Matt is back from an 8-night Odyssey of the Seas cruise to the Southern Caribbean and shares what he liked and didn't like about this cruise.
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I love sharing cruise tips and tricks because it helps people have a better cruise, and I'm always looking for new secrets.
The TikTok social media platform has become well-known for sharing advice on just about every topic, including going on a cruise.
Just like anything on the internet, just because it's on the internet, doesn't mean it's true. So I wanted to check out the top cruise advice to see which tips were being shared and if I agreed with them or not.
I spent a couple hours checking out every cruise related tag to see what tips I could find, and I'm happy to report the vast majority of tips were quite helpful and the sort of tried-and-true advice that has been shared for years.
There really was no outlandish or bizarre advice that truly defied logic. I guess that's still relegated to investment advice on there.
But I did find 7 popular videos that cover various aspects of going on a cruise with tips and tricks that I thought were worth evaluating since they had fairly high view counts.
Be sure to follow Royal Caribbean Blog on TikTok if you don't already for our own collection of cruise tips and fun videos!
Let's dig into these cruise tips!
@yourstrulychelsea A tip for first time cruisers #cruise #cruiselife #cruisetips #cruisetipsandtricks #cruisehacks #vacation #royalcarribean #royalcarribeancruise #carnivalcruise #carnivalcruiseline #virgincruise #virgincruiseline #norwegiancruise #disneycruise #disneycruiseline #ocean #cruisequestions #cruisequestionsanswered #qanda #cruisefacts #goingonacruise #crusingtok #cruisetok #cruisetiktok #cruisetiktoks #cruiseessentials #cruisefood ♬ Good Day - Nappy Roots
The first video I found was by yourstrulychelsea and it talks about wearing your swimsuit on the first day of the cruise.
"Be sure to bring your swimsuit in a carry on bag or wear it under your clothes," she shared because of how uncrowded pool deck activities can be on the first day.
She recommended it for the water slides, FlowRider and even pools or hot tubs.
Matt's advice: I totally agree with Chelsea, and this is very underutilized tip.
Pack your bathing suit in a carry on bag and then change in one of the public restrooms. By bringing bathing suits with you to change into on embarkation day, you will be able to enjoy the pools and hot tubs without the crowds that will soon arrive for the rest of the cruise.
Verdict: True
Read more: 25 things you need to know for your first day on a cruise ship
@joe_tolley My number one cruise tip… #cruise #cruiseship #cruisetok #royalcaribbean #carnivalcruise #disneycruise #norwegiancruise #fyp #foryoupage ♬ Blue Blood - Heinz Kiessling & Various Artists
Our next tip is by joe_tolley and he advises instead of using the shower in your cabin (or having to share it with someone in your cabin), use the free showers in the fitness center.
He says for guests to go to the changing room in the ship's gym where you'll find (likely) a nearly empty space where you can enjoy a complimentary sauna, steam room, and of an extra large shower.
Matt's advice: There's some truth to what Joe recommends, but it depends on your ship.
He's right that every ship's fitness center has a changing room and shower that you could use. No denying that piece of advice.
The issue is not all ships offer complimentary sauna and/or steam rooms for guest use.
To the best of my knowledge, these ships offer complimentary steam rooms and saunas in the fitness center changing rooms:
The rest of the ships do not offer these.
Verdict: Somewhat true
@yourstrulychelsea #cruise #cruiselife #cruisetips #cruisetipsandtricks #cruisehacks #vacation #royalcarribean #royalcarribeancruise #carnivalcruise #carnivalcruiseline #virgincruise #virgincruiseline #norwegiancruise #disneycruise #disneycruiseline #ocean #cruisequestions #cruisequestionsanswered #qanda #cruisefacts #goingonacruise #crusingtok #cruisetok #cruisetiktok #cruisetiktoks ♬ Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift
Another TikTok by yourstrulychelsea says not to pack towels because the cruise ship will provide them.
"You can use them at the pool and you can take them off the boat and use them in port."
She also advocated returning them to avoid being charged for them later.
Matt's advice: Chelsea is correct again, there's no need to bring towels with you on a cruise ship.
I think maybe some people think they should pack towels for use on a shore excursion, but Royal Caribbean's towels are more than sufficient.
You can get the towels from the pool deck. Don't take the bath towels in your cabin off the ship.
And Chelsea is also right about the hefty fee if you don't return them. It's $25 per towel for any unreturned towels after the cruise is over, whether you take them home or left them somewhere.
Verdict: True
@ezrafreeman PART 1: Hacks for Cruisers from a Crew Member!!!! 🥳🚢 did you know you could do this!?!? #cruiseship #travelhack #travel #cruisehacks #cruising ♬ original sound - Ezra 🙏 Georgian-American Life
Ezra works on a Princess Cruises ship and listed tips and hacks for cruisers from a crew member perspective.
She recommends asking the activities staff to add events to the calendar if there's something you think is missing.
"This is something people don't take advantage of," she says in her TikTok. "You can literally add it in. You have way more power than you realize, as guests."
She says it's their job to keep guests happy and if the staff can add it to the schedule, they absolutely will.
She mentions an example of when a guest wanted more outdoor deck parties on a recent sailing instead of the one they had on the schedule. They ended up adding one every day of the cruise as a result of the request.
Matt's advice: I'm certainly not going to doubt a crew member as to whether or not this is possible.
I think it's a terrific piece of advice that most are unaware of, but I think the important thing to remember is the activities staff can't accommodate every request.
On an Anthem of the Seas cruise I took a few years ago, I remember asking the Cruise Director about an event I didn't see on the schedule and he checked on it and then was able to get it added to the calendar.
Piggybacking on Ezra's tip, I'll add it's important to get the request in early on in the sailing so they have time to circle back with their team and verify it can be done and then still have time to add it to the schedule.
Also keep in mind that they'll likely schedule it where there's a gap, and that doesn't necessarily mean it will be at a convenient time for you.
Nonetheless, this is a terrific piece of advice to keep in mind if your favorite activity isn't listed.
Verdict: True
@flyingwithjames Unconventional packing tips for a cruise — thank me later 💡 #carnivalcruise #carnivalpanorama #cruisetips #cruiselife #traveltips #packingtips #cruisingtok #fyp ♬ Che La Luna - Louis Prima
This video had 2.4 million views and included these items you should pack:
Matt's advice: Having recently put these packing hacks to the test, I agree with flyingwithjames' advice.
The only tip I personally don't find useful is the over the door organizer, just because I don't find it all that useful. But I do recognize others may find it helpful.
Regardless, these are smart ideas to bring on your next cruise.
Verdict: True
@dutchworld_americangirl Five things I would never do while cruising #cruise #cruiseship #hollandamericaline #cruisedirector #alaska #caribbean #europe #travel #dontdothis #traveltips ♬ Sunroof - Nicky Youre & dazy
Another (former?) cruise director, dutchworld_americangirl, shared her list of 5 things she would never do when taking a cruise.
Matt's advice: I agree with all of Christine's advice, but there are two pieces of her advice I want to expand upon.
Her suggestion to pick the cruise line before picking the destination is very interesting, and I like this tip a lot.
She talks about the importance of knowing what you are looking for in a ship, such as water slides, being able to learn something, dining options and more. Figure that out first, and then look at where you can sail to.
I think a lot of first time cruisers can overlook this tip because they may assume all cruise lines are mostly the same. Cruise lines can vary quite a bit in terms of how the onboard experience, as well as what they excel in. It's a very good idea to learn about the line and ship you're considering before you start looking at where you can go.
Her other tip is to book shore excursions through the cruise line, "if you're in a port of call for only a limited amount of time."
The reason why she recommends this is if there's some kind of an unexpected issue during the tour that prevents you from getting back to the ship on time. Cruise line sponsored tours have the benefit of ensuring they'll get you back even if the tour is delayed.
This is definitely true, although I think you can safely book a tour on your own provided you give enough time before the all-aboard time to protect against traffic, flat tires, or some other delay.
How much time should you pad? Two hours is a good number to start with.
But there's nothing wrong with booking a tour with the cruise line if that concern is too great for you.
Verdict: True
@thecreditbrothers The Cruise Ship Hack To Get Free Credit Card Points Or Cash Back @alexojeda ♬ original sound - Credit Brothers
I tried to find a piece of cruise advice I've never shared and something I haven't really heard of either, and I think I found it with this tip from thecreditbrothers.
Their advice is if you have a credit card that gives you 2 or 3 times points back on travel purchases, to get up to $2,000 per day in cash advances from the ship's casino.
Because that cash advance gets billed to your room, the charge to the credit card after the cruise will still be from "Royal Caribbean", it will be categorized as a travel charge.
In their example, on a 7-night cruise where you take $2,000 out every day, you'll rack up $14,000 in cash and that counts for (up to) 42,000 credit card points.
That is the equivalent of $420 in cash back, or just a ton of points to redeem for travel or something else.
Matt's advice: I can't speak for all cruise lines, but this advice has a major catch if you're brand new to Royal Caribbean or someone that doesn't gamble a lot in the casino.
Yes, you can take out cash advances every day of your cruise and those charges do come back to your credit card as a travel category charge because everything on your SeaPass account gets lumped into one final cost at the end of the cruise. If you had the right travel credit card, it would then qualify you for bonus credit card points.
The catch is the fee the casino charges (besides having $14,000 in disposable income you can draw from and a high enough limit not to hit).
Casino Royale on Royal Caribbean charges 5% on every cash advance you make at a table or from the cashier.
There is a workaround, where any money you take out as a cash advance from a slot machine does not accrue the 5% charge for some reason.
However, the slot machine limits you to $500 per cash advance, as I recall. You may be able to get $500 four times a day from the slot machine, but I've never tried it.
Another workaround is if you are Prime or higher in the Casino Royale loyalty program, but I suspect not many people are at that level.
So this hack is feasible, but not for everyone. And the financial responsibility side of this hack is an entirely different question that you need to evaluate for yourself.
Verdict: Theoretically possible, but maybe not a great idea.
Royal Caribbean has once again updated the look of its cruise search page.
It's not clear when it rolled out, but Royal Caribbean's search results have a new cleaner look to them when looking for cruises to book on the cruise line's website.
While the search form looks the same on Royal Caribbean's homepage, the results come through a new layout.
The search results now include tags to easily identify distinct sailings, such as weekend cruises & holiday cruises.
The search results are in a cleaner layout with less "fluff" around it so you can drill into the itinerary and ship you want.
Read more: How do I pick the perfect first cruise?
Earlier this week there was the ability to search by specific dates, but it looks as though that functionality has been removed.
It's not clear if they will bring back that ability, as you can only narrow down the search by month instead of week or day.
There's also a new ability to add a cruise to a list of favorites.
By clicking the heart icon, it will add the cruise to your favorites list that you can reference later.
Additionally, Royal Caribbean has added a new Watchlist feature, that claims it will alert you of a price change.
"Planning your next cruise? Find a sail date, add to watchlist to track price changes, and get notified via email."
To add a cruise to the watchlist, you just need to find the specific sailing, and then click Watchlist to add it to your list.
It's not clear how often it will check and/or alert you to a price drop.
A price tracking feature is a major addition to the Royal Caribbean website as they've never offered any kind of price tracking feature before.
Up until now, it was up to the guest to monitor and track price changes for cruises. It remains to be seen how useful this new feature is, but it's still a significant addition for consumers.
Read more: 7 things worth checking again on a Royal Caribbean cruise
There are some third party websites that offer price tracking options, but results are varied. In addition, some travel agents will monitor price drops for their clients.
What do you think of the changes Royal Caribbean has made to the search functionality? Will you use it more than third party websites?
Let us know in the comments below.
Royal Caribbean's cruise ships travel the world, and some of the most well-known features found on these vessels were inspired by those same places.
Cruise ship design will come from many sources, as the industry relies on its own research and trends from the hospitality industry.
Over the years, Royal Caribbean has introduced new activities and things to do on its ships that came directly from places in the world.
When Royal Caribbean restarted cruises in 2021, it revamped its fleetwide drink menu to pay homage to the Caribbean islands the line has relied on for decades.
The new menu is inspired by some of the signature Caribbean islands Royal Caribbean has traditionally visited, and as a way of honoring these destinations, a popular drink recipe was highlighted from each spot.
Linken D'Souza, Global Vice President Culinary, Dining & Beverage, thinks these featured drinks not only provide a tasty cocktail, but a tip of the hat to these places, "It's like bringing a port of call to your experience onboard the ship. And maybe you have the cocktail on board and you get off from the island and you say, hey, I got to get one of those here to see how close they are."
Some of the new signature cocktails that Royal Caribbean highlighted include:
The new drink menus are available on all the cruise ships in the fleet.
The observation pod on Royal Caribbean's Quantum Class ships is an idea born out of a well-known tourist attraction.
North Star is a 300-foot observational pod that provides guests 360-degress views of everything around them.
The idea for North Star was inspired by the London Eye, but instead of placing it on a Ferris wheel, there is just one pod and it is attached to a giant robotic arm.
Royal Caribbean chairman and CEO Richard Fain said in an interview, "Quite frankly, the success of the London Eye had a lot to do with this."
The North Star pod is smaller than the the London Eye pods, but the goal is the same: provide great views. The concept of North Star is for cruise ship passengers to see the ship, the sea and the ports in perspective.
The Boardwalk neighborhood on Oasis Class ships is a fan-favorite area of the ship because of the pleasing aesthetics, fun activities and great views of the sea.
The Boardwalk neighborhood was inspired by both the seaside piers that dot the coast of England and the nostalgic boardwalks of yesteryear such as Coney Island.
The focal point of the Boardwalk is the traditional, hand crafted carousel, which would be common on many boardwalks.
There are also hot dog stands, ice cream, and even a candy shop called, "Candy Beach" (get it?).
Have you tried Portside BBQ restaurant on Oasis of the Seas yet?
Royal Caribbean's first foray into barbecue food was planned to mirror the best options in the real world they could find, and that took the company to Texas.
Mr. D'Souza rented a minivan and tested 14 to 15 BBQ restaurants in Austin, Texas, before creating the BBQ offering on board the Oasis of the Seas.
In fact, after sampling barbecue around Texas, they tested the best choices back at Royal Caribbean's headquarters in the company parking lot for staff to get a sense of which performed best.
The Viking Crown Lounge has long been one of the most iconic features of Royal Caribbean cruise ships, especially the early vessels.
Read more: What happened to Royal Caribbean's first cruise ships?
The Viking Crown Lounge was a feature first conjured up by the founder of Royal Caribbean, Edwin Stephan.
This area of the ship is known for its dramatic ocean views, perched as it is atop the one of the highest decks on the entire ship.
Mr. Stephan was inspired by the Seattle Space Needle and came up with the idea for the Viking Crown Lounge so that its ships could have a striking visual profile that stood out from competitors.
Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Space Needle platform and restaurant was designed to evoke a flying saucer.
Sometimes guessing at what Royal Caribbean has up its sleeves is a lot of fun, and based on what we know so far, there's a good chance we can make reasonable assumptions about other unannounced areas of Icon of the Seas.
Before Royal Caribbean revealed the look of Icon of the Seas and shed light onto more of the ship than ever before, it registered 22 trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The words and phrases trademarked didn't mean much at the time, but since the Icon of the Seas reveal, we can see many are venues confirmed coming to Icon of the Seas.
But what about the rest?
It stands to reason that if we for certain 12 of them are definitely meant for Icon, that the rest of the trademarks made on the same day are likely also related to Icon.
Moreover, a few of the trademarks are probably for venues that Royal Caribbean has not revealed yet, but based on hints we've gotten so far, are the names of spaces the cruise line will use.
In the interest of full disclosure, this article makes a lot of guesses as to what the venues could be for, so please don't use the information here as the gospel truth. I freely admit this could all be totally wrong. But I think logically, if half the trademarks in the batch we know for certain are for Icon, it's likely the rest are too.
Here's a look at the 22 trademarks and what they could possibly mean!
Let's start with the easy stuff, and that's the dozen trademarks we know for certain Royal Caribbean will be using on Icon of the Seas.
We know these trademarks are meant for Icon, because they are the names of places on the ship already confirmed by the cruise line.
Even without this being about Icon of the Seas, Izumi is a well-known name of a popular specialty restaurant on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
Read more: An inside look at how Royal Caribbean's Izumi restaurant went from concept to success
The Izumi location on Icon of the Seas will be the largest Izumi ever, according to Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider.
Mr. Schneider also referred to Izumi as "Izumi in the Park" when talking about the restaurant on Icon of the Seas because for the first time, Izumi will be located in the Central Park neighborhood.
While not officially announced by Royal Caribbean, the 1400 bar has been leaked as the name of a bar guests will see when they board the ship.
Located on the Royal Promenade, this is a bar that will be right when you walk onto the ship.
The name is a reference to the hull number from the shipyard where Icon is being built. Every ship built in a shipyard gets a hull number before the ship actually gets named. Icon of the Seas' hull number was 1400.
Thrill Island is one of the neighborhoods on Icon of the Seas.
This will be a new water park at the top of Icon of the Seas, which has 6 waterslides to choose from.
Crown's Edge is part skywalk, part ropes course, part thrill ride, and an all-out test of courage. At any moment, the floor could collapse and leave you dangling high over the ocean. Height and weight restrictions will be shared at a later date.
Located adjacent to the Pearl, Pearl Cafe is a place to get food and drink on the Royal Promenade.
Another new neighborhood on Icon of the Seas, The Hideaway is located on the back of the ship.
This lounge space that will feature the world's first suspended pool at sea, with great views of the ocean.
The Grove is an area just for suite guests that is essentially an entire lounge space, but also with an uplifted buffet restaurant.
This casual Mediterranean restaurant is located outdoors on the suite sun deck and provides a more laid-back yet still exclusive dining option for suite guests.
This will be the largest pool at sea, located in the Chill Island neighborhood.
Social 020 is the name of the teen club on Icon of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean confirmed in its original announcement this is the name of the mini golf course on Icon of the Seas.
This is the name of the rock climbing wall on Icon of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean describes it as, "a high-scoring new twist on the rock climbing wall."
Now let's hit the other trademarks in the batch that are likely meant for Icon of the Seas.
Once again, these are my best guesses as to what they could be. Some of the trademarks I feel pretty good about what they are supposed to be, while others I truly have no idea.
The trademark says the Aqua Nook is, "intended to cover the category of retail store services featuring a wide variety of consumer goods of others."
Based on the name having the word "aqua" in it, I will guess it's the name of a retail shop in or near the AquaDome neighborhood.
My first instinct was to say it would be near the pool deck, but given the use of the word "aqua" in its name and the AquaDome name, it seems like a better fit.
When I saw this trademark, I immediately thought of an unnamed venue Royal Caribbean shared a look at recently but did not talk about the name.
Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class ships have Jazz on 4 venue (except Wonder of the Seas), and the concept art for this unnamed venue certainly looks like it could be a jazz club.
The trademark provides no hint as to what this could be, but it all but certainly has to be some kind of attraction on Icon of the Seas.
Icon of the Seas will have 23 new food and beverage concepts, and I think Rye & Bean will be one of them.
The trademark says it, "is intended to cover the categories of bar services; Restaurant services."
Another likely bar or dining venue, the name certainly points to an idea of it being centered around indulgent drinks.
Given the pun of "desserted" sounding like deserted but with the word "dessert" in it, it sounds like you'll find plenty of yummy choices here.
I thought this would be another bar, but the trademark says it's a retail store.
The trademark says it is the name of a bar or restaurant, but I have no idea even which neighborhood it might be a part of.
It certainly has a nautical name to it.
Probably the most difficult trademark to guess in this batch, the trademark just gives the generic description of, "intended to cover the category of cruise ship services."
The name is so generic that it doesn't provide any insight into where it could go, or what it may entail.
I included it in this grouping until I realized it's the name of the English Pub listed on the ship's deck plans.
Located on the Royal Promenade, I'll keep it here because I overlooked it until writing the post.
Another bar or restaurant, my guess is this is located in Thrill Island because the overall motif for that area is themed to be a lost island.
"The idea of Thrill Island is that you'll feel like a lost island," said Mr. Schneider during a recent talk about Icon of the Seas.
"In fact, we've gone to the trouble of even like the mini golf course, which is a will be our best mini golf course ever, is themed as a lost island with a sunken sub and a crashed airplane all in the jungle."
"All the venue names have are related to a lost island. So we've got a new F and B [food and beverage] venue sitting underneath the sport court. That we haven't shared the name of yet. And it will be in that same vein."
Perhaps Basecamp is that venue.
Happy December! We cannot believe that we are already one full week into the month – there is so much going on with holiday preparation and shopping and baking!
Want to see the new main dining room menus Royal Caribbean is testing?
If you haven't heard, Royal Caribbean is testing a new main dining room menu on Symphony of the Seas. It is simultaneously surveying past cruisers on new menus.
We now have a look at seven new menus Royal Caribbean is testing. Whether or not they end up being used across the fleet remains to be seen.
The 477th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is available to enjoy featuring an interview with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider.
In this episode, Mr. Schneider talks about the big reveal of Icon of the Seas and what we can expect leading up to the ship's launch.
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.
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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 — 47 Easy tricks to make your cruise so much better — and don’t forget to subscribe here.
Ever wondered what happened to the very first Royal Caribbean cruise ships now that they aren't in the fleet?
Song of Norway, Nordic Prince, and many others graced the seas long before the current fleet. So where are they now?
Here's a look at where each ship went after leaving the fleet, and what their fate is today.
Everyone loves finding a great cruise deal, so how much money can you expect to save by sailing on an older ship?
You’ll often see savings in the hundreds of dollars when cruising on an older ship. This means you're able to stretch your vacation budget much further.
To illustrate this point, here's how much you can expect to save by sailing on an older cruise ship.
If you've never cruised from Galveston before, there are a few important things to know compared to cruises from Florida.
Every embarkation port has its nuances, and there are a few important details you should be aware of that you are likely to encounter on these sailings.
When you dine at the main dining room on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, there are certain expectations and rules to expect.
Etiquette at the main dining room on a cruise ship is not all that different from a land-based restaurant, but there are a few nuances that first time cruisers may be unaware of before they step aboard.
Here is my list of 7 main dining room guidelines you should know, as well as one well-known supposed rule that I think you can disregard.
If you're like me, you can't get enough updates on Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas.
The new ship doesn't sail with passengers until January 2024, but what we've seen so far has created a ton of intrigue among cruise fans and even people that have never cruised before.
With Icon of the Seas being the first ship in the new Icon class, there will be a lot of new concepts and venues onboard. Royal Caribbean hasn't announced them all yet. They will slowly reveal more leading up to the ship's launch, but in the meantime we have a look at a few of these areas.
Icon of the Seas will have more than 40 food and beverage concepts, with 23 of them completely new to Royal Caribbean.
Speaking of innovations, Icon of the Seas will have 26 new features never before seen on a Royal Caribbean ship, which includes 15 new water experiences.
During an immersion session with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider last month, more concept art was shared of places on Icon of the Seas we knew about and many more we did not.
I wanted to share a look at what these new areas look like to give you more insight into what Royal Caribbean has planned.
Icon of the Seas will have the largest Izumi ever. It will also have a new location in Central Park.
Izumi will have a "sushi to go" window, where you can order a bento box of sushi and take it elsewhere on the ship to enjoy.
Mr. Schneider was asked if the Royal Caribbean app would be used to order food from the window, and he responded there would not a need for the app, as the turnaround time should be pretty quick since the options are locked in.
In a previous session, Mr. Schneider accidentally leaked the name of the Supper Club venue. We got a better look at what this venue looks like, although no new information.
"There will be a new dining experience. I'm not talking about it yet. This is an example of eatertainment, so really a blend of best of entertainment and best of culinary. And so we'll we'll share more on that experience in the coming months."
Mason Jar on Wonder of the Seas was first example of eatertainment.
It appears this will be located in Central Park.
There will be another entertainment venue coming to Central Park that hasn't been announced yet.
"We're bringing a dedicated entertainment venue to Central Park. We're not talking about what that is yet."
Mr. Scheider said adding this venue, plus the Supper Club and other restaurants, is meant to evoke, "the spirit of making an all in total inhabitable neighborhood".
The Overlook Lounge is located in the AquaDome neighborhood, and it is in front of the AquaTheater.
The Overlook Lounge will have 160 degree views of the ocean and it's right above the ship's bridge,
Royal Caribbean designed this to be a great bar and lounge experience.
In addition to the Overlook Lounge, there are other dining experiences that will be added to the AquaDome.
"There's actually a couple of bars we haven't talked about yet...But there's other adjacent bar experiences."
In addition to the Hooked specialty restaurant, Mr. Schneider teased a look at a new dining experience, "We have a new dining experience that will be available in the AquaDome, and it's adjacent to the open deck. So we're pretty excited about that."
Another dining venue in the AquaDome will be Celebration Table.
Mr. Schneider described Celebration Table as, "a bit of a hybrid of chef table and celebration, as we lean into more really back to the moment of people trying to make experiences together."
"Having this space, that can be something where you could have a wedding party, or birthday party, or some amazing experience that you might want to have there, given the views that it has."
Another new concept is The Lemon Post Bar, which is described as the first "mommy and me bar".
Located in the Surfside neighborhood, the idea is mom or dad can get a cocktail and their kids can get a non-alcoholic cocktail.
Royal Caribbean has re-imagined the crew spaces on Icon of the Seas.
"It was really about giving them the same level of finishings, treatments, experiences that our guests have."
In coming up with the crew spaces, Mr. Schneider admitted the first take on crew areas was a failure, "a group of architects and with some executive input, designed a crew cabin and we brought everybody through that experience. And our crew. Hated the experience, universally hated the experience."
"So what we did is we pulled a series of crew aside, set them down for a couple of weeks with our architects, and they literally sketched out with the crew the cabin of the future that they wanted, not that what we would have designed in a vacuum."
"We then reran crew through that from a testing perspective and overwhelming success from what they got to see."
A new dining venue in the suites neighborhood is called The Grove.
Mr. Schneider said guests can expect a lounge space, with an "uplifted kind of buffet canopy style to go food."
Opposite the Pearl, where you enter the ship, will be the 1400 Bar.
It's a bit of an homage to of the actual new building process to the hull number, because every ship built in a shipyard gets a hull number before the ship actually gets named. Icon of the Seas' hull number was 1400.
"There's a terrace seating outside of the 1400 bar, with great seating overlooking the ocean."
A whole lot of people booked a Royal Caribbean cruise last week.
Royal Caribbean reported it has broken its own bookings record for the third time this year.
Because of the Black Friday shopping holiday, Royal Caribbean saw the single largest bookings day. That's in addition to what is now the cruise line's highest volume booking week.
Royal Caribbean had rolled out a lucrative sale to coincide with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which has evidently resonated with customers who took advantage of the offer.
The new record broke the record set just a few weeks ago when Icon of the Seas went on sale.
Icon of the Seas is set to debut in January 2024 and generated an incredible amount of intrigue when the new ship was revealed to the public.
Clearly the first new class of cruise ship since the Quantum Class in 2014 created a fever among cruise fans who were eager to reserve a spot for themselves.
As you might imagine, Royal Caribbean is quite excited about the new high water mark for sales.
Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley celebrated the news, "This has been a year for the books at Royal Caribbean International, from the full return of our 26 ships to the first look at Icon of the Seas, the best family vacation in the world."
"Every milestone met is an accomplishment achieved, it’s a wonderful start to 2023 and we are excited for what lies ahead. We could not have reached this point without our loyal guests, valued travel advisors and partners, and the Royal Caribbean International team around the world."
Following two years of bad news related to the cruise industry shutdown, 2022 has proven to be a winner.
In 2022, Royal Caribbean marked both the single largest booking day and the highest volume booking week in April, which was followed by another record-breaking single day of bookings with the opening of Icon in October.
Carnival Cruise Line also reported it had a busy Black Friday when it posted a record Cyber Monday booking day that was 50 percent above volume for Cyber Monday 2019.
"The Cyber Monday sale activity showed consumer demand across the fleet, and we were particularly pleased with the booking activity for Carnival Venezia's new year-round service from New York, and our new extended six-month program for Carnival Magic out of Norfolk," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
"Our very successful naming ceremony for Carnival Celebration on November 20 and all the media coverage it generated clearly kept Carnival top of mind as vacationers got started on their holiday shopping yesterday."
Royal Caribbean is seeing nothing but higher demand for cruises.
During Royal Caribbean Group's earnings call with investors in November, executives talked about the strong demand for new bookings.
"While 2022 bookings remain strong and on pace to achieve occupancy targets, the most notable change over the past few months has been a substantial acceleration in demand for 2023 sails," said Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty.
"We received twice as many bookings for 2023 sailings in Q3, as we did in Q2."
Naftali Holtz, Royal Caribbean Group's Chief Financial Officer, also talked about this increasing trend, "we're seeing the kind of booking activity and demand and enthusiasm for those products is increasing and accelerating."
Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider joins me once again on the podcast to talk about Icon of the Seas and what the launch felt like for them, and what we can expect leading up to the ship's launch!
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December is the end of the year and one of the most popular times of the year to take a cruise vacation.
This article is an effort to share what you need to know about going on a Royal Caribbean cruise in the month of December, with important news, tips, and helpful information along the way.
Just like November, December is a story of two halves: the first two weeks are usually less in-demand because most families either just took a vacation over Thanksgiving or will wait until Christmas. Then, the last two weeks are the most popular time to go on a cruise over Christmas and New Years holidays.
If you are looking for a bargain, the first half of December is a great time to snag a last-minute cruise deal. Otherwise, penny-pinchers will need to wait until January.
Christmas week is an incredibly popular time to go on a cruise, because families have off from school and their parents largely have a break from work.
Coinciding with the Christmas holiday is Royal Caribbean's next push to get more passengers onboard their ships.
If you're reading this article in December, it's likely too late to book a Christmas or New Years Eve cruise, but you might be able to find a few cabins left if you act quickly and sail from ports such as Tampa or Galveston.
All of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships are back in service.
Here's where you can find each ship this month.
The notable event happening in December 2022 will be the official christening of Wonder of the Seas.
Marie McCrea has been named the Godmother to Wonder of the Seas and will accept the honor of blessing Wonder during a celebratory naming ceremony at its first year-round homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida, on Dec. 9, 2022.
Royal Caribbean's health protocols for December are now the simplest they've ever been, with few requirements left.
If your cruise doesn't visit Colombia or sail from Australia, pre-cruise testing is no longer required to sail.
At this time, only the following sailings have pre-cruise testing requirements:
Guests age 18 and up who are not fully vaccinated will need to present a negative result for a PCR test taken within 3 days or an antigen test taken within 2 days prior to sailing.
Guests under the age of 17 and fully vaccinated guests do not have have any testing requirements.
Tests must be arranged on your own and are at your own expense.
All guests aged 2 and above, regardless of vaccination status, must present a negative test result for a COVID-19 PCR test taken within 2 days before boarding day, or a self-administered Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) within 1 day before boarding, for sailings of any length.
First and foremost, December marks the official end of hurricane season. That's good news for your sailings in the Caribbean, however winter storms can still be disruptive to travel around the United States. Don't assume since hurricanes are unlikely that you can be cavalier about when you arrive to your cruise port.
As always, it is a good idea to give yourself a buffer and arrive at least one day before your cruise so that if your travel plans are interrupted, you don't miss your cruise.
While it can be downright frigid where you live, the Caribbean remains mostly temperate during December. The tropics generally do not experience large temperature swings, although an occasional cold front can sometimes penetrate far south.
As an example, in the month of December, average highs and low temperatures in St. Kitts are 85 and 74 degrees, respectively.
In The Bahamas, the average high and low temperature is 80 and 66 degrees, respectively.
Will it be warm enough to swim? Probably, although it depends how sensitive you are to "colder" water. The ocean remains warmer longer because it takes longer for it to cool down despite lower temperatures. Pools, however, can cool down quickly. In my experience, it is warm enough to swim, but you may need to "get used to" the cooler water temperature rather than in summer when you can barrel in immediately.
The best part about a December cruise is the comfortable temperatures and lower humidity, which makes it ideal for outdoor excursions without instantly sweating profusely.
Read more: Packing for a Royal Caribbean cruise in the Winter
What is it like to celebrate Christmas on a cruise ship?
Royal Caribbean gets into the holiday spirit right after Thanksgiving, with holiday decorations around the ship for the month of December.
If your cruise actually sails over the Christmas holiday, then you can expect certain special activities and offerings.
The restaurants will offer holiday menus with seasonal favorites: roast turkey or ham on Christmas (with eggnog to drink).
Passengers can enjoy special activities, such as caroling, tree- and menorah-lighting ceremonies and seasonal movies shown on in-room TVs and onboard movie screens.
On some sailings, there may even be a priest or minister onboard to lead services with passengers on Christmas. Keep an eye on the Cruise Compass for a midnight mass.
Read more: How Royal Caribbean celebrates Christmas and New Years holidays on its cruise ships
Traditionally, celebrating the New Year on a cruise ship is one big party.
It remains to be seen what special protocols may be in place this year due to Covid-19, but in the past, Royal Caribbean has gone all-out with New Year's Eve parties.
Around the ship, you will find different parties to cater to different types of celebrations. The Royal Promenade had that Times Square ball drop feel, while various bars and lounges offer their own take on the new year festivities.
In addition, Royal Caribbean usually reserves certain areas of the ship for purchase to guarantee a spot in the middle of the action. These are usually chairs and tables you can book that provide a reserved spot near the main party.