There's less than 99 days until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts so we're counting down each day with a brand new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas. Read our blog each day for a new post all about this amazing cruise ship.

Harmony of the Seas construction photos

Friend of the blog Stewart Chiron, aka The Cruise Guy, is at STX France shipyard and shared with us photos of Harmony of the Seas that he took while on a hard-hat tour.  Enjoy!

Exterior of Harmony of the Seas

AquaTheater tan

Boardwalk Views

Studio B ice skating rink

Bionic Bar

Rising Tide Bar

Royal Promenade

Main dining room

Central Park

Adults-only Solarium

AquaTheater

Looking down to the Boardwalk

Thanks again to Stewart for the photos and be sure to follow the Cruise Guy on his many cruise adventures on Twitter!

Royal Caribbean held a press conference earlier today at STX France shipyard to discuss Harmony of the Seas with members of the European press.

Present at the question and answer session were Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations Mark Tamis & STX France Responsable d'affaire, Jean Yves Pean.  

The event was hoted by Royal Caribbean Vice President of Entertainment Nick Weir and also featured a video segment with Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley.

At the event, some tidbits and factoids were shared with those in attendance.

• Harmony of the Seas cost is "somewhere north of a billion dollars"
• Harmony of the Seas will be 20% more efficient than the other two Oasis class ships, thanks to improvements in hydronamic design, a new type of engine and product enhancements
  • Harmony of the Seas will benefit from bubbles to lessen hull friction in the water. Tiny bubbles stick to the bottom of the ship's hull so the ship literally is sailing on a cushion of air.
• Harmony of the Seas will be 33 centimeters longer than Allure of the Seas, making it the largest cruise ship in the world.
• Some of the technology from the Quantum class ships Two70 space will be utilized in Studio B.
• The AquaTheater will feature video projection mapping on the two "tusks".
• There will also be an aerial element in the AquaTheater that involves "3D flying", where acrobats can be flown all around the AquaTheater.
• Bionic Bar will replace Champagne Bar on Harmony of the Seas.
• Jamie's Italian will replace Giovanni's Table on Harmony of the Seas.
• A new menu with new offerings will be in Harmony of the Seas' main dining room.
• Wonderland will feature a bar that has "creative cocktails" for guests even if they are not dining in the restaurant.
• There will be more space available in the staterooms by making them longer, especially from deck 6 and above.
• The Stowaway piano player will be onboard Harmony of the Seas.
• Puzzle Break escape room will be on Harmony of the Seas.

Art and architecture firm Marc Fornes & Theverymany has provided a preview of one piece of art they are working on for Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.

Entitled, "Ivy", the art was created by Marc Fornes and is a 40m high permanent aluminum structure within the elevator lobby of Harmony of the Seas.

There is an interesting look at the initial sketches and the development in progress.

Tip of the hat to Frank Ireland for alerting us to this information.

Royal Caribbean announced today that one of its newest ships, Harmony of the Seas, will feature the DreamWorks Experience, all-new Adventure Ocean youth programming and new family amenities.

DreamWorks Experience

Harmony of the Seas will offer guests the DreamWorks Experience that other ships in the fleet have offered and many guests have come to enjoy.

DreamWorks Animation characters including Po of Kung Fu Panda; Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots of Shrek; and from Madagascar, Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, King Julien and the Penguins will be available for guests to meet during their cruise.

DreamWorks Experience activities onboard will include

• A DreamWorks Character breakfast in the main dining room
• 'Meet and greet’ experiences throughout the day
• Photo opportunities with the characters
• Adventure Ocean programming featuring DreamWorks Animation
  • Story time
  • Dance parties
  • Adventures rooted in the popular character stories

In addition, guests will have guaranteed seats on “opening weekend” of highly anticipated feature films such as "Kung Fu Panda 3,” which premieres onboard the same day it does in theaters on land. Year-round, guests can watch the latest and long-term favorite DreamWorks Animation films in the ship’s 3D movie theater and on a dedicated DreamWorks TV channel in their stateroom.

Enhanced Adventure Ocean Programming

New to be offered in Harmony’s Adventure Ocean Theater is Away We Go!, a black light puppet show created by Tony award-nominated actors and imaginative producers John Tartaglia by and Michael Shawn Lewis of Gable Grove Productions.

Additionally, programming by “Muffalo Potato” – the popular YouTube show, which teaches kids to draw anything in minutes using only letters and numbers – will round out Harmony’s lineup.

Muffalo Potato originally debuted aboard Anthem of the Seas and will expand fleetwide just in time for summer vacations, starting with Harmony of the Seas.

New family amenities for Central Park & Boardwalk staterooms

Starting in November 2016, Central Park and Boardwalk balcony staterooms will receive additional ammenities.

Guests with views of Central Park will enjoy

• Lunch for two at Jamie’s Italian
• A complimentary bottle of wine upon arrival
• Special perks in the Casino Royale. 

Guests with Boardwalk views will receive

• Lunch or dinner for four at Johnny Rockets
• A soda beverage package for two
• Private time on the cruise line’s iconic 38-foot tall rock wall.

Royal Caribbean has released new photos, showing the construction progress of two of its newest cruise ships, Harmony of the Seas and and its fourth Oasis class ship.

Harmony of the Seas is under construction at the STX ship yard in France and will debut in May 2016.

Royal Caribbean's fourth Oasis class ship is under construction at the STX shipyard in France.

All photos are copyright Royal Caribbean International.