Welcome back to Friday Photos, our weekly showcase of Royal Caribbean photos that were taken by readers of this blog.  

Every week, we ask our readers to send us their best Royal Caribbean vacation photos to be considered for this post and you're welcome to send yours in as well. We'd love to feature photos of the ships, excursions, activities onboard and anything else that reminds you of a great time while sailing with Royal Caribbean.

So without further adieu, here is this week's batch of photos.

First up is this photo of sunrise at Royal Caribbean's private island of Labadee by Jeff Poole.  Yup, looks like paradise!

Here's another sunrise photo, this one taken by Tom and Diane Trudnowski of sunrise while headed to Key West, Florida.  I never get sick of these sun rise or sunset photos!

Next up is a photo of Anthem of the Seas by Neil Barnes on her first day in Southampton.  She's a beauty and I can't wait to sail aboard Anthem sometime soon!

Here we have a clear sunset photo from Quantum of the Seas taken by Kim Olsen.  Looks gorgeous, doesn't it?

Last, but not least, we have a photo by Keith Davis of a "sand man" that his daugher created in Megan's Bay.  What a neat idea!

Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos this week.  Be sure to send your photos in as well by using this form.

Royal Caribbean announced it has selected of Mullen Lowe of Boston, Massachusetts to handle the cruise line's creative marketing efforts.

Pending successful contract negotiations, Mullen Lowe will will become Royal Caribbean's creative agency, replacing J. Walter Thompson.  Mullen Lowe was selected after an extensive agency review process that began back in February 2015.

“After an extensive search we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Mullen Lowe,” said Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “We are impressed by their strategic and creative thinking, which matches the energy and innovative imagination of our brand."

Mullen Lowe, an award-winning agency which was named to Ad Age’s Agency A-List in three of the past five years and also named a CreativityInnovator of the Year in 2014,  is part of the Interpublic Group of agencies.

In the first nine months of 2014, Royal Caribbean spent $58 million in measured media, according to Kantar. For all of 2013, the brand invested $81 million.

Royal Caribbean was awarded Best Cruise Operator for the seventh year in a row by Travel Weekly China and TTG China.

Both awards honor the best in the travel industry and recognize leaders in many aspects of travel, such as hotels and resorts, travel destinations, cruise lines, online travel and more.

Royal Caribbean Vice President of North Asia & China Dr. Zinan Liu commented on the award, “We are absolutely thrilled to receive these two prestigious trade awards once again.  As these awards are voted on by travel agents and consumers across the country, it is an honor to have the support and confidence in our brand from our valued travel partners and the market. This is a great accomplishment for the Royal Caribbean International team and we will continue to offer our partners and guests the best products and service.”

“These awards identify the industry’s finest,” said Rebecca Zhang, Travel Weekly’s Publisher in China. “The professionals who read and rely on trade media have the expertise to select those business, destinations and hotels that provide higher level of service to their clients. Our readers can be confident that these winners represent the best this industry has to offer.”

Royal Caribbean will be raising its recommended gratuities for sailings that depart on or after July 1, 2015.

The new recommended daily gratuity amount will be $12.95 per day, per guest for those occupying standard accommodations and $15.95 per person, per day for those in suites.

The new gratuity rate takes effect on sailings that depart on or after July 1, 2015.  Guests that pre-pay their gratuities for existing reservations before June 1st will be able to lock-in the current rate of current guideline of $12.00 per day, per guest in standard accommodations, and $14.95 per day, per suite guest.

Royal Caribbean says the new gratuity amount, "will help recognize the exceptional work that Royal Caribbean's staff and crew does to deliver unforgettable vacations every day."

Tip of the hat to Katina Bradley for alerting us to this change.

EDIT: For clarification, any reservations that you have already made you can have Pre Paid Gratuities added prior to June 1, 2015 if you haven't already and still pay today's current rate for Junior Suites and below of $12.00 per person per day or $14.95 per person per day for suite guests.

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

Episode 93 is available for downloading where we discuss what you need to know about formal night on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

It seems like planning for formal night on your Royal Caribbean cruise causes many folks anxiety about what (not) to wear so this week, Matt discusses the reality of formal night and helps set expectaions for what these evenings really entail.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 93. 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!

Chef Devin Alexander, known from the popular TV series "The Biggest Loser", is proud to open her restaurant onboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. Putting flavor first, Chef Devin gives "healthy a 180" with guilt free dining at Devinly Decadence.

Royal Caribbean announced it will skip a scheduled stop in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico today for Jewel of the Seas due to violence in the area.

Royal Caribbean director of global corporate communications commented on the change, "The call to Puerto Vallarta was canceled due to the recently experienced episodes of violent civil unrest, stemming from criminal gangs that have engaged in armed conflict with local authorities.  We also canceled Celebrity Infinity's call on Sunday. We will continue to monitor the situation in Puerto Vallarta."

Criminal violence in Mexico has been a primary reason why Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines have avoided offering more cruises on the west coast of the United States.

Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas made her first visit to the island of Bermuda over the weekend and was welcomed with a special ceremony.

Photo by Bernews

It's customary to welcome new vessels that visit a port for the first time and for Liberty of the Seas, a short ceremony was held on May 9th onboard the ship.  

During the ceremony, a traditional maritime plaque was exchanged.

Bermuda's Minister of Tourism Development and Transport, Shawn Crockwell, spoke about the occasion, “This ship is simply stunning and definitely lives up to its reputation – designed with pure pleasure in mind. She features an abundance of phenomenal onboard experiences; there is something here for everyone.”

“She is beautiful and we are delighted that you chose Bermuda as a destination this summer, giving your guests an opportunity to experience our beauty, our charm and the warmth and friendliness of our people,” added Minister Crockwell.​

Royal Caribbean announced a 3-day onboard credit bonus offer just in time for Mothers Day.

Residents of the United States and Canada who make a new booking today through Sunday will receive up to $50 onboard credit for their cruise.

Additionally, the Mothers Day onboard credit booking bonus is combinable with Royal Caribbean's Celebrate and Save offer for the month of May, where vacationers who make a new booking will enjoy buy-one-one-get-one-half-off the second guest in the same stateroom, plus up to an additional $200 savings, depending on the room category they choose. 

Here are the terms and conditions for the Mothers Day Weekend WOW combinable bonus offer: 

• Booking Window: May 8-10, 2015 
• Sailing Window: All sailings departing on or after June 8, 2015, excluding Quantum of the Seas 
• Up to $50 onboard credit per stateroom bonus: 
  • $25 OBC per stateroom – Interior / Ocean View 
  • $50 OBC per stateroom – Balcony / Suites 

Royal Caribbean announced yesterday that it had ordered a fourth Quantum-class cruise ship and analysts seem to think this move will add more capacity to North America.

UBS Investment Research Robin Farley thinks the new ship will increase Royal Caribbean's North American cruise capacity, "Two of Royal Caribbean's four Quantum-class orders are already announced to be home-ported in China, so for the North American market, this order is the second Quantum-class ship.  Plus, Royal Caribbean also has five other ships on order."

Royal Caribbean has not officially announced any details about this fourth Quantum-class ship beyond the fact it has indeed placed an order for it.  The ship's name, homeport and onboard offerings will likely not be known until closer to the ship's launch.

Royal Caribbean just launched its second Quantum-class ship, Anthem of the Seas, with the third Quantum-class ship, Ovation of the Seas, due for delivery in 2016.