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.  

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!