Always on the cutting edge of technology, Royal Caribbean uses azipods to propel and safely maneuver its ships on the high seas. Watch as these powerful propellers make ship navigation more precise than ever before.
There seem to be certain moments of absolute joy when it comes to a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation. It is the moments when you forget about everything else in your life briefly and are engulfed in the pleasure of the cruise.
Frankly, I think it is these kinds of moments that bring Royal Caribbean fans back again and again to book more cruises.
Here, you will find our list of the top 11 moments when you can take it all in and feel like you are "home".
When I go to check my email and there is an email from Royal Caribbean that it is time to check into my cruise is the first real sign that my upcoming cruise is going to be here soon.
Let's face it, we book our Royal Caribbean cruises well in advance and it always seems like those countdowns to the next cruise cannot come soon enough.
But this one email is your first indication that your next Royal Caribbean cruise is nearly here. It was never so much fun typing in your family information!
Like the email above, if you are taking the time to affix to your suitcases and baggage, that means you are very close to a cruise.
While packing may not be the most fun activity someone can do, there is no denying that attaching your luggage tags can give a great sense of excitement since it only ever happens when you are days away from a cruise.
It just seems so perfect to have a set of suitcases with Royal Caribbean luggage tags on them, waiting to be put in a car and head off to a cruise.
This is one of those sounds you have to have been on a Royal Caribbean cruise previously to properly appreciate.
Hearing this sound is just one of those quintessential Royal Caribbean moments that remind you subtly you are onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise.
If there is one meal I always look forward to every cruise, it is the first lunch onboard the ship in the Windjammer.
Having lunch on embarkation day in the Windjammer is a Royal Caribbean cruise tradition for me and when I sit down with my overflowing plate of food, that is the moment for me when it feels like the cruise has really begun.
Another one of those "my cruise is finally here" moments has to be when you put your SeaPass card or WOWBand up to the door of your stateroom and swing the door open to reveal your home for the next week or so.
Walking into your "home away from home" that represents your personal space for duration of your cruise really feels, well, good.
Our family enjoys exploring the stateroom to find all the spots we can put away clothes and the various souvenirs we will collect. And when you have a balcony stateroom, is there anything better than sliding open those balcony doors for the first time and feeling the ocean breeze?
This moment is one that seems to repeat itself time and time again on your Royal Caribbean cruise but no one is complaining!
Time spent on the pool deck is time well spent, and it seems so many guests will find their way up to the main pool and enjoy some sun and a dip in the pool.
Regardless of if you enjoy time at the Solarium, H2O Zone or main pools, there never seems to be a bad time to be in the pool because this area of the ship is always a hub of activity and the perfect place to let a few hours slip by.
Extra points for enjoying the pool deck with an adult beverage, complete with umbrella and maybe some live music playing nearby!
The main dining room is a quintessential part of the cruise experience and having dinner here is a feeling that I have yet to replicate anywhere else on land.
From the moment you are shown to your table and seated with a selection of fresh breads to choose from, the main dining room continues to be a central part of the cruise experience and sitting here and looking around to enjoy the scope and beauty of the area always resonates with me.
Perhaps it is because there are few, if any, comparable experiences to the main dining room outside of a cruise and Royal Caribbean seems to do their main dining room experience with such class and expertise that we relish the experience.
Royal Caribbean takes real pride in the entertainment it provides for its guests, chief among them the entertainment in the Royal Theater.
Whether you are seeing a Broadway show or the Love & Marriage game show or any of the fabulous acts that can be found in the Royal Theater, it seems like this is another one of those times when you can literally sit back and take it all in.
Royal Caribbean designs its shows to be a focal point of the onboard entertainment and for years, the company has been producing bigger and more elaborate shows that give guests something exciting and fun to watch each evening.
Favorite shows have to be any of the Broadway shows, Love and Marriage game show, Welcome Aboard show and Sonic Odyssey.
It does not matter if you have cruised with Royal Caribbean dozens of times or if it is your first, being on the Royal Promenade or Centrum always impresses guests and it is not hard to see why.
It is difficult not to step foot in this area and have a huge sense of satisfaction wash over yourself as you have one of those moments when you think to yourself, "I really am here!".
The smell of food coming from Cafe Promenade or Sorrento's Pizza, the many shops selling pretty much everything you can think of, the art surrounding you, it all combines to set the tone for somewhere quite different from anywhere else.
The funny thing is it does not matter how many times you have been on a Royal Caribbean ship before, these areas seem to always strike you as being unique and exciting.
If you ask me, one of those Royal Caribbean moments has to be getting into bed after a long day of having fun onboard and grabbing the copy of the Cruise Compass the stateroom attendant dropped off to read with my wife and pick out what we want to tomorrow.
Royal Caribbean designs its experience to offer a lot of opportunities for fun throughout the day and night, and the Cruise Compass is your guide to it all.
It seems like I never get to half of the events I aspire to see, but I love looking for events I have done and loved as well as new ones to try. The wide array of events offered seem to always be impressive and I make sure to highlight the activities that I think I want to try.
Besides events, the Cruise Compass is your guide to sales, weather forecasts, information about the port we are about to visit and more. It really provides the perfect glimpse into what is to come tomorrow.
Without a doubt, the perfect Royal Caribbean moment is when your ship starts to sail away and your vacation really begins.
Some folks watch sail away from their stateroom balconies, some go up to the pool deck to be a part of the celebration and others pick other areas of the ship to enjoy it, such as the Viking Crown, helipad or the promenade deck.
It really does not matter where you go, but that moment when you look around and see your ship is starting to move always strikes me as a "WOW" moment because it marks the beginning of the cruise part of your cruise vacation!
In a way, sail away is the moment of your vacation when all the excitement and planning you have been dealing with for months and years up to this moment pays off and you forget all about countdowns, bills, book reports and everything else and get into that cruise state of mind.
Giovanni's Table on Freedom of the Seas offers guests fresh made Italian food that has been getting a lot of attention lately, so we decided to try it out on our recent cruise.
Part of Royal Caribbean's update to Freedom of the Seas in early 2015 saw Giovanni's Table replace Portofino as the Italian specialty restaurant onboard. The replacement of Portofino by Giovanni's Table has been a fleetwide initiative for a few years now and while we will miss Portofino, Giovanni's Table offers a different kind of experience that we have enjoyed on other ships.
It is always interesting to see how this Giovanni's Table compares to other Giovanni's Table restaurants in the fleet, as well as dearly departed Portofino. Let us head in and try out this new restaurant!
You will find Giovanni's Table up on deck 11 in the Windjammer area. It is located to the left as you walk into the Windjammer, in the former location of Portofino.
As you step inside Giovanni's Table, you will find a lot of browns and greens, with a hint of orange. This is a different color pallete from Giovanni's Table on Navigator of the Seas, which had more of a blue tone to the location.
Just like Navigator of the Seas, the Giovanni's Table on Freedom of the Seas has a great view of the ocean. If you happen to dine here for lunch or early dinner, you should have a very nice view of the sea as you dine.
The restaurant is divided up between two rooms and it is a rather large space, relative to most specialty restaurants. The first room as you enter is more rectangular shape, while the second area opens up a bit more into a box shaped room. Both rooms have large floor to ceiling windows with views of the ocean.
Compared to Portofino, the look and feel of Giovanni's Table is a bit less formal. Where Portofino had an upscale look to it, I think Giovanni's Table does not have quite that formal look to match, but it certainly feels like a specialty restaurant.
We ate at Giovanni's Table for lunch and the menu certainly offers a lot of choices. I think Giovanni's Table appeal is that there is a lot of good Italian food to choose from and most of it are foods you have probably heard of.
Giovanni's Table also tends to be among the least expensive Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants, and I think that is welcome by most guests.
For our meal, I tried to go between favorites and new dishes. I will admit two friends of mine onboard raved about their Giovanni's Table experience, although they went heavier into the seafood choices than I did.
Most dishes, especially the appetizers are on the small side, so be sure to order extra to share.
We started off with two classics: insalata caprese per due and malanzane alla parmigiana.
The eggplant parmigiana came out in a small white bowl and I really enjoyed it. It might have been cooked a bit too long, but I love eggplant parmigiana and when I got below the top layer of cheese, I really enjoyed it!
The caprese salad is an Italian classic as well, and to me it is the perfect appetizer because of its light nature. Grab a piece of bread and put some of the mozzarella and tomato on top and it is perfetto!
On to entrees and we wanted to try something different, so I picked the 8 ounce grilled strip loin steak. My wife opted for the chicken breast filled with ricotta and mushroom, wrapped in prosciutto.
I wanted to try the steak to get a sense of something a little different than I might otherwise order. Our waiter also mentioned the steak as being a good choice, so I went with it.
Out came a very tender piece of beef that I enjoyed. It was simple, but I liked the Barolo reduction and thought it was a good choice. It was also on the small side, which I did not mind since I wanted to sample lots of food.
I also ordered the traditional meat lasagna because I have had it at other Giovanni's Tables and enjoyed it.
Sure enough, this lasagna was equally as good and as someone that enjoys a lot of sauce with his lasagna, this did not disappoint.
The chicken was incredibly moist and tasty and my wife really enjoyed the contrast between the chicken and the prosciutto. She said this was something she would definitely order again.
Alas, no meal at Giovanni's Table is complete without a visit to the dessert cart. Luckily, after all this food, the dessert cart comes to you.
We tried the canoli and chocolate cake, both of which were incredibly rich and even better than they look in these photos.
Giovanni's Table offers some tasty and satisfying Italian food that I think most guests will really enjoy. If you like Italian food, it is hard to go wrong with eating at Giovanni's Table.
What Giovanni's Table lacks in "WOW factor", it makes up for in an enjoyable meal experience. The view of the ocean combined with a wide selection of Italian dishes makes for a great spot for a meal away from the usual.
I really think Giovanni's Table is a great choice for lunch, perhaps even more so than dinner. The reason is for lunch, the cost is only $15 and I think guests will find the menu offerings a nice change of pace compared to what is available for lunch elsewhere on the ship.
It is also not difficult to get a table at Giovanni's Table, especially given the large size of its restaurant. Royal Caribbean encourages reservations, but if on a whim you decide to try Giovanni's Table, I think you will find there to be a table open for you.
Giovanni's Table is open for lunch 12:00pm to 1:30pm and open for dinner 5:30pm to 9:30pm and we reviewed Giovanni's Table on Freedom of the Seas.
Stay up-to-date with all the Royal Caribbean news from this week with our roundup of all this week's news.
The big Royal Caribbean news from this week is Harmony of the Seas will feature a brand new aquatic adventure park called Splashaway Bay.
Splashaway Bay will replace the H2O Zone concept found on previous Oasis class ships and offer, "a vibrant waterscape for kids and toddlers with sea creature water cannons, winding slides, a gigantic drench bucket and a multi-platform jungle-gym to keep everyone entertained for hours."
The 107th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are sharing a listener review of Brilliance of the Seas.
In this episode, listener Kris joins Matt to talk about Kris' recent 12-night cruise to Iceland and Norway aboard Brilliance of the Seas.
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.
Sunday Express wrote about how excursions with good local guides are key to Royal Caribbean.
Zagat published a video showing what a day is like with Royal Caribbean's executive chef Gary Thomas on Explorer of the Seas.
Beyond Ships has a photo feature of Explorer of the Seas in Europe.
Royal Caribbean has its list of 11 must-try dishes on Anthem of the Seas.
Skift lists why Royal Caribbean's expansion in Singapore matters.
Royal Caribbean announced today it will change the itinerary for Freedom of the Seas due to the projected path of Hurricane Danny.
Freedom of the Seas will not be able to call on St. Thomas and St. Maarten as originally scheduled. Instead, the ship will sail to Montego Bay, Jamaica, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico, in an effort to try to find the calmest seas possible.
Yesterday, Royal Caribbean announced itinerary changes for Oasis of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas due to Hurricane Danny.
Royal Caribbean also noted there could be possible changes for Navigator of the Seas and Independence of the Seas depending on the storm's path.
Royal Caribbean announced this evening that due to the anticipated path of Hurricane Danny in the Atlantic, two Royal Caribbean cruise ships will have their itinerary changed.
Adventure of the Seas, which departs from San Juan, Puerto Rico, will not call on St. Johns, Antigua, Castries, St. Lucia and Bridgetown, Barbados this weekend.
Oasis of the Seas will also skip her scheduled Eastern Caribbean itinerary and instead, sail a Western Caribbean route with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.
Royal Caribbean also indicated passengers sailing on Freedom of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Independence of the Seas to stay tuned for further updates if the storm's track will impact their itinerary.
Royal Caribbean is monitoring the progress of Hurricane Danny and will make further updates as needed.
In less than a year, Royal Caribbean will debut its newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas and already guests cannot wait to get onboard.
While Harmony of the Seas is not the first ship in her class, she will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to offer a number of firsts.
Royal Caribbean may have some more changes and innovations up its sleeve, but here are five ways Harmony of the Seas will be completely different from any other Royal Caribbean ship we have seen yet!
Royal Caribbean will add water slides to Harmony of the Seas, making her among the first Royal Caribbean ship to have water slides added to a ship.
While other Royal Caribbean ships in the fleet will be also getting water slides, Harmony of the Seas will be the first to have the Perfect Storm water slides, which are a set of three water slides.
The three slide names are Cyclone, Typhoon and Supercell. Each slide is three decks in height.
For families, these water slides will be a lot of fun and something to try many times while onboard.
Royal Caribbean has reimagined its kid friendly water play area with Splashaway Bay.
Instead of the H2O Zone that is found on other Oasis class ships, Harmony of the Seas will have a brand new aquatic adventure park.
Splashaway Bay will have, "a vibrant waterscape for kids and toddlers with sea creature water cannons, winding slides, a gigantic drench bucket and a multi-platform jungle-gym to keep everyone entertained for hours."
Need more thrills on Harmony of the Seas? How about a 10-story slide that has a 100 foot plunge!
Ultimate Abyss is a 10 story slide that begins in the Pool and Sports Zone at the aft of the ship down to the Boardwalk neighborhood below.
Unlike the other slides onboard, Ultimate Abyss will not be a water slide and will start at the top of the AquaTheater and bring guests down to the Boardwalk.
Since Wonderland debuted on Quantum of the Seas, guests have fallen in love with the creative aspect of this specialty restaurant.
On Harmony of the Seas, guests will find the first two-story Wonderland restaurant, where guests can enjoy totally inventinve and "maddeningly delicious" cuisine.
Based on artist renderings, it also looks like Royal Caribbean will make this new Wonderland even more intriguing to look at, with a great deal of different decor choices.
Another Quantum class innovation will reach Harmony of the Seas and this is the Bionic Bar.
Harmony of the Seas will be the first Royal Caribbean ship that is not a Quantum class ship to get a Bionic Bar, where guests can order drinks and watch as a robot bartender crafts their concoction from 30 spirits and over 20 mixers.
Like Wonderland, guests have enjoyed watching the robots create drinks and arguably, the spectacle of the drink creation is as fun as the drink tastes.
What are you most excited about on Harmony of the Seas? Tell us in the comments!
Imagine you are onboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas and you are in dire need of somewhere to go to sit back and relax.
Maybe it is to enjoy a drink or finish that book you brought with you. Regardless, you need to go somewhere that offers the most comfortable chairs to facilitate your relaxation.
We literally walked all over Freedom of the Seas to find that perfect chair for you. And to be honest, we were surprised by the answer we found!
Now that Royal Caribbean has moved the NextCruise operations down to the Royal Promenade on Freedom of the Seas, the Loyalty Ambassador lounge is far less busy than it used to be and those blue leather chairs are a good spot for a nice sit.
For most of our cruise, this area was rarely busy and you can enjoy a nice view out to the Royal Promenade, while being surrounded by Royal Caribbean imagery.
The seats here are worn in, so it is easy to sink right in and get comfortable. During the day, this is a nice spot to get away from everyone else.
If you want a view with your comfortable chair, then head all the way up to the Viking Crown for the chairs in the Olive or Twist Lounge.
Located up on Deck 14 in the aft of the ship, there are chairs and couches to choose from and they are all made from a very comfortable cloth material.
The best reason to get comfortable at the Olive or Twist Lounge is for the views of the top decks of Freedom of the Seas. It can be the perfect spot to people watch.
During the day, it is usually quiet and not a lot of guests around but business picks up at night.
When Royal Caribbean added the R-Bar lounge to Freedom of the Seas, they did not just add the most popular new bar in the fleet but an array of comfortable chairs too!
Frankly, I love the eclectic style of the chairs, with some being low back loungers, couches and even chairs that look like something Dr. Evil would sit in.
And then of course there is the "picture frame chair", which is always a hit. Not only is it comfortable, but you can take fun photos!
Like Olive or Twist, this area is quiet in the day time but from dinner time onwards, it will be busy and packed. Bring the books for daylight hours only.
If you want the most comfortable chairs on Freedom of the Seas, head over to the Royal Promenade and sit yourself down in Vintages wine bar.
All the chairs and couches come with a ton of extra padding and it just makes for the best sitting experience you can ask for. Try for the couches in the back for optimal seating.
Strangely, Vintages is never busy, even at night. Perhaps people think they only serve wine here keeps many guests away (they have beer and other beverage options too).
Chops Grille has become a staple of Royal Caribbean dining and it is a restaurant guests come back to time and time again because they really enjoy everything about the experience.
The next time you make a reservation at Chops Grille, whether it is your first visit or you have lost count, be sure to look for these gems that are worth trying!
I am pretty sure I always forget about the pretzel bread is served at Chops Grille when you are first seated but as soon as I see it, I dig right in.
To be honest, it is difficult to screw up pretzel bread. It is warm, salty and related to those tasty treats you always smell at the mall. How can you go wrong?
The pretzel bread is the perfect way to start a meal off at Chops Grille and the only problem is remembering not to fill up on it before you even order anything!
Sure, Chops Grille has a lot of great steaks but no entree is complete without a few of Chops Grille's signature sides.
Truffled french fries, roasted mushrooms, mashed potatoes, grilled jumbo asparagus and more are available.
My recommendation is just order one of everything. It is the same cost to you and that way you can sample them all. You will quickly find that the sides are a meal in of itself!
Let us take a break from the food for a moment to point out that Chops Grille across the fleet have beautiful views of the ocean.
If you happen to dine in Chops Grille for lunch or have an early enough dinner to catch the sun still up, the view from Chops Grille is hard to beat.
Since I often eat at Chops Grille for dinner, catching a Caribbean sunset while I enjoy some pretzel bread, or some of those delicious sides is a great way to start my evening!
This part of our countdown is a salute to all of Chops Grille's desserts, but mostly the red velvet cake.
Everyone has personal tastes about what they like but I dare you not to love this cake. And the huckleberry cheesecake. And the cookies. But mostly the red velvet cake.
The thing about dessert is usually most guests are stuffed with the amazing appetizers, entrees and sides that dessert just seems impossible. Until you look at the menu.
Make a note or tie a string around your finger to lay off a few bites elsewhere to save room for dessert because the red velvet cake is worth it!
Royal Caribbean introduced dry aged steaks in early 2014 and the steak experience has never been the same.
Dry aged steaks are very popular at the premier land steakhouses, so Royal Caribbean's decision to bring dry aged steaks to sea is a big deal.
For those unaware, a dry aged steak is when steaks are stored in a climate-controlled room for nearly four weeks to achieve the pinnacle of flavor, tenderness and aroma. It really enhances the flavor of the meat in a way conventional steaks cannot match.
Yes, there is an extra cost to trying the dry aged steaks, but it really does make a difference and if you consider yourself a steak fan, going with the dry aged steak is like a trip to the Vitality Spa for your stomach!
The internet tells me that today is World Photography Day and since we never shy away from an excuse to look at Royal Caribbean photos, here is a collection of beautiful photos recently taken on Royal Caribbean cruises for you to enjoy!
Photo by OliverJD
Photo by tralain
Photo by Jan Saez
Photo by Noel Chian
Photo by e_kroll
Photo by Mark
Photo by Marc
Photo by Matthew
Photo by Soriya Kung
Photo by Ivan Castaneda
Photo by Stephanie McGucken
Photo by Gary Membridge
Photo by Omar Masri