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Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: April 10, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
10 Apr 2016

Happy Sunday! We hope you’re enjoying a day filled with friends and family. Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and catch up on the latest Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean's 24th ship was welcomed into the fleet this week, as Ovation of the Seas was delivered by shipbuilder Meyer Werft in an official handover ceremony.

Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain took delivery of Ovation of the Seas from Meyer Werft Yard’s Managing Partner Bernard Meyer in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Ovation of the Seas will now sail to Southampton, U.K., where the ship will offer a series of short getaways before she sets sail on her 52-night “Global Odyssey” culminating in the arrival to her homeport in Tianjin, China.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 140th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we answer your Royal Caribbean emails this week.

In this episode, Matt digs into the email inbox and reads emails about all aspects of taking a virtual cruise.  We talk dining, shore excursions, stateroom options and more!

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.

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Cruiseline has 5 annoying things that aren't the cruise line's fault.

From the Deck Chair is sharing a first-look at Harmony of the Seas.

Cruise Maven Travels has a look at the Ben & Jerry Sweet.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: April 3, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
03 Apr 2016

We have reached the end of another week, and that means we have all the Royal Caribbean news from this week to share with you.

This week, Royal Caribbean announced it was raising the gratuity amount for all sailings that depart on or after May 1, 2016.

Gratuities are going up 55 cents per guest, per day and will have a daily cost of:

  • $13.50 per guest, per day for guests Junior Suite, Balcony, Ocean View, and Interior staterooms.
  • $16.50 per guest, per day for guests in Grand Suite and above staterooms.

The reasoning for increasing the daily gratuity amount is because Royal Caribbean wanted, "to better align with industry standards."

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 139th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we played our own April Fools joke this week.

In this episode, the hosts of the defunct CrownCast podcast host and talk about a variety of Royal Caribbean topics, including the virtues of smaller ships, favorite ports of all and more.

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.

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

From the Deck Chair has a look at Harmony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean has a look at how to book a cruise.

Quartz answers the question of why the best cruise ships are in China.

Porthole Magazine spoke with Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein.

TravelAge West has a first look at Harmony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: March 27, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
27 Mar 2016

Spring is here and so is this week's Royal Caribbean news round-up, where we share with you all of the Royal Caribbean news from this week so you do not miss a thing!

The big news this week was Royal Caribbean's reveal of the entertainment on Ovation of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean announced the various entertainment options across this brand new Quantum class cruise ship, including shows in Two70, the Main Theater and more.

Quantum of the Seas will debut in April 2016, and offer a number of shows not seen on any other ship in the fleet.

Royal Caribbean News

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 138th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we have an exclusive interview with the Allure of the Seas hotel director.

In this episode, Matt sits down with Royal Caribbean' Joao Mendonça to discuss how a ship the size of Allure of the Seas functions so well and provide a "behind-the-scenes" look at Allure of the Seas.

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 Street interviewed Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about cruises to Cuba.

In The Loop Travel has a video tour of Oasis of the Seas.

Eat Sleep Cruise wonders if Empress of the Seas is going to Cuba.

Shermans Cruise has a list of 5 wacky classes to take at sea.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: March 20, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
20 Mar 2016

It's Sunday and the good news is we are all one week closer to our next Royal Caribbean cruise! In case you missed any of the Royal Caribbean fun from this week, here is our weekly round up!

There was a lot of Royal Caribbean news this week, but the big story was Royal Caribbean's decision to cancel the first six Empress of the Seas sailings.

We were a about two weeks away from her debut, but the company stated it need more time to finish the upgrades and changes they planned on adding to her, and decided to push her debut back by six weeks.

For guests that were booked on one of the cancelled sailings, Royal Caribbean has offered the option of a full refund, or to be booked on another Empress of the Seas or Majesty of the Seas sailing.

We have a lot to share with you this week, so let’s jump right in…

Royal Caribbean News

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 137th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss eveything about dinner on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt talks about the subject of eating dinner on Royal Caribbean, and tries to provide a general overview of the process as a means of explaining what to expect and why dinner is such an enjoyable experience 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 Interent

The New York Post has 10 crazy facts about Harmony of the Seas.

Ren Behan has a review of Wonderland's "Dry Run" in London.

Cruise Critic's editor-in-chief has a new column about winter weather and cruising.

Fortune Magazine asked Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about what to do when you are overwhelmed at work.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: March 13, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
13 Mar 2016

Happy Sunday! We hope you are having a wonderful weekend, and are ready to relax and catch up on all the latest Royal Caribbean news!

The big news this week was two Royal Caribbean ships left their ship yards to get one step closer to launch.

Harmony of the Seas embarked on a three-day sea trial, while Ovation of the Seas started her conveyance.

Harmony of the Seas sea trails were devoted mainly to test her electric power plant and propulsion system, as well as maneuverability.

Ovation of the Seas is making her way slowly down the River Ems, where she will reach the North Sea and begin her sea trials.

For both ships, this means they are getting very close to launch and many Royal Caribbean fans cannot wait for their debut!

Royal Caribbean News

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 136th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we have an exclusive interview with the man that literally created Izumi.

In this episode, Matt sits down with Izumi Master Chef Travis Kamiyama to talk about the story behind Izumi, as well as look at the tremendous success Izumi has enjoyed in the few years it has been around.  It is an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at how Chef Travis keeps Izumi going across Royal Caribbean's fleet.

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

Cruise Hive has a list of 5 thrilling things you must do on Harmony of the Seas.

Travel Weekly has an interview with Royal Caribbean's Vicki Freed, about the changes to the cruise line's cancellation policy.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: March 6, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
06 Mar 2016

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 released its summer 2017 European itineraries this week, allowing guests to book cruises for this upcoming season.

Guests can enjoy cruises all over Europe, on 8 of the line's cruise ships, including Freedom of the Seas for the first time.

Royal Caribbean is offering cruises to the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Northern Europe and more in 2017.

We have a full breakdown of where each Royal Caribbean ship is going in summer 2017, so you can pick the right itinerary for you.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 135th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, and we have a roundtable review of our group cruise aboard Allure of the Seas.

Int his episode, Matt and everyone that was aboard the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise recorded a review of Allure of the Seas, live at Vintages.  The group discussed their experiences onboard, discuss what they think of a ship the size of Allure of the Seas and discuss some of the fun experiences from our week aboard.

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.

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Porthole Magazine has a look at the design of Royal Caribbean's smart ships (written by me!).

Travel Pulse criticizes the way the media has unfairly reported on cruise news lately.

CNBC posted a video interview with Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about Ovation of the Seas.

Captain Greybeard wonders why cruising has such an image problem.

Shermans Cruise tried the White Truffle Dinner on Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: February 21, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
21 Feb 2016

Hope you had a great week (maybe one week closer to your next Royal Caribbean cruise?) and you had a chance to keep up with what's new with Royal Caribbean this week. But if not, here's a roundup of this week's news.

The big news this week was Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas had its first media preview of its progress at STX France shipyard.

Harmony of the Seas is set to debut in a few months, and members of the European media were allowed to check out her progress and the result was a lot of great photos of her inside and outside.

In addition, Royal Caribbean posted photos of the ship's progress and we saw a video of a computer simulation of what the Ultimate Abyss will look like.

There was a lot more Royal Caribbean news this week, so here is what else happened

Royal Caribbean News

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Stay tuned to Royal Caribbean Blog each day for a brand new post all about Harmony of the Seas until she debuts (91 more days!).

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 133rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're reviewing a podcast listener's recent cruise on Navigator of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt invites podcast listener Ethan to discuss his family's first Royal Caribbean cruise and why he chose to cruise on Royal Caribbean as well as why they picked Navigator of the Seas.

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 the storm Anthem of the Seas hit was a "weather bomb".

Shermans Cruise offers a first look at Harmony of the Seas.

Cruise Hangout has a look at all the Ovation of the Seas float out videos.

CruiseFever has 10 reasons why you should take a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: February 14, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
14 Feb 2016

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day is filled with chocolate, flowers and a Royal Caribbean cruise! We are spreading the Royal Caribbean love with our look at all the Royal Caribbean news from this week.

Unfortunately, the big news this week was word of Anthem of the Seas running into a large winter storm in the Atlantic that saw wind speeds over 150 miles per hour and waves over 30 feet in height.

Following the storm, Royal Caribbean made the decision to return Anthem of the Seas to her homeport early and offer its guests full refunds.

The ship sustained mostly superficial damage, but an onslaught of media attention painted the story very negatively.

Royal Caribbean apologized for the incident and added it has created a new weather team at its headquarters to provide additional assistance to ships in determining the severity of storms.

There is a lot more Royal Caribbean news to share...

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast


The 132nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're talking about Royal Caribbean's Royal Promenade

In this episode, Matt talks about what the Royal Promenade is, what it offers guests and why he thinks it is such a great spot onboard for so many activities.

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 Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Ron shared a photo of treats from Cafe Promenade. 

Travis Kamiyama posted this amazing sushi platter.

Kayla Gillman shared this photo of the Royal Promenade on Independence of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: February 7, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
07 Feb 2016

Good news, we are all one week closer to our next Royal Caribbean cruise!  In case you missed any of the Royal Caribbean fun from this week, here is our weekly round up!

During Royal Caribbean's quarterly earnings call, they announced a simpler no last minute discount program, aimed at making the policy simpler to understand.

Royal Caribbean will not offer any new discounts within 30 days of a sailing on all Royal Caribbean cruises, excluding 3 and 4 night sailings.

The policy is in effect in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland markets and protects against last minute discounts in the weeks leading up to a cruise.

We have a lot more Royal Caribbean news to share, so let us jump right in!

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Mike Eads took this shot of Enchantment of the Seas docked in Port Canaveral this week.

Ben noted that Apple updated its 3D Flyover maps for the Virgin Islands and Royal Caribbean ships can now be seen from there.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 131st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt is discussing why a families will feel right at home on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt invites the author of a recent ebook onto the podcast to discuss why Royal Caribbean came out at the top of their list for best cruise lines for a family.

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.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Beyond Ships has an interview with Anthem of the Seas' hotel director.

ShermansCruise shared what cruisers need to know about the Zika Virus.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: January 31, 2016

In:
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up
31 Jan 2016

Happy last day of January! It’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy our weekly round-up of the best Royal Caribbean news.

Royal Caribbean and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced earlier this week a five-year global partnership to help ensure the long-term health of the oceans.

The partners will set measurable and achievable sustainability targets that will reduce Royal Caribbean’s environmental footprint, raise awareness about ocean conservation among the company’s more than five million guests, and support WWF’s global oceans conservation work.

The targets announced focus on supply chain sustainability and emissions reductions through 2020.

We have a lot to share with you this week, so let’s jump right in…

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Royal Caribbean Cruise Director Jerome Sueur posted a photo with comedian Kathy Griffin on Navigator of the Seas.

Robin Rinkewich‎ shared this photo of her finding the Central Park gnome on Oasis of the Seas.

Jared Grauvogel posted this photo of the water slides being added to Liberty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 130th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are reading our listener's emails

In this episode, Matt reads emails that listeners have sent in about all aspects of a Royal Caribbean cruise.

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

Royal Caribbean UK lists 15 reasons why you shouldn't go to Ajaccio this summer.

Cruise Radio has a review of Oasis of the Seas.

Beyond Ships has a conversation with Serenade of the Seas hotel director.

ShermansCruise has a guide to picking a cabin on Anthem of the Seas.

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