Royal Caribbean announced today that Jamie's Italian specialty restaurant will be available on its third Oasis class cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.

Jamie's Italian is a specialty restaurant created by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver that offers rustic Italian dishes made from seasonal ingredients and tried and true recipes.

Jamie's Italian first debuted on Royal Caribbean's Quantum class ships, and Harmony of the Seas will be the first cruise ship outside of the Quantum class to offer this venue.

Harmony of the Seas is still under construction at STX France shipyard and will debut in April 2016, offering cruises in Europe before moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in late 2016 to be homeported there.

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

Episode 118 is available for downloading, where Matt previews his upcoming 2-night cruise on the brand new Anthem of the Seas.

Matt will be boarding Royal Caribbean's newest ship this week for a glimpse at what this ship has to offer. Matt previews what he has planned for the cruise, what he's excited about and previews what content will be coming to the blog as a result of this cruise.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 118. 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 announced today it has ordered a fifth Quantum-class cruise ship that will be ready for delivery in the fall of 2020.

We love the Quantum-class so much, we're ordering another one (that's 5 for those keeping count)! pic.twitter.com/FSNwAtyXN3

— Royal Caribbean PR (@RoyalCaribPR) November 3, 2015

The new ship will be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

"It is such a pleasure to announce the order of another Quantum-class ship as we are welcoming Anthem of the Seas to North America," said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "These ships have been received with excitement, and performed exceptionally well, across the globe. We fully expect that momentum to continue as we add to this innovative class of ships."

"At Royal Caribbean we are focused on continuously improving efficiency and sustainability, and the fifth Quantum class vessel will be clear evidence of this," said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "Of equal importance is our ability to consistently surpass guest expectations, and we are harnessing the power of the latest technology to do so on this ship."

Royal Caribbean has raised the price of its Nellie's Beach cabanas as well as the beach beds on its private destination of Labadee.

Prices posted on Cruise Planner show the beach cabanas at Nellie's Beach have gone from $350 to $395.  

There has been no change in the price for the the over the water cabanas at Nellie's Beach, which are still $495.

Royal Caribbean raised the price of these cabanas last month, when the price went from $250 to $350.

In addition, the relatively new Labadee beach beds have also seen a price increase, from $175 to $195.

Tip of the hat to Royal Caribbean Blog reader WAAAYTOOO for alerting us to this news!

Will you book a cabana or beach bed on Labadee? Tell us in the comments!

During its third quarter earnings call with investors, Royal Caribbean confirmed Empress of the Seas will return to its fleet following a restructuring of sister company Pullmantur cruises.

Photo by Chris&Steve

Royal Caribbean Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty announced that Empress of the Seas will return to Royal Caribbean's fleet following an "extensive refurbishment" in Spring 2016.

Reports emerged yesterday that Empress of the Seas was on her way back.  

Empress of the Seas is simply known as Empress in Pullmantur, but when she returns to Royal Caribbean, she will go back to being called Empress of the Seas.

Empress debuted in 1990 as the Nordic Empress before being renamed in 2004 as Empress of the Seas.  Empress of the Seas' final cruise took place on March 7, 2008 and was subsequently transferred to Pullmantur Cruises and renamed Empress.

Empress can accommodate 2,020 guests and 685 crew members.

Are you excited about Empress of the Seas returning to Royal Caribbean? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Royal Caribbean reported a 5.4 percent rise in quarterly revenue in its third quarter 2015 financial results.

Caribbean and European demand and strong performance in Asia more than off-set further weakness in Latin America.  In addition, Anthem of the Seas joining the fleet, efforts to drive incremental Onboard Revenue, and a continued focus on cost efficiencies also contribute to a stronger end of the year.

Royal Caribbean's total revenue jumped to $2.52 billion from $2.39 billion a year earlier, in the third quarter.

"As we have reiterated throughout the year, we remain ahead on both pricing and volume versus same time last year," said Jason T. Liberty, chief financial officer. "While Latin America is stressing yields in the fourth quarter, strong year-over-year pricing in the Caribbean, and the addition of capacity in China, will solidify this fourth quarter as the best in our company's history."

Royal Caribbean also announced a $500 million share repurchase program, where the company will look to buyback its common stock. The company plans to begin with an accelerated share repurchase transaction of $200 million that should be completed by the end of January 2016. The company expects to complete the program by year-end 2016.

Travel Weekly China and Travel Weekly Asia voted Royal Caribbean the "Best Cruise Line Overall" in the first "Readers Choice Awards."

“It is a significant accomplishment to receive this accolade by our industry partners and peers in China and throughout Asia, extending our winning streak across the world,” said Michael Bayley, president & CEO, Royal Caribbean International.  “I congratulate my colleagues shore-side and across the fleet for this unprecedented recognition, and thank our travel partners for their unwavering support.” 

The Reader’s Choice Awards pay tribute to the best in the industry, recognizing travel companies and individuals for their outstanding achievements.  The winners are determined by travel professionals who are invited to vote for the best company, brand or destination in 31 categories representing the different segments of the travel industry. The segments include: airlines, cruise, resort, hotel, tour operator, destination, travel technology, attractions, airport, and car rental.

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

Episode 116 is available for download, where Matt talks all about the wonderful shows and entertainment onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Matt looks at the various shows you can expect to find on a Royal Caribbean cruise and explains why these shows are worth your time, as well as some of his favorite picks.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 116. 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!

It appears that the Cruise Director for Royal Caribbean's brand new Harmony of the Seas cruise ship will be Ken Rush.

Royal Caribbean Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, posted on Twitter a message that Ken Rush will be the ship's cruise director.

At RCCL Studios today. Meetings abt Harmony Bway show. (news soon). Then dinner with Ken Rush, harmony Cruise Dir. pic.twitter.com/xmCxpGGTEs

— Nick Weir (@NickWeirShowbiz) October 21, 2015

Ken Rush has been working at Royal Caribbean for over 30 years and has been Cruise Director on a number of new Royal Caribbean ships, including Allure of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas.

As cruise director, Rush said he will head all entertainment for guests onboard. In doing so, Rush said he will manage a team of dancers, musicians, youth and activities staff.