Royal Caribbean has begun a new policy of offering complimentary drink vouchers per night to select levels of Crown and Anchor Society members to help offset congestion in its Diamond and Concierge lounges.

Emails are starting to go out to Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members who have an upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise booked to alert them about this new policy.

The SeaPass card of each eligible Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club member will be loaded with three drink vouchers for each night of the sailing. Vouchers expire daily. Drinks vouchers are not valid in the main dining room, the Windjammer Café or in specialty restaurants. 

It's widely believed this new policy of offering drink vouchers is an attempt by Royal Caribbean to offset crowding in its Diamond and Concierge lounges.

This new policy will be rolled out to the entire fleet by Fall 2014.

Which ships are offering it right now is in flux, but we know that at the latest Freedom of the Seas will by July, Navigator of the Seas by September.

Royal Caribbean is once again moving deeper into Asia by establishing an office in Hong Kong to compliment the company's offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

In addition, Voyager of the Seas will be homeported in Hong Kong for 22 cruises next summer.  Voyager of the Seas had previously sailed out of Shanghai and Beijing when previously sailing out of China.

Voyager of the Seas will offer a six-night cruise out of Beijing (Tianjin) on June 26, 2015, where she will sail to her new homeport of Hong Kong.  Voyager of the Seas will remain in Hong Kong through October 2015 and offer cruises of three- to ten-night sailings.

Voyager of the Seas will visit Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as destinations in China.

Royal Caribbean will preview its Dynamic Dining concept that will debut on Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas to the 32nd annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, June 20-22, 2014.

On Friday, June 20, Royal Caribbean is showcasing three of its next-level signature dining options on Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas at the Grand Tasting Pavilion, including: 

• Jamie’s Italian
• Devinly Decadence at Solarium Bistro
• Michael’s Genuine Pub

​

On Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22, Royal Caribbean will continue showcasing Dynamic Dining fare at the Grand Tasting Pavilion by spotlighting four of the complimentary, full-service restaurants on Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas: 

• The Grande, a luxuriant nod to a bygone era of classic European ocean liners when dining was a time honored ritual, featuring timeless dishes, and where every night is formal night (Saturday only);
• Silk, a vibrant and exotic destination where the spices of the Far East bring new flavor to adventurous palates through a Pan-Asian menu (Saturday only);
• American Icon Grill, a take on the classic American road trip, pulling together best-loved regional favorites into one comfort-style menu (Sunday only);
• Chic, where the height of contemporary cuisine is realized and the freshest ingredients, such as proteins that pack a punch and sauces made from scratch, are evolved for a modern palate (Sunday only).

Not to out do themselves, Royal Caribbean is presenting the Wonderland at Food & Wine Classic event at the top of Aspen Mountain. 

Robotics Online has a great piece about the new RoboScreens coming to Royal Caribbean's Quantum-class cruise ships. 

Six 100” video screens attached to six industrial robots that were developed by ABB RoboScreens are a big reason Royal Caribbean will be taking on-board entertainment on its newest class of cruise ships to the next level.

Onboard it's upcoming Quantum-class cruise ships, guests will find these amazing innovations in the Two70 signature venue. 

A RoboScreen is a graphical screen mounted to the arm of an ABB articulated arm robot, which creates a unique viewer experience by bringing virtually unlimited, 6-axis movement to the video media. Available in various sizes, the Two70° RoboScreens feature six ABB IRB 6620 robots, each holding a 100” diagonal Daktronics LED screen.

On Royal Caribbean's Quantum-class ships, the RoboScreens are stored in the ceiling when not in use but during shows in Two70, the RoboScreens extend down on the gantry to a position above the stage, displaying unique video and imagery while performing choreographed movements, all custom produced for the specific performance.  

The RoboScreens were developed by Andy Flessas and were first introduced in 2010 as part of the Bon Jovi Circle Tour. They have also been a part of concerts and shows for Kis-My-Ft2, a Japanese Pop band; the Las Vegas house show for deadmau5, world famous music producer and performer; and the Ultra-Music Festival in Miami. 

On the Quantum-class, the RoboScreens will periodically assemble in various formations, such as six screens in a row to form one continuous, long screen; a three by two stack to form one big square screen; or a serpentine row, much like a ‘W’ and a ‘V’ strung together.

The project involves the close collaboration of a number or parties, both within ABB and externally. Being the first installation of an ABB robot on any ship, the ABB Marine Power Group in Helsinki, Finland and the ABB Robotics North American team in Auburn Hills, Michigan worked together for the first time. The ABB PC software team in Gothenburg, Sweden is also involved, working on the programming software and addressing the unique challenges of operating robots at sea.

The external partners include Royal Caribbean, andyRobot, Daktronics, Waagner Biro, the gantry provider, Coolux, the video server manufacturer, and Meyer Werft, the shipbuilder based in Papenburg, Germany.

You can read the full article here.

The weekend is almost here and that means it is once again time to show off our readers' Royal Caribbean cruise photos because, well, we think these photos are a great way to take a quick "virtual trip" back onboard.  Here we go!

I like this photo that Kyle from DC sent us because he titled it, "Now this is the life" and it was taken in St Maarten.  Couldn't agree more!

Next is a photo from Ken Slusser of his Behind the Scenes tour on Allure of the Seas, where he got to see 4000 lobster tails being prepared for dinner. Yum!

Michael Poole sent us this photo of Enchantment of the Seas that he took while on CocoCay.  Not a bad view!

I really like this photo by Richard Todd of Oasis of the Seas tied up next to the Carnival Glory while docked in Nassau.  Great perspective!

Here's a photo of the Royal Promenade on Navigator of the Seas by Jack.  I really love how it looks post-refurbishment!

Great photo of two Royal Caribbean ships docked together in Cozumel by Mary. One is Jewel of the Seas but nbot sure whuch is the other ship behind her.

Our last photo is from Woodrow Herron and he writes, "Wow, just got back from the Allure where we won the "Make a Wish" auction for the Chef's Table for lunch. Had an exceptional lunch served by Executive Chef Lorenzo Dearie paired with wonderful hand selected wines served by Sommelier Rudi Duvenage! Going back and doing it again!"

I think this was a great collection of photos this week and of course we want to see your photos too!  Use this form to send us your best Royal Caribbean photos and we will feature them in an upcoming blog post!

Royal Caribbean has begun looking for a new standalone digital and social media agency to handle its UK operations.

Up until now, a group made up of JWT and Mindshare, based in New York, has handled Royal Caribbean’s $90 million global ad account since 2007.

The cruise line is using Creativebrief to run the process and contact potential agencies.

Royal Caribbean director of sales for the UK and Ireland, Ben Bouldin, told Travel Weekly at a recent trade event that the company has been "great for families" historicaly but the Quantum-class of cruise ships will give the line greater appeal across many markets.

“Royal Caribbean will redefine the cruise experience as we know it,” he said.

“You take our best ships today, Allure and Oasis, and Quantum will feel very different to that.”

Anthem of the Seas will be based out of Southampton, UK in 2015 after sister ship Quantum of the Seas debuts in November 2014 in the United States.

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

Episode 46 is available for downloading and this week we have an exclusive interview with Royal Caribbean's Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir.

Royal Caribbean is hard at work building and designing everything on Quantum of the Seas and we had the chance to speak with Nick Weir, who is in charge of entertainment for this new ship.

Matt asked Nick about the new shows we can expect onboard, insight into some of the decisions Royal Caribbean made and even a peek into what the future may hold.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 46. 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 has a new video showing how it's casting for the brand new shows set to debut on Quantum of the Seas in November 2014.  

Royal Caribbean is in the process of casting for two awe-inspiring shows, which will take place in its 1,300-seat Royal Theater as part of a diverse entertainment offering. The catch is that performers need to be able to participate in both MAMMA MIA!, the award-winning musical featuring all of ABBA’s classic pop hits and Sonic Odyssey, a fusion of experimental music, dance and aerial acrobatics.

Royal Caribbean signed an initial agreement with Taiwan International Ports Co. (TIPC) worth $33.3 million to build a cruise ship pier in outlying Penghu County to allow the company's cruise ships to dock there.

The deal is a joint venture, with Royal Caribbean having a 51 percent stake in the investment and state-owned Taiwan International Ports Corporation holding the remainder.

The new pier will be complete in 2016 and will allow for cruise ships as large as Oasis of the Seas to dock there.

The pier will be Royal Caribbean's first construction project in Asia.

TIPC says the new project will not only boost travel to Penghu but will also raise Taiwan's profile as a cruise destination, as it is likely to increase the number of tourists visiting the country's other ports such as Keelung, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien.

Penghu announced plans to build a cruise port back in February