Royal Caribbean is celebrating Memorial Day weekend in the United States with up to 20% off select Royal Caribbean cruises.

Royal Caribbean is extending its usual Going, Going, Gone sale with a special opportunity to select from cruises that are all departing in the next two months.

Deals range from an Enchantment of the Seas 3-night cruise for $329 per person to a cruise on the largest cruise ship in the world, Allure of the Seas for just $849 per person.

The Memorial Day cruise sale must be booked by May 27, 2015.  Offer is not combinable with any promotional offers or discounts with the exception of Crown & Anchor benefits and NextCruise Onboard Booking Bonus.

Our good friend, Michael Poole, is back to share with us his review of Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar​ specialty restaurant from Oasis of the Seas.  Yum!

A year ago Royal Caribbean created a new restaurant called Sabor Modern Mexican onboard Navigator of The Seas.  This was a new concept to the fleet to cater the Texas market, since the Navigator sailed out of Galveston, Texas.  If you want to compare the two styles here is a review on the Modern style.  

When Oasis of the Seas went into dry dock in fall 2014, they removed Seafood Shack, and added Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar.

Atmosphere

Located on deck 6 of Oasis of the Seas, Sabor is featured on their Boardwalk deck.  This is an open-air deck, with mostly catering to children with a few things for the adults also. 

The restaurant is full of bright colors, with a lot of pink, yellow, and blue.

When you arrive to the restaurant you will notice open-air style restaurant, almost like you would find on the beach in Mexico. There is air-conditioning, but since it’s open to the boardwalk, it can get a little mild in there at times. 

The dress code is casual, as this is a fun alternate specialty dining option.

Eats

To me, the most important part of any Mexican meal is the guacamole, and at Sabor’s they make it table-side! That’s right, they actually role a cart over to the table, full of ingredients to make fresh guacamole. 

Before they start preparing the side, they will ask you if you like it mild, a little spicy, or spicy.  We always went with the mild option so everyone could enjoy. 

For the main course, they offer a dinner tasting menu, which is a great value if you are really hungry.  This includes the guacamole, small plate, main course, and desert for $19 per person.  We always order everything a la carte, and shared everything between the group. 

Okay I should probably shift gears now and talk about the good stuff, the margaritas. They have five signature margaritas at Sabor’s on the Oasis, and unlike the Navigator’s Sabor, they are all included in the unlimited alcohol package $12 threshold. 

The two I would recommend is Sweet and Spicy and The Grand, both are made fresh with Patron tequila.  I preferred The Grand Margarita, as it was their classic cocktail.  They don’t make the cocktails tableside like on Navigator, but that’s okay it’s a casual meal.  

Moving back to the food, the menu does not have a lot of options, almost like a preview menu.  They had a few taco options, small plates, and quesadilla’s.  They did have a three main course options, but no one ever ordered, as we preferred to order more smaller option’s and share. 

Starting out with the chicken quesadilla, to me this was a great option, but nothing that really wow me.  You could definitely tell how fresh it was made, but I’d recommend the tacos for more flavor.

The Barbacoa and Pork Carnita were amazing taco’s that came out with a trio of sides to prepare the taco’s.  The amount of food you get here for $5, is worth the visit, even if it’s for lunch. 

Overall

Sabor on Oasis of the Seas is a fun and casual dining option. If you are seeking something a little more romantic or dressy, I’d recommend something in Central Park. 

I should probably tell you now that I actually ate at Sabor three times during my cruise - day 1 for dinner, day 2 for lunch, and day 7 dinner.  I really enjoyed the quality of the food here, the service was always outstanding and for the price, why not! 

Our average bill was around $7-$10 per person when we ate here, since our drinks were included the premium alcohol package. 

I certainly hope they roll Sabor across more of ships during their future dry docks.  Most recently Allure of the Seas and Freedom of The Seas have added Sabor and Harmony of The Seas should be getting one too.

Royal Caribbean partnership with YouTube channel AwesomenessTV continues with season 2 of the series, "Royal Crush" on May 24.

Royal Crush is a collaboration between Royal Caribbean and AwesomenessTV to create an original series filmed on location, with the hope the prospect of a Royal Caribbean cruise will get the attention of teens and tweens, who are big fans of the AwesomenessTV channel.

AwesomenessTV promises a new episode every Sunday.

The largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas has finished an 18-day drydock revitalization just in time to begin her European cruise season.

The drydock refurbishment added some new features to the ship, including new restaurants.

• Izumi Hibachi & Sushi - Japanese cuisine and sushi
• Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar - Mexican dishes
• Coastal Kitchen - California inspired cuisine exclusively for suite guests

Royal Caribbean also added 10 new suites onboard Allure of the Seas. In total, there are two Royal Suites, six Grand Suites and two Royal Family Suites.

Also new for suite guests is a Suite Lounge, where suite guests can go to relax onboard the ship just for them.  There's also a new Sun Deck that gives suite guests a reserved spot to catch some rays.

For all guests, there will be new merchandise locations to checkout on, including Kate Spade New York and Michael Kors shops.  Over in Central Park, there's a new luxury timepiece shop, Regalia in the Park.

Through October 2015, Allure of the Seas will be homeported in Barcelona, Spain and offer cruises in the Mediterranean.  In November 2015, Allure of the Seas will return home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to resume Caribbean cruises.

It appears Royal Caribbean is starting to offer a new dining package, where guests can eat at any of the specialty restaurants aboard the ship for a fixed price.

A Royal Caribbean Blog reader, Michael C, returned from a Freedom of the Seas cruise last week and in the Cruise Compass is a new offer, "Ultimate Dining Package", where for $20 per day, guests can dine at any of the specialty restaurants every day of the cruise.

The package is described as, "Pay one set price and dine in any of our specialty restaurants every day of your cruise.  Whatever you're craving, there's something for every palate. (Except Mystery Dinner & Chef's table).

This offer has been spotted on Freedom of the Seas, but there's no word yet if this new dining package will be offered on any other Royal Caribbean ships.

Currently on Freedom of the Seas, there are three specialty restaurants with individual costs higher than the package's daily rate:

• Chops Grille: $35 per person
• Giovanni's Table: $25 per person
• Sabor Modern Mexican: $25 per person

With this ultimate dining package, a person could save up to $105 on their cruise compared to paying for the restaurants on their own.

UPDATE: Other readers have reported the ultimate dining package is being offered on Liberty of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas as well.

Photo by Debby Smith

Will you purchase the ultimate dining package?  Tell us what you think in comments below!

Many of the popular cruise ports have public spots that are great for watching Royal Caribbean ships leave.  While we all wish we could be on those ships, seeing them up close is perhaps the next best thing.

If you are in the Seattle area, there's a great spot for anyone wanting to view Royal Caribbean cruise ships (as well as other cruise line ships) departing and heading up Puget Sound to the Straight of Juan De Fuca before heading to the Pacific Ocean.

Public spots to see cruise ships leave

Probably the best two spots are Carkeek and Richmond Beach parks for the views.  

You can also watch the ships from Elliot Bay Marina (Pier 91 is where Jewel of the Seas departs from).   Golden Gardens is also a good spot to see the ships leave as well.

Myrtle Park & Centennial park are between Piers 66 & 91 along the Seattle waterfront, where can catch views of ships leaving both ports.

Pier 66

Myrtle Park

There is a small park in Ballard suburb of Seattle called Sunset Park, which has a magnificent sweeping view from up high, and is very tranquil.

For the Pier 66 ships (downtown Seattle), head over to Anthony's Bell Street Diner, because you can get close to the ships and wave to the excited cruisers as they sail away.  You will feel liek you're sailing away with them!  

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

Episode 94 is available for downloading where we explore what you need to know about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska.

Alaska cruises have been a staple of Royal Caribbean's deployments for years and this week, we discuss various aspects of planning a cruise to Alaska, including what you should pack, the ports you will visit and differences between an Alaska cruise and other cruises.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 94. 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!

Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, will be reaching a milestone in her construction progress that will bring her one step closer to her debut.

Right now, Harmony of the Seas' metal shell is about 80% complete and the last blocks will be installed in early June.  Following that, she should be set afloat later that month.

Once Harmony of the Seas is floating in water, the next phase of her construction progress can begin.

Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class cruise ship, will have her inaugural cruise in June 2016.

Check out these new construction photos that were posted on Mer et Marine and are all copyright STX France by Bernard Biger.

Royal Caribbean has filled its Quantum-class cruise ships with a slew of specialty restaurant choices and among them is Royal Caribbean's flagship specialty restaurant, Chops Grille. 

Chops Grille has been a fan favorite choice for years and on Quantum of the Seas, we took the opportunity to see if this Royal Caribbean classic holds up on its newest class of ships.

On Quantum of the Seas, the restaurant features an updated menu that offers what you would likely find at any great American steakhouse on land.  There's a mix of choices that have been staples of the restaurant along with some new choices, most notably dry-aged steaks.  Dry-aged steaks are aged for nearly four weeks to enhance the flavor, tenderness and aroma.  Royal Caribbean is particularly proud to be offering dry-aged steaks first at sea and it's a tremendous addition.

Atmosphere

Chops Grille is located in the aft section of deck 5, near the Schooner Bar.  Despite being onboard the ship for a few days at the time we dined here, I still found myself wondering where exactly it was located.  Odds are you will not be passing it by often as you walk around the ship (unlike Jamie's Italian or Wonderland) but once you look it up on a map, it's simple enough to find.

If you've been to any other Chops Grille on other Royal Caribbean ships, you will likely feel right at home at Chops Grille on Quantum of the Seas.  The restaurant's familiar use of browns, reds and yellows give the restaurant an "earth tone" decor.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the Chops Grille on Quantum of the Seas to be more well-lit than other restaurants I've been to.

Chops Grille has never had much of a real theme other than looking like a nice steakhouse.  You will find a large room with tables in the center and booths on the edges.  There's some good use of steel or aluminum lighting that seem like they were borrowed from American Icon Grill that give Chops Grille on Quantum of the Seas a little different touch.

For Royal Caribbean fans that been dining at Chops Grille for years, this restaurant will feel a lot like others you have been to.

Eats

Once you are seated, you will be served pretzel bread and butter, which is pretty darn tasty.  It's the kind of bread that you will eat more of it than you probably like because pretzel bread, when done well, is a tasty treat.

The menu at Chops Grille offers a wide selection of appetizers and for your entrees, there's plenty to choose from too.  

To start with, I opted for a Chops Grille classic: French onion soup. A microcosm of the difference between a specialty restaurant and the complimentary restaurant can be found in this soup.  At the Grande, there's a French onion soup served but the one at Chops Grille is far superior because of the ingredients used.  At Chops Grille, there's more cheese, thicker cut of onion and in general it just tastes better.

French onion soup at Chops Grille

French onion soup at The Grande

We also ordered a few appetizers to share at the table, such as the charred beef carpaccio and crab and shrimp cake.  Both were tasty and light choices that we enjoyed.

I mentioned earlier there are a lot of entrees to choose from but considering Chops Grille is a steakhouse, I feel obligated to choose a steak. Since updating Chops Grille's menu, Royal Caribbean offers a number of dry-aged steaks that have an extra cost in addition to other steaks that are included with the price of the restaurant.

I tried the dry-aged steak when I was on Navigator of the Seas and I'll be honest and say I really could not tell much of a difference between the dry-aged steaks and a less expensive steak.  Personally, my palette can appreciate a steak up to a certain level and after that, they all taste the same.  Clearly, I am not a connoisseur of steaks by any means.

We both decided to order from the regular steak menu.  I went with the "petite" New York Strip Steak (6oz) and my table mate opted for the "petite" filet mignon (6oz).

Both steaks tasted great and my only regret is I ordered too little steak.  I went with the petite cut because I always left the restaurant feeling stuffed but not the case this time!

I think we both agreed the steaks were great and by far it's the best cut of beef we had onboard the ship.  

The hidden gem of any Chops Grille visit are the sides. There side dishes are designed to be shared among the people at your table and they are generally really, really good.  So good that I leave some room for them because at my first few visits years ago, I would stuff myself before realizing the sides are so darn good.

We ordered gruyere cheese tater tots, roasted mushrooms, mashed potatoes and grilled jumbo asparagus.  All were quite good except for the tater tots.  The cheese gave it a very odd texture and next time I will go with the french fries instead.  

For dessert, I always order the same thing at Chops Grille and for good reason.  The red velvet cake is something I always pick and I've never been disappointed with it.   On this visit, the cake was as good as I remembered and I can continue to recommend it as a great choice.

Overall

The reason I go to Chops Grille on almost every Royal Caribbean cruise I go on is because of how consistently good it is.  Some restaurants are a bit of a gamble in the sense that they can be hit or miss but Chops Grille has been always a good experience and on Quantum of the Seas, it's more of the same.

If you have dined at Chops Grille many times as well, you will find Chops Grille to be a familiar choice and very similar to other Chops Grille restaurants across the fleet.  If you're new to Royal Caribbean, Chops Grille is a solid choice for anyone that wants a really good specialty restaurant experience.  Great food, good service and a moderate cost are what you will find at Chops Grille.

There's many online that will debate the merits of the dry-aged steaks on the menu and if they are worth it.  If you want to sample the very best steaks out there, there's no question dry-aged are in style and perfect for you.  But if you just want a good steak without the additional cost, the steaks included on the menu will do you just fine.

I think on my next trip to Chops Grille, I will sample some non-steak choices just to mix things up.