The arrival of Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas to Australia is being met with plenty of excitement and attention from an Australian public that is fully embracing having a brand new cruise ship to themselves.  While not everyone reading this post might be in Australia to take advantage of this momentous occasion, we all can enjoy some beautiful photos of Ovation of the Seas down under.

Royal Caribbean took some wonderful shots of Ovation of the Seas in Sydney harbor, and we just had to share them with all of you.

Ovation of the Seas' arrival into Sydney marks her first summer season of Australia and New Zealand itineraries. She is the newest and largest ship in the region accommodating 4,180 guests at double occupancy and 1,500 international crew members.

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 181 is available for downloading, which provides an overview of Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

There is so much to see and do in Labadee, and Matt has a guide to what to expect when visiting Labadee and a look at the various popular options and activities onshore.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 181. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

It looks like the name of Royal Caribbean's fourth Oasis class cruise ship may have been leaked by a partner company that works with the cruise line.

FlowRider touted the work it is doing with its largest client, Royal Caribbean, and repeatedly referred to the fourth Oasis class ship as Symphony of the Seas.

The blog post mentions the new ship in reference to the the fact it will have a FlowRider onboard, "But what does all of this have to do with music? Well, Symphony of the Seas®, that’s what. This is what RCCL will call their fourth OASIS Class cruise ship and it’s due to be commissioned later this year! Translation: we are super busy building #17 and 18 on the beautiful Ms. Symphony. With even more in the pipeline, can we ask for a better advertisement for repeat business? For customer AND consumer satisfaction? And if it is “good to great” enough for RCCL, shouldn’t it be for you?"

Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the name of its fourth Oasis class ship yet.

Oasis 4 is under construction in STX France and will join Royal Caribbean's fleet in spring 2018.

Credit for spotting this news goes to Harmony of the Seas Facebook group first.

From Asia to the Caribbean, in the summer or in the winter, guests on Royal Caribbean's Quantum class ships can luxuriate by the pool no matter the weather. The smart ships fully retractable roof can open or close to suit all climates.

Welcome to this week's round-up of all the Royal Caribbean news and happenings.  Hope you are staying warm and are ready to cozy up to some great Royal Caribbean fun.

Royal Caribbean highlighted what is new and notable for 2017, including new several new itineraries.

While there is no new cruise ship joining the fleet this year, Royal Caribbean fans will be delighted to see changes to offerings in many different markets.

Chief among the changes for 2017 are cruises to Cuba (finally!). Empress of the Seas will provide vacationers with the opportunity to discover the timeless sights, sounds and culture of this island nation. The newly revitalized Empress of the Seas will make history for the cruise line with its first visit to Cuba during a 5-night sailing departing Miami on April 19, 2017.

In addition, Royal Caribbean will operate the three largest cruise ships in the world out of the state of Florida.

Royal Caribbean News

• Guests can support the World Wildlife Fund while on their Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Royal Caribbean announced their top travel partners of 2016.
• We spotted a new drink menu design.
• 10 ways to save money on your 2017 Royal Caribbean vacation.
• Michael Poole is LIVE blogging from Majesty of the Seas this week (and next week too).
• How to eat healthy while on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• 6 cool things for kids to do on your Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Our photo tour of the Grand Suite on Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 180th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we take an in-depth look at going on a Royal Caribbean cruise with young children.

Bringing toddlers and babies on a Royal Caribbean cruise is something many families choose to do, but there can be some unique challenges associated with traveling with kids of that age.  This week, Matt and Christy discuss their strategies and share tips for parents looking to cruise with the very young.

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

Porthole Magazine has a full review of Harmony of the Seas in this month's edition.

Everything Zany shared a helpful list of cruise ship terms that you should know.

Cruise Critic shared their list of favorite drinks on Harmony of the Seas.

Chris Cruises shares an ode to sunsets at sea.

Eat Sleep Cruise has a list of the best hotels near Port Everglades.

Suites on Royal Caribbean cruise ships are a wonderful way to indulge with extra space and level of service. The Grand Suite stateroom category on Oasis of the Seas is a popular choice for guests that want to enjoy the Sky Class level of benefits in the Royal Suite Class.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Michael C. shared with us these photos of his stateroom from his recent cruise.

Photos of this room come to us from stateroom 12660.

This Grand Suite can accommodate up to 3 guests and features a spacious living room with desk, drawer space, vanity, sofa bed, and chairs.

Each suite also has its own flat-screen LCD television with stereo and DVD/CD player, thermostat controlled air-conditioning, internet access, direct-dial telephone, radio, mini bar, individual safe, 24 hour room service, and concierge service.

Grand Suites have floor-to-ceiling glass doors that lead to your private veranda with lounge chairs and tub, two twin beds that convert to a queen-sized bed, large closets, marble entry, private bathroom with tub and shower,

The Grand Suite measures 371 square feet in size, with a 114 square foot private balcony.

Royal Caribbean celebrated its valued travel agent community with its annual Travel Partners of the Year Awards for North America.

The awards recognize travel agencies that do show a commitment to selling Royal Caribbean cruises, and this year's accolades recognized more than 10 top performers.

"2016 was a standout year, and that has everything to do with our travel partners and their incredible dedication to planning unforgettable Royal Caribbean adventures for our guests," said Vicki Freed, senior vice president, Sales and Trade Support and Service, Royal Caribbean International. "Passion, commitment and innovation are three of our guiding principles, values that travel agents appreciate and embody, making for some of the most meaningful partnerships in our industry. Recognizing these experts, who continue to work with us and go above and beyond to achieve success for their businesses, is an honor every year. Huge congratulations go to our well-deserved returning and first-time Travel Partners of the Year recipients."

Royal Caribbean’s 2016 Travel Partners of the Year winners are as follows:

Chairman's Award for Overall Achievement          
Vacations To Go
 
President's Award for Overall Achievement          
Cruise Planners – American Express Travel Representative
 
National Account Partner of the Year                      
Expedia CruiseShipCenters
 
Home-based Partner of the Year                              
Travel Planners International *First-time winner
 
Online Partner of the Year                                        
World Travel Holdings
 
Consortia Partner of the Year                                   
Travel Leaders Network
 
Corporate Incentive Partner of the Year                  
Morris Meetings & Incentives
 
Marketing Partner of the Year                                  
WMPH *First-time winner
 
Southeast Partner of the Year                                    
Palm Coast Travel/SmartCruiser.com *First-time winner
 
Northeast Partner of the Year                                    
Cruise Brothers *First-time winner
 
Central Partner of the Year                                        
Magical Moments Vacations *First-time winner
 
West Partner of the Year                                             
Montrose Travel
 
Canada Partner of the Year                                        
Expedia CruiseShipCenters Montreal *First-time winner

Happy Friday, and welcome to another edition of Friday Photos, where we share with you some wonderful Royal Caribbean photos that our readers sent in.  As always, you can share your photos with us to be posted on an upcoming Friday Photos post.

Our first photo this week is from Jorge Toache of a peaceful day on Independence of the Seas.  Yup, just another day in paradise.

Ashlie shared this photo of her family heading back to Liberty of the Seas after a fun day in Cozumel.

Next is a photo by Nick from onboard Anthem of the Seas, where he was able to meet the ship's Captain.  Meeting the Captain of any Royal Caribbean ship is always such a treat!

Speaking of Anthem of the Seas, here she is again, as seen from Coco Cay.  Ken "CookingYo" Licwinko shared this beautiful photo of Anthem between two palm trees.  

If you wanted to see even more photos of Anthem of the Seas, your wish has been granted. Eric Hoefman took this photo of Anthem in Nassau, Bahamas along with many other cruise ships.

Staying with Nassau, here is Navigator of the Seas and Allure of the Seas docked in Nassau.  I love when you get to walk down a "ship canyon" like this!

Our final photo this week is from Frank Battiston of a stunning sky in Fort Lauderdale. Frank took this photo from onboard Freedom of the Seas in Port Everglades, and it looks like a great start to an even better cruise!

That wraps up this week's edition of Friday Photos. Thank you to everyone who contributed photos this week, and if you want to share your photos, use this form to send them in!

Royal Caribbean is offering bonus onboard credit on top of its current WAVE season deal, which means more savings for guests across the board.

The Winter Wanderer Bonus will provide up to an extra $50 per stateroom for guests to spend at sea. Cruise must be booked Jan. 13-16, 2017 to sailings on or after Feb. 12, 2017 (excluding China).

• 30% off standard cruise fare for all guests in a stateroom
• 50% reduced deposit
• Up to $150 instant savings per stateroom
  • Sailings 5-nights or less
    • Interior/oceanview: $25 per stateroom
    • Balcony/suite: $50 per stateroom
  • Sailings 6-nights or longer
  • Interior/oceanview: $50 per stateroom
  • Balcony: $100 per stateroom
  • Suite: $150 per stateroom
• Bonus onboard recit per stateroom
  • Interior/oceanview: $25 per stateroom
  • Balcony/suite: $50 per stateroom.
• Anthem Free Upgrade - From Ocean View to Balcony on Anthem sailings on or after March 1, 2017. Please note that the "upgrade" will be reflected as "purchase a balcony at the price of an ocean view"

30% Savings is combinable with adjoining Instant Savings, OBC, Anthem Upgrade, Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers. 30% Savings, Instant Savings, OBC and Anthem Upgrade are not combinable with restricted rates. Instant Savings and OBC are not combinable Crown & Anchor discounts.

Offer open to residents of U.S. or Canada.