Royal Caribbean gives US residents a tax holiday

Posted on 10 April, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean – giving US residents a five-day tax holiday

In a novel US tax season twist, Royal Caribbean International is letting travelers off the hook for cruise-related taxes and port fees. For five days only, from April 11 through 15, the line will pay the taxes, port charges and fees on new cruise bookings.

With Royal Caribbean’s ‘Tax-Free Holiday,’ US residents can save up to $200 per person when they book a six-night or longer Bahamas, Caribbean and roundtrip-Europe itinerary. The offer applies to sailings that depart April 15, 2015, through March 31, 2016, but does not include Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.

Starting April 11, details will be at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/TaxFree.

Serenade of the Seas Departs After Being Delayed From Water Pipe Bursting

Posted on 26 January, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

A broken water pipe shorting out an electric switchboard is being blamed for a partial power loss on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas.

Max Power, a passenger who is currently doing back to back to back cruises on the Serenade of the Seas, first reported of the incident on the Facebook group “Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society”. Heavy rain was first blamed for the switch board being shorted out but it is now being blamed on a broken water pipe above the theater according to Max.

The front of the ship was without power early on Saturday morning. Due to the damage from the broken water pipe, 400 passengers who were scheduled to board the ship in New Orleans today will not be able to board.

At least 175 passenger cabins are currently out of service. Passengers who had their cruise canceled will receive a full refund and a 100% credit towards a future cruise.

Royal Caribbean sent out the following text message to passengers who were to board the Serenade of the Seas today:

Urgent Notification: Serenade of the Seas Check-In Update

Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International. We would like to provide you and update regarding your sailing today onboard Serenade of the Seas out of New Orleans. The U.S. Coast Guard is currently onboard inspecting the ship. We are waiting for authorization from the Coast Guard to begin boarding. Because the cruise terminal in New Orleans is very limited in space, we ask that guest explore the local area until we can being boarding. We will contact you again once we have received permission to being the boarding process. We appreciate your patience and understanding, ad we look forward to welcoming you aboard.

An hour later, another text message was sent by Royal Caribbean letting passengers know that the U.S. Coast Guard had given them permission to begin the boarding process.

The Serenade of the Seas will now spend the night in New Orleans while crew members repair the damage. The ship was scheduled to leave this afternoon on a 7 night cruise to the Bahamas and Key West, Florida.

Update: The Serenade of the Seas left New Orleans early Sunday afternoon and will sail a shortened six night cruise to the Bahamas. Passengers who had their cruise canceled will receive a full refund and a future cruise certificate equal to their cruise fare.

There’ll be booze in the blender on Norwegian Escape

Posted on 8 December, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

By Tom Stieghorst

Singer Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant will make its cruise debut on Norwegian Escape as part of an exclusive deal, Norwegian Cruise Line said.

Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan made the announcement at a company rally in Miami where Buffet entertained employees.

In a news release, Norwegian said its exclusive partnership with Margaritaville Holdings extends to Norwegian’s island destinations, including the new Harvest Caye in Belize and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, as well as other ships in the fleet.

There are currently over a dozen Margaritaville locations in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, including one at the Grand Turk Cruise Center developed by Carnival Corp.