Utopia of the Seas might be Royal Caribbean's sixth Oasis Class cruise ship in the fleet, but she will have at least one new innovation not offered on her sister ships.

Royal Caribbean will debut a brand new dining experience never before offered onboard that sounds different from anything else on other ships, RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com can exclusively confirm.

The cruise line has steadily been moving towards new food and beverage concepts that aim to differentiate restaurants from being just another place for dinner.

In speaking with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider, he provided details on one such restaurant coming to the next Oasis Class ship.

There's no name announced for it yet, but Mr. Schneider calls it, "an immersive train dining experience."

He wasn't able to provide all the details yet, but here's what we know about it.

Mixed reality dining train experience

In talking about future plans, Mr. Schneider referenced a train car experience coming to Utopia, "That will be pretty amazing."

"There is a mixed reality immersive dining experience with a train motif coming to a ship near you that's going to blow people away."

Royal Caribbean has been on this path to develop new dining concepts since announcing a new technology initiative in 2017.

Back then, there was a virtual reality dining demo where people wore virtual reality visors, but Mr. Schneider said it isn't ideal, "people don't want to eat food with a goggle on their head."

Since then, a lot has changed with trends in dining.  He pointed to "Sublimotion" in Ibiza, Spain which is a new high-end Mediterranean dining concept with VR tech & immersive film projections, as an example of how the culinary world is exploring this medium. 

He thinks there's more than can be done in a less jarring way, "nobody's really done thematic immersion until what you're about to see on Utopia."

Here's how Mr. Schneider explained what this dining experience will be like once guests are able to experience it for themselves, "imagine seeing a series of train cars built out on a cruise ship."

"What if you could go to land based destinations while on a cruise ship in a dining experience that happened to look like 1930s to 1960s train and go through a series of destinations that you've never done before or might do on some of our other ships but in a way that could give you then a platform for culinary and immersion that you've never seen before."

Experimenting with new ideas

When Royal Caribbean builds a new ship, they champion the mantra of "tradition, evolution, and revolution" as a way to bring back favorites while also pushing the envelope of what guests can expect onboard.

Mr. Schneider says this guiding principle is more like consistency and experimentation than anything else, "Our guests expect some sort of consistent experience. And I don't mean consistent in a negative way. Consistent in what they expect from us and quality."

"There's no reason that you wouldn't expect to find a Chops on every ship that we build in the future. And there needs to be, if you think of the concept development, we do a significant percentage of that, whether it's Main Dining, Chops, great Italian in our new Giovanni's kitchen concept."

"And then there needs to be experimentation."

An example of small experimentation is the Bubbles champagne bar in Central Park on Icon of the Seas. Beyond that, Royal Caribbean also moves towards full restaurants, such as the Mason Jar concept.

"New cuisine also then takes you to new experiences. And so things like and again, we don't have a name yet, but this railroad mixed reality culinary immersion is is part of that experimentation."

Part of the rationale for developing new concepts is food is a major reason why people go on a cruise. On a high level, Mr. Schneider says the two predominant reasons people book a cruise are for destinations and food.

"You want that kind of diversity, given again, people want destinations and food is their two drivers to go on a cruise."

Utopia of the Seas launches in 2024

While Icon of the Seas is garnering the lion share of attention right now, Utopia of the Seas will also launch later that year.

"Utopia is going to be for the Oasis class yet another great step forward. You're just going to be amazed by kind of the next set of changes that we make, " said Mr. Schneider of what we can expect from Utopia.

He admitted Utopia won't have the same level of new experiences Icon of the Seas has, "but when you look at them, they'll make a ton of sense."

When might we be able to start booking Utopia of the Seas? Mr. Schneider alluded to summer 2023 as when you can expect more information on bookings and details for the public to be able to start making plans.

The ship will debut in the spring of 2024.

What can we expect when Royal Caribbean opens its first beach club experience in 2025?

Royal Caribbean confirmed last month it was moving forward with plans to build a beach club in Nassau, Bahamas, which is set to open in the first half of 2025.

This will be the first of its kind experience for the cruise line, as the beach club is not going to be another private island type of experience.  But how different will the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island be and what can expect once the first passengers visit the beach club?

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider has a large hand in the planning of the new destination, and has been working with the Bahamian government for years through two different administrations to get approval for their work.

The Bahamian government gave Royal Caribbean "approval in principle from the government", which means the government of the Bahamas and Royal Caribbean have reached an agreement on kind of the key principles that they both think are important.

How is the beach club different than a private island?

Up until now, the only context cruisers have for a land-based experience offered by Royal Caribbean are the private destinations of Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee.

Mr. Schneider calls the beach club, "a really rich Royal Caribbean service experience attached to a high volume destination or strategic destination for us."

"Whereas a Perfect Day it is the destination, it is the only thing you can do... and it's typically far flung."

To better explain the differences, Mr. Schneider confirmed that the beach club will cost extra, as it's not intended to be something for everyone to visit like it would be at CocoCay.

"Not everybody's going to have an opportunity to go to the Royal Beach Club. It wasn't designed for that purpose."

"Because we then hope you sail with us again the next weekend and have that opportunity. And so that's where it kind of fits into our strategy."

He also confirmed that the beach club admission will be all-inclusive, which means your admission cost will cover:

• Water taxi ride to/from the beach club
• All food and beverage, including alcohol.
• Beach chairs
• Umbrellas
• Non-motorized activities (swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, etc)

"It's really meant to be this kind of all inclusive, ultimate beach day," Mr. Schneider said of the plans.

The beach club will have three primary areas:

• Family beach zone
• Active pool space
• Quieter beach area on the western side

In addition to the beach, the pools are going to be a focal point, "At the heart of it, you'll find a series of pools. And part of the reason for a series of pools is you need heated pools in the Bahamas to have a really great experience year round."

Don't expect a giant pool akin to the Oasis Lagoon pool at CocoCay. Rather, for a better environmental footprint, these pool spaces will be smaller, "They're not terribly small, but smaller experiences. So imagine a Splashaway Bay sort of experience."

"Imagine if you were to take Oasis Lagoon and kind of break it into a couple different parts."

There will be live Bahamian music to enjoy, cabanas to rent for an additional cost, snack shack restaurants, along with beach bars around the club.

One thing you will definitely not find at the beach club are thrills, "there's no massive thrill experience. And frankly, you know, there's two reasons not to have a massive thrill experience."

"One is the land is just not that big."

"The second is there's really great thrill elsewhere in Nassau. This wasn't meant to steal thrill from other things in Nassau."

How much will the beach club cost?

You're probably wondering how much this experience will cost, and there isn't yet a price determined.

Mr. Schneider confirmed the all-inclusive admission will include food and drink (including alcohol), but said it was too early to know what the cost will be.

I then asked if admission will be a full or half day experience, and Mr. Schneider said he wasn't sure yet what to expect.

Why build beach clubs?

Why would a cruise line invest millions of dollars in a project like this when there are already lots of places to visit in Nassau, as well as destinations around the Caribbean.

On a high level, Mr. Schneider says the two predominant reasons people book a cruise are for destinations and food.

"The reason people go on a vacation is they want to go visit destinations. We break that down into destinations have two parts: the places we take you to and the ships and hardware that you sail on as a destination."

In speaking about the places Royal Caribbean already goes to, Nassau fell into a grouping of ports that have high volume but don't have high appeal or high satisfaction rates. This is the primary reason for leading Royal Caribbean down the path of planning a Royal Beach Club.

"Nassau is a great place to go. We wanted to add a Royal level service to that destination. This this gave us that model to to really expand."

Profiting the Bahamas too

Mr. Schneider was adamant about the fact the Royal Beach Club in Nassau isn't a cash grab by the company that only benefits the cruise line.  

He called it a "public private partnership", which has the goal of ensuring, "that the profits from the Beach Club stay in the Bahamas for generations to come."

How does it work? There's a few components to this deep partnership between cruise line and government.

First is equity, "Bahamians will have the opportunity to own up to 49% of the Royal Caribbean Beach Club."

"And so we felt and the government felt as we went through our discussion that it was important that Bahamians have ownership in this as a result of the Bahamas contributing crown land."

"We want to make sure that that the Beach Club has real ownership of local Bahamians so that it's beloved for years to come.

"The equity comes in two parts. First is the government. The government sovereign wealth fund, which is called the Bahamas National Investment Fund, will get essentially equity for the fair market value of the four acres of crown land that they're contributing."

"The second part of the equity is really then individual Bahamians will have an opportunity through an investment fund to essentially buy shares in the investment fund to buy equity into the fund."

In addition to the equity being built up from the crown land, is to open up every kind of bespoke part of the operation to local Bahamians.

Mr. Schneider said this includes all sorts of jobs, such as security, lifeguards, environmental monitoring, food, music, and more, "All of those will be open to local businesses and entrepreneurs. And our hope is that the entire operation is through partnerships from Nassau."

He mentioned the first employee hired will be the new president of the Royal Beach Club, "the goal is to hire somebody who is Bahamian. So from the senior most executive down to the landscaper, the idea is all Bahamian or Bahamian partnerships."

On top of all of that, a new tourism tax will be part of this project that benefits local Bahamians, "one of the things we're really excited about is not just the growth of tourism, but we agreed to a new tourism levy that doesn't exist."

"We'll be the first new development kicking 1% of gross profits into a new tourism levy in perpetuity. And the purpose of that tourism levy is a new tourism fund to improve other attractions throughout New Providence in the Bahamas."

Mr. Schneider also took some time to address local press coverage regarding the beach club, "we've seen some negative press that people think this is just a mini Perfect Day at Nassau such that we'll suck all the air out of the local businesses and this will be the only place our guests go."

He was emphatic that is not the case, "Less than 40% of our guests will have an opportunity to go to the Royal Beach Club of our deployment to Nassau on an annual basis."

"It's important they have other things to do because the other 60%, we want to have a great destination as part of a rich itinerary."

In 2017, Royal Caribbean was bringing about a million passengers to Nassau.  By 2027, the cruise line expects to be bringing 2.5 million visitors to Nassau.

"The number will have grown the number of calls and visits and guests into Nassau far in excess of the total capacity of the beach club."

Something else Royal Caribbean is doing to benefit local businesses is to build a water taxi service, "we're partnering with local Bahamians to create a new water taxi infrastructure."

"That water taxi infrastructure is serving the beach club will then also serve other attractions throughout the harbor and New Providence."

In short, Royal Caribbean is doing something no other company has done for the Bahamas, "We look at the totality of kind of the structure that we created with the government and the kind of net new employment opportunities and job creation and profit creation for  the government and individuals and the money that we're putting back into the Bahamas is really something that nobody's ever done before, for sure, for the Bahamas. And it's rare to see worldwide."

"We think this is a home run for the Bahamas."

First of many beach clubs

When The Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island, it will be the first, but not the last, beach club.

"We want to build multiple beach clubs around the world because every geography is is somewhat unique," stated Mr. Schneider. 

But don't expect each to be an exact replica of each other, "as we think of the future beach club kind of portfolio, our hope is they'll have similar components."

Spring is here and it is also Sunday, which means we are celebrating warm(er) temperatures and Royal Caribbean news from this week!

Royal Caribbean will open its own private beach club in Nassau, Bahamas and it looks incredible!

The Royal Beach Club in Nassau will open in 2025 and we have all the information we know so far about the project for you to catch up on.

This extra cost excursion will include beach access, pools, cabanas, and much more.

Royal Caribbean News

• Celebrity Cruises announces new CEO to succeed Lisa Lutoff-Perlo
• 10 worst cruise fails by our readers
• 15 things to pack in your cruise carry-on
• Best hotels near Port Canaveral before the cruise
• I visited three ports on my cruise, but this one was by far my favorite, and here’s why you should go there

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 494th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, which answers as many listener emails as possible.

It's been a while since we had a podcast episode all about your questions, so this week's episode is just listener emails!

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: Best things to bring on a cruise under $10

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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 — Best things to bring on a cruise under $10 I always regret forgetting to bring — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

8 reasons to get off your ship as early as possible on disembarkation day

No one wants their cruise vacation to end, but on the last morning of the cruise, there are a few good reasons to hustle off the ship.

Just like the idiom of "ripping off a band-aid" to get it over with, disembarking your cruise ship when it ends sooner than later has a few advantages.

From beating the traffic, to getting on an earlier flight, here are the compelling arguments to plan on leaving your ship as soon as possible.

20 rules of cruise ship etiquette no one ever tells you (but should)

You don't want to be "that guy/gal" when it comes to committing a faux pas, so we have a guide to proper cruise ship etiquette.

Being polite to your fellow passengers and crew member should go without saying, but there are a few nuances of a cruise that you might not think are an issue, but in reality, should be avoided.

Knowing proper ship etiquette will help ensure that you do not feel disrespectful or underdressed, as well as make sure that you are able to contribute to a positive atmosphere. 

What it's like when a cruise ship is empty

Mariner of the Seas just finished a dry dock in Europe and returned to the United States without any passengers.  Not having passengers onboard doesn't mean there's nothing to do for crew either.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Director Marc Walker shared a glimpse of what crew members do in the time there are no paying passengers onboard to prepare for a return to service.

Over the course of an 8-night crossing, we've got a look at what the crew did with no passengers to attend to.

What is the best time to cruise the Mediterranean?

If you are thinking about the best month to go on a Mediterranean cruise, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of each month.

 While there isn’t necessarily a “perfect” time to take a Mediterranean cruise, this guide should help you decide which season works best for you.

8 questions to ask yourself before picking a cruise ship

Before you book a Royal Caribbean cruise, it's a good idea to go over some important considerations.

Depending on your preferences, one ship might be a better idea than another to sail on.

Here's a look at the questions you should be asking yourself prior to selecting a Royal Caribbean ship to ensure you find the best ship for you.

Laura Hodges Bethge will take over as CEO of Celebrity Cruises in May, the cruise line announced on Thursday.

Laura Hodges Bethge will take over the role from Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who has been CEO since 2014.  Hodges Bethge was most recently executive vice president,
shared services operations at Royal Caribbean Group.

In her current role, Hodges Bethge was responsible for Royal Caribbean Group’s safety, security and environment, risk management and crew movement teams.

"I look forward to building on the incredible achievements of Lisa and this world class team, as we continue to break boundaries and chart new courses in the industry," she said in a statement announcing the change.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty welcomed Laura Hodges Bethge to the new role, "I would also like to congratulate Laura for her appointment as the next brand president of Celebrity Cruises. With her operational experience, business acumen and deep understanding of our company and the cruise industry, I know Laura is the right person to lead Celebrity Cruises to its next phases of growth."

Hodges Bethge has been a part of many aspects of the cruise industry. She served as senior vice president of Product Development for Royal Caribbean International, where she spearheaded the Royal Amplification ship upgrade program, and the Perfect Day at CocoCay makeover.  She also oversaw the design and construction of six new ships, including Spectrum of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas.

She joined the company in 2000 and has been a part of the Hotel and Marine Operations, Sales, Marketing, Product Innovation and Investor Relations teams.

She was also based in Shanghai as vice president of Market Development, where she oversaw commercial operations for this strategic market.

Departing Celebrity

Celebrity's current CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, will transition to Vice Chair, External Affairs for Royal Caribbean Group, effective May 1.

Mr. Liberty thanks Ms. Lutoff-Perlo for her hard work as CEO, "Lisa has been instrumental in transforming the Celebrity Cruises brand to what it is today."

"From helping us introduce the revolutionary Edge Series of ships to advancing the role of women in maritime careers, Lisa has had an incredible career during her time leading Celebrity Cruises, and multiple parts of our Royal Caribbean International brand. I have had the pleasure of working with Lisa for almost 18 years, and I know her expertise will be invaluable as she transitions to serve as my Vice Chair, External Affairs.”

Lutoff-Perlo’s career started with Royal Caribbean Group in 1985, when she was a district sales manager. 

She leaves behind a legacy of many firsts: In 2005, Lutoff-Perlo became Celebrity’s first female senior vice president of hotel operations. In 2012, she was named executive vice president of operations for Royal Caribbean International, the first woman in the industry to oversee both hotel and marine operations. Two short years later, she was the first woman appointed to president and CEO of one of Royal Caribbean Group’s brands.

As CEO, Celebrity Cruises added four new cruise ships to the fleet, and implemented cruise ship revitalizations under the Celebrity Revolution program.

"It has always been difficult for me to imagine leaving the incredible Celebrity brand, but the time is right for me to start an exciting new chapter and turn the helm over to a new leader," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

"It has been my great honor to lead this brand and work alongside the phenomenal Celebrity shoreside team and crew. Together, our accomplishments have been extraordinary. I'm excited to now work closely with Jason on broader initiatives as we sail toward an even brighter future."

Following a dry dock in Europe, Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas concluded a transatlantic crossing without any passengers onboard, and yet, the crew still do a great deal of work to prepare for paying guests.

About every five years, Royal Caribbean's cruise ships go into dry dock for maintenance work.  This is when ships are taken out of the water and preventative work is done all around the ship.

In the case of Mariner of the Seas, she went back and forth between North America and Europe without any cruise passengers onboard. You might think the crew would have nothing to do, but there's a surprising amount of things happening on a ship with just the crew.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Director Marc Walker shared a glimpse of what happens via his Facebook page, and it's a fascinating peek behind the curtain of the work done to prepare for passengers.

"Understandably you may think we don’t do much during dry dock, but there is a lot to do, especially our 8 day crossing back," he posted at the start of crossing home.

"We are now in dress rehearsals for the ice show and theater production shows, live music runs, all theme nights are now rehearsed and ready, many safety trainings and Royal standards being presented, and lots of dusting."

Through Mr. Walker's posts, here's a look at some of the things crew members do on a cruise ship even without any passengers to service.

Mock boarding day

One one day of the crossing back to Florida, the ship pretended it was embarkation day so that crew members could practice the muster drill process.

Royal Caribbean's eMuster process means guests don't have to line up and hear safety information at their muster station.  Instead, they complete most of the process on their digital devices before reporting to their muster station so they are aware of where it is located.

The change to an eMuster process has been a revelation in the cruise industry, and a huge hit with passengers.

Since the goal of this return trip is to get everything and everyone ready for passengers, every process of the cruise experience needs to be refined.

Flush all the toilets at the same time

Part of the process to prep the ship for a regular day is to ensure all of its systems work well, including the toilets.

Mr. Walker noted on the second day of the return trip was, "super chlorination day", which means all the crew members need to run all faucets, showers and toilets manually,  "to make them nice and clean."

In fact, every 10 minutes starting at 7:30am, Mr. Walker would get on the ship's public address system to tell crew members to flush.

Dining room dry run

As Mariner of the Seas gets ready to return to service, crew members need to get back into their routines, including the dining room staff.

In order to prepare the Main Dining Room staff for passengers, Mariner of the Seas treated a number of crew members to dinner in this venue, where other crew played the role of guests so that the wait staff can get practice.

Not only does this give the Main Dining Room a good exercise, but it also rewards other crew members with a meal in a venue they don't ordinarily get to enjoy.

Dance parties with no one in attendance

The ship's entertainment staff needs practice too, so they practice the popular dance parties held in the Royal Promenade, even if there's no one really there.

Mr. Walker talked about the putting on these shows, "Tonight we performed our classic 70s Disco Inferno for the fabulous Mariner of the Seas crew. We have a lot of new Royals so as part of our simulation cruise, we are treating them to all of our shows and theme events, plus tonight we gave away some amazing prizes!"

Empowering crew members

Crew members on a ship may start out in one role, but many will advance through the ranks in part due to the cruise line's programs aimed at advancing their careers.

Mr. Walker highlighted the "Getting Started as a New Leader" program that promotes crew members from within, instead of looking to hire new managers outside the company.

"Myself, Natalie my assistant, and Gemma my Sports Manager today congratulated Sports Staff Natalia, and Cruise Staff Nenad and Milos for their certification. They are our future leaders - and really cool people!"

Prepare the shows

Each Royal Caribbean cruise ship has a cast of performers, as well as an array of technicians, that produce shows for guests.

The featured show on Mariner of the Seas is, "Center Stage", and on the final night before Mariner of the Seas returned to Port Canaveral, the cast and crew held an opening night performance.

The cast for a show will be onboard a ship for a few months before a new cast comes onboard to replace them.  

"Here are all the amazing and talented cast, orchestra, stage stage, techs, and Miami install team. Yes it’s a lot for one show, but that’s how we roll," Mr. Walker noted.

"Very proud of them all."

The "Gallery of Dreams" cast also got their opening night performance, and they put on the show for other crew members.

"The crew got to enjoy this show tonight which is something they don’t usually get to see," noted Mr. Walker.

There's plenty of stunning beaches in the Caribbean, but only St. John stands out as the most beautiful I've ever visited.

For a lot of people, taking a Caribbean cruise is about escaping to picturesque coasts with white sand, light blue ocean water, and maybe even a drink in hand.

On my recent 7-night Wonder of the Seas cruise, we visited three ports and by far the most beautiful of them all was Honeymoon Beach in St. John.

While we had a great time at the beach in St. Kitts and Perfect Day at CocoCay, I was blown away by the splendor of St. John.  In fact, every time our cruise visits St. Thomas, I look for a shore excursion that can take me to St. John.

Before you make plans for your upcoming St. Thomas visit, here's why I loved every minute of my visit to St. John.

Getting there

St. John is just 6 miles from St. Thomas, which makes it a very close option between the two islands.

There are a few ways to get to St. John: ferry, Royal Caribbean excursion, or private boat.

In the past, I've tried each of the options and there are pros and cons to each method.  For this visit, we went with a private boat charter because we were going with two other families and we wanted to maximize our time.

Wonder of the Seas was docked in St. Thomas from 7am to 2:30pm, so there was a limited amount of time in port. As a result, I wanted to try to squeeze in as much time as possible, and it seemed a private tour would be our best bet.

I looked at a few third-party different tours but ultimately decided to book with Sonic Charters because they had a great fleet of boats you could rent for the day.

Private tours are always going to be more expensive than group tours, but given our party size (12 in total) and our time needs, a private excursion seemed like the best choice.

The boat met us at the St. Thomas marina, which is a very short walk from where Royal Caribbean docks at Crown Bay.  You just walk through the port area, through the parking lot, and then right to the marina.

The boat's captain met us at the marina bar, and we boarded the boat right at 9am to get underway. Our crew consisted of him and Louise.

We departed the marina and headed east to St. John for the short transit.

Our rental included snacks on the way to St. John and back, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Snorkeling

Since it was our private tour, it was up to us what we wanted to do. I asked that we visit the beach and have snorkel time too.

Our rental included snorkel equipment for everyone, so nothing extra to pack.

We were taken to a small inlet near St. John that was a well-known for being a place where sea turtles could be found.

Because St. John's water is so clear, snorkeling is incredibly easy for viewing.

We had about an hour of being in the water, and even if you weren't into snorkeling, you could hop into the ocean to enjoy the current.  

My kids had a great time looking for as many undersea creatures as they could spot.

Honeymoon Beach

While snorkeling is fun, what draws me to St. John in the first place are the amazing beaches.

The beaches in St. John are the epitome of what a Caribbean beach day is all about: white sand, crystal blue water, and warm temperatures.

There are a number of beaches you can visit at St. John, including Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay.  If you get the chance to visit St. John by land, I highly recommend spending the day here.

Since we were on a boat, Honeymoon Beach is the best choice because our boat can get close enough to shore that we can easily swim.

The soft white sand is perfect to plop down and enjoy the shallow blue surf that washes up.

There's still snorkeling options here, as there is a patch of reef on the west side of the beach. Much of the reef is in fairly shallow water – making it an excellent choice to see fish, corals, turtles and rays up close.

Other destinations in St. John

Our day in St. John was a mere glimpse at what this incredible island has to offer.

If you happen to take a shore excursion that brings you on land, there are a few great spots to visit.

Cruz Bay is where your ferry will drop you off, and it's a small village that has restaurants and shops. You can easily walk around the wharf and streets nearby and take in the Caribbean architecture, along with excellent shopping.

Trunk Bay is the most famous beach in St. John because of the picturesque quarter mile white sand beach. There's a snack bar, along with beach chair rental and restrooms.  Trunk Bay does, however, have an entrance fee (and it's the only St. John beach that has a fee).

Cinnamon Bay is the longest beach you'll find in St. John and incredibly pristine. It's a great choice for families because of how shallow the shoreline is, and it tends to be less busy than Trunk Bay.

Why you should visit St. John on a shore excursion

If you take away nothing else from this blog post, it's that St. John has the most amazing beaches you need to visit.

To be fair, there are a lot of great beaches around the Caribbean, but the combination of water color and clarity, beach conditions, and complete lack of crowds make this the best beach day I've ever had.

Because it's so uncrowded and underdeveloped, it feels like you've arrived in a Bond villain paradise (before things take a turn for the worse in the movie). 

I'm usually more a pool guy than a beach guy, but I'll visit a beach in St. John every time.

The challenge is getting to St. John, as shore excursions are limited (especially if you go through Royal Caribbean).  

The good news is there are many ferry services to get you across, but it does require good planning to ensure you can get back and forth without hassles.

They say April showers brings May flowers, but Sundays bring you a round-up of all of this week's Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean gave us our first look at new bars and nightlife options coming to Icon of the Seas.

Among the 40 bars and lounges to enjoy on Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean will debut a few new venues, along with enhanced favorites.

In the list of 15 bars and nightlife venues revealed are first-to-fleet venues, such as dueling pianos, coffee-infused cocktails, and a new walkup champagne bar.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean has quietly converted its jazz clubs into casinos
• Royal Caribbean designed first-of-its-kind cabins for its new cruise ship
• 11 of our favorite under-the-radar Crown & Anchor perks
• We booked 2 cabins on the same cruise, but one was $300 more. Here's why booking a cruise early matters

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 493rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, which has a primer for someone planning their first cruise.

In this episode, Matt walks you through how to get started planning an awesome first Royal Caribbean cruise.

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: Changes and cuts at Royal Caribbean: Does it matter?

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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 — Changes and cuts at Royal Caribbean: Does it matter? — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

15 Things To Do As Soon as You Get to Your Cruise Cabin

When you first enter your stateroom, it's a good idea to check a few things before you settle in.

While these may be simple steps, it's important to get them done so that you can ensure your room is ready for a great cruise overall.

It's a good idea to do these things on embarkation day in case there are any issues that need to be addressed by crew members.

5 things I loved about Chill Island on Perfect Day at CocoCay

There are different parts of Perfect Day at CocoCay you can spend the day at, but Chill Island never seems to disappoint.

Maybe it's the nostalgia of the fact this used to be the original beach area prior to the island's expansion, or just the beautiful blue water all around you, but Chill Island has a certain appeal.

On my recent visit, I found these 5 reasons I love spending the day at Chill Island.

What the cheapest cabin on my Celebrity cruise was like

Allie sailed 4-nights in the cheapest inside cabin she could book to see what an inexpensive room is like on Celebrity.

Celebrity has a reputation for being a bit more upscale or posh than sister company Royal Caribbean, so does that include the inside cabin experience?

Here's what the cheapest cabin on Celebrity Silhouette looks like and what Allie thought of the stateroom.

The next time you sail on a Royal Caribbean Oasis Class cruise ship, there's likely one change you may notice on deck 4.

Since the start of the year, Royal Caribbean has quietly begun converting over its Jazz on 4 venues into a non-smoking casino room.

Jazz on 4 was a dedicated room for jazz music, where a band would perform most nights of the cruise. During the day time, Jazz on 4 would mostly remain unused, but it was sometimes used for private events as well.

There's been no formal announcement from the cruise line, but cruise fans were alerted to the change when the jazz club was closed on recent sailings.

On Oasis of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas, Jazz on 4 has already been converted over to a casino room similar to the Golden Room first offered on Wonder of the Seas.

In the Royal Caribbean Club Royale Facebook group, Ed Thomas posted photos of the new space that opened on Oasis of the Seas this week.

He counted 40 slot machines, a blackjack table and a three-card poker table.

Over on Harmony of the Seas, the changeover occurred earlier this month. Johnny Travalor shared photos of the new space.

It's not clear yet if the change has or will happen on Allure or Symphony of the Seas, although Symphony of the Seas is in dry dock in Cadiz, Spain currently and the work could be occurring in conjunction with that effort.

When Wonder of the Seas launched in 2022, Royal Caribbean opted not to include Jazz on 4. Instead, it had The Golden Room, which is a non-smoking casino annex.  It was speculated this decision was based on the fact that Wonder of the Seas was originally intended for the Asian cruise market, where gambling is more popular than in North America and Europe.

When Royal Caribbean changed plans to keep Wonder of the Seas in the United States, they decided to keep the VIP room.

Cruise line executives at the launch of Wonder of the Seas admitted they weren't sure whether or not the concept will be a hit with Americans, but it seemed worth a try.

Non-smoking option

One big change guests may notice about this new spot is the lack of smoke.

The room is designated non-smoking, which is a big deal for Royal Caribbean. The cruise line has historically allowed smoking in the main casino.

The debate over allowing smoking in the casino has been contentious over the years, with many cruise ship passengers voicing their opinions on the matter and it's left Royal Caribbean in the middle.

At a question and answer session in June 2022, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked about the issue of allowing smoking. He 

admitted, "smoking in the casinos is a bit of a conundrum."

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

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

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

Not the end of jazz on Royal Caribbean

Jazz music lovers should take solace in the fact the end of the Jazz on 4 venue does not correlate to an end to jazz music onboard Oasis Class ships.

Starting with Wonder of the Seas, the jazz performances were moved from Jazz on 4 to Central Park. On some nights, the jazz band also performs in Music Hall.

There are evening performances near Park Cafe, similar to the sets that would have occurred in the former venue.

A new jazz club on Icon

If their new ship is any indication, Royal Caribbean isn't done with jazz music quite yet.

One of the new nightlife spots recently announced for Icon of the Seas is Lou's Jazz 'n Blues, which will be located in Central Park.

Royal Caribbean thinks this venue will be the perfect place to enjoy live jazz performances at a table, or while strolling in the park.

Royal Caribbean's expansion of Perfect Day at CocoCay has added a lot of compelling spots to spend your day, but there's something about Chill Island that I really love.

Since the Perfect Day makeover, I've visited Royal Caribbean's private island dozens of times and tried every beach and pool they have.  Each has its advantages, but on my most recent visit, I wanted to go back to the original beach at Chill Island.

Maybe it was because this was the last day of our Wonder of the Seas cruise and I was just ready for a relaxing day, but the idea of laying on a lounge chair under an umbrella sounded perfect to me.

I also felt a sort of nostalgia for the Chill Island beach because before Royal Caribbean renovated and improved the island, this was the beach everyone went to and part of me missed going here. 

So while I won't complain about going to the Coco Beach Club or South Beach by any means, I really like Chill Island for a few good reasons.

1. The serenity

Maybe this is a sign I'm getting older, but I greatly appreciate the fact that Chill Island is advertised in its name and is pretty tame compared to other areas of CocoCay.

I enjoy a pool party as much as anyone, but I have to be in the mood for loud music at the pool.  With my kids in tow, the pool scene at Oasis Lagoon isn't always my jam.

Plus, I really like how much shade there is, between the umbrellas at every group of chairs and lots of palm trees.

Being that it was the last night of a 7-night cruise, I was also ready for a wind down beach day.  Royal Caribbean designed Chill Island to be the quiet option.

If you look at a CocoCay map, the general idea is as you go from left to right, the island transitions from "chill" to "thrill". 

If you value serenity over energy, Chill Island is the spot for you.

2. The ocean

I really like the inlets Chill Island has, because of the rocks that protect the beach from the waves.

While you wont confuse CocoCay's ocean water with St. John or Aruba, it's still pretty and before a lot of other guests there later in the day, the clarity is lovely.

There's also a few swim platforms near Chill Beach, which provides a challenge to get out there.  The furthest out platform is really a dare to guests to try to make it out there.

The north end of the beach seems calmer and more secluded, which means you can find the right area for your taste.

Essentially, the ocean around Chill Island has more "character" than the beach elsewhere on the island.

3. Wacky Seagull bar

I remember the first time I went to fetch a drink from the Wacky Seagull bar and thinking to myself, "this place is really nice."

Rather than run back to my lounge chair, I sat down in one of the Adirondack chairs and enjoyed the view.

Because the bar has a roof, there's lots of shade and the breeze seems to always kick up a bit more here than back in my chair.

I'm a sucker for shade, a drink, and a stiff breeze, so I've returned to the Wacky Seagull just to sit and watch the ocean as I sip on my beer or cocktail.

4. Best beach cabanas outside Coco Beach Club

If I had to rank the beach cabanas you can rent at CocoCay, I think the Chill Island cabanas are the best outside the Coco Beach Club.

The Chill Island cabanas are further set away from the general part of the beach, but they aren't as remote as the beach cabanas at South Beach.  It's still a short walk when you need to venture out.

Each cabana accommodates up to eight guests and comes with attendant service. 

Another benefit to the Chill Island cabanas being somewhat isolated from the rest of the beach is that they're quieter and the couch inside any of them is quite inviting for a nap.

While the price of a CocoCay cabana has been steadily going up, if you're in the market for a beach cabana, I would always consider the Chill Island cabanas first.

5. Lots of other things close by

It's a short walk to many other things to do at Perfect Day at CocoCay from Chill Island and I think that makes a difference.

Since it's always about food, Chill Grill is directly behind Chill Island.  Not only is it a short commute to eat lunch, but I can send my kids to get a drink, ice cream, or fruit without worrying they'll get lost along the way.

Chill Grill serves up salads, sandwiches, build-your-own tacos, fruit, and lots of grilled food (chicken, burgers, hot dogs).  My favorite is to make a taco bowl and load it up with salsa, guacamole, and lots of veggies.

And the best part, it's free!

There's also the straw market for some light shopping.  Unlike the artisan market in Labadee, there's no sales pressure here and a convenient place to pick up a Bahamas souvenir.

There's also the snorkeling and excursion meetup right behind the Chill Island cabanas, and if you're looking for a hammock, there's a few on your way back to the ship.

How to get to Chill Island

There's two ways to get to Chill Island: on foot or by tram.

If you want to walk, as you get to the Arrivals plaza, take a left turn and follow the sea green path across the bridge and you'll enter Chill Island.

Alternatively, you can hop on the complimentary shuttles located near Thrill Waterpark and it will give you a grand circle tour of the island, culminating with a stop at Chill Island.

Common Chill Island questions

Is Chill Island on CocoCay free?

Yes, there's no admission cost to Chill Island. 

All the chairs and umbrellas are first-come, first grabbed and there's no extra cost to access the beach.

There are cabanas and day beds you can rent for an additional cost at Chill Island.

How much is a Chill Island cabana?

Prices for a cabana will vary from sailing to sailing, but they usually begin around $899 and can go for as much as $1399 per cabana.

The cabanas feature curtain closures on three sides, with comfortable sectional seating inside, four beach loungers outside for sunning and an umbrella-shaded dining area with four tables and chairs.

Is Chill Island adults only?

No, Chill Island is open to all guests of all ages.

Hidewaway Beach is the only adults-only beach at CocoCay.