Quantum of the Seas' naming ceremony  featured godmother Kristin Chenoweth and rth Harp musician, William Close.

Who doesn't enjoy something cool to drink and look at?  I love when there's new takes on old favorites and today we ran across something too neat to pass up.

Photo by Jayne Edwards Palao

Onboard Navigator of the Seas, Jayne Edwards Palao shared a photo of these brand new color changing mugs you can get at the pool deck.

The plastic mugs will turn colors as long as there is a cold liquid inside of it.  The mugs change to purple, blue, pink or green.

Photo by Michelle Deangelico

Photo by Michelle Reeve

On All About Royal Caribbean Cruises facebook group, others reported seeing them also available on Independence of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas.

Would you buy one of these color changing mugs? Let us know be leaving a comment!

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

Episode 71 is available for downloading where we offer advice on how to get a deal on your next Royal Caribbean cruise.

Everyone is always looking to snag a deal on their next Royal Caribbean cruise and this week, Matt offers tips and tricks on how to save money when booking a Royal Caribbean cruise.  

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 71. 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!

Today we are taking a closer look at the restaurant on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas where it's formal night, every night, The Grande.

The Grande is one of five complimentary sit down restaurants aboard Quantum of the Seas and it's a throwback to the classic days of cruising where everyone is dressed up and the food matches the elegance of the dress.

The Grande is open for dinner and I had a chance to check it out for myself to see what it's like to have formal night on a ship that did away with formal night.

Atmosphere

Walking into The Grande, the look and feel of the restaurant is exactly what you might expect to find in a restaurant where getting dressed up is a must.

There's lots of whites with simple, yet elegant designs on the furniture, walls and tables.  The restaurant evokes a sense of classiness that I think most people expect when they hear about a restaurant that is formal.

Unlike the other complimentary restaurants for dinner, The Grande requires its guests to be dressed up. Royal Caribbean does note that Smart Casual dress code is acceptable on embarkation day but other days, it's formal.

For fans of getting dressed up for dinner, the Grande is your restaurant and you can get dressed up as many nights as you want when you dine here.

Eats

Like the upscale dress, the menu at The Grande is about traditionally fancy foods.  You will find escargot, bisques, and cuts of meat that are typically found at upscale restaurants.

When you are seated, you are served small baguettes along with butter.  Whereas in the American Icon Grill there were rolls, at the Grande we are moving up to higher end bread.

For appetizers, I started with two choices I had come to really enjoy on Royal Caribbean ships: beef carpaaccio and escargots.

I found both dishes to be just as good as I rememberd on other ships.  The carpaaccio was so thinly sliced that you could not even pick it up with a fork, but had to scrape it off the plate.  

Royal Caribbeans fans will know that escargot was hard to find on many ships due to a worldwide shortage (who knew!) but it was readily available on Quantum of the Seas and with the bread an absolute delight.

Moving onto my entree, I opted for the eggplant Napoleon, which is a combination of Ratatouille and eggplant parmesan.  

This was the kind of entree I could have had another serving to enjoy.  The eggplant was not breaded and together with the goat cheese fondue, tomatoes and spinach created a very vibrant taste.  

Overall

I think of all the complimentary restaurants I ate at on Quantum of the Seas, The Grande was my favorite.  

The dishes served at The Grande are traditional and going with what's known to work I believe is a good angle.

It should be noted The Grande does serve Lobster Tail every night.  I do not eat lobster but I know there are those that always looked forward to "lobster night" on Royal Caribbean cruises and so this is the place for you.  In fact, this is the strength of Dynamic Dining.  Rather than lobster tail just once per cruise, you can now have it every night.

The dress code was not a problem for me because I always enjoyed dressing up for dinner to begin with.  It's not to say you must wear a tuxedo or formal ball gown to eat here.  Rather, a collared shirt and nice pants with appropriate shoes will get you in for men.  Women can opt for a cocktail dress or something equivalent and satisfy the requirements.

I came away impressed with The Grande because of the particularly tasty food, much of which will be familiar to fans of the main dining room on other Royal Caribbean ships.

Royal Caribbean announced its new President and CEO today, Michael Bayley, to be the head of Royal Caribbean International.

Bayley's appointment is effective immediately.

Bayley was previously the CEO of sister company Celebrity Cruises.  Prior to his time at the head of Celebrity, Bayley served in several senior roles at Royal Caribbean International, including Executive Vice President of Operations. He is credited for playing a key role in the company’s international expansion, helping launch company operations in markets around the world.

Bayley replaces Adam Goldstein, who was promoted to Royal Caribbean Ltd Chief Operating Officer back in April of 2014.

Bayley commented on his new position, "Royal Caribbean International is a brand with an incredible history – and unlimited potential. The ships, personified in the new Quantum class, are some of the best and most innovative in the world. And the crews that service Royal Caribbean International guests have a track record of delighting guests from every culture around the world. I look forward to an exciting future as we raise our game to an even higher level of performance."

Royal Caribbean revealed prices for its new Wi-Fi aboard Quantum of the Seas that promises to deliver the same kind of speed you would find on land.

On a recent 8-night sailing, cruiser Emily Schaffer took notice of the internet packages that were available.

The internet packages are broken down into three tiers for the duration of your cruise:

• Basic cruise plan
  • Useful for checking in for flights, checking email and other scenarios where speed isn't important
• Premium cruise plan
  • Four times the speed of the basic plan and ideal for social media, email, Skype, and more
• Premium Plus cruise plan
  • Fastest speeds that let you do it all - live video calls, stream movies, download large files and more.

Here are the prices for this particular cruise:

• Basic cruise plan
  • Hourly plan (60 minutes used anytime): $20
  • Daily plan (24 hours of continuous access): $65
  • Unlimited for 1 device: $183
  • Unlimited for 2 devices: $229
• Premium cruise plan
  • Hourly plan (60 minutes used anytime): $25
  • Daily plan (24 hours of continuous access): $76
  • Unlimited for 1 device: $224
  • Unlimited for 2 devices: $280
• Premium Plus cruise plan
  • Hourly plan (60 minutes used anytime): $35
  • Daily plan (24 hours of continuous access): $114
  • Unlimited for 1 device: $320
  • Unlimited for 2 devices: $400

Photos by Emily Schaffer

Royal Caribbean does offer discounts to Crown and Anchor Society members that are automatically applied to any package purchased.

The new internet speeds are made possible by a partnership with O3b, which have low-orbitting satellites that provide targeted internet directly at each ship, rathern than blanketing an area with access.

Our latest Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast has been released! Check out Episode 70 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast right now.

This week's topic

With Quantum of the Seas bringing lots of attention to cruising from the New York City area, this week we offer tips and advice for cruising into and out of New York as well as tips on what to do in the Big Apple.

In this episode, Matt shares tips for where to stay what to do and a guide for including New York City in your pre or post cruise plans.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 70. 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 brand new Quantum of the Seas is the home of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's newest restaurant, Jamie's Italian.

From the restaurants signature planks of Italian antipasti to delicate handmade pasta, this new restaurant is a must try for foodies.

Good news for Royal Caribbean stock holders as the company's stock will join the ranks of the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500, effective after the close of trading on Thursday, December 4, 2014.

Royal Caribbean replaced Bemis Company Inc on the listing.

The S&P 500 is one of the major stock indices traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is considered one of the top resources used to judge United States market performance. It is a stock market index that seeks to represent the whole stock market. It tracks the 500 most widely held stocks on the New York Stock Exchange.

To be included in the S&P 500, a company must meet the following minimum criteria:

• Be a U.S. company.
• Have a market cap of at least $4 billion.
• At least 50% of its stock must be held by the public.
• Four consecutive quarters of positive earnings.
• A stock price of at least $1 per share.
• Contribute to the overall balance of sectors within the S&P 500, to help it represent the overall market sector make-up.
• Be listed on either the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ.

If you've been on a Royal Caribbean cruise lately, you may have noticed in the Cruise Compass daily activty guide a special event to raise money for Make-A-Wish Foundation and all those fundraisers across Royal Caribbean's fleet has raised nearly a million dollars.

NY1 is reporting that Make-A-Wish Foundation CEO David Williams says Royal Caribbean's onboard events have raised $850,000 in addition to the other things Royal Caribbean does for the charity.

As one of Make-A-Wish’s travel partners, Royal Caribbean donates 200 staterooms a year.

Included in the staterooms are some onboard Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship.  The Grubb family from New Jersey were able to go on Quantum of the Seas as a Make-A-Wish Foundation family because their son Joshua is suffering from brain cancer.  They were invited to be among the first guests onboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas, meeting some of the people who make wishes come true.

Royal Caribbean invites its guests aboard many sailings to take a walk around the pool deck to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  T-shirts are sold at the event, which go directly to the foundation.