They say April showers brings May flowers, but Sundays bring you a round-up of all of this week's Royal Caribbean news!

The Royal Caribbean news everyone was focused on this week was Symphony of the Seas, with a new accolade to add to her list: she is the most Instagrammable cruise ship in the world.

Royal Caribbean has appointed Russ Francis as the company’s first ‘Instagrammer-in-Chief’ as Symphony takes her first guests on their holidays in the Mediterranean from Barcelona, Spain. His new role will be to help inspire guests to do the ship justice through their Instagram content and establish Symphony of the Seas as the world’s most Instagrammable ship.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean tweaked its cruise cancellation policy.
• Royal Caribbean announced the 2019/2020 Australia deployment.
• Radiance of the Seas had a sailing cancelled to fix a problem with her propulsion.
• Here's a new video that looks at the coolest things to do on Symphony of the Seas.
• Here is a first look at Seasonal Caribbean & Northeast sailings for 2019/2020.
• Royal Caribbean released a hyperlapse video tour of Symphony of the Seas.
• Check out a photo tour of an Owners Suite stateroom on Rhapsody of the Seas.
• Our full review of Iberostar Cozumel all-inclusive day pass.
• Here is a timelapse video of Symphony of the Seas sailing away from Barcelona.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 244th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, featuring a comparison of Royal Caribbean to Disney Cruise Line.

A long time Disney Cruise Line veteran tried Royal Caribbean for the first time, and on this week's episode, we take an in-depth discussion of the differences between the two lines, and how the two lines are similar and vary at the same time.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

USA Today shared five things to love about Symphony of the Seas.

Business Insider has a look at how Royal Caribbean has gotten travelers to spend more money on its cruises.

Wired has a look at the inside story of how Symphony of the Seas was built.

No fooling here, we have a round-up of all of this week's Royal Caribbean cruise news!

WIthout a doubt, this week's Royal Caribbean news can be summed up in one word: Symphony. 

Royal Caribbean took delivery of its fourth Oasis Class cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, this week at a ceremony at STX France in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Symphony of the Seas is the 25th ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet, and is listed at 228,081 gross registered tons, measures 238 feet tall and spans 1,188 feet long. She will welcome 5,518 guests at double occupancy in 2,759 staterooms, including 28 additional balcony rooms that overlook the ocean or signature Boardwalk neighborhood.

Symphony of the Seas' first sailing took place on March 31, 2018.

Royal Caribbean News

• We shared as many new photos from all over the ship as we could find.
• Royal Caribbean released a video commemorating the delivery of Symphony of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean released new aerial photos of Symphony of the Seas at sea.
• Royal Caribbean released a new smartphone app update this week.
• Entertainment will be at the heart of the fun things to do onboard Symphony of the Seas.
• A video sneak-peak look at the Flight show on Symphony of the Seas shows what makes this show so cool.
• Check out this photo tour of the Ultimate Family Suite on Symphony of the Seas.
• Ovation of the Seas is helping to test a new navigational system.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 243rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, and we are reviewing Matt's cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt is back from Rhapsody of the Seas and talks about what he thought about his first time on a Vision class ship, the activities he tried onboard and how is shore plans worked out.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Ship Monk shared a photo tour of Symphony of the Seas.

Page Six reported on Star Jones' wedding, which took place on Anthem of the Seas.

Cruise Habit took an in-depth (kale infused) look at cruise ship safety.

This was a busy week with Royal Caribbean news, and we have a summary of all of the news from this week to make certain you did not miss any of it.

Royal Caribbean made headlines around the world this week with the announcement of CocoCay upgrades and ship enhancements.

Royal Caribbean will spend $200 million to transform its private island of CocoCay in the Bahamas and add a ton of activities, aimed at offering, "the ultimate family destination in the Caribbean."

In addition, Royal Caribbean also announced it will invest $900 million to reimagining its fleet through a new modernization effort called Royal Amplified.

Royal Caribbean News

• We took an in-depth look at the changes coming to CocoCay.
• Royal Caribbean's CEO apologized for the recent website issues.
• Symphony of the Seas will be the best ship yet for families.
• Royal Caribbean released a new video of the changes coming to Mariner of the Seas.
• Matt is live blogging this week from Rhapsody of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean shared why it things Symphony of the Seas will be the best cruise ship of 2018.
• Royal Caribbean announced a policy change to protect full value of Future Cruise Certificates.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 241st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, and we are previewing Matt's upcoming cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt is about to cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas, and shares why he picked this ship, what his plans are onboard and some of the new experience he has lined up.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

In The Loop Travel shared its top 13 spots on Brilliance of the Seas.

TradeWinds reports one of Royal Caribbean's co-founders has passed away.

Happy weekend! We hope you remembered to Spring Forward! Here’s all the Royal Caribbean news this week!

Royal Caribbean launched a new initiative this week that seeks to consolidate the logins and accounts between Royal Caribbean's sister companies.

Beginning in March 2018, Royal Caribbean will begin offering an enhanced guest account that will, "deliver many capabilities of our digital cruise experience, to simplify the guest experience online and to allow guests to quickly access features and information." The one login can be used for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises apps and websites. It promises to bring them everything guests need from loyalty (Crown & Anchor) information, personalized itineraries and details – all with just one account login.

Unfortunately, the initial implementation has resulted in some "growing pains" that have resulted in some users unable to access the new system. You can always use the old log in in the meantime.

Royal Caribbean News

• Symphony of the Seas concluded her second set of sea trials.
• Our full review of Chops Grille on Brilliance of the Seas.
• We spotted a new all acecss tour available, which takes guests behind the scenes of how the the crew lives.
• Royal Caribbean updated its smartphone app to include support for Symphony of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean opened its 2019 European sailings from Southampton.
• Six alternatives to an unlimited alcohol package.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 240th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, providing an overview to the unlimited drink packages offered by Royal Caribbean.

In this episode, Matt goes over the basics of the unlimited drink packages, and explains what they entail, and if you shoud get one.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Travel Weekly reports on the non-TV marketing strategy Royal Caribbean is using before the ship's launch.

Miami Herald announced the new partnership between Royal Caribbean and Miami's Frost Science Center.

Welcome to March! We hope you are having a great weekend and are ready to sit back, relax and catch up with all the latest Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean announced this week that Jewel of the Seas will be repositioned to Miami in January 2019.

The move meant a number of sailings had to be cancelled, with guests who had booked one of those sailings receiving letters to inform them of the change and to provide rebooking options.

It appears Jewel of the Seas will sail out of PortMiami between January and April 2019.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean cancelled all shore excursions involving a ferry in Cozumel.
• Royal Caribbean announced its 2019-2020 deployment schedule.
• A new offer began this week, with 30% off all guests and Kids Sail Free. 
• Our own Michael Poole is live blogging from Brilliance of the Seas this week.
• Here is a first look at the pub changes on Quantum Class ships.
• Our list of five common myths people use to avoid trying a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Royal Caribbean named Sean Treacy its new Associate Vice President Strategic Planning for International.
• Royal Caribbean has partnered with Malaysia to expand a cruise port.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 239th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, all about Matt's favorite spots to enjoy sail away from while on Royal Caribbean.

In this episode, Matt counts down the places on a Royal Caribbean cruise he thinks are the best for when it is time for your cruise ship to depart a port.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

GTP Headlines reports Royal Caribbean has registered its cruise ships with HELMEPA.

Orlando Sentinel wrote about Symphony of the Seas debuting this month.

Loop shared 9 things to know about Symphony of the Seas.

Hope you are having a great weekend.  Here is all of this week's Royal Caribbean cruise news.

Symphony of the Seas completed its first set of sea trials earlier this week.

The sea trials took place between February 15 and 18, where almost every onboard system was tested. The ship is in its "completion phase", which means it is getting prepared to be delivered to Royal Caribbean in late March.

The sea trials included over 80 hours of sailing that covered 1,000 nautical miles off Belle-Île island. During the trials, the full range of the ship’s systems were activated at sea, most of those being already adjusted and presented for commissioning, both to Royal Caribbean and to the classification society.

Royal Caribbean News

• Symphony of the Seas will have a new set of sea trials scheduled for March 3rd.
• Royal Caribbean shared photos of Symphony of the Seas' sea trials.
• A new drone video was released, offering a look at every angle of Symphony of the Seas.
• Ovation of the Seas hosted the biggest game of Hide and Seek.
• We reviewed the Izumi sushi making class on Brilliance of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean will be hosting a website usability test in mid-March.
• Royal Caribbean produced a new video that offers a hyperlapse look at Symphony of the Seas' construction.
• Royal Caribbean was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the third year in a row.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 238th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available that focuses on answering the many emails we receive from podcast listeners.

In this episode, Matt opens up the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast inbox and dedicates the entire episode to answering questions and comments sent in by listeners.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Tampa Bay Business Journal reports Port Tampa Bay saw record cruise passenger weekends (thanks in part to Royal Caribbean).

Travel Codex looked at Liberty of the Seas and the activities offered onboard a recent cruise.

Happy Sunday and we hope you had a great week. It was a busy week of Royal Caribbean fun, and we have a round-up of all of it in this hand-dandy blog post.

The day Royal Caribbean will take ownership of Symphony of the Seas is now set, with a delivery date scheduled for next month.

STX France announced it will handover Symphony of the Seas to Royal Caribbean on March 23, 2018.

Symphony of the Seas will become the 25th ship in the fleet, and her first pre-inaugural sailing will commence on March 31, 2018.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean announced Michael's Genuine Pub will be removed from all ships.
• First batch of photos from the refurbished Adventure of the Seas.
• Meyer Werft has listed the gross tonnage for Royal Caribbean's Icon Class ships.
• Take a look at the latest CocoCay construction photos.
• Speedcast will increase internet bandwidth on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
• We shared a copy of the new menu from Izumi on Adventure of the Seas.
• Here is a look at one design for Oasis of the Seas that was not approved.
• A look at how high-tech is helping enhance the performances on Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 237th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available that reviews a recent New Years Eve cruise.

In this episode, Matt Hince talks about his New Years Eve cruise on Liberty of the Seas and shares what it is like to cruise over New Years.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

The Maritime Executive reports Royal Caribbean's CEO will be honored as a recipient of Seafarers' House International Golden Compass Award for 2018.

Travel Weekly says Royal Caribbean will increase the Ultimate Family Suite capacity on the fifth Oasis Class ship.

USA Today shared a lot of photos from their hard hat tour of Symphony of the Seas.

Happy weekend! We hope you are having a wonderful weekend, now it’s time to kick back, relax, and catch up on another week of Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley leaked the news that a Quantum Class ship will call Southampton home in 2020.

In an interview, Bayley talked about the change, mentioning the cruise line had not yet made a decision which ship will be moved there for the summer, but it would likely be Anthem or Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean News

• Symphony of the Seas will have her sea trials next week.
• Royal Caribbean held a special Symphony of the Seas preview event in London.
• Our list of five things to love about Central Park on Oasis Class cruise ships.
• Check out our full review of Izumi on Brilliance of the Seas.
• According to a recent survey, Royal Caribbean is the most Instagrammable cruise line.
• Here is what we spent in total on our last Royal Caribbean cruise.
• We shared a photo tour of a Category 5D balcony stateroom on Brilliance of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean released a new video of Adventurist Shay Mitchell in St. Maarten.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 236th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt and John Bamber talk about learning to scuba dive on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Did you know that you can not only go scuba diving on Royal Caribbean, but learn and become certified in scuba?  This week's episode is all about how you can try your hand at scuba during your vacation.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

The Orlando Sentinel covered the changes coming to Mariner of the Seas.

Eat Sleep Cruise shared the cheapest times of year to go on a cruise.

Travel Weekly looked back at the last decade for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Cruise Hive shared 50 Royal Caribbean tips and tricks.

Happy weekend! We hope you are in the midst of a wonderful weekend full of friends, fun, and plenty of things to do to pass the time between cruises.  We have a summary of all of this week's Royal Caribbean news in case you missed any of it!

Royal Caribbean made headlines this week with details of the $90 million refurbishment coming to Mariner of the Seas.

After months of speculation, Royal Caribbean releaved which new features and amenities will be added to Mariner of the Seas when she undergoes a refurbishment later this year.

Guests can look forward to a bungee virtual reality trampoline experience, FlowRider, new specialty restaurants, a Polyensian-themed bar, laser tag, and much more.

Mariner of the Seas will call Miami, Florida home in 2018, and will be the first Voyager Class ship to offer short Caribbean sailings. Mariner of the Seas will offer 3- and 4-night itineraries from PortMiami, beginning on June 21, 2018.

Royal Caribbean News

• Independence of the Seas will also get a virtual reality trampoline experience.
• Royal Caribbean's new Terminal A in PortMiami has reached its highest point of construction.
• Royal Caribbean released a new Symphony of the Seas construction photo update.
• Royal Caribbean provided a construction video update on Spectrum of the Seas.
• Take a sneak peek at the design for Symphony of the Seas' one-of-a-kind suite.
• We shared our top 7 must-do activities on Brilliance of the Seas.
• Take a photo tour of the Royal Suite on Enchantment of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 235th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt reviews his recent cruise on Brilliance of the Seas.

Matt is back from his Brilliance of the Seas 4-night cruise, and shares what he enjoyed about his cruise, as well as reviews of experiences and dining while onboard.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

The Maritime Executive is reporting Royal Caribbean is pledging to cut back on plastics.

Bloomberg wrote about the secrets of cruise ships after sailing on Harmony of the Seas.

CNBC spoke with Royal Caribbean Cruises Chairman and CEO Richard Fain about its recent better-than-expected earnings report.

Did you know totday is National Polka Dot Day? You might be wondering what relevance that has to Royal Caribbean and the answer is... nothing!  We wanted to share with you a wrap-up of all of this week's Royal Caribbean news in case you missed any of it!

We got our first look at the menu for the new specialty restaurant on Symphony of the Seas, Hooked Seafood.

Many guests who have sailings coming up this year on Symphony of the Seas have the opportunity to now pre-book reservations via the Cruise Planner and check out the new menu options.

Hooked Seafood will be located in the Solarium of Symphony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean is possibly considering offering Infinite Veranda staterooms.
• Royal Caribbean created a new interactive quiz to determine your adventure personality.
• Our guide to the new ships and refurbishments in 2018.
• Here is your guide on what there is to do in Cozumel.
• Symphony of the Seas had her first sea trials scheduled for this week.
• 2018 Royal Caribbean Beverage Package information.
• Royal Caribbean scheduled its Fourth Quarter 2017 earnings call with investors.
• Royal Caribbean released a new video starring Shay Mitchell.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 233rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt and Pippa talk about the casino experience on Royal Caribbean.

In this episode, Pippa gives an overview of Casino Royale and describes what you can expect to find, as well as some good tips for enjoying the casino.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Forbes asked some CEOs (like Royal Caribbean's Michael Bayley) what to look for when evaluating job candidates.

Eat Sleep Cruise recommends some hotels near Port Canaveral.

Travel Pulse reviewed Royal Caribbean's Voom internet offering.