Destination Joy: June is the Most Special Month for Our Make-A-Wish Foundation Support

Riddle of the Day: When does being a Philadelphia sports fan interfere with being a Philadelphia sports fan? Answer: When you stay at home to watch the Flyers play on television in the Stanley Cup Finals and don’t go to the Phillies – Marlins game to see Roy Halladay pitch a PERFECT GAME! Oh well, it was incredibly exciting just to see it happen on television.

21st century breakthrough – it has occurred to us that video exists. That’s not a revelation as I am shooting video all the time for internal meetings, travel agent virtual conferences, etc. We have even used video with this blog before, e.g., the table tennis demo with my instructor Juan Ly. But we are now aiming to use video here more frequently. We’ll see how it goes.

Our Make-A-Wish involvement continues to develop in wonderful ways. In fact, the month of June is the most special month of the year for our MAW support. We call June “Destination Joy” and we will be auctioning off special opportunities onboard our ships throughout the month. Collectively these auctions should raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition, we recently saw a lot of buzz on the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Oregon social media site after the Waffles & Wishes Event that Royal Caribbean participated in. Here’s the link from MAW’s Facebook page:


Thank you for your responses to Craig Milan’s guest entry on Royal Celebrity Tours’ 10th anniversary. Right after the post, Craig and I received a note from one of our tour guides. He told us about a young couple that was spotted from our special train cars while passing over a trestle bridge. They were in shallow water in a glacial creek seemingly in the middle of nowhere. They were by themselves at the time. The tour guide later discovered that they were not a couple at all, but a brother and sister who had deviated from the rest of their tour group to spread their father’s ashes in that particular place. Evidently, their father was a big fan of Alaska who had never been there and unfortunately had passed away from cancer just before what would have been his first trip. So his children were honoring his memory in that special way. Thanks to our tour guide for relaying the story.

BY:Adam|30th May, 2010 No Comments

Guest Post - A Retrospective Look on the Past 10 Years with Royal Celebrity Tours in Alaska

This week marks the 10th season of our operations of Royal Celebrity Tours (RCT) cruisetours in Alaska. It is hard to believe that it’s been 10 years but guests started arriving for their pre-cruise land tour of the Alaskan interior last Saturday and will Radiance of the Seas today in Seward. When we started this venture in May 2001 we had 2 rail cars, 20 motor coaches, 80 employees and a facility in Anchorage that we were busy renovating as it had been vacant for over 20 years. We now have 4 rail cars, 52 motor coaches, 275 employees and occupy two office/shop facilities in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks – all in place to take tens of thousands of guests on land tours in Alaska each year.

If anyone has the desire to take an Alaska vacation with us, it would behoove you to seriously consider spending the extra time to take one of our 21 cruisetour vacations in Alaska as this is truly the best way to see America’s last great frontier state. The land portion of a cruisetour varies from 3- to 7-nights and is always sold in conjunction with a 7-night cruise on Radiance of the Seas. Tours can be reserved either pre- or post-cruise. While a 7-night cruise only package is a great way to see the Southeast part of Alaska, our cruisetours allow for a total immersion of the Alaskan experience. The highlight of most of our land tour programs is America’s premier National Park, Denali and the majestic Mt. McKinley. It is definitely one place everyone should see at some point in their life. Denali National Park is not only the crown jewel of the National Park system (and that is saying a lot!), it is one of the few places (if not the only) that you can arrive to on a luxury glass dome railcar and stay in authentic lodges.

A typical cruisetour starts with a 7-night cruise from Vancouver to Seward and then, on land, with stops in Girdwood; Anchorage; Talkeetna; Denali and Fairbanks, Alaska. Each stop along the way includes an overnight (sometimes 2) at an Alaskan owned and operated lodging which permits our guests to experience the exciting offerings at each stop. These can include flightseeing trips in Denali Park, whitewater rafting, jet boating, hiking, cycling or simply relaxing and taking in the spectacular scenery.

We still keep a dedicated tour director and driver team on every tour and together they handle every logistical aspect of delivering the experience – no one can compete with the service level this facilitates. We also are proud of the many vendors that we use throughout the state for our lodging and activities – most have partnered with us for 10 years.
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BY:Adam|26th May, 2010 4 Comments

A Special Congratulatory Message and Azamara Club Cruises Update

Major kudos and hearty thanks to our first Crown & Anchor Society members to achieve the 300 cruise credit level. They will deliver this Wow to us in the next few weeks! Gerald and Grete met and got married on Royal Caribbean on the way to their 300 cruise credits. (Super)Mario is also joining the very exclusive 300-credit club. Incredible.

I flew from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Tampa on Saturday morning and was on a Southwest flight that happened to coincide with our guests flying home from Oasis of the Seas. Before the advent of social media I could have remained incognito if I wanted to. But not now in the era of blogs and streaming video baked into eDocs and so on. Before I got a quarter of the way through the security line I was discovered. Fortunately, everyone had very nice things to say about their cruise. Still it must have been puzzling to other passengers to have our guests taking pictures with me in the security line. It is always a privilege to be the recipient of such gratitude and a constant reminder of the importance of vacations to the quality of people’s lives.

You might not expect to hear about other cruise lines in this blog, but I do want to pass along that our sister brand, Azamara Club Cruises, has been making exciting changes to its product offering and now includes many more elements in the ticket price. With two 694 guest ships, a very high staff to guest ratio and a real focus on delivering interesting destinations more in-depth, Azamara obviously offers a different experience from that of Royal Caribbean International. But there can still be an overlap between the two brands. Adults who travel as couples on longer itineraries on Azamara may also sail with Royal Caribbean as part of a multigenerational family vacation. We are enjoying our working relationship with Larry Pimentel, Edie Bornstein and the Azamara (they would say Azamazing) team and look forward to having more guests sail on both brands.

Did I tell you that our chocolate breakfast on Oasis of the Seas recently attracted 1,200 guests? As some of you know, Lisa Bauer and I sampled the menu in our test kitchen. How is one supposed to choose between Chocolate Waffles with Caramel-Banana Topping and Chocolate Pancakes with Whipped Cream? Well, we didn’t choose, and I think it took about 10 days for the chocolate rush to wear off.

Finally, many of my colleagues are suddenly seized with the desire to guest blog. The way things are going I may struggle to get a word in edgewise. When I hear the topics it’s hard to argue. There are just so many interesting things going on and I want to give my team the opportunity to talk about them. But it’s still my blog so I can pull rank at least once per week.

BY:Adam|24th May, 2010 10 Comments

Guest Post - Anchored in Excellence Visit to Asia

Lisa Bauer - Senior VP, Hotel Operations

What a week we picked to do our Anchored in Excellence (AIE) visit to see how Legend of the Seas was doing in her home in Asia. We flew into Tokyo to join the ship. What we didn’t realize was that is was the Japanese holiday of Golden Week, so it was a special time to be in Japan.

We actually sailed from Yokohama. This is a very impressive cruise terminal and we had a great sail away with a band in full costume playing “Anchors Away” and the entire check-in staff came out to bow and wave to us. It was our first embarkation in this port and it was historic for a number of other reasons as well. For Royal, it was a record number of Japanese guests onboard at a count of over 1,500. It also was a record for Yokohama to have so many Japanese guests embark and sail on a passenger cruise ship.

We were very focused on ensuring our Japanese guests had a great experience and we flew Travis, our chef from Izumi on Oasis, to consult with our executive chef onboard Legend. Travis created an amazing Sushi and traditional Japanese menu and also did a demonstration in the Centrum, it was a huge hit with all our guests, including some Diamond Crown & Anchored guests from Tennessee! It also happened to be my birthday during our AIE visit, so I was very spoiled by Travis and he made me some amazing tempura. The onboard team also ensured that there was plenty of birthday cake too!

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BY:Adam|21st May, 2010 12 Comments

Guest Post - Royal Caribbean to Open “Historic Falmouth Jamaica” Port in 2011

There was a time, not so long ago, when cruise lines had little or no role to play in the development of ports other than their own private destinations. Things sure are different now, and the change is best exemplified by a huge project Royal Caribbean has spearheaded in the Caribbean as described by Craig Milan, our Senior VP, Land Operations and President of Royal Celebrity Tours:

For the past 3 years, Royal Caribbean has been leading an initiative in collaboration with the Port Authority of Jamaica to create a brand new cruise port of call: “Historic Falmouth Jamaica”. The port is located on the North coast of Jamaica midway between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. It is currently under construction and is designed to accommodate two large ships simultaneously. It meets the operating requirements of the Oasis of the Seas and will become a marquee destination of the Oasis’ Western itinerary beginning in March 2011. The new port will start to accept cruise ships in January 2011 (January 7 with Navigator of the Seas) and Oasis and Allure will start to make biweekly calls in March 2011. Originally we had planned to open this port at the same time as Oasis arrived into Port Everglades but as is often the case with really big projects, it has taken somewhat longer than we originally anticipated. But we are no less excited by the prospect for the development.

The project was designed by renowned thematic designer Idea Group of Orlando to reflect the historic character of Falmouth, Jamaica. Falmouth was founded in 1769 and maintains much of its historical patrimony. It was the original port of Jamaica and the site where many slaves were brought to the New World. For a time it was also the world’s leading export port for sugar and rum. Time passed, shipping activity moved to Port Royale in Kingston and Falmouth harbor gradually silted in. Historic Falmouth Port will begin the revitalization of this town, now located in the booming touristic zone of the North Coast of Jamaica between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. The buildings and attractions of Historic Falmouth Port are being designed in classic Georgian style. As the phases of the port are implemented the new state-of-the-art port will blend into the old town. It is anticipated that the remaining designated historic buildings in the community will gradually be restored.
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BY:Adam|19th May, 2010 22 Comments

Details on Our Upcoming WOW Sale and What We’re Doing in Social Media

Last week was a big week for announcements with the reveal of some of the new features Allure of the Seas will offer and the news about the “Oasis-izing” of Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas in several exciting respects. We are pleased about the reaction to these announcements and hope as many of you as possible are able to have the opportunity to cruise on these wonderful ships in the near future. And not to worry, there is more exciting news ahead.

In the meantime, this Tuesday and Wednesday we are having one of our very occasional WOW Sales for sailings on or after September 1, 2010. I encourage you to contact your travel agents during those two days and to take advantage of the special opportunities these rare Sales present. Guests benefit not only with an onboard credit to enhance their cruise experience, but with a 50% reduction in the initial deposit required to hold their booking. We’ve even included Oasis and Allure in this short-term sale!

One of the very nice aspects of the brave new world of social media is the ability of Royal Caribbean aficionados to post their praise of our employees who deliver the WOW before, during, and even sometimes after the cruise. I encourage you and your friends to let us know about your favorite Royal Caribbean experiences through our Facebook site, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, this blog or anywhere else in the social media universe you prefer.

I really did just say after the cruise, too. What could that mean? Well, at the moment, we have a situation where a guest was erroneously promised that his karaoke performance would be on the Cruise in Review DVD. It was a mistake on our part to promise that because the DVD is a general review of the cruise, not a specific filming of every guest’s experience (some of you might be thankful for that!). Nevertheless, we looked into this particular situation because it was so important to the guest, and it turned out by coincidence that we do in fact have footage of the performance in question. So we are in the process of delivering the new DVD material to the guest.
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BY:Adam|17th May, 2010 13 Comments
CATEGORY: Adam's Posts, Ships

Guest Post - BIG NEWS on Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas!

Lisa Bauer - Senior VP, Hotel Operations

It seems like just yesterday that we were broadcasting the Today Show onboard Freedom of the Seas when we introduced her to the world, and then one short year later, her sister Liberty joined our fleet. It’s hard to believe that the year was 2006, and these two amazing ships are already set to go to dry-dock in the first quarter of 2011. This presented us with a very unique opportunity to take advantage of the fact that both ships were going to dry-dock, as we wanted to begin to further enhance the already amazing guest experience on these ships by introducing a number of key innovations from Oasis. We focused on those experiences that were most important to our guests, so drum roll please…..

A major focus will be on entertainment and activities, and we will introduce large outdoor movie screens pool side, like those found in the aqua-theatre. This has been a huge hit on Oasis, where our guests have enjoyed everything from family movie nights, to watching the Super Bowl and next month we’ll be broadcasting World Cup Soccer. In addition to the outdoor screens, we will also be introducing 3D movie screens and projectors in the main theatre to take advantage of all the new 3D movies being produced, which will be a very unique brand offering. Continuing with the entertainment, we will also feature a children’s puppet show on both ships, which is a wonderful family experience that incorporates live theatre and puppeteering. Another very popular activity from Oasis, Live the City, will also join the activities line up. It’s a scavenger hunt style activity where guests get the inside look at how our ships are built, the inner workings of the operation and interesting facts. Another WOW from Oasis was the first Nursery for our brand, and because of its amazing popularity, we will also be introducing a Nursery on Freedom and Liberty, adding to our acclaimed Adventure Ocean children’s program.

As a finale on the entertainment line-up, and based on the overwhelming success of Hairspray on Oasis, and soon Chicago on Allure, we also had the unique opportunity on Liberty of the Seas to negotiate rights to another Broadway Show, which will be added in 2011, but I am going to keep the actual show a secret for now. (A girl can’t tell everything at one time!)

On the culinary front, we had a lot of fun trying to decide which features from Oasis to bring to these ships, and the overwhelming favorite was Cupcake Cupboard! We can’t seem to bake enough cupcakes to keep up with the demand, and the guests love the cupcake decorating classes. It will be interesting to see if Red Velvet remains the top favorite on these ships, or if Turtle moves into the #1 cupcake spot :)

Our favorite wine bar Vintage’s will also be getting an update that will include the very popular wine tasting table, as well as enomatic wine dispensers that have become a favorite on Oasis.

The interactive digital signage on Oasis, which was touted as one of the top cruise innovations of 2009, will also be part of the Freedom and Liberty new programming.

BY:Adam|14th May, 2010 53 Comments

New Features and Experiences on Allure of the Seas Announced

A few months ago I noted that Allure of the Seas would be very much a sister ship to Oasis of the Seas however we never completely leave well enough alone and there would be some differences. Last week we noted some exciting new elements in the entertainment program. Most notably, Chicago: The Musical will be a regular feature on Allure as Hairspray is a regular feature on Oasis. In addition, Blue Planet is an incredible acrobatic show exclusive to Allure, that along with Chicago, will show in the main theater. In the Aquatheater, meanwhile, our new show will be called OceanAria and will feature soaring aerialists and (surprise!) divers in an exclusive production.
 

Now is the time to divulge more of the differences as the countdown clock here in the office reads less than 175 days to Allure’s delivery and there is less than seven months until the maiden seven-night voyage on December 5th. So here we go:

Two of the new areas will both be located on the Boardwalk. After seeing the amazing success of Park Café in Central Park, we wanted to create a unique complimentary food offering on the Boardwalk as well. As a result, we will be introducing the Boardwalk Dog House. This venue will feature a unique menu of (free) hotdogs and sausages, and guests can create their own dog by selecting from a menu of toppings.

We also wanted to create another fun family specialty experience on the Boardwalk, and we will be introducing Rita’s Cantina in the area that is the Seafood Shack on Oasis. This Mexican themed restaurant will feature traditional Mexican food with a southern California flair. I can’t even imagine how many chips and salsa we will serve here. There will be a $4.95 cover.

Based on the great success of the screens in the Aquatheater on Oasis, and what a great entertainment and activity platform they provide, we decided to build upon this success and introduce a 3D screen in the main theater that will feature current 3D movies and content. I’m sure this will be a huge wow for our guests. Get your glasses ready.

Although I personally am not an expert on the shopping front (you have no idea how intimidating it is to be in a conversation on shopping with Lisa Bauer), I’m told the introduction of a flagship Guess accessories store on the Royal Promenade also will be a big deal. Our Coach store on Oasis is such a huge hit that we can’t keep enough handbags in stock, and we believe we will face a similar challenge with the addition of a full Guess store, complete with handbags, wallets, watches, jewelry, shoes, eyewear and perfume.

We continually challenge ourselves to innovate on the technology front and to find ways we can enhance the guest experience. On Allure, we will be introducing guest self-serve kiosks conveniently located in the Royal Promenade where guests can view, print or e-mail their seapass folio or their personal calendar, and also print airline boarding passes. This should be pretty cool. What’s also pretty cool is that we are adding iPod docking stations to all of the staterooms on Allure (and adding them to Oasis too!).

When you consider everything that Allure shares with Oasis plus the new features noted above, you can see why we refer internally to Allure as the entertainment ship and much more. And by the way, there is more. But that’s it for now.

BY:Adam|13th May, 2010 8 Comments

Royal Caribbean Port Updates and a Few Quick Notes from Adam

The winter/spring “season” is over here in sunny, hot South Florida and with the end of it many of the ships have left the Caribbean for Europe or Alaska. I was driving to Miami Beach and upon seeing Liberty of the Seas at the Port of Miami it reminded me that next year at this time the only Royal Caribbean International ship at the Port of Miami will be Majesty of the Seas on Mondays and Fridays. A number of readers and others have remarked on this and I would like to comment on it.

First, we will continue our long term relationship with the Port of Miami and look forward to having other ships besides Majesty of the Seas based there in the future.

Majesty of the Seas

Second, we made a substantial commitment to Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood) when we did the deal that resulted in the new Terminal 18 and the homeporting of Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. One of the driving factors behind the transition of some of our ships to Port Everglades was to ensure we were on course to fulfill our commitment.

Third, while Port Everglades and the Port of Miami each have their advantages, we are very pleased to be able to leverage the proximity of Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood airport to Port Everglades. It’s remarkable how close together the port and airport are. That is a real convenience for our guests. Of course we realize many people will still fly in via Miami’s airport and we will continue to offer a robust transfer service.

Except for a few odds and ends, we’re essentially finished with the release of our itineraries through the spring of 2012. This month we begin the annual deployment cycle all over again with internal strategic conversations about the summer of 2012 and the winter of 2012/13. Ultimately those discussions will produce a new set of announcements beginning in eight months.
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BY:Adam|11th May, 2010 89 Comments

Guest Post: And All That Jazz…

Lisa Bauer - Senior VP, Hotel Operations

Some days it is really fun to sit in my staff meeting and discuss what our “next big thing will be.” There is never a shortage of ideas and a lot of them are very lofty and aspirational. When we decided to raise the bar on our already successful production shows and offer Hairspray on Oasis of the Seas we thought this would be a huge WOW. Our guests have agreed based on the very high guest satisfaction scores as well as the number of standing ovations the show receives. Now we find ourselves wondering what we could possibly do on Allure of the Seas to raise the bar even higher.

Based on the success of Oasis, we went out and conducted research on what our guests would like to see on Allure. The results of that research produced a very short list of Broadway shows, and at the top of the list was Chicago. We wondered if it would even be possible to get the rights to a 6 time Tony award winning, two-time Olivier award winner, and an Academy awarding winning movie.

Our entertainment team, led by Peter Compton, went to work their magic to negotiate the rights to produce the show and we officially signed the contract today. This was a very big deal around here today, so there is a lot of celebrating going on.
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BY:Adam|6th May, 2010 8 Comments
 

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