Matt is headed to Alaska on a back-to-back cruise on Serenade of the Seas, and talks about what he has planned onboard.
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Another week of Royal Caribbean cruise news to catch up on, and we have the latest morsels of updates you should be aware of over the past few days.
Not every piece of Royal Caribbean news is significant enough for its own article, so this weekly wrap-up has the happenings we've noticed.
You can always email anything you spot to [email protected].
Here's a look at this week's goings-on.
The Harmony of the Seas had a small incident on Thursday when she backed into the pier during the docking procedure in Falmouth, Jamaica.
RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader BobNoxiousUSA shared photos from onboard the ship.
In a statement by Royal Caribbean, the ship incurred very minor damage of no consequence as a result of the incident, "During arrival into Falmouth, Jamaica, Harmony of the Seas made contact with an extension part of the dock."
"There were no injuries to guests or crew and only minor cosmetic damage to the ship’s stern. The sailing will continue as scheduled."
Royal Caribbean is actively working to hire as many new crew members as they can, given the staff shortages noted by people that have been on cruises recently.
The company has been holding job fairs in Europe since April to get more crew members, which have taken them to countries such as Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia and more.
In addition, Royal Caribbean Group signed a deal in Trinidad and Tobago to hire more crew. The goal is to hire 2,000 people from the islands to work on Royal Caribbean Group ships.
Royal Caribbean Group signed a new deal to provide zero carbon technologies and solutions.
Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean Group and Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for zero carbon shipping, which is part of the company's overall Destination Net Zero goal to reduce net zero emissions by 2050.
The Moller Center explores viable de-carbonization pathways; facilitates the development and implementation of new energy technologies; builds confidence in new concepts and their supply chains; and defines and matures viable strategic pathways to the required systemic change.
"Collective action is imperative as we deploy our Destination Net Zero strategy to decarbonize our business and catalyze innovation for our industry," said Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO.
"By joining the Center Royal Caribbean Group aligns itself with a network of like-minded companies with an unrelenting drive to find solutions for a sustainable future."
This is a long-term strategic collaboration between the two companies
Not only is my next live blog ready to go live, but I'll be headed to Alaska for the first time since 2018.
After taking my first Alaska cruise in 2018, I instantly knew I wanted to return. We had plans to do so in 2020 and 2021, but Covid and family obligations cancelled those. Nonetheless, this is the year we're headed back!
This is an opportunity to not only cruise to Alaska, but hopefully visit all the major ports in Alaska over the course of two weeks.
If you've never been to Alaska, you've probably heard others tell you how amazing and beautiful it is. And they're absolutely right.
I wasn't prepared for the splendor of Alaska my first time, so this time I'm even more excited to return and focus more on what Alaska has to offer.
Royal Caribbean has four ships sailing to Alaska in 2022, so I picked Serenade because I wanted to be able to get to more ports than Ovation or Quantum of the Seas could offer. Plus, Serenade's prices were great and I like some of the upgrades Serenade received that Radiance did not (even though they are the same class of ship).
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I think what sealed the deal for choosing Serenade is we were able to snag a rather special suite category, the 2 bedroom Panoramic oceanview suite.
Read more: What are the different types of cabins on a cruise ship?
After a recent Serenade of the Seas drydock, the Concierge Lounge was moved to a higher deck and they converted this large space into a Family Oceanview Stateroom.
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There is only one of these suites on this ship and unlike similar suites on other classes of ships, this one is midship, facing the port side instead at the front of the ship.
Since there's no balcony, but it has large panoramic windows, you can enjoy the Alaska scenery without dealing with the cold weather from the comfort of our bed.
Our cruise is all about doing as much as we can in Alaska while in port.
There are two x-factors when it comes to seeing as much as possible in Alaska: the weather and my children.
My kids are old enough now to be able to handle a reasonably adventurous day, where we do a fair amount of walking. I'm not talking about strenuous hikes or going for miles, but I think they can handle more walking than when they would need to be carried at a younger age. Plus, they seem to enjoy walking trails based on other recent trips we took.
Of course, the weather can be so hit or miss in Alaska. I'm hoping the rain will be at a minimum so we can enjoy lots of outdoor time. June is one of the driest months in Alaska, so I'm hoping for the best while also packing lots of waterproof layering.
Over the course of the two sailings, we are scheduled to visit Ketchikan, Juneau (x2), Sitka (x2), Haines, & Skagway. We've only been to Skagway and Juneau.
I've booked a few tours through Royal Caribbean, but some of our recent articles about what locals recommend doing in Alaska opened my eyes to how much you can do on your own without a cruise tour.
Read more: Local’s guide of what to do in Juneau, Alaska
Plus, I greatly prefer not doing group tours.
Plus, we sail out of Vancouver and that means my first time exploring Vancouver since I was a kid. We're spending an extra day in Vancouver before the cruise, so we'll check out some of the major landmarks the day before the sailing.
Believe it or not, my kids have never been on a Radiance Class ship, so this will be an introduction for them into small ship cruising.
While they've been on Majesty and Rhapsody of the Seas many years ago, I think it's been quite a while since they've sailed on something smaller than Voyager Class.
In terms of dining, we did not buy a dining package. Since we are Diamond Plus, we get a BOGO deal with our benefits. I think with the busy port schedule, we may end up just doing Windjammer a lot for dinner.
I'd also be remiss if I didn't talk about the elevated cases of Covid onboard, based on various readers sharing their observations recently. I'd be lying if I said I'm more concerned about catching Covid this time around than on previous sailings.
I think we're going to plan to wear our masks while indoors, even though they are not required. It's not ideal, but since we're traveling so far to see Alaska, I think taking extra precautions is prudent.
Nothing is risk free, and I'm not letting Covid stop my plans anymore. But taking extra precautions is also not a bad idea. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
On Friday, May 27th, we fly to Seattle from our home in Orlando. It's a morning flight, so we should be on the west coast by lunch time. The plan is to then rent a car and drive to Vancouver, which is roughly 143 miles on very scenic highways.
Once we arrive in Vancouver, we'll be staying at the Pan Pacific Vancouver hotel because it was so highly recommended by others that have cruised out of Vancouver.
We board Serenade of the Seas on May 29th, and I will be sharing the details on the blog, as well as across my social media channels. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter for live updates throughout the day.
I invite you to share in this experience with me, by posting in the comments for any blog post questions and comments you may have. I try to make these live blogs as interactive as I can, so I want everyone to feel welcome to share their thoughts.
Thanks for reading all of this and welcome aboard our next fun live blog experience!
While we don't know what it is yet, the sphere-like object that is part of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship has been installed onboard.
Royal Caribbean released a new construction update teaser that talks about the pearl-shaped object being added to Icon of the Seas.
We first spotted this object in December 2021, and it remains a mystery as to what it possibly could be. Royal Caribbean has not confirmed what it is, but we do know now where it is located.
In the video update, the object was placed about mid-ship, amidst the various blocks of Icon of the Seas during her construction progress.
It measures 46 feet tall and 50 feet in diameter, with 578 aluminum external panels.
According to the update, the object is 175-metric tons and was transferred on a barge down to the shipyard for installation.
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Icon of the Seas is under construction in Turku, Finland.
Other interesting facts:
Since news of the sphere's existence came to light, Royal Caribbean has not confirmed what it is.
In fact, Royal Caribbean has released no information about what the design of the ship will be at all.
In March 2022, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider said about the new class of ship, "everything you'll see on icon will will be an evolution or revolution."
"And and we'll push forward again us being the at the top of the mantle on the ultimate family vacation."
There has been quite a lot of guesses shared on social media as to what the sphere might be, but it remains a question.
Whatever it ends up being, we'll have to wait for Royal Caribbean to reveal it at a later date.
Icon of the Seas will be the first ship in the Icon Class to launch. She is scheduled to be delivered in Fall 2023, and there are two other Icon Class ships on order.
The other two ships will be delivered in 2025 and 2026.
Royal Caribbean is celebrating Memorial Day weekend with a new Cruise Planner sale that offers up to 35% savings on pre-cruise purchases.
The Memorial Day Sale runs between May 24, 2022 - May 31, 2022 and is valid on sailings from May 29, 2022 - March 31, 2023.
The offer is valid on certain shore excursions, drink packages and internet packages.
Royal Caribbean states guests can expect to see:
Beverage: Up to 40% off
Shore Excursions: Up to 25% off
Internet: Up to 50% Off
Dining: Up to 55% Off
Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off
Photo Packages: Up to 70% Off
Casitas: Up to 20% Off
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.
It's taken many months, but every single Royal Caribbean cruise ship is back in service.
Rhapsody of the Seas returned to service on Monday, which was the last cruise ship in the fleet to resume cruises following the shutdown due to Covid-19 in 2020-2021.
Rhapsody is beginning to offer 7-night Mediterranean and Greek Isles itineraries from her summer home in Rome (Civitavecchia).
As of today, all 26 ships are back in service. To date, Royal Caribbean International has carried more than two million passengers, cruising to 160 destinations across 2,000 voyages.
Royal Caribbean had methodically resumed service on 13 of its ships since August 2021, which involved gathering crew members to staff the ship, prep the vessel for operation, and get everything going onboard.
Onboard cruise ships, the Cruise Compass daily newspaper celebrated the entire fleet's return.
Photo by Nick Vitani
The entire cruise industry voluntarily shut down operations in March 2020 at the onset of Covid-19, and the trek to get all of its ships back has been quite a process.
Quantum of the Seas was the first ship to restart sailings, when she resumed cruises in December 2020 out of Singapore.
It would take another six months for the next ship to restart, with Adventure of the Seas resuming cruises from Nassau, Bahamas.
Royal Caribbean's plan to restart sailings was centered around a slow and methodical process.
Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and former CEO Richard Fain talked about their plan at the onset of ships returning, "We don't expect that... someday somebody blows a horn, and all the ships start operating right away. We think that it will be a gradual start, a little bit like society is opening up gradually."
"So we would imagine that we would start with fewer ships, and more likely to be more drive markets in the beginning, and then it would then evolve and grow from there."
Since then, ships have been able to resume cruises from the United States, Europe, and select ports in the Caribbean.
The only market that remains completely shutdown still is China, although Royal Caribbean remains hopeful cruises will be able to sail from there again soon.
In addition to getting all the ships back in service, Royal Caribbean also launched Odyssey of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas.
With every ship back in service, Royal Caribbean is also on the verge of its ships sailing full once again.
Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley indicated with every ship back in service, full capacity is around the corner as well.
"And as we head towards Memorial Day weekend," Mr. Bayley explained to a Wall Street analyst during the call. "We're going to see significant percentage of our ship sailing at 100% and greater."
By the time Royal Caribbean Group gets to the third quarter of 2022, they expect the entire company to be at "triple digits" in terms of capacity.
Happy weekend! In case you missed any Royal Caribbean news, here is a look at everything that happened this week!
Royal Caribbean announced it has extended its Covid health protocols for both North America and European cruises.
North America protocols will be extended for sailings departing on or before September 30, 2022. European protocols have been extended for departures through June 30, 2022.
The 455th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, featuring an interview with Chris Gray Faust from CruiseCritic.
In this episode, Chris and Matt discuss how Covid testing for European cruises is impacting demand for these sailings and what the future may hold.
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 — I tried the cheapest Royal Caribbean cabin I could find — and don’t forget to subscribe here.
One of the most annoying things on a cruise are the people that reserve pool chairs without actually using them.
Since enforcement of the rules that are supposed to prevent chair hogs is lackadaisical, here are our best tips for getting around the chair hogs so you can still enjoy time by the pool.
Have an Alaska cruise coming up? We've compiled the largest list of Alaska cruise tips we can think of into one article!
Here are the fundamentals of planning a cruise to Alaska with some helpful advice you can use when you get there.
There's no sugar coating the fact that while Royal Caribbean is about to get all of its ships back into service this month, there are still challenges that lay ahead related to restart.
These issues impact the guest experience currently, and while likely temporary, they are still important considerations to be aware of before you sail.
Royal Caribbean has extended its health protocols for both North America and European departures.
North America protocols will be extended for sailings departing on or before September 30, 2022. In addition, European protocols have been extended for departures through June 30, 2022.
The only notable adjustment to the previous health & safety requirements includes terminal testing updates for departures from Italy, with the full details provided below.
The remainder of the protocols remain unchanged and are simply extended beyond a broader sailing window.
An update was sent to guests booked on cruises, as well as travel advisors, with the changes.
You can review every protocol depending on where you are sailing from on Royal Caribbean's website.
All Royal Caribbean guests age 12 and older must present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with the final dose administered at least 14 days before sailing.
Children age 11 and under do not require COVID-19 vaccination to cruise. However, kids age 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the protocols for vaccinated guests.
Royal Caribbean will not accept a Certificate of Recovery in lieu of a vaccination record card for guests of vaccine eligible age.
All crew onboard the ship and at our private destinations are fully vaccinated and receive a booster dose as they become eligible.
Before arriving on boarding day, you’ll need to take a COVID-19 test on your own, at your own expense, to meet boarding requirements in line with U.S. CDC guidance.
For guests sailing to Bermuda, additional travel and testing requirements may apply to your sailing.
In addition to the pre-cruise test, unvaccinated kids will take one or two more tests, depending on the length of the cruise. Royal Caribbean's test provider will administer these, at no cost to our guests.
At the Terminal
For all cruises, unvaccinated kids will take a complimentary test when checking in at the terminal. Registration details will be sent via email in advance.
Prior to Disembarking
For cruises that are 5 nights or longer, unvaccinated kids will take a complimentary antigen test onboard before the cruise ends. Guests will be notified onboard about how to register for this test.
Guests under 2 years of age will not be tested.
Sailings longer than 10 nights may have additional onboard testing requirements.
Masks are optional for vaccinated guests and recommended for unvaccinated children while onboard.
In cruise terminals, masks are optional unless required by local regulation. Some destinations we visit may require masks.
Guests under 2 years old don’t need to wear a mask. These protocols remain subject to change.
In the Main Dining Room, vaccinated guests may dine with other vaccinated guests outside their travel party. Parties that include unvaccinated kids will be assigned a table of their own.
We recommend that you make dining reservations via Cruise Planner before your cruise or using the Royal Caribbean app onboard.
Tables and chairs in all dining areas are sanitized frequently.
Guests can visit most ports of call freely, regardless of vaccination status.
A couple of ports currently require guests to book a shore excursion to go ashore. These tours are available at a variety of price points and may be purchased in advance on Cruise Planner or once onboard using the Royal Caribbean App.
Guests 12 years and older must present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with the final dose administered at least 14 days before sailing.
Guests under 12 years who are vaccinated can present proof of vaccination and follow the vaccinated protocols.
Additionally, to be considered up-to-date, guests must have received all doses in their vaccine series and have received their booster if the second vaccine was administered over 270 days (9 months) ago.
The vaccine must be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Guests who are vaccinated with WHO approved vaccines, not approved by the EMA, will be considered unvaccinated for the purpose of our sailings departing from Italy.
Pre-Cruise
Embark
There will no longer be testing requirements in the terminal for Italian departures.
Onboard Testing
Guests under 2 years old are not required to test.
Masks
Masks are optional for vaccinated guests and recommended for unvaccinated children while onboard. In our terminals, masks are optional unless required by local regulation.
Some destinations we visit may require masks. Guests under 2 years old don’t need to wear a mask.
These protocols remain subject to change.
HBO's Emmy Award-winning show, "Hacks" just premiered its second season, that has one episode predominantly shown onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Photo HBO Max
Episode 4 in the second season is titled, "The Captain's Wife", and is centered around the main character's attempt to kickstart her comedy career by performing on a lesbian charter cruise.
Royal Caribbean fans would instantly notice the ship featured in this episode is Navigator of the Seas, which sails from Los Angeles down to the Mexican Riviera.
Anytime a cruise ship is the focus of a television show or movie, cruise fans like to analyze how truthful the cruise experience is to reality. In this episode, I found most of what they portrayed as accurate. As we'll see, there are a few things the show got right and a few areas they clearly took "poetic license" to make things look better.
Overall, I thought it was a very positive portrayal of Royal Caribbean and it was fun to see this week's episode prominently focus on a cruise ship. I'll let you be the judge.
Photo HBO Max
When the main characters arrive onboard, they start off at the Lime & Coconut pool bar, which is absolutely what the pool deck looks like today.
The pool deck is used quite a few times for the day scenes throughout the episode. It's clear they probably filmed while the ship was in port before the next sailing began, as the pool deck is the only area that actually looks like it does in real life.
"This is amazing! No wonder you love cruises, they're like the Vegas of the sea", Hannah Einbinder exclaims as soon as she boards the ship. I was glad to see cruise ships portrayed positively in this episode. It's not uncommon for cruise ships to be the subject of stereotypes and clichés rooted in ships of the past.
Read more: Why the cliche about cruise ships is totally wrong
Photo HBO Max
After getting onboard the ship, Einbender's character heads to the Solarium bar for a drink.
This scene is filmed in the Solarium, which is the adults-only area of the ship. The bartender even has a Royal Caribbean nametag on and the same shirt the bar staff wears on the pool deck.
Photo HBO Max
If you want to nitpick, there was no exchange of a SeaPass card after she got the drink, but it's perhaps because this a charter sailing.
Something else accurate is she asks the bartender about if they can make mocktails. When Royal Caribbean revamped their drink menu in 2021, they added a focus on mocktails.
Read more: 8 mocktails to try on your next Royal Caribbean cruise
Photo HBO Max
A recurring joke is anytime one of the characters refers to the ship as a "boat", someone immediately corrects them that they are on a ship.
This actually a very important distinction that crew members and repeat cruisers alike will almost always correct people on, because it's basically insulting to refer to a cruise ship as a "boat".
Vernacular understanding often explains that a ship can carry a boat, but a boat cannot carry a ship. That is a vessel is a boat if it is small enough to be carried, and a vessel is a ship if it is large enough to carry one smaller than itself.
Read more: The top 7 cruise ship things you're still saying wrong
Photo HBO Max
All the interior shots are clearly on soundstages and not representative of what Navigator, or any Royal Caribbean cruise ship actually looks like. As I said before, I think they only had time to shoot while the ship was in port so they limited it to outdoor scenes.
The buffet certainly resembles the Windjammer buffet, although this version is quite narrower.
In short, there is indeed a buffet on the real thing, but there's more to it than we see.
Photo HBO Max
Jean Smart's suite almost looks like a real suite, but Navigator's interior motif is not nearly as nice as the show.
Besides the fact the room looks quite spacious, the room aesthetics are far different than the look of Navigator of the Seas' cabins.
Photo HBO Max
It doesn't look that different from what Royal Caribbean suites sort of look like on newer ships, but it's certainly more modern looking than what you'll find onboard a real ship.
Photo HBO Max
In the evening, the main characters go to get a drink at a piano bar.
Navigator of the Seas has a piano bar, which is known as the Schooner Bar, but this is definitely not the Schooner Bar.
Photo HBO Max
Like the suite, this piano bar looks more modern and glitzy. Unlike the Schooner Bar, there's no nautical theme at all present.
At the end of the scene, Jean Smart sings one of the songs instead of the piano player. This is definitely something that happens at the Schooner Bar, although rarely do the guests ever sound as good as Ms. Smart did in this.
Photo HBO Max
Jean Smart's character performs her comedy act onboard in the theater, which is a real location on Navigator of the Seas, but looks completely different in the show.
It's a shame they couldn't have filmed in the actual theater on Navigator of the Seas, because it's a beautiful space.
Photo HBO Max
Perhaps the most common mistake made about cruise ships on film is how they look. While they never name the ship in the episode, they use aerial shots of Symphony of the Seas.
Interestingly at the end of the show when the main characters disembark the ship unceremoniously, Navigator of the Seas is back in view from afar.
If there's one thing that annoys everyone on a cruise ship, it's the people who reserve pool chairs for the entire day.
Commonly referred to as "chair hogs", it's an unfortunate occurrence on cruise ships (and to be fair, many hotels and resorts as well). Basically, some people will leave their belongings on one or more loungers near the pool, and then disappear for hours before ever using them.
Technically there should be pool attendants who look for the issue and remove the belongings, but in practice, it rarely occurs.
All is not lost if you want to get a chair by the pool on your Royal Caribbean cruise. While we could complain about the issue occurring in the first place, I think the more practical solution is to give you a way to beat the problem.
Speaking of the problem, it behooves me to point out that if the chair hog issue bothers you as much as it bothers me, don't be a part of the problem either. Utilize the strategies in this post and then relinquish your chair when you're not using it as a way to set a better example.
Here are six easy ways to get a spot by the pool, despite the chair hogs you may encounter.
While chair hogs are a problem, they don't get all the pool chairs right away. In my experience, if you get yourself up to the pool in the morning, you can usually get a chair.
How early? Before 10am is usually a good rule of thumb to be able to get a chair. Shorter weekend cruises tend to attract more people to the pool, but you definitely want to get an early breakfast and then stake out your claim by the pool.
While sleeping in is a wonderful feeling, it will put you behind the eight ball in terms of getting a seat if you roll up to the pool deck later in the morning.
Read more: 8 things some cruisers do that annoy everyone else
If getting up early is not going to happen (I'm looking at you Billy from CruiseHabit.com), then your next best option is to wait the chair hogs out.
As the afternoon progresses, people start to slowly leave the pool in order to prepare for dinner or their evening plans. By 4pm, many chairs start to open up.
If your plan is to spend all day at the pool, then get up early for a chair. But if you just want a couple hours, you might see if you can sneak them in closer to dinner.
Some people prefer to throw money at the problem, and Royal Caribbean offers casita rentals.
Available on a few cruise ships, these casitas come with a flat fee for use during the day.
Casitas are available on the pool decks of:
The price will likely vary, but we've seen prices of $199 for the day on a sea day and $149 on a port day.
Not only do you get two chairs to use, but the rental also includes towels, a cooler, storage for your belongings, and a charging outlet.
You will also get two complimentary Welcome Drinks and four chilled waters with your reservation.
I'm sure there are some people not in love with the idea of spending money for pool chairs, but it is a surefire way to guarantee a spot for you on the pool deck.
Keep in mind the casitas on some ships are located on the upper pool deck, which means it is not on the same deck as the actual pool. You'll have to just walk down the stairs to the actual pool.
If waking up early and spending extra doesn't jive with you, then your next best bet is to hit the pool deck when your ship is docked in port.
On port days, many guests disembark the ship for their shore excursion and that means there is far less demand for the pool.
Port days will find the pool far less busy than on sea days, and that can be the perfect time to hit up the pool, as well as water slides or the FlowRider.
The downside to going to the pool on a port day is you are forgoing whatever activities you might be interested in while in port. A good compromise is to do a tour in the morning, and then go to the pool after your excursion is complete.
Even after lunch, the pool deck usually doesn't get too busy on a port day.
Let's say it's 1pm. You want to be outside and lay out in the sun on a sea day, but renting a casita isn't in the cards. Now what?
There are usually lots of lounge chairs elsewhere on the pool decks, especially if you venture away from the pool.
Often there are unused chairs and loungers if you walk all the way forward or aft. I've found these chairs both in the sun and in the shade, depending on the location.
You won't be able to see the pool fun, but for many guests, it's just about being able to lay out and read a book, catch a nap, or enjoy the sun.
In my experience, chair hogs' kryptonite is being near the kids area.
On ships that have Splashaway Bay or the H2O Zone, I've generally found more chairs available near these spots than the main pool.
Put on your noise-cancelling headphones and enjoy the lounge chair you wanted, without nearly as much competition.
On most ships, there is reserved seating for suite guests somewhere on the pool deck.
This reserved area usually has enough loungers throughout the day. Whether it's worth it to book a suite on Royal Caribbean or not, one consideration may be how much you may take advantage of the pool deck.
Keep in mind the suite sun deck is for guests in a Grand Suite or higher, so Junior Suites don't count.
If your idea of a great cruise is spending all day by the pool, booking a suite might be a good investment.
