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 

A new Royal Caribbean brochure was released showing the most in-depth look at the layout of Anthem of the Seas we have seen yet.

The cut-away image shows the insides of the Quantum-class cruise ship and gives guests a good indication of how this ship is laid out, especially venues that are new to this class.

Thanks to Lloyd for alerting us to this find!

Happy Friday! We've got a slew of great Royal Caribbean photos that our readers have sent in and each Friday we showcase them right here for all of you. Enjoy!

I can never have enough sunsets, so we will start off with this photo of a sunset in the Caribbean from Kyle.  Love it!

Ken Slusser sent us this photo of Enchantment of the Seas' pool deck from his June 2012 cruise.  Ken mentions they had great weather and really enjoyed the ship!

Here's a photo of Rhapsody of the Seas as she departs Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia by Wes Brown.  Wes took the photo from the Opera Bar, Sydney Opera House.

Mary sent us this photo from Maho Beach in St Marten of an airplane landing.  I loved visiting this little tourist trap because, well, it's just so cool to see the planes land like this.

Next is a photo from John Siegmund of aerial performers from Renaissance Aerial Spectacular on Vision of the Seas.  Awesome show!

Michael Poole sent us this photo of what he does when he firsts boards any Royal Caribbean ship.  He finds these little maps to find his away around. This is from his Oasis of the Seas cruises in 2013.

Did I mention I like sunset photos? Here's another one from Don Harlan from his Serenade of the Seas cruise.  This one was from the Mediterranean so we're expanding our collection of sunset pics.

Our last photo this week comes from Mike Jones and it was taken n Flam, Norway.  While on Independence of the Seas he snapped this photo with the ship and mountains (or are they fjords?) in the background.  Spectacular!

Be sure to send us your Royal Caribbean photos so we can feature them here too!  Use this form to send us your photos and we will include them in future posts.  Have a great weekend!

Royal Caribbean bartender Shekhar Grover was awarded best cruise line bartender by Diageo Reserve World Class Final event in Miami.  Shekhar impressed with his "incredible showmanship, inventive cocktail-making and unrivalled flair".

Shekhar, 27, competed against 5,500 bartenders from other cruise lines  He and fellow competitors were tested on different aspects of their craft, creativity and bartending knowledge.

The winning drink for Shekhar was the 'French Royale' featuring CÎROC Vodka.

Shekhar will now advance to the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year Global Final taking place July 28th in London, where he will compete against 50 of the world's best bartenders to be named bartender of the year.

Shekhar works on Oasis of the Seas and was quite happy to win the award, "I'm thrilled to win the WORLD CLASS Global Travel Final and I'm very excited to be going forward to represent cruise-line bartenders at one of the industry's most prestigious and respected mixology competitions. I've been inspired and challenged by many talented bartenders over the last few weeks and I'm really looking forward to using the skills and knowledge that I've developed through the program to wow the judges."

Recipe for Shekhar's signature serve: the 'French Royale'  

Ingredients  

• CÎROC Vodka
• Sauternes Dessert Wine
• Fresh Grapes
• Fresh Lime Juice
• Crème De Cassis

Recipe: 

1. Muddle fresh grapes in a Shaker Glass, add fresh lime juice and sugar syrup
2. Then add CÎROC Vodka and dessert wine. Add a splash of Crème de Cassis and cubed ice. Shake all the ingredients well and double strain in a chilled martini glass

Glassware: Martini glass

Garnish: Cassis infused skinned black grape (soak overnight)

Moment Factory is the company behind the brand new stage show "Starwater" that will debut on Quantum of the Seas later this year and Eric Fournier, partner and leading producer, was interviewed by La Presse about this new show.

Starwater is a 55-minute show and will feature 16 dancers, three singers and a cellist as well as that is able to capture the movement of spectators. One hundred people have been working on the project since last January.

Fournier had previously worked on the visual aspect of shows for Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Nine Inch Nails and more recently Miley Cyrus and Arcade Fire.  His company then wanted to work on something more their own.

Fournier recalled, "This project marks a new milestone for us. It is a little extension of what we did for the Festival of Lights in Lyon. Our ambition has always been to go beyond the visual surround. We think we can take our multimedia expertise and expand it."

The show will take place in the five hundred seat lounge, Two70, and multimedia projections across robotic panels will be displayed using what Moment Factory created.

A dozen "air capsules" on the themes of the sea or space will also be broadcast throughout the duration of the cruise in this theater. "These are vignettes, immersive environments under the sea, in the air and in space," says Eric Fournier.

"With its new generation of ships, Royal Caribbean wanted to push up the use of multimedia for its entertainment offerings, said the producer. We therefore relied on the media as the anchor around which other elements are added to a show. "

Royal Caribbean has signed a 10 year maintenance and technical support agreement with Wärtsilä to support the cruise line's fleet of ships.

Wärtsilä will provide services to Royal Caribbean such as condition monitoring of the engines, individualized technical support, the development and design of new components as well as spare parts supply agreement. 

Wärtsilä has subcontracted with ABB Turbocharging to cover 142 Wärtsilä engines and 170 ABB turbochargers in 36 Royal Caribbean vessels, 32 already in operation and four newbuilds, with an option to add more vessels in the future.

ABB Turbocharging will work with Wärtsilä to provide a customized service package for the turbochargers on the vessels, including scheduled and unscheduled spare parts and labor at ABB workshop.

Royal Caribbean announced its lineup of entertainment for its newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas during a live event on the Internet.

Royal Caribbean reviewed some of the entertainment we already knew about for Quantum of the Seas as well as pulling the curtains back even further to show off other shows.

Much more detail was revealed about Two70°, the multi-purpose venue that will offer Vistarama, which transforms its expansive floor-to-ceiling windows into any scene, real or imagined, by combining 18 projectors to create an ambient surface over 100 feet wide and over 20 feet tall. Across this expanse, impromptu digital shows come to life in stunning 12K resolution, a pixel-perfect industry first. In addition, Two70°’s troupe of six agile Roboscreens stage surprise performances throughout every cruise. Each measuring over seven feet high and controlled by powerful robotic arms, the Roboscreens are delightfully nimble, as they create scenes while soaring and twisting solo, or uniting as one.

Other shows announced were

Starwater – created by Moment Factory, this original Royal Caribbean production is a highly visual, theatrical spectacle of video mapping, special effects and human artistry that combine to create an awe-inspiring experience designed to appeal to universal human emotions.

Virtual Concert – a world-class concert experience featuring premier musicians, groups and bands that is masterfully captured and projected across Vistarama and all six Roboscreens to transport guests to a virtual experience as impressive as the real thing.

Sonic Odyssey – an original Royal Caribbean Production, conceived and created by William Close, Under The Radar Chicago and Art House Live, is inspired by musician and innovator William Close and his variety of one-of-a-kind majestic instruments. This unbelievable production includes his signature Earth Harp, a unique Drum Wall consisting of 136 drums, a Vocal Percussion Jacket, Violin Dress and more. Sonic Odyssey is an original, theatrical masterpiece that weaves together a nine-piece live orchestra with a cast of singers, dancers, aerialists and gymnasts to envelop the audience in a spectacular show that must be seen and heard to be believed. 

MAMMA MIA! After Party – when MAMMA MIA! ends in the Royal Theater, the party is just beginning in Music Hall, where guests can dance the night away during a red carpet, Broadway-style after party with featured cast members from the show 

Tribute Band Program – an extensive line-up of incredibly talented live musical acts pay homage to timeless entertainers from every era, from The Beatles and Bee Gees, to Journey and Bon Jovi 

Wink – a premium late-night show with class and sass, featuring the Royal Theater cast in an adults-only showcase.

Gatsby - Guests are transported to one of Jay Gatsby’s infamous roaring twenties parties through this high-energy themed event that combines a DJ and live music and features specialty cocktails inspired by the era.

Quantum Experience Advisor Kristin Chenoweth and Royal Caribbean's VP of Entertainment Nick Weir give us a sneak peek into the exciting entertainment updates planned for Quantum of the Seas.

The live event begins at 4pm eastern

We've got a brand new Royal Caribbean Blog podcast for everyone to enjoy!

Episode 45 is now available all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise during hurricane season.

This week, Matt discusses the good and bad about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise during hurricane season as well as what you should expect if a storm impacts your particular cruise.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 45. 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!