Royal Caribbean has completed its return to covid.
Following its return to sailing on July 2, 2021, the cruise line saw its passengers slowly return throughout 2022. Business returned to normal in early 2023 and surpassed 2019 levels after that period. .
CEO Jason Liberty discussed the company's performance during its fourth-quarter earnings conference call.
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“The momentum continues into 2024 with a record start to the wave season,” he said. saying. “Bookings have consistently outperformed last year across all key products at much higher rates. In fact, the five highest booking weeks in our company's history occurred since the last earnings call.”
That's good news for investors, but it's not good news for people looking to book a vacation, since prices have risen.
But that doesn't mean all Royal Caribbean cruises now cost more.
You can still find deals and even some top-notch cruises at very low prices if you know how to look and are willing to be flexible.
And since many Royal Caribbean guests travel with families, these tips apply specifically to cruises that are still available for sailings in July and August 2024, when most children are out of school and families can sail together .
Image source: Caribe Real
1. Downgrade your ship
Royal Caribbean has been steadily building cruise ships that can claim the title of “world's largest cruise ship.” That honor now goes to the fleet's newest ship, the first Icon-class ship, Icon of the Seas.
The Icon is slightly larger than the Wonder of the Seas, an Oasis-class ship. And while Icon is spectacular and features amazing innovations, its cheapest fares for July or August from Miami start at $2,464 per person for a seven-night trip. (All cruises require double occupancy, or the passenger will pay a one-time supplement equal to the cost of the second person less taxes and fees.)
You can book a week-long voyage from Miami on Allure of the Seas, an Oasis-class ship, for $1,426 per person. Allure hasn't been remodeled (or “amped,” as Royal Caribbean calls it), so it's missing water slides. It also continues to feature Sabor, a Mexican restaurant, instead of Playmakers, the cruise line's sports bar. But those small sacrifices could be worth saving more than $2,000.
Additionally, Wonder of the Seas, which was the world's largest cruise ship before Icon, is fully upgraded and has a seven-night sailing from Port Canaveral for $1,007 per person. This is a slight reduction to save almost $3,000.
You can raise the cost of a seven-night sailing to $697 per person by opting for the Freedom of the Seas, a ship that is noticeably smaller than the Icon or Wonder but shares many of those ships' features.
2. Browse shorter Royal Caribbean itineraries.
Royal Caribbean has made a massive commitment to three- and four-day sailings with its upcoming new ship, the Oasis Class Utopia of the Seas, sailing Friday-Monday and weekday itineraries from Port Canaveral. Additionally, in July and August, Allure of the Seas sails on that schedule approximately half of the time.
You can book a four-day, weekday trip on Utopia, which shares many of the updates first introduced on Icon and essentially everything offered on Wonder, for $561 per person. You can even combine it with a three-day cruise from Friday to Monday on either end with prices starting at $441 (prices vary by date).
If you are willing to drop Allure (which is not a massive drop), then prices for that back-to-back scenario will drop even further.
3. Sail on celebrity cruises
Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity Cruises and some would say its ships are a step up in quality from the company's namesake brand.
It's fair to say that Celebrity offers a somewhat elevated main dining room and buffet meal, but whether it's a better experience is up to each passenger.
Departing Fort Lauderdale during that same period in July and August 2024, Celebrity has the Reflection, a mid-sized Solstice-class ship with capacity for 3,600 passengers. (To put it in context, Wonder can seat just under 7,000 passengers.) The cruise line also features Beyond, a member of its premium Edge Class, which also sails from Fort Lauderdale.
Beyond, which has a capacity of 3,200 passengers, also features some of the cruise line's latest innovations. And you can book a six-night voyage on Beyond starting at $718 per person, while the ship's eight-night itineraries start at just under $1,000.
Celebrity Reflection offers a mix of three-, four- and five-night trips with prices starting at $278 per person for three-night trips and $328 for four nights.
However, for families looking to book on Celebrity, it's important to realize that while there are clubs for kids and teens on board, there are no water slides, rock walls or laser tag, which are found on most Royal Caribbean ships.
Also note: Cruise prices can change at any time.
