When Royal Caribbean announced it had sold Empress of the Seas, it did not say who bought it, but we might have an answer now.An Indian cruise line, Cordelia Cruises, shared a message from its CEO to announce it has acquired Empress of the Seas.The message was posted by Cordelia's CEO Jurgen Bailom, It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt … [Read more...]

The day after Christmas was slow, and the Royal Esplanade on Deck 4 seemed empty until 10am.We thought that it was pretty thoughtful that the Main Dining Room now opens at 9am, allowing all guests a chance to dine at the restaurants, regardless if you are up early or late as many on these ‘Ocean Getaway’ cruise were trying to escape from their hectic schedules back in Singapore.Morning Walkaround … [Read more...]

Merry Christmas from the beautiful Quantum of the Seas. Today is the first sea day during our cruise, and we are celebrating the holiday onboard!Holiday season onboard cruises normally to be filled with celebrations, parties and singing carols. However, we can all agree that this year is no special year. We went around the ship to observe how the Christmas activities and shows are … [Read more...]

Merry Christmas! While most of us are unable to be on a Royal Caribbean cruise this year, I wanted to share a look at some of the Christmas fun aboard the only cruise ship in the fleet sailing right now.Quantum of the Seas is sailing a 4-night "cruise to nowhere" from Singapore, and the ship is celebrating Christmas at sea. Our friends at Singapore Cruise Society are onboard and shared photos … [Read more...]

Merry Christmas! Welcome onboard the beautiful Quantum of the Seas, the first ship to resume cruising in the fleet from the island nation of Singapore!We are onboard a 4-night Ocean Getaway cruise to celebrate Christmas. Quantum of the Seas sets sail with comprehensive health and safety guidelines, including the CruiseSafe certifications jointly developed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), … [Read more...]

As some of the guests on the White Island volcano shore excursion pursue legal action against Royal Caribbean for having offered the tour, the cruise line has asked the Australian government to have the cases heard there, and not in the United States.A couple from the United States, Ivy and Paul Reed, filed a lawsuit in Miami after they were severely burned when the White Island … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley offered cruisers a Christmas message of hope and gratitude.Christmas and New Years is right around the corner, and Mr. Bayley sent an email to Crown and Anchor Society guests to wish them a good holiday season that centers on two common themes.Mr. Bayley believes the words "hopeful" and "grateful" are key phrases that apply to what has … [Read more...]

It's still hard to believe we will say goodbye to Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas.Royal Caribbean announced last week it had sold two cruise ships signaling the end of an era for ships that had blazed a trail for the cruise line.While eclipsed by larger ships these days, when both ships debuted in the early 1990s, they set the tone for the entire cruise industry with their new … [Read more...]

A new sale begins today on add-on purchases for your Royal Caribbean cruise, where you can save up to 45% off onboard prices.The Ring in the Savings sale runs between December 23, 2020 - January 6, 2021 and is valid on sailings between March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021.Here is what is included during the sale:BEVERAGE: Up to 45% offClassic Soda Beverage Package: 40% off onboard prices.Classic … [Read more...]

This has been the craziest year for the cruise industry ever, and there were plenty of headlines that got plenty of attention.  So what were the biggest stories of the year?This past year has been a "tale of two cities", with traditional cruise news in the very beginning, and then of course the rest of the year was a myriad of shutdown updates.Looking back on the year, I handpicked the top … [Read more...]

While many cruise fans would love to get back on a cruise ship, a majority feel certain factors need to occur first to make them feel comfortable in getting onboard.CruiseCritic released the results of its State of the Cruise Industry Report, which looks at what its readership has been saying about cruises since April.The study asked over 3,000 people with varying degrees of cruise experience … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas is sailing again in Singapore and our friends at Singapore Cruise Society will be conducting a guest live blog right here!Hello to all the readers of Royal Caribbean Blog! We are Singapore Cruise Society, the leading cruising blog and community in Southeast Asia, that brings our audience the latest developments and experiences in the cruise industry. First … [Read more...]

While airlines are going to get $15 billion in additional payroll support from a new stimulus package, the cruise industry that has been shutdown for 9 months will be getting no financial aid.A new bipartisan $900 billion coronavirus aid package is being finalized in Congress that includes federal assistance for households, small businesses and health-care providers. They have not yet … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean Group announced on Monday a $40 million "Pay It Forward" program to support travel advisors hit hard by the slowdown in travel during the current global health crisis.The second phase of the RCL CARES program, Royal Caribbean Group has recognized that after nine months without cruises, the travel agent industry is hurting just as much as the cruise lines.The new program makes … [Read more...]

It looks like Royal Caribbean's new cruise terminal in Galveston is still on track to begin construction work in Spring 2021, following a one year delay.During the monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Galveston Wharves, the Port of Galveston reported that Cruise Terminal 3 is still scheduled to begin construction in April 2021 so that it can be ready to open in October 2022. Galveston … [Read more...]

Merry Christmas! The holidays are here, and so is our weekly round up of this week's Royal Caribbean news.There was a lot of Royal Caribbean news this week, but the big news was Royal Caribbean's announcement it has sold two of its cruise ships.Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas have been sold to an undisclosed buyer in the Asia-Pacific region that will release details for … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean has always operated its cruises a little bit differently in Asia, and we can add chat to the list.A guest who was aboard a Quantum of the Seas cruise from Singapore noticed Royal Caribbean is now charging a daily fee for its chat feature.The app is free to download and use its core functionality, but the chat feature seems to be an add-on.Sail n Snow shared a photo from Royal … [Read more...]

Have you ever thought of celebrating a holiday like Christmas, or ringing in the new year, on a cruise ship?Royal Caribbean offers holiday sailings on its cruise ships where guests can celebrate the holidays onboard, and it is a tempting way to not only celebrate with family, but escape to warmer temperatures and enjoy a less stressful holiday.If you are considering planning a holiday cruise in … [Read more...]

The question everyone wants to know is when cruise ships will restart sailings, and in what capacity.Royal Caribbean has provided no firm restart plan in the United States, but Wall Street is just as eager as cruise fans to know when cruises might restart.The Cleveland Research Company (CRC) is independent research firm that released the results of a study of expectations for gradual cruise … [Read more...]

Don't expect an all-inclusive price on a Royal Caribbean cruise anytime soon.Royal Caribbean's sister company, Celebrity Cruises, recently announced it would shift towards more of an all-inclusive pricing structure and many cruise fans were curious if a similar change was coming to Royal Caribbean.Beginning November 17, 2020 all Celebrity Cruises sailings (except Galapagos cruises) will include … [Read more...]