53 Easy Steps to Pack For A Family Vacation

How To Pack For a Family Vacation in 53 Easy Steps

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Traveling with kids can be hard. It takes planning, patience, and resilience. It requires the ability to think on your feet, to reassess, and to be prepared. It even entails mastering the ability to squish items into small spaces. No, I’m not talking about the plane ride. I’m talking about the packing.

Whether you start making your packing list weeks before, or go for the whirlwind night before approach, packing when kids are involved can be an adventure in and of itself. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you through the packing process, otherwise known as transferring all your children’s possessions into suitcases.

1. Plan the packing list in your head. Let’s see, three kids for three days. So a few outfits, some PJs, and an extra pair of underpants. No problem. You’ve got this.
   
2. Bring out a carry-on from the basement. Their clothes are small, that should totally be enough.
   
3. Open up the carry-on to find a plane ticket from 2014 and a newborn diaper. Huh, wonder why you haven’t traveled in so long.
   
4. Call to your two older children to pack their backpacks for the plane. Give yourself a little pat on the back for raising such self-sufficient children.
   
5. Time to pack. Start with the oldest. Grab three pairs of pants and throw them in. Smugly think to yourself that the hardest part is just getting started. You’re already practically done.
   
6. Decide maybe you should bring a pair of shorts just in case.
   
7. Dig around in the back of the drawer until you unearth last summer’s pre-growth spurt shorts. Realizing your son might protest at approximating the look of Richard Simmons circa 1986, leave the shorts out.
   
8. On to long-sleeve shirts. Three days, three shirts. That should do it.
   
9. As you put the third shirt in the suitcase, think — well, probably makes sense to bring an extra one just in case. What if there is a repeat of The Great Milkshake Incident of 2014? Or the What Fits Down the Toilet Mishap of 2013 for that matter? Throw it in.
   
10. Then realize you should also include a few t-shirts. Just in case. Throw them in.
    
11. Notice the carry-on is filling up alarmingly fast and you still have two children to go. Realize you are so not practically done.
    
12. Throw in one pair of PJs. He can reuse it. Wonder if that’s enough. Then throw in one more.
    
13. Underpants. He needs like seven pairs. Because again, who knows what will happen?
    
14. Oh my gosh, socks. Why do kids need so many clothes? The just-in-case six pairs of socks are overflowing out of the carry-on.
    
15. Take everything out.
    
16. Remember why you haven’t traveled in so long.
    
17. Re-pack, taking out all the extras, and squishing everything down much harder.
    
18. Put all the extras back in. Your thought process was sound. It’s important to be prepared for possible milkshake and toilet emergencies. And then take the extras back out — there’s no way it will all fit.
    
19. Reassess. Okay, maybe one large suitcase for all the kids. That will work.
    
20. Take everything out of the carry-on.
    
21. Return to the basement for a larger suitcase.
    
22. Put everything in.
    
23. Consider how, despite the larger suitcase easily weighing 15 pounds more than the carry-on, the same amount of clothes still manages to fill it up.
    
24. Take out one pair of socks.
    
25. That made no difference. Put them back in.
    
26. Repeat steps 5 through 16 with your second child.
    
27. Realize these clothes do not fit. At all.
    
28. Open the zipper to expand the suitcase so that it is now approximately the size of your children’s dresser.
    
29. These clothes still do not fit. Ponder how this is physically possible.
    
30. Take out two of your second child’s outfits.
    
31. Think about the very real probability that she will boycott clothing for the entire trip if these outfits are not included. Put them back in. Or more accurately next to, because they don’t fit.
    
32. Go back down to the basement for another suitcase. It’s fine! You’ll just share this second one with the kids. No problem.
    
33. Squish all that can possibly be squished into the first suitcase.
    
34. Half-fill the second suitcase with the rest of the clothes.
    
35. Onto the youngest. Diapers. Let’s see, 72 hours. Let’s say one diaper every four hours. So 18 diapers. That seems like plenty.
    
36. Right, but what if he has some sort of travel-induced bathroom illness? We probably need a few more. 24 diapers.
    
37. Okay 36 diapers. That should be fine.
    
38. Realize this suitcase is basically just diapers. Take four diapers out.
    
39. Put the diapers back in. It’s fine! You can fit your clothes in a backpack. That’s totally cool. Zip up the second suitcase.
    
40. Wait, he needs clothes too. How do these tiny clothes take up so much room?
    
41. Your youngest is resilient. Three pairs of PJs for the whole trip. They can double as daywear. He can manage. Decide to just stuff some PJs in your backpack.
    
42. Okay four pairs of PJs. And also three pairs of pants and three shirts. And socks. And maybe a few more diapers.
    
43. These will not fit in a backpack.
    
44. Go back down to the basement for another suitcase.
    
45. Manage to zip up the three suitcases, barely.
    
46. Swimsuits!
    
47. Open up the least-stuffed suitcase and squish them in.
    
48. Wipes!
    
49. Repeat step 44, with considerable more difficulty.
    
50. Onto you. Decide you will wear four layers of clothing on the plane so as not to have to pack anything. Ever, ever again.
    
51. Your children proudly enter the room with their backpacks.
    
52. Look inside your daughter’s backpack to see The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales (in hard cover), one Lego, an inflated balloon, and her largest stuffed animal. Your oldest has been somewhat more reasonable with four red markers, six Lego, and three stuffed animals.
    
53. Suggest that your oldest grab some paper and call it good.

Congratulations, you are packed! Except for the snacks, headache meds, tissues, travel clock, water bottles, iPad, toothbrush, hairbrush, toothpaste, shoes … guess you’d better get another suitcase.

Michael Bayley CEO Royal Caribbean International

Michael Bayley

President and Chief Executive Officer
Royal Caribbean International

Seasoned travel and hospitality executive Michael Bayley was named President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, the world’s largest cruise brand, in December 2014. Bayley’s career with the brand’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL), spans 30 years. In his former role as President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, Bayley delivered strong results while building the company’s “Modern Luxury” positioning, which resonated successfully with Celebrity’s sophisticated customer base

Prior to that Bayley was Executive Vice President of Operations for Royal Caribbean International, where he oversaw the brand’s Hotel Operations; Marine Operations for Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises; Land Operations for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises, and Commercial Development for RCL.

Prior to that, as RCL’s Executive Vice President, International, Bayley was responsible for the strategic international business development of three of the company’s cruise lines: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. Over the course of just four years, he established 11 regional offices around the world, which now generate more than 50 percent of the corporation’s total revenue.

Earlier, Bayley served as Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations for Royal Caribbean International, leading the worldwide hotel operations and onboard revenue of 21 cruise ships and 30,000 employees. Prior to that, he served as Chairman and Managing Director of Island Cruises plc, a joint venture cruise line and tour operator begun in 2002 by RCL and British tour operator First Choice Holidays.

Bayley began his career with the company in 1981, working in a variety of shipboard and shoreside positions with increasing management responsibility, including that of Vice President of Total Guest Satisfaction, Fleet Operations. He also served as Vice President for Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, one of the world’s largest premium gaming resorts, in Las Vegas.

A native of the United Kingdom, Bayley graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Bournemouth in England, and has attended management programs at Harvard Business School and Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is a member of the board of SteamShip Mutual in London, U.K.

Bayley has two children and lives in Miami, Fla.

CEO Of Royal Caribbean Sending Off Harmony Of The Seas!

CEO Of Royal Caribbean International Michael Bayley

Saying Good Bye is hard to do! Harmony of the Seas headed for it Summer Home Port of Barcelona Spain.

Safety and Security For A Royal Caribbean Ship

SAFETY, SECURITY & HEALTH

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is dedicated to ensuring that our guests enjoy a safe and secure cruise vacation. Occasionally, despite the best intentions of everyone involved, a safety or security incident may occur. In such cases, we are prepared to respond in a timely, effective and caring manner, and to learn from the incident so that we can implement procedures to help prevent future incidents. Many aspects of our safety and security programs are sensitive; however, the following sections provide information about some of RCL’s initiatives, policies and procedures in these important areas.

SAFETY

Safety (Regulatory, Prevention, Navigation, Security)

Security Guide

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act requires cruiselines that operate in United States waters to make a Security Guide available to guests. This Security Guide is provided pursuant to that United States law.

The safety and security of our guests and crew is our highest priority. Allegations of crime, missing person reports and medical emergencies are taken seriously and we are committed to responding in an effective and caring manner for those involved. Each of our ships is staffed with dedicated security and medical teams to respond to alleged crimes and medical situations, respectively. They are onboard, on duty and available at all times.

Should you become aware of someone being injured or of unsafe or possibly illegal behavior during your cruise vacation, it is very important that you immediately report this to the ship management. This may be done by calling the emergency telephone number listed in the ship’s directory of services in your stateroom; or by calling or going to the Guest Services / Guest Relations Desk. If you do not immediately report an injury or unsafe or illegal behavior, the delay may cause the ship’s personnel to be unable to effectively respond to the situation and unable to properly preserve information or evidence that could assist law enforcement’s investigation and prosecution of those responsible.

As a company, we report crime allegations to law enforcement so they can investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of where in the world the ship is located at the time of the incident. Crime allegations are reported to law enforcement officials in the next port of call, as well as to the nation where our ships are flagged. We also report allegations of crime to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and United States Coast Guard (USCG), in compliance with United States laws.

According to United States federal law, on international voyages that embark or disembark in the United States, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and other cruiselines, are required to report onboard felonies and missing United States nationals to federal agencies. For a missing United States national and all serious felonies (homicide, suspicious death, kidnapping, assault with serious bodily injury, sexual assaults as defined by federal laws, firing or tampering with the vessel, or theft of money or property in excess of $10,000) the incident must be reported to the FBI by telephone as soon as possible, to the United States Department of Homeland Security electronically and to the USCG in writing. These requirements apply to onboard incidents that occur while the ship is in United States territorial waters, or on the high seas or in foreign waters if the victim or perpetrator is a United States national. The FBI can assert criminal jurisdiction in all of these circumstances. Each of the nations visited, as well as the vessel’s nation of registry, may also assert jurisdiction and impose additional reporting requirements.

United States law also requires us to provide you the following information. For cruises embarking or disembarking in the United States, you may independently contact the FBI or USCG for incidents arising any time during the voyage. For incidents within state or foreign waters or ports you may, in addition, contact local law enforcement authorities. Contact information for these entities along with contact information for a third party victim advocacy group and the locations of United States Embassies and Consulates for the ports we plan to visit during United States-oriented voyages will be made available to you. If you need assistance in locating this information, or if you find this information is incorrect or has changed since publication, please contact Guest Services / Guest Relations immediately.

To find a listing of our security contacts around the world, visit our Security Guide Contact List.

TRAINING

Every year, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. provides more than 4.8 million guests with an enjoyable cruise vacation. Although we work hard to prevent incidents, regrettably incidents do sometimes occur. For this reason, it is important to be prepared to effectively respond to incidents. RCL’s safety and security preparedness efforts include training our crew to handle situations so as to minimize their impact on guest and crew.

Security Training

Each Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ship is staffed with a security team that is part of the ship’s permanent crew. The Staff Captain, who is also the second in command, oversees the Security Department. The Security Officer is the head of the security team and is responsible for day-to-day security operations onboard. The Security Officer is typically supported by one or more Deputy Security Officers and Supervisors, who direct the activities of a team of guards.

We recruit our onboard security professionals from around the world and hire candidates with backgrounds in the military, law enforcement or private security sectors. Our recruiting process involves conducting face-to-face interviews with candidates before they are considered for hire. We conduct such interviews in many places around the world, to find the best talent available.

We require our security personnel be fully familiar with international regulations and provide them with internal specialized training as well as training that results in certification from government-accredited companies. In addition, each security team member who works on an RCL ship with a U.S. itinerary must obtain a visa from the U.S. Department of State. This requirement helps strengthen our recruitment and screening process, as any applicant for the security team who is denied a visa by the U.S. Government will not be hired.

Each Security Officer is independently certified by an outside organization as having met the knowledge requirements of RCL’s internal security processes, as well as the U.S. Government (CVSSA) security requirements and standards. On an annual basis, every Security Officer in our fleet participates in a week-long shoreside security seminar held in Miami that is continually reviewed and modified to incorporate new measures and national and international requirements. This curriculum also includes role-playing in different shipboard security scenarios to allow the Security Officers to practice their skills. In addition, U.S. federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations, have participated and provided up-to-date presentations in their respective fields of expertise.

Our Security Officer training also places an important emphasis on access security. Access security training topics include technical equipment, recognition of characteristics of persons who may threaten security, crowd control and management and conflict resolution.

Crew Training

In addition to the specialized training that our officers and security staff receive, every crew member must undergo ship familiarization and emergency assignment training upon reporting onboard and before performing their duties. This training is overseen by the Safety Officer and the Security Officer, and includes Security Awareness Training, Pre-Departure Safety Training, Ship Safety Orientation Training, Crowd Management Training and Personnel Nominated to Assist Passengers in an Emergency Training. Specific training modules are also delivered for each crew functional area.

RCL crews are regularly trained and drilled on a variety of topics and scenarios. Some of these are mandated by regulations, while others are a part of RCL’s Above and Beyond Compliance focus. As an example, our crew practices its abandon ship procedures much more frequently than is currently mandated (twice per month versus the once every three months required by regulations). Other types of required drills include: Fire Fighting, Search and Rescue, Medical, Emergency Steering, Blackout Recovery, Crowd Management, Lifeboat Command, Damage Control, Chemical and Oil Spill, Man Overboard and Security Threats.

Crew members also take part in a variety of other company-required training topics such as leadership, safety observation, ethics, communication and environmental policy training. In addition, all crew members must complete pre-departure safety training, which includes a walk through the vessel with the safety officer to identify different safety systems, escape routes, and guest safety issues.

We also have special systems and procedures in place to ensure effective preparedness in case of fire. While each of our ships is equipped with advanced fire detection and suppression systems, fire safety really begins with prevention. Our ships are constructed and outfitted to comply with stringent international fire safety regulations, including requirements for fire integrity of bulkheads (walls) and windows, and fire resistance characteristics of fixtures onboard (such as furniture and carpets). Our ships are inspected throughout construction by third-party safety inspectors from recognized classification societies, and flag and port state safety agencies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard.

Even though fire risk is minimal, fire suppression systems are installed throughout each ship. The primary fire suppression system on most ships is a water-mist system, which converts water into a mist state that presents more surface area for smoke and heat to be absorbed. Water-mist systems are very effective and also safe for people who may be near them when they are activated. In areas such as engine spaces and galleys, we have installed both water mist and CO2 systems. In addition, we have gone above and beyond compliance with regulations by installing foam systems in certain technical spaces and wet chemical extinguishers in all of our galleys. These wet chemical extinguishers are similar to ones found in land-based kitchens and are especially effective in the case of a deep fat fryer fire.

Our ships are also equipped with an extensive series of fire sensors, which are monitored by crew members on the bridge and in the engine control rooms. If a fire detector indicates there may be a fire onboard, response personnel are immediately dispatched to the area to evaluate the situation. If indicated, mobile firefighting groups respond, outfitted with full firefighter gear, breathing apparatus and special heat-seeking systems that use thermal-imaging cameras. These cameras (both hand-held and helmet-mounted) help to quickly identify the source of a fire and to locate any people who may be in the affected area. Responding crew also have access to an Impulse Fire Extinguisher (IFEX), which shoots a blast of water using pressurized air and is ideal for rapid response in quickly suppressing a fire. With these tools, our highly trained personnel on the bridge and on the scene can manage fire-related situations effectively.

HEALTH

Public Health (Food & Water, Safety, Norovirus)

There are many guidelines and regulations that govern shipboard public health, including local, national and international regulations. The guidelines we follow throughout our fleet are contained in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) comprehensive Operations Manual, which details standards, procedures and inspection criteria related to topics such as: communicable disease prevention and management, gastrointestinal illness surveillance, potable water, recreational facilities (including swimming pools, whirlpools and spa pools), food safety, integrated pest management, housekeeping and child activity centers. We also adhere to the guidelines of Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and the European Union’s Ship Sanitation Strategy and Program (SHIPSAN).

We work closely with U.S. and other governmental public health authorities where our ships sail to assure that we comply with their laws and regulations. To measure our compliance, our ships are inspected by governmental authorities, third-party public health experts and our own internal inspectors. Our ships routinely receive high ratings from ship inspections, and scores for our ships that call on ports in the U.S. are published by the CDC/VSP.

We also have a team of internal public health inspectors that visits each ship twice a year. In addition to evaluating the quality and effectiveness of water quality, food safety, pest management and outbreak prevention public health measures, they also provide training to our crew on the best ways to maintain a healthy ship.

Water Safety

The purity and cleanliness of our shipboard water systems is a very important part of the comfort and safety of our guests and crew. These systems include our potable drinking water and our recreational water used for swimming pools, whirlpools and spa pools. Potable water is either produced on the ship through reverse osmosis (desalination) or taken onboard (bunkered) while the ship is in port. As a further precaution, all potable water, whether bunkered or produced, is chlorinated to eliminate any harmful bacteria that may be present. All bunkered water is also tested for quality and held in a tank until test results demonstrate it is safe for shipboard consumption. Only then is the water approved for release and use onboard.

According to CDC standards, we are required to test our shipboard water four times per month. In keeping with our Above and Beyond Compliance policy, we exceed this standard by testing each ship’s water systems 60 times per month. The CDC also regulates our recreational water by specifying chlorination levels and monitoring frequencies. We exceed these levels and have installed electronic chlorine and acidity (pH) level recording devices to help ensure levels remain consistent.

Food Safety

Our food safety protocols and procedures are also based on CDC recommendations, and many even go Above and Beyond the stringent requirements stated in their VSP operations manual. These food safety practices include cleaning and disinfection of food preparation areas and equipment, employee hygiene, prevention of cross contamination, following instructions on proper handling of potentially hazardous foods that are susceptible to becoming contaminated, and many others.

Time control and temperature regulation are two of the most important factors in ensuring food safety. When supplies and provisions are landed on our ships, they must be at the right temperature, or we will reject them. Once we have accepted the supplies, we follow strict guidelines on the time for food supplies to be moved from the container or truck to the refrigerator or freezer onboard. There are also strict guidelines for how long food can remain out of the freezer or refrigerator before it is prepared, how foods are thawed, and how long foods can remain at a buffet station.

To ensure the safety of the food we serve, we have adopted the food industry’s Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach. The seven principles of HACCP are: hazard analysis, identification of critical control points, identification of critical limits for each critical control point, identification of critical control point monitoring requirements, corrective actions, record keeping, and verification to ensure the HACCP system is working.

Outbreak Prevention Plan

Our Outbreak Prevention Plan (OPP) is our guide for preventing and responding to any outbreak of illness onboard our ships. The emphasis of this plan is on gastrointestinal illnesses, which are the most common cause of land-based and shipboard outbreaks. The CDC closely monitors and regulates our performance in this important area.

Our plan was developed in consultation with both internal and external public health and medical experts, and is designed to first prevent outbreaks from occurring and then to halt the spread if one develops. The plan is an eight-step strategy that includes screening of guests and crew before boarding, surveillance of any suspected outbreaks on a ship, high levels of sanitation and cleaning of the ship, effective communication with guests and crew in the event of an outbreak, isolation of affected guests and crew as appropriate, complimentary medical treatment, electronic reporting of cases and symptoms to better identify the potential origin or source of the outbreak, and appropriate disembarkment of any guest or crew member who requires hospitalization or medical treatment that cannot be provided onboard the ship.

Medical (Facilities Onboard, Training Staff)

Every ship in the RCL fleet has a dedicated medical facility, staffed with contract medical doctors and nurses. Shipboard medical facilities are available to both guests and crew in the event medical treatment becomes necessary while they are onboard. The medical facilities are generally open six hours daily, but medical professionals are available 24 hours a day for acute guest or crew medical needs that may arise. There are procedures for emergency communications and deployment of the medical teams anywhere on the ship where services are needed. These teams are supplemented by personnel trained to carry equipment and stretchers if needed.

Our shipboard medical facilities and operations are subject to guidelines from national and international agencies and organizations. The principal guidelines applicable to our shipboard medical facilities are those established by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Cruise Ship & Maritime Medicine Section. Our shipboard medical facilities are built, stocked, equipped and staffed to meet or exceed ACEP’s guidelines.

Each ship is staffed by one to three medical doctors and two to five nurses, generally depending on the size of the ship and the number of guests and crew. RCL follows strict requirements regarding the credentials of medical staff in our facilities. We confirm licenses and medical school graduation and closely examine post-graduate training for prospective medical personnel. Prior to serving onboard, medical personnel must also successfully complete Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support Training Courses. In addition to cardiac care skills, our medical staff are expected to be able to manage complex problems, such as respiratory and airway emergencies, sutures, orthopedic issues, interpret routine x-rays and perform and interpret basic, but comprehensive, laboratory analysis.

To meet the needs of our guests and crew, RCL medical facilities stock a variety of equipment, including cardiac monitors and defibrillators, ventilators, x-ray machines and processors, laboratory equipment for a variety of acutely needed tests, and minor surgical and orthopedic supplies. Each ship also has a well-stocked formulary of medications (including “clot-busting” thrombolytics), based upon ACEP-established, shipboard appropriate categories of pharmaceuticals.

RCL is constantly evaluating new technologies and equipment that could improve the quality of our onboard medical care. For example, we have equipped our ships with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), which are small portable machines that can restart the heart of a person who has collapsed from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, often due to a heart attack. We have installed digital x-ray technology on all of our ships, allowing x-ray images to be transmitted to onshore experts for further consultation. Each of our ships is also stocked with portable First Responder Bags to help the medical team respond to emergencies.

In conjunction with the University of Miami, we have implemented a Teledermatology program that permits high-definition digital photographs and case histories to be transmitted over the internet and reviewed by expert dermatologists ashore, to obtain timely consultations and treatment advice, the same service they provide to the U.S. military.

We are also able to perform life-saving blood transfusions at sea. Our medical staff has the ability to type blood donors and to screen their blood for communicable diseases (including HIV). Eligible family member donors of the same blood type are considered first; however, in the event a family member is not available or suitable, voluntary donors from the shipboard guest or crew population are considered. We have had the opportunity to utilize this life-saving intervention on numerous occasions.

In emergency medical care situations, such as heart attacks, congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias, our ships maintain special medications onboard to stabilize the patient until the patient is able to be medically evacuated to an appropriate shoreside medical facility. Evacuation of emergency medical patients from a ship may take place at a scheduled port-of-call, or may require a deviation from the ship’s scheduled itinerary to the nearest appropriate port. Another alternative that may be available for use in life-threatening situations is evacuation via helicopter from a ship’s helipad or via basket lift.

CARETEAM

CareTeam

In 2006, we established a dedicated team of trained specialists to provide a full range of professional logistical support and reassurance in the event one of our guests experiences a personal emergency while sailing with us. In 2009, we extended these services to our crew members on all ships. Led by medical professionals, this group, known as the CareTeam, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide support during a family tragedy at home, an illness or emergency onboard, or an incident while ashore. The CareTeam Specialists, who are based at our headquarters in Miami and the United Kingdom, also provide a much-needed coordination point for communication between RCL and the affected guest, their family members and traveling companions.

In 2010, we advanced the capabilities of the CareTeam when we created a shipboard CareTeam Associate capability on each of our ships. A CareTeam Associate is a crew member that is available on each ship to augment the shoreside efforts of the CareTeam Specialists in initiating specialized services and handling certain cases where the actual presence of an understanding person is crucial. It is their responsibility to be physically available to provide assistance to any guest or crew member who may need it. Generally, CareTeam Associates are chosen because they are very dedicated, approachable and compassionate crew members with good listening skills. They remain calm under the toughest of situations, have strong organizational skills, are eager to learn and maintain a good disposition.

Our overall strategy is to have the CareTeam Associate immediately become involved following the notification of an emergency. They serve as an extension of the CareTeam in our corporate effort to support the logistical and emotional needs of an affected guest or crew member. We have both male and female Associates on each ship, and we assess each circumstance to try to match an appropriate Associate to the person in need. The CareTeam Associate is also available to leave the ship with the affected guest or crew member, if circumstances call for it.

We fully understand that, should a personal tragedy or emergency arise during a cruise, the affected guest or crew member will need to devote 100 percent of their time to focusing on their own needs. Far from home and away from family and friends, persons in need can benefit from our trained professionals, who have the experience and resources to provide compassionate logistical support. In such cases, there can be an overwhelming need for a caring and understanding person to help; a person who knows what to do and how to do it, speaks the language, and is ready to step forward at the right moment.

Our CareTeam Specialists are compassionate and dedicated individuals who have received specialized training and certification from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the Family Assistance Foundation.

The CareTeam can help the affected guest or crew member with a wide range of services and support, including:

• Finding local hotel accommodations in ports of call
• Arranging local ground transportation
• Contacting the traveler’s insurance carriers to make the necessary contacts and notifications on a timely basis
• Contacting a citizen’s embassy or consulate
• Arranging flights home for affected guests or crew members
• Arranging flights for family or friends to the port or ship, so that they can personally assist their friends, family or travel companions
• Arranging conference calls to or from the ship for guests and family through our shipboard telecommunications system
• Arranging onboard religious and spiritual counseling by clergy for guests, crew, family and traveling partners in times of need
• Arranging port agent services, including translations, travel escorts and local services, through RCL’s dedicated port agents
• Arranging for luggage to be shipped home or arrangements for temporary clothing and toiletries as needed
• Providing a CareTeam member as an escort to accompany the guest or crew member, or their family or traveling companions, on the trip back home, whenever necessary
• Arranging air ambulance services to airlift the patient to a location that can provide additional medical treatment and support
• Arranging for repatriation of remains in case of the death of a guest or crew member
• Providing 24-hour telephone support to any guest or crew member who needs it

Harmony of the Seas

ROYAL CARIBBEAN GENERATES BIG ENERGY SAVINGS ON HARMONY OF THE SEAS

STAFF WRITER | JUNE 9, 2016

There was no fudging or guessing when Xavier Leclercq responded to a question about the number of energy efficiency projects included on Royal Caribbean’s newest, biggest ship, Harmony of the Seas.

“There were exactly 89 initiatives,” said Leclercq, formerly the technical director for STX France shipyard – where Harmony was designed and built – and now Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president for Newbuild and Innovation.

His answer was emblematic of the exacting brain power brought to bear on designing the most modern mega-cruise ship in the world. Among the most important of mandates: to make this vessel even more energy efficient than anything that came before.

“We have a fairly energy efficient class of Oasis ships, and when we started the project we thought that 12 percent (energy savings) would be a really good score,” Leclercq said. “In the end we reached almost 20 percent. We actually increased our output by one-fifth, which is a significant improvement of which we are all extremely proud.”

Although dozens of small projects, such as using a different type of glazing around windows, contributed to the improvement, just a few major undertakings provided the bulk of the benefits.

“One big change is in Harmony’shydrodynamics. By changing the hull form starting from the bow, our drag coefficient was reduced considerably,” Leclercq explained. Large ships benefit from a bow that protrudes from the front of the ship just under the waterline. A new “bulb” design directs water away from the hull, reducing drag, which means we need less energy to propel the ship.

Though they’ve been used in shipbuilding since World War I, the bulb on Harmony is longer and straighter than usual.

“It’s a very innovative shape,” Leclercq said. “The idea is to minimize the added resistance of waves on the hull.”

Harmony is also equipped with the air-bubble lubrication system first used on Quantum of the Seas in 2014 that blankets the ship’s bottom with micro-bubbles, further reducing drag. Four side thrusters onHarmony were also redesigned for an even greater reduction in drag.

“Another of our biggest improvements is on the pod system,” Leclercq continued, referring to the adjustable Azipods that hold the ship’s propellers, providing both propulsion and maneuverability.

“There has been quite extensive work done on the exact position, the tilting, the angles, the rpms generated, the blade and the pod shape,” boosting efficiency by some 4 percent.

By far, however, the greatest energy savings, half or more of the 20 percent total gain, was achieved inside the ship with a reimagined electrical system.

Virtually all onboard power is electrical, from lighting (now entirely LED) and air conditioning to food prep and storage areas in the galleys. By recovering some of the enormous amount of energy normally lost in the air or the water used to cool the ship’s power plant, Harmony’s designers created a system that is using the energy that is normally lost to drive steam turbines that in turn produce about 1 megawatt per hour of “free” electricity for Royal Caribbean’s hotel operations.

“Overall we constantly set the bar exceptionally high. Our teams systematically to look at every aspect of our ship design to find creative ways to make our ships more energy efficient, so they reduce our costs, and more importantly, shrink our environmental footprint,” Leclercq concluded.