Happy Friday and welcome to another round of Friday Photos, where we share our readers favorite Royal Caribbean photos on the blog!  If you want to share your photos, just use this form to send them in!

Our first photo is from Kayla (KLA) Gillman of Enchantment of the Seas docked near Empress of the Seas in Nassau. Two classy Royal Caribbean ships!

Alistair Allan shared this photo of he and his family and friends with their waiter, Emily, on board Navigator of the Seas.

Next up is this photo of Oasis of the Seas in San Juan by Robin Woske. Two of my favorite things in one photo, San Juan and Oasis of the Seas!

Kathy Pepperd sent this photo of her and her husband, Dirk, in Cozumel right next to Allure of the Seas.  You get a good sense of how large a ship Allure is with a photo like this.

Gordon Marron and his brother took this photo in front of Ovation of the Seas in Cherbourg and I would be excited if I was on her maiden voyage too!

This photo of Rhapsody of the Seas by Shawn Crossley uses a photography technique known as tilt-shift, and it makes the ship look almost like a toy.  Very cool!

Here is another photo of Empress of the Seas, this time in CocoCay and taken by Krisztina Benko.  Looks like another day in paradise!

Thank you to everyone that submitted their Royal Caribbean photos! If you want to include your photos in a future Friday Photos post, be sure to send them to us!

Many of us know that Sabor Modern Mexican on Royal Caribbean cruise ships is one of the best-dept dining secrets in all of cruising.  But these days, it is become less of a secret, and more of an established must-eat!

Frankly, if your list of specialty restaurant reservations does not include Sabor, then you are missing out.

Having had an opportunity to cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, we could not resist dining at Sabor Modern Mexican on a few different occasions.

Atmosphere

One goal Royal Caribbean had with Sabor was to create a restaurant experience that was not just another typical American-Mexican restaurant. When you walk into Sabor, there is very little that would remind you of a typical Mexican restaurant.

The decor of Sabor features lots of blues, reds and yellows and the restaurant evokes a very bright mood with its festive, yet not over-the-top, design.

Seating in Sabor is functional and comfortable.  Much of the seating are tables that have booth and chair options, with a few smaller tables that have just chairs.  

Unlike Chops Grille or Giovanni's Table on Freedom of the Seas, Sabor has no windows and is also considerably smaller in size. A view is always nice, but with the kind of food offered in Sabor, you will not want to look anywhere but what is on your plate.

The focal point of Sabor Modern Mexican on Freedom of the Seas are the colorful dahlia flowers that line the ceiling and wall of the restaurant.  It is quite pretty and a lovely backdrop.

Eats

After a busy day on Freedom of the Seas swimming, exploring and playing, lunch or dinner at Sabor is sure to please.

The Sabor menu on Freedom of the Seas retains many of the same options that are on other Royal Caribbean ships that offer a Sabor Modern Mexican restaurant, but there are some appetizers and entrees that are different on Freedom of the Seas.  Moreover, the drink menu of available cocktails has also been simplified, although the famous margaritas remain.  Nonetheless, there is a wide variety of Mexican classics, such as tacos, burritos and quesadillas.  There are also more sophisticated choices as well.  

If you party is large enough (more than 4 guests usually), the server will offer to bring all the appetizers out and serve them family-style.  Most of them can be enjoyed in this manner, with the exception of the soup.

Every table is served with table side guacamole and frankly, no Sabor meal is complete without the guacamole.  

In short, the Sabor guacamole is amazing and will more than likely become the best guacamole you have ever eaten.  Even if you have had guacamole for years or swore it off, you must try the guacamole at Sabor Modern Mexican.

In addition, chips and fresh pico de gallo salsa are served.  As much as I wax poetically about Sabor's guacamole, I have an unspoken love with Sabor's salsa.  Salsa is not so much a garnishment as it is a topping when I eat chips, and the salsa here has this salsa fiend's seal of approval.

The chicken-stuffed Jalapeños are the most popular options and when you read the description you will know why.  Chicken wrapped in bacon on a stick with Mexican garnishments.  Sold!

The queso fundido is also a winner, and not your typical cup of melted cheese.  This gooey and super-tasty appetizer is a great choice for even the pickiest of eaters.

While dining at Sabor, one must also indulge in the margaritas available exclusively at Sabor.  

There are five margaritas on the menu (plus a few other cocktails, including sangria) and they are like children. You do not have a favorite, but you might like one more than the other at any given time.  I highly recommend getting at least one margarita during the meal to compliment the food.

The Avocado and Jalapeño-Cucumber martinis are at the top of my list, but you cannot go wrong with any of them.  

Avocado margarita

Jalapeño-Cucumber margarita

The staff might also be able to create a Mezcal margarita, which is not listed on the menu but has a very distinct taste (reminds me of Rome burning).

The Sweet and Spice Margarita has a very unique taste to it, but is a great choice if you enjoy a non-traditional and somewhat spicy cocktail.

In terms of entrees, there are a lot to choose from and it is no easy decision.

The tacos are popular and I absolutely love the Tuna Crudo tacos, which are essentially ahi tuna tacos.  Amazing flavor and great fish!

Yes, I did order double tuna tacos.

I wanted to try something else new and ordered the Pato Gordo slow-cooked duck burrito.  I know what you are thinking, and I was thinking the same thing.  Duck is not exactly a typical burrito meat and moreover, duck is not usually my favorite meat.  But I gave it a try and I was so happy I did!

The Pato Gordo had incredible flavor and was much smaller than I was expecting.  While the Tuna Crudo tacos may be my absolute favorite entree on the menu, these burritos are really, really good too.

If you prefer a simpler entree, the quesadillas are all really good choices. They are large, oozing with freshly melted cheese and will hit the spot.

The Chicken and Roasted Corn Empandas are also very filling, and I enjoy topping them with the salsa and/or guacamole from earlier in the meal.

Every table will also receive an assortment of side dishes to enjoy with your meal.  Try them all, because they each will work well with whatever you order.

Arguably the most difficult aspect of dining at Sabor is leaving room for dessert.  Bring your stretchy pants because it is totally worth it!

Dessert is served to all guests on a tray and feel free to ask for more.  Royal Caribbean describes them as "Caja de Dulces", which means "box of sweets" and it is an indulgent selection of Mexican-inspired mini desserts.

All the desserts are rich, delicious and will leave you questioning why you ever ate anything earlier in the meal (Oh yea, it was because that food was awesome too).  

My top picks are the chocolate crepe filled with cayenne chocolate & marscapone sauce, chocolate & banana empanadas, cafe con leche.  I would not fault you for loving any of the others, because they are all outstanding.

Overall

Sabor Modern Mexican's great reputation remains unchanged.  While it may be hidden on deck 4 in what used to be a night club, savvy Royal Caribbean guests know this is where you go on your Royal Caribbean cruise for some of the best food onboard.

If it sounds like just about everything I sampled was excellent, then it is because that is exactly what happened.  There is a wonderful fix of Mexican favorites and contemporary classics to satisfy all guests.  There is as much flavor as there are options to choose from on the menu.

If you were to run into another Royal Caribbean fan and start talking about the amazing food onboard, most of the time a restaurant like Chops Grille gets mentioned, but Sabor is quickly on its way to becoming the best restaurant on a Royal Caribbean ship because of the tantalizing dishes available and incredible flavor each item has.  The word "sabor" means "flavor" in Spanish and few restaurants offer as much flavor as Sabor Modern Mexican.

Sabor Modern Mexican is open for lunch on sea days between noon - 1:30 p.m. and dinner every night between 5:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. for dinner. We reviewed Sabor Modern Mexican aboard Freedom of the Seas.

Cost: The price for Sabor Modern Mexican on Freedom of the Seas for lunch is $19 per guest and dinner is $29 per guest.

Today was my first sea day and I was really looking forward to it. I did manage to sleep in until 8AM, if you call that sleeping in. I did not have many plans today other than just enjoying Empress. 

Brunch 

On Empress of the Seas they have a brunch on sea days in the main dining room, from 10AM-1PM. This is something you do not want to miss because they also serve free Bloody Mary’s and mimosas. Yes, you read that right, free drinks!

The options for food are also very large, from made to order omelets to grilled salmon.

The brunch is something you do not want to miss on Empress, its really nicely done and very casual style. 

Afternoon on board 

Most of the day I just hung out by the pool and listened to the live music, which was very relaxing. The band started playing at noon and into the afternoon.

I took full advantage of my drink package today, and why not when you are on vacation. I forgot to mention they are now printing the drink package on the SeaPass card if you purchased it online. I suppose they made this change because the stickers would always rub off. 

Also noteworthy, I always saw open deck chairs, so no need to rush to the pool deck on Empress.

Around 3PM, I noticed the ship starting to rock a little and noticed the clouds were turning darker. We were actually headed into a very large storm and heavy rain.

The rain was coming in so hard I thought I was back in Florida. The pool deck cleared including myself and I decided it was time for a nap. 

Evening on board 

Tonight, I decided to keep it casual and just eat in the Windjammer for dinner. I used my drink coupons at Schooner Bar and headed up to grab dinner.

Perhaps I am very spoiled from the Windjammer on Brilliance of the Seas, but the options for food were very limited to what I have seen. That being said, the ship is not nearly full so I know they don’t want to waste a large amount of food.

I decided to go with chicken tacos and just pretend I am at Sabor. I walked away from dinner just not very pleased, but I kept thinking about that steak at Chops.

As far as the service in the Windjammer, it is the best I have ever seen, they always come around and bring you drinks and sometimes-even cookies!

After dinner, I went to see the Battle of the Sexes game, which pits the men versus the women. I have never seen this show before and would compare it to a mini Quest in a way. 

I headed to the top deck for a while after the game to enjoy some open air and decided I would call it a night.

Not a lot going on today, but no worries tomorrow is going to be action packed in Cozumel, Mexico.

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

Episode 163 is available for downloading featuring a LIVE review from onboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.

Our latest group cruise has just wrapped up and we recorded this week's episode onboard Freedom of the Seas, sharing our stories and tips for anyone going on Freedom of the Seas.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 163. 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!

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is nearing her arrival to the South Florida area later this year, and Royal Caribbean has posted billboards around Miami to advertise the world's largest cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Victor Sacal shared these photos from around Miami, and we wanted to give our readers a "taste" of the excitement this new ship is bringing.

Today we are in Key West, Florida, which is our first port stop on this five-day cruise.

I woke up this morning at 5:30AM, I do not know why, but I decided to enjoy the ship while I was awake. I went around many of the public areas and able to capture some great pictures without people in them. I will admit it was kind of weird at points feeling like you were the only person on this ship.

I went into the Windjammer at 6AM when they opened. However, they only had breads and coffee available, no bacon until 7AM, bummer. I decided to head to the back of Boleros where they had that day one welcome party, to watch the sunrise.

I ended up staying well over an hour just taking in the views; it was absolutely breathtaking to watch. 

Docking in Key West, Florida 

I was able to see the local pilot board our ship to help us sail into Key West. For those wondering what that is, every port a cruise ship docks in, a local pilot boards the ship to help guide the captain to dock. They know the port and help provide the Captain some guidance along the way, however the Captain is still in control of the ship.

Since the Empress has recently added these short sailings to fill time before Cuba, the main pier in Key West was already booked by Carnival. Today we docked at the United States Navy training facility.

I actually thought were going to have to walk all the way into town and went back into my cabin to put tennis shoes on. However, once we got off they had rows of trolleys to take us into town. This was a different Key West experience and I really enjoyed the short 10-minute ride through the base and into town. They asked that we take no pictures of the base on our ride; so sorry I don’t have any. 

Once I got into town, my mission was simple find some Key Lime Pie! A few friends recommend I try Kermit’s pie, so off I went. The walk to their shop was very short, I just plugged it into my GPS, but it was around 2 blocks.

When I arrived I noticed it was empty, but I guess that’s because it was 10AM. I went inside and ordered their classic Key Lime Pie, those wondering it cost $4.80. I’m not a huge sweets guy and it was early in the morning for pie, but it was amazing!

The staff here was really nice too, they actually asked if I wanted a sample of their other pie. Who turns down free pie? They brought out a chocolate covered froze pie, which was also good but I preferred the classic version or maybe I was just too full. 

After, I headed to Sloppy Joe's for a beer. They did not have live music playing yet, so no real excitement there today on my visit.

By this point it’s 11AM and I’m getting tired and decided to head back to the ship. Well what an adventure that was, since we took trolleys into town you had to take one back. Let’s just say I got on the wrong one, not once but twice. The second one was an actual tour of Key West, so off I went.

They made a stop at Sloppy Joe's on the tour and I jumped off, and walked back to the bus area again. Now on my third try I asked the driver if we were headed to the ship, I can only laugh at myself on this one. 

 Afternoon on board 

I wanted to take a nap but they were running test on the ship, which caused them to turn off power (including air conditioning) for a half-hour, so off to the pool deck I went. Not really a big deal since there were very few people on board, but I did notice how the temperature rises quite fast without running air conditioning.

I made some new friends in the hot tub and made good use of my select drink package.

I went into Windjammer for a small lunch; I was still full from all that pie in Key West. The options today were not as great as yesterday, but I usually just get rice and fish anyways.

Around 4PM I left the pool deck to get ready for the evening, still going with no nap. 

Evening on board 

Right at 5PM, I went down to Schooner Bar and used my Crown and Anchor drink coupon and noticed the bar was full. This was the first time I’d seen it so full like this, but I don’t think I usually go around this hour. Almost everyone was using their 3 free drinks loaded on their card, since this is pretty much the only place to do so.

Around 6PM I was starting to get hungry, my Chops dinner was not until 7:30 but I went early and they seated me right away. I was the only person in the restaurant when I arrived and there were 3 tables when I left.

The service was outstanding and I got to know my waitress during the meal. I decided to order shrimp cocktail, mushroom soup (which I can’t decide if that’s better or French onion) and a salad to start (if you were counting that is three starters!).

For my entree, I went with the 16oz New York Strip and let me tell you this was the largest steak I have ever seen. It was almost falling off the plate; once again the NY strip surprised me with how great it is compared to the filet. Which do I prefer? I am going to say I enjoy them both, but if you are really hungry, get the NY Strip. 

After dinner, I decided to go the headliner show in the main theater.

I do not usually attend any shows unless I’m on an Oasis-class ship, but I wanted to try something new. We had Finish Henderson hosting the show. He sings all types of music and his voice sounded exactly like singer he was singing, no idea how he does it.

I looked on his website looks like he is headed to Anthem of the Seas next, and Allure/Oasis this fall. If you get a chance, go to the show. He received a standing ovation at the end of the show for quite a while. 

Tonight is the white pool deck party; dancing under the stars they call it. It started raining and they moved it inside the Viking Crown lounge. I will say the event was packed, almost everyone wearing all white. I even saw a guy down their in his white crown and anchor robe, points for being creative. I stayed for an hour talked with the Cruise Director Elvis for a while really nice guy. Around midnight I called it a day, what a full day of events. 

Tomorrow we have our first sea day, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Royal Caribbean is stacking an extra instant savings offer for a few days only that is combinable with the current promotion that offers up to 30% off your cruise.

The Fall Flash Savings will save up to $100 off the cost of the cruise. Cruise must be booked 9/14/16-9/18/16. Offer applies to all sailings on or after October 15, 2016 through March 31, 2017. Offer excludes China departures

• Cruises 5-nights or less
  • Interior / Oceanview Staterooms: $25
  • Balcony / Deluxe Staterooms: $50
• Cruises 6 nights or greater
  • Interior / Oceanview Staterooms: $50
  • Balcony / Deluxe Staterooms: $100

Additionally, for eligible Caribbean and Bahamas holiday sailings, offer includes a per stateroom savings based on stateroom category. For eligible holiday sailings 5 nights or less departing December 22-31, 2016 and 2017, savings are $50 per stateroom for interior and oceanview and $100 Savings per stateroom for balcony and suite categories., For eligible holiday sailings 6-nights or longer, departing December 15-31, 2016 or 2017, savings are $75 per stateroom for interior and oceanview and $200 per stateroom for balcony and suites. 

Additionally for new bookings made September 1-17, 2016, offer provides for free cruise fare of third and higher guests who are 12 years or younger as of cruise departure date, booked in the same stateroom as the first two Offer qualifying guests in a triple or quad occupancy stateroom on a 5 nights or longer Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Dubai, and Europe sailing that departs October 2, 2016-May 15, 2017. Kids Sail Free Offer excludes sailings departing between 11/17/16-11/24/16, 12/15/16-1/05/17, 2/16/17-2/23/17, 3/10/17-3/20/17, 4/06/17-4/16/17, Harmony of the Seas, Star class and Sky class suites on Quantum class and Oasis class.

Instant Savings Offer is combinable with adjoining Save Now –Sail Later Savings, Kids Sail Free, Holiday Offer, and NextCruise offers. Instant Savings and Save Now – Sail Later Savings are not combinable with Canada Resident Sale or restricted rates (for example, seniors, Residents, and Military). Instant Savings is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Crown & Anchor Discounts, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, Net Rates, Shareholder Benefits. Save Now –Sail Later Savings and Kids Sail Free are combinable with Crown and Anchor Discounts.