We hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday earlier this week, and with the holidays around us, it is easy to overlook some of the Royal Caribbean news, so we have gone through and compiled this collection of news in case you missed any of it.

At long last, Royal Caribbean opened up bookings for Empress of the Seas this week for cruises beginning in March 2016.

Empress of the Seas will sail out of Miami, Florida and offer 4- and 5-night getaways from Miami to Nassau, The Bahamas; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; Grand Cayman and Key West, Florida.

Empress of the Seas will stand out from other sailings in that she will offer things like "Sunday Brunch" everyday, with a complimentary Mimosa or Bloody Mary, no formal nights and overnight stays in Cozumel.

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

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean is now charging for North Star and Ripcord on Quantum of the Seas.
• We shared five quick facts about Empress of the Seas.
• Sadly, a child drowned on Liberty of the Seas this week.
• Royal Caribbean signed a 10-year deal with the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Royal Caribbean UK launched a new marketing campaign entitled, "Where extraordinary happens."
• Our review of Chops Grille on Brilliance of the Seas.
• Photos of Christmas on Independence of the Seas.

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!

Barbara Murphy shared this photo of Poinsettias on the glass staircase of Jewel of the Seas.

Nick Weir posted this photo of Santa and his elves arriving to Anthem of the Seas via North Star!

BCaldwell posted this photo of drinks from Jewel of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 125th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are counting down our absolute favorite Royal Caribbean desserts!

In this episode, Matt shares his top five Royal Caribbean desserts of all time and also shares a list of desserts some of you contributed.  As is so often the case on the podcast, it is an episode dedicated to food!

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

Space Coast Daily reports good progress is being made on the new parking garage at Cruise Terminal 5 in Port Canaveral.

Royal Caribbean shared a look at what it takes to keep it clean and keep it green.

CMO looks at why split-funnel attribution is changing Royal Caribbean's customer approach.

It's Christmas, and while you may be reading this from your home or a relative's home, we're all hoping there is a Royal Caribbean cruise waiting for us under the tree.  

Today we have photos from Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas by Dana Mathis showing what it's like to celebrate this joyous holiday on a Royal Caribbean ship.

Enjoy the photos and Merry Christmas!

It appears that Royal Caribbean is beginning to charge guests for rides on some of its signature attractions onboard Quantum of the Seas.

Guests on Quantum of the Seas will now be charged $20 for a ride on North Star or $26 for a 1 minute Ripcord by iFly flight.

Quantum of the Seas, the cruise line's first Quantum class cruise ship, is offering cruises in Asia and Australia and is now charging for rides made in advance via the Cruise Planner web site.

Rides on North Star and Ripcord had been complimentary until now on all Quantum class ships.

There is no indication of a pricing change for these experiences on sister ship Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's North Star takes guests in an observation pod 300 feet above sea level for amazing views of the area around the ship.  RipCord by iFly is a skydiving simulator that allows guests to get the sensation of skydiving without the incredible risk of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

It is not clear yet if the change to charge for these experiences is a test or a permanent change.  In addition, it is unknown if guests that opt to skip advanced reservations and wait in a standby line will also be charged for the experience.

Would you pay extra to reserve a spot on North Star or Ripcord? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Royal Caribbean opened bookings for Empress of the Seas this week and already it has lots of guests talking about her return to the fleet.

With Empress of the Seas returning to service for Royal Caribbean, here are a few interesting details about Empress of the Seas that might entice you to give her a try.

5. Empress of the Seas will get a refurbishment

Before Empress of the Seas rejoins the fleet, Royal Caribbean will give her a bow-to-stern makeover.

Staterooms will be refreshed, a reimagined Casino Royale will be introduced, Boleros Latin Lounge, spa services and more are coming to the ship!

4. Royal Caribbean will offer traditional dining and My Time Dining

On Empress of the Seas, guests will be able to choose between traditional dining or My Time Dining.

A lot of the marketing information that came out with the bookings opening up pointed heavily towards My Time Dining, but guests can opt for traditional dining as well.

Another option is to dine at Chops Grille, which will be adding during Empress’s upcoming revitalization.

Photo by Chris&Steve

3. There will be no formal nights

Each evening onboard Empress of the Seas will be relaxing and casual for your guests; therefore, formal attire is not required on any of the 4 or 5-night Empress of the Seas itineraries.

2. Empress of the Seas qualifies for BOGO Getter promotion

Yes, the qualifying components of BOGO Getter are applicable to guests booking on the recently deployed Empress of the Seas Caribbean itineraries.

1. Empress of the Seas will offer some new experiences

Royal Caribbean is offering some new and different options for guests on Empress of the Seas.  Some are even exclusive to Empress of the Seas.

Empress will offer every day Sunday Brunch with complimentary Bloody Mary or Mimosa.

There will also be pool side activities, like Plunge, the new pool party.

Voom high speed internet will also be available, allowing guests to stay connected with the fastest internet at sea.

This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 125 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.

This week, Matt looks at the top 5 Royal Caribbean desserts.  There are so many tasty treats to enjoy on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and Matt will list his favorite five desserts as well as share some of your favorite desserts too.

There's also lots of reader emails to share this week about everything Royal Caribbean.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 125. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS 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!

Royal Caribbean UK is kicking off a new multi-million pound television marketing campaign that will debut on December 26 and run until February 6 across the UK.

The campaign has the slogan of, "Where extraordinary happens" that focuses on the destinations and experiences Royal Caribbean offers more than the ship itself, similar to the United States recent "Come Seek" campaign.

The campaign will run across TV, radio, print, digital and social media. The company will also relaunch its website. 

Royal Caribbean UK director of marketing and public relations, Tamara Strauss, spoke to TTG about the decision to marketing in this way, "We did a lot of market research to road test this and look at our creative positioning. We felt it was important that we focused on the experiences and memories that we want our guests to have on our holidays. We wanted to show that these will be more than just ok – they will be something extraordinary. It’s part of our new positioning – we wanted to set a new look and feel across the product."

As part of its wave campaign, Royal Caribbean is offering a Buy One Get One Half Price promotion; the third and fourth guests in a stateroom to receive 25% per person cruise fare saving; an all-inclusive promotion for the first and second guests with a “Royal select beverage package”, which includes beer and wine by the glass or the “Royal refreshment soda package; and those who book cruises 57 days or more before a sailing to be given reduced deposits of £50 per person.

The promotion will be applicable to new bookings made before February 29 on selected six plus night worldwide sailings departing February 1 2016 and December 31 2016.

Royal Caribbean signed a 10-year deal with the U.S. Virgin Islands to help boost tourism and generate revenue.

According to the U.S. Virgin Islands Port Authority, Royal Caribbean has commited, among other things, to guarantee a certain amount of passengers and pay a fee to berth at the island of St. Croix.

Royal Caribbean owns two of the largest cruise ships in the world that already visit St. Thomas on alternate weeks (Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas).

Officials said the deal was reached after several years of negotiation and becomes effective October 2016.

There are multiple reports that unfortunately an eight year old boy drowned in a pool on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas yesterday.

Cruise Critic and Cruise Law News are reporting guests aboard Liberty of the Seas were notified that the child was spotted in the pool by another guest, at which point he was pulled from the pool and the ship's medical team performed CPR for more than 60 minutes to no avail.

In the letter to guests, Royal Caribbean stated, "We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends.  I ask that you join us in keeping the child's family in our thoughts and prayers.".

Perhaps no specialty restaurant is as well known (or liked) on Royal Caribbean cruise ships as Chops Grille.

Over the years, Chops Grille has seen her fair share of changes, but it remains a fan favorite restaurant for the high quality food offered.  

While on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, we just had to go back and try Chops one more time and see if all the admiration it receives is deserved.

Atmosphere

Located on deck 6 of Brilliance of the Seas, Chops Grille is right outside the Schooner Bar and is the only specialty restaurant that was not a recent addition.

The restaurant is essentially one large room, with booth tables along the sides, some smaller tables by the windows and larger tables in the interior.

There is an open kitchen, which allows guests to watch the "action" in the kitchen from tables close enough to get a view.

In the evening, the lights are dimmed and it certainly feels like you are dining in a fine steakhouse, with the dark and light browns contrasting against the white tablecloths and plates.

What is interesting about Chops Grille is fleet wide, the experience inside is pretty much the same and all Chops Grilles have a very similar flow.

Food

Though the focus at Chops Grille is naturally on the steaks, there are plenty of other things to talk about as well.

To begin the meal, a plate of warm bread with butter is served.  

My wife swears this is the best butter ever.  We are not certain what is in it, but it just tastes really good.  Certainly a great start to the meal.

Admittedly, it is often difficult to not over eat just the bread, but you must avoid the temptation because the food that is forthcoming is always worth it.

There are quite a few appetizers to choose from, and it sets the tone for the entire meal of there being too much good food to try for one stomach to handle.

For salads, we tried the mesclun salad and the crispy goat cheese salad.

Both are freshly made and good starts to our meal.  Plus, eating a salad before hitting the "heavy stuff" totally offsets the calories, right?

The signature appetizers offer some of the best food that do not end in the word "steak".  

The charred beef carpaccio is some of the thinnest and tastiest slices of beef I have ever had.  

The beef carpaccio has been a staple of the Chops Grille menu for years and something I always have to order.

However, the award for most impressive appetizer goes to the grilled black pepper bacon. 

Comparing this slab of slow-cooked Berkshire pork to bacon you might get at a diner is like comparing a 12 year old Pee Wee football player to an NFL linebacker.  

This is a massive serving of bacon and among bacon aficionados, it is a must-order.

For our entrees, I went "off the reservation" and actually did not order a steak.  Please, hold your fire!

In an effort to document all aspects of the Chops Grille experience (and to watch my girlish figure), I opted to order something other than steak.  

I asked my waiter if he recommended the Everything Crusted Tuna or the Snapper Veracruz and without hesitation, he pointed me to the tuna.

As the name implies, everything is indeed crusted on this tuna and it was mighty good.  

I love tuna and this was definitely a great piece of fish and I enjoyed the Asian inspired seasoning.  

Fret not, steak fans, because my wife went with old faithful: the "petite" filet mignon.

The steaks at Chops Grille have been historically great and this time was no different.  A beautiful piece of meat and cooked to perfection.  I may or may not have snuck a few bites in from my side of the table.

For dessert, I do not even read the dessert menu because I always order the same thing and regret nothing!

Yes my friends, I always order the red velvet cake.

I do not care about what it used to be or anything else. It is still really, really good and arguably the best red velvet cake I eat every time.

We also ordered the chocolate mud pie, which is a rich chocolate cake served with a berry sauce.

By this point in the meal, we were stuffed, so it was time to waddle out of the restaurant with the knowledge of another great Chops Grille meal complete.

Overall

I have eaten at Chops Grille on a number of Royal Caribbean cruise ships and each time I have a great experience and this meal on Brilliance of the Seas was no different.

I feel the consistently good meals at Chops Grille are why so many guests come back time and time again.  In fact, it is not unusual to hear about guests that dine at Chops Grille on multiple nights of their cruise.  It really is that darn good.

Chops Grille offers a lot of food and we did not even try the dry aged steaks this time (for our review of the dry aged steaks, check out our Navigator of the Seas review).  However, that is the strength of the menu that you can order so many options and still come away with a great meal.

Chops Grille excels at all aspects of the meal and it is because of this consistency that it is hard to ever go wrong with dining here.

What are your thoughts on Chops Grille? Leave us a comment and tell us about it below!