Blog

Returning cruisers continue to spend aboard ships like never before

2022-02-07

The revenue train has not slowed down onboard cruise ships. During Royal Caribbean Group’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Friday, executives said that revenue per passenger cruise day was up 10% from record 2019 levels, driven by strong onboard revenue. Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings both began reporting unexpectedly high onboard spending trends […]

Puerto Rico drops testing rule for vaccinated U.S. visitors

2022-02-02

Effective Feb. 2, Puerto Rico is eliminating the Covid-19 testing requirement for entry for vaccinated visitors traveling from the U.S. who are age 5 and older. Unvaccinated travelers still have to present a negative Covid test result (molecular or antigen are accepted) taken within 48 hours of travel. Unvaccinated visitors who do not present a […]

Carry-On Luggage Sizes: Size Restrictions by Airline

2022-01-31

Every airline has a strict set of rules to follow when it comes to carry-on luggage. These days, it’s rare for airlines to allow passengers to check bags for free – at least in economy class. So, the best way to avoid those fees is to stick to carry-on luggage. That said, you’ll usually need […]

The pandemic has changed travelers, and hotels need to adjust

2022-01-24

LOS ANGELES — As the Americas Lodging Investment Summit gets underway, a report released Monday from the American Hotel and Lodging Association suggests many of the hot topics at the conference will remain the same as six months ago. The 2022 State of the Hotel Industry indicates optimism for a continued recovery, although uncertainty over […]

What to Do If Your Flight is Canceled

2022-01-18

Know your options when flight delays or cancellations threaten to ruin your vacation. Whether you’re flying for work or leisure, getting to your destination on time is something most travelers take for granted. However, severe weather, COVID-19 staff shortages, airport construction and security issues make flight disruptions more common than you may think. According to […]

When an industry calls out sick: Cancellations, staff shortages

2022-01-18

For the last month, the travel sector has been hit by a perfect storm of factors leading to cancellations and service cuts in the face of the global omicron surge. The stream of flight cancellations before Christmas that soon became a flood was the first indication of the storm within travel and hospitality being fueled […]

Royal Caribbean cancels sailings on four ships based in Florida

2022-01-11

Royal Caribbean International canceled sailings on four ships departing from Florida this weekend, citing “ongoing Covid-related circumstances around the world.” Travel advisors and passengers were informed of the change on Jan 7. From Miami, the Symphony of the Seas canceled its cruise scheduled to depart Jan. 8, and the ship will be out of service […]

Righting the Ship

2022-01-11

“We,” the cruise industry, know cruising is safer than any cruiser’s city. Atlanta the home of the CDC’s positivity rate is 9%, about 100x worse than on a cruise ship! Now, how do “we” get reality to replace perception? Personally, I think that messaging says it all. CLIA’s social media billboards are effective messaging, albeit […]

Omicron slows bookings, but tour operators are liking 2022 overall

2022-01-02

Omicron ruined just about everything this holiday season, from thousands of flights canceled globally at Christmas to downsizing New Year’s Eve plans (not to mention the fluctuation of travel restrictions and tighter testing windows). And the variant looks like it will continue to upend plans as we head into 2022. But tour operators say that […]

Safest Place During Covid

2021-12-31

About 16% of the US population has Covid, NYC is greater than 20%. What if there’s a place with only a 0.02% Covid rate and considerably more comfortable than isolating at home? Since June of this year, more than 1.1 million guests have cruised aboard Royal Caribbean Group ships, with 1,745 testing positive. Chairman and […]