All 50 cruise ships across the fleet of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will welcome 2019 free of plastic straws.
Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur Cruceros, TUI Cruises and Royal Caribbean International are eliminating plastic straws en route to plastics elimination programs across the brands.
For more than a year now, Royal Caribbean vessels have begun implementing “straws upon request” policy. The program will be taken further by the start of next year, when passengers requesting straws will receive paper straws instead of plastic ones. Guests will also benefit from Forrest Stewardship Council-certified wood coffee stirrers along with bamboo garnish picks as part of company’s plastic reduction strategy.
After straws, picks and stirrers, the next efforts will focus on other single-use plastics like condiment packets, bags and cups. A full plastics audit is now underway, with the overall plan to be finished in phases by 2020.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Line along with its sister ships are raising the bar on environmental efforts. According to Frank Del Rio, president & chief executive officer of NCLH, the success of their business was dependent on the health of oceans and, together with Ocean Conservancy, they were taking a step forward in their commitment to protect the world’s oceans. He added they were excited to lead the cruise industry by joining Trash Free Seas Alliance and support the vision of Ocean Conservancy of "a world with waterways, beaches and oceans free of plastic waste.”