Royal Caribbean International is updating its stateroom and suite categories across its entire fleet. Starting Wednesday, March 8, the updates will be reflected in bookings for the 2018 – 2019 season, which are now open. All accommodations will remain physically the same.
In a statement provided to Travel Agent, Royal Caribbean said that the changes are similar to those made in the past, and that the latest adjustment was made with guest and travel agent feedback in mind. The cruise line said that the changes were aimed at making it easier for guests to understand and identify staterooms that fit their unique preferences, such as accommodations that are a good fit for couples or families.
What’s new? The new categorization structure will introduce a new set of category codes and new category names that are designed to be more intuitive. The changes are based on each type of stateroom and suite’s attributes, size, location and occupancy. One major change is the removal of the term “family” from higher occupancy staterooms. Royal Caribbean said that this is because it has found that high occupancy staterooms are not only appealing to family travelers, and that other groups of individuals may be misled by the term. Instead, the line has replaced “family” with terms like “spacious” or “ultra spacious.”
The updates will affect all ships and ship classes equally, with the exception of Quantum of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean is making adjustments to the category groupings for the Star, Sky and Sea tiers as follows:
Star
- Royal Loft Suite (RL)
- Villa Suite – 4 bedrooms (VS)
- Owner’s Loft Suite (OL)
- Owner’s Panoramic (OP)
- Grand Panoramic (GP)
- Star Loft Suite (TL)
Sky
- Sky Loft Suite (SL)
- AquaTheater Suites (A1-A4)
- Crown Loft Suite (L1/L2)
- Owner’s Suite (OS)
- Grand Suite (GT, GB, GS)
Sea
- Junior Suite (J1, J3, J4)
The changes will go into effect starting with the following sailings:
- Adventure of the Seas: May 5, 2018
- Allure of the Seas: May 6, 2018
- Anthem of the Seas: April 28, 2018
- Brilliance of the Seas: April 5, 2018
- Empress of the Seas: TBD
- Enchantment of the Seas: May 4, 2018
- Explorer of the Seas: May 14, 2018
- Freedom of the Seas: May 6, 2018
- Grandeur of the Seas: May 5, 2018
- Harmony of the Seas: May 5, 2018
- Independence of the Seas: May 6, 2018
- Jewel of the Seas: May 6, 2018
- Liberty of the Seas: May 6, 2018
- Majesty of the Seas: May 4, 2018
- Mariner of the Seas: March 28, 2018
- Navigator of the Seas: April 22, 2018
- Oasis of the Seas: May 6, 2018
- Ovation of the Seas: April 26, 2018
- Radiance of the Seas: May 13, 2018
- Rhapsody of the Seas: May 6, 2018
- Serenade of the Seas: April 20, 2018
- Vision of the Seas: April 16, 2018
- Voyager of the Seas: April 30, 2018
Other important notes: While staterooms with obstructed views are not grouped in their own category, a square symbol remains in the deck plan to identify them. The adjustments will be added to the Espresso booking system and Royal Caribbean’s website as the rollout of the new deployment occurs. Recategorization reference guides are also available on LoyalToYouAlways.com. The changes will be reflected in all printed materials, including the Travel Agent Guide, as of the next scheduled reprint.
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