The Key is a special package you can buy when cruising with Royal Caribbean. It offers a host of extra benefits compared to your standard cruise fare to make your cruise go more smoothly, especially on embarkation day. But how does it compare with the suite perks you can get when you book the higher classes of accommodation? Is it ever worth buying The Key if you have booked a suite? Or, is it worth foregoing The Key and upgrading to a suite from a regular stateroom? Let’s take a look. The Key Vs. Suite Perks – Meaning Firstly, let me just explain what I mean by both The Key and the suite per ..read more

Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises are among the biggest cruise lines in the world. And yet while they offer a similar style of experience onboard, there are enough differences to make them appeal to different groups of people, too. I’m lucky enough to have cruised on several Royal Caribbean ships (Allure of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas) along with a few MSC ships (MSC Preziosa, MSC Virtuosa twice, and MSC Euribia) so I know what each cruise line is really like. In this guide, I’ll explain everything about both cruise lines, including factual information and my own experi ..read more

Royal Caribbean has announced that it is planning to open a new Royal Beach Club in Cozumel, due to open to cruise guests in 2026. The beach club will be the third for the cruise line, with two more due to open in the next two years – the first in Nassau set for sometime in 2025. Cozumel is already a popular destination for Royal Caribbean cruises – there are several itineraries that visit the destination. The addition of the new Royal Beach Club will give guests even more exciting options for how to spend their time in port. Cozumel is an incredible destination, and the beach club will perf ..read more

They’re not the newest, but Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class ships are still extremely popular with guests. Anthem of the Seas was the second ship to launch for the class, while Spectrum of the Seas was the fourth. But these ships are not identical. In fact, Spectrum of the Seas is not a Quantum-class ship at all, but a Quantum Ultra ship instead. What does that mean, and what are the differences between these ships? Both offer sailings from Singapore, so if you want to cruise from there then which is best? And where else are the ships sailing from? Read on for all the answers! Quantum Vs Quan ..read more

Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas are two of Royal Caribbean’s most popular ships. Part of the Freedom Class, they were twin ships when they launched within a year of each other, with only very minor differences. But that’s since changed. One of the ships has undergone significant renovation, while the other hasn’t. So now, they offer quite different experiences onboard. Why is that, and how do you know which one is the best for you? In this guide, I’ll explain what happened to make these ships so different and give you a full side-by-side comparison so that you can pick the best sh ..read more

Royal Caribbean has announced that it is pausing all visits to its private resort destination of Labadee in Haiti, due to ongoing unrest and rising crime in the country. The news comes just one day after the cruise line started cancelling excursion tours at the island, but until now the intention was to continue sailing to the destination. Now, the cruise line has informed all guests onboard cruises due to call at Labadee that the itinerary will be changed, whilst reaching out to future cruise passengers to also notify them that, for now, Labadee will not be visited. Port visits to Labadee wi ..read more

Royal Caribbean is arguably the biggest cruise line in the world, while Disney is arguably one of the biggest companies in the world full-stop. They’re two giants of the cruise industry – but how do they compare when you put them side-by-side? There’s a lot that the two cruise lines share, but even more that separates them too, and if you’re planning a cruise then it’s good to see what makes each of these cruise lines unique so that you can make the right choice for your family. I’ve sailed on two Disney ships (Disney Wish and Disney Magic) and three with Royal Caribbean (Allure of the Seas ..read more

A 21-year-old cruise passenger onboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas was arrested last week after trying to initiate oral sex with a 14-year-old boy. According to local reports, Anish Shan was detained once the ship concluded a 5-night cruise on 8th March in Miami. He has been charge with two felonies – less and lascivious behaviour, and lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child under 16. The reports state that the incident occurred in the ship’s sauna at around 7pm during one night of the cruise. Shan approached the teenager and asked how old he was. Upon learning the boy was 14, Sh ..read more

Just a week after Royal Caribbean announced that 2025’s new Icon-class ship would be delayed, the cruise line has now revealed that the inaugural sailing for 2024’s Utopia of the Seas is also changing – but in the opposite way. The cruise line has announced that Utopia of the Seas will actually be ready to launch early, and so has announced a new 3-night cruise that will become the inaugural cruise, departing before the original inaugural. This could still be disappointing news to loyal Royal Caribbean fans. Being on a ship’s inaugural sailing is seen as a big deal, so to have that inaugural ..read more

Royal Caribbean has confirmed that one of the male stateroom attendants onboard Symphony of the Seas was arrested this week, after he was found to have placed hidden cameras in guests’ rooms. The former attendant (he was fired immediately) has admitted the crimes and is now being detained while he awaits a trial for federal charges. Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a 34-year-old stateroom attendant from the Phillippines, was arrested when the cruise ship returned to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday 3rd March. It’s alleged that Mirasol had placed cameras in several staterooms and had adjusted them depending on ..read more