Crown and Anchor Society

The Passion of Cruising: A Special Guest Blog by Royal’s Leading Cruiser, Mario Salcedo

Introduction by Lillian Murphy, Vice President of One-to-One Marketing

What if cruising was more than your favorite vacation – what if it was your way of life? For our top cruiser, Mario Salcedo, Royal Caribbean’s ships are home and the crew is family. Mario is our most frequent guest, with over 2,800 Crown & Anchor Society cruise points earned, and 120 more voyages booked through 2012. Here’s his story.

It was a simple question – “Can you remember your first cruise”? , a guest once asked me. “Of course I can, it was the best cruise of my life,” I replied … at that moment in time, that is.

Upon completing my first cruise back in the mid 90’s I knew there were more to come but I could never imagine cruising would become a way of life for me in the future.

Hi, I’m Mario Salcedo, an addicted “frequent floater” and true loyal to Royal. I’ve been called many things - a cruise rat, a cruise hound, a cruise freak, the George Clooney of cruising, among others. My friends onboard just call me “Super Mario.” But it wasn’t always that way.

I’ve lived in Miami, Florida since childhood. My parents were forced to leave Cuba in the early 60’s seeking freedom from a brutal dictatorship and a chance at a second life. Soon after, we became proud naturalized citizens of the US. I love the United States and especially Miami, where I initially developed a passion for the ocean.

As a student I earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in finance and economics at top notch universities and entered the corporate world to pursue a career in international financial management in Latin America and the Caribbean region. My job required extensive travel to many of the Caribbean islands. It was during these visits that I encountered up close these magnificent cruise ships. I decided that cruising in the Caribbean was something I eventually had to do.

When the opportunity came, I took my first cruise (not on Royal Caribbean!). My life was changed instantaneously. I came to the conclusion that cruising was not only the perfect vacation but the perfect lifestyle.

But how to make it happen when one is immersed in the 9 to 5 work routine? I had to disrupt and redesign my life. On my 48th birthday, I decided to leave the corporate world, start a small and simple to manage financial venture which would provide cash flow, and booked 6 back-to-back cruises. I sampled every major cruise, every type of ship, many itineraries, with absolutely no loyalty towards any particular cruise line.

At the turn of the new millennium my emerging cruising career was about to be redefined. The Voyager of the Seas just came out and I sailed her. She was the grandest and most innovative ship afloat at the time. She left me breathless! I had found the perfect ship and the perfect cruise line!

Then, the Explorer, the Adventure and the Navigator were sequentially introduced. I became emotionally attached to Navigator and sailed her every other week up until 2007 when she relocated to Europe. One of my saddest moments was when I saw her sailing out of the Port of Miami on the transatlantic crossing. I was left homeless, ship-less, and broken-hearted!

But not for long. The Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas were then being home-ported in Miami. The crew on the Liberty decided to “adopt” me, and quickly I fell cautiously in love all over again with this young lady! I sailed her 100 times in a span of 4 years. Recently I “dropped her off” in Barcelona for her European season.

In between my Liberty cruises, I cruised on the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Without a doubt, these revolutionary ships have set a high bar in the cruising industry with all their incredible amenities and innovative features. I have now settled in quite nicely on the Majesty of the Seas sailing the Bahamas. The crew on Majesty of the Seas has “taken me over” making sure I’m well looked after. She’s not the biggest or most glamorous ship in the fleet but she sure has the biggest heart!

I’m often asked “What makes you so loyal to Royal”? The answer is quite simple:

- Royal Caribbean International has the most innovative/creative ships in the world, full of incredible amenities.

- They have the friendliest, most dedicated, professional, and enjoyable crew on the high seas.

- The incentives and rewards program for repeat guests is second to none. My favorite reward – free cruises for every 50 completed, once the highest tier level is achieved.

What are my favorite activities on a cruise?

- Scuba diving in the Caribbean

- Dancing salsa music and playing percussion with the Latin band at the Boleros lounge.

- Socializing and meeting guests from around the world.

- Interacting with crew members.

I also take the time to answer multitude of questions from guests, such as:

- What are the best activities and venues?

- What to do at the various ports of call?

- What recommendations for future cruising?

To be able to contribute to guests cruise experience, especially first time cruisers, is extremely gratifying. In this endeavor, I consider myself a sort of an unofficial ambassador to Royal Caribbean.

A frequently asked question is: What are the most memorable or WOW moments experienced during my cruising life? I tell them I’ve experienced many such moments but the absolute most thrilling ones were:

- Doing a dive under the hull of the Navigator while docked in Nassau. What a thrill it was to have had the unique opportunity to explore underwater the azipod propellers and bow thrusters!

- Being Santa Claus on the Majesty during the Christmas cruise last year and handing out gifts to over 300 kids.

- Being interviewed on the Liberty’s navigational bridge by Captain Charles Teige while sitting in his Captain’s chair.

- Going scuba diving with a group of officers on the ship’s rescue boat in Belize and Coco Cay.

Many people ask me how often I cruise. Well, I now cruise every week. My future cruise schedule shows 120 bookings, all on Royal Caribbean International ships.

As I reflect back on my years of cruising, I smile and think what an exhilarating ride it has been!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of every day on the ocean. And yet, it feels as though I’m just getting started … and I will continue on this amazing journey as long as the higher authority gives me good health and as long as I’m having fun.

Happy cruising to all of you!

BY:Adam|15th June, 2011 17 Comments

Ask Adam Blog Series – May 2011 Answers

We’ve just completed our third month of our “Ask Adam Blog Series”. You can view March’s Answer blog here and April’s Answer blog here. Again, a big thank you to everyone who has contributed questions, they have been enjoyable. If you’d like to ask a question for June’s Answer blog please do so on our facebook discussion page.

Now let’s get to the questions.

Why don’t you plan stops on certain ports for the whole night?
-Marcia G

Thank you for your feedback. You are right, a day might not be sufficient time to experience all there is to see in some of the wonderful cities that we visit around the world. The process of determining how much time to spend in each port as well as which ports to call on is complex and one that our Deployment and Itinerary Planning team put a lot of effort into.

Many factors go into this including operational considerations such as how far the port is from other ports and if we stay later would we still be able to reach the next port of call. Usually if we spend more time in one port then we will spend less time in another port. Or in the case of an overnight it could mean not including another port on the itinerary. The Deployment team has to balance these considerations.

While the majority of the ports we call are day calls there are some ports such as St. Petersburg, Russia offered by Jewel of the Seas; Venice, Italy offered by Voyager of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas; and Istanbul, Turkey and Haifa and Ashdod, Israel offered by Vision of the Seas where we have sailings overnight in a port. Outside of Europe we offer overnights in a few other cities such as Buenos Aires, Honolulu, Dubai and Sydney. An additional consideration for many destinations is the option to extend your trip on land with a Cruisetour before or after your voyage. This is most popular for our Alaska sailings on Radiance of the Seas between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver, Canada.

Thank you also for giving me an opportunity to mention our boutique sister brand Azamara Club Cruises. This deluxe two ship brand specializes in interesting itineraries featuring overnight stays in a variety of ports. You may find an upcoming itinerary to your liking on either Azamara Journey or Azamara Quest.

Why aren’t there military discounts on Oasis of the Seas cruises? Let me take it one step further, why aren’t there military discounts on all Royal Caribbean cruises?
-Shannon H.

We offer special rates to United States and Canadian military on select sailings, so please keep an eye out for sailings that offer these fares. At this time, we currently offer military discounts on over 100 sailings throughout the brand, on many different itineraries, including several Oasis and Allure sailings.

When searching for a cruise on RoyalCaribbean.com, be sure to click on “See if you qualify for exclusive rates” and then “check” the U.S. Military or Canadian Forces option.

Why can we not use our celebrity cruises towards Royal Caribbean?
-Patrick K. and Barbara M.

Currently we are not combining the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises loyalty programs but we appreciate the feedback and will take it into consideration in the future.

Just so everyone is clear, the brands do provide reciprocal recognition to each other’s loyal guests while they are onboard. So let’s take the example of a Diamond level member of Royal Caribbean International’s Crown & Anchor Society who has not previously cruised on Celebrity Cruises. When this Diamond member takes her first Celebrity Cruise, she will receive onboard recognition as if she is Celebrity’s equivalent of Diamond level. This reciprocal recognition has been in place for several years.

Why are there no listings for Allure or Oasis of the Seas for Fall/Winter 2012?
-Ed B.

On May 5th, we announced our new deployment schedules for Oasis and Allure. Both ships now have Caribbean sailings available to book through September 2013. You can view the sailings listed here.

I read on a forum that maybe in the future Royal Caribbean Cruise Line build a third sister ship of Oasis of the Seas. True or False?
-Marco M.

Marco, I’m glad you are enjoying our deployment in Italy. At this time we do not have plans to build a third ship in the Oasis Class. Recently we signed a letter of intent to build the first of a new generation of Royal Caribbean International cruise ships. We are using the code name, “Project Sunshine”. While there is a lot I can’t disclose about Sunshine, there are some things that I mentioned in a recent blog post.

Why are the hulls of Allure and Oasis of the Seas light blue instead of white?
-Dale M.

Dale, glad you enjoyed your recent cruise on Allure of the Seas. The hulls of Oasis and Allure are painted a very light blue. Please note that I am not in favor of gender stereotyping and do not always support blue for boys and pink for girls. On the other hand, I am a traditionalist and the ship will always be a “she.” We think the light blue looks terrific on her.

There was a lot of internal debate about moving away from the traditional white hull. Ultimately we decided that the Oasis-class ships are so unique that we wanted a somewhat different hull color. The difference is most visible when the sun is shining directly on the hull (never a bad thing!). At other times you have to look pretty closely to notice much of a difference from the rest of the fleet.

What do all the employees get to eat onboard the ships?
-Alexander B.

We continually hear from our guests that they want to know more about crew life while onboard. We offer a selection of freshly prepared meals in the crew dining area everyday generally in accordance with a 14 day meal cycle. We have a list of menu requirements for each meal of the day to ensure that the selection is satisfactory. The list is much more extensive than pasta with oil and does not include food from the guest dining areas. In fact, we also make a point to prepare foods from many different ethnicities which are very familiar to our International crew members. By the way, any crew who wish to voice concerns or suggestions about their food or any other aspect of life onboard are able to do so to a committee of their peers who have regular discussions about shipboard life with the officers onboard.

Why do some of the Royal Caribbean ships have a car onboard in the Royal Promenade?
-Brad T.

The first car was on Voyager of the Seas and was a donation by Richard Fain, our CEO and Chairman of the Board. A couple of years ago Richard posted a blog about the cars in the Royal Promenade, and I’d prefer that you read the post so you can get a sense of his enthusiasm, love of ship building and classic cars.

Link to Richard Fain’s Blog Post

Why won’t Royal Caribbean Cruise Line bring up a newer/bigger ship to sail out of Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ?
-Kathleen G-M.

We believe that Explorer is a great fit for the Northeast region and we are happy with her there. We will introduce some new itineraries for Explorer. Specifically Explorer will offer 7 night cruises to Bermuda for the fall of 2012 which she has not had before.

For the New Jersey and Baltimore region I do want to point out that Enchantment is now deployed on a year round basis from Baltimore. We just completed the first winter season. This provides a number of new options for the region.

Also, in the fall of 2012 we will bring a new ship to the Northeast region. Brilliance of the Seas, which is part of the beautiful Radiance class, will offer a new program of open-jaw sailings between Cape Liberty and Quebec City as well as round-trip Quebec City sailings. We are very excited about this program as it is very unique and gives guests an opportunity to see the wonderful Canada Atlantic destinations and the dynamic city of Quebec.

I would love to see a cruise of the pacific coast. Maybe starting in San Diego, with possible stops in Catalina Island, Monterey, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, then back to San Diego. Is there any possibility this can happen in the future since there is no more cruises being offered to Mexico in the West Coast?
-Delia G.

Thanks for the feedback. We will continue to review this as an option but do not have any immediate plans to offer a Pacific Coastal cruise.

We hope everyone enjoys reading these answers, and if you have a question that you haven’t seen yet please feel free to share your question in this month’s discussion http://on.fb.me/jpzblX.

BY:Adam|10th June, 2011 3 Comments

Special Guests, Special Cruises: New sailings offer more for Crown & Anchor Society Members

I thought I would give everyone a brief update since the re-launch of our Crown & Anchor Society program in January. The feedback on our changes was very positive and we continue to welcome our members back again and again. We are now very focused on creating even more adventures for our members, ensuring there is an abundance of onboard activities for our valued guests.

What if there was a place you could go to “get away from it all” but still enjoy a sense of comfort and familiarity? A vacation where you could catch up with long-time friends and make new ones, all while enjoying a level of exacting service and complimentary offerings you wouldn’t find on any other cruise line or at any land-based resort?

That’s the unique and welcoming environment that keeps our loyal Crown & Anchor Society members coming back to our Member Cruises every year. From our extensive array of itineraries (22 ships visiting more than 280 destinations!), we hand-pick a select few Member Cruises to enhance with even more activities and gifts designed exclusively for our Crown & Anchor Society members—complimentary extras that take the Royal Caribbean cruising experience to the next level. And now, we’ve extended some Member Cruise features to our new Special Cruises, boasting more enriching offerings for members to enjoy.

Our first-ever Special Cruise recently took place onboard Enchantment of the Seas, sailing from Baltimore, Maryland. We invited renowned contemporary artist, and professor/teacher at the Corcoran Museum, Kathryn Freeman onboard to lead a series of intimate, exclusive sketch journal sessions with Crown & Anchor members. Freeman’s charming figure paintings and drawings have been exhibited in New York, London, Los Angeles, and other cities in the United States and Europe. Her works are part of numerous private and public collections, while her large-scale public murals adorn buildings in several locales.

As it turns out, our Crown & Anchor Society members had an inner artist waiting to emerge. Feedback for Kathryn’s art sessions was extremely positive—we noticed that the students continued to practice their newfound skills outside of class, sketching away while on shore excursions around Nassau and CocoCay. Besides classes, Kathryn also led a book reading with members’ kids, and answered parents’ questions about how to pursue a career as an illustrator of children’s books.

This is the type of personal enrichment we’re aiming for with our Special Cruises—giving our members something to take away from their vacation, whether it’s a new fine arts skill to nurture, a beautiful handcrafted gift made in a jewelry class, or a second language they picked up in a language seminar. Our second and third Special Cruises in the series began yesterday, May 1st onboard Voyager of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas as they travel across the Atlantic. Guest instructors and programming vary with each voyage, but our guests can always count on something special planned.

We’re hoping that Special Cruises will be as popular as our Member Cruises, which offer even more for our most loyal guests to see and do. In 2011, there’s one more Member Cruise in store—onboard Splendor of the Seas’ September 26th sailing to the Greek Isles & Turkey—and after that, a Radiance of the Seas’ South Pacific sailing on March 24, 2012. Radiance of the Seas undergoes an array of enhancements in 2011 as part of our Royal Advantage commitment, so members will enjoy eight new dining options, a new Diamond Lounge and Concierge Lounge, plus the exclusive parties, events, turndown gifts, raffles, and enrichment seminars that make Member Cruises a standout voyage.

But what really keeps members coming back to these “reunions at sea” is the sense of camaraderie. Many of our most loyal members have been attending Member Cruises and other Crown & Anchor events for years now, and from these frequent get-togethers, close friendships have emerged. Our latest Member Cruise set sail on April 2nd onboard Enchantment of the Seas, and was a special milestone for Marianne & Herb Lucas who reached 2,100 Cruise Points. And recently, Mario Salcedo celebrated his latest achievement onboard Liberty of the Seas, achieving the 2,800 Cruise Point level. Mario continues to hold the number one position with having earned the most Cruise Points in the program-more than any other member, ever! Congratulations to both the Lucas’ and Mario, on your many travels and thank you for your outstanding loyalty.

Simply click to learn more about upcoming Special Cruises and Member Cruises, or to enroll in the Crown & Anchor Society to start earning your own Cruise Points and exclusive membership benefits.

Bon Voyage!

BY:Lillian Murphy|2nd May, 2011 No Comments

Adam Enjoys a Whirlwind Day Opening Our New Company Office in Mexico City

There are many enjoyable days in this job. Of course, some are better than others. One of the better ones transpired recently in Mexico City. We launched our company office in Mexico to do the sales and marketing for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. There is a different company office already existing in Mexico City for our sister brand, Pullmantur Cruises.

True to my crazy lifestyle, I flew into Mexico City in the morning and out first thing the next morning, my third major round trip from Miami in a nine day period. The Mexico “winter” weather was absolutely stunning, affording incredible views of this 24+ million-person city ringed by mountains. I attended various meetings with my colleagues, media and government tourism personnel during the day. Just as in our other 9 foreign offices, there is a management team of enthusiastic, talented professionals who love to promote our brands and are passionate about the company.

The feature launch event took place at a stunning location - the covered courtyard of the Colegio de las Vizcainas, an 18th century Baroque building that started as a school for Basque girls. There were about 300 guests comprised of travel agents, media, government officials, bankers, Crown & Anchor Society members, a member of our Board of Directors and various others. The entertainment was a Beatles tribute band - that seems to work everywhere.

Thanks and good luck to Gabriela Gonzales Saul, our Country Director for Mexico, and her team. Royal Caribbean International is already the leading brand in Mexico and we look forward to a bright future there. Thanks also to American Express, which played a key role in developing our brands as our International Representative in Mexico for over 20 years. They remain a major producer for us and a valued partner.

BY:Adam|17th March, 2011 No Comments

New Benefits Roll Out: Crown & Anchor Society Enhancements

We are ready to announce additional enhancements to the Crown & Anchor Society. We are so enthusiastic about these changes that we wish we could have introduced them last June with the prior wave of enhancements. Many of the new improvements required significant work on our computer systems and as we all know that takes time. But we are ready now and so I am asking Lillian Murphy, our Vice President for One to One Marketing, to introduce the enhancements to you. We love our Crown & Anchor Society members and we are pleased to move our recognition of our members’ loyalty forward again.

Guest Blog by Lillian Murphy, VP One to One Marketing:

Well the day has finally arrived and we’re so excited to be sharing even more news with you today. Adam had noted in a December blog when speaking about the plans for 2011 that we were going to build on the new Crown & Anchor Society benefits we launched in June of 2010.

First let me address why we are making more changes. Our loyalty program is similar to relationships we have with our families, and we do consider our loyalty program members family. As we know the best relationships are built on listening and responding to feedback, and this has led us to the second phase of our enhancements which is about recognition of their value to Royal Caribbean.

There are really three core topics. The first is relative to how our members have an opportunity to achieve their tier level status, the second is about two new tiers of recognition we are introducing, and the third is about personalizing the experience that members have with us and offering choices in preferences, and a much enhanced website experience.

Let me spend a little more time on each of these enhancements.

  1. We are transitioning how a member earns their tier status from ‘cruise credits’ to ‘Cruise Points’. The calculation is very simple - for every night you sail with us you will earn one Cruise Point, and Double the points when you stay in a suite. The more nights you spend onboard, the more points you earn. It’s important to understand that all our existing Crown & Anchor Society members will continue to enjoy all of their current program benefits and status, plus have the opportunity now to advance to the next tier even faster than before. As a one time conversion benefit we have grandfathered everyone’s status in the program.
  2. Continued recognition of our members is important to us so we are introducing two new status levels, Emerald and Pinnacle Club. Emerald tier, which sits between Platinum and Diamond status, will provide all the current Platinum level benefits, in addition to some new benefits as they continue to make their way to the Diamond level. Benefits such as higher member savings on balcony and suite category staterooms and a personalized welcome gift delivered to their stateroom on every cruise vacation. Pinnacle Club members, who will now become our top tier program members, are being honored for their incredible loyalty to Royal Caribbean International and will be further recognized with all the benefits of the entire program plus complimentary cruises at certain Cruise Point milestones. I had the pleasure of meeting so many of these members on Allure’s maiden voyage and know how special these members are to our family.
  3. Members can now enjoy a more personalized experience once they log into their Crown and Anchor Society account. We wanted to simply provide our members information that is relevant to them. Members can now easily keep abreast of the latest news and offers that are available specifically to them and can establish custom settings for items such as upgrades if they become available, and for our Emerald and higher level members they can select their choice of a personalized in-room amenity.

I encourage everyone to click on www.RoyalCaribbean.com/CrownandAnchor to read all about these exciting enhancements and set your preferences.

Finally, to celebrate the incredible loyalty of program members, we are introducing a limited time offer: ‘Bring a Friend’ and receive $25 to spend onboard. Members will now be rewarded for introducing new guests to Royal Caribbean International for new bookings made between January 21st and April 30th, 2011. The promotion will offer a $25 onboard credit per stateroom to Crown & Anchor Society members when sailing with their ‘first to Royal’ friends or family, for up to five staterooms per sailing, depending on the length of their cruise. You can find out all the details about how to register for this promotion by following this link: www.RoyalCaribbean.com/BringaFriend.

I’d like to wish all of our Crown and Anchor members a wonderful New Year and hope to see you enjoying your benefits onboard.

Cheers!

BY:Adam|21st January, 2011 20 Comments

When I Think “Royal Caribbean 2011,” I Think…

We have our plan for 2011. Of course I cannot blog about what is in the plan (stronger! higher! faster!) but I can remind myself and the readers about some of the exciting things that lie ahead in 2011.

First, following Allure of the Seas’ highly successful introduction, Royal Caribbean now has 22 ships in service throughout the world scheduled to deliver the Wow to over three million guests in 2011. Our satisfaction ratings are strong and we are fully engaged every day in learning how to serve a completely global mix of guests better and better. Our ships, service and destinations are what led us to declare the Royal Advantage a few months ago. We look forward to adding to the Royal Advantage as often as possible in 2011 and beyond.

It’s particularly pleasing that our loyal Crown & Anchor Society members have reacted so positively to the program changes we made in 2010. As I have written here from time to time, we look forward to making the Society even more attractive in 2011.

I look forward to another year of working successfully with travel agents in the U.S. and around the world. Almost every major travel agency group in the U.S. announced Royal Caribbean as their Cruise Line of the Year during their fall conferences.

We are all excited about the revitalizations that will take place next year. The features we will add to the still-new Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas and the extensive facelifts we will give to Radiance of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas will make the Royal Advantage even more obvious on those ships.

Falmouth, Jamaica will (finally) come on line as a new destination in the first quarter of 2011. As far as I know, our Falmouth project has been the largest infrastructure development project in the Caribbean basin in recent years. Our guests from Oasis-class and other ships will be able to choose from shore excursion possibilities from Ocho Rios to Montego Bay.

Our offerings in Europe next year are a remarkable step for Royal Caribbean. With Liberty of the Seas in Barcelona and a total of eleven ships in the region during the summer, we will have more capacity in Europe than any other cruise line. Remember, if you want to see the Mediterranean and have reliable air conditioning in your hotel room, Royal Caribbean is the way to go in 2011.

There’s a lot more I could say; from improvements to our web site to a second ship in Australia (Radiance), to possibly another Royal 5k or two. But it should be pretty clear by now that three or more nights on a Royal Caribbean ship in 2011 is well worth considering. Better yet, well worth reserving so you can begin selecting your specialty restaurants, spa appointments and excursions in advance of your cruise.

There are 30,000+ men and women who work for Royal Caribbean International, so there are at least that many reasons for me to express my appreciation for the efforts and accomplishments of 2010. And a special thank you to my leadership team: Marta Barrios, Lisa Bauer, Michael Bayley, Diana Block, John Fox, Vicki Freed, Eleni Kalisch, Craig Milan, Ken Muskat, Betsy O’Rourke, Barbara Shrut and Bill Wright. Happy Holidays!

BY:Adam|21st December, 2010 4 Comments

Guest Post - New and Exciting Britto Store Coming Soon!

By Lisa Bauer

When we were thinking about ways we could differentiate Allure of the Seas from her sister ship Oasis of the Seas, one of the areas we discussed was the art program. We are very happy with the program we have on Oasis of the Seas that features artists onboard our ships, and wanted to continue that concept with a twist.

It is actually ironic how we ended up expanding our relationship with Romero Britto. (Many of you may know his work is featured on the pool deck on Mariner of the Seas (above) and we’ve sold his artwork across our fleet for years). I was casually speaking to Richard Fain and said I thought we should do a gallery and perhaps could approach Romero because I loved the look of the Britto store at the Miami Airport and the space on Allure of the Seas is almost exactly the same square footage. As fate would have it, Romero actually called Richard a few weeks later to have lunch and we all agreed it was serendipitous!

Romero has been involved in every aspect of the creative approval of everything and it has been very fun and exciting to see this partnership come together. He also has an amazing team that we’ve worked with and it has been a great experience. I am especially excited about an original piece that he is creating for us featuring our Crown and Anchor Society logo. If you view the webisode you can actually see Romero starting the painting! I have to admit I have already gotten a sneak peak and it is a WOW.

We are going to the shipyard in the first week of September for a press trip where Romero will be unveiling the original, on September 1st in Turku, Finland, and pictures of the finished piece will be available right after the reveal. Romero will make reproductions of the original painting to be sold onboard. We haven’t decided what to do with the original yet - where it should be displayed or kept, but I think it would look great in my living room :)

In addition to the custom painting, Romero is also in the process of developing a custom bear that will incorporate elements of the original painting. This will be a limited edition piece and sold only on Allure of the Seas. Yes, you have to sail to get one of these collector’s items.

We’ve been keeping Romero busy because he is also working with our new build team to create a unique sculpture, from his well known Butterfly Sculpture, to sit in Central Park. This will be guaranteed to be a great photo opportunity.

I am also very happy to share that Romero will be joining us for the Maiden Voyage celebration on December 5th and will be hosting a number of fun activities including a paint party, meet and greet, photo opportunities, and signing events just to name a few.

We are all excited about this partnership and look forward to sharing this with you while onboard Allure of the Seas!

BY:Adam|23rd August, 2010 7 Comments

The December Diamond Celebration!

By Betsy O’Rourke

In June we announced some significant changes to the Crown & Anchor Society Loyalty Program that were member-driven including a new onboard booking bonus as well as enhanced onboard benefits by tier. We know how important our repeat guests are and we are proud to have so many loyal to Royal members. Last year, we launched the Diamond Celebration in December to recognize our two top tiers in the Crown & Anchor program. These very special cruisers have sailed with us a minimum of 11 times and our Diamond Plus members have sailed at least 25 times. We are fortunate to have several thousand members who have achieved this very special status within our program, and we decided that we needed to celebrate them.

The idea started because we were launching Oasis of the Seas last year, and we know that our most frequent cruisers like to sail our newest ships so we thought we could make it even more of a special occasion. But then my colleague Lisa Bauer, SVP Operations, said, “Why don’t we do this on all of the ships for the month of December?” and we all thought it was a great idea.

Royal Caribbean values our guests who return to us again and again for the Royal treatment, and the Crown & Anchor Society’s Diamond Celebration is our special way of honoring and thanking our most frequent guests for their loyalty.

During our December Diamond Celebration, Diamond and Diamond Plus-member guests can attend the special nightly Diamond event, during which Crown & Anchor Society members can mingle with senior ship officers and staff, and with each other. In addition to the standard benefits, Diamond and Diamond Plus-level members will be recognized and pampered by the entire Royal Caribbean Gold Anchor staff and crew with commemorative Crown & Anchor Society gifts and other surprising onboard elements. Crown & Anchor Society members will also receive one additional Crown & Anchor Society cruise credit for sailing during the December Diamond Celebration.

Last year we had many Diamond and Diamond Plus members sail in the month of December. We received so many lovely comments and emails thanking us for all of the special events and gifts. Every ship competed for the best scores from our guests and Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas tied for first place.

Of course, this year we hope even more of our members will join the December Diamond Celebration and I’ll be sure to report back and let you know. We already know that several of our members have booked both the Dec 1 and the Dec 5 sailing on our newest ship, Allure of the Seas. Our crew onboard all 22 of our ships are already thinking about how they’re going to surprise and delight our loyal to Royal guests.

BY:Adam|20th August, 2010 16 Comments

New Programs Worth Noting

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.

BY:Adam|16th August, 2010 27 Comments

Guest Post - Allure Update: An Appetizing Contest…

Lisa Bauer - Senior VP, Hotel Operations

I have to admit that I have an incredible team. Just when we thought that the entertainment team was going to position Allure of the Seas as the “entertainment ship” by introducing the Broadway show Chicago: The Musical and the entire DreamWorks Animation experience, our Food & Beverage team is vying for just as much of the spotlight by creating a search for the chef for 150 Central Park for Allure of the Seas with the Culinary Institute of America. We know that well-known brands are very important to our guests, so the ability to partner with the Culinary Institute is a dream.

The Culinary Institute of America, or CIA, is widely recognized as the world’s premier culinary college. It began back in 1946, and today there are over 40,000 alumni that had the benefit of the quality education of the CIA.

The search and contest will be open to all Alumni of the CIA and will run from June 7th through June 20th. Contestants will be invited to post a 5-minute video at AllureoftheSeas.com/CulinaryChallenge, and we will narrow down the list to the top 10 based on a number of criteria. From June 28th to July 11th, the top 10 will be voted upon by our Crown and Anchor Society members, consumers and travel agents who will be able to go to AllureoftheSeas.com to view the videos and cast their vote. As a special treat, all consumers who enter to vote will be eligible to win an opportunity to sail on a pre-inaugural sailing of Allure of the Seas as well as dinner hosted by the winning chef. (Are you getting hungry just thinking about this??)

There will be a total of six candidates whom we will ask to join us at the CIA campus in Hyde Park, in New York on August 5th and 6th where we will be judging their cooking. Five candidates will be selected based on the consumer vote, as well as one judge’s pick that will bring us to six finalists. This will be led by Josef Jungwirth, our Director of Culinary Operations and Frank Weber, Vice- President of Food & Beverage, as well as Betsy O’Rourke, Sr. VP of Marketing and me, as well as other Royal Caribbean judges and the team from the CIA.

The winner will be announced and will be the Chef de Cuisine for 150 Central Park on Allure of the Seas. This is very exciting, because it will give 150 Central Park on Allure its own special experience that will be different from Oasis of the Seas.

We will keep everyone updated on the progress with the selection and I hope everyone joins us in the vote to help determine who will cook for you when you join us on Allure in December!

BY:Adam|7th June, 2010 5 Comments
 

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