Tag Archives: Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas Arrives in Port Canaveral

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Following a full summer program in Europe, Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas is debuting in Port Canaveral today.

Returning to the United States after first debuting in March, the Royal Caribbean International vessel is wrapping up a 14-night trans-Atlantic.

Ahead of its first complete season in the Caribbean, the two-week repositioning cruise sailed from Barcelona. It included visits to four additional ports in Spain: Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Cartagena and Malaga.

Before arriving in Florida, the vessel also paid a visit to Nassau, the Bahamas.

Now set to sail from Port Canaveral on a weekly basis, the Oasis-Class ship will offer a year-round schedule of cruises to both the Western and Eastern Caribbean.

For its first sailing from Central Florida, the Wonder offers a seven-night itinerary to the Eastern Caribbean.

In addition to three full days at sea, the voyage features visits to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

A highlight of the deployment, the Royal Caribbean International private island in the Bahamas is set to be featured on most of Wonder’s cruises.

Other destinations set to be visited by the 5,448-guest ship include Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatán, Labadee, San Juan, Falmouth and more.

Built-in 2022, the Wonder is the latest vessel in the company’s Oasis Class and debuted as the world’s largest cruise ship.

Following the 2009-built Oasis of the Seas, the 2010-built Allure of the Seas, the 2016-built Harmony of the Seas and the 2018-built Symphony of the Seas, the vessel debuted new features, such as a lineup of more than 20 dining venues that include the all-new The Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar.

With a menu of Southern staples and new twists on classics, the venue offers live music, a collection of more than a dozen American whiskey and more.

Completing the ship series, a sixth Oasis-Class vessel, the Utopia of the Seas, is set to debut in 2024.

Royal Caribbean Opens New Cruise Terminal in Galveston

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Royal Caribbean Group’s new cruise terminal in the Port of Galveston is officially open, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the new facility on Wednesday morning with the Allure of the Seas docked in the port.

Generating 100 per cent of its needed energy through on-site solar panels, the 161,334-square-foot facility is set to become the first in Texas to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Marking the arrival of the Oasis class to Texas, the vessel departed from its new homeport for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.  

Launching a series of Western Caribbean cruises departing from Galveston, the Royal Caribbean International ship is sailing on a promotional short cruise before kicking off a schedule of week-long cruises to Mexico and Honduras next Sunday.

The program features a regular itinerary that includes visits to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatán.

One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the Allure of the Seas has a capacity for over 5,400 guests.

Following the Oasis of the Seas, the 220,000-ton vessel introduced a groundbreaking design that is highlighted by features such as Central Park, a park with real plants, surrounded by shops and restaurants. 

The 2010-built vessel also has its public areas divided in seven different neighbourhoods, each one of them having a different appeal. The BoardWalk, for instance, was inspired by a seaside pier and features a carousel, and carnival games, in addition to retail outlets and eateries.

With its new terminal in Galveston, the Royal Caribbean Group will be able to accommodate up to 630,000 guests in the port per year.

The $125 million project saw construction started in 2021 and is a collaboration between Royal Caribbean International, Ceres Terminal Holdings, LLC and Galveston Wharves.

In addition to the Allure, a second Royal Caribbean International vessel, the Adventure of the Seas, is set to offer cruises from Galveston during the 2022-2023 season.

In November 2023, the Harmony of the Seas is set to take over Allure’s program, offering similar week-long itineraries in the region.

Royal Caribbean Ends Pre-Covid Testing for all Guests

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Independence of the Seas in Southampton, photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Royal Caribbean has become the latest line to simplify its Covid-19 protocols as restrictions on travel continue to ease around the world.

Guests will no longer have to test for Covid-19 prior to departure, regardless of their vaccination status – except for where testing is required by local law.

The changes, which came into effect on Wednesday (2 November), come after the line scrapped testing on sailings of five days or less in August.

A spokesperson for the line said: “The cruise line’s additional layers of health and safety measures exceed other vacation experiences, including the routine monitoring and vaccination of all crew members and keeping them up to date with boosters when they are eligible, enhanced testing and treatment capabilities in our onboard medical facilities, and more.”