While World Oceans Day may only come around once a year, Royal Caribbean focuses on the seas year-round. Our worldwide commitment to sustainability spans many areas, from reducing emissions to using LED lights on board. Also, we’ve created a comprehensive conservation action plan, as part of our Save the Waves program, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund. It gives every guest the opportunity to pitch in whenever they cruise with us—to hundreds of destinations around the world.
But what about when you’re visiting our ports of call? These destinations offer plenty of natural beauty and are packed with eco-friendly shore excursions.
Read on for the sustainable adventures that await you at these destinations:
Divers and snorkelers from all over the globe flock to the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands every year see to the world’s second-largest barrier reef firsthand.
Credit: Royal Caribbean
Roatan, Honduras
Roatan is notable for its preservations that protect native flora and fauna. The Gumbalimba Preservation Park on the western tip of the island is a small rainforest full of exotic animals. Its bird sanctuary features brilliant blue and yellow macaws and parrots, while the monkey refuge is filled with white-faced capuchin monkeys as well as caves etched with ancient murals.
The Roatan Marine Park supports the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest in the western hemisphere. These incredible reefs are open for diving and snorkeling, but you also can take a Breathing Observation Submarine Scooter (BOSS) under water to see it.
Set out beyond King’s Wharf and you’ll discover 1700s-era British colonial landmarks, pretty towns and secluded beaches.
Credit: ISTOCK.COM
The Atlantic island of Bermuda has a unique architectural style, one you see dotting the verdant hills. The white, terraced roofs topping the area’s homes not only disperse the sun’s heat but also collect rainwater.
Scooters are ubiquitous here and are better for the environment than cars (as well as ideal for navigating the local narrow streets), but as a top sailing location, wind-powered ocean travel is the best bet for low-emission transportation when in town. You can board a catamaran and sail through crystal-clear waters to snorkel at a colorful coral reef or take a dive as part of Royal Caribbean’s PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) certification program, the only one at sea.
The countless coral reefs surrounding the shores of Bonaire are home to more than 400 species of marine life, earning it the nickname “Diver’s Paradise”.
Credit: ISTOCK.com
This Dutch municipality sits in the southern Caribbean, and its environmental importance is undeniable: It’s surrounded by the Bonaire National Marine Park, which protects extensive coastal reefs nearby. You can spot them and the marine life they support while riding a glass-bottomed boat.
Bonaire also is home to Pekelmeer (Pink Lake), the Caribbean’s most important breeding ground for flamingos. Tour the salt flats to see them; the tidal pools of shrimp in the flats attract the flamingos in flocks—and give them their famous pink coloring.
Known as MoBay to locals, Montego Bay is one of just three officially designated Jamaican cities.
Credit: Royal Caribbean
Jamaica is full of beautiful beaches—and lush forests. If you catch a ride down the Martha Brae River on a bamboo raft, you can sit back and relax as you’re surrounded by the distinct vegetation and local wildlife, such as the red-billed streamertail, the country’s national bird.
You also have the chance to help protect the area’s native flora. “Stush in the Bush” is a sustainable, organic farm, and taking in a meal there means supporting and continuing its work. You can also join a volunteer experience in Montego Bay to take part in a planting ceremony at a charitable mission, which will use the resulting vegetables to feed nearby residents.
Enjoy the opportunity to hold and pet the husky puppies, and take part in their initial social training.
Credit: Royal Caribbean
There’s no better place to appreciate the mountains of Alaska and its ample wildlife than in Skagway, where you can hike through the Tongass National Forest or raft the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, which houses the world’s largest concentration of bald eagles.
Besides traveling by foot and raft, Alaskans also have the famous dogsled. You can take a dog-sledding adventure across Skagway to a musher’s camp, where you’ll meet and cuddle puppies, helping to socialize them. Tours like these support the parks of the Last Frontier, which protect the local inhabitants like bears, eagles and elk.
Find your perfect cruise here to see these destinations and enjoy their sustainable shore activities.
