Royal Caribbean International Trimming Housekeeping Services

Royal Caribbean International Trimming Housekeeping Services

Royal Caribbean International is adjusting the housekeeping services onboard its fleet. According to different passenger forums on the internet, several ships have seen a reduction in how many times a cabin is serviced per day.

“In an effort to be more sustainable and to align with global hospitality trends, we will be adjusting our stateroom services to one per day,” the company said in a daily cruise program onboard one of the ships that saw the change.

According to the document, passengers are welcome to work with their housekeeping staff to ensure their needs are met. It’s understood that guests are able to select whether they prefer morning or evening service in their staterooms.

While most cabin categories are set to move to the new service schedule, Junior Suites and above will maintain two services per day, the message added.

The change has been spotted in different ships, including the Quantum of the Seas, the Spectrum of the Seas, the Independence of the Seas, the Ovation of the Seas and the Harmony of the Seas.

It’s unknown whether the service reduction will be applied to Royal Caribbean’s 26-ship fleet.

In 2022, Norwegian Cruise Line also moved its stateroom cleaning services to a once-a-day basis for select cabin categories. According to a letter sent to the crew at the time, the change aimed at consolidating crew roles while saving energy and water.

Other cruise lines that have moved to a once-a-day cabin service include Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and more.

Royal Caribbean Now Offering Crew Shore Leave in Caribbean Ports

Royal Caribbean Now Offering Crew Shore Leave in Caribbean Ports

Royal Caribbean International is now offering shore leave in select Caribbean ports to the crew, according to a letter sent to crew onboard ships selected to trial the program.

According to the letter, the program will run from April 8 through April 22 on six ships, believed to be the Odyssey, Freedom, Harmony, Navigator, Liberty and Grandeur of the Seas.

The company will allow 150 crew to disembark in the ports, which for the crew aboard the Odyssey, for example, include Curacao, Aruba, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

Advanced sign up is required through a crew member's manager.

Crew members must be up to date with vaccinations and a booster (if eligible), the company said. Masks are required while indoors or inside transportation and masks and crew members are recommended to follow social distancing guidelines.

The company said it will continue its bubble tours for the crew, which it is said to be offering globally.

A review of the crew shore leave trial program will be conducted later this month to "confirm continuity of the program in Caribbean Ports of Call."

New Royal Caribbean Ship Leaves on Sea Trials

The wonder of the Seas Royals 5th Oasis Class cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean International's new Wonder of the Seas has departed on sea trials from Chantiers de l'Atlantique where she is under construction.

The Oasis-class ship will now spend a few days at sea, testing systems and performance with teams from the shipyard, vendors, class society and other stakeholders aboard. 

Originally set to debut this year, the Wonder will now enter the cruise market in 2022 and become the biggest cruise ship in the world, and the fifth Oasis-class ship in service after the Oasis, Allure, Harmony and Symphony of the Seas.

The ship is being deployed to China and will be the first Oasis-class ship to sail in Asia. She could arrive in the market as soon as spring 2022 should those plans hold. 

Royal Caribbean: Cash Flow Positive in Six Months

Independence of the seas photo credit Dave Jones 

The Royal Caribbean Group expects to be cash-flow positive in about six months, Jason Liberty, senior vice president and CFO, said on the company's Q2 earnings call.

Liberty noted that the third and fourth quarters of this year will continue to be “painful” and cautioned that 2022 will not be a normal year although trends to normalcy should be picking up during the year.

Going from four ships in service at the end of April, the group now has 29 out of 68 ships sailing and will introduce seven more this month.

By the end of the year, Liberty said, 85 per cent of the Royal Caribbean fleet should be sailing.

As for the newbuilds, Liberty said they will be introduced on 10-month delays from when they originally were expected to enter service.

Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, noted how Royal Caribbean is focused on operating their cruises safely and safer than other vacation alternatives, while still exceeding pre-pandemic guest expectations, and doing so in a fiscally prudent manner.

He underscored that their safety protocols are working and that the ships allow them to control the environment to an unusual extent: 100 per cent of the crew is vaccinated, and in July, 92 per cent of the passengers were vaccinated.

“We have had people test positive, but since people around them have been vaccinated, it means these have been isolated cases,” Fain said. “The vaccines are the ultimate weapon and they work.

“In light of the Delta variant, we have strengthened our protocols further.

“Cruises have become the example of how best to deal with COVID-19,” Fain added.