Brilliance of the Seas 12-night Mediterranean Greek Isles Cruise Compass - July 13, 2016
Cruise Compass provided by Jacob Holness.
Cruise Compass provided by Jacob Holness.
Just in time for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, guests on Royal Caribbean can enjoy new souvenir Coca-Cola cups on their cruise.
The new souvenir cups are available on Royal Caribbean ships when a guest purchases one of the unlimited drink packages.
It is not clear how long these will be available, but it seems to be a recent addition.
These souvenir cups are compatible with the self-serve soda machines on the pool deck as well as the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. The Coca-Cola souvenir cup has a special chip in it which activates the machine.
Spark Cooperative recently showcased some of their "Experience Design" works, which includes end-to-end development of The Ultimate Abyss slide on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean commissioned Spark to push the envelope of what a cruise ship can contain and build on the cruise line's innovative reputation with a brand new, thrilling experience.
The Ultimate Abyss is a pair of side-by-side 100 ft- high slides that guests can ride down multiple decks of the ship. Spark worked to offer a slide experience that offered multi-sensory channels, including spontaneous audio effects, bespoke ride mats and custom uniforms and accessories. The attraction is designed to thrill guests while maintaining a sense of heart-pumping anticipation.
As part of this engagement, Spark developed 3D renderings of the Ultimate Abyss, as well as the ride's story, logo, visual identity, and signage package.
Ronnie Farzad, Principle at Spark Cooperative, talked about what makes the work his company did on the Ultimate Abyss so unique, "Brands are increasingly using experiences as marketing differentiators. Research shows customers pay more for a great experience and willing to return for it. The work Spark did for The Ultimate Abyss around a holistic and integrated activation is focused around this need for a memorable guest experience."
It is Friday and with the weekend nearly here, that means we are sharing our readers' favorite Royal Caribbean photos. Each week, we ask our readers to send us Royal Caribbean photos to share on the blog.
Who has two thumbs and enjoying a day in paradise? This guy! Roderick Jones sent us this photo from his Oasis of the Seas cruise from Barefoot Beach in Labadee. Enjoy it!
Isabella sent us this photo of the donkeys from Santorini, Greece. Fabulous view!
Meagan sent us this photo of Brilliance of the Seas, as seen from Cannes. C'est magnifique!
Let's head back to Labadee with this photo by Michael Grillo, taken when he and his daughter were enjoy a summer cruise together.
Here is a photo by Donald Barnett of one of the many towel animals their steward made during our stay on Freedom of the Seas. Love coming back to my room and finding one of these!
No Friday Photos is complete without a sunset photo, and here is one by Danielle from Grandeur of the Seas while on their way to Bermuda. Beautiful!
We are going, "old school" for this photo by John Siegmund, and it is of Crystal Olympia (former Royal Caribbean Song of America) sailing past Splendour of the Seas anchored off shore in Santorini, Greece May 2015. She still looks great!
Thank you to everyone for sharing these great photos. If you want to include your photos too, please send them to us via this form!
The destinations Royal Caribbean brings you to are fantastic ports of call that are fun to explore each and every time you stop there. For us, the local cuisine is a major attraction and it reminds us of the old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" and that means sampling the culture of the area you are visiting by enjoying their food.
Each Caribbean port offers something different with influences from around the world. Dining at the restaurants locals frequent is a great way to get an authentic look at what the port offers, as well as pick up some new favorite dishes.
We selected five restaurants across our Caribbean travels on Royal Caribbean ships to share with you as our top picks to try on your next Royal Caribbean cruise.
When we look for the best local food in a town we are new to, we always look at crowd sourcing reviews for a good idea of where to go, and the top ranked restaurant in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas was a little place called Cuzzin's Restaurant.
A short walk from the ample shopping of Charlotte Amalie, Cuzzin's offers some of the best Caribbean food available.
Curried chicken, conch, BBQ ribs, fried shrimp and more are just some of the authentic dishes that draw on the restaurant's local specialties.
In addition, there is a full bar that serves up something called, the lambada boomer drink. Drink and enjoy the rest of the day!
Many Royal Caribbean cruise ships make stops in Nassau, and if you are in the mood for something local, head over to Fish Fry's for reasonably priced local cuisine.
Fish Fry's is actually the name of a row of restaurants to choose from. Most of the restaurants here have similar menus, with dishes like lobster, chicken, conch salad, shrimp, burgers and other of course, fresh fish.
You will find a wide selection of food made by locals and pretty good prices too. The heart of these restaurants is offering fresh and authentic Bahamian food.
Old San Juan is full of wonderful restaurants, but if you want the best Puerto Rican food in the old city, you need to stop by El Jibarito.
What El Jibarito lacks in stately decor, it makes up for in its freshly made dishes. Mofongo, shrimp, yellow rice, tamales and more are all available here and it is the place to sample Puerto Rican food.
The word is out on El Jibarito, as there are often lines around meal times but it is worth a stop for the great food.
The island of St. Maarten/St. Martin is half Dutch, and half French and that means there are lot of great spots to enjoy food from both cultures. If you happen to be craving a traditional French breakfast, look no further than La Sucrière in the French capital.
Set right on the Marigot waterfront, La Sucrière bakes fresh breads, quiches, sandwiches, croissants and other French specialties each day for its customers. There is nothing fresher without crossing the Atlantic.
Starting your day with breakfast or brunch at La Sucrière is the right way to experience St. Martin!
The holy grail of great authentic food is something made with pride and love, and at Comida Caseras Tonita, you will find a family run restaurant that will frankly ruin all other Mexican food for you.
Just a few short blocks from the Cozumel waterfront is this hidden gem that has a menu full of fresh and authentic Mexican food. If you are looking for the kind of food the locals eat, Tonita is the place for you.
The staff really do not speak any English, but you can easily point to what you want on the menu and shortly thereafter enjoy some incredible dishes. We have visited Tonita on multiple occasions and it never disappoints. Come hungry!
Have you found a great local restaurant that you swear by? Share the details in the comments!
Royal Caribbean has released its newest cruise deal today, offering 30% off all passengers, on all ships, along with a kids sail free offer on select dates.
The 30% off offer allows guests to save 30% off standard cruise fare for all guests in a stateroom. It is available on bookings made between August 4 - 31, 2016 and is valid on all sailings departing on or after September 4, 2016.
Guests can also take advantage of the kids sail free deal on bookings made between August 4 and 18, 2016, where Royal Caribbean will offer 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.
Kids Sail Free is eligible in 5 nights or longer Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Dubai, and Europe sailing that departs Sept. 6, 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 and Harmony of the Seas. Offer excludes China departures.
If you happen to book a holiday cruise, there is one more deal you might be able to take advantage of, where guests can get up to $200 onboard credit per stateroom for eligible Bahamas, Bermuda and Caribbean holiday sailings:
Offer open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.