by 2025 and introducing a net-zero cruise ship by 2035. 

Highlights from the report

Here are the major achievements reported in this year's report:

Sustainability

• Achieved a 6.8% reduction in carbon intensity, surpassing half of its ambitious carbon intensity reduction goal.
• Expanded energy options following successful biofuel trials, demonstrating that alternative fuels can be integrated without modifying engines or affecting onboard systems.
• Enhanced global local sourcing, cutting transportation distances by 37%, which supports local communities and reduces Scope 3 emissions in certain areas.
• Advanced marine species protection through the Shellbank program, using genetic technology to match DNA of critically endangered sea turtles to specific sites for conservation and to combat illegal harvesting.

Community Support

• Introduced Royal Caribbean International's Artist Discovery Program, featuring emerging Caribbean artists aboard the new ship, Icon of the Seas.
• Developed specialized training programs for Bahamian entrepreneurs through the Small Business Development Centre's (SBDC) Royal Caribbean Kickstarter Programme, aimed at boosting local tourism-related businesses.
• Debuted the first accessible Star Class suite on Icon of the Seas, enhancing inclusivity.
• 100% scored on public health inspections on 10 ships, with a 97.3% average fleet wide between Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.

Innovations

• Launched the first at-sea waste-to-energy systems on Silver Nova and Icon of the Seas.
• Initiated construction of the first tri-fuel methanol-capable ship, Celebrity Xcel.
• Extended the partnership with the University of Miami's OceanScope, providing additional funding to support over two decades of ocean conservation and research on Royal Caribbean Group ships.

Partnerships

Royal Caribbean Group has three primary groups they work with to assist on their journey.

For the past 20 years, they've worked with University of Miami’s OceanScope program to share ocean data.

Since 2016, the World Wildlife Fund has been a partner in supporting conservation efforts, such as the Hawksbill Turtles, Polar Bears, and Whale Sharks.

The company also supports Shellbank, which is a genetic technology program that matches DNA of critically endangered sea turtles to specific locations to create priority conservation sites and prevent illegal harvesting.

Net Zero progress

Water sustainability

Waste management

Supply chain

Sourcing Goals

Workforce

Fans of the decade of excess are going to want to check out Royal Caribbean's new show.

Utopia of the Seas is the sixth Oasis Class cruise ship and launches this summer with an all-new show that follows up on arguably Royal Caribbean's best musical tribute show to date.

Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of Entertainment Nick Weir posted a teaser on his X account that revealed the name of its next show.

"Aqua 80 Too" is all the video teaser displayed, but it is clearly a follow up to Aqua 80 that first debuted on Oasis of the Seas.

Held in the open-air Aquatheater, Royal Caribbean first debuted Aqua 80 on Oasis of the Seas in 2019 to coincide with her massive amplification.

Read more: Oasis of the Seas ship guide

Like all Aquatheater shows, it features a live performance of world-class acrobats, extreme sports athletes and divers set to music.  In the case of Aqua 80s, it's only music of the 1980s.

It's a musical tribute to the decade, and many cruisers have come back loving the show.

Reddit user kanojo22 posted, "I must recommend the Aqua80 show. It was amazing! I watched it 3 times and loved it every time. Even my kids who aren’t 80s music fans like me thought it was great."

Their post sparked a great deal of responses echoing the initial post.

LitigatedLaureate added, "Aqua 80 is the best cruise ship show I've ever seen. Honestly I'd rather sit and watch Aqua80 over a fair amount of actual Broadway shows I've seen."

KTrentLR agreed, "I couldn't agree more! Aqua '80 is the best aqua show in the fleet."

Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the entertainment for Utopia of the Seas yet, but Mr. Weir is fond of leaking bits of information about new shows on social media.

His passion for his shows is evident in how much work goes into crafting these original productions.  As such, he enjoys sharing behind-the-scenes previews of what guests can expect.

Utopia of the Seas is currently under construction at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Since the Aquatheater isn't ready yet, Royal Caribbean can still prepare for the show from land.

Royal Caribbean has its own Entertainment facility in South Florida, where the cast for the new show will begin rehearsals.

Inside the custom facility are stages where cast members can practice nearly all aspects of the show so that when they can get onboard the ship, they're not starting at the first step.

Coming July 2024

Utopia of the Seas will be the first new Royal Caribbean's ship that offers shorter cruises first. Usually new ships  conduct longer voyages when they enter service.

Utopia will sail from Port Canaveral, Florida on 3- and 4-night cruises to The Bahamas, each scheduled to stop at Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Why short cruises? It's an effort to attract first-time cruisers, who are leery of going on any cruise ship for a week.

The idea is to offer short cruises on its newest hardware so that anyone who is considering a short cruise as their first sailing will see a clear delineation between what options are out there.

The inaugural sailing is 3-night weekend cruise on July 19, 2024. 

While Utopia is about 7% smaller than Icon, she is still packed with plenty for passengers to do to keep them busy.

On the top deck, you'll find three pool areas, an aqua park for kids, surf simulator, zip line, basketball court, and 295-foot dry slide down the back of the ship.

The Royal Railroad will feature a classic train motif that delivers a mixed reality experience. After prototyping the train car experience at Royal Caribbean's Miami headquarters, the team feels confident it will deliver an incredible new option for passengers.

Izumi has been moved up to Central Park, which is a first for the Oasis Class. Izumi will also have a new pickup window which allows quick grab and go offerings for guests.

Park Cafe will have a new evening terrace experience, which the cruise line hopes will invigorate evenings in this neighborhood.

Giovanni's Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar has been relocated into the deck 11 and 12 former Wonderland location.

Speaking of food, there will be a food truck on the pool deck, and a tiki bar on the Royal Promenade.