I have a few items from our management progress report to pass along. They may not be as big of a deal as the impending arrival of Allure of the Seas but they are all a part of the continuous improvement of the Royal Caribbean International experience. In no particular order:
Now that the ability to book your next cruise while still onboard is an exclusive benefit for Crown & Anchor Society members, we want to make joining the Society as easy as possible. So we are rolling out complimentary Internet access for the purpose of allowing our guests to enroll in the Society via iCafe while they are onboard. Once they have joined, they are eligible to book onboard and take advantage of the onboard booking discount. This opportunity is available to first time cruisers as well as our repeat guests.
For our guests on European sailings who wish to remain onboard longer on departure day, you may sign up in advance of the cruise for our Late Departure Program. Sign up online under Shore and Land Excursions for the port of call where the cruise terminates.
In another variant of “I don’t want the vacation to end yet,” for guests on Oasis of the Seas who have time before their flight leaves, we are testing an Extended Stay program that allows the Oasis guests to store their luggage and enjoy a day in Hollywood, FL in and around the boardwalk. This opportunity encompasses shopping, dining, going to the beach, riding the trolley and/or relaxing at our hospitality center. This opportunity is also available as a shore excursion under the port of call, Ft. Lauderdale, for all guests sailing onboard Oasis of the Seas.
Returning to life onboard, we now accept bookings at our specialty restaurants for parties of 10 or fewer guests. Previously we only accepted bookings for parties of 6 or fewer. Of course this is based on availability at the time of booking.
If you should take us up on any of these new features, feel free to let us know what you think.
Are there going to be benefits for shareholders not connected with any booking discounts? As a diamond plus member of Crown and Anchor I find that any discounts are less than the diamond ones. Why do I want to keep holding my shares????I did get on board credit at one time.
Kathleen, thank you for being a Diamond Plus member of our Crown and Anchor Society. At this time, we offer these benefits for our shareholders http://bit.ly/cTYhA7. You can also see Adam’s blog that speaks specifically to your comment here: http://connect.royalcaribbean.com/connect/blog/?p=1533
Any chance of extending the extended stay program to the Allure as well? We will be on the Dec. 1 sailing.
Linda, we currently only offer the Extended Stay program for Oasis of the Seas, but will also offer the program for Allure of the Seas in the near future as well.
What a great idea for those who have late flights. Can you extend this to the cruises that leave out of San Juan? I am not a boat lover but do enjoy cruising and take the family at Christmas/New Years, however the calendar falls. Since I am the one with the seasickness problems, our friends and family all agree to leave out of San Juan. We have been cruising RC for 10 years now and love it, me included.Flying back to Chicago is always a bit tricky and are always looking for a place to have an extended stay, not necessarily a tour, etc. We’re on the Adventure over New Year’s, a group of 21 people and we are already in the countdown stage. Thank you for all that you do to make our cruising experience one that we never want to end. I always joke about, “I’m not ready to get off the ship, can I go around again?”
Sherie, thank you for the kind words and support. We’re so happy to hear that you have been cruising with Royal Caribbean for 10 years, that’s quite the accomplishment! The Extended Stay program is currently not available to cruises leaving out of San Juan, but is available in Ft. Lauderdale. Thank you for reserving your next cruise on Adventure of the Seas. We look forward to having you and your friends onboard with us.
When will the nursery become available on Freedom? We are dying to book our cruise. We will have our 6 month old son with us and as much as I love him, I’d like to have a few moments alone with my honey.
Lisa, congratulations – we’re excited that your son will be experiencing his first cruise onboard Freedom of the Seas. The nursery will be available in March.
royal caribbean truly is the best PROduct on the market. they have hit the Jackpot whEn it Comes To amazing Ships. their innovation and amazing ships are Undoubtedly a testament to the compaNy and what they Stand for. tHey always are the best and delIver the vacatioN of a lifEtime, everytime. i love royal caribbean and i can not wait to see what the future has in store in terms of new ships.
Bob, thank you so much for the kind words. We always strive towards delivering the WOW, and comments like yours let us know that our hard work is paying off.
My wife and I will be sailing on the Oasis of the Seas November6-13. I believe that Daylight Savings Time is November 6. I hope all passengers will be notified as to how that will affect our Sunday November 7 arrival in Nassau. Thank you
John, please keep to the ships time and if there is a change, all guests will be notified in the Cruise compass and onboard announcements.
The extended stay is a great customer service idea and I know many of my clients will enjoy yhe benefit. Are they allowed to have lunch in the Windjammer before they disembark? You and your team are always thinking of great ways to keep ahead of the competition.
Thomas, for Extended Stay, you may enjoy breakfast at Windjammer only before departing the ship.
Dear Adam: Extended Stay – what a terrific idea! Does this include keeping the bags (while we play just a little more) AND delivering them to the airport at the appropriate time? That would be just about perfect!
Anywho – would you please offer the program for the Allure, too? Love the new ships: Oasis 2010, Allure 2011.
Debbie, you’ll be pleased to hear we have Luggage Valet service! Guests can store up to 2 bags and pick them up at their departure terminal when their day is done. Luggage must be retrieved by 5:00pm at Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL). Guests are limited to checking in 2 pieces of luggage per person, additional pieces may be checked for a fee. Limited space is available for hand luggage at the Hospitality Center, we encourage you to check your bags at the pier. We are unable to take responsibility for lost of stolen items. We will also offer the Extended Stay program for Allure of the Seas in the near future.
Have a reservation on the transatlantic 2 May 2011 on the Navigator, also have 3 nites hotel made thru RCCL and transfer from RCCL for ship to hotel. How can I find out what time transfer is and if there would be time to extend our departure. Don’t want to get to the hotel prior to check in time. May have a luggage problem if we arrive to early.
Dennis, thank you for reserving the Navigator of the Seas for your next cruise. For additional information on transfer times, please consult your travel agent or our Reservations Department at 1-800-327-6700.
Let me just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE L-O-V-E Royal Caribbean. It is the perfect blend of fun for everyone, a great childrens program (which equals a great time for parents), fantastic entertainment, decadent food, great activities, great excursions, and service..well..in my opinon: hands down..it rocks-you got the creme’ de la creme’ when it comes to great staff whom provide fantastic service! If only that “extend” would extend to NEVER leaving the ship! We will be cruising on Serenade on May 7th-and May cant get here fast enough but once there, I dont think you will convince me to leave!
Lisa, we thank you for the very kind words. It is great to hear that you’ve had an all-around amazing time onboard. We hope you continue to enjoy our services and can’t wait to see you on Serenade of the Seas in May 2011.
I will be onboard on your ship Mariner of the Seas next February, departuring from Valparaíso (Chile) to Santos in Brazil, where I live. However, I live in Rio de Janeiro, the next city where your ship will be after departuring from Santos. So, I asked an allowance to remain onboard for more 24 hours to leave the ship in Rio de Janeiro, but your staff in São Paulo is denying on the behalf of bureaucratic reasons only. Of course that I want to pay for this extension, and I know that will be vacant cabins that only will be occupied in Rio, so it would be possible to remain onboard till Rio. Please, help me to get this extension, because I wouldn’t like to finish this fantastic cruise spending one day to go from Santos to home by land, when I have an amazing ship on my feet.
By the way, what I’m asking is something like your variant “I don’t want the vacation to end yet”. This way, I think is possible what I’m looking for.
Hi Paulo, The Mariner of the Seas voyage ends in Santos, and all guests must disembark, but you are welcome to book a cabin for the voyage from Santos, remain onboard an extra day, then disembark in Rio de Janeiro. If you choose to do so, our Revenue Management office, will decide if the entire 2nd voyage must be paid for or if it can be done on a pay-per-day basis. We hope this helps, and thanks for reaching out to us.
Hi Adam
57 days to come, and we are celebrating our 30 years
cruise # 100 with RCCl. We cant wait for that cruise
on Navigator from Rome to FL.
Of Course we have booked Explorer next year back to Europe. and back to back next fall with OASIS.
Thank you for all the best ships in the world
Bjorn & Gitte
Wow Bjorn, you have an exciting itinerary to look forward to. We are very pleased to hear Navigator of the Seas will be your 100th cruise with Royal Caribbean, congratulations!
Dear Adam.
Last week I had occasion to write you about a small problem I had encountered with regard to the single supplement. This morning I had a call from Bonnie, apologising for the misunderstanding and for giving me the wrong information. She has corrected all three of my November bookings.
My thanks to C&A ( and Bonnie) for the very speedy response. RCL really does care about keeping their passengers happy and in return I am staying Loyal to Royal.
We are delighted to hear that your issue is now resolved, Helen. We take pride in our customer relationships as our best efforts are put forth to ensure the complete satisfaction of our guests. We are looking forward to seeing you onboard soon.
Thank you for your suggestion Helen. We share a mutual understanding towards the tragedies concerning Haiti. We’ve taken your suggestion and passed it to the appropriate department for review.