Thursday, March 28, 2024

Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships Newest To Oldest

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Which Is The Next Royal Caribbean Ship To Launch

Two Royal Caribbean cruise ships depart from Port Canaveral for first time

Royal Caribbeans next ship will be Icon of the Seas which will launch in late 2023. This will be the first in a new class of cruise ship for Royal Caribbean. The ship wont be as large as the Oasis-class ships, but we can expect some exciting new features on board this state-of-the-art LNG-powered vessel.

In 2024, Royal Caribbean will launch a sixth Oasis-class ship by the name of Utopia of the Seas. Its expected that this will become the new biggest cruise ship in the world when she sets sail in May 2024.

Shore Excursions Cancellation Policy

On June 15, 2017, Royal Caribbean International implemented a new “Shore Excursions Cancellation Policy” fleetwide. The new policy transitions from 1 day / 24-hour prior to land tour departure date to 48-hours prior to cruise port arrival date.

  • Shore Excursions can be modified/changed or canceled up to 2 days / 48 hours prior to seaport arrival date without any penalty.
  • Land Tours that involve travel by air/flights , trains, also special/themed events, overnight hotel stays and Private Journeys must be canceled 30 days prior to cruise departure date to avoid cancellation fees/penalties.
  • In the event a land tour is canceled 48-hours prior to seaport arrival date, a full refund is provided to the passenger’s onboard account.

At the end of March 2017, RCCL corporation launched its own land tour travel website – GoBe.com. The website is non-cruise travel-related and allows international travelers to book tours and excursions in 97 countries and 896 cities worldwide.

  • As of 2017, tour prices ranged from USD 14 to USD 3,785 .
  • The new website is managed by Larry Pimentel (RCCL’s Chief Destination Officer, also Azamara Club’s President and CEO. The website provides full tour information, including duration, activity level, languages, etc.
  • Optional custom itinerary planning is also offered.

RCI fly-cruise packages are via the company’s Air2Sea program.

What Are The Main Differences Between Viking Ships

There are a few small differences between Viking Ocean ships that you wont find on the deck plans.

The artwork and decor will be slightly different from ship to ship.

Only certain Viking ships have a planetarium onboard, called the Explorers Dome. This is only featured on:

  • Viking Orion
  • Viking Jupiter

The planetarium is located on the upper level of the Explorers Lounge on Deck 8 and offers passengers the chance to watch panoramic films of space and Earth in 2D and 3D.

The first few Viking ocean ships also have outdoor gym equipment on on the Sports Deck .

The advantage to Viking ships being identical is that once youve cruised on one ship, you dont need to learn a new layout and get your bearings on your next cruise. This leaves more time to enjoy yourself and focus on the destinations on the itinerary.

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Rci Cruise Cancellation Policy

Starting April 18, 2018, Royal Caribbean passengers who want to cancel an upcoming cruise without penalty have to do so farther out from the departure date than before. The new RCI cruise cancellation policy simplifies the penalty fee schedule by reducing the number of itinerary categories from 5 to 2: those of 1 to 4 nights and those 5 nights or longer.

The previous time when RCI updated its cancellation policy was on March 7, 2016.

Hideaway Beach At Perfect Day At Cococay

First Look at the Newest Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

Hideaway Beach, an adults-only area of Perfect Day at CocoCay, is currently being constructed and set to open in mid to late 2023. The islands capacity is predicted to increase by 2,000 – 3,000 guests following the completion of Hideaway Beach.

The beach is located to the west of the islands pier, adjacent to CocoCays Thrill Waterpark. The western side of the island is still undeveloped aside from storage and housing for some crew members, so this is the first project to expand Perfect Day at CocoCay on that side of the island.

Most details about Hideaway Beach are still unknown, including whether or not the beach will be complimentary and what facilities will be located at Hideaway Beach.

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Royal Caribbean Cruises To Cuba From Florida

Royal Caribbean operated Cuba cruises with the Miami-homeported ship Empress of the Seas. The first Cuban cruise was on April 19, 2017 .

The newly-refreshed Empress OTS had scheduled a total of 58 voyages in the period January 2018 through March 2019, with more than half offering overnights in havana. Empress was homeported in Tampa for summer 2018, for 4- and 5-night itineraries to Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Havana . For the winter 2018-2019 season, the ship repositioned to Port Everglades .

On December 1, 2017, RCI added 2 new Cuban ports included in 4- to 8-night long Caribbean itineraries on Empress of the Seas. The new 7-night “Best of Cuba” itinerary from Miami visits Cienfuegos, Havana, and Nassau. The 5-night itinerary visits Key West Florida and Havana . The 8-night itinerary visits Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, Grand Cayman Island, and Labadee Haiti.

Majesty of the Seas offered 4- and 5-night itineraries to Havana leaving roundtrip from Tampa and from Fort Lauderdale . In July 2017, RCI unveiled the company’s 2nd ship to Cuba – Majesty OTS, homeported in Port Canaveral. Starting March 25, 2019, the liner offered a 4-night voyage calling at Havana.

Alaska Airlines offers regular nonstop flights to Havana from Los Angeles . An 80-min ling JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to Havana costs less than USD 100. Previously, air travel from the USA to Cuba was thought charter flights only.

Royal Caribbean Oldest And Youngest Ships

Many cruisers will scroll to the very top or the very bottom of the chart. Maybe they want the freshest ship off the line. Or, perhaps they just want to avoid sailing the most ancient of the fleet. Either way, here are the most common two questions ask from potential Royal Caribbean cruisers.

What is Royal Caribbeans newest cruise ship? Royal Caribbean’s newest active ship is the Odyssey of the Seas, launched in December, 2021. She currently sails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The next ship to be released will be the Wonder of the Seas in March 2022 followed by the Icon of the Seas in 2023. See details on each below.

What is Royal Caribbeans oldest ship? Royal Caribbean’s oldest cruise ship, which is still active today, is the Grandeur of the Seas. It was launched in 1996 and currently offers departures form Barbados, Miami and Galveston.

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Royal Caribbean Ships By Age Newest To Oldest 2022

Booking a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation offers so many diverse choices. Choosing the right family cruise ship for your cruise depends on so many factors. Where you intend to sail, whats on your itinerary wish list? Or are you lead by the best cruise deal, or cruise ship. We fit between all brackets depending on the trip, however for us the ship is a huge factor. Thus we thought it a great idea to share all of the Royal Caribbean Ships By Age And Passengers Newest To Oldest.

This may help with booking decisions if you love a swanky new ship with all the facilities. Or alternatively a more intimate cruise experience on a never ship.

Navigating large cruise ships can be daunting at first, however in our experience it doesnt take too long to acclimatise yourself and where everything is onboard. We have also shared Easy Ways To Remember Port And Starboard recently which is a really useful guide to get your head around navigating your cruise ship and Royal Caribbean Ships By Class

What You Will Find On This Page

Royal Caribbean Ships Frequently Asked Questions

Royal Caribbean returns after simulated cruise

What are Royal Caribbeans newest ships?

The latest ships to launch in the Royal Caribbean fleet are Wonder of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas

What is the biggest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet?

The biggest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet currently is Wonder of the Seas.

How many Royal Caribbean ships are there?

There are currently 26 ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. With a further 4 ships on order.

Which Royal Caribbean ship is the most fun?

That would depend on your definition of fun! However, the Oasis-class ships offer the most facilities at sea because they are bigger and have more activities on them.

What is the smallest Royal Caribbean ship?

Grandeur of the Seas is the smallest Royal Caribbean ship in the fleet.

What is the oldest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet?

The oldest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet is Grandeur of the Seas which launched back in 1996.

What is the biggest cruise ship in the world?

Wonder of the Seas is currently the worlds biggest cruise ship at 236,857 GRT.

Which ship is bigger, Oasis or Anthem?

Oasis of the Seas is the bigger of the two ships. She is an Oasis-class ship whereas Anthem of the Seas is a Quantum-class ship, which is smaller.

Does Royal Caribbean own Silversea?

Yes. Royal Caribbean acquired Silversea in July 2018. Before then it was a family-owned cruise line.

Is the Titanic bigger than a cruise ship?

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Rci Cruise Ships Classes

RCI’s fleet has vessels in the following classes:

  • Note: All vessels have an Outdoor Movie Theater , Solarium , Aqua Park, Rock Climbing Wall, FlowRider , 3D Cinema, Virtual Balcony Staterooms.
  • “Oasis Class” ships feature Neighborhoods, AquaTheater, 3D Movies, Waterslides , Zip Line, 2 FlowRiders, 2 Climbing Walls, Carousel, Ice-Skating Rink, Loft Suites .
  • “Icon Class” is a new design vessel with GT ~200K tons and passenger capacity 5000 .
  • “Quantum Class” and “Quantum Ultra Class” ships feature North Star , RipCord , Seaplex , Two70 Lounge , Loft Suites, Music Hall .
  • “Freedom Class” feature Ice-Skating Rink, Royal Promenade .
  • “Radiance Class” feature Glass Elevators, Gyroscopic Self-Leveling Pool Tables, Mini-Golf Course.
  • “Vision Class” ships is the fleet’s oldest, excepting only the “Sovereign Class” ships Majesty and Empress.

The Voyager-class, Freedom-class, and Oasis-class vessels have Royal Promenade. It is a centerline promenade in a multi-deck Atrium with a pedestrian area lined with restaurants and shops. At night, the Royal Promenade turns into an entertainment venue hosting live parades and dance parties. Royal Promenade’s upper levels have “Promenade Staterooms” . Next aerial photo shows a Voyager-class cruise ship .

Next aerial photo shows an Oasis-class cruise ship as looked from above.

Next is shown a Quantum-class ship as looked from above.

Lifeguards On Rci Ships

Since 2017, all RCI ships have onboard licensed lifeguards by the line’s “water safety program”, implemented fleetwide. By the new program, water safety signs are placed throughout the ship.

Ship’s lifeguards are dressed in special uniforms and stationed at every swimming pool, including the Solarium during the complex’s opening hours. All Royal Caribbean lifeguards are trained through the RCI’s partnership with StarGuard Elite .

  • The water safety program includes a 15-min presentation . The instruction is for by both kids and parents and held during Adventure Ocean’s open-house session.
  • Swim vests for all kids are readily available. Additional signage is added around swimming pool areas and in all cabins to encourage parents to use them.
  • Kids under 12 require a parent or guardian to be present when swimming in any of the cruise ship’s pools.

RCI’s water safety program was rolled out fleetwide in 2017 . Follows the list of all RCI ships and the itinerary dates when each ship implemented the new lifeguard service.

The news made RCI the 2nd major cruise company with shipboard lifeguards – following DCL-Disney and followed by NCL-Norwegian starting with NCL’s 4 largest vessels and employing onboard lifeguards fleetwide by 2018.

Shipboard poolside activities vary, but some of the common ones include watching movies , playing bingo, hosting fun competitions, games, classes .

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New Internet Packages Cost

RCI’s ship internet offering was revamped from only one plan into different per day packages with pricing based on the number of included devices. Two new packages are currently available for booking:

  • Note: All below listed unlimited Internet package prices are “Cruise Planner” booking rates and include the 30% pre-cruise booking discount. Packages can be purchased onboard and also pre-purchased via RCI’s “Cruise Planner” booking system.
  • “Voom Surf Voyage” is the “light package” providing high-speed Internet for general web browsing, e-mails and social media platforms . The “Voom Surf Voyage” Internet package cost depends on the number of mobile devices using it. “Voom Surf” pricing is as follows: $13 , $12 , $10 and $20 .
  • “Voom Surf + Stream” is the “real deal”, offering unlimited Internet activities, including high-speed video streaming . The “Voom Surf + Stream” Internet package cost also depends on the number of mobile devices included. Voom Surf + Stream pricing is as follows: $18 , $16 , $14 and $28 .

Occasionally, Royal Caribbean offers VOOM package discounts for passengers with pre-purchased online internet packages. Discounts are also offered for Royal Caribbean loyalty program members when the VOOM package is purchased onboard.

Royal Caribbean Ships By Age Newest To Oldest At A Glance

Royal Caribbean Ships Newest to Oldest
  • Utopia of the Seas, due 2024
  • Icon of the Seas due 2023
  • Wonder of the Seas, 2022
  • Odyssey of the Seas, 2021
  • Spectrum of the Seas 2019
  • Symphony of the Seas, 2018
  • Harmony of the Seas, 2016
  • Ovation of the Seas, 2016
  • Anthem of the Seas, 2015
  • Quantum of the Seas, 2014
  • Allure of the Seas, 2010
  • Oasis of the Seas, 2009
  • Independence of the Seas, 2008
  • Liberty of the Seas, 2007
  • Freedom of the Seas, 2006
  • Jewel of the Seas, 2004
  • Serenade of the Seas, 2003
  • Navigator of the Seas, 2002
  • Brilliance 2002
  • Adventure of the Seas, 2001
  • Radiance of the Seas, 2001
  • Explorer of the Seas, 2000
  • Voyager of the Seas, 1999
  • Vision of the Seas, 1998
  • Enchantment of the Seas, 1997
  • Rhapsody of the Seas, 1997
  • Grandeur of the Seas, 1996

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List Of Royal Caribbean Ships By Age

While older vessels are refurbished every three to five years, youll find a very different experience on a new ship compared to one over a decade old. Newer ships offer better technology, facilities, activities, and updated decor.

Whether you are looking for an exciting cruise on the newest ship, or a laid-back vacation on an older vessel, this list will help you choose the right ship for your cruise vacation.

The following table shows Royal Caribbean ships by age, from the newest ship to the oldest:

Ship Name
1996

Icon Of The Seas 2023

The launch of Royal Caribbeans newest ship, Icon of the Seas, towards the end of 2023 will be incredibly exciting because this ship will be in a brand new class Icon Class.

Royal Caribbeans ships are grouped into seven classes, and this eighth class of ship is set to be more innovative than any other ship thats gone before.

Icon of the Seas will feature adrenaline-pumping thrills, next-level entertainment and unrivalled water experiences. But as yet, Royal Caribbean is remaining tight-lipped about exactly what those will be.

One thing that we do know, is that Icon of the Seas will be the first LNG-powered ship for Royal Caribbean, making use of this cleaner alternative to diesel.

Although shell be the newest Royal Caribbean ship in 2023, Icon of the Seas wont be the largest. The new Icon-class ships are set to be around 13% smaller than Oasis-class ships. Icon of the Seas will accommodate 5,650 guests at double occupancy and have a gross tonnage of 200,000 GT.

The construction of Icon of the Seas began on 26th May 2021 at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is expected to take around two and a half years.

You cant book a cruise on Icon of the Seas just yet, but you can expect places on the first voyages to fill up quickly once this eagerly-awaited new ship goes on sale.

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Which Royal Caribbean Ship Is The Newest

Wonder of the Seas is not only the biggest but she is also the news ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. She set sail for her maiden voyage on the 4th of March 2022. She wont be the newest ship on the block for long, though. Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas will be joining the fleet in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Projects On Hold Or Abandoned

Royal Caribbean gears up for cruises from Florida starting in July

The public is at the mercy of Royal Caribbean to give updates on projects, or for there to be statements made as a matter of public record, to get a sense of any progress.

Many projects were announced before 2020 that are at best on hold, or perhaps even canceled. These are projects and ideas Royal Caribbean announced at one time, but there has not been an update in quite some time.

The Royal Amplified program, which upgrades Oasis, Freedom, and Voyager Class ships, has been on hold since the start of the pandemic. Ships like Allure of the Seas, which was due for amplification in 2020, do not have any enhancements scheduled.

In addition, the Royal Beach Club in Antigua, which was originally supposed to be finished by 2021, appears to be on hold. While Royal Caribbean still plans to build a Royal Beach Club there, their priority is to finalize the Royal Beach Club in Nassau first.

Likewise, there have not been any new updates on a Perfect Day makeover for Labadee.

Lastly, while Royal Caribbean originally planned to purchase the Grand Lucayan Resort in Freeport, Bahamas, the sale was determined, as stated by Bahamian administration, to not be in the best interest of the Bahamian people.

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