Tagged: royal-caribbean

Royal Caribbean Increases the Daily Fee Used to Tip Staff

For the third time in three years, Royal Caribbean Cruises is hiking up its "automatic gratuity"—the term for the service fee that lines recommend each passenger pays per day during a…

In Spite of the President's Confusing Cuba Policy, Three Major Cruise Lines Persevere in Offering Brief and Superficial Visits

There remains plenty of cruise ship capacity to Cuba for your own next holiday trip. Provided you’re willing to confine the experience to the city of Havana, you’ll find well-priced…

Trump's Impact on Travel, Royal Caribbean's New Tour Site, and Passover on the Road: Today's Travel Briefing

MARCH 30, 2017 — Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's travel marketers, tour operators, and vacation hotspots. * INTEREST IN TRAVEL TO U.S. DOWN OVERALL—BUT UP…

Will He or Won't He? Trump Has Not Withdrawn His Threat to Forbid Travel to Cuba

December 14, 2016In perhaps the biggest current travel news, Cuba has authorized six large and medium-sized American cruise ships to operate multiple cruises to Havana, Cienfuegos,…

TSA Fights Holiday Airport Lines, Major Cruise Lines to Begin Sailing to Cuba, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's cruise ships, airports, and tourism boards. * ROYAL CARIBBEAN AND NORWEGIAN CLEARED TO BEGIN CRUISING TO CUBA (USA…

Wonder of the Seas Review: One of the World's Biggest Cruise Ships

The inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship was my inaugural sailing, too. Though I had been on a ferry or two and the occasional water taxi, I had never before set…

How to Pick the Best Cruise for You

With cruises, your choice of a ship can make or break the vacation. But many times that decision has as much to do with who you are as a person—and who you will be traveling with—as it…

Gigantic Cruise Ships Need a Different Approach

(photo: Royal Caribbean)The constant growth in the size of cruise ships—of which some now carry 6,000 passengers—has forced the cruise lines (and not simply the cruise…

Tourism and Terror: Today's Travel Briefing

Here's what's happening today in the world of travel.* INTEREST IN TRAVEL INSURANCE SURGES FOLLOWING TERROR ATTACKS (New York Times). Experts in the travel insurance industry say that…

Rising Fees Ahoy! New Gotchas From the Cruise Industry

It’s been a rough winter for the cruise industry. One of its most celebrated newer vessels was tossed around like a cork in a Jacuzzi by a major storm, and then had to return early…

How to Complain to Royal Caribbean

October 3, 2015 Report your issue or complaint with Royal Caribbean by contacting its Post Cruise Guest Relations department. Call 800/256-6649 (514/285-9723 for outside the U.S.). If…

A La Carte Cruise Pricing To Become Even More A La Carte, At Least on Norwegian Cruise Lines

Start boning up on your math. You're going to need those calculating skills to determine which cruise vacation will now have the overall highest costs.I reported last week that…

Royal Caribbean's Newest Twist: RFID Bracelets Tracking Every Guest and Making Arrangements Quicker

RFID bracelets are officially the mark of a mass-market vacation. Walt Disney World was the biggest player to introduce its MagicBands earlier this year. MagicBands help guests…

It's Deal Season! These Cruises Are Less than $100 a night—Plus Some Summer Booking Promotions

The Grand Princess. Credit: Princess CruisesEvery month, we ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to tell us about the best bargains in cruises at the moment. Here's what…

Nickel and Diming at Sea: Extra Charges for On-Board Entertainment

There have been times I've felt that someone should be paying me for sitting through the shows that pass for entertainment onboard some cruise lines. That being said, cruise ship…

These Upcoming Cruises are Selling from $65 a Night

Periodically, we ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to fill us in on the best bargains in cruises at the moment. Here's what they suggested, where to book them, and…

Two Transatlantic Cruises for Less than $100 a Night, Plus 5 More Hot Deals

The SeaWalk on the new Royal Princess, sailing to Europe in AprilPeriodically, we ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to fill us in on the best bargains in cruises at the…

Pay $56 a Night to Cruise from L.A. to Japan via Hawaii! Plus 5 More Cruise Deals That Won't Last Long

Princess Cruises' Sapphire PrincessOnce again, we asked the folks at AllThingsCruise.com to fill us in on the best bargains in cruises at the moment. Here's what they…

Some Changes, Large and Small, That Will Confront Travelers in 2014

As the recession continues to fade (and that’s a “finger’s crossed” statement), travel companies of all stripes are coming out with new offerings. And more folks are hitting the…

A Nightmarish Incident on a Recent Cruise May Cause Vacationers to Rethink Buying Insurance Directly from the Cruise Line

By now, you likely have heard the story of elderly couple who were put off an Azamara Cruise ship in a small town in Turkey, when the 89-year-old husband fell and broke his hip.…

Another Cruise Line Extinguishes Smoking on Stateroom Balconies, and Good Riddance

USA Today reports that Disney is the latest cruise line to ban smoking on its stateroom balconies, joining Celebrity, Princess, Oceania, and Crystal.I'm all for the ban. Not…

The Ever-Growing Popularity of Multi-Generational Travel

Few organizations are as savvy as Disney when it comes to anticipating travel trends. So when its tour arm, Adventures By Disney, announced that it would be offering its first tours…

Royal Caribbean Now Offers 110 Percent Price Guarantee if You Find Cheaper Airfare Elsewhere

Buying your airline tickets to meet the start of a cruise has always been a bit of a losing proposition. Booking through the cruise line is often the only way to ensure that if your…

Haven't Booked a Summer Cruise Yet? That May Work In Your Favor This Year

During “Wave Season” this year, a tsunami hit.Let me translate. “Wave Season” is the period from January from March during which  the cruise lines try to pin down the majority of…

Travel Troubleshooter: Dead Passengers Can't Use a Flight Credit

David Walters' wife passes away before they can fly from Dallas to Midland, Texas. But when he asks his online travel agency for a refund, it refuses, saying the airline will only…