Posts in category: Diplomacy

A Holland America Line cruise ship returned to service this past weekend after spending two weeks in dry dock in The Bahamas.

Koningsdam returned to service on March 29, 2026 with new accommodations for families, refreshed entertainment spaces, an expanded casino, upgraded dining experiences and refreshed retail spaces.

The cruise ship has five new, larger ocean view staterooms that are perfect for families or groups traveling together. Each one accommodates up to four guests. Four of them are connecting, allowing larger groups to book together.

The cruise line also upgraded 22 Vista Suites with new sofa beds, giving families more options than ever before.

The casino was expanded creating a more spacious and comfortable gaming experience. It also has a new layout making it easier for guests to move throughout the ship.

Additional seating was added to Billboard Onboard and the Rolling Stone Lounge. There’s a new lounge between the two venues that will allow guests to enjoy the shows from both sides of it.

Holland America Line said that the new layout creates a more open, connected environment where guests can gather and enjoy live music throughout the evening.

During the two-eek dry dock, carpets were replaced in staterooms and public areas.

Several specialty dining venues, including Pinnacle Grill, Sel de Mer and Club Orange, also received updates to support a more adaptable dining experience. Some fixed tables were converted to movable table arrangements, allowing greater flexibility in seating configurations to better accommodate different group sizes and guest preferences.

Koningsdam’s Effy jewelry shop received a full refresh and the same updated design that was added to Westerdam and Zuiderdam. 

The ship’s fitness center now has new, modern equipment.

Koningsdam will reposition to the West Coast from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on April 10, 2026. The ship will arrive in Vancouver on May 2 where the vessel will sail cruises to Alaska.

The ship will offer seven-night cruises to Alaska from Vancouver through the end of September 2026.

Avora Residences, a new cruise line what will allow you to live on a cruise ship, will also offer a private membership called Continuum. 

Avora Residences recently announced that they have purchased a cruise ship from Regent Seven Seas Cruises and will convert it to the latest ship you can live on. You can see details on all cruise lines that offer this here.

Now, the cruise line has launched a private membership that will offer a level of service, privacy, and design typically associated with private mega yachts.

“Continuum was never designed for scale—it was designed for precision”

Membership for Continuum will be limited to just 150 members, have a $150,000 initiation fee, and annual dues of $75,000. It will also grant access to live on Lumina for 60 days a year.

Members will have access to the following perks while sailing:

• Private Continuum Suites across dedicated decks
• 24/7 white-glove butler service
• Exclusive rotating culinary programming with world-class chefs
• Members-only dining venues and private salons
• A fully integrated global concierge managing door-to-door travel

However, the perks don’t end there. It will also include priority shore access with private tender service and curated water experiences, including submarine and watercraft in select destinations.

On land, perks will include access to global events such as Monaco Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival, and Art Basel, private aviation coordination and jet partnerships, and chauffeured transfers and executive-level security services.

Continuum follows a continuous three-year global itinerary, visiting more than 140 countries across seven continents, with routes designed to align with seasonal highlights and major global events.

Members have the flexibility to join and depart as they choose, positioning the experience as a movable residence rather than a fixed itinerary.

Continuum will also be designed to support cryptocurrency transactions and integrate with digital asset ecosystems.

For more information on how you can join the most exclusive club at sea, visit AvoraResidences.com/Continuum.

Royal Caribbean just rolled out two new credit cards with major cruise perks.  One has no annual fee, and one costs $99/year but offers travel perks that easily pay for itself.

Most travelers looking for a credit card that offers Global Entry or TSA PreCheck have to settle for a card that costs at least $250 to $500 for the annual fee. 

Royal Caribbean Group just lowered that bar to entry.

Frequent cruising usually also means frequent flying.  And any opportunity you can skip those lines for a better experience (or to actually make it to your plane on time) should be taken.

I’ve stood in enough customs lines to know how Global Entry in itself can be worth every penny of that $120 fee.

The New Credit Cards: Royal One vs. Royal One Plus

Royal Caribbean and Bank of America have introduced two tiers of credit cards designed to offer perks and rewards for cruisers of Royal Caribbean Group’s three brands: Royal Caribbean. Celebrity Cruises and Silversea.

The Royal One Plus ($99 Annual Fee)

This is the premium version of the card, and for most travelers, the $99 fee pays for itself pretty easily.

Here’s what you get with Royal One Plus:

• TSA PreCheck/Global Entry Credit: You get a $120 statement credit every four years. Since the credit is higher than the annual fee, the card essentially pays for itself (plus a $21 bonus you can spend on something more fun and cruise ship related).
• $200 Anniversary Reward: Each year you hit the qualifying spend ($20,000), you get a $200 cruise discount, effectively doubling your “money back” on the annual fee.  If you cruise a lot you can use this card on Royal Caribbean cruises for a 4x on points and that $20k should be very reachable.
• Priority Everything: This card grants you Priority Suite Boarding and Priority Luggage Handling.  Getting a “skip the line” fast pass to get on the ship sooner just for having this card is a big perk for most cruisers.   
• Earning Power: You earn 4X points per $1 on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Silversea, and 2X points on airfare, hotels, and dining.
• EV Charging Points: Since many major cruise ports like PortMiami, Port Canaveral, and Port of Galveston have their own EV charging stations in parking garages, you can effectively earn 2X points while on the cruise ship with your car still in port.

The Royal One (No Annual Fee)

For those who want a simple, no-cost way to earn rewards, the entry-level card still offers some solid “VIP” perks.

• $100 Anniversary Reward: You still get a $100 cruise discount after the qualifying annual spend of $10,000 in the year.
• Priority Boarding: Even without the annual fee, you get access to priority boarding for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity but not priority luggage.
• Earning Power: You’ll earn 3X points on cruise purchases and 2X points on everyday essentials like groceries, gas, and EV charging, just like the Royal One Plus card.

How it Compares to Carnival’s Card

Carnival Corp. has also updated its credit card perks recently.  But it’s different from what Royal Caribbean is offering in a few different ways.

The Carnival Rewards Mastercard remains a no-annual-fee card, which is great for budget-conscious travelers who want to avoid yearly costs entirely.

The big difference with this card from Carnival is that this year is the introduction of “Status Qualifying Stars.” This system allows you to earn actual cruise loyalty status, like Platinum or Diamond, through your everyday credit card spending rather than just nights at sea.

This causes a major uproar when it was first announced and some realized they would lose their status, but time will tell how loyal cruisers end up liking the program.

The Carnival card offers 3X points on Carnival purchases, 2X points at restaurants and groceries, and 1X on everything else.

Carnival also offers a perk of $200 onboard credit once you earn 20,000 Fun Points.

While it’s a great card for climbing the loyalty ladder without a fee, it doesn’t offer some of the travel perks that Royal Caribbean is offering like Global Entry/TSA Precheck or priority luggage and boarding.

Bottom Line

Overall, this is a pretty big deal for any cruise traveler who sails with Royal Caribbean often.  4X points on Royal Caribbean purchases alone make this a no-brainer as that $99 fee will easily be a net positive.

Both Royal Caribbean cards also promise onboard credit and cruise discounts on all three of the cruise company’s brands, in addition to Visa Signature Benefits like Trip Delay expense reimbursement, Lost Luggage reimbursement, and Trip Cancellation & interruption coverage.

In just 17 days, Norwegian Jewel is scheduled to sail from what was supposed to be a brand-new cruise terminal in Philadelphia.

But as it stands right now, the 16-acre Phila Port Cruise Terminal is nowhere near ready for 2,300 cruise passengers.  In fact, recent news footage of the site from 6 ABC Action News shows plenty of construction equipment with no real structures in place.

The site for the terminal is located in Tinicum Township near Philadelphia International Airport on the site of the former Hog Island Dock.   The construction process was part of a partnership between PhilaPort, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Energy Transfer.

After more than 10 years without an active cruise terminal, Philadelphia is ready to once again become a cruising homeport.  But the inaugural cruise out of “The City of Brotherly Love” will look a little different than first planned.

Despite construction delays, PhilaPort and Norwegian Cruise Line have confirmed that Norwegian Jewel will still depart on its inaugural voyage as scheduled on April 16, 2026.

Passengers will not use the new permanent terminal though. Instead, embarkation for the initial sailings will take place from a temporary facility at the port.

“There will be no delay for cruise passengers. The first scheduled sailing of the Norwegian Jewel will depart Philadelphia as planned on Thursday, April 16,” PhilaPort stated.

The reason for the delay in building the new terminal?  The port said that “extreme winter weather conditions” over the winter months impacted the construction process.

Norwegian Jewel is set to homeport in Philadelphia through October 2026 under a 7-year berthing agreement.

It will offer dozens of sailings, mainly 7- to 11-night itineraries to Bermuda (with overnight stays in some cases), as well as Canada and New England routes later in the season.

Media footage has shown the site as an active construction zone with heavy equipment but no completed terminal building. Still, officials say operational plans are in place to ensure a smooth experience for the initial launch of Philadelphia’s cruise season in just two weeks.

Norwegian Cruise Line has said it is finalizing boarding details and expects to provide updates to passengers in the near future.

Construction continues on the permanent terminal, but no revised opening date has been announced.

Passengers booked on early sailings are being advised to monitor communications from Norwegian Cruise Line for any specific check-in instructions or changes.

Royal Caribbean has announced that their fourth Icon class ship will be named Hero of the Seas and will begin sailing from the Cruise Capital of the World, PortMiami, in August 2027.

Hero of the Seas will have a record breaking 28 dining venues, nine distinct swimming pools, eight neighborhoods, brand-new family raft slides, and the Ultimate Family Treehouse.

Cabins will open for bookings on April 1, 2026 for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty members. The general public will be able to book a cruise on this new ship on April 2, 2026.

Ultimate Family Treehouse

The Ultimate Family Treehouse will be a three-story treehouse that has a rooftop terrace and private whirlpool, a two-deck teen space, and two main bedrooms each with their own bathroom and balcony.

Families can stay in rooms designed just for them at the three-level Ultimate Family Townhouse with direct access to Surfside; Surfside Family Suites and Family Infinite Ocean View Balconies.

Pools/Waterpark

Coconut Cove is an all new pool steps away from the tropical Caribbean bar, The Lime & Coconut. It will have loungers in the water and poolside service for easy drink access.

The Hideaway, an adults-only oasis at the ship’s aft, will now feature two pools, including the largest swim-up bar at sea for tropical cocktails and an in-water DJ booth for nonstop party vibes.

At Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea, cruisers can take on two new family raft slides, including the first funnel raft slide at sea, along with new twists on the mat-racing Storm Chasers duo.

Dining

There will be a record 28 different dining options on Hero of the Seas.

The newest supper club experience, Orleans Parish Supper Club, is a multi-course dining venue with live jazz, craft cocktails, and gourmet Cajun and Creole dishes inspired by the early 20th century elegance of the French Quarter.

Royal Railway – Hero Station will bring to life the most immersive dining experience at sea that transports adventurous diners by train car to new destinations through a combination of entertainment, food and technology.

The AquaDome Market food hall will return with four new stall concepts, plus desserts at Crème de la Crêpe and freshly squeezed juices at Simply Pressed.

Hero of the Seas will also have familiar Royal Caribbean favorites including Izumi and the walk-up window Izumi in the Park, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, Chops Grille and Hooked Seafood.

In addition, families can eat throughout the day at complimentary grab-and-go spots including Basecamp, El Loco Fresh and Sorrento’s.

Entertainment/Spaces

The cruise ship will have all of the most beloved Royal Caribbean spaces that include Central Park, with 30,500 real plants, and the Royal Promenade.

The AquaTheater and Absolute Zero will offer the boldest entertainment at sea that will compliment new productions for the Royal Theater.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean, said the following:

“Icon Class truly set a new standard for family vacations, and Hero of the Seas takes that vision even further. With more water, more thrills and more choices for all ages, we’re continuing to build on what our guests love about Royal Caribbean and delivering the experiences families are looking for when vacationing together.”

Hero of the Seas will sail seven-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean from Miami starting in August 2027. Cruises to the Eastern Caribbean will visit St. Maarten and St. Thomas. Sailings to the Western Caribbean will stop at Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.

Also, very single cruise on the ship will stop at the cruise line’s award winning private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Staying connected while on a cruise is easier than ever.  But the cost of those Wi-Fi plans on the ship can rack up quickly, especially with multiple devices. 

Add in the fact that you can’t take that internet plan with you when you’re walking around an exotic cruise port in the Caribbean, and you’re stuck with a phone in airplane mode or risking surprise phone bills when you get back home.

A new service called OneRoam is attempting to change all that, and with prices as low as $8.67/day for unlimited data, it could exactly what cruisers have been looking for. 

If nothing else, it looks promising.

What is OneRoam?

OneRoam is a global travel eSIM service that offers unlimited high-speed mobile data for use both at sea on cruise ships and on land.   Yes, that means you can use it on the ship and also when you’re walking around a foreign port.

The service covers more than 150 crountries and works on over 200 cruise ships from 25 cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and others.

It uses an eSIM profile that travelers install on compatible unlocked phones, getting rid of the need to swap physical SIM cards or rely solely on ship Wi-Fi.

The list of compatible phones is pretty exhaustive, so chances are fairly good that it will work with yours.

What’s the Cost?

For a typical 7-night cruise, OneRoam’s 7-day “Global + Cruise” unlimited plan costs $89.99 total, which works out to about $12.86 per day.

Longer options provide even lower daily rates: a 15-day plan is $159.99 ($10.67 per day) and a 30-day plan is $259.99 ($8.67 per day).

If you just want to try it for one day it will cost $19.99 for the Global + Cruise package.

Plans can be purchased and topped up through the OneRoam website or mobile app (available for iOS and Android). And the “validity period” begins only when the eSIM connects to a supported network.

Cruise Line Wi-Fi

Every major cruise line offers Wi-Fi plans that you can purchase ahead of the cruise or once you’re on the ship.  Speeds are much better than they used to be, but prices are always changing.

Carnival Cruise Line has a “Value Wi-Fi Plan” that starts at $23.80 per day, Royal Caribbean’s 1 device plan starts around $23.99 a day, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Voyage Wi-Fi Pass” is $29.99 per day.

So, for a 7-day cruise with one device you’re looking at spending at least $167.

While these plans make it very convenient to connect your devices to the internet, they do not extend to use in ports, unless you’re in one of their private destinations.

Phone Carrier Options

Some of the major U.S. carriers also offer cruise-friendly roaming, but with daily fees and limits.  Too many times we’ve written stories about cruisers who left their phone on roaming without a cruise or travel plan.  As you might expect the bill afterwards was often north of $1,000.

Here is what the three big carriers offer:

• AT&T: International Day Pass costs $20/day per line. Gives unlimited talk & text + 500MB high-speed data (then slower). Works on 400+ cruise ships and in ports on the same day.
• Verizon: Cruise Daily Pass is $20/day per line. Unlimited talk & text to the U.S. + 0.5GB high-speed data (then unlimited at slower speeds). Charged only on days you use it at sea.
• T-Mobile: Strong for ports (included data/text on most plans in 215+ countries), but no high-speed data at sea. Turn roaming off in port to avoid ship network charges; at sea, expect pay-per-use rates.

How Does OneRoam Work?

OneRoam’s setup is fairly straightforward.  Users need to confirm their device is unlocked and eSIM-compatible, select a plan based on the itinerary and number of days needed, download the eSIM profile, and activate it when connecting to a supported network.

The service is designed for cruise passengers, crew, and others who want cellular data that can be used on almost any cruise ship.

 A Roam Rewards loyalty program is available for repeat customers as well, so it’s a viable option for those veteran cruisers.

What Kind of Speeds to Expect

This was my first question with this kind of service.   According to the service details on the OneRoam website, it supports LTE/5G/3G/2G networks with unlimited data.

Performance with any at-sea internet service can vary based on ship location, weather, and network congestion.

OneRoam delivers cellular data directly to the phone, which is different from the full-ship Wi-Fi experience.  Heavy video streaming or major bandwidth hogging activities might not be as reliable, but again, it depends on the above factors.

The service is still pretty new, so we’ll have to wait on user feedback to see what cruisers think of the reliability and speed of the connections.

In a press release about this new service Willie Moore, Executive Director of OneRoam said this:

“OneRoam removes the complexity and unpredictability travelers often experience when trying to stay connected across multiple countries and maritime networks. Our goal is to provide a seamless connectivity experience that works wherever the journey takes them, whether at sea or land.”

Feel free to check out plans at OneRoam here and let us know if you’ve used the service before.

A recent social media post asked if others felt pressured to give perfect ratings on a post-cruise survey.  After all, knowing a crew member’s livelihood depends on this kind of thing gives the survey more weight.  It didn’t take long for the group of veteran cruisers to give their takes.

That post-cruise survey email hits your inbox a day or two after you get home, and suddenly you’re staring at all those rating questions about dining, service, and your overall experience on board the ship.

For a lot of cruisers, it turns into more stress than it really should. The debate got started up on Reddit when one passenger in a Royal Caribbean subreddit asked this question:

“Anyone else feel a lot of pressure to give a perfect rating on the survey?”

They went on to explain: “The servers in the main dining room basically told us if they don’t get a perfect rating, they get punished. When it’s either a perfect rating or nothing, I just don’t leave a review or fill out a survey. What’s the point?”

While saying the crew members get “punished” for a lower rating is a bit extreme, it’s true that these surveys are a huge deal to the crew, even if some cruise travelers either ignore them or fill them out flippantly.  After cruising for almost two decades, I realize how important these details are.

The social media post apparently hit home with a lot of other cruisers, and the comments poured in right away from fellow travelers who have wrestled with the same internal conflict. 

The Pressure Many Cruisers Feel

A big sticking point for people is that specific survey question asking if anyone requested a perfect 10 or pushed you to fill it out.

It’s not uncommon for the crew to ask for a good rating even if they technically aren’t supposed to.

One commenter said what a lot of other cruisers have questioned about this:

“The question ‘did anyone request you to fill out the survey or request a perfect 10 (however it’s phrased)’ freaks me out because if I click yes, are they supposed to ask for those things or will they be punished for asking?”

It leaves you wondering what the “right” answer is without getting someone in trouble.

How Different Cruisers Handle the Ratings

Plenty of people decide to give 10s most of the time as a way to support the crew. One cruiser shared this way of thinking:

“No pressure, but unless something was truly awful, I always do a perfect score and name everyone I can. It means a lot to them, and there is zero reason for me to give a crummy score.”

But not everyone feels comfortable with that. Some people want to stay honest and realize that if the cruise line really wants constructive feedback maybe some positive changes can come from it.

“Be honest. Rate honestly and answer yes to the ‘did anyone ask you to give a 10’ question. Why is that so hard? People need to be honest or nothing will change,” one comment stated.

Worries About What Perfect Scores Really Do

On the flip side, a few people pointed out a downside to handing out 10s every time. One Diamond member said:

“And that’s why the quality keeps dropping. As long as the 10’s keep on coming in head office thinks all is great maybe we can cut back some more.”

Another person explained how the scoring system works in reality, which can be a lot different than some think:

“9-10 is a 100, 6-8 is a 0, 0-5 is -100… anything less than perfect can really hurt them.”

It creates some confusion because you want to be nice to the crew but also wonder if your feedback is actually helping the cruise line improve.

In my experience, if a crew member is not offering good service, they typically won’t even bring up the survey.  Not that they should. But this kind of extra effort usually is paired with good service on the ship as well.  

Then again, your mileage may vary.

Why Crew Members Bring Up the Survey

Crew members are usually away from home for many months at a stretch, working hard to take care of guests and support their families back home.  

It’s not an easy life and I can honestly say that I’ve had incredible crew members on just about every cruise I’ve taken.

Whether it was the extra time a room steward took to make extra towel animals for a child or a waiter remembering how I like my steak cooked, all those details add up to a better cruise vacation.

A strong survey can mean bonuses, extra days off, or better chances when contracts come up again.

That’s why some of them mention how important those perfect scores are before the cruise ends. 

The good news is that cruise lines do pay attention to the surveys. When you name specific crew members and say what they did well, those comments often get passed along to their supervisors and can lead to real recognition.

Practical Tips for Filling Out the Survey

Here’s what a lot of experienced cruisers do to keep things fair:

• Give the 10 if the service felt solid and you had a good experience. Most people in comments of this social media post lean this way unless something was clearly off.
• Use the comment boxes to name names and give specific praise. Telling exactly what your waiter or room steward did well can mean more than the number itself.
• Put bigger picture issues (like food trends or staffing) in the general sections instead of putting that on an individual crew member.  It’s not the crew member’s fault if the food selection at the buffet wasn’t to your liking or the bed was too hard.
• Skip the whole survey if it just doesn’t feel right. Plenty of people in the discussion do exactly that and move on.

The most polarizing part of the survey is usually the “were you asked” question.   Some prefer to be 100% honest about it and others are afraid of hurting the crew members.  It’s your call, but since these surveys are all about transparency, every bit of feedback can help make future cruises better for everyone.

Personally, I tend to give out perfect 10’s on a regular basis, but I also use the comment sections for critiques and added context for anything that was a tad off.