Hey everyone! Episode 105 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

This week, Matt is back from his latest Royal Caribbean cruise on Freedom of the Seas and is sharing everything about his experience onboard this impressive ship.  From what's new on the ship to the dining to the ports of call, this episode is full of details from Matt's cruise experience.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 105. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS 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 will be adding three new water slides to Liberty of the Seas, including the first Boomerango at Sea.

Liberty of the Seas will be undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation in January 2016, as she settles into her new homeport of Galveston, Texas in 2016. The Sports Deck will be re-imagined and the three new water slides will be a focal point of it.

Liberty of the Seas will have three slides, a Boomerango and double body racer slides.

The Boomerango will let guests ride in rafts, where they will "plummet down a steep drop, then shoot up a nearly vertical wall, high into the air, for a moment of weightlessness".

The Boomerango appears to be a water slide built by WhiteWater and here is a video of a Boomerango that may be similar to the one coming to Liberty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean had announced in July 2015 it would add a water slide to Liberty of the Seas.

Do you want to ride on the Boomerango?  Share your thoughts in our comments below!

Royal Caribbean has embarked upon an environmental initiative to reduce its cruise ship emissions by 2017, called Advanced Emissions Purification (AEP).

The program is underway and scheduled for completion in 2017 and will see the installation of so-called exhaust “scrubbers” on 13 Royal Caribbean ships.

Put most simply, AEP works by spraying diesel exhaust with fine mist from a ring of water jets. As the mist combines with sulphur dioxide it creates sulphuric acid. In a happy coincidence, seawater is naturally alkaline so it neutralizes the sulphuric acid to a degree that meets strict water discharge standards after the wastewater is centrifuged to remove toxic particulates.

In some of the areas where RCL ships sail, alkaline levels in the seawater are too low to be effective. So the company opted for hybrid AEP systems allowing ships to switch as necessary between an “open loop” of untreated seawater to a “closed loop” system that boosts alkalinity with the addition of caustic soda.

The work will be done on some ships during scheduled drydocks and on others while the ship is in service.

The AEP systems being installed are manufactured by Wärtsilä of Finland and Alfa Laval of Sweden.

A new design schematic has emerged that appears to show the layout and configuration of the 10-story slide coming to Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas.

Photo posted by Bente Borvik

No word from Royal Caribbean yet as to if this slide design is the real deal.

The slide, known as The Abyss, will be located on the aft of Harmony of the Seas and based on this design, descend from the FlowRider deck to the Boardwalk.

In addition to the design, we are hearing The Abyss may not be a water slide, but instead a "dry slide", similar to a slide you would find at a playground.

Royal Caribbean announced the 10-story water slide in July 2015 but has not officially released any other details other than the name.

Harmony of the Seas is the third Oasis class cruise ship that is currently under construction and will debut in Spring 2016.

Tip of the hat to Lloyd Marchand for alerting us to this new design.

4:44pm UPDATE: Blog reader Ola found the Royal Caribbean Sweden web site has this rendering posted. Thanks Ola!

Aug 5 UPDATE: The original image and Royal Caribbean Sweden web site have pulled down their posts.

Guests onboard Allure of the Seas will now be able to enjoy the Broadway hit musical Mamma Mia! Find out what it takes to move a Broadway show from Quantum of the Seas to Allure of the Seas.

One of Royal Caribbean's most popular cruise ships is Freedom of the Seas. 

We have searched all over this ship for the best hidden secrets that you might miss on this impressive ship. Here are our top 10 hidden secrets on Freedom of the Seas.

10. Best spot for sailaway

If you want the best spot on Freedom of the Seas to watch as she pulls out of port, then it has to be the helicopter pad at the front of the ship.

Located on the bow, guests can walk to the helicopter pad and enjoy the unobstructed views that you can only get from the helicopter pad. The perspective from this spot is hard to beat and many guests do not know it is possible to go here.

To access the helicopter pad, go outside on deck 4 and then walk forward, climb up a set of stairs, and continue walking forward until you reach the helicopter pad.

9. Hidden door to the helipad

Speaking of the helipad, if you want to avoid the stairs that lead up to the front of the ship, there is a secret door that will get you right there.

Walk all the way forward on Deck 5 and enter the Star Lounge. In the daytime, it is usually empty. Enter the lounge and take an immediate right, just past the DJ booth.

There's a set of unmarked doors that you can simply open up and you will be let out right next to the helipad.  

This is especially helpful if you have a stroller or are in a wheelchair and stairs are a problem.

8. Second best spot for sailaway

A good alternative spot for sailaway that is less windy than the helipad (and has no stairs) is the little observation areas on deck 11 near the Solarium.

Go up to deck 11 and walk all the way forward. Once in the Solarium, adjacent to the doors that lead to the elevator lobby are glass doors you must open manually.  

Inside is a small "room" with windows that look outwards and even some chairs to sit in. This can be a great, uncrowded spot to enjoy sailaway.

7. Enjoy the view from Olive or Twist

It is really hard to beat the views of Freedom of the Seas' upper decks from the Olive or Twist Lounge.

Located on deck 14 at the aft of the ship the Olive or Twist lounge offers guests sweeping views of the upper decks and the ocean.  

To get to Olive or Twist, you must use the aft elevators and go up to deck 14.

6. Get a taste of it all at FreedomFest

An event unique to Freedom of the Seas is something called FreedomFest, where the Royal Promenade offers guests a little of everything unique on Freedom of the Seas.

There will be food and drink stations available, as well as towel and napkin folding demonstrations, watermelon carving, photos with the ship's officers, and more.

It is basically like a "best of" from the week's events held in one spot. 

FreedomFest is held on the Royal Promenade and is usually done on one of the last sea days of your cruise. Check the Cruise Compass for more information.

5. Sun yourself on the St. Tropez deck

If you want to get that perfect tan or just enjoy being outside without all the noise of the pool deck (or the crowds), head up the St. Tropez deck.

Walk up to deck 12 and then walk all the way forward. You will see a large open area with some deck chairs that you can use to enjoy a mostly uncrowded sunbathing spot.

What is special about the St. Tropez deck is there tends to be not many guests here at all, leaving it rather tranquil.  

4. Best parade spot

 

A photo posted by Royal Caribbean Blog.com (@royalcaribbeanblog) on Aug 1, 2015 at 4:24pm PDT

If you want a good spot to enjoy the parade and ensure your kids have a good chance to be close to the dancers, try in front of the Bull and Bear pub.

The pub has tables outside the pub that you can sit at in the time leading up to the parade and since other families do not consider a pub the first spot to bring kids to for a parade, it can remain overlooked.

Once the parade is about to begin, stand up from your seats and you will be up front for all the action. In addition, the pub is located right in the middle of the parade route.

3. Find the coolest mixed drinks here

These days, Royal Caribbean offers its guests a lot of opportunities to buy alcoholic beverages but the best place to find the most interesting mixed drinks has to be up on the pool deck on the port side.

This one spot near the main pool consistently serves up more than just mixed drinks. You will find the neatest souvenir mugs as well as interesting choices for drinks that we could never find anywhere else onboard.

On one day, they were making mixed drinks that you could drink out of a hollowed-out pineapple, and other days they had different light-up or color-changing mugs.

Look for a stand on deck 11 at the main pool, close to the Solarium. The choices available change daily, so be sure to ask about what is coming up and when.

2. Ride the FlowRider on embarkation day

Guests cannot seem to get enough of the FlowRider surf simulator on Freedom of the Seas. It is really fun to try and learn to surf without having to wait for that perfect wave but there always seems to be a line.

To beat the lines, go to the FlowRider on embarkation day. Bring your swimsuit in your carry-on luggage (or wear it to the ship) and then head to the FlowRider in the afternoon.  

Most other guests onboard will not have their swimsuits or even be aware the FlowRider is open. It is the perfect time to get multiple rides in without little or no wait!

1. More hidden secrets in our video!

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Did we miss any Freedom of the Seas secrets? Share them in our comments!

We love to explore Royal Caribbean ships and when we find something that is new (or at least new to us), we want to share the latest and greatest things Royal Caribbean is offering.

Having a drink at the pool on a Royal Caribbean cruise is a time honored tradition, but on your next cruise you can do it in style with these new souvenir mugs.

We thought the color changing cups were pretty darn cool but these new cups will have you turning your head too.

First up are these clear cups with a spinning blue light at the base of the cup.   

The cups add a little pizzazz to your mixed drink of choice and are bright enough to use during the day or you can wait for the sun go to down and light up the room you are in.

For the kids onboard with you, try these new DreamWorks cups that feature popular characters from the films.

You will find characters like Po, the Penguins or Kitty to choose from.

What is neat about these cups is the fact they are the first souvenir cups we have found made primarily for children.

All these souvenir cups could be purchased with a drink or on their own.  If you purchase them on their own, they were being sold for $3.95 each.

In addition, these cups were spotted on Freedom of the Seas, so availability on other Royal Caribbean cruise ships may be limited.

Would you buy one of these souvenir cups? Let us know be leaving a comment!

Royal Caribbean has opened a brand new noodle shop aboard Quantum of the Seas that is themed to the hit DreamWorks Animation film "Kung Fu Panda".

The Kung Fu Panda Noodle Shop is a new family eatery on Quantum of the Seas and its introduction coincides with the ship's arrival in China.

The Kung Fu Panda Noodle Shop will offer guests four-piece dim sum, noodle bowls, such as Taiwanese spicy beef noodles, and desserts including sesame balls and custard tart. Guests also can strike a pose with Po and the Furious Five for a keepsake picture.

Menu items are priced a la carte, ranging from $2 to $5. 

Royal Caribbean Vice President, Food and Beverage, John Suley commented, "We’re very excited to continue building on our relationship with DreamWorks Animation and offer our guests new dining experiences onboard Quantum of the Seas as she debuts in her new home in China. A creative collaboration amongst our team of chefs to create the menu for our Kung Fu Panda Noodle Shop is another example of how we continue to ensure that our on board options reflect what today’s food-conscious traveler and our Chinese guests expect from their vacation."

It's our last day onboard Freedom of the Seas and the last day is always bittersweet.  

Yes, it's another day on a cruise and one less day at home but the end of this cruise is looming over us like a dark cloud approaching shore.

Today we mostly ran around and got things done, like paying down our SeaPass account and making some last purchases onboard.

Here are some photos from around the ship...

Jimmy Buffett tribute at Schooner Bar

A look down deck 4 

We hit the Guest Services desk early to avoid the lines later

Starbucks menu at Cafe Promenade

Trivia in Schooner Bar

Souvenir cups for sale

Looking up at the decks in the Atrium

Cake in Windjammer

Parade preperations in Royal Promenade

Typical last day lines at Guest Relations.  Get it done early or before the last day!

Me with the ship's officers

Photos from FreedomFest

Tutti Salad on the menu at Main Dining Room for lunch

Slot tournament in Casino Royale

Rather than describe my various stops around the ship, I wrote up some conclusions and observations from this cruise to share.  I think it will provide more insight into the Freedom of the Seas experience.

• To begin with, I really enjoyed this cruise.  Freedom of the Seas is a wonderful ship and our family had a great time onboard.  Even with this being our third time on her, it's still a pleasure to take a cruise on her.
• The refurbishment earlier this year added some nice touches.  We loved Sabor and R-Bar.  Other guests we spoke to and overheard also echoed their love of these newly added venues.
• Our fears of last week's fire affecting the cruise experience were greatly exaggerated.  I have gotten A LOT of questions about the fire and its effects but it may as well never have happened.  If you have an upcoming sailing, do not worry one bit about it.  I've often said, if you had no idea there was a fire last week, you would not have known it based on the condition of the ship.
• Maybe it is just me, but I do not recall feeling so much motion with so little waves or wind.  The motion is NOT anywhere near the level of getting sea sick but I just felt the motion the entire cruise.  Based on my experience on other ships, it seems rather odd.  Again, maybe I am just sensitive.
• Kids programs were great.  Our kids did really well with Adventure Ocean and the Nursery.  If you ask me, the key to a positive experience in either is setting the right expectations with your kids.  Letting them know about it, telling them about the activities and even hyping the experience a bit all contribute to having fun.  Granted, with my 6 month old there was much more luck but the entire experience is a testament to the staff.
• Cruising in July, there were a lot of kids.  The Nursery staff told us over 1000 kids on this sailing.  It did not bother me at all but compared to sailing in September and February, it is a noticeable difference.  
• Speaking of July, it is really, really hot in the Caribbean. CocoCay and St Maarten were exceptionally warm and being outside for more than a few minutes lead to lots of sweating.  Be prepared for plenty of wardrobe changes.
• I'm really impressed by the crew.  They go out of their way to help and make a better experience.  Does Royal Caribbean get everything right off the bat? No, but if you ask or inquire, they are very accommodating.  The worst thing you can do is not say anything and "suck it up" and let it sour your cruise.  Ask in a nice way and you will be amazed by the results.
• I am always disappointed in how little I do onboard in terms of activities but we did have a great time.  I always wish we did more events onboard but at the end of the day, I had a great time.  Royal Caribbean cruises are what you make of them and if you go 6am to 3am doing all the events or just sit by the pool, ultimately it is your choice and Royal Caribbean does provide a lot for folks to see and do.
• I like second seating dinner for its time but I have to admit it makes seeing the shows more difficult.  It seems like we were always getting ready for dinner around those times.  I think that means we have to get ready earlier but then it seems like there is no benefit of second seating dining.  Having said all this, I do not think we will change our dining preference.
• Best onboard entertainment: Once Upon A Time, Karaoke at On-Air Club, Live music
• The internet onboard was mostly acceptable. It's slow and I cannot wait for Voom to arrive but it was tolerable.  I think speeds get worse as the week goes on and more and more people buy packages.
• The main dining room was what I expected and we had a good time there.  Food is very subjective but I found the food to be somewhere between okay and excellent.  Most were between good and very good.  Service was outstanding.
• Best dining experience: Sabor
• Best bar: R-Bar for drinks. Schooner Bar or Pub for experience.  Honorable mention to On-Air Club
• Places I never went: Ice skating rink, mini-golf (or anything in that vicinity not counting the FlowRider), Solarium (unless you count walking through it), Johnny Rockets
• Stateroom we had was great and splurging for 2 rooms was the best idea ever.  Having 2 bathrooms and the extra space was important.  It was not as much space as I thought but I cannot imagine what would have happened if we had just one room.
• It is really easy to meet the Dreamworks characters onboard.  There is rarely a line and if there is a line, it is just one or two people usually.  That being said, each character's set is usually quite short (about 20 minutes max).
• There is no question I saved money by not getting an unlimited alcohol package.  Speaking with folks who did get it, by about day 4 or 5, many were telling me they were simply ordering drinks for the sake of ordering drinks.  
• Things I miss from not being on a cruise ship: high speed internet, full use of my phone, access to more of my wardrobe.  Otherwise, let's keep sailing!

I also wanted to make sure I thank all of you that have been reading and commenting here, on Facebook, Instragram and Twitter.  Having your feedback and questions has been wonderful and it made my cruise much more interesting.  THANK YOU for letting me take you on a virtual cruise with me and I cannot wait to do this again!

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation Day
• Day 2 - CocoCay
• Day 3 - Sea Day
• Day 4 - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
• Day 5 - Philipsburg, St. Maarten
• Day 6 - Sea Day
• Day 7 - Sea Day

You know what they say about the best laid plans? That's what happened this morning.

Yesterday evening my wife and I stopped by the Vitality Spa to schedule a massage for her.  It is a cruising tradition for my wife to forget many months of woes by indulging in a massage.

With just two sea days left, there were not many spots available but they did have an early morning spot at 8am.  We thought she should book that because it will be early enough for the kids to sleep through it and even I could get some extra shut eye.

What ended up happening was the spa called with a wake up call (that we did not schedule) and that woke up the baby and there went my sleep and her sleep.

Nonetheless, my wife went to get her massage while me and the baby sat in bed with the baby toys for a while.

Eventually my 4 year old daughter woke up and we got dressed up and went up the Windjammer for breakfast.

My wife met us up there and we dropped my 4 year old off at Adventure Ocean while the rest of us went back to our stateroom for the baby to sleep and my wife and I to take a nap too.

We got back up around 11:30am and went to get my daughter for lunch.  We decided to try Giovanni's Table for lunch today based on some positive reviews from others onboard.

My ever picky daughter wanted to eat at the Windjammer so we got her a plate of food to eat there and then went to Giovanni's Table.

We showed up a few minutes after 12pm and were seated (no prior reservations).   Giovanni's Table replaced Portofino's and there were probably three other tables of guests inside.

The menu at Giovanni's Table was similar to other Giovanni Table restaurants I have been to and we placed our orders.

What seemed odd is it took a good 20-30 minutes for our appetizers to show up.  Luckily, the entrees did not take as long for them to arrive.

My favorite dishes at Giovanni's Table were the lasagna and Caprese salad.  My wife seemed to like her food more than I did but for $15 per person at lunch, it's a good deal.

Following lunch, my wife and 4 year old daughter went to the theater to watch the Dreamworks film, "Home" while I took the baby around the ship for some photos and then back to the stateroom for her to play.

Interestingly, we received this certificate delivered to our stateroom today.  I'm happy to get it but it was completely unexpected.  Anyone else get these? 

We all got dressed for dinner early as it was formal night and we wanted to get some family photos taken onboard.  Royal Caribbean cruises are our defacto place to get good family photos.

Before it was time for photos or dinner, we were invited to the Top Tier Crown and Anchor Society welcome back party.  

On my way, I met up with a fellow that enjoys eating on cruises as much as me!

This was the first of these parties on the cruise that I saw or was invited to. Usually there is one large event for everyone and then the top tier event later.  Unless there is one for tomorrow, guess only one.

The reason to go to these events is for the free alcohol and recognition for being Loyal to Royal.  I really enjoy them and on this one, the hotel director divulged that all the new build ships coming out will have water slides, including Ovation of the Seas.

There was also more food than I remember having at the event.  

It was held in the Star Lounge and the loyalty ambassador, hotel director and Captain all spoke. 

After the party we headed to take photos.  We timed it well because we went on the tail end of first dining so the lines were quite small.  We will go tomorrow to see how they all came out.  I think we will order a few.

For dinner, half the Windjammer was closed for some odd reason so we brought my 4 year old daughter to Sorrento's for dinner.  She has likely consumed 94% pizza on this cruise.

My wife went to our stateroom to grab something around this time and we were pleasantly surprised to have a voicemail indicating that there was an opening at the nursery for our 6 month old. Huzzah!

As you may recall, guests can only reserve time for one formal night and we picked the first formal night.  Luckily there was availability tonight and we could enjoy our dinner kid free!

After consuming mass quantities of pizza, we brought the kids upstairs to be dropped off and the wife and I headed back to the Royal Promenade.

We picked to go to R-Bar for drinks and it was a great choice. 

We sat at the bar and tried a few new drinks out.  Between the great bar service and the people watching, we had a good time in our pre-dinner entertainment.

Dinner tonight in the main dining room was formal night and we had another good meal.  Our waiters are quite nice and they have been very attentive.  

Following dinner, we played a little bit at the casino and then took in some drinks at the pub.  As per usual, 10pm hit and we started feeling tired so we got the kids back and headed to bed.

Stray Observations

• The second most depressing thing to see on your cruise (tomorrow night is the worst):
  

• The chapel and one of the card rooms are closed for the air scrubber upgrades 
  
  

• I do not recall this piece of art having lights and/or lighting up
  

Tomorrow is our last day and a sea day.  It may be the last day but it is still better than not being on a cruise!

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation Day
• Day 2 - CocoCay
• Day 3 - Sea Day
• Day 4 - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
• Day 5 - Philipsburg, St. Maarten
• Day 6 - Sea Day
• Day 7 - Sea Day