Plan Your Royal Caribbean International Vacation
Big, bigger, biggest! Royal Caribbean has the largest modern mega cruise liners in the world, as well as some of the most innovative technology on its newest ships, from robot bartenders to the fastest Wi-Fi at sea. Its fleet of 25 and counting are all-around favorites of passengers—arguably the most multigenerational (and Millennial) crowd at sea—who enjoy traditional cruising ambience with a touch of daring and whimsy. Each ship in the fleet has action-packed activities such as surfing pools, rock-climbing walls, and on the newest ships, skydiving simulators, and 10-story slides.
Expansive multideck atriums and promenades, as well as the generous use of brass and floor-to-ceiling glass windows, give each vessel a sense of spaciousness and style. The action is nonstop in casinos and dance clubs after dark, while daytime hours are filled with poolside games and traditional cruise activities. Port talks tend to lean heavily on shopping recommendations and the sale of shore excursions.
Key Royal Caribbean International Tips
Are you a first-time cruiser? View our helpful hints and tips on Your Shipmates, Dress Code, Junior Cruisers, and much more! See Tips
Top Reasons To Cruise
- A Step Above Offering the same value as other mainstream lines, Royal Caribbean's ships are more sophisticated than its competitors’.
- Big Ships The Royal Caribbean fleet boasts the world’s largest cruise ships.
- Extra Charges You will have to break out your wallet quite often once onboard, as the cruise fare is far from inclusive.
- Recreation Gym rats and sports and fitness buffs find multiple facilities available to satisfy their active lifestyles while at sea.
- Something for Everyone With activities that appeal to a broad demographic, Royal Caribbean is a top choice for multigenerational cruise vacations.
Is This Line Right For You?
Choose This Line If
- You want to see the sea from atop a rock wall—it's one of the few activities on these ships that's free.
- You're active and adventurous. Even if your traveling companion isn't, there's an energetic staff onboard to cheer you on.
- You want your space. There's plenty of room to roam; quiet nooks and crannies are there if you look.
Don't Choose This Line If
- Patience is not one of your virtues. Lines are not uncommon.
- You want to do your own laundry. There are no self-service facilities on any Royal Caribbean ships.
- You don't want to hear announcements. There are a lot on Royal Caribbean ships.
What To Expect On Board
Food
Dining is an international experience, with nightly changing themes and cuisines from around the world. Passenger preference for casual attire and a resortlike atmosphere has prompted the cruise line to add laid-back alternatives to the formal dining rooms: the Windjammer
Café and, on certain ships, Johnny Rockets Diner. Royal Caribbean offers you the choice of early or late dinner seating and has introduced an open seating program fleet-wide.
Room service is available 24 hours, but for orders between midnight and 5 am there’s a $3.95 service charge, not to mention a limited menu.
Royal Caribbean has introduced a more upscale and intimate dinner experience in the form of an Italian specialty restaurant and/or a steak house on all ships and more specialty dining options on the newest ships, such as the Asian-inspired Izumi and imaginative cuisine of Wonderland.
Entertainment
A variety of lounges and high-energy stage shows draws passengers of all ages out to mingle and dance the night away. Production extravaganzas showcase singers and dancers in lavish costumes. Comedians, acrobats, magicians, jugglers, and solo entertainers fill show lounges
on nights when the ships' companies aren't performing. Broadway shows are featured on the newest ships. Professional ice shows are a highlight of cruises on Voyager-, Freedom-, and Oasis-class ships—the only ships at sea with ice-skating rinks.
Fitness and Recreation
Royal Caribbean has pioneered such new and previously unheard-of features as rock-climbing walls, ice-skating rinks, and even the first self-leveling pool tables on a cruise ship. Interactive water parks, boxing rings, surfing simulators, and cantilevered whirlpools suspended
112 feet above the ocean made their debuts on the Freedom-class ships.
Facilities vary by ship class, but all Royal Caribbean ships have state-of-the-art exercise equipment, jogging tracks, and rock-climbing walls; passengers can work out independently or in classes guaranteed to sweat off extra calories. Some exercise classes are included in the fare, but there's a fee for specialized spin, yoga, and Pilates classes, as well as the services of a personal trainer. Spas and salons are top-notch, with full menus of day spa–style treatments and services for pampering and relaxation for adults and teens.