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.

For one day only, Royal Caribbean is offering a special "Cyber Monday" special of even more onboard credit than its previous offers.

Royal Caribbean is augmenting its "Vow to WOW" deal by increasing the amount of onboard credit it will offer those that book a Royal Caribbean cruise today.

Their Cyber Monday sale will get you:

• Buy one guest, get one guest 50% off
• AND 50% reduced deposit
• AND onboard credit
  • $100 interior ocean view stateroom
  • $250 Balcony stateroom
  • $400 suite stateroom

Offer applies to all Caribbean and Bahamas sailings, departing January 1 – April 30, 2015, excluding Quantum of the Seas. Cruise must be booked December 1, 2014.

Buy One, Get One 50% off is combinable with the adjoining onboard credit offer, Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers. Buy One, Get One 50% off offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, Kids Sail Free). Onboard credit offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO, Kids Sail Free) as well as NextCruise offers. Onboard credit offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts. Neither offer is 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, Shareholder Benefits.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas made her first visit ever to Nassau, Bahamas on Thanksgiving Day last week.

Photo by The Bahamas Weekly

To commemorate the occasion, a special ceremony was held on the ship.  

Director General of Tourism Joy Jibrilu commented on the long history between The Bahamas and Royal Caribbea, "Royal Caribbean has been docking out shores for 44 years, beginning in 1970 with the Song of Norway just six years following the establishment of Tourism as the primary industry for economic development within The Bahamas."

“As time progressed, The Bahamas became the model and leader in the Western Hemisphere, and Royal Caribbean has stayed with us throughout these years. Our Tourism sector has grown by leaps and bounds and similarly, so have you – your first ship, the Song of Norway at 18,000 tons in 1970 and now the Quantum of the Seas weighing in at 169,000 tons, a mere increase of 151,000 tons."

"The expanse and the vested interest Royal Caribbean has maintained in The Bahamas assures that Royal Caribbean has its place in The Bahamas Tourism archives and we are happy that you are our friend and partner."

The ship’s master Captain Srecko Ban said officials of the ship are very proud to bring the unique to Nassau.

“We thank you for your great hospitality,” he said. “We will be coming to your fine port throughout the winter until May. We look forward to a successful partnership in the future,” he said.

Royal Caribbean has just completed its refurbishment work on Voyager of the Seas, which has breathed new life into this ship as well as offered a number of new upgrades. After receving lots of questions related to how where the changes are onboard the ship, we've compiled a list of the changes coming visually.

Deck 2

• Coral Theatre has been renamed La Scala Theatre
• Board Room converted to new staterooms (2246, 2244, 2242, 2240)

Deck 3

• Coral Theatre has been renamed La Scala Theatre
• Added staterooms (3620, 3622, 3624, 3626, 3628)
• The Vault removed and replaced with Category Q inside staterooms (3021, 3025, 3029, 3035, 3039; 3023, 3027, 3031, 3037; 30011, 3003; 3019, 3017, 3015; 3005, 3007, 3009, 3011, 3013)
• Photo & Art Gallery removed and replaced with Category I ocean view staterooms (3700, 3702, 3704, 3706, 3708, 3710, 3712, 3714, 3716, 3718, 3720, 3722, 3724, 3726, 3728)
• Focus added
• Carmen Dining Room renamed Sapphire Dining Room

Deck 4

• Coral Theatre has been renamed La Scala Theatre
• The Vault replaced with Giovanni's Table
• Aquarium Bar replaced with The Tavern
• Aquarium Bar replaced with Art Gallery
• La Boheme Dining Room renamed Sapphire Dining Room

Deck 5

• Cleopatra's Needle has been renamed Star Lounge
• Conniusseur Club renamed The Golden Room
• Ben and Jerry's now called Ice Cream Parlor 
• Champagne Bar replaced with R-Bar
• Magic Flute Dining Room renamed Sapphire Dining Room

Please note deck plans show Royal Promenade shops no longer on plans but we believe they are still there

Deck 6

• Stateroom 6137 added
• Business Services replaced by Next Cruise desk

Deck 7

• Stateroom 7139 added

Deck 8

• Stateroom 8237 added
• Royal Caribbean Online renamed RC Online

Deck 9

• Stateroom 9237 added
• Inside staterooms converted to virtual balcony staterooms

Deck 10

• Stateroom 1233 added
• Stateroom 1557, 1671, 1677 converted from Category L to category K
• Category L staterooms converted to Category J virtual balcony staterooms

Deck 11

• Bridge Overlook renamed Peek-A-Boo Bridge Overlook
• Day Spa & Fitness Center renamed Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center
• Outdoor movie screen added
• Portofino replaced with Chops Grille
• Island Grill removed
• Florist removed

Deck 12

• Staterooms added around bow area of ship
• Day Spa & Fitness Center renamed Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center
• Video Arcade added
• Optix Teen Disco renamed Teen Disco
• Adventure Beach renamed Outdoor Youth Area

Deck 13

• In-line track replaced with FlowRider surf simulator

Deck 14

• Cloud Nine and Seven Hearts rooms replaced with Izumi restaurant
• 19th Hole replaced with Diamond Club

Deck 15

• No changes

If it's Friday, that means we are sharing our reader's best Royal Caribbean photos in this week's Friday Photos showcase.  As always, we want to include as many of our readers photos as we can, so be sure to send us your best Royal Caribbean photos too!

We begin with this photo by Ken Slusser of Mariner of the Seas docked alongside Allure of the Seas in Cozumel back in 2013.  Two beautiful ships!

Michael Poole sent in this photo of Enchantment of the Seas and she looks just as good as the day she entered service!

Carol Jahns sent us this photo of her grandson, Tucker, while on their Allure of the Seas cruise. Tucker liked the cruise so much they had to take him back on Oasis of the Seas the following year.

Here's a photo by Paul Westbrook of Cafe Promenade, which I always feel is a great choice to stop in and see what they're offering.

Lastly, we have our first Quantum of the Seas photo to make the Friday Photos!  It's from Catherine Elgie-Peters and it's of sunset aboard this brand new ship. Love it!

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos this week and if you have Royal Caribbean photos, well, we want to see them!  You can use this form to send us your photos and we will feature them on an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas made her first visit to Port Canaveral today as part of its Bahamas cruise.

The ship arrived early this morning and will leave Cape Canaveral at 10pm.

Many thanks to blog reader Mike Eads for providing these photos.

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

Episode 69 is available for downloading where Royal Caribbean CIO Bill Martin joins Matt once again on the podcast.

This week, Bill Martin returns to talk about how the technology on Quantum of the Seas is working so far and what's next for the company.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 69. 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 Voyager of the Seas has finished her month-long $80 million refurbishment that has upgraded much of the ship from stem to stern.

Voyager of the Seas received a number of upgrades including

• FlowRider surf simulator
• Virtual balcony staterooms
• 3D movie theater
• Wayfinder digital signage
• New Diamond Club 
• New Restaurants
  • Izumi
  • Giovanni's Table
  • Chops Grille

The work done to Voyager of the Seas was completed by Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore and was the largest revitalization project ever completed in Singapore.

Voyager of the Seas is now sailing to Sydney, where she will begin her 2014/2015 winter-spring season. She will then return to Singapore next April to feature a 10-night cruise to Tokyo calling at Nha Trang, Hong Kong, Taipei (Keelung) and Nagasaki. The ship also will homeport in Hong Kong from June to October 2015 with 22 roundtrip sailings ranging from three- to 10-nights and visit ports-of-call including Okinawa, Nagasaki, Japan; Jeju, South Korea; Sanya, China; Ho Chi Minh and Hue/Danang (Chan May), Vietnam.

One of Royal Caribbean's biggest competitors is Carnival Cruise Line and they recently kicked off a multi-brand promotion that is taking aim at Royal Caribbean.

Carnival is asking its web site visitors to view some new TV commercials, one of which is entitled, "No Robots", where the video talks about how robots aren't something you want on your cruise vacation.  

The robots on a cruise they the ad alludes to is a pretty clear reference to Quantum of the Seas, which recently launched with a number of new innovations, including robot bartenders and robot screens.

November is almost over and that means time is running out of 2014, but that also means that we're close to 2015 and already next year is shaping up to be a big year for Royal Caribbean.

If you're considering booking a Royal Caribbean cruise for 2015 and want to be a part of Royal Caribbean taking a step forward, then consider these cruises (assuming there's still availability).

5. Explorer of the Seas refurbishment 

Explorer of the Seas will be the last of the Voyager class ships to get a ship-wide refurbishment next year and when she emerges from her month-long dry dock session, she will be a brand new ship.

Changes coming include a new FlowRider surf simulator, 3D movie theatre and a new range of onboard restaurants. There will also be refurbished staterooms and suites, plus virtual balcony staterooms. 

In late April 2015, Explorer of the Seas will offer three- to 16-night roundtrip itineraries from Southampton, England to the Mediterranena, Canary Islands and Northern Europe.

4. Allure of the Seas goes to Europe - May 2015

Allure of the Seas is heading to the Mediterranean in May 2015 to spend the summer season in Europe instead of the Caribbean.

This will be the first time an Oasis-class ship has left Florida to spend an entire season in a different region.

Allure of the Seas will offer seven-night cruises from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Marseilles, France; and La Spezia, Civitavecchia (near Rome) and Naples, Italy. Passengers can join the ship either in Barcelona or Civitavecchia.

3. Liberty of the Seas comes to New York - May 2015

A little lost in all the excitement over the Quantum class is the fact Liberty of the Seas is coming to the Big Apple in 2015.

Having a Freedom-class ship based in New York is a big deal and while she may not be as new as Quantum of the Seas or Anthem of the Seas, she is a rather large ship that offers quite a bit.  Broadway shows, great onboard dining, FlowRider and so much more.

Liberty of the Seas tends to "fly under the radar" when it comes to Royal Caribbean hype but she's a wonderful ship and for a New York market that has been used to Explorer of the Seas for the most part, Liberty will be a big deal.

2. Quantum of the Seas begins epic journey to China - May 2015

As we all know, Quantum of the Seas is heading to China but her journey there is a cruise experience in of itself.

Royal Caribbean has organized a 53-night cruise around the world for Quantum as she makes her way to the far east.  Epic is the least of the adjectives to use for this kind of a cruise.

Starting on May 2, 2015, Quantum of the Seas will depart the New York City area and head to Shanghai (Baoshan), China and stop at some of the most cosmopolitan cities along the way.

If 53-nights is a bit too much, you can also choose from five other mini-sailings built into the 53-night affair, ranging from three to 16 nights.

• An 11-night Ocean Voyage – Cape Liberty to Spain cruise, departing May 2, 2015, from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J., to Barcelona, Spain, with calls at Ponta Delgada, Azores; and Cartagena and Palma De Mallorca, Spain, 

• A 16-night Suez Canal – Barcelona to Dubai itinerary, departing May 13, with calls at Rome (Civitavecchia) and Naples/Capri, Italy; Athens (Piraeus), Greece; and Aqaba, Jordan, 

• A 14-night India & Southeast Asia itinerary, departing May 29, which features overnights in Dubai, UAE; Cochin, India; and Singapore, as well as calls at Muscat, Oman; and Penang, Malaysia, 

• A 3-night Short Malaysia itinerary, departing roundtrip from Singapore on June 12 , calling at Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Malaysia, 

• And a nine-night Exotic Asia itinerary that departs June 15 from Singapore to Shanghai (Baoshan), China, with calls at Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam; Xiamen, China; and an overnight in Hong Kong. 

1. Anthem of the Seas inaugural cruise - April 2015

In 2015, it will be all about Anthem of the Seas, as she debuts in Southampton, England to the public. Like sister ship Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas will offer a brand new cruise ship experience.  Unlike Quantum, this ship will stick around England and North America for a while longer so there's more opportunity to see her.

Inaugural cruises are always a big celebration and if Quantum of the Seas' inaugural was any indication, there will be a lot of hype coming with Anthem's first official cruise.