Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas is having alterations to a number of upcoming itineraries, dropping ports of call and substituting sea days on various sailings in the coming months.

These changes are due to required engine maintenance impacting overall sailing speed, but guests are being fairly compensated for the adjustment.

Anthem of the Seas Itinerary Changes

Booked passengers have reported a variety of itinerary changes on upcoming sailings for Anthem of the Seas. Most changes involve dropping a scheduled port of call, either Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida or Nassau, Bahamas, depending on the sailing date and exact itinerary. When possible, the cruise line has extended time in another port on the itinerary to give guests more exploration time as well.

Emails sent to booked guests, travel advisors, and travel partners are similar regardless of the sailing.

“To maintain a safe and comfortable speed along our journey, we’ll now have a sea day instead of visiting Nassau, Bahamas [Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida]. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by this,” the notification reads.

To help make up for the alteration, the cruise line is increasing the amount of time Anthem of the Seas will spend in Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Depending on the sailing, the time extension in CocoCay varies from just one extra hour to 2.5 additional hours.

Other impacted itineraries include the October 30 and November 26, 2023 departure dates. Booked guests have also reported similar changes on various departure dates, including November 5 and November 12, 2023, and it is likely that other sailing dates are also affected.

Longer Cruises Also Impacted

It isn’t just 7-night Bahamas cruises that are affected by these itinerary changes. The ship’s January 29, 2024 cruise – an 11-night Southern Caribbean sailing – is also losing a port of call with some adjustments to other ports on the itinerary.

On that sailing, Anthem of the Seas will no longer be visiting Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, but two extra hours have been added to the call in Charlotte Amalie, which will now be the first port of call on the sailing after three full days at sea.

Times in St. Lucia as well as St. Kitts & Nevis are also slightly adjusted, before the ship enjoys three more full days at sea before returning to Cape Liberty.

Anthem of the Seas is offering several of these longer Southern Caribbean sailings over the winter, and each one may be similarly impacted with itinerary changes. Guests booked on those cruises should stay in close contact with the cruise line or their travel agent for updates.

The reasoning for both types of itinerary changes – whether on weeklong or longer sailings – is that the ship requires maintenance on one of its four engines. While no safety or onboard operational systems are impacted, the vessel’s maximum cruising speed must be reduced.

“While this impacts our ability to deliver on the original itinerary, we’re confident that it will still be an exceptional cruise vacation,” the email explains.

Anthem of the Seas has previously had similar issues that caused minor itinerary modifications, including for sailings in June 2023 and in 2017.

Compensation Offered

In addition to extending some time in another port of call, Royal Caribbean International is also offering guests on the impacted cruises a one-day prorated refund of their cruise fare as an onboard credit posted to each guest’s account on embarkation day.

Any unused funds from that credit will be refunded back to the account’s credit card at the end of the cruise. All Royal Caribbean shore excursions for the cancelled ports are also being automatically refunded.

“Thanks for your understanding,” the email concludes. “We can’t wait to welcome you onboard Anthem of the Seas!”

Anthem of the Seas is currently homeported from Southampton, UK, offering Canary Islands cruises as the ship finishes her European season.

On October 15, the 168,666-gross-ton, Quantum-class ship will sail a 15-night transatlantic crossing to return to New York (Cape Liberty, New Jersey), stopping at ports of call in Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Bermuda along the way.

The ship will remain homeported from New Jersey through the winter, before returning to Southampton in late April 2024. In November 2024, Anthem of the Seas will be repositioned in Singapore to offer Southeast Asian itineraries.

Royal Caribbean International has released the thirteenth episode of its “Making an Icon” video series, detailing dining options onboard the upcoming Icon of the Seas.

The ship will feature more than 20 new eateries onboard, with a broad range of amazing tastes everyone can enjoy on their iconic oceangoing getaway.

Dining Aboard Icon of the Seas

The newest episode of “Making an Icon” explores “Creating Flavors for Everyone” and how different food and beverage venues were envisioned, designed, and ultimately, will be put into practice specifically for Icon of the Seas.

“I think our guests are going to look at all this variety of dining and beverage as almost an adventure,” said Jason Liberty, President & CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.

Two years of research took Royal Caribbean teams around the world for the best in culinary experiences in truly iconic, food-oriented cities such as New York, Las Vegas, Barcelona, and more to sample amazing tastes and brainstorm ways to bring them onboard the ship.

Furthermore, guest feedback with a desire for convenience, choice, and variety has helped guide the development of dining options onboard Icon of the Seas even as the ship is under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Turku, Finland.

The result is more than 40 food and beverage venues on the 250,800-gross-ton ship, with over 20 of them as brand new experiences for the first-of-its-kind vessel.

“You name it, for every mood, for every kind of moment during your vacation, anything that you want to experience as it relates to dining is available on Icon of the Seas,” said Michael Bayley, President & CEO of Royal Caribbean International.

Testing to develop Icon‘s dining venues included more than 100 showcase and tasting events as different menus have been evolved and tweaked, with changes to preparation, presentation, ingredients and more to ensure the very best results.

New to Icon of the Seas

More than 20 venues will be exclusive to Icon of the Seas when the ship debuts in January 2024 offering 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami, Florida.

One of the most elite will be the Empire Supper Club, described as a “super premium dining experience” that pairs curated cocktails, dining menus, and specially-selected music for a holistic and elegant 8-course culinary event with a 1920s-style New York vibe.

For a more casual, grab-and-go dining, AquaDome Market will offer a food hall experience with Creme de la Crepe offering both savory and sweet crepes, GNGR with its Asian-inspired menu, Mac’s for a variety of macaroni and cheese dishes including Pepperoni Pizza Mac and Creole Mac, Toast and Garden for sandwiches and salads, and so much more.

In the new Surfside family neighborhood, Surfside Eatery is a buffet dedicated to families, with delicious choices for all ages, including the ever-popular ice cream machine.

Nearby, Pier 7 is the first-ever specialty restaurant created for young families with an all-day brunch experience, including a “Kids Eat Free” menu with grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken tenders, burgers, and other favorites, while Surfside Bites is a pick-up window with grab-and-go handheld snacks like fries, popcorn chicken, hot dogs, donut holes, and chocolate chip cookies.

Another pick-up window will be located with Izumi in Central Park, offering sushi and other Asian bites, along with soft serve bubble cones for an exotic dessert.

In the highly-anticipated Thrill Island neighborhood, the dining venue Base Camp is an outdoor, fast-casual venue with delicious choices like fried cheese curds, waffle chicken nuggets, crispy shrimp bao buns, smash burgers, and other foods to refuel between thrills.

Adjacent to the architecturally stunning Pearl, the Pearl Cafe will offer handcrafted sandwiches, specialty coffees, and bakery desserts, with plentiful lounge seating nearby for relaxing or meeting up.

Returning Favorites

Royal Caribbean fans won’t be disappointed as classic cruise favorites return on Icon of the Seas, including Sorrento’s, Giovanni’s, Playmaker’s, and more. Yet on Icon, each venue is reimagined for the new ship in new ways.

For example, the popular Trellis Bar will have a snack menu with elevated bar dishes such as crab cake fritters, steak bites, beet tartare, and crispy truffled fries, just to name a few.

Chop’s Grille, the cruise line’s signature steakhouse, will have a unique butcher’s display featuring specialty cuts for guests to choose from, showcasing the meat in a way that’s never been done before.

Even the main dining room has been updated and elevated, with a specially curated kids’ menu to give the youngest cruisers more connection to a full family dining experience. Likewise, Windjammer has also been updated with new options for families and cruisers of all ages.

Icon of the Seas is already breaking booking records for the cruise line, and with such an amazing dining lineup onboard, every guest on the ship – as many as 7,600 passengers per sailing when the vessel is fully booked – will certainly find delicious meals, snacks, and treats to make their vacation iconically memorable.

Royal Caribbean International has reached out to loyal guests in the Crown & Anchor Society to let them know of an upcoming name change.

The cruise line’s signature “Diamond Lounge” will be renamed to “Crown Lounge” in homage of the cruise line’s logo and decades of history.

Signature Lounge to Be Renamed

The Diamond Lounge on Royal Caribbean International ships will soon be known as the Crown Lounge, a subtle but meaningful name change for the loyalty venue. The announcement was made via newsletter to Crown & Anchor Society members, past cruisers who have earned loyalty status with Royal Caribbean.

“I’m thrilled to announce that over the next few weeks, the Diamond Lounge – beloved by our Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members – is being specially renamed as the Crown Lounge across our fleet,” said Courtney Brant, the cruise line’s Crown & Anchor Society Director.

The exact timing of the name change has not been announced, but will likely vary on different ships as signage can be changed and appropriate supplies are made available onboard.

Who Can Access the Crown Lounge and What They Get

The new name is a tribute to the cruise line’s history and heritage, as well as an honor for the most loyal guests who have achieved the crowning glory of the top tiers of Royal Caribbean International’s loyalty program.

The exclusive lounge is only available to guests at the Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club levels of loyalty, which require 80, 175, and 700 cruise points, respectively.

Guests earn cruise points for each night sailed with the cruise line, with extra points for booking suites. Extra points can also occasionally be earned through promotional offers, though terms and conditions vary.

Brant does explain that the access requirements are not going to change for the renamed Crown Lounge, nor will the services offered.

“All members who have enjoyed the Diamond Lounge will continue to enjoy the exclusivity and comfort of your private space with delicious treats and top-notch service,” she explained.

Guests visiting the Crown Lounge will still receive benefits such as the complimentary continental breakfast, specialty coffees, evening appetizers, dedicated concierge service, and more in the exclusive space.

It should be noted, however, that the lounge is not available for China or Singapore sailings.

Not the Viking Crown Lounge

It is curious that the new name of the Diamond Lounge is strikingly similar to the Viking Crown Lounge, a signature venue that first appeared aboard Song of Norway, the first purpose-built ship for Royal Caribbean that debuted in 1970. That ship served the cruise line loyally until 1997, and afterward was sold to different cruise lines before being scrapped in 2014.

The Viking Crown Lounge, however, while a staple aboard most Royal Caribbean ships, is not an exclusive venue and is open to all passengers, regardless of loyalty status.

The Viking Crown Lounge offers floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic views, and often features late-night music and dancing.

On some ships, the Diamond Lounge (soon to be the Crown Lounge) is a separate space inside the Viking Crown Lounge, while on other vessels it is its own dedicated venue.

It should also be noted that the Crown Lounge and Viking Crown Lounge are both separate from other exclusive lounges dedicated to suite guests, spaces which vary from ship to ship.

Recently, Celebrity Cruises – a sister line to Royal Caribbean International, as both cruise lines are owned by the Royal Caribbean Group – also adjusted its loyalty lounge benefits, reinstating access to the Retreat Lounges and Michael’s Clubs for Zenith loyalty members.