Crown and Anchor Society on Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

In:
26 Mar 2014

Great news, Episode 34 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

This week, Matt explains what Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society is and why you might want to join.  Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program offers guests a lot of rewards and opportunities and this week's episode is an introduction into what Crown and Anchor Society is all about.

We also have a lot of your emails, voicemails and messages to share with everyone.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 34. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS 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 will send Navigator of the Seas on shortened cruise after oil spill delay

In:
26 Mar 2014

Earlier this week Royal Caribbean cancelled this week's Navigator of the Seas cruise because of an oil spill in Houston harbor but has decided to go ahead with a shortened 4-night cruise for anyone on the original sailing that wants to go.

Navigator of the Seas will leave this morning on a cruise to Cozumel and then return to Galveston to resume normal operations.  Those on the original sailing can still get a full refund and 25% towards a future sailing even if they choose to go on the 4-night sailing as well.

Royal Caribbean notified passengers late Tuesday evening of the decision after the United States Coast Guard opened Galveston harbor back up to operations.

The collision between a barge and another vessel Saturday near the Texas City Dike spilled 160,000 gallons of heavy oil into Galveston Bay and has forced the U.S. Coast Guard to close the Houston Ship Channel.

Royal Caribbean looking to tap Indian cruise market

In:
26 Mar 2014

Royal Caribbean sees India as an emerging cruise market that they want to target for increasing the amount of people who cruise with them.

Royal Caribbean Regional vice president Gavin Smith said, "Cruising is now popular in the metro cities and spreading to the mini-metros... Most of the major cruise liners are present in India today. Cruising is now a part of the consideration set of the affluent and well travelled.

Tirun Travel Marketing, which represents Royal Caribbean in India, is expanding its network in India. At present it has a network of seven offices and plans more.

The numbers look good so far for India with over 1,00,000 Indians taking a cruise vacation in 2013. Year-to-year growth is at about 8 percent and locals expect that rate to continue again this year.

Full Anthem of the Seas restaurant information

In:
25 Mar 2014

Royal Caribbean is holding a big event on Wednesday to announce dining options on its brand new Quantum of the Seas cruise ship but we've got an advanced look at what we can expect to be announced.

A leaked document listing all the floor plans for Anthem of the Seas was accidently posted and lists the public areas, including all the restaurants onboard. The big news is there is no more main dining room and instead quite a number of restaurants for guests choose from.

Below is a list of all the restaurants onboard Anthem of the Seas, complimentary and specialty.  We do not know how much of a difference there will be with Quantum of the Seas, if any.

The Grande - Deck 3

From beef Wellington to chicken a l’orange, the world’s classic dishes come together for formal night, every night.

Chic - Deck 3

Where the freshest ingredients of the wild are evolved to the height of contemporary cuisine.

Michael’s Genuine Pub - Deck 4

James Beard Award-winner Michael Schwartz brings you delicious yet uncomplicated pub fare, plus his namesake craft beer.

Sorrento’s - Deck 4

For an authentic New York pizzeria experience, head to Sorrento’s for fully-loaded pies right out of the oven. Sample rotating creations from chorizo to Hawaiian to Pizza Florentine – with classic cheese and pepperoni always on call. For an authentic New York pizzeria experience, head to Sorrento’s for fully-loaded pies right out of the oven. Sample rotating creations from chorizo to Hawaiian to Pizza Florentine – with classic cheese and pepperoni always on call.

American Icon Grill - Deck 4

America’s favorite comfort foods, homespun in our kitchen with a few creative twists.

Silk - Deck 4

Weave your way through a vibrant tapestry of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian cooking. 

Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine - Deck 5

Our chefs twist the kaleidoscope to invent fantasy gourmet dishes, magical elixirs, and more never-before-seen fare. 

Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver - Deck 5

Chef Jamie Oliver presents a menu of rustic Italian favorites, handmade with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Coastal Kitchen - Deck 14

Exclusively for suite guests, a fresh new fusion of California cool and Med-inspired taste.

SeaPlex Dog House - Deck 15

The first food truck at sea, serving up traditional hot dogs, brats, and sausages, plus a variety of toppings to split a long bun.

Windjammer Marketplace - Deck 14

A global culinary pavilion that invites you to explore the world, dish by dish. Enticing food islands weave throughout, showcasing international fare while mapping your way between new, interactive stations with pressed paninis, fresh juices, and desserts at the on-site bakery. Plus a new 24-hour station, The Grill, with all-day breakfast and more on a menu that changes daily.

Chops Grille - Deck 5

Our hallmark restaurant now features a revamped menu that brings contemporary flair to traditional steakhouse offerings.

Chef’s Table - Deck 5

A once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience. In this exclusive space, 14 guests will enjoy a five-course menu of gourmet selections specially prepared and personally presented by the Chef de Cuisine. Every course is accompanied by wine pairings chosen to enhance your enjoyment of each dish.

Izumi Japanese Cuisine - Deck 5

The traditional Japanese dishes at Izumi will impress you with their pure, delicate flavors, freshness of ingredients and impeccable presentation. Diners can choose from popular sushi rolls, sashimi, our Hot Rock (Ishiyaki) Plates, sukiyaki and more.

Johnny Rockets - Deck 14

All the style of a classic ‘50s diner, now serving poolside — burgers, fries and the best old-fashioned malted milk shakes.

Solarium Bistro - Deck 14

During the day enjoy a classic bistro plate with a loved one or bring the family to this delicious dining experience that has something for everyone.

Royal Caribbean cancels Navigator of the Seas cruise due to oil spill

In:
24 Mar 2014

Royal Caribbean has cancelled the maligned Navigator of the Seas cruise that was delayed embarking due to an oil spill in Houston harbor and has since been stuck in Galveston harbor.

Passengers on the cancelled cruise will get a full refund and 25% in future cruise credit. Royal Caribbean is also allowing guests to stay onboard Navigator of the Seas until March 30.

The collision between a barge and another vessel Saturday near the Texas City Dike spilled 160,000 gallons of heavy oil into Galveston Bay and has forced the U.S. Coast Guard to close the Houston Ship Channel.

Your opinion: How well did Royal Caribbean handle Adventure of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas incidents this weekend?

In:
24 Mar 2014

Over the weekend, Royal Caribbean had two of its ships impacted by two very different issues and we want to know what your opinion of how Royal Caribbean handled these incidents.

Photo by Houston Chronicle

First was Adventure of the Seas, who had a propulsion problem where in the middle of her Southern Caribbean itinerary the ship encountered oil loss from one of her fixipod units that forced its shutdown.  The result was she had to skip a couple of ports and travel at a slower speed.  Adventure of the Seas made it back to port yesterday in San Juan, albeit delayed.

The other incident was Navigator of the Seas was delayed a number of hours from docking in Galveston due to an oil spill in the harbor.  The incident affected other cruise ships as well and Navigator of the Seas was not able to dock in Galveston and let off its passengers and take on the new passengers until late Sunday.

In both cases, Royal Caribbean is being accused by some of poor communications by the cruise line to its passengers in terms of keeping them updated.  Some say Royal Caribbean did not effectively keep passengers onboard and on shore updated with what was happening and what the future may hold.  On the other hand, others point out many of the variables were out of the company's hands and when they did know something, they conveyed it.

We want to know what your opinion is of how Royal Caribbean handled both situations.  Comment in this post if you think they handled it well or not and why!

Royal Caribbean to return to Persian Gulf for 2015 cruise season

In:
24 Mar 2014

Royal Caribbean announced it will return to the Persian Gulf to offer cruises for the 2015-2016 cruise season.

Royal Caribbean will send Splendour of the Seas and offer 16 roundtrip cruises on a weekly basis from December 2015 to March 2016 and will dock at ports in Dubai, Oman and Abu Dhabi.

Royal Caribbean left the Gulf region in 2013 due to a lack of revenue but clearly feels now is the right time to return.

Helen Beck, Royal Caribbean regional director, commented on the return, “Following on from positive and collaborative discussions with our key partners in the region, we are pleased to announce our return to cruising in the Arabian Gulf for the winter of 2015 / 2016.  This is a welcome step in continuing to promote the economic and touristic benefits of cruising and I’m sure the season will be very successful.”

Oil spill in Galveston delays Navigator of the Seas

In:
23 Mar 2014

A 160,000 gallon oil spill near Galveston, Texas is delaying cruise ships coming and going to the cruise port, including Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas.

The collision between a barge and another vessel Saturday near the Texas City Dike spilled 160,000 gallons of heavy oil into Galveston Bay and has forced the U.S. Coast Guard to close the Houston Ship Channel.

Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas was scheduled to arrive early this morning and let off its passengers while allowing new ones to board but it remains stuck outside the harbor.  

Passenger Jonathan Spoon is aboard the ship and told the Galveston Daily News, "We are being told they are conducting a flyover to see if the ship can make its way into the port (of Galveston) without going through the oil.  There are lots of ships parked all around us. So far no problems on the boat."

He said Royal Caribbean reopened many of the ships restaurants and onboard activities to keep the passengers comfortable. 

Royal Caribbean has not commented on the situation yet, but is monitoring it.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: March 23, 2014

In:
23 Mar 2014

Another week has passed and we have our recap of all the Royal Caribbean news that happened so you don't miss any of it.

Late last night (or is it early this morning), STX Europe shipyard released 3D renders of the third Oasis-class cruise ship coming to Royal Caribbean's fleet in 2016.

These are the first images of the new ship, which is being built at STX Europe and no other details were announced at the time.  

The third in the Oasis class will be ready for delivery to Royal Caribbean in mid-2016.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The thirty-third episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're reviewing our recent cruise aboard Navigator of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt talks about his favorite class of Royal Caribbean ships, the Voyager class.  It's a chance to see how the Voyager class re-defined what a cruise ship is and how it still is a great choice for anyone taking a cruise today.  

Of course, there's lots of emails, facebook messages and tweets to share this week including if there are lockers on CocoCay.

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.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

CruiseVoyant has a review of the revitalized Navigator of the Seas.

First images of Royal Caribbean's third Oasis class cruise ship appear

In:
23 Mar 2014

We have our first images of Royal Caribbean's third Oasis class ship, which is being built at STX Europe.

The images are 3D renders and since they are the sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, look identical to those ships. 

Royal Caribbean has confirmed the ship's order of construction back in December 2012 but no other details about the ship exist, including a name.

The third in the Oasis class will be ready for delivery to Royal Caribbean in mid-2016.

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