by Nancy Soulé

A burst pipe on the Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas caused flooding in some crew areas yesterday, while the cruise ship was sailing in the South China Sea. Water spewed down the corridors and staircases, leaving some crew cabins flooded.

Royal Caribbean International announced the complete lineup of ships scheduled to set sail by spring 2022. The cruise line announced that the next group of returning ships and itineraries will begin to safely set sail in September starting with Oasis of the Seas' first sailing from the New York with a 7-night itinerary to the private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, The Bahamas. 

Great News coming from the Anthem of the Seas with the announcement of more relaxed operation for the crew. Starting from today July 25, the crew are no longer required to wear masks in the crew areas. Royal Caribbean has reviewed the protocols for the ship after all the crew was fully vaccinated and approved to change the set of protocols.

Crew masking requirements

Wine Spectator, the world's leading authority on wine has awarded Celebrity Cruises with 12 Restaurant Awards for 2021. The cruise line continues the tradition of excellence as the most awarded wine collection at sea, with 89 Awards in the past nine years. Wine Spectator annually recognizes restaurant wine lists which feature a well-chosen assortment of quality wines along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style.

Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Serenade of the Seas kicked off the Alaska season as the first ship to sail to the Last Frontier since September 2019. The highly anticipated 7-night cruise departing from Seattle on July 19, marks a celebratory moment for the cruise industry, local economy, and Alaska’s communities that were significantly impacted by the absence of the cruise ships. Currently, the ship is sailing with 97% fully vaccinated passengers and crew.

Royal Caribbean International's new flagship Wonder of the Seas will depart on her first sea trials from August 22 to 25 from the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in France.

The countdown is underway for the official restart of cruises onboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas. The ship will set sail on July 10 from Limassol, Cyprus on a 7-day Greek Isles Cruise, visiting some of the iconic destinations in Greece such as Rhodes, Mykonos, Piraeus (Athens), Santorini, Chania, and Crete.

During the past year, the crew was not allowed to go out in ports and most of them haven’t step foot on land for the entire length of their contract. However, with the recent developments and vaccination of the shipboard employees, things are slowly starting to move in the right direction. I spoke with my fellow crew members to find out if the crew is allowed to go out in ports and if the cruise lines organize protected shore excursions for them. 

Royal Caribbean is postponing Spectrum of the Seas short cruises to nowhere out of Hong Kong. The ship was set to start cruising from Hong Kong on July 30, however, according to local media reports the cruises are now rescheduled for September.