You're Welcome To Stay...

 Enjoy more of this and less crowded airports

aboard all Royal Caribbean European sailings.
Photo © Aaron Saunders

Picture this: you're in Europe, about to disembark from the ship that's been your home for the past two weeks.  You have to be up and out of your cabin by 8am, and probably on-land at 9am...and your flight home doesn't leave until 4pm. 

What do you do with all that time?  One cruise line is hoping you'll choose to stay aboard...for a small fee.

Royal Caribbean is testing out an innovative disembarkation day option aimed primarily at guests aboard the line's European sailings.  For $35 per person (and $17.50 for children ages 3-17), you can sign up for a program that will let you stay aboard your floating palace on disembarkation day until 90 minutes before the next sailing departs. 

While you still loose access to your cabin in the morning, the ships public rooms are yours to enjoy, including the solarium, pools, spa, and Windjammer buffet.  On certain vessels, guests can even use their credit cards in order to purchase soda or alcoholic drinks (remember, your onboard account is still closed the night before.)

If this sounds like paradise to you, you can register for this option before you even set sail: the Late Departure Option is available to book on-line in the Shore Excursions section (the link for Voyager of the Seasis given as an example).

For now, this option is only available to guests on a Royal Caribbean cruise that ends in a European port.    If this interests you, better to book this option early than leave disappointed: like any excursion, spaces for the Late Departure Option are capacity-controlled.

Will Royal Caribbean roll this option out for its other worldwide departures?  Perhaps if the program proves successful, however it really is designed to accommodate transatlantic flights, many of which don't depart until the mid-to-late afternoon. Still, it represents another innovation from a line that has long challenged the status quo.

For more information, visit Royal Caribbean's website.