Royal Caribbean is celebrating the Independence Day holiday in the United States with a five-day sale on some last minute sailings.
The cruises available depart between the months of July and September 2015 and are available for booking beginning July 3 through July 8, 2015. The savings on these select cruises are up to 20% off.
All cruises on sale can be found in this listing.
Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!
Episode 100 is available for downloading, which has our listeners debating big ships verus small ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet.
Matt broadcasted this episode and invited listeners to call in and share their thoughts on if they prefer booking a larger ship or a smaller ship. And what about someone new to Royal Caribbean?
Here’s the podcast page for Episode 100. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher or on iTunes!
Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!
Royal Caribbean's newest cruise promotion begins today with the BOGO's Back deal on all sailings departing on or after August 1, 2015.
During the BOGO sale, book one guest and the second sails for 50% off. In addition, if you book a 2015 or 2016 holiday sailing, Royal Caribbean will include both passenger's gratuities.
This BOGO sale is valid on bookings made July 1 through August 16, 2015.
The new BOGO deal is valid on all sailings departing on or after Aug. 1, 2015. Offer excludes China departures, Anthem of the Seas sailings departing before April 29, 2016, and Ovation of the Seas sailings departing between December 15, 2016 and January 23, 2017.
The free gratuities offer is valid on all eligible sailings departing Dec. 15-31, 2015 or Dec. 15-31, 2016 for the first and second guests in the stateroom.
BOGO offer is combinable with the adjoining Pre-Paid Gratuities offer, Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. BOGO offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO) as well as NextCruise offers.
Pre-Paid Gratuities offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Neither offer is combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates.
Offer open to residents of the United States or Canada.
Staff Captain Wendy Williams is one of three department heads who oversees everything that happens onboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. Get a behind the scenes peek at her important role onboard.
If there is one feature aboard Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas that has guests really excited, it's the water slides that will be a first for Royal Caribbean. These are the first real water slides on a Royal Caribbean ship and it promises to be a beacon for families looking for some high-paced fun.
Understandably, there is a lot of intrigue regarding this new feature and people want to know what the water slides will entail and what to expect. Here's everything we know about the water slides in one place.
Royal Caribbean is adding three multi-story slides that will be above Central Park. The slides are called The Perfect Storm: Cyclone, Monsoon, Typhoon.
UPDATE 7/15: There will also be a 10 story dry slide on the aft of Harmony of the Seas, known as The Ultimate Abyss. It will take guests from the ship's AquaTheater to Boardwalk neighborhood and is not a water slide.
One of the water slides will feature a champagne bowl that swirls riders around as they approach the end of the slide.
There’s also a bar overlooking the slide bowl, so people can watch that.
The water slides will start with a clear acyclic section, so other passengers can see people as the start at the top.
There will also be racing slides.
The water slides will begin on a platform elevated above the ship’s bridge level, and end in runouts.
The slides descend three decks through a series of twists and turns over the ship’s tree-lined Central Park neighborhood 10 decks below.
Are you excited about Royal Caribbean adding water slides to Harmony of the Seas? Let us know in the comments below!
You have decided on the right Royal Caribbean cruise for you, made a deposit on your sailing, and have your stateroom reserved just for you. What should you do next?
Planning a Royal Caribbean cruise can be a fun exercise in planning, as you discover there is a lot to do before you ever set foot on your ship.
Once you have your cruise booked, here are five things you should look into as your next step and really jump into the pre-cruise excitement!
Dinner on a Royal Caribbean cruise has a few options to choose from, and you will want to make sure you pick the option you want. There are a few choices: Traditional (early or late seating) and My Time Dining.
Traditional dining is where you have a set time each night of your cruise, where you will be seated at the same table in the main dining room and have the same wait staff and table mates. This is the most common choice available and is also the most widely available option. There are two times, early and late seating.
My Time Dining takes place in the Main Dining Room as well, but instead of a fixed time and table, you reserve times during the evening or show up and get the first available table. My Time Dining allows for more flexibility in when you eat, but requires more planning to ensure you have a spot each night to dine at.
To enroll in any of these options for your cruise, contact your travel agent or Royal Caribbean directly and request the one you want. There can be times when the choice you want is full, but you can request to be put on a waitlist. In our experience, wait list requests usually are fulfilled.
In order to gain access to all of Royal Caribbean's pre-cruise planning options online, you will want to register yourself on Royal Caribbean's website and tie your reservation to your account.
If you have not done so already, create an account on Royal Caribbean's website. It's free and should take just a few minutes to complete.
Log into your account and then add an existing reservation to your account.
Now, you will have access to every detail of your sailing on the Cruise Planner, including shore excursions, beverage packages, entertainment, dining reservations, and more.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner site
We recommend arriving at your cruise embarkation port at least one day early, to avoid transportation delays that can potentially cause you to miss your cruise.
For those who are flying on an airplane to your cruise, booking airfare in advance is a good idea. It is also a good idea to research a hotel to stay at and lock in a price now before others do the same.
Depending on the port you are leaving from, there can be lots of hotels and resorts to choose from. Use consumer review websites to find which hotel will offer you the amenities you want for the price you can afford.
It is easy to overlook your pre-cruise transportation and lodging and then have to pay more than you should later.
Before you can get onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, you will need to provide local authorities the proper documentation to prove who you are, and you definitely do not want to arrive at the pier missing something important.
Research what proof of identification you may need for everyone in your party, such as birth certificates, driver's licenses and/or passports. If you are traveling to another country for your cruise, look into if you will need to apply for a visa.
Processing times for documents like visas and passports can take weeks, if not months, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get any necessary documents ready for your sail date.
Read more: Guide to cruising with a birth certificate
Insurance is one of the things that you do not think of until you need it and then it is worth every penny. The thing is, not everyone needs travel insurance but you should look into what travel insurance offers and if you are at an elevated risk and would benefit from it.
Royal Caribbean offers travel insurance, as well as many third-party companies. Read exactly what the insurance covers and the scenarios in which you can make a claim. It is important to be aware that travel insurance does not cover every scenario, but issues such as personal illness, death of a family member, airline delays, lost baggage and more are common times when insurance will be of great benefit.
There is no easy way to determine who does and who does not need travel insurance, but you should at least consider the option now to safeguard yourself in the future.
Enjoying a refreshing drink on your Royal Caribbean cruise is something many folks look forward to, but just because you are not on a cruise right now does not mean you cannot enjoy the same drinks at home!
Blog reader Paul Westbrook sent us recipes for the drink of the day for each day of his Freedom of the Seas cruise.
Each day of a cruise, Royal Caribbean selects one tasty cocktail to be the drink of the day, where the price of the drink is reduced a bit and featured all over the ship.
So get those blenders ready and enjoy these great drinks!
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Shake and mix well.
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Served on the rocks with a splash of sprite
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Shake and serve on the rocks.
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Top with soda water
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Serve on the rocks
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Shake tequila and mago juice together and then add triple sec and sweet & sour mix.
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Top with Sprite and serve on the rocks.
Thanks to Bill Ma for providing this Cruise Compass
Thanks to Brian Owens for providing this Cruise Compass