Royal Caribbean

This week Royal Caribbean officially announced that self-service buffets will be coming back to their cruise ships.

As first reported by RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com, beginning with cruises departing on, and after, April 2nd 2022, passengers will now be able to serve themselves at buffet locations onboard Royal Caribbean ships.

Prior to this announcement, guests had been served by crew members while eating at buffet locations.

Royal Caribbean International’s newest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas has undergone a crucial next-step in being ready for its first sailings of 2023.

The Icon of the Seas has finished its ceremonial keel-laying, an important maritime tradition for new vessels, which includes the use of a 3,000-ton crane to lift a massive steel block that is placed into the ship’s building dock.

One of the largest mainstream cruise lines in the world is Royal Caribbean, and they are known for their ships packed full of WOW factors and onboard thrills, from surfing and skydiving simulators to ice skating rinks, zip lines, rock walls, waterslides, and jaw-dropping Broadway-style musicals. 

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class of ships continues to break records with bigger and better ships, appealing to cruisers of all ages.

Whether it be the traditional buffet or upscale dining, relaxing by the pool, rock climbing a 43-foot wall, enjoying a Broadway-style show, listening to jazz music, or testing your luck in the casino, there is a dizzying array of ways to enjoy a vacation onboard one of their five different ships. 

Two cruise lines announced they will change vaccination policies to meet the new rules announced by The Bahamas.

Last week, The Bahamas announced it will require all cruise lines visiting any port, including private islands, to ensure all guests above the age of 12 be fully vaccinated.

Since that announcement, Royal Caribbean and Carnival both announced new changes to their vaccine policies for guests.

The cruise industry's restart has so been slow and steady, and while there have been positive Covid-19 cases on ships sailing from the United States, the numbers have been limited and contained quickly.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley posted on Facebook an update about the low numbers of Covid cases among passengers, providing an honest take on how many cruisers are testing positive for Covid-19 on ships.

There are 13 ships sailing again, and the fleet is averaging around one or two passengers a week on ships with over 1,000 people.

Royal Caribbean is one of the few major cruise lines to do test cruises as a prerequisite to restarting cruise ship sailings from the United States.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires cruise lines that do not mandate at least 95% of its guests be fully vaccinated to complete a test cruise for each of its ships in order to receive permission to sail again.

I have been lucky enough to go on two of Royal Caribbean's test cruises. One on Mariner of the Seas and the other on Allure of the Seas.

Flush from its successful U.S. cruise restart, Royal Caribbean has announced that all of its 26 ships will be sailing with passengers by spring 2022. Yesterday, the line revealed return-to-cruise plans for 13 ships, including fan-favorite Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean has added a new requirement for passengers to bring a negative Covid-19 test result to the cruise terminal on U.S. cruises longer at least 5-nights in length.

Regardless of vaccination status, all guests over the age of 2 sailing with Royal Caribbean for all sailings five nights or longer will need to bring provide proof of negative COVID-19 test at embarkation.

The cruise line will accept a PCR or antigen test.