Each day is bringing us closer to the launch of Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas and we are celebrating with a new blog post every day, all about this amazing new ship!

Starbucks at sea

Royal Caribbean made news when the very first Starbucks at sea with Allure of the Seas.  Since then, the partnership between Royal Caribbean and Starbucks has resulted in a lot of happy (and properly caffeinated) guests.

Harmony of the Seas will also feature a Starbucks at sea, but with a new location.

Royal Caribbean added Starbucks at sea on Allure of the Seas' Royal Promenade, but guests looking to grab a cup of joe will head to the Boardwalk instead.

The Coney Island-inspired Boardwalk on Harmony of the Seas will feature the a Starbucks for guests to enjoy that serves up the same great Starbucks menu as on land.

While parents enjoy the newly relocated Starbucks café on the Boardwalk, kids can meet new friends at a new climbing play area.

Trained baristas will offer signature and seasonal beverages and food.  This means anyone can have a Venti at sea!

We are getting closer to Royal Caribbean's launch of Harmony of the Seas and we are counting down until her launch with a brand new blog post about her!

Fast facts

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas has not launched yet, but already she is an impressive vessel.  Royal Caribbean is "packing her to the gills" with features and already there are some really interesting facts about her that are sure to impress.

Info

• Registry: Bahamas
• Built at STX France in St. Nazaire, France
• Maiden voyage is May 29, 2016
• Godmother: To be announced

Dimensions

• 227,000 GRT
• 218 feet wide
• 22 knots cruising speed
• 1,187 feet long
• 30 feet draft

Guest information

• 16 guest decks
• 18 total decks
• 24 passenger elevators
• 4 bow thrusters with 7,500 horse power each
• 5,497 guest capacity (based on double occupancy)
• 6,410 guest total capacity
• 2,300 international crew

Shop highlights

• Features
  • Ultimate Abyss - a 10 story slide
  • The Perfect Storm - trio of water slides
  • Splashaway Bay - kids water park
• Seven neighborhoods
  • Central Park
  • Boardwalk
  • Royal Promenade
  • Pool anbd Sports Zone
  • Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center
  • Entertainment Place
  • Youth Zone
• 2,747 staterooms

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas will debut in less than 99 days and to celebrate, we are counting down every day with a brand new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas.

Construction photo update

We all love following along the construction progress Harmony of the Seas is making and today we have another great photo update to share with you.

Royal Caribbean shared with us new images of Harmony of the Seas construction progress.

Perfect Storm waterslides. Photo by Royal Caribbean

Splashaway Bay water park. Photo by Royal Caribbean

A loft suite currently under construction. Photo by Royal Caribbean

The Lucky Climber kids play area. Photo by Royal Caribbean

The first section of The Ultimate Abyss is in place. Photo by Royal Caribbean

We're counting down the days until Harmony of the Seas debuts later this year with our 99 days of Harmony blog series. Each day we will post something about Harmony of the Seas to share with all of you!

Luckey Climber

What do you get when you combine art and function on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas? The lucky climber!

Harmony of the Seas will be the first ship to feature the Luckey Climber play area, located at the end of the Boardwalk.

Luckey Climber is a brand of rather large clibming structures that are surrounded by a net, designed for kids to jump on and explore.

Photo by Luckey Climbers, LLC

These innovative playgrounds are part art and part jungle gym that feature some very bold colors.

From the looks of it, Luckey Climber ought to be a great spot for kids of many ages to hop in and engage in the kind of climbing all kids love, while their parents enjoy a milk shake from Johnny Rockets and watch the fun ensue!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!

Each day we are getting closer to the launch of Harmony of the Seas and we "celebrate" with a new blog post, all about this amazing ship!

The Captain

One of the most important and recognizable roles on any cruise ship is her Captain and Royal Caribbean has already selected who will be in control of this magnificent ship when she debuts.

Royal Caribbean has actually selected two of its Captains to be the ship's Captain.

Captain Gus Andersson will take Harmony of the Seas out, which means he will be in charge of the ship once it is delivered from STX France shipyard and command her as she makes her way to her first sailings.

Captain Andersson has been with Royal Caribbean has some recent experience with new ships. In May 2010, he went to Turku, Finland as Staff Captain to be part of the Newbuild and Start Up team for Allure of the Seas.

He also served as part of the Newbuild and Start up team for the Quantum and Anthem of the Seas. After the initial start up period, he took command of each of the ships for their inaugural seasons.

He also served as Captain of Enchantment of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Eventually, Captain Johnny Faevelen will take over Harmony of the Seas and be the ship's Captain for the foreseeable future.

Like Captain Andersson, Captain Faevelen has been a Captain with Royal Caribbean for a while too.

Since 1994, has been a Captain and previously served as Captain onboard the Nordic Prince, Sun Viking, Sovereign of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!

At 10 stories high, Harmony of the Seas' Ultimate Abyss is not only the tallest slide at sea but also an amazing engineering feat. Get an inside look into the construction process with the manufacturing team as well as the world’s only thrill engineer. Hear what makes Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate Abyss such an epic adventure.

To celebrate the launch of Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas in less than 100 days, we're counting down each day with some really cool about the ship. Check out our blog each day for a brand new post all about Harmony of the Seas.

Watching Harmony of the Seas sailaway

With Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debut, it seems like everyone wants to see this new ship.  Certainly we would all like to cruise on her, but the next best thing would be seeing her in person!

In November 2016, Harmony of the Seas will homeport from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and anyone can watch her sailaway as she begins her regularly scheduled cruises.

To watch Harmony of the Seas (and likely other cruise ships too) depart Port Everglades, take a ride in your car or taxi to John U. Lloyd Beach State Park.

Parking at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park does have a parking fee.

• $6.00 per vehicle. Limit 2-8 people per vehicle.
• $4.00 Single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle.
• ​$2.00 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass.

After you enter the park, you will drive 2.2 miles from the gate to the parking lot for the jetty pavilion.  There, you can find a pier and beach area to watch all cruise ships sailing out of Port Everglades pass through.

Ships usually depart in the late afternoon, between 4 and 5pm and it can be a fun experience, especially if you are in town prior to your cruise leaving the next day or sometime thereafter.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!

In honor of Harmony of the Seas' launch in less than 99 days, we are counting down each day with a new blog post all about this amazing ship.

Five Harmony of the Seas features that sound like April Fool jokes

The first of April brings with it a slew of April Fool jokes across the internet (including two from Royal Caribbean), but there are some prominent features aboard Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas that are the real deal and definitely, no foolin'.

Today, we are counting down the top five things on Harmony of the Seas that might sound like an April Fools joke but really are available onboard.

Robots serve drinks

Harmony of the Seas will feature two robot arms designed to serve guests drink at the Bionic Bar.

The single armed robot will get the ice, mints and lemon and then squeeze and shake them to make your drink. Eventually, there wont be a limit on what the drinks the robots can make. The customization is what Royal Caribbean is aiming for.

Royal Caribbean has teamed up with Makr Shakr, a company with ties to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to create the Bionic Bars and on the Quantum class ships, they have become very popular with guests from a pure spectacle standpoint (and they make some pretty good drinks too).

Guests walk up to tablets, where they can place orders for drinks, choosing from classic cocktails, signature drinks like Mnemonic Madness (a rum, pineapple juice and Midori concoction) or test the robot bartenders’ skills with their own creations.

Full Broadway show included

Royal Caribbean ships are known for offering some great family entertainment, and on Harmony of the Seas you can see a classic Broadway show for absolutely no additional cost.

Guests on Harmony of the Seas can enjoy the timeless tale of Grease.

The all-new, never-before-seen stage production, specially adapted by Royal Caribbean Productions, will boast a soundtrack of crowd favorites such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Born to Hand-Jive,” “Beauty School Dropout” and more.

The best part is the show is included with your cruise fare, so there is no additional cost to see this amazing show.

A park in the middle of the ship

Of all the things people expect to find on a cruise ship, a park is probably not one of them, but Harmony of the Seas features a really big one onboard!

Central Park is one seven neighborhoods on Harmony of the Seas, and it is an immense area in the middle of the ship that offers a lush park for guests to enjoy with tropical plants, trees and walkways.

At its heart, Central Park is a public area on the ship that offers restaurants, shopping, galleries and of course lots of nature. It is the perfect quiet place onboard to "get away" and just relax as the world goes by.

A giant 10-story slide off the back of the ship

On the back of Harmony of the Seas is something brand new to Royal Caribbean: a slide more than 150 feet above sea level that sends guests down 10 decks at 9 miles per hour!

The Ultimate Abyss is a brand new thrill for guests and it launches from a glass platform on the Sports Deck, and descends 10 decks down to the Boardwalk.

Spontaneous audio effects within each tunnel create a multi-sensory thrill for daring guests willing to test their mettle while traversing 216 feet through the one-of-a-kind slide duo.

Ultimate Abyss will be the tallest slide at sea and also an epic adventure.

Internet as fast as your home

Imagining using the internet on Harmony of the Seas just like you would at home definitely sounds like an April Fools joke, but it is definitely true.

Voom is Royal Caribbean's revolutionary high speed internet service that lets guests share their adventure in real time through Facebook and Instagram, post videos on YouTube, tweet about shore excursions, and have face-to-face conversations via Skype and FaceTime. Plus, you can even stream movies, games and apps via your personal accounts with Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and more.

How is it possible? Voom utilizes a new kind of satellite internet technology that targets each ship specifically, rather than trying to cover a wide expanse of the ocean.

Each day is bringing us closer to the launch of Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas and we are celebrating with a new blog post every day, all about this amazing new ship!

Let's Celebrate

Royal Caribbean has been known to throw some really fun parties on its cruise ships, but on Harmony of the Seas, there is one party designed to be the party!

"Let's Celebrate" is described as, "the ultimate celebration of celebrations" and is essentially a parade on the Royal Promenade all about partying as an excuse to celebrate something.

What does that mean, exactly? Royal Caribbean promises it's a little of Halloween, Birthdays, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, and New Year’s Eve all in one wild and crazy parade that you will never forget.

Essentially, it is every celebration of the year crammed into one event and is a parade designed specifically for Harmony of the Seas.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!

Royal Caribbean is using virtual reality as a tool to showcase their newest ship, Harmony of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship while under construction at the STX shipyard.