The Ethisphere Institute has named Royal Caribbean a member of the 2016 World's Most Ethical Company list, which recognizes companies that define and advance the standards of ethical business practices.

This is the first time Royal Caribbean has been recognized and is one of only two companies in the Lodging, Leisure and Recreation category to make the list.

"Tomorrow or 10 years from now, there is no substitute for doing the right thing," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Customers expect it, shareholders demand it, and we try to live it every day."

"Companies rely on Ethisphere to continually raise and measure the standards of corporate behavior. Those that demonstrate leadership in areas like citizenship, integrity and transparency create more value for their investors, communities, customers and employees, thus solidifying a sustainable business advantage," explained Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "Congratulations to everyone at Royal Caribbean Cruises for being recognized as a World's Most Ethical Company."

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

Royal Caribbean has launched a range of new shore excursions for Australia, the South Pacific and New Zealand, many of which are only available only on Royal Caribbean.

“Our new and improved offering means there’s something for everyone; whether you’re a seasoned traveller or a first timer, we’ll take you off the beaten track and show you a new side to a range of Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific destinations,” said Adam Armstrong, regional commercial director, Royal Caribbean.

There are 18 new shore excursions and here is a look at some of them.

Airlie Beach: ‘Gone Fishing’

Join an expert skipper for small-group reef and bottom fishing adventure around the Whitsunday Islands. Catering to all levels of experience, guests can test their fishing skills in the sparkling blue waters sheltered by the world-famous Great Barrier Reef, rich with reef fish like coral trout and red emperor.

Cairns: ‘Tropical Jet Boating’

A jet boat captained by a Cairns local takes guests for a wet-and-wild ride on the Cairns waterfront and into the Trinity Inlet. The captain will take the time to let passengers know all about the beautiful location – with lush green mountains, rich wildlife and beautiful waterways only accessible by boat – plus demonstrate some of the tricks and maneuvers the jet boat can do. In the tropics, this ride is a great way to escape the humidity, get ready for lots of spray and water!

Hobart: ‘Mt Wellington Descent by Bike’

Experience an exhilarating guided mountain bike ride down the 4,000-foot Mt. Wellington. The tour will take guests to the top of the mountain for panoramic views to the city of Hobart, followed by a gentle, scenic bicycle tour through the magnificent alpine forest and terrain.

Port Hedland ‘FIFO Mining Experience’

For anyone who’s ever wondered what FIFO (fly-in fly-out) working life is really like. Port Hedland is the center of the iron-ore industry in Western Australia. Here, thousands of workers fly to mines to work for a number days at a stretch. The tour visits Gateway Village, where guests will don their high-vis gear and hardhat and take part in a prestart meeting (a pre-shift, crew-wide safety meeting) as well as tour the facility. Head to the crib room for refreshments, plus see where miners spend their time after their shifts at the worker accommodations. The tour also includes a stop at Redbank Bridge, which passes over some of the world’s longest trains, carrying iron ore and solar salt from Port Hedland to the rest of the country.

Port Hedland ‘Historical Town Tour’

Peel back the layers of history of Port Hedland with this tour that takes in the historic West End, where large-scale street art meets a colorful market teeming with arts, craft and foot, as well as Koombana Lookout, where the huge bulk carriers move in and out of the harbour as they have for more than a century. Then take a look at the mining equipment and rolling stock used in years past, and see how much the industry has changed at the Don Rhodes Open-Air Mining Museum. Plus, trace the pioneering heritage of Port Hedland on an exclusive tour of the Dalgety House Museum with members of the local historical society. Built in 1903, the house is one of the few examples left of early 20th-century architecture.

Port Hedland ‘Pretty Pool Discovery with Tea’

Explore Port Hedland’s famous Pretty Pool, a coastal area with an incredibly important ecosystem. Guests will learn about how mangroves help support the flatback turtles, who make this beach their home each year. These turtles rely on the protection the mangroves give to the nests they’ve dug in the sand. Afterward, head to local restaurant, Pretty Pool Provedore for tea, coffee and an array of scrumptious treats.

Suva ‘Kila Eco Trek’ (FIJI)

Immerse yourself in Fiji's pristine rainforest at Kila Eco Adventure Park. The tour departs the Port of Suva, the capital’s large maritime gateway. Suva, which is situated on a hilly peninsula, is the most cosmopolitan city in the South Pacific.  Your tour leaves the bustling urban center and proceeds along a scenic route to Kila Eco Adventure Park. You’ll explore the Park’s beautiful scenery on your eco-walk, which includes views of the expansive valley and mountainous terrain.  Walk through jungle paths, past flowing waterfalls, and the colorful flora and Fiji’s only linear botanic garden as you roam the virgin lowland tropical rainforest. The walk takes guests past several varieties of flowering trees and plants like coconut, giant baka, mango and palm.

Auckland ‘Tamaki Hikoi Maori Volcanic Walking Tour

Join members of the Ngati Whatua tribe on a guided walk of their lands, exploring the heart of Auckland at Mt. Eden, a dormant volcano. For hundreds of years, Maori of this local tribe have passed down through generations their tribal history and traditions. On this tour, take advantage of their knowledge and wisdom as you make your way to Mt. Eden, once the site of the largest fortified Maori pa (fortress) in New Zealand.

Take in the natural and cultural history of the volcano while overlooking spectacular views across of the city below. Learn about Maori culture and heritage, finding out why Auckland was so fiercely contested, how the tribe co-existed with the land, and the impact of colonization on its indigenous people. After your walk, enjoy coffee, tea and delicious scones.

Bay of Islands: Glow Worm Caves and Kauri Forest

Enjoy the serenity of the Puketi Kauri Forest and explore caverns lit by twinkling glowworms. Get up close to the ancient and majestic Kauri trees during an educational guided walking tour of Puketi Kauri’s sub-tropical rainforest, rich in native flora and fauna. Next, be surrounded by luminous glow worms in the natural underground wonderland of the Kawiti Caves, and take in its unique stalactite and stalagmite formations.

Tauranga: ‘Coastal Cuisine Tour’

Get ready for the ultimate dining experience in the stunning colonial coastal town of Tauranga and its scenic surrounding region. This 'foodies tour' introduces you to the unique and delicious bounty of the Bay of Plenty. The rich soils and gentle climate have produced ideal growing conditions for both the Maori and European gardeners. Citrus fruit, avocados, wines and more have been cultivated in this region, which makes for a delicious coastal cuisine tour. You’ll travel to lush farmlands, beaches, and into Tauranga to try a wonderful assortment of foods. Sample specialty breads made from wheat, wholemeal and rye at the Artisan Bakery. Try different types of salami made by natural curing and wood smoking. Experience a wide range of fresh seafood and fish dipped in a crisp batter at the Fish Market. Enjoy the delicious, top quality Manuka honey products. Then, tour a kiwi orchard when you climb aboard the KiwiKart. While here, you’ll learn why the kiwifruit is among the most healthiest fruits in the world, and how this unique fertile land, climate, and geography make it an ideal location for growing the kiwifruit compared to other places in the world.

Wellington: ‘Craft Brewery Tour’

Beer lovers can go on a tasting tour of Wellington’s finest craft brews. An array of breweries in the heart of the city are an integral part of the capital's vibrant cultural scene. This tour visits four different locations so you can sample an amazing assortment of quality of beers.  Your guide explains the workings of the breweries and describes different  beers produced. Find out how malts, hops and some other New Zealand grown ingredients formulate these traditional, high-quality beverages.  You’ll get to learn what innovations are used to derive some of the country’s most delicious beers. Watch as the frothy beverage is poured, savor the aroma, and quench your thirst with a delightful sip or a great big gulp. Discover new flavors as enthusiastic brewers share some of their new recipes. Introduce your taste buds to a spectrum of award-winning, bold, seasonal, and crisp beers. Enjoy the chance to sample limited runs. Fill your flagon or take a bottle home.  

There are less than 99 days until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas launches, and we are counting down each day with a brand new blog post all about this amazing new ship.

Royal Suite Class

To borrow a phrase from the movie industry, Royal Caribbean is rebooting the perks and services offered to guests staying in their most luxurious accomodations, and that includes guests aboard Harmony of the Seas.

The Royal Suite Class introduces three levels of service that offer guests the kind of luxury travel they have come to expect.

Star Class

As a Star Class Suite guest, you’ll enjoy the round-the-clock services of an exclusive Royal Genie personal assistant. During your voyage, your Royal Genie will attend to, and anticipate, your every need and desire. Your wish is your Royal Genie’s command.

Sky Class

As a Sky Class Suite guest, you’ll have special access to an exclusive concierge who will remain at your service throughout your time with us to assist you with priority reservations and theater seats, securing access to the private suite Sun Deck and any other requests that may arise.

Sea Class

Pamper yourself with luxury bathroom amenities by Hermès, Ferragamo and L’Occitane. Let the ocean gently lull you into the slumber of a lifetime on your luxury pillowtop mattress. And enjoy exclusive dinner access and breathtaking views through floor-to-ceiling windows in the Coastal Kitchen resturant.

Speaking of the Royal Genie, this is something brand new to Royal Caribbean, where Star Class guests can enjoy the round-the-clock services of an exclusive Royal Genie personal assistant.

The Royal Genie offers services such as

• Trained and certified by the British Butler Institute
• Escort aboard and have bags delivered directly to stateroom
• Assistance with packing and unpacking
• Arrange priority pressing, laundry and dry cleaning services,
• VIP seating at shows and dinner reservations.
• and a lot more!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!

Welcome to March! We hope you are having a great weekend and are ready to sit back, relax and catch up with all the latest Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean released its summer 2017 European itineraries this week, allowing guests to book cruises for this upcoming season.

Guests can enjoy cruises all over Europe, on 8 of the line's cruise ships, including Freedom of the Seas for the first time.

Royal Caribbean is offering cruises to the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Northern Europe and more in 2017.

We have a full breakdown of where each Royal Caribbean ship is going in summer 2017, so you can pick the right itinerary for you.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean updated and simplified its cruise cancellation policy.
• Our full review of Izumi on Allure of the Seas.
• Tidal Wave slide on Liberty of the Seas remains closed.
• Anthem of the Seas ended a cruise early again, due to a forecasted storm.
• The CDC confirmed Anthem of the Seas had a gastrointestinal illness outbreak.
• We shared 5 beautiful photos of Ovation of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean Australia saw record-breaking bookings.
• Royal Caribbean signed a deal with Cintas to provide uniforms.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 135th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, and we have a roundtable review of our group cruise aboard Allure of the Seas.

Int his episode, Matt and everyone that was aboard the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise recorded a review of Allure of the Seas, live at Vintages.  The group discussed their experiences onboard, discuss what they think of a ship the size of Allure of the Seas and discuss some of the fun experiences from our week aboard.

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.

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

• FlowRider
• Columbus, The Musical!
• Coastal Kitchen
• Bionic Bar showcased at South Beach Wine & Food Festival
• Voom

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

Porthole Magazine has a look at the design of Royal Caribbean's smart ships (written by me!).

Travel Pulse criticizes the way the media has unfairly reported on cruise news lately.

CNBC posted a video interview with Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about Ovation of the Seas.

Captain Greybeard wonders why cruising has such an image problem.

Shermans Cruise tried the White Truffle Dinner on Anthem of the Seas.

The brand new Tidal Wave water slide on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas remains closed to guests, despite the ship returning to service following a dry dock nearly a month ago.

The Tidal Wave is the first Boomerang style slide at sea, but has never opened to guests in the voyages since the ship resumed sailings.

At a Captain's Corner talk event on Liberty of the Seas this week, the ship's Chief Engineer commented that their team discovered the variation of guest weight, and the position a person may take on the tube you ride on, makes a wide range of operation. In order to ensure that it is strong enough for all, there is a good chance that people will hit the top of the slide with some regularity. Not hard, but still make contact.

Royal Caribbean has had to design padding for the areas where guests may impact the slide, and that is being built currently.  

The Chief Engineer indicated they hope some pieces of this new padding waiting in Galveston, when the ship returns there on Sunday.

After all padding parts are delivered, the team will install and paint them.  The Chief Engineer estimated that he doesn't see the Tidal Wave running for a few more sailings yet.

The new hair-raising slide features a steep drop that propels riders up a near vertical wall for a moment of weightlessness and into free fall.

Special thanks to Royal Caribbean Blog reader Paul Crow for conveying the update to us.

Royal Caribbean is getting into the "summer mood", by rolling out a new bonus offer of up to $100 onboard credit, plus 50% off your deposit.

The Summer Splash Sale allows guests to combine with the 30% off every guest deal that is currently ongoing.  With this new limited time offer, guests can enjoy

• 30% off every guests, every ship
• Free onboard credit
  • 5 nights or less sailings
    • Interior & Ocean view staterooms: $25 onboard credit
    • Balcony & Suite staterooms: $50 onboard credit
  • 6 nights or longer sailings
    • Interior & Ocean view staterooms: $50 onboard credit
    • Balcony & Suite staterooms: $100 onboard credit

Cruise must be booked Mar 4-8, 2016 and applies to Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda sailings departing May 1-Sep 30, 2016.  Offer excludes all China sailings.

30% Savings is combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholders benefits. Any dollar off discounts or promotions, such as Crown & Anchor discounts, are applied first, followed by Offer, which is applied to final balance. Caribbean Sale OBC Offer is combinable with 30% Savings and restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). All Offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to Canada Sale, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates.

Offer available to residents of the United States and Canada.

Thanks to Jason Poole for alerting us to this new promotion!

Happy Friday! Each week we invite everyone reading to submit your favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos, so that we can share them right here on the blog!

Here are some photos that we have to share this week!

We will start things off with this photo of Allure of the Seas in Cozumel, by Dave Rimington.  Great colors!

In our next photo, we are getting up close and personal with Anthem of the Seas.  Denny C sent this photo from a recent cruise, where he "enjoyed every minute" of the experience.

I love a good sunset at sea photo, and we have one from Susan Widdowson.  Susan took this photo on Independence of the Seas, back in September.  Beautiful!

Speaking of Independence of the Seas, Ken Slusser shared this photo of the Royal Promenade lit up for evening activities during his recent March 2015 cruise. Love that Royal Promenade!

Check out this photo of Jewel of the Seas' Captain Thore Thorolvsen dancing during the "Flag Parade" event.  Jan-Arild Knutsen says the Captain was dancing a Norwegian folkdance, "HALLING".  Bra jobba!

Here is a great shot of Central Park at night on Allure of the Seas, by Sebastian Söderström.  After seeing this view every evening last week, I can tell you it is even more beautiful in person!

We will wrap up this week's photos with this one of Anthem of the Seas in Labadee, by Matthew Hull.  Two of my favorite places in one photo!

Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos this week. Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your photos so we can post them next week by using this form.