In honor of Fathers Day this weekend, Royal Caribbean is kicking off a Weekend WOW sale that offers a deal on cruises booked this weekend.

Royal Caribbean is offering

• Book an Interior or Ocean View stateroom and receive $25 Onboard Credit
• Book a Balcony or Suite and receive $50 Onboard Credit

This discount is on top of the 30 for 30 sale, where guests can get 30% Off Suites & Balconies, 20% Off Ocean View staterooms &  10% Off Interior staterooms.

The deal is valid on all sailings departing on or after July 19, 2015, excluding China departures. Offer applies to new bookings made Jun 19-21, 2015.

Offer is combinable with current standard/full fare rates, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO), Next Cruise offer, 30-for-30 Sale, and Anthem Upgrade Offer. Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates, Crown & Anchor Discounts.

Offer available in the United States and Canada.

Royal Caribbean Blog contributor Michael Poole is on Freedom of the Seas this week reporting all about his cruise experience.

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to St. Thomas, so I was excited to get back to this beautiful port of call.  I didn’t have anything booked prior to the cruise, but my brother talked me into snorkeling with sea turtles and sting rays. 

The excursion cost $99 per person and last around six hours, so it was a full day activity.  The official name of the getaway is Caribbean sail to Christmas & Honeymoon Coves. 

We docked in St. Thomas at 11am and my ticket said to meet in the theater at 11am for an express departure.  It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Royal Caribbean excursion, as I usually do my own thing, but it was very organized and I was very impressed. 

We sailed over to Christmas Cove in a large sailboat, looked like one out of Pirates of the Caribbean.  The boat was pretty rocky from the wake and it took around a half hour to get there.

The guides were very informative with our gear and what we were about to see.   We saw quite a few sea turtles ranging in size and I loved when they came up for air.  The water was so clear you could see straight down to the bottom, I can’t even describe how beautiful the water is.  

After playing with the turtles for a bit, we went over where all the sting rays were, and I’m not going to lie it scared me at first.  After a few minutes of noticing they don’t bother you, I started to get a bit more relaxed. 

We were snorkeling in the water for a little over an hour then back onboard for honeymoon cove.

Our ride over to the next stop took a little over an hour and they served rum punch and went very slow.  At this point we were all just relaxing and enjoying our views. 

Once we arrived to the cove you could jump off and swim to shore or have the tender boat take you over.  Of course, I jumped off and headed over to the cove, I mean how over do you get to swim to shore in the Caribbean? 

They served a small buffet lunch and we just relaxed for a few hours.  The total excursion lasted six hours and we were back onboard at 6:30 and we left St. Thomas at 7pm. 

Cell Phones

Just a little pointer if you have AT&T cell phone service, you will get phone service at no extra charge.  I was actually able to pick up full 4G LTE, which was much faster than the ship Internet.

My brother has Verizon and it was roaming all day, so that’s one more perk of having AT&T.

Dinner

Tonight we headed back to the main dining room for dinner at 8pm. 

Freedom of the Seas is the only ship I know of that does dinner at 8pm and not 8:30 for late dinner. 

Tonight at dinner they introduced all the staff and managers on the staircase, and played more music. 

One of my favorite things about our waiter is each night he brings extra dishes we didn’t order for everyone to try.  This is just one more way Royal Caribbean goes the extra mile to ensure you have a great dining experience. 

I’m sorry for no food porn, I was locked out of my cabin and didn’t have time to get a new key before dinner. 

Post Dinner

After dinner each night my group, plus some new friends we have met meet up at the R Bar.  

This bar is new to Freedom of the Seas and replaced the Champagne Bar in January during her dry dock. 

I usually spend a lot of time at the pub, but I’ve just loved going to the R Bar each evening.  They are known for fresh cocktails, I’ve been having an old fashion each night and they are just perfect.  The décor in this bar is very intimate and creates a great vibe for a romantic drink before or after dinner. 

Dancing Under the Stars

Tonight was the Dancing Under the Stars Party on the pool deck from 10:30pm to 12:00am.  This is always one of my favorite events during the week to dance under the stars. 

Only problem was almost no one showed up!  I couldn’t believe how empty it was on the pool deck, mostly just teenagers.  I’m not really sure what caused the party to be a flop, maybe everyone was just so tired from being in St. Thomas all day. 

The bar closed down at midnight and I decided to call it a night... well after my late night pizza, that is. 

That’s all from St. Thomas; tomorrow we visit my favorite port St. Maarten.  

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas had its high-speed internet access enabled while the ship is in the Mediterranean, according to O3b Networks.

O3b uses a new type of sattelite internet that reduces latency, increases internet speed and improves voice and video quality for the user.

O3bMaritime has already provided four of Royal Caribbean’s ships (Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas,Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas), each with more bandwidth than the rest of the cruise industry combined.  In the near future, Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas will move across the Pacific, bringing exceptional cruising experiences and at-sea high speed broadband to the Japanese ports of Okinawa and Kyoto, as well as other Asian destinations.

Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley commented on the partnership with O3b, "With O3b we have added a dimension to cruising that has never existed before.  Our new internet capabilities allow our guests to surf, stream and share their vacation experiences with their friends and family back home. It also allows us to provide our business clientele a new way to stay connected with their colleagues."

Royal Caribbean opened bookings for its third Quantum-class cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas today.  Guests can now book cruises for the ship's maiden season in Australia and New Zealand.

Ovation of the Seas will arrive in Australia on December 6, 2016 when she docks in Perth.  Ovation of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship to ever be homeported in Australia.

After arriving in Australia, Ovation of the Seas will visit Adelaide and Hobart, before arriving in Sydney to begin her official Australian season.

Ovation of the Seas will offer four sailings from Sydney during her summer season starting from December 15, 2016, including:

• A 15-night New Zealand cruise beginning with an overnight in Sydney on December 15, 2016 followed by calls at Hobart, the Milford Sounds region, Dunedin, Wellington, Picton, Tauranga and Auckland.
• A 10-night New Year cruise around New Zealand departing December 30, 2016, with calls at the Milford Sound region, Dunedin, Wellington, Napier and Picton.
• A 14-night cruise during the January school holidays with visits to Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Auckland, Wellington, Picton, Dunedin, and the Milford Sounds region.
• Ovation of the Seas leaves Australia on January 23, 2017 with a 14-night Sydney to Singapore cruise visiting Brisbane, Darwin and Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang).

Royal Caribbean commercial director for Royal Caribbean Australia & South East Asia, Sea Treacy, commented on the arrival of Ovation down under, "At USD$1 billion, Ovation of the Seas represents the single largest investment in Australia and New Zealand cruising by any cruise line. This ship truly ignites the imagination about what is possible on a cruise holiday – from skydiving in the middle of the ocean, robot bartenders, to North Star, an observation capsule that transports you more than 90 metres above the sea providing stunning 360 degree views."

"Being the imaginative and adventure-loving nation that we are, it is not surprising that over 20,000 Aussies have pre-registered their interest since we first announced her local deployment. Ovation of the Seas’ first season will be historic and we can’t wait for Australians to experience the world’s most advanced ship right on our doorstep," Treacy said.

"In her first season alone, Ovation of the Seas is projected to inject more than $20million into the Australian economy with 14 total calls across the country, and almost 30,000 guests are expected to experience the new generation of cruise ship. Some of the other delights her guests can look forward to include bumper cars, a circus school, spectacular shows in the custom-built Two70 entertainment venue, 18 different dining options including Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver, Broadway shows and high speed internet."

Royal Caribbean Blog contributor Michael Poole is on Freedom of the Seas this week reporting all about his cruise experience.

Today was our first of three sea days, I love just relaxing around the ship and enjoying some pool time in the sun. 

I made an appointment for the Next Cruise office right when I got onboard for today at 9:30am, to book some future cruises.  

My advice is to always book the first appointment of the day, as the staff always seem to run over.  We didn’t get helped until 10am and it took around an hour. 

I booked the Allure for next summer and Harmony for Spring 2017.  One of the perks from booking onboard is you get on board credit for the current cruise or the future cruise.  Also, you are only required to put down $100 deposit for the booking, which is nice for a sailing almost two years away. 

Pool Deck

After booking the cruise we headed up to the pool deck for some fun in the sun! 

I actually skipped breakfast, as I was still pretty full from dinner.  The pool deck was packed, but then again it was a little after 11AM on a sea day. 

We all jumped in the pool to cool off and they started the belly flop contest shortly after.  This is a fun activity to sit back and get entertained poolside. 

I noticed a lot of children in the pool most of the day, the pool staff was trying to control them the best they could, but they were everywhere. 

The captain actually mentioned our sailing is the most people to ever sail on Freedom of the Seas, 4,440 guests onboard.  My brother and I laughed because the same thing happen to us this past spring on the Oasis of the Seas. 

Lunch at Johnny Rockets

For lunch we headed to Johnny Rockets, this is an upcharge restaurant at $5.95 per person. 

We were a group of seven, so we had to get two tables, but it didn’t take too long. 

The staff started dancing to the music once we arrived, so I thought I would be fun to grab my little sister and dance with them!  She was so embarrassed, but who cares we are on a cruise right? 

I ordered the smokehouse burger, but just asked for a single burger to save room for dessert. 

One of my favorite desserts on a cruise ship is their world’s famous apple pie and ice cream.  This is one of those must try items when you dine at Johnny Rockets. 

Dinner

Tonight was a special evening because we were celebrating my grandmothers 75th birthday.  She loves Mexican food so we thought what better than having dinner at Sabor. 

The cost for dinner here is $25 per person and let me warn you the food just kept coming. 

Since we had a larger group at dinner he just brought all the starters out, and we didn’t mind.  For the main course I order the pork belly tacos and they were amazing, my brother actually said, “I’m ordering those next week”.

We had pre-arranged to have a cake for my grandmother and it was $13.  The service was absolutely outstanding the whole evening, even the chef came out to see how we were enjoying our dinner.  The restaurant is very small, but wasn’t full during our dinner. 

After dinner we headed to the R Bar, where we pull 10 chairs together for our group! 

That wraps up our first sea day, up next is St. Thomas!  

Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's third Oasis class cruise ship, reached another construction milestone, with the installation of her last block at the shipyard in STX France.

Harmony of the Seas will have her inaugural cruise in June 2016.

The photos were taken earlier this week at the STX shipyard in France. All photos are copyright Royal Caribbean International.

Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas offers a lot to see and do onboard on its 3- and 4-night cruises out of Port Canaveral, Florida.  It's become a very popular cruise for those that are looking for a quick getaway vacation, and we present our list of the top must-do's aboard Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas!

Suspension Bridges

Spanning Enchantment of the Seas' Pool Deck are the enormous suspension bridges that are more than 65 feet on either side that offer some incredible views of the ship.

The bridges are supported by beautiful arches and it allows guests to cross over the pool deck below and are a truly unique feature on Enchantment of the Seas.  

Walking over the bridges, you will be able to see much of the pool deck below and they just come in over the side of the deck to give you a view of the ocean below as well.  The bridges also support the jogging track.

Splash Deck

For kids, it's hard to pass up the fun that is the Splash Deck, which features 64 water jets.  Many of these jets are connected to an interactive touch-pad system that allows kids to direct the water in many directions.

When the kids go to bed, be sure to head back to the Splash Deck again because at night it becomes a fiber-optic light and water show.

Jump Zone

Up on Deck 10, you will find four bungee trampolines on Enchantment of the Seas, known as the Jump Zone.

Guests can be strapped into a harness that is connected to bungee cords and then jump up, down and upside down on inflatable trampolines during two-minute jump sessions. 

You will be able to reach heights of 35 feet or more and practice moves like flips during this exhilarating session.  

R-Bar

Royal Caribbean's innovative throwback to the bars of yesterday are embodied in R-Bar.  

Royal Caribbean went for a sophisticated 1960s vibe with R-Bar, and it's a great blend of what we love about going out to get a drink with a touch of nostalgia.

The bartenders at R-Bar are your personal mixologist, and can serve up your favorite drink or tantalize you with something completely different.

Outdoor movie screen

When you combine pools and movies, you will never go wrong.  There's something lovely about enjoying a Hollywood classic while you lounge in (or around) the pool with a warm Caribbean breeze hitting your face.

Each evening, Royal Caribbean presents movies on the poolside movie screen that features surround sound and the perfect backdrop for any flick.

No cruise on Enchantment of the Seas is complete without a late night swim and movie to enjoy.

What are your must do things on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 98 is available for downloading where we discuss where to start when planning your first Royal Caribbean cruise.

Planning your first Royal Caribbean cruise can be a challenge for people that are new to Royal Caribbean, so this week, Matt offers tips and advice for where to start when you are planning your very first Royal Caribbean cruise.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 98. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher 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!