Travel Weekly China and Travel Weekly Asia voted Royal Caribbean the "Best Cruise Line Overall" in the first "Readers Choice Awards."

“It is a significant accomplishment to receive this accolade by our industry partners and peers in China and throughout Asia, extending our winning streak across the world,” said Michael Bayley, president & CEO, Royal Caribbean International.  “I congratulate my colleagues shore-side and across the fleet for this unprecedented recognition, and thank our travel partners for their unwavering support.” 

The Reader’s Choice Awards pay tribute to the best in the industry, recognizing travel companies and individuals for their outstanding achievements.  The winners are determined by travel professionals who are invited to vote for the best company, brand or destination in 31 categories representing the different segments of the travel industry. The segments include: airlines, cruise, resort, hotel, tour operator, destination, travel technology, attractions, airport, and car rental.

UPDATE Oct. 23: Royal Caribbean has confirmed Empress of the Seas is returning to Royal Caribbean's fleet following an extensive refurbishment in Spring 2016.

There are reports that a former Royal Caribbean ship, Empress of the Seas, is returning to Royal Caribbean in February 2016.

Photo by Chris&Steve

CruceroAdicto, a Spanish site, has posted news about the Pullmantur cruise line changing some its plans for 2016 and among the news is the announcement that Empress will be transferred to the Royal Caribbean fleet.

Royal Caribbean has not made any announcements regarding Empress' future.

Pullmantur is a subsidary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd that is based out of Madrid, Spain.

Empress debuted in 1990 as the Nordic Empress before being renamed in 2004 as Empress of the Seas.  In 2008, she was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises and renamed Empress.

Empress can accomodate 2,020 guests and 685 crew members.

Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the seas experience a fire in one of its engine rooms early this morning, but luckily the incident was contained with minor injuries and no apparent damage to the ship.

Royal Caribbean announced the fire was contained and extinguished, with all systems functioning.

#SplendourOfTheSeas experienced a fire this morning in 1 of its engine rooms.Fire was contained & extinguished, all systems are functioning.

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) October 22, 2015

In addition, there were no reported injuries to guests or crew.  

Splendour of the Seas is in the Mediterranean and is sailing to Argostoli with all systems functioning normally.

UPDATE 9:21am: Royal Caribbean has decided to skip its scheduled stop at Argostoli and proceed to its next scheduled stop of Venice.

In addition, 1 guest and 19 crew members were treated for smoke inhalation and released. 1 crew member is still being treated.

#SplendouroftheSeas update: All systems functional 1 guest, 19 crew treated for smoke inhalation and released. 1 crew still being treated.

— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) October 22, 2015

UPDATE 12:56pm: Royal Caribbean has issued a statement regarding the fire.

On October 22, 2015, as Splendour of the Seas was at sea in route to Argostoli, Greece, the ship experienced a fire in one of its two engine rooms.  The ship’s fire suppression system was activated, which contained and extinguished the fire.  However, in an abundance of caution, it was deemed necessary to evacuate some guests from their stateroom. 

The ship is currently sailing towards Venice, Italy, and all systems are functioning.

Splendour of the Seas is currently on a seven-night sailing that departed Venice, Italy, on Saturday, October 17, and includes port calls to Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Athens, Greece; Mykonos, Greece and Argostoli, Greece.

Bermuda's Ministry of Public Works indicated it will begin dredging the North Channel by the end of the month that will remove approximately 0.1 million cubic metres of rock and/or reef.

The Royal Gazette reports the widening of the channel and dredging is so that the island can handle the scheduled visits by Royal Caribbean's Quantum class ships.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum class ships are wider, deeper and longer than the older vessels and they require deeper and wider approach channels with smoother turns.

The work to dredge the channel will be a "24 hour, seven day a week operation and will take approximately one month to complete", according to the Cabinet Office.

The dredging is being done in Late October to avoid main coral and fish spawning season.  In addition, 598 corals have been relocated to adjacent reefs and are being monitored.

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

Episode 116 is available for download, where Matt talks all about the wonderful shows and entertainment onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Matt looks at the various shows you can expect to find on a Royal Caribbean cruise and explains why these shows are worth your time, as well as some of his favorite picks.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 116. 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 appears that the Cruise Director for Royal Caribbean's brand new Harmony of the Seas cruise ship will be Ken Rush.

Royal Caribbean Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, posted on Twitter a message that Ken Rush will be the ship's cruise director.

At RCCL Studios today. Meetings abt Harmony Bway show. (news soon). Then dinner with Ken Rush, harmony Cruise Dir. pic.twitter.com/xmCxpGGTEs

— Nick Weir (@NickWeirShowbiz) October 21, 2015

Ken Rush has been working at Royal Caribbean for over 30 years and has been Cruise Director on a number of new Royal Caribbean ships, including Allure of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas.

As cruise director, Rush said he will head all entertainment for guests onboard. In doing so, Rush said he will manage a team of dancers, musicians, youth and activities staff.

Royal Caribbean has a well-deserved reputation for offering its guests world-class entertainment and chief among the cruise line's offerings are the Broadway shows onboard.

Select Royal Caribbean ships offer Tony Award-winning shows that are the exact show you would have seen on The Great White Way.

Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the Broadway shows Royal Caribbean offers and what to expect.

Royal Caribbean's Broadway Shows

Here is the current list of which Broadway shows are shown on which ships

Hairspray

Ship: Symphony of the Seas

Back by popular demand, the hugely successful “Hairspray” – the brand’s first Broadway musical at sea – will return on Symphony with a total refresh to headline the Royal Theater.

Hairspray is the classic Broadway musical set in 1962 that deals with racial integration, dancing and the advent of television. Hairspray is a fun show that tackles a serious issue . The show features some very famous songs that many will find themselves singing along to. Excellent lighting, choreography and staging really make this a show not to miss.

Grease

Ship: Harmony of the Seas & Independence of the Seas

Hit musical specially adapted by Royal Caribbean Productions, boasts 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.

We Will Rock You

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Musical from London's West End that was written by legendary comedian and author Ben Elton.

Show features a score of Queen songs such as Radio Ga Ga, I Want to Break Free, Bohemian Rhapsody and of course We Will Rock You.

Cats

Ship: Oasis of the Seas

Based on T.S. Eliot's “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats,” CATS was one of the longest running productions on Broadway and is the winner of numerous awards including seven Tonys, two Oliviers and a Grammy.

Mamma Mia!

Ship: Allure of the Seas

Based on the hit music from ABBA, Mamma Mia! is the story of a girl getting married and wanting to meet her estranged father.  Mamma Mia! played on Broadway for over 10 years.

Saturday Night Fever

Ship: Liberty of the Seas

Go back to the 1970's with Tony Manero, the king of the disco dance floor.  It's a great mix of classic music, platforms and polyester!

Royal Caribbean used to offer the following shows as well, but they have since been retired from the cruise line's offerings

• Hairspray - Oasis of the Seas
• Chicago - Allure of the Seas
• Mamma Mia! - Quantum of the Seas

Broadway show costs

There is no additional cost to see the Broadway shows on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Admission is included in guests' cruise fare.

Reserving tickets

On Royal Caribbean ships that allow for entertainment reservations, guests may reserve tickets in advance for the Broadway shows.

To reserve tickets, simply log into the My Cruises section of Royal Caribbean's website and then access the Cruise Planner section.

Broadway shows will be listed under entertainment.  Reservations for Broadway shows are usually not available until about 120 days in advance.

You can absolutely still see one of the Broadway shows without tickets, you will simply need to show up in advance of show time.  Being at the theater at least 20-30 minutes before show time should suffice.

Which Broadway show are you most excited to see on a Royal Caribbean cruise? Tell us in the comments!

Royal Caribbean's smart phone app, Royal iQ, has been updated to provide the cruise ship's daily newspaper in digital form.

Guests using the latest version of the Royal iQ app can now view their daily Cruise Compass right from on their smart devices.

Royal Caribbean released the new version of the app, 1.3.99 to the iTunes App Store (Android version still appears to be on the older version) and the update description reads, "Royal iQ now includes the daily Cruise Compass. See everything happening onboard from your personal device and add the daily activities directly to your calendar to make the most out of your vacation."

Royal iQ already let guests track their luggage delivery status on embarkation day, manage a personal calendar of reservations and events, communicate with other guests onboard, book shore excursions and modify existing reservations.

Royal iQ only works when onboard Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas.  Royal Caribbean advertises that Royal iQ will be available on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas in 2015.

Royal iQ is available for iPads, iPhones, and Android phones, and available at freestanding iQ stations around the ship.

Royal Caribbean also indicates future Royal iQ updates will allow guests to reserve spa treatments, schedule fitness classes, purchase Beverage Packages, and sign your electronic waivers for all of the activities such as the Rock Climbing Walls and the FlowRider.

Thanks to Rich Freudenberg for alerting us to this update!

Today marks the official launch of Royal Caribbean's new marketing campaign, "Come Seek" and already its website is showing off the new branding.

A new mini-site launched today that reinforces the three main messages of the campaign: "You are not a tourist", "This is not a cruise" and "This is not the Caribbean".

The site also shows off still and moving imagery that focuses on the one-of-a-kind experiences a Royal Caribbean cruise can offer.

The "Come Seek" campaign is aimed at people that have never taken a cruise before and may have never even considered one.  Royal Caribbean is specifically going after Millenials and those that have misconceptions about what a cruise vacation is.

In addition, Royal Caribbean re-branded its Twitter and Facebook designs to match the "Come Seek" motif.

With the official launch of the "Come Seek" campaign today, Royal Caribbean will be also running ads on popular TV shows, such as the "Late Show" with Stephen Colbert, the "Tonight Show" starring Jimmy Fallon and also the reality show, "The Voice."

The first salvo of advertising will be quick five-second ads that are meant to pique the interest of a viewer, which will be followed up by more traditional 30-second spots with similar music and theme.

Ads will be seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Bravo and TBS.

Later in the campaign, Royal Caribbean will launch “Come Seek Live” - a first of its kind crowd-sourced Periscope activation originating from a Royal Caribbean ship and streamed onto a series of animated billboards in major metro areas.

Is the new "Come Seek" campaign your favorite Royal Caribbean marketing campaign? Tell us in the comments!