At the 26th Annual TTG Travel Awards in Bangkok, Thailand, Royal Caribbean took home the honor of being named the Best Cruise Operator.  It is the eight year in a row Royal Caribbean has won this award.

The Best Cruise Operator award recognizes the cruise line offering the best product, services and facilities. This award is also recognition for Royal Caribbean for being the most professional sales and marketing team in terms of innovative ideas and servicing.

Royal Caribbean has been voted unanimously by readers of TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG India, TTGmice, TTG-BTmice China, TTGassociations and TTG Asia Luxury for the award. The TTG Travel Awards are given out annually to honor organizations in Asia Pacific’s travel industry for their strong commitment towards service excellence.

Sean Treacy, Managing Director, Singapore & Southeast Asia of Royal Caribbean Cruises (Asia) Pte Ltd. who received the award said, “It’s a great achievement for us to win this prestigious award for eight years running, which shows how much Royal Caribbean International has grown to be the cruise brand of choice in Asia. For this, we deeply thank our trade partners and customers for their continued strong support. We aim to keep delivering exceptional holidays to more and more of them with our revolutionary ships, innovative style of cruising and high service standards and value as our business grows in Asia.”

Royal Caribbean's introduction of Quantum of the Seas to Asia this year has brought a lot of attention to cruising in the region and combined with what Mariner of the Seas has been offering, the cruise line has been doing well in this burgeoning cruise market.

Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas is on her way to Australia, where she will soon be the largest cruise ship to sail in that region.

Photo by Raul Soler

Explorer of the Seas departed Southampton, England today and will sail for 42 days through Europe and via Dubai, India and Asia before arriving in Perth, Australia on November 13.

Once Explorer of the Seas arrives in Perth, she will offer a 16-night itinerary around the southern half of Australia and New Zealand, before arriving at her new homeport of Sydney on November 28.

On that same day, sister ship Voyager of the Seas will be in Sydney harbor as well and both ships will be present to meet for what is sure to be a great photo opportunity.

Explorer of the Seas arrives in Australia just months after receiving a multimillion dolar makeover back in April.  She features a number of new additions and improvements including

• FlowRider surf simulator
• New restaurants
  • Chops Grille
  • Giovanni's Table
  • Izumi
• two new bars
• Virtual balcony staterooms
• Panoramic staterooms
• Complete refresh of all public spaces and staterooms

Royal Caribbean gave a face lift to part of its web site last night, which updated the look of the site that guests use to book their cruises.

Back in March 2015, Royal Caribbean updated the look of its web site but the update was largely only for the home page and a few pages outside of it.  Much of the rest of the site retained the old design look.

With the latest update, the part of the site that allows guests to price cruises and book a sailing online now matches the homepage in terms of look and feel.

With the new design, guests can more easily flow between the steps of choosing the right sailing and stateroom for them.  The updated look provides a more "at a glance" look at everything occurring in the reservation process.

This latest update to the site's design does not include all parts of the site.  Other areas of the site still retain the old look, including My Cruises and the FAQ sections.

Do you like the new design for the cruise booking engine? Share your thoughts in the comments!

In a webcast to travel agents, Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service Vicki Freed announced Royal Caribbean will begin offering the Autism Channel on its cruise ships to meet the needs of its special needs cruisers.

The new program will begin late October 2015 on Quantum, Oasis, Freedom, Voyager and Radiance class ships.

The Autism Channel will be available via the on-demand section in guests' stateroom televisions.  There will be TV shows and short programs for children and parents.  

There will be over 35 different episodes available, ranging from 4-30 minutes in length.  Some episodes are about an hour as well.

Royal Caribbean will be the first in the hospitality industry to offer complimentary on-demand tv access to this sort of special needs programming.

10/01 UPDATE: Royal Caribbean has released more details about its Autism programming aboard its ships.

Some of the programs available for viewing are:  

• I Am Autistic with Daniel Heinlein – Diagnosed with Asperger's as a teenager, Daniel Heinlein talks about autism with doctors, researchers, and others on the spectrum.
• Dr. Judy – A board-certified developmental and behavioral pediatrician, Dr. Judith Aranson-Ramos, MD talks about early diagnosis and treatment for people on the spectrum.
• Real Look Autism – From renowned executive producer Mary Beth Marsden, an unfiltered look at ASD children and their progress.
• Direct From Autism Service Dogs America – Follow a therapy dog's journey from selection through life as a working dog.
• The Rocket Family Chronicles – A mockumentary about the life and times of Rocket, an on-the-spectrum filmmaker and his unique family.
• Cooking with Jana – Gluten and Casein free cooking with Chef Jana McMahon, featuring easy to make recipes low in allergens.

Programming will be initially offered in English as well as closed captioned for guests who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

“The Autism Channel is delighted that Royal Caribbean has chosen to make this valuable content available on many Royal Caribbean ships. For every one person on the autism spectrum there are six more persons directly impacted by that person. Complimentary access to The Autism Channel’s exclusive content will benefit many Royal Caribbean guests and bring more awareness to Autism,” said Jeffrey A. Kasky, president, The Autism Channel.

Royal Caribbean is using a brand new beer keg that is great for the environment and offers better tasting beer too!

Royal Caribbean and Heineken Global Duty Free developed a 100% recyclable beer keg known as BrewLock.

The BrewLock keg holds beer in a collapsible plastic sac inside a hard-shell plastic container. Pressurized air inside the shell squeezes the sac, forces the beer into a hose and on to the tap, without air or gases ever touching the beer.

It’s made of PET, the most widely recycled plastic in the world, according to The National Association for PET Container Resources.

The BrewLock can be completely recycled and can be reused to make new bottles, fiberfill for winter coats, certain auto parts and a wide range of other items.

One big advantage of the BrewLock is the keg serves nearly all the product and leaves far less wasted suds behind that are found in traditional kegs.

Royal Caribbean Vice President of Safety and Environmental Stewardship, Rich Pruitt, is a big fan of the new innovation, "From our side, any kind of recyclable materials that can be compacted and stored easily and then recycled versus shipping stuff around the world, from a carbon reduction concept is a good idea.  Plus, if we don’t have these big (metal) kegs on board that are empty and we’re hanging onto them for awhile, it allows us more storage space for other things."

Besides freeing up precious space on a cruise ship by off-loading the compacted plastic kegs in ports with appropriate recycling facilities, the BrewLock further reduces Royal Caribbean's carbon footprint in another way.

Royal Caribbean released some stunning photos that were taken by ship Captains of some of the best views in the world. 

The photos are part of an effort to show off the various ports of call Royal Caribbean cruise ships visit and they certainly are quite beautiful shots!

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

Sydney Harbor, Australia

Venice Harbor, Italy

Geiranger Fjord, Norway

Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden

Vesivius, Naples, Italy

Golfo di Poeti, La Pezia, Italy

Nice, France

Kotor, Montenegro

Island of Moorea, French Polynesia

Vancouver, Canada

The English Channel, UK

Which photo is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below!

Perhaps no onboard activity is as synonymous with Royal Caribbean as the surf simulator known as the FlowRider.

When Royal Caribbean started adding FlowRiders to its cruise ships, it generated a lot of buzz and ever since then, the company has been working to add FlowRiders to more and more ships in its fleet.

If you want to give surfing a shot on your next cruise, here is what you need to know about this popular surf simulator.

What is the FlowRider?

Photo by Lawrence Smith

The FlowRider is a simulator that sends water a very high speed across a small area that mimics what it is like to surf on the ocean.

FlowRiders were first created as a business on land and have partnered with Royal Caribbean to offer guests cruising the chance to try it out there.

The FlowRider supports two surfing styles: stand up traditional surfing and boogie boarding.

Which Royal Caribbean ships have a FlowRider?

Royal Caribbean has added FlowRiders to more of its ships recently and here is the list of ships that offer a FlowRider

• Freedom of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Allure of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Harmony of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Symphony of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Quantum of the Seas
• Anthem of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Adventure of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Wonder of the Seas
• Icon of the Seas
• Utopia of the Seas

How much does the FlowRider experience cost?

Photo by Royal Caribbean

A ride on the FlowRider is included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare.

Guests can ride the FlowRider as many times as they like for free. They will simply need to wait in line for a turn.

There is the opportunity to book private lessons for an additional cost.  At last check, private lessons cost $60 per person and lasts about an hour. Each lesson will have six to eight guests.

Private lessons can be booked onboard the ship and is sometimes available via the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner.

What are the restrictions for using the FlowRider?

Guests participating in the FlowRider, for example, must be at least 52"/132 cm tall to use the bodyboard and 58"/147 cm tall to use the flowboard. 

Absolutely no footwear allowed, no goggles and no go-pro cams are allowed.

Important FlowRider tips

• As the cruise goes on, the lines for the FlowRider can get quite long.  For shorter lines, embarkation day is always simple.  Port days and morning sessions tend to be less crowded.
• Be sure to wear clothing that will not easily come off.  The force of the water has been known to cause "wardrobe malfunctions".  Women, especially, should consider wearing one piece bathing suits and/or t-shirts and shorts.
• Guests can surf until they fall off the board, but the staff is pretty good at challenging the talented guests in an effort to improve their skills and increase the likelihood of falling off.
• Check your Cruise Compass for session times. Often Royal Caribbean will offer special times for teens or adults.
• The sports staff is there for your safety and your assistance. Ask them for advice, especially if you are new.
• Tips for successfully surfing:
  • If you are stand up surfing, shift your weight to the back foot and never lift either foot off the board.
  • If you are boogie boarding, keep your elbows in and keep most, if not all of your legs in the water.

The Singapore Cosplay Club is hosting "Cosfest Sea" event on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas.

Cosplay is the hobby of getting dressed up in the costumes of fictional characters.

The cruise will sail on January 8, 2016 on a 3-night weekend cruise.

The club is planning a number of events for its members, including

• Asia Cosplay meet championship
• Cosplay parade
• Performances
• Cosplay/Anime parties
• Cosplay photoshoots

The event will feature contestants from eight countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

Lots of Royal Caribbean fans relish a stay in a Junior Suite (JS) and today, we have a look at one of the Junior Suites from Independence of the Seas to give you an idea of what to expect if you book a similar stateroom.

Susan Tady Widdowson took photos of her Junior Suite, which was stateroom 9568 on Independence of the Seas during her recent September 20, 2015 sailing.

Junior Suites on Independence of the Seas offer guests 297 square feet of space and a balcony that is 94 square feet.

Junior Suites on Independence of the Seas include minibar, vanity area, hair-dryer, TV, phone, vanity table with an extendable working surface for laptop computers and 110/220 electrical outlets. Some have sofa beds and can accommodate 3-4 guests.

Some can also accommodate a rollaway bed or Play Yard. (Junior Suites located in the aft of the ship cannot accommodate a rollaway bed.) 

All photos by Susan Tady Widdowson

Many of our blog readers are big fans of Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas.  She has garnered the admiration of many over the years, offering a lot in a small size.

Here are some quick facts about Enchantment of the Seas that you might not have know about!

1. Enchantment of the Seas has been stretched

Enchantment of the Seas is a different sized ship today than she was when she was launched.

As part of a ship-wide revitalization, in 2005 the Vision-class ship was cut in half and then expanded with a new 73-foot section and then put back together.

This "stretching" has given Enchantment of the Seas an unique distinction for being a different size than her other Vision-class sister ships.

2. Her Godmother is Colleen Fain

When Royal Caribbean builds a cruise ship, they will choose a godmother and often that will be celebrity but for Enchantment of the Seas, Royal Caribbean decided to keep the honor in the family. Literally.

The ship's "godmother" is Colleen Fain, the wife of Royal Caribbean Ltd Chairman Richard Fain.

Mrs. Fain's duties as godmother included giving the vessel its name during the Southampton ceremonies when she released a giant 46-liter bottle of Taittinger champagne to break against the ship's bow, officially proclaiming the ship's name to be Enchantment of the Seas and wished safe journeys to all of its passengers and crew.

3. There is a bar over the ocean

Enchantment of the Seas has one pool bar that actually juts out over the ocean.

The Oasis pool bar features a glass floor that gives passengers a view of the ocean below them as they enjoy their drinks.

Talk about a bar with a view!