Royal Caribbean is offering a potential discount on cruise add-ons, such as drink packages, shore excursions and more, with its new sale.

The "Rise to the Vacation" sale runs between  January 14, 2022 - January 20, 2022 and is valid on sailings between : January 18, 2022 - December 31, 2022.

Here is what is included during the sale:

BEVERAGE: Up to 40% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% off onboard prices.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 35% off onboard prices.
• Spring Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• San Benedetto Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• Evian Water Bottles: 40% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship.
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 35% off onboard prices.
• Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices

DINING: Up to 55% off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship.

INTERNET: Up to 50% off

• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. 

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 25% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship. 

ACTIVITIES: 20% off

• All Access Ship Tour (excl. Grandeur of the Seas)

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 70% off

• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Picture This Private Studio: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: All Digital: Discount varies by ship.

Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off

• Anniversary Decorations with Champagne
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries
• Inky Beach Set
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe)
• Inky Travel Set
• Red Wine and Cheese
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel
• Strawberries with Champagne
• White Wine and Cheese

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.

More helpful information

• Should you buy pre-cruise purchases now or wait to buy it onboard?
• 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How much should I budget for a cruise?

Once again, Royal Caribbean is giving its customers more time to take advantage of its flexible cancellation program.

Cruise with Confidence has been extended again for bookings made through March 31, 2022 on sailings departing on or before September 30, 2022.

What this means is you can cancel a booked Royal Caribbean cruise for any reason for a 100% future cruise credit.

In an email travel agents, Royal Caribbean explains the Omicron variant impact to its business, "With the rise of the Omicron variant, we have strengthened some of our health protocols to ensure that we mitigate the spread of COVID-19 onboard. We are confident in our approach as Royal Caribbean Group has carried 1.1 million guests since the restart of cruising from the US in June of 2021. We remain in constant communication with various government health authorities and will continue to work collaboratively with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

"At the end of the day, we want to ensure that planning your clients' vacations is as worry-free as possible. Therefore, we've made the decision to extend our popular Cruise with Confidence program to reservations confirmed on or before March 31, 2022 on sailings departing through September 30, 2022."

Prior to this extension, the Cruise with Confidence program was set to expire on January 31, 2022.

When a guest cancels their cruise past the final payment date, they can get a future cruise credit worth 100% of the cruise fare paid as long as they cancel at least 48 hours before the sail date.

It was originally introduced right before cruises began shutting down due to Covid-19 as a mechanism to give guests piece of mind they could change their plans after the final payment date.

Without the Cruise with Confidence program, there would be a penalty if you cancelled a cruise after the final payment date.

Included with the ability to cancel a cruise under Cruise with Confidence is the Best Price Guarantee, which allows guests to reprice their sailing up to 48-hours prior to the sail date if the price drops.

If you have a cruise booked already, then you qualify automatically for Cruise with Confidence. Going forward, you have until at least March 31, 2022 to qualify for Cruise with Confidence.

Do all sailings qualify for Cruise with Confidence?

Cruise with Confidence is applicable to all sailings.

It is not available to guests booked on chartered sailings or residents of mainland China.

You simply need to book a cruise before March 31, 2022. Existing bookings automatically qualify for Cruise with Confidence.

Why are they extending Cruise with Confidence?

The reason Royal Caribbean has extended this flexible cancellation program again is to give consumers more time to change their mind if they are worried about going on a cruise during the pandemic.

Traditionally, the final payment date would be the point in time when you would have to cancel without incurring a penalty fee.

At the onset of Covid-19, people were uncertain what to expect and cancelled their bookings early out of concern they could not predict if they would want to sail or not.

As a result, Cruise with Confidence was introduced so that anyone who has a cruise booked could wait longer to make a decision if they want to sail or not.

Royal Caribbean Group's new CEO Jason Liberty talked on a webinar for the first time in his new role about a variety of topics, such as becoming CEO and the short-term impact Omicron variant is having on business.

Mr. Liberty took over for Richard Fain as CEO of Royal Caribbean Group on January 3, and he was invited to speak to travel agents during a Royal Caribbean International webinar.

Here are a few of the intriguing topics covered during his talk.

100 Day Goal

Mr. Liberty was asked what he wanted to do in his first 100 days as the CEO, and he is starting off by listening more

"Most of my time is going to be around learning and listening from others," he explained. "Spending time with our travel partners, I'm spending time with our customers and spending time with our employees, and I'm spending time with many of our partners ...to make sure that I have the kind of firm understanding of of what everybody is looking for."

He also said continuing the company's return to service is a priority, "we have about 80 percent of our fleet up and running, making sure that we continue to execute on that successfully is certainly a priority."

When will bounce back from Omicron

Mr. Liberty also asked about the effects of Omicron on the business, and his view on the rebound.

He indicated that the good news is people want to cruise, but consistency is the key, "[it's] really, really clear that there's really strong demand for cruise and I think people are just looking for consistency."

Mr. Liberty leaned in the direction of the second quarter for things to feel better overall, "I think to you as we get into Q2 and beyond, we're going to see a much more global state of things based off of where the experts believe the disease will be, as it relates to Covid, and us getting our fleet back up and running."

He later said he thinks the second quarter should look more like the first quarter was supposed to before Omicron, "as it relates to our expectations, when we look at kind of Q2 and beyond, it's very much in line with what we expected in Q1 because of some of the cancelled sailings impact."

No compromise on guest experience

Despite the challenges of Covid, Mr. Liberty was adamant about not allowing it to compromise what passengers can look forward to onboard its ships.

"I think it's very important to note that even through this entire journey, we have not, and we will not, compromise our guest experience."

"We have a strong long-term business. This is an exceptional business that does very well financially."

'This is a meteor that hit our industry'

Mr. Liberty used a few different metaphors to describe the hit cruise lines have taken during the last two years due to Covid-19.

"This is a meteor that hit our industry and we have survived that hit," he said later in the interview. The silver lining, as he describes, is that it demonstrates they can adjust and overcome challenges by working together.

"I think that that comes through the innovation and continuous improvement oriented mentality that we have."

"These are good businesses that have just had to deal with a black swan event."

Is he a "bean counter"?

Since being named Richard Fain's successor, some have pointed out the fact Mr. Liberty comes from a financial background as a negative to choosing him to lead the company.

In response to such questions, Mr. Liberty explained he is not what you may think, "I know sometimes there are things that come along with, 'Hey, he was a finance guy, he's a CFO guy', but you really should understand and appreciate... that's actually the opposite of how I am."

He pointed to the fact he was a major proponent of the company providing commissions and loans to travel agents during the pandemic, as an example of putting the collective industry ahead of the company's bottom line.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the manner for cruise lines to transition away from the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) once it expires.

The CDC promised its CSO will move to a voluntary program when it expires on January 15, 2022.  When it does, cruise lines can continue being part of the program if they so choose.

As reported first by Seatrade Cruise News, by volunteering to be a part of the program, cruise lines will follow all the CDC recommendations and guidance, and cruise ships will continue to receive a color status from the CDC.

Cruise lines that do not opt-in will have their color status to gray on the CDC website, which means the agency has neither reviewed nor confirmed their health and safety protocols. These gray-color coded ships will be subject to other CDC orders and regulations to the same extent as other vessels subject to US jurisdiction.

The CDC is asking cruise lines to opt in by January 21, 2022.

Changes to the voluntary program

Under the voluntary program, the CDC is relaxing certain aspects of its monitoring.

The threshold for CDC investigation will go from 0.1% passenger cases or one or more crew cases to 0.3% of passengers and/or crew. The definition of yellow, orange, and red status will be updated to reflect the higher threshold.

The CDC will also eliminate the need to conduct test cruises (simulated voyages), along with the conditional sailing certificate application process.

Other changes the CDC has made include:

• Testing requirements will continue, and ships with at least 95% of fully vaccinated crew and passengers may continue to reduce or eliminate certain public health measures onboard, such as mask use and physical distancing.
• Self-service beverage stations will continue to be allowed regardless of onboard vaccination status
• Self-service food operations will begin to be allowed
• Negative air pressure for quarantine cabins will not be required — these cabins must still be in a separate HVAC zone.
• Isolation cabins must still have negative air pressure.
• Port agreements between US port and local health authorities will still be needed.
• CDC will continue to conduct routine unannounced inspections and announced outbreak investigations.

Seatrade reports the CDC will update their website on January 14 with the new program details.

Masks

The CDC will still require cruise ships to wear masks onboard ships, regardless of if the lines opt-into the voluntary program or not.

CDC Director: 'the industry has stepped up'

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress yesterday she was pleased with what the cruise lines are doing under the CSO.

"I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding... the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."

Moreover, Dr. Walensky believes cruise lines will opt-into this voluntary program, "the cruise ship industries will continue to understand that this is a really safe practice for those industries."

Cruise industry reaction

Following the CDC's announcement, here is the official statement by the the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA):

Today’s announcement by the CDC regarding the planned transition of the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) to a voluntary program recognizes the cruise industry’s unwavering commitment to providing some of the highest levels of COVID-19 mitigation found in any industry. Cruise is the only segment of travel and tourism that requires, prior to embarkation for both passengers and crew, exceedingly high levels of vaccination (approaching 100% compared to only 63% of the U.S. population) and 100% testing of every individual (21 times the rate of the U.S. on land).

When cases are identified as a result of the high-frequency of testing onboard, cruise ship protocols help to maximize onboard containment with rapid response procedures designed to safeguard all other guests and crew as well as the communities that the ships visit.

Further, cruise is the only sector that continuously monitors, collects, and reports case information directly to the CDC.

Given this oversight and the uniquely high vaccination rate required on board, the incidence of serious illness is dramatically lower than on land, and hospitalizations have been extraordinarily rare even during a time landside hospitalizations are peaking. CLIA ocean-going cruise line members will continue to be guided by the science and the principle of putting people first, with proven measures that are adapted as conditions warrant to protect the health of cruise passengers, crewmembers, and destinations.

It looks like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will follow through on its promise to allow the Conditional Sailing Order to expire next week.

At a U.S. Senate Hearing on Tuesday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress the Covid-19 regulations will move from mandatory to voluntary on January 15.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked the Dr. Walensky what the cruise industry can expect, citing the enormous lengths they have gone to in order to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.

Senator Murkowski wanted "assurance" that the CDC recognizes the work cruise lines have done to protect passengers, crew members, and the communities their ships visit, is what is necessary to allow the Conditional Sail Order to expire, "I understand the conditional sail order is is set to expire in a few days in recognition that the companies have practices that adhere to or even exceed the guidance in the order."

"I'd like some assurance from you that that they can count on that, that this is clear guidance and messaging to those within the industries and to those who are counting on being able to to have a season this coming summer."

Dr. Walensky confirmed the CSO will not be renewed, "We anticipate that this order will not be renewed and that the cruise ship industries will continue to understand that this is a really safe practice for those industries."

Dr. Walensky pointed out how impressive the cruise lines have been with their dedication to these protocols, "I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding, as you know, the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."

Senator Murkwoski wanted some insight into the summer, since it greatly affects Alaska cruises.  Dr. Walensky was not ready to make any predictions about what to expect in five to six months from now.

Walensky: "What I can't predict is what the summer will bring."

Murkowski: "I understand that, but for right now, you expect this guidance to stay in place."

Walensky: "That's my anticipation."

The Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) began as the No Sail order in March 2020, when the entire cruise industry shutdown due to Covid-19. 

Since then, the CDC and cruise lines worked together to craft new health protocols that would keep everyone onboard safe from spreading the disease unchecked.

All the cruise lines operating from the United States have since adopted this framework so that they can safely operate during the pandemic.

The CSO was extended on October 25, 2021 with the understanding it would expire on January 15.  Cruise lines had said they intend to follow the CSO regardless of if it's required or not.

Since then, the Omicron variant shot up Covid numbers around the world, including cruise ships. There was concern that Omicron would change the CDC's minds.

Dr. Walensky pointed out the up tick in cases, "just over the last two weeks with Omicron, we've seen a 30 fold increase in cases on ships during this season because of Omicron."

Senator Murkowski pointed out the work cruise lines have put in over the last two years, "in fairness, the industry itself has undertaken extraordinary precautions as one industry, to make sure that people are protected from from this virus."

When the CSO ends on January 15th, it will transition to a voluntary program where the CDC will continue to oversee the industry as it always has in the past.

What does this mean for cruise ships?

The CSO transitioning to a recommendation may or may result in any noticeable changes in the short term.

Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines have already committed to follow the CSO regardless of if it's required or not. Cruise lines first indicated they would follow the CSO following Florida's legal victory against the CDC in summer 2021.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said in July 2021, "We will continue to voluntarily follow all CDC guidelines and recommendations."

Some cruise fans were hoping the end of the CSO would mean a relaxing of certain health protocols, but there's been indication yet that is going to happen.  Certainly not while the Omicron variant is driving up case counts and capturing the attention of the world.

Showing its dedication to assisting crew members, one of the Royal Caribbean cruise ships that was taken out of service will be used to house crew members from other ships that have tested positive for Covid-19.

Serenade of the Seas was one of the ships that had her cruises in January through April cancelled last week. Instead of operating cruises with paying passengers, she will join two other Royal Caribbean ships in a support role.

Almost since the onset of the Omicron variant, Royal Caribbean has done its best to care for crew members that are sick.

Unlike land-based companies that just send their workers home with little to no support, Royal Caribbean has taken the extraordinary step of taking two of its ships out of service to serve as Covid wards, where these crew members can rest and get the care they need in order to be healthy and return to work.

Serenade of the Seas is one of three ships operating in this role, alongside Rhapsody of the Seas and Vision of the Seas.

Assisting crew members across the fleet

A Royal Caribbean crew member, Martina, talked about Serenade's new role in a YouTube video she posted shortly after Serenade of the Seas stopped sailing with passengers.

"In order to relieve the pressures of the amount of Covid cases around the fleet, Serenade will perform a supporting role," Martina explained.

"We will be what they call a quarantine or a hospital ship for Royal Caribbean crew members that are Covid positive."

She said they would accept the non-serious cases among crew members, "They will be embarked on the Serenade of the Seas in order to get better, be well taken care off, be able to recuperate in a healthy and more isolated environment without putting pressure on the other ships still trying to sail."

Why move crew members off the ship? A Royal Caribbean spokesperson recently said the idea is to keep crew healthy crew members away from the sick ones, while simultaneously caring for all of them.

According to Royal Caribbean, transferred crew members, who are all fully vaccinated, are in isolation and are being monitored by an onboard medical team. After each crew member completes their 10-day quarantine, they return to their assigned ships.

Besides helping the crew, having less crew members on operational vessels means a better chance of cruise ships not being denied entry into a port of call due to exceeding the threshold of people onboard with Covid-19.

Martina sees this as an opportunity, and not bad news, "I don't see it as bad news. I see it as a role that I'm proud that the Serenade can take, because as you can see, it doesn't mean that cruises are stopping, not at all. We're just using our resources, I think, in a smarter way."

Why was Serenade picked to help?

Martina thinks perhaps the reason Serenade of the Seas had her cruises cancelled is because the timing works well for an upcoming refurbishment.

Serenade of the Seas is scheduled in a few months to take a break from cruises in order to undergo a multi-week refurbishment.  These refurbishments typically occur once every few years, and is a front to back maintenance visit to a shipyard.

Martina speculates that since Serenade had to leave the fleet anyway, taking her out of service a little earlier made more sense, "Since this date was coming up so soon and we were anyways just eight cruises away to stopping operations regardless for the dry dock, we're just pausing before."

Martina also points out that since Serenade started up in Alaska last summer, a lot of crew member contracts were about to expire around this time.

People that cruise a lot have been the steady base for the cruise industry throughout Covid-19, and some are going over and over again because of how much they are enjoying it.

Greg Brockman lives in Iowa, but is sailing on his fourth Freedom of the Seas cruise in a row, with number five coming up next weekend.

What's it like to go on consecutive cruises during the height of the Omicron wave, and has anything changed in his approach to being on a cruise? Given that Greg is one of thousands of loyal cruise passengers that loves being on a ship, his thoughts on getting onboard today seem intriguing to consider.

From his stateroom on his Royal Caribbean ship, Greg talked about what it's like to stay onboard a cruise ship right now.

Booking five cruises in a row

Even before the pandemic, booking more than one cruise at a time may have seemed eccentric to someone that has not been on a cruise. In today's hyper focused media attention of cruise ships, the decision to sail over and over again can do more than raise an eyebrow.

Greg is sailing on Freedom of the Seas from Miami for a total of 17 nights starting December 31 to January 17. 

He first booked cruises only in January, but decided to add more, "As time went on, I was able to add the three night on to the end extending my time until the 17th. Then, in November when there were many price drops, I added the New Year’s Eve sailing ."

What's the atmosphere on the ship right now?

What does it feel like to be on a cruise ship, and what are passengers and crew members saying?

Greg says he's seeing people having fun, "For the most part, the general vibe on board the ship is that of relaxation and enjoying the cruise."

Greg thinks the key to a fun cruise despite all the changes recently is having the right view, "From what I have seen, the passengers having the best time on each of the sailings have been those coming on board who are happy with any perks or benefits they receive but they are not coming on board expecting to be waited on every moment of the day."

"The frustrations tend to happen when people come on board with expectations of everything being just like it was two years ago and being disappointed and frustrated."

Read more: Why you need to be flexible if you want to go on a cruise right now

Greg was impressed by how upbeat the crew members are given that they are short staffed, "The crew all seem to be maintaining a very positive and energetic outgoing attitude."

"You can tell some of them are very exhausted working longer shifts and covering for other crewmembers who have tested positive and are no longer on board."

"But they are always smiles and happy to see you when you pass by."

Speaking of the crew, I wanted to know more about how the crew members are doing, and he indicated a lot of the senior officers seem to be stepping in to help out, "They all are maintaining excitement, enthusiasm and passion for what they do."

"Ivan, the Food and Beverage manager, oversees the largest department on board the ship and has been hit the hardest with crew members testing positive. I frequently see him all over the ship chipping in and picking up duties whenever some thing is needed."

Greg was impressed by how Freedom's Guest Services manager, Dolly, took extra care of his experience, "She just spoke with me last night knowing that I was a consecutive cruiser and staying in the same cabin for multiple cruises. She asked if I would be interested in a complementary cabin upgrade for the next sailing but wasn’t sure if I would be interested in moving multiple times between each sailing."

"This is something I absolutely did not expect but was very appreciative of. Just one more way the crew is trying to go above and beyond whenever they can with the resources available."

How does the back-to-back process work?

Given all the protocol changes onboard, what changes have been made to going on more than one cruise in a row?

All of the consecutive cruisers have an antigen test done on the day prior to debarkation, which is complimentary.

On the morning the test is scheduled, consecutive cruisers meet around 7:30 am and wait in the Star Lounge until the negative test result has been received. At that point, they are allowed to leave the lounge and go on with your day.

On the turnaround day, everyone again meets in the Star Lounge at 9:30 AM waiting for all other passengers to disembark. At that point the cruisers are escorted through the security checkpoint to officially depart the ship and proceed into the cruise terminal.

The passengers then complete the facial recognition process (required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and then get back in line to re-board the ship.

Greg said extra Royal Caribbean delayed the back-to-back cruisers from returning immediately in order to conduct sanitization, "On the last two sailings, the ship did additional cleaning and sanitizing and we were asked to wait in the terminal about 20 minutes before we were allowed to proceed back on board the ship."

Read more: Back-to-back cruises tips and advice

How many people are going on these cruises?

Across Greg's four sailings, he's had a good chance to look at trends among passengers, including how many are on each sailing.

According to Greg, there have been less passengers on each cruise since the New Year's Eve holiday sailing.

"Passenger count has been decreasing on each of the sailings since New Year’s Eve. The December 31 sailing had approximately 2000 passengers on board, this was down from the 2400 they initially expected."

"The next sailing was expecting around 2100 passengers and ended up with 1850 actually boarding. The third sailing was expecting 1800 passengers and ended up sailing with about 1450.  We are expecting 1800 for the current sailing."

Freedom of the Seas has a capacity of just under 4400 passengers. 

It's also worth noting January is also a traditionally slow month for cruises, since the holidays are over and school is back in session.  Plus, many people just took a vacation at the end of December.

On December 30, Royal Caribbean Group told investors the company "experienced a decline in bookings and increased cancellations for near-term sailings but to a lesser degree than that experienced with the Delta variant. "

Load factors for sailings in the first half of 2022 remain below historical levels, as expected.

Advice for anyone going on a cruise ship right now

I asked Greg what advice would he give someone going on a cruise today while the Omicron variant is on the top of everyone's mind.

His primary suggestion was for everyone to pack patience, "be prepared to be flexible, and do not board with expectations of benefits or perks because of past cruises."

"Follow the rules and don’t argue with the messenger. They are following their instructions. Just know the crew is doing everything they can to ensure you're having an amazing vacation and a safe and healthy environment for you, your family and their family (fellow crew members)."

"I absolutely feel safer onboard a Royal Caribbean ship that almost anywhere right now. "

While Royal Caribbean has been able to get most of its cruise ships back into service, it has had to cancel a few sailings due to Covid-19.

The good news is the cruise industry is still able to sail and operate its ships with arguably the most comprehensive health protocols of any private business.  However, canceled cruises are still happening in select cases.

In order to keep you up to date with which ships and dates have been canceled, here is a list of the Royal Caribbean cancellations in 2022.

Keep in mind things change a lot, and this list will be updated as quickly as possible.

Cancelled cruises in 2022

Here is a list of the cancelled cruises by Royal Caribbean so far.

On January 28, 2022, Royal Caribbean announced more Spectrum of the Seas cancellations for cruises from Hong Kong on these dates: February 04, 07, 10, 12 and 14, 2022. 

On January 18, 2022, Royal Caribbean had to cancel Spectrum of the Seas’ Hong Kong sailings scheduled on January 21, 23, 26, 28 and 31, 2022.

The sailings were canceled following an update to local COVID-19 prevention policies by local authorities on January 14, which requires a 14-day suspension of all cruise operations.

On January 14, 2022, Royal Caribbean cancelled three sailings on Independence of the Seas (one was a chartered sailing). She will return on January 29, 2022.

On January 7, 2022, Royal Caribbean cancelled four ships:

Vision of the Seas’ return to cruising is postponed until March 7, 2022

Serenade of the Seas sailings from January 8 – March 5, returning after dry dock on April 26, 2022

Jewel of the Seas sailings from January 9 – February 12, returning on February 20, 2022

Symphony of the Seas sailings from January 8 – January 22, returning on January 29, 2022

Royal Caribbean cancelled the January 6 sailing of Spectrum of the Seas from Hong Kong because nine passengers on the previous sailing were identified as close contacts to someone that tested positive on land in Hong Kong. The local government required Royal Caribbean to cancel the next sailing.

Will there be more cancellations?

Royal Caribbean intends to offer its scheduled sailings as currently listed, but more cancelations are certainly possible given the fact the Covid-19 pandemic is still happening.

For the time being, there is not much discussion of the entire cruise industry shutting down again given the fact that vaccines and stringent health protocols are readily available.

Even the cancelled cruises listed above are expected to resume service on the specified dates.

If you have a cruise booked in 2022, the possibility of it being cancelled is possible, but not necessarily probable.

It's important to be realistic about expectations for not only the cruise happening, but also the onboard experience. Certainly changes, especially at the last minute, are likely, so be prepared for them.

Read more: Why you need to be flexible if you want to go on a cruise right now

Can I cancel my Royal Caribbean cruise?

If you would rather cancel your cruise, regardless of if Royal Caribbean decides to cancel it later, you have a few options.

Up until final payment date, you can cancel your cruise and get a full refund for money paid by cancelling, minus any change fees if you booked a non-refundable deposit.

Alternatively, Royal Caribbean's Cruise with Confidence program allows guests to cancel their cruise up to 48 hours before your sail date for a 100% future cruise credit.

Read more: How to cancel a Royal Caribbean cruise

Welcome to this week's round-up of all the Royal Caribbean news and happenings.  Hope you are staying warm and are ready to cozy up to the cruise happenings this week.

Unfortunately Royal Caribbean had to cancel sailings on four cruise ships this week, marking the first mass cancellations since last summer.

Sailings on Symphony, Serenade and Jewel of the Seas were cancelled for at least a few weeks. Vision of the Seas had her return to service pushed back.

The cruise line did not specify the exact reason why these ships were taken offline, only saying the decision was, "a result of the ongoing COVID-related circumstances around the world, and in an abundance of caution."

Many cruise fans think perhaps the decision was due to Covid cases among crew members impacting operations.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean releases new Europe summer 2023 cruises to book
• Royal Caribbean extends stricter face mask protocols until January 31, 2022
• Icon of the Seas blocks arrive at shipyard, along with something we've never seen before
• Media begins to question why CDC has singled out cruise ships
• Royal Caribbean updates: Spectrum of the Seas cancellation, CDC plans and more!
• Icon of the Seas information and features
• What it's like to go on a cruise with Royal Caribbean's stricter mask rules
• Royal Caribbean surveys guests for name for next Oasis Class cruise ship
• Everyday things that are better on a cruise ship
• How to find the cheapest cabins on Royal Caribbean
• Guide to Miami cruise port

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 436th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Matt reviews his cruise on Navigator of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean returned to the Mexican Riviera recently, and Matt got to experience a 7-night sailing to Mexico.

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: 6 things cruise pros hate

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 — 6 things cruise pros hate! — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

What happens if you test positive for Covid on a cruise ship

A lot of cruisers are curious what happens if you test positive for Covid-19 during your cruise.

Brandon Smith sailed on Freedom of the Seas recently and had to quarantine due to testing positive for Covid, and shared his experience.

Brandon shared what happened when he tested positive for Covid on a ship, and what steps and changes you might expect to encounter should it happen to you.

My best advice for going on a cruise ship in early 2022 during Omicron

It seems everyone is thinking twice about traveling during the Omicron variant spike in Covid cases, but thanks to Royal Caribbean's strict health protocols, going on a cruise can still be an enjoyable and relatively safe cruise experience.

There's risk with everything, but there are a few easy things any traveler can do to protect themselves while getting back to sea.

If you decide to go ahead with your cruise, I shared important recommendations for how to cruise during the early part of 2022.

Top untrue myths about Omicron variant and going on a cruise ship right now

While there's been lots of announcements in the cruise industry, there's also been a few rumors that simply aren't true about going on a cruise.

Between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning vaccinated passengers to not go on a cruise ship, and news reports about missed port calls making the rounds on social media, a lot of misconceptions about where cruising is right now have emerged.

Here are three really important untrue myths about going on a cruise right now that are totally untrue.