Royal Caribbean Announces 5 Big Changes Coming In 2023
It’s officially a New Year and 2023 is bringing a number of changes at Royal Caribbean. Among them, is a Perfect Day at CocoCay expansion and a new Main Dining Room menu. Moreover, other changes make it easy for passengers to plan, book and enjoy a cruise vacation with Royal Caribbean. Read on to find out more about the changes coming in 2023.
Royal Caribbean makes changes in 2023
During 2022, Royal Caribbean made a number of major changes including the return to service of its entire fleet in the wake of the pandemic. Moreover, the cruise line launched the Wonder of the Seas. Now, in 2023, Royal Caribbean is making five more changes as follows:
1. Main Dining Room menu
One major change is the new Main Dining Room menu, set to be introduced in January across the fleet. Meanwhile, the new menu features dishes from a new cuisine every night while offering some of the previous popular dishes. One of the reasons for the new menu is the cruise line’s goal of quicker dining room service.
In fact, Royal Caribbean hopes to change the average dinner time from 90 to 120 minutes down to 75 minutes. Moreover, the cruise line believes the new menu will increase the quality and consistency of the dishes offered with fresher, hotter, and more consistently plated food.
2. Adults-only beach at Perfect Day at CocoCay
Coming later in 2023, the company expects to open Hideaway Beach, an adults-only area of Perfect Day at CocoCay. Royal Caribbean first announced the project in September 2021, but now it is coming to fruition.
Meanwhile, the new adults-only area on the cruise line’s private island is located adjacent to Thrill Waterpark. However, so far, no details of the new area are yet available. What is known so far is that Hideaway Beach will increase CocoCay’s capacity by 3,000 guests, plus it will be the only adults-only area on the island. It does sound like it will be a popular addition for those travelers looking for peace and quiet away from family fun.
3. Construction on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas
While the first official sailing of Icon of the Seas is not set to happen until January 2024, the cruise line has announced that construction will be finished in 2023. Moreover, Icon of the Seas was floated out of Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland in early December 2022. Meanwhile, construction on the cruise ship will continue until it is ready for sea trials in May or June of this year.
4. Royal Caribbean’s first around-the-world cruise
Back in October 2021, Royal Caribbean announced its first-ever world cruise. Sailing on the Serenade of the Seas is planned from Miami on December 10, 2023. Meanwhile, the 274-night journey will visit more than 150 destinations in 60 countries around the world.
From December 10, 2023, to September 10, 2024, the cruise ship will sail around the world in four segments as follows:
- Round the Horn, visiting the Americas and Antarctica
- Wonders of Asia and the Pacific, including a transpacific crossing before visiting Oceania and Asia
- Middle East Treasures and Marvels of the Med, visiting the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Adriatic
- Capitals of Culture, traveling to Morocco, northern Europe, and the Arctic before a transatlantic crossing
Moreover, should the new world cruise prove successful, this could lead to Royal Caribbean planning more world cruises in the future.
5. New homeports and destinations for some ships
One change is that, for the first time since the ship was launched in 2017, the Harmony of the Seas will set sail from Miami in 2023. The ship will take the place of Symphony of the Seas, set to spend summer in Europe. Meanwhile, Harmony of the Seas will offer 7-night Caribbean cruises out of Miami.
In the summer of 2023, Brilliance of the Seas is set to sail to Alaska, which is a first for the cruise ship. Meanwhile, it will offer 7-night cruises from Vancouver with ports including Juneau, Sitka, Skagway, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, and Icy Strait Point.
Meanwhile, Western Caribbean cruises will now visit Roatan, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Perfect Day at CocoCay. Moreover, Eastern Caribbean itineraries may visit St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
More details of changes at Royal Caribbean can be seen in the Royal Caribbean Blog here.
Readers, are you planning to sail with Royal Caribbean in 2023? Let us know by dropping a comment below.