All this week, we are helping first time Royal Caribbean cruisers with all aspects of the cruise vacation.  Check back every day for a new post aimed at those who are new to Royal Caribbean!

You may be asking what does Royal Caribbean do that makes it different from its competitors and why should you consider a Royal Caribbean cruise over a different cruise. 

Listed here are the ways Royal Caribbean seperates itself from the pack and why so many Royal Caribbean fans have come back again and again over the years.

Leader in offering more to do onboard

Photo by Graham Cairns

For years, Royal Caribbean has been blazing a path of innovation on its cruise ships, especially when it comes to the really neat activities to do onboard its ships.

Royal Caribbean was the first cruise line to offer a rock climbing wall, FlowRider surf simulator, ice skating rink, Broadway shows, true high speed internet at sea and a lot more.

What many fans like about Royal Caribbean is they are continuously pushing the envelope in terms of what a cruise ship can offer.  If you are looking for a cruise experience that offers more onboard activity options than you can possibly do in one week, Royal Caribbean is perfect for you.

Many of these innovations are still exclusive to Royal Caribbean and they have become staples of the Royal Caribbean cruise experience.  The FlowRider, bumper cars and Promenade shopping are all Royal Caribbean signature offerings.

All of this is in addition to the great variety of onboard activities available each day of your cruise.  Royal Caribbean has built a reputation for being a cruise line that offers a lot to do onboard.

The biggest cruise ships in the world

They say size is not everything, but it sure does help!

Royal Caribbean's cruise ships are among the largest in the world.  Its Oasis class cruise ships redefined not only how big a cruise ship can be but also what it can offer.

These ships are not just built to be big, rather, they are built to be large enough to house all the really cool adventures that await you.  Looking back to our first way Royal Caribbean differentiates itself, all those innovative activities need to go somewhere and so Royal Caribbean has built its ships bigger and bigger to offer more and more to its guests.

If you are worried that the ships might be too big, don't worry.  Folks that have been on these mega-cruise ships will tell you that they are truly designed with crowd control in mind and despite the ship's size, the layouts work to help spread the crowds around.

These large cruise ships go hand-in-hand with the wonderful activities available onboard to create a fun vacation experience.

Focus on families

Royal Caribbean cruises are designed to be family experiences, where kids, parents, grandparents and friends can share in the vacation together.

Looking over the array of things to do onboard and onshore, you will see there are activities that can be great for certain ages and other activities that blend demographics together.  A Royal Caribbean cruise is meant to be fun for all.

The Adventure Ocean program for kids and the teen-only lounges and activities will give the underage set ample opportunity to have fun on their own in a supervised and fun environment.  Royal Caribbean has built these programs to appeal to each age group and they want it to be somewhere the kids want to be all day (and night).

Both Adventure Ocean and the teen program are complimentary and included in your cruise.  

If you are cruising with the babies or toddlers, Royal Caribbean has been adding nurseries to many of its ships to give parents a safe and inexpensive option for child care.

Of course, there is plenty for kids and adults to do together.  Evening shows, parades, dance parties, restaurants and shore excursions are just the beginning of what is available and they are great for all ages.

Value

There are a lot of choices for a cruise vacation but what brings back many guests to Royal Caribbean cruise after cruise is the tremendous value of a Royal Caribbean cruise.  

Royal Caribbean prices its cruises competitively and it offers a great balance between what you pay for the cruise and what you get out of the cruise.  In fact, Royal Caribbean prides itself on offering cruise vacations that are not only affordable, but very comparable to a land based vacation elsewhere.  

Prices for a Royal Caribbean cruise vary from sailing to sailing and region to region, but generally speaking, Royal Caribbean sells its cruises on the notion guests are going to get a lot of value back from their time onboard.  

Another week has come to an end and we've gone through and hand-picked some fun articles for you to take a look at in case you missed any of it.

The rumor mill was busy this week and the biggest news is that Liberty of the Seas will be adding three new water slides, including the first Boomerago at Sea.

Liberty of the Seas will undergo a multi-million dollar renovation in January 2016 and part of that refurbishment will add water slides.  

While Royal Caribbean has announced water slides for Harmony of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas already, Liberty of the Seas will be the first ship with the Boomerango raft ride, where guests will "plummet down a steep drop, then shoot up a nearly vertical wall, high into the air, for a moment of weightlessness".

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean released a new Harmony of the Seas brochure.
• Our favorite 15 recent tweets by Royal Caribbean that show have a good time with social media.
• We found new renders of Harmony of the Seas' H2O Zone.
• Here are three ways to save money on Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants.
• Ever wondered why is there a rainbow bridge on Freedom of the Seas?
• Royal Caribbean kicked off a new sweepstakes to win money or a free cruise.
• Our review of the St Thomas Sky Ride to Paradise Point shore excrusion.
• Our list of the top 10 Freedom of the Seas hidden secrets.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

This week Matt is reviewing his just completed cruise on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas!

In this podcast episode, Matt talks about his cruise experience on Freedom of the Seas, including what he liked, things that were new, restaurant reviews, descriptions of two weddings and lot more.

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 Internet

In The Loop Travel shared how John gained 25 pounds on a cruise.

Cruise Law News posted about a passenger was medevaced off Grandeur of the Seas.

The Orange County Register talked about how Quantum of the Seas is riding the technology wave.

Royal Caribbean released a digital copy of its Harmony of the Seas brochure, which previews some of the new and exciting features on its soon-to-be-built third Oasis class ship.

Harmony of the Seas will debut with a European cruise season June through October 2016 and then follow it up with year-round Caribbean 7-Night Eastern & Western sailings starting November 2016 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

You can read the entire brochure here, but here are the highlights.

Harmony of the Seas will have a two-story Wonderland specialty restaurant

One of the big hits on the Quantum class ships was Wonderland, and on Harmony of the Seas it will be available too but it will be the first two-story Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine.

Other specialty restaurants on Harmony of the Seas will include Chops Grille, Vintages Wine Bar, 150 Central Park, Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar, Izumi Hibachi & Sushi.

Royal Caribbean introducing the Royal Suite Class

Royal Caribbean had announced earlier this summer it was revamping its suite class offerings and on Harmony of the Seas, guests in suites can expect a new kind of suite service.

The new Royal Suite Class will offer 

• 24/7 Personal butler service
• All-inclusive beverages
• Private dining at Coastal Kitchen specialty restaurant
• Private sun deck
• Onboard gratuities covered
• Complimentary high speed internet
• Complimentary access to the Vitality Spa thermal suite

UPDATE: You can read all about the new Royal Suite Class details.

Pool & sports zone offerings

Royal Caribbean has reimagined its pool and sports zones with some new offerings and classic favorites returning.

Royal Caribbean has adding the Perfect Storm water slides, a new H2O Zone, and the Ultimate Abyss 10-story drop.

Entertainment on Harmony of the Seas

Royal Caribbean guests can expect to find onboard Harmony of the Seas a lot of entertainment.  Some of the highlights include.

• Bionic Bar by Makr Shakr
• The Attic - A new comedy club to the Entertainment Place neighborhood
• AquaTheater
• Broadway in the Royal Theater (no word on which show yet)

Harmony of the Seas will feature lots of new tech

Royal Caribbean will roll out its best tech on Harmony of the Seas, with new features first developed for the Quantum class ships.

Guests will have access to high speed Voom internet, that gives guests high speed internet access just like at home for $15 per day, per device.

Royal Caribbean's brand new RFID bracelets, WOW Bands, will also be available, so guests can leave their SeaPass in their stateroom and have an easy and wearable way to enter your stateroom and make purchases.

The Royal IQ smart phone app will be available for guests to let you book shore excursions, reserve entertainment or manage dining reservations.

Guests can book virtual balcony staterooms to have an inside stateroom price but with a balcony view.

Thank you Katina Bradley for finding this brochure.

New renders have appeared that show the H2O Zone onboard Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.

The renderings show the water play area that is sure to be frequented by plenty of kids onboard.

Based on these renderings, there appears to be at least two kids water slides in addition to the play area comprised of fountains, sprayers and buckets.

Last month Royal Caribbean announced Harmony of the Seas would also have three water slides and a giant 10-story slide.

Harmony of the Seas is being worked at STX France shipyard. She is the third Oasis-class cruise ship.

Tip of the hat to Matthew Brand for finding and posting these renderings.

Does the H2O Zone on Harmony of the Seas look like fun? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Royal Caribbean offers a variety of impressive specialty restaurants that serve up some of the best food available at sea and there are some ways to save money on the total cost to eat at these hot spots.

Whether you want to indulge in steak, sushi or Mexican, Royal Caribbean has added a number of specialty restaurants to its ships with cover charges per person that start at $25 and go up from there.

With these tips, you can cut down that cost and have more money to spend elsewhere on your cruise vacation!

First day discount

On most Royal Caribbean ships, the day you board you will find specials if you eat at many of the specialty restaurants that evening.

Most guests do not consider a specialty restaurant for the first night.  It is not clear why exactly, but specialty restaurants seem to enter guests' radar as the cruise progresses.

Look at your Cruise Compass or go to any of these restaurants and look for discounts available if you dine that day. Usually, there is a 20% discount if you dine at one of the restaurants that evening.

OUR IN-DEPTH LOOK AT SPECIALTY RESTUANTS

Pre-pay online

Royal Caribbean wants to encourage its guests to eat at more than just one specialty restaurant so they will reward you if you happen to go to at least three.

Using Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's website, you can save up to 30% onboard credit when you make three or more reservations at any specialty restaurants.

You will get the onboard credit on day one of your cruise and that's more money to spend onboard!

If you know you will dine at three (or more) specialty restaurants, pre-book them online to take advantage of the savings.

Dining Package

If you really love eating at the specialty restaurants and you just cannot get enough, consider the dining package.

We have seen the dining package offered on a few Royal Caribbean ships (Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas to name a few) where for $20 per day, guests can dine at any of the specialty restaurants every day of the cruise.

The dining package is not available on every Royal Caribbean ship, but if it is available on your sailing, it can be a great way to save money provided you want to dine at a specialty restaurant each night.

Which specialty restaurant discount have you used before? Tell us in the comments!

We love social media because it makes communicating with folks so much simpler and Royal Caribbean has embraced it too.  

Royal Caribbean has a presence on many social media platforms, including Facebook, Tumblr and Google + (their MySpace account is oddly missing), but we feel their Twitter account is the most entertaining.

Royal Caribbean uses Twitter mostly to share news, help guests with getting more information and otherwise sharing amazing images and video.  But occasionally, they will slip in some entertaining tweets that we love because it shows they have a sense of humor and try to make us laugh.

Without further adieu, here are our favorite @RoyalCaribbean tweets that we could dig up.  Enjoy!

@OMFGitsjillie OMG We're so excited to see you, Jillie.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) August 4, 2015

@MrPaulSegal Turtle works. A very cool turtle.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) August 3, 2015

@wagesofwins @getDeestweets Can it be in the name of fun AND science?

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) August 3, 2015

@tiff_ann We're Tiff ready.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) August 3, 2015

@InternetKidsO2L We miss you too.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) July 31, 2015

@tvandermoere We could never bore you.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) July 28, 2015

@jamieharrington We can be into health foods, but we're more into champagne

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) June 24, 2015

@PICOchu_ Best decision ever.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) July 10, 2015

@ExpertCruiser The early bird gets the (Turkish) worm. How is Istanbul?

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) July 2, 2015

@impossible_gurl You can think of it as an extended slumber party.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) July 21, 2015

@xkatie26x Well, thats rude. See you again soon?

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) June 24, 2015

We also discovered that Royal Caribbean likes to quote popular songs.

@lindzhawk Reunited and it feels so good :)

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) July 5, 2015

@lakieee_13 #BabyComeBack

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) August 5, 2015

@theRCLblog @IGGYAZALEA First things first, we're the realest.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) July 16, 2015

@KristenDaukas The best is yet to come.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) June 19, 2015

If you have been on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, you have probably seen the impressive and colorful bridge on the Royal Promenade that is near Guest Relations.

It's a beautiful expanse that changes colors with four golden spires at each corner.  Besides being nice to look at, there is meaning behind it and here is why the bridge is there.

Royal Caribbean has always made an effort to include a great assortment of art onboard its cruise ships and Freedom of the Seas has quite a lot of art on display, including this bridge.

The bridge was designed by American artist Larry Kirkland and the four light columns are topped with a gilded angel.

The angels are exact replicas of a bronze sculpture, "Vittoria Alata" (Winged Victory) that is found in Positano, Italy. 

Each angel is holding an astrolabe that represents one of the four essential elements of our world: air, water, earth and fire.

The bridge itself has ever-changing lights that suggests the evolution of the cosmos and the mystery of the origin of the universe.

Now you have something to think about as you are walking on the bridge on your way to somewhere else on the ship!

Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Society has launced the "Get More Sweepstakes", where guests can enter for a chance to win a cruise on Anthem of the Seas plus a $2000 Visa gift card.

Registration for the contest is open from August 1, 2015 through September 15, 2015.

Guests may enter the contest by going to the contest page.  In addition, use any Visa card, including the Royal Caribbean Visa card with MyCruise® Rewards, to make any Royal Caribbean® purchase before September 16, 2015 and get an additional entry for each purchase.

The prizes are

GRAND PRIZE

A 2-day pre-inaugural sailing for two on Royal Caribbean'sAnthem of the Seas™, plus round-trip air transportation.
A $2000 Visa Gift Card

Additional prizes:

FIRST PRIZE

A 7-night Royal Caribbean cruise for two with Ocean View category stateroom, air transportation and a $1000 Visa gift card.

SECOND PRIZE

3 nights at Aria Resort® & Casino in Las Vegas with tickets toZarkana® by Cirque du Soleil® and air transportation.

THIRD PRIZE

3 nights at Bellagio® Resort & Casino with tickets to "O" by Cirque du Soleil® and air transportation.

FOURTH PRIZE

3 nights at MGM Grand Las Vegas with tickets to KA' by Cirque du Soleil® and air transportation.

FIFTH PRIZE

$750 Visa Gift Card.

SIXTH PRIZE

$500 Visa Gift Card.

PLUS TEN (10) PRIZES

$100 Visa Gift Card. 

The Visa 2015 Royal Caribbean Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia, age 18 or older as of 8/1/15.

You can view the full contest rules and enter by going to the sweepstakes page.  

Good luck!

If you are going to see the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, why not see it from over 700 feet above sea level?  The Skyride to Paradise Point allows guests to go to the top of a mountain and enjoy a stunning view of the island.

Description

The premise of the Skyride is simple, take a cable car from the base of the mountain all the way up the hillside in just minutes.

Located within walking distance from the Havensight Pier, the Skyride is a 5-10 minute walk.  No taxis or transportation needed, it is easily accessed.

There are no set times for this excursion.  Guests may purchase tickets from the ship's Shore Excursion Desk or purchase tickets at the attraction.  If you bought tickets on your Royal Caribbean ship, you can exchange your tickets for wristbands at the ticket office.

Admission to the Skyride is good for the entire day, so you may return later on and experience it again.

Once you have your wristbands, guests will walk up a set of stairs to the loading area.  

Guests will be lined up in the order they arrived to board the next available cable car to the top.

The cable cars can hold about 6-8 people and there are windows on all sides to allow a view on the way up.  The ride itself takes roughly five minutes and is fairly tame.  There is little in the way of swaying or motion and the ride is quite smooth.

Once at the top of Paradise Point, guests disembark the cable car and can walk to a number of platforms to enjoy the view.

In addition to the view of the harbor, Paradise Point features shops, a nature trail, a restaurant and a bar.

Guests may return down to the bottom at any time.

Comments

There is no question that the skyride offers some fantastic views of the harbor, Charlotte Amalie and the surrounding area.  It is the perfect perspective to see your Royal Caribbean ship in the harbor.

Getting to the skyride and up the mountain is pretty simple and the only caveat worth mentioning is there are a lot of stairs involved, so if you have a stroller or wheelchair, keep in mind that there is no alternative to the stairs.

Once at the top, the view is impressive and it makes for great photos.  

The Paradise Point folks advertise a Carnival show everyday, although we were not present for it on our stop. 

The shops and bar at the top are your typical tourist-centric diversions and we opted not to go there.

If you have never done the skyride, it is an impressive attraction that can be completed fairly quickly.  You should have plenty of time to do other activities on St. Thomas even after experiencing the Skyride.

Royal Caribbean also advertises that the excursion is risk free, so if you purchase a ticket at the Shore Excursion Desk and then decide not to go for whatever reason, you may return the unused ticket to the Shore Excursions Desk onboard for a full refund.

Reservations

The St. Thomas Skyride has a tremendous capacity and the benefit of a full refund is reason enough to purchase tickets in advance either on Royal Caribbean's web site, or at the Excursion Desk on board your ship.  

Cost: $21.75 per adult, $10.75 for kids.