I've been impressed with the discounts offered by Royal Caribbean on its cruise add-ons, especially one super useful add-on.

Internet access on a cruise ship is a must-buy for me. I've been buying WiFi packages for years because of how critical and useful it is for me.  

Not only do I do work from the ship, but I value being connected with friends and family at home.  It's also a source of entertainment, no different than if I brought a few good books to have.

As a Pinnacle Club member in the cruise line's loyalty program, I get a one device package of internet on every cruise that is complimentary. 

Because I work from the ship, throughout the day I'll need to be connected on my laptop and phone at the same time.  While I could easily swap the free internet package I receive between my phone and laptop, the issue I run into is missed messages on my phone while I'm doing work on my computer.

On most cruises I "bite the bullet" and pay for an extra internet package, but I'm planning ahead thanks to this year's Black Friday deal.

Black Friday discount on WiFi

Royal Caribbean has discounted many things for Black Friday, including its Voom internet packages.

The advertised discount is "up to 55% off", and I've observed prices for a one device package as cheap as $15.99 per day.

The price range seems to be between $15.99 and $21.99 per day for a one device package, and those savings add up when you consider onboard prices for the same package start at $27.99 and could easily go up from there.

By buying an additional internet package now, I'll save money across my cruises remaining this year and even into 2025.

The important takeaway for anyone reading this post is to understand there are good prices available for an add-on, such as the internet.

Royal Caribbean's Voom package discounts are illustrative of the general notion that the Black Friday sale happening now is a good opportunity to not just search for deep discounts, but take advantage of better than average prices on other items as well.

Depending on your sailing, there may be really good prices on other add-ons, such as drink packages that cost about half of what you'd pay onboard.

Our readers have shared their success in finding great prices too.

The soda package has been spotted as cheap as $6.99 per day, and waterpark on Perfect Day at CocoCay for $38.99 per person.

It's also worth noting you can book something today and still take advantage of a price decrease later. 

Royal Caribbean allows for cancelling and rebooking pre-cruise purchases without a penalty. Cancel, re-buy it at the lower price, and you'll get the refund from the original purchase in a few business days. In my experience, it almost always ends up being on the same credit card billing cycle as the revised purchase.

Don't overlook the drink and WiFi packages

It's worth noting Royal Caribbean brought back drink package & internet bundles for the first time in a long time.

As it implies, you can pay one price to get a drink package and a one-device internet package together.

This is really useful if you're a solo traveler, or just want to get this for one person in your cabin.

Truthfully, you're probably better off buying a drink package and Voom package separately if you need it for more devices, as the multi-device discount on Voom packages ends up being cheaper than the combo package.

Maximizing WiFi on a cruise

If you do purchase an internet package, there are a few easy ways to get the most value out of it.

With any internet package, it limits how many devices may be connected at once, not how many devices may use the package in total.

This means you can log out of the internet on one device, and back on with another.  And switch on an off as you see fit. Moreover, you can share the internet package with anyone else. You're just limited by how many devices can be logged on at the same time.

If you're at least a Diamond member in Crown and Anchor Society, you get a free day of internet access that can only be redeemed onboard (two days if you're Diamond Plus).

For a cruise of four nights or less, you might still be better off by waiting to book onboard the ship and redeeming your free day, especially if you can wait until midnight on the first day to avoid paying for embarkation day and only paying a prorated amount for the rest of the sailing.

While satellite internet can have intermittent issues, Royal Caribbean's Starlink connection is usually reliable enough to support streaming video while on the ship.  You could watch a sporting event, catch up on TV shows, or keep up with new YouTube content.

This year's torrential rain and floods in Spain have delayed another cruise ship's return to service.

Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas is undergoing routine maintenance work in Cadiz, Spain, which typically occurs every five years.

Guests booked on Adventure of the Seas were informed of a change in plans as a direct result of the bad weather in the region.

Guests booked on the transatlantic sailing returning the ship to the United States received an update their voyage has been pushed back two days and as a result, had to change up its itinerary.

"Due to adverse weather impacting our ability to complete our current drydock operations; Adventure of the Seas will be arriving in Barcelona two (2) days later than we initially planned," an email to booked passengers read.

The ship was originally scheduled to depart Barcelona, Spain on  Sunday, November 24, 2024.

Instead, Adventure will now depart Barcelona on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.

The change in departure date also means a change to the ship's itinerary.  Adventure will skip Valencia, Malaga, and Seville, Spain and instead spend those days at sea.

This means the only port of call for her revised 11-night crossing will be Madeira (Funchal), Portugal on Friday, November 29th.

Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Valencia, Malaga & Seville, will automatically be refunded to your original form of payment.

Adventure of the Seas is scheduled to arrive to Port Canaveral, Florida as originally scheduled on December 7, 2024.

Once the ship returns to Port Canaveral, she will return to offering 6- and 8-night Caribbean cruises through April 2025.

Compensation for the change

To make it up to passengers, Royal Caribbean is offering some money back.

Royal Caribbean is providing:

• A refund of two (2) days of your Cruise Fare paid as an onboard Credit
• A pro-rated refund as an onboard Credit for daily packages (Beverage, Dining, VOOM) and pre-paid gratuities.

All Onboard Credits can be used anywhere onboard, and any remaining refundable amounts at the end of the sailing will be refunded to the card on file up to 14 business days from final disembarkation.

For travel plans that need to be changed, Royal Caribbean will cover any air change fee up to $200 USD for domestic travel and $400 USD for international travel, per person OR one (1) night hotel accommodations, up to $250 USD, per stateroom if needed.

Royal Caribbean will also honor the original amount of nights in the sailing, as it relates to Crown and Anchor Society points.

"You’ll receive loyalty points for the original sail nights, instead of the nights sailed. For this sailing, you’ll still receive 13 nights worth of loyalty points."

Second shipyard delay this fall

Adventure is the second Royal Caribbean ship in a few weeks to have a delay in returning to service following a drydock.

Voyager of the Seas had a similar situation when it had to delay its return by a day.

Just like Adventure, the reason for Voyager's work delay was because of the rain and floods in Spain.

Voyager took an extra day to return, and replaced a visit to Valencia, Spain with Palma De Mallorca.

Shipyards are typically outdoor facilities, and severe weather can impact timelines.  Spain, however, is suffering through 
severe thunderstorms and torrential rain along its coast. 

Thousands of people had to be evacuated just two weeks after the country experienced deadly flooding in Valencia and other nearby communities.

The last morning of your cruise can feel like a confused rush as your vacation comes to an end, but it's a lot easier to manage if you know what to expect.

No matter how long or short your cruise is, the final morning is when you disembark the ship and end your voyage.  Nearly all passengers are on their way home, although some might be extending their vacation in another way.

Getting off a cruise ship is not like checking out of a hotel.  There's a few more logistical hurdles to overcome, and it's far more regimented to keep lines moving.

While the end of the cruise is disappointing, it doesn't have to be a disaster either. You might not be smiling walking off the ship for the final time, but at least you can be content.

What time do I have to depart the cruise ship?

There are two options for walking off your cruise ship on the final morning.

If you put luggage out the night before to have Royal Caribbean deliver your luggage down to the cruise terminal, then you have a luggage number that indicates the earliest time you can disembark and your bags will be ready.

The time associated with each luggage tag is listed on a piece of paper that was left in your cabin along with the luggage tags.  Every sailing is different, so don't assume a particular number will always correlate to the same time.

The time listed is the earliest time you can leave the ship and your bags will be ready.  You could disembark the ship earlier, but you'd be waiting in the cruise terminal for the bags to be delivered.  Alternatively, you can always leave later than that time and pick up your bags.

The other option is to bring your own luggage off the ship with you instead of having it delivered. With this option, you can disembark the ship as soon as local authorities clear the ship.

The exact time a ship will begin allowing passengers off the ship will depend on a variety of factors, but it's usually around 7am. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later. 

Regardless of your luggage situation, you can always stay on the ship later than the disembarkation time.  That time is just an indication of the earliest time you can stay on for.

Royal Caribbean's app will ask you a few days before the end of the cruise your disembarkation plans and assign you a disembarkation time as well.  Keep in mind that's the earliest time, not the exact time you need to leave.

So what time can you stay on a Royal Caribbean ship until? Not as late as you'd find at a land-based hotel.

Royal Caribbean asks all passengers to be out of their cabins by 8am on most sailings. The crew needs to turn the ship over and prepare it for the next voyage, and they need all previous passengers off the ship.

By about 9am, you're going to start hearing a lot of announcements encouraging passengers to disembark.  Sooner or later, they'll start paging individuals to leave. 

In my experience, the latest you can stay onboard is about 9:30am without getting in trouble.

What's open and what can you do on the final morning

The last morning of your cruise is a blend of finishing out the first voyage and preparing for the next one.

As soon as you leave your cabin, you'll see crew members working to turn over cabins and prepare them for the next journey.

While a lot of work is being done to prep the ship, there are some areas still operational for passengers.

Coffee and breakfast will be open at select venues on the last morning of the cruise.

You can expect at the very least the Windjammer buffet, Main Dining Room, and the quick service coffee location (Cafe Promenade) to be open.

If your ship has a Coastal Kitchen restaurant for suite guests, that will be open too.

Most other venues are closed, including the pool.

Guest services is open to settle any final billing issues you might have. Keep in mind you have to have a zero dollar balance in order to get off the ship.

What is the earliest flight I should book after the cruise is over?

Ideally, you want to book a flight that gives you enough time to easily disembark your ship and get to the airport and through security without being at the airport for many more hours than you need.

The problem is if you book a flight too early, you risk missing the flight because you couldn't get to the gate in time.

There are a lot of factors why it might take longer to actually disembark your ship, thus delaying your arrival to the airport:

• What time exactly your ship docks
• What time local authorities start the inspection process
• How long the inspection process takes
• How long a line there is to disembark the ship
• Unforeseen circumstances, such as a technical problem or guest blocking exiting the ship

If you look at your Royal Caribbean cruise itinerary, it lists a time your ship arrives back to the terminal. That's an estimate, and not when you can actually walk off the ship.

Plus, the actual disembarkation process may not begin for another hour or two after that time.

The fastest way off a Royal Caribbean ship is to take your own luggage off with you (known as self-assist disembarkation), but you're still at the mercy of when local authorities clear the ship and your ship begins allowing passengers to leave.

Another factor to picking the earliest flight home is how far the airport is from the cruise terminal.  

As a general rule of thumb, I recommend times after 11am. International flights and/or airports an hour or more from the cruise terminal should probably require a flight no earlier than noon.

What every passenger should do before leaving the ship

It will likely seem like you're in a rush to leave your ship, but there are a few important things to do before you disembark.

This may seem obvious, but so many people don't check they took everything out of their cabin with them.  

Double and triple check you have all your belongings.  Once you leave the ship, getting lost items back can be a challenge.

Common items left behind on the ship include children's toys (check under the bed), chargers in wall sockets, and valuables in the safe.

The next thing to do is verify your onboard balance is zeroed out.  If you have a credit card on file, that's pretty much assured.  But if you had a cash account, you'll need to settle up with Guest Services.  They won't let you off the ship until you do.

Speaking of your account, I'd recommend taking one last look to review any charges on there to verify it's all correct.  You want to correct any erroneous charges before you disembark.

If you ordered photo prints, this is your last chance to grab them.  Likewise, if you want to book another cruise at NextCruise, you can do so that final morning.

Be sure to return any pool towels that are still in your room, or you'll risk a $20 per unreturned towel fee.

What happens after you leave the ship?

After walking off the ship and back into the cruise terminal, the experience is somewhat like an airport when you fly home after an international trip.

You'll first make your way to pick up your luggage.  Only luggage that has been called will be available to pick up, and you'll see bags grouped by luggage tag numbers.

There are porters available to help with your luggage.  There is no cost to use the porters services, but they do expect a tip at the end.  Usually a dollar or two per bag is the norm.  

My advice is take advantage of the porters and use them. Not only will it be easier on you if you have a lot of bags, but in some cruise terminals the porters have their own special line for customs.

After retrieving your luggage, your next stop is the clear immigration.

In the U.S., there are two lines: people traveling with passports and people traveling with birth certificates.

In most U.S. ports now there is facial recognition is reserved for those with passports, and it's a fast and efficient process. You simply walk to the machine, it scans your face, and tells you if you're good to go or need to speak with someone.

The birth certificate line is slower because it requires an agent to inspect your documentation manually.

After you clear immigration, you'll depart the cruise terminal.  At this point, you're on your own to find a way home.  

There will be a mix of taxis, shuttle services, ride shares and more to get you home.  You should have a plan in place prior to that morning of how you'll get on your way to avoid complications or unexpected delays.

How to disembark before everyone else

If your goal is to be the first one off your ship and on your way home, then you'll need to have a proper plan of action.

In order to be the first one off a ship at its conclusion, you're going to need to carry your own luggage off.  Self-assist luggage guests have up to an hour head start on those waiting for luggage.

This express departure method will beat most of the crowds that come later, especially those that opted to have breakfast. Plus, there will be less people to contend with in the customs line or waiting for a taxi.

Prior to the final morning, you'll get an estimate of what time your ship expects to start the disembarkation process.  It could be around 6:30 or 7am.

It's a rough guess at the time, but my advice is to get in line at least 30 minutes before that estimate.  You'll be surprised how many other people are already there waiting to walk off the ship too.

Remember, if you opt for this, you'll need to carry all of your own luggage off the ship and there won't be any assistance available with it.  It's ideal for solo travelers, couples, or families without young children.

Royal Caribbean has pushed a new update to its website that adds a very useful function to its dining plan.

Last month the cruise line added the functionality to book its Unlimited Dining Package online and pre-reserve restaurants before getting on the ship.

This was a huge improvement, because prior to that feature, passengers had to wait to make reservations once they got on their ship.

It took the cruise line much longer than they originally estimated to roll out the feature, but a year later, the first version was implemented. It's a major upgrade for passengers, because it makes it significantly easier to get reservations instead of running around on embarkation day to make them.

This week, it appears there is a new update that has rolled out to allow anyone with the Unlimited Dining Package to change or add reservations after booking it.

When the online booking feature was released last week, it came with a giant caveat that you could only pre-book restaurants at the time of purchasing the dining package. There was no means to add reservations unless you cancelled and re-booked. This would be a problem for anyone that booked the dining package at a better price than offered today.

With the new update, it appears that issue has been fixed.

Guests can go to their order history and modify their purchase to be able to select restaurants and times.

To do so, go to your sailing and click on your name in the top right and then click Order history.

Find the purchase you made with the Unlimited Dining Package, and then click Modify.

The choice of days and restaurants should appear for you to pre-book restaurants.

A big improvement

Allowing passengers to make dining package reservations before their cruise begins is a huge help, and this new update makes it even easier.

When you can avoid running around the ship on the first day trying to get dining reservations, it's one less "errand" to have and reduces the stress of trying to get things done.

Royal Caribbean has steadily worked on making the first day of the cruise as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, from making check-in and embarkation as smooth and efficient as possible, to reducing things passengers need to stop and do on day one.

"We spent a lot of time researching with guests what their day one experience is," explained Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider.

Mr. Schneider reported his team found having to wait until the day of the cruise to book reservations generated a great deal of "angst".

The feedback from guests was to make it easier by not having to go to various booths that Royal Caribbean would set up only on day one of the cruise on the Royal Promenade.

Along with the dining package change, some ships now auto-connect the WiFi via the Royal Caribbean app so passengers do not need to visit the Voom desk for assistance.

On Icon of the Seas, there's a new chat feature within the Royal Caribbean app to communicate with Guest Services so you don't have to stand in line. They also added virtual queues to reduce lines.

Other dining packages not supported yet

In case you're wondering, the ability to pre-book restaurants appears to only be available for the Unlimited Dining Package so far.

In our spot checking, there is still not the ability to pre-book restaurants with the three night dining package, or any of the other dining packages.

Considering how the ability to modify or add new reservations took just a few weeks to complete, there's good reason to believe Royal Caribbean will push new updates soon with similar functionality for the shorter duration dining packages.

Should you book the unlimited dining package?

Specialty restaurants are a very popular add-on for any cruise, so is a dining package a good value?

If you think you might want to dine at more than two specialty restaurants during your cruise, a dining package can make a lot of financial sense.

At it's core, the unlimited dining package promises a flat fee to enjoy as many specialty restaurants as you like for a fixed price.

It will absolutely save you money compared to eating at the same amount of restaurants if paying out of pocket. 

A caveat to that flat fee is certain restaurants will still have a surcharge to dine there. This is because the dining package covers up to a certain amount, but certain experiences or restaurants cost more than that, and Royal Caribbean offers a discount if you have the dining package.

As an example, if you bought the unlimited dining package and wanted to dine at these restaurants, you'd pay:

• Izumi Hibachi/Teppanyaki: $15
• Royal Railway: 
  • Adult $50
  • Child $25
• Chef's Table & Holiday Dinners: $50
• Izumi Omakase: $60
• Empire Supper Club: $130

Another compelling reason to book the dining package might also be based on your opinion of the Main Dining Room.

Some cruisers have an aversion to the ship's complimentary Main Dining Room, based on cuisine, seating, or regimented times.

Lastly, the decision to buy a dining package also depends on which Royal Caribbean ship you are sailing on.

Each ship has a different line-up of specialty restaurants, and some offer many more options than others.

Icon, Oasis and Quantum Class ships offer the greatest variety of restaurants before you'd have to repeat.  

The line's older and smaller cruise ships have less specialty restaurants. In fact, Enchantment of the Seas only has Chops Grille and Chef's Table as specialty offerings.

Haiti's internal problems continued this week, but that seemingly won't deter Royal Caribbean from stopping at its private beach there.

Royal Caribbean operates a private beach in a remote area of Haiti, and has done so since 1988.

Earlier this week, three planes were hit by gunfire amid gang violence. The result was another in an endless round of travel advisories by the U.S. State Department not to travel to the country.  The Federal Aviation Administration banned flights to the country for 30 days as a result of the gunfire.

Despite these issues, Royal Caribbean hasn't changed its plans to bring cruise ships to its private enclave.

In a statement to a local NBC affiliate in Miami, the cruise line said they will continue to sail there, but are always monitoring the situation.

"The safety and security of our guests, crew, and communities we visit are our top priority. Our Global Security and Intelligence Team continuously monitor the situation in Haiti. Currently, there are no changes to our planned itineraries."

Labadee is in a remote area

Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private beach area, is a walled-off, exclusive beach on a peninsula in northern Haiti. 

It's located 130 miles north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The cruise line cancelled visits to Labadee in March in "an abundance of caution," but restarted visits there in early October.

Since restarting visits, there's been no incidents with the various cruise ships stopping there.

In fact, Royal Caribbean re-routed a few ships to Labadee to avoid hurricanes.

What do passengers think?

Like many subjects, Royal Caribbean fans are split on the issue of if it makes sense for ships to continue to stop at Labadee.

On the Royal Caribbean message boards, Geezer of the Seas wrote, "Personally,  I think Royal (and any other cruise line with stops in Haiti) is playing with fire."

"An aircraft on a 'slow' landing approach is like shooting fish in a barrel. So, what happens when/if these bad actors come into possession of high performance boats and start busting caps at a cruise ship?"

Reigert2008 added, "I’ve been to Labadeee several times and have always felt safe during the visit, but no one wants to be on the first cruise that has an issue."

"I think it’s reasonable for people to ask questions about these things especially when new events occur."

Smokeybandit retorted that post by pointing out Labadee hasn't been a site of problems, "As you noted, Haiti has had issues forever, yet never any real problems at Labadee."

Southern Dan added, "I am looking forward to my beach day in Labadee in two weeks!"

Opinion: I would welcome a cruise to Labadee, Haiti

I've been cruising to Labadee for years, and if I had a cruise that went there this week, I'd gladly go.

Haiti has had problems for a long time, and the unfortunate truth is the country has struggled for a long time with civil strife, political inability, and lack of infrastructure.

While shooting at an airplane is indeed disturbing, it also occurred in Port-au-Prince, and that's an important distinction.

Labadee is walled off from the rest of the country in a remote area. It can best be described as being in the middle of nowhere.

I think painting with a wide brush in the case of Labadee versus the rest of the country doesn't make sense. After all, Haiti still had a level 4 travel warning last week, and cruise ships and airplanes were visiting the country then. I don't think the country was inherently safer then.

Of course, there's risk in continuing to visit Haiti, but there's risk everywhere. Royal Caribbean know better than anyone the issues of risk management, and putting their ships and customers in harm's way would have a significant effect on their bottom line.  

As the cruise line monitors the situation in and around its private beach operation, until there's a change in the safety of its operation in Labadee, cruise ships should continue stopping there.

The lowest prices of the year on a cruise drink package are here.

Royal Caribbean kicked off its Black Friday preview sale today, which has new discounts for both cruise fares and add-on purchases.

While Black Friday isn't for a few more weeks, Royal Caribbean wants to get in on the sale with discounts now.

There are many aspects of the sale to consider, but the prices for the fun extras passengers can optionally purchase are seeing lower prices and even a few new options.

Perhaps the most popular add-on you can buy for a Royal Caribbean cruise is a drink package, and select sailings are seeing prices as low as $54.99 per person, per day.

Perhaps the absolute lowest price we've seen in a decade is for the Panama Canal repositioning cruise of Radiance of the Seas that begins April 19, 2025.  The Deluxe Beverage Package is only $48.99 per person, per day on that sailing, although that sailing is fifteen nights.

No matter which sailing you pick, it's likely a substantial discount considering Royal Caribbean is regularly charging over $100 per person, per day for the same package when purchased onboard ships. In fact, all purchases made online are cheaper than waiting to book during the sailing.

The Cruise Planner sale runs between November 8, 2024 through November 29, 2024 and applies to select sailings departing November 13, 2024 - December 31, 2025. 

• Beverage: Up to 50% off
  • Evian Water Package: 50% off onboard prices
  • Refreshment Package: 35% off onboard prices
    • Kids (12 and below): 50% off Refreshment
  • Classic Soda Package: 35% off onboard prices
    • Kids (12 and below): 50% off Classic Soda
  • Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship.
    • Interior/Oceanview Stateroom: Additional 5% off Deluxe (excluding Asia and Reposition
      sailings).
    • Seniors (65+): 40% off Deluxe Beverage (excluding Asia and Reposition sailings).
    • Diamond & above CAS members: 40% off Deluxe Beverage (excluding Asia and Reposition).

• Shore Excursions: Up to 50% off
  • Shorex: Discount varies by ship.
  • Wynwood Walls tour: 10% off onboard prices
  • Perfect Day Passes: 50% off onboard prices
  • Perfect Day & Labadee Cabanas: Up to 50% off onboard prices
    • Seniors (65+): 25% off Shorex (excluding Caribbean, Alaska & Europe sailings).
    • Platinum & above CAS members: 25% off Shorex on Caribbean sailings.
• Internet: Up to 55% Off

• Dining: Up to 50% Off
  • Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 14N sailings: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Packages: Up to 65% Off
  • Photo Packages from 5 - 100 Photos: Discount varies by ship.
  • Private Photo Session: 60% off onboard prices 
• Onboard Activities: Up to 30% off
  • All Access Ship tour
  • Observatorium
  • Mission Control Apollo 18
  • Escape the Rubicon
  • EscapeU: Freshman Year
  • RipCord by iFLY Two Minute Experience
  • North Star Extended Experience
  • FlowRider Private Lesson
  • FlowRider Group Lesson 

• Spa: Up to 30% Off Select Times 
• Gifts & Gear: Up to 45% Off
  • Strawberries with Champagne: 35% off onboard prices
  • Anniversary Decorations with Champagne: 40% off onboard prices
  • Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries: 40% off onboard prices
  • Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries: 40% off onboard prices
  • Happy Birthday Bright Style: 30% off onboard prices
  • Happy Anniversary Decorations: 35% off onboard prices
  • Bon Voyage Decorations: 30% off onboard prices
  • 9 Chocolate Covered Strawberries: 30% off onboard prices
  • White Wine and Cheese: 35% off onboard prices
  • Red Wine and Cheese: 35% off onboard prices
  • Soft Octopus Travel Set: 25% off onboard prices
  • Royal Caribbean Beach Towel: 40% off onboard prices
  • Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe): 40% off onboard prices
  • Inky Beach Set: 35% off onboard prices
  • Inky Octopus Family Travel Set: 25% off onboard prices
  • Winter Blanket: 25% off onboard prices
  • Luxury Robe: 35% off onboard prices
  • Alaska Polar Bear Hat: 40% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Water: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Coca Cola: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Diet Coke: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Bud Light: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Truly: 35% off onboard prices
  • Utopia Blue/Pink Towel and Tumbler Set: 25% off onboard prices
  • Icon Blue/Pink Towel and Tumbler Set: 25% off onboard prices

• Onboard Activities: Up to 30% off
  • All Access Ship tour
  • Observatorium
  • Mission Control Apollo 18
  • Escape the Rubicon
  • EscapeU: Freshman Year
  • RipCord by iFLY Two Minute Experience
  • North Star Extended Experience
  • FlowRider Private Lesson
  • FlowRider Group Lesson

New bundles

An interesting twist to this year's Black Friday sale is the addition of bundles.

These bundles offer combinations of popular add-ons. These appear to be Black Friday/Cyber Monday exclusive, so it may be a limited-time offering.

Here's a look at what's being offered:

Perfect Day Bundles

These combos include a Deluxe Beverage Package, one device WiFi access, and admission into either Hideaway Beach (Royal Caribbean's adults-only area of Perfect Day at CocoCay), Coco Beach Club, or Thrill Waterpark.

• Thrill Big Package
• Chill Big Package
• Party Big Package

Drink Package + WiFi Bundles

• Deluxe and Voom
• Refreshment and Voom
• Soda and Voom 

You can still take advantage of a better price on cruise add-ons

If you’ve already purchased add-ons like an internet package or spa service for your upcoming cruise, be sure to check the price of the add-on under the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale.

If the price is lower, you can cancel and rebook the add-on with no penalty up to 48 hours before your cruise date.

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.

Sale begins today on cruise fares too

In addition to the cruise planner extras you can buy, Royal Caribbean is also discounting its fares beginning today.

The Black Friday Preview sale begins today, November 8 through November 11 and offering up to $750 off base fares. 

The Black Friday Preview Sale is combinable with a monthlong offer – BOGO 60% off a second guest and Kids Sail Free, which starts today, November 8. 

BOGO60 applies to new, individual, and named group bookings at prevailing rates made 11/8 – 12/9/24 on sailings departing on or after November 9, 2024, and provides 60% off the cruise fare of the second guest booked in the same stateroom as the first, full fare paying guest, as well as 30% off any additional guests. Savings applied to cruise fare at checkout.

Have you ever been so bothered by something that you decided to take care of it yourself?

One cruise ship passenger on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas sailed a few weeks ago and noticed a broken cup holder in the ship's theater.  

Reddit user Asorensen1989 originally shared a photo of the broken cup holder, using it as an example of the state of the ship and why Royal Caribbean needs to retire her.

"Having just spent the week on Enchantment of the Seas, I can say, it’s time for her to retire. She’s just done. Everything is worn out and dated. The technology is seriously lacking. The service is great, but they can only make up for so much."

The cup holder was simply an example to prove the person's point.

A different Reddit user Shot_Bread_9657, noted he could make the necessary repairs with the proper materials.  With a cruise already booked on Enchantment coming up, the Reddit user brought the necessary materials from home and fixed it themself.

Photos were shared on Reddit of the repaired cup holder that he decided to work on because no one else did.

"Couldn’t say why- just seemed like a funny, and possibly helpful, thing to do," he wrote in his post.

They posted photos of what they did, and how it was repaired.

First, they packed caulk, sandpaper, epoxy putty, and brushes that they already owned.

"It cost me all of $0...Used a $5 coupon at Michael’s for the paint and lacquer," he explained in the total cost of the project.

He admitted he could have done a better job restoring it with the proper materials, but he wanted to get it back to working condition.

He brought the broken cup holder to his stateroom, where he documented how he repaired it.

Finally, he brought the repaired cup holder back to the theater and returned it to its proper place.

"I’m glad to say I delivered," he wrote triumphantly.

"Can't decide if you should be thanked or disembarked"

The reactions to Shot_Bread_9657's post sparked all sorts of reactions.

One person wrote, "Royal should hire you to be Handyman of the Seas."

Another posted, "You're just a normal passenger? ...I can't decide if you should be thanked or disembarked at the next port. LOL"

Others took the opportunity to note the lack of proper maintenance in the first place that left the cup holder broken for weeks.

"I admire your tenacity. The world needs more of this," Unhappy-Actuator9674 wrote.

Right or wrong?

While I've seen passengers use pieces of paper to level a wobbly table, or attempt to quiet noisy parts of their cabin, this is a new level of proactive work by a passenger.

Whether or not this person's repair work was helpful or not, it's likely against Royal Caribbean's policy to do so.

Within the cruise line's Guest Health, Safety, and Conduct Policy, is a section specifying this sort of behavior is not allowed:

"Additionally, tampering with any of the ship’s equipment, facilities or systems is not permitted."

There are potential safety and policy implications of a passenger attempting repairs. There are potential safety risks associated with unauthorized repairs, even if they seem minor, and it could impact the guest’s and other passengers’ safety.

When a problem is spotted by a guest, they should report it to Guest Services onboard and/or a nearby crew member so they can flag it for the ship's maintenance team to address.

It's questionable if security should have prohibited items such as epoxy putty or caulk from being brought onboard in the first place. While those items are not specifically on Royal Caribbean's prohibited items list, the line exercises a certain degree of discretion as to what can or cannot be brought onboard.

Every passenger's belongings are scanned before being brought onboard. Any suspicious items are flagged by security, confiscated, and returned after the cruise.

Background on cruise ship maintenance

Just like hotels, restaurants, and every place of business on land, things break on cruise ships from time to time, especially from wear and tear.

Every Royal Caribbean cruise ship employs a team of maintenance workers. Their job is to attend to all repairs on the ship, big and small.

Since they are a limited workforce, their attention is relegated to the top priority tasks first. Issues related to guest safety, comfort, and enjoyment are where a ship's maintenance workers go.

You can spot maintenance workers on a Royal Caribbean ship usually by their blue uniforms. When an issue is reported, a crew member is dispatched to work on it.

Not all issues can be fixed while on the ship, either because of the scope of the project or lacking necessary materials.  In some cases, work has to wait for the ship to go into drydock for routine maintenance.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas will need a little more time before she's ready to start cruising again.

Every five years (or less), Royal Caribbean sends its cruise ships in for refurbishment to ensure they're properly maintained. Voyager of the Seas is in Cadiz, Spain to undergo scheduled work.

Unfortunately, bad weather around Spain has delayed the work and more time is needed.

Guests booked on the transatlantic sailing returning the ship to the United States received an update their voyage has been pushed back by a day.

"Due to a delay in our current drydock operations caused by adverse weather, Voyager of the Seas will be arriving in Barcelona one (1) day later than we initially planned," an email to booked passengers read.

The ship was originally scheduled to depart Barcelona, Spain on November 10, 2024.

Instead, Voyager will now depart Barcelona on Monday, November 11th.

The change in departure date also means a change to the ship's itinerary. Voyager will skip a visit to Valencia, Spain and instead visit Palma De Mallorca on Tuesday, November 12th. The rest of the itinerary will remain unchanged.

Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Palma de Mallorca will be rescheduled based on availability, and any excursions booked for Valencia will be automatically refunded to the original form of payment. 

Voyager of the Seas is scheduled to arrive to Port Canaveral, Florida as originally scheduled on November 26, 2024.

Voyager will sail 4- and 5-night winter getaways on a varied lineup of Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises to The Bahamas, including Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau; Cozumel; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Labadee.

Compensation for the change

To make it up to passengers, Royal Caribbean is offering some money back.

Royal Caribbean is providing:

• A refund of one (1) day of the Cruise Fare paid as an Onboard Credit.
• A pro-rated refund as an Onboard Credit for your daily packages (Beverage, Dining, VOOM) and pre-paid gratuities.
• All Onboard Credits can be used anywhere onboard, and any remaining refundable amounts at the end of the sailing will be refunded to the card on file up to 14 business days from final disembarkation.

For travel plans that need to be changed, Royal Caribbean will cover any air change fee up to $200 USD for domestic travel and $400 USD for international travel, per person OR one (1) night hotel accommodations, up to $250 USD, per stateroom if needed.

Royal Caribbean will also honor the original amount of nights in the sailing, as it relates to Crown and Anchor Society points.

"You’ll receive loyalty points for the original sail nights, instead of the nights sailed. For this sailing, you’ll still receive 16 nights worth of loyalty points."

Shipyard delays are not unusual

The delay in return to service following scheduled maintenance work is not unheard of.

In most cases, ships undergo their routine work on schedule and return without delay.  But there have been situations where a delay in return to service has occurred.

In early 2019, Navigator of the Seas underwent a highly anticipated Royal Amplification, which would add new water slides, restaurants and experiences onboard.

The $115 million shipwide refurbishment was scheduled to be complete by February 2019, but poor weather conditions at the shipyard in the Bahamas caused delays to the progress of the ship’s outer decks.

A construction crane collapsed on top of Oasis of the Seas while in drydock. 

Royal Caribbean was forced to cancel the next three scheduled sailings that followed in order for the ship to be fully repaired.

Royal Caribbean announced changes to some of its suite cabins, slashing benefits in some cases.

The changes relate to the benefits and amenities that come with suites, and the cruise line intends to change what is included with select cabins in the future.

Travel agents were sent an update by Royal Caribbean to inform them of the change.

All of these changes are effective for sailings on or after May 2, 2026, regardless of the booking creation date.

The first change is to drop Surfside Family Suites from Sky Class to Sea Class.  

Surfside Family Suites are a new suite category that were first added on Icon of the Seas. The Surfside Family Suite overlooks the Surfside neighborhood. Like its namesake, this suite is meant to be a great choice for those with young kids.

This suite overlooks the Surfside Family Neighborhood and features a king size bed, and a cozy kids sleeping nook, and can accommodate 2 adults and 2 children.

As a result of the change, these cabins will no longer have access to the Suite Lounge, Suite Concierge services, complimentary internet access, complimentary beverages in the Suite Lounge, and can only dine at Coastal Kitchen restaurant for dinner only (instead of breakfast and lunch).

Meanwhile, Sunset Junior Suites will get a bump up to Sky Class.

Sunset Junior Suites are essentially what used to be Junior Suites on the back of cruise ships, and was a change in name and category made when Royal Caribbean reclassified many of its cabins.

Another big change is on three ships - Icon of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, and Utopia of the Seas - Sky Junior Suites will no longer have complimentary Wi-Fi as an amenity.

Royal Caribbean says they are making this change is to align these ships with the rest of the fleet where Sky Junior suites do not include Wi-Fi. 

The cruise line explained to travel agents why it was making all of these changes, "we continuously strive to enhance guest experience onboard and reach alignment of our product offerings across the fleet."

Sea Class vs Sky Class

To illustrate the changes better, it's important to understand what's included with each tier of Royal Caribbean's suite benefits.

On the cruise line's newest ships (Oasis, Icon, and Quantum Class ships), the suite program is divided up into three levels based on the suite category, Star, Sky, and Sea.

Sky Class Benefits

• Concierge service
• All-day access to Coastal Kitchen and The Grove (The Grove is on Icon Class ships only)
• Specialty bottled water upon arrival
• Complimentary internet 
• Priority boarding and departure
• Priority dining reservations
• Suite Lounge access
• Access to Suite Sun Deck
• Royal Caribbean plush bathrobes for use onboard
• Luxury pillow top mattress
• Luxury bathroom amenities
• Lavazza Espresso coffee maker

Sea Class Benefits

• Dinner at Coastal Kitchen
• Royal Caribbean bathrobes for use onboard
• Luxury pillow top mattress
• Luxury bathroom amenities
• Lavazza Espresso coffee maker

Reaction to the changes

The most notable change is the change in benefits for the Surfside Family Suites on the Icon Class ships.

Jenn Greene is a Travel Planner affiliated with MEI Travel, and thinks this change will hurt sales of these cabins, "The Surfside Family Suites sold not only to families, but also couples looking for Sky Class perks without the large price tag."

"This change may not be a good one for keeping that stateroom category full."

Ms. Greene is referring to the fact the room's location far away from the suite neighborhood and view of the kids area (rather than the ocean) were reasons a lot of people might have overlooked the cabin, if not for the suite benefits.