This week's batch of beautiful Royal Caribbean photos is here and it's always fun to share with all of you the great photos our readers take while on their cruise vacation.

The photos we have to show this week are fun and of course anyone can send us their Royal Caribbean photos to use as well!

Our first Royal Caribbean photo this week comes to us from Allison, and it is of Radiance of the Seas docked in Hobart, Australia.  Love the perspective of Radiance versus the sail boats.

Great composition in this photo of Navigator of the Seas by Justin York, as seen from Senor Frogs in Cozumel.

Next is a photo from Explorer of the Seas off the coast of Southern Spain by Henry H.  Is there ever a bad looking photo of Spain?

All CocoCay fans are sure to love this shot by Justin.  Just a perfect looking day in paradise!

Courtney sends us this photo from the very top of Labadee, just before hooking up to the zip line.  What a view!

Ken Slusser has a photo of Quantum of the Seas arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and this is a wonderful shot of Quantum's bow!

Our last photo this week is from Rich Triplett and it is an early morning view from his aft balcony on Radiance of the Seas, looking back at Jewel of the Seas as she enters Skagway, Alaska. 

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos this week and if you have Royal Caribbean photos, well, we want to see them!  You can use this form to send us your photos and we will feature them on an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

Watch a hyper-lapse tour of the world’s largest ship, Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas at STX Shipyard in France.

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

Episode 138 is available for downloading, where we have an exclusive interview with Allure of the Seas' Hotel Director, Joao Mendonça.

Mr. Mendonça gives us an inside look at how he and his team keep Allure of the Seas up and running so well.  It is a fascinating look at what it takes to keep the largest cruise ship in the world functioning so well.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 138. 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!

With less than 100 days until the launch of Harmony of the Seas the construction teams are down to the wire. Get an update on her construction process and see how she is coming along.

Royal Caribbean recently launched a new way to reward guests loyal to Royal Caribbean with upgrades.

Royal Caribbean will provide travel partners with a means for travel partners to provide upgrades to their clients at a reduced rate.

The new program began on March 16, 2016 and each week, Royal Caribbean will send travel partners an email with a list of your clients who are eligible for a reduced-rate upgrade on an upcoming sailing.  The email will include name, booking ID, upgrade category and upgrade fee.

Eligible Crown and Anchor Society members whose email address in Royal Caribbean's database and has given their permission to send communications, will also receive an email notification.  For all guests booked via travel partners, the call to action is to call their agent.

HOW TO SET YOUR UPGRADE PREFERENCES

All eligible Crown and Anchor Society members whose email is on file, regardless of channel booked, will receive the notification 24 hours after Royal Caribbean sends the email to the travel partner.

Upgrades are offered about 45 days prior to departure date.

The upgrade fee cost is per stateroom.

If an upgrade is from a balcony to a Junior Suite, the Crown and Anchor Society members will not receive the additional point per night.

Are you excited for Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas to debut? We are too and that is why every day, we are posting something new about this incredible new cruise ship leading up to her arrival in less than 99 days.

1887: A Journey in Time

Ice skating shows have become a staple of Royal Caribbean's entertainment line up and on Harmony of the Seas, guests can look foward to a brand new ice skating show, 1887: A Journey in Time.

The ice skating shows feature world-class skaters performing extraordinary skills, with stunning multimedia visuals, audio an state-of-the-art technologdy prociding a sight and sound theatrical experience. Guests will watch as the surface of the ice rink in Studio B transforms before their very eyes, creating a backdrop of ultra-high definition video, which blends fantasy with reality.

Luminous Creative Imaging is a group of talented creatives that focuses on putting their team together to create beautiful visuals. As simple as it sounds, Luminous specialized in 3D/CGI, Illustration, Digital Art, Manipulation, Photography and just to name a few and they are currenly based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1887 is a brand new show by Royal Caribbean Productions that is about love and adventure and is best described as a, "steampunk styled ice show." 

Images by The Imagination House / Luminous Creative Imaging

It is set in Paris on February 14, 1887 at the height of the career of Jules Verne, renowned author of timeless adventure novels such as “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1864), “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” (1870), and “Around the World in Eighty Days” (1873).

Beginning their journey on the frozen River Seine, Juliet and her mysterious time traveling companion, the Tempus, travel in multiple dimensions to discover the wonders of the world, and of the heart.

It's Sunday and the good news is we are all one week closer to our next Royal Caribbean cruise! In case you missed any of the Royal Caribbean fun from this week, here is our weekly round up!

There was a lot of Royal Caribbean news this week, but the big story was Royal Caribbean's decision to cancel the first six Empress of the Seas sailings.

We were a about two weeks away from her debut, but the company stated it need more time to finish the upgrades and changes they planned on adding to her, and decided to push her debut back by six weeks.

For guests that were booked on one of the cancelled sailings, Royal Caribbean has offered the option of a full refund, or to be booked on another Empress of the Seas or Majesty of the Seas sailing.

We have a lot to share with you this week, so let’s jump right in…

Royal Caribbean News

• Gavin Smith was promoted to Senior Vice President of International.
• Brilliance of the Seas rescued 18 Cubans that were on a raft at sea.
• Royal Caribbean's Royal Genie program is about to debut.
• Our full review of Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar.
• Here is an updated 2017-2018 deployment schedule.
• A set of beautiful Ovation of the Seas conveyance photos.
• It looks like Royal Caribbean is offering discounts on drink packages and the internet on select cruises.
• Our guide to dining with a picky eater on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Read our excursion review of Blue Waters Escape, in Falmouth.
• Everything you need to know about Royal Suite Class.

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.

• Harmony of the Seas returns from sea trials
• Harmony of the Seas tests her engines
• Puzzle Break Escape Room
• New shore excursions for Harmony of the Seas
• Retail shopping
• DreamWorks Experience

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 137th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss eveything about dinner on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt talks about the subject of eating dinner on Royal Caribbean, and tries to provide a general overview of the process as a means of explaining what to expect and why dinner is such an enjoyable experience onboard.

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.

Royal Caribbean Around the Interent

The New York Post has 10 crazy facts about Harmony of the Seas.

Ren Behan has a review of Wonderland's "Dry Run" in London.

Cruise Critic's editor-in-chief has a new column about winter weather and cruising.

Fortune Magazine asked Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about what to do when you are overwhelmed at work.

Each day we are posting a brand new blog post to countdown until Royal Caribbean launches Harmony of the Seas. There's a lot to get excited about on this amazing ship and we're highlighting it all.

DreamWorks Experience

Ever since Royal Caribbean partnered with DreamWorks to bring their characters onboard Royal Caribbean's cruise ships, it's been a big hit.  Not surprisingly, the DreamWorks Experience will be coming to Harmony of the Seas as well.

DreamWorks Animation characters including Po of Kung Fu Panda; Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots of Shrek; and from Madagascar, Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, King Julien and the Penguins will be available for guests to meet during their cruise.

DreamWorks Experience activities onboard will include

• A DreamWorks Character breakfast in the main dining room
• 'Meet and greet’ experiences throughout the day
• Photo opportunities with the characters
• Adventure Ocean programming featuring DreamWorks Animation
  • Story time
  • Dance parties
  • Adventures rooted in the popular character stories

Kids also get the chance to play with their favorite DreamWorks Animation characters at Adventure Ocean.

Of course, you will be abloe to watch DreamWorks films in your stateroom.

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

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas rescued 18 Cuban migrants off the coast of Florida on Friday morning, following a 22 day journey at sea for the migrants.

The United States Coast Guard reported the rescue by the Royal Caribbean ship, which unfortunately also resulted in nine deaths prior to the resucue.

Brilliance of the Seas spotted the raft while on her way to Mexico, west of Marco Island in Florida. The migrants on-board suffered from severe dehydration, the Coast Guard said.

"Our deepest condolences to the families of the nine people who recently did lose their lives," said Captain Mark Gordon, chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard's 7th District. "Unfortunately, tragedy is all too common when taking to the sea in homemade vessels with no safety or navigation equipment. The dangerous waters of the Florida Straights can be unforgiving for the unprepared on ill-advised and illegal voyages."