Of all the new and intriguing innovations coming to Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, few have captured the public's imagination quite like the virtual balcony.

Photo by Control Group

These 80-inch LED screens offer cruisers in select inside staterooms the opportunity to get views around the cruise ship in real-time displayed in their cabin.  We had a chance to talk with the technical lead of the virtual balcony, Tim Mattison from Control Group, and dive into the details of how he and his team created these new virtual windows to the sea.

From the project's creation, Mattison and his team had a good idea of how they wanted to tackle the project but there definitely some technical hurdles to overcome, "We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to accomplish. There were a few features that were trickier to implement than we thought, but I think the bulk of it was tying together all the different systems it talks to."

So what's so difficult about getting a video feed from one end of the ship and displaying it somewhere else on the ship?  The answer is far more complex than you might think.  Mattison said it took a team of network engineers and software engineers just to get it working in a prototype environment, "there's so much behind the scenes to make it happen."

Tim Mattison and team member working on RED camera. Photo by Control Group

Mattison was particularly proud of the two RED Epic cinematic cameras mounted at the stem and stern of the ship to deliver the video to the virtual balcony displays.

"We had a couple of requirements for a camera and we spent a very, very long time finding a camera that met them.  RED was the only company that would warranty the camera and said it would run indefinitely.  According to RED, we have the record for the longest running RED camera.

We approached plenty of them [other manufacturers] and all of them said our camera will not do this and if we find out that you're doing this, we will not honor your warranty.  RED said please do this, this is what we want you to do with our camera.

The RED camera has fantastic dynamic range and it supports incredible resolutions and the sensor is huge.  This camera supports up to 240 frames per second in certain resolutions."

Interestingly the camera itself supports 4k resolution, which is a generic term for ultra high definition television (UHDTV), and while the output in the virtual balcony is currently downsampled to the virtual balcony's native resolution. In fact, in the future with a few upgrades, the virtual balcony could upgrade to deliver a true 4k experience without major hurdles thanks largely to the RED cameras.

One of the questions our readers wanted to ask Mattison was what happens at night and how good the picture is during the evening.  

Mattison replied simply, "You see basically what you see when you look out the [real] balcony.   But if you have moonlight coming off the waves, you see that.  They wanted it to be as authentic as possible; if you were to look out your balcony and see nothing, that's what you're going to see."

Another good question from our readers was why the virtual balcony shows a view forward or aft but not sideways, like a real balcony does.

Mattison responded, "There was no place to place a port or starboard screen.  If you have a forward screen, you want have it face forward. There were some concerns about sea sickness and things like that. There may be port and starboard views eventually, but that's about all I can say."

From my talk with Mattison and others from Control Group, I got the subtle notion that what we know about virtual balconies today will not be the final version and that more virtual balcony features will be announced in the future.

We also wanted to know if guests can change the view between forward and aft currently.  Mattison said, "No, it was one of the things that was under consideration. We wanted to keep the remote control as simple as possible. And again, with wanting to have an authentic view they wanted to make sure that people couldn't change the view. At least for now.  If you had a real balcony, you can't just say I'd want to see the balcony on the other side."

Mattison did indicate there were no limits to what the technology could do and if Royal Caribbean wanted to allow guests to change the view or offer other views, it could be done, "If people are interested in it, it's totally possible.  There are no limits to the technology that would stop us from doing that.  So if you want it, request it."

Royal Caribbean has signed a 10-year agreement with Port Canaveral to keep a cruise ship presence there for quite a while.

Florida Today reports Royal Caribbean will also provide an additional $48 million to Port Canaveral over the next 10 years as part of an agreement to become the primary user of the new Cruise Terminal 1, scheduled to open in November.

The $48 million will come from a $4 to $5 fee on tickets for Royal Caribbean passengers using Port Canaveral, according to Florida Today. The port plans to use the $48 million to help pay for construction of the $68.5 million terminal complex, which is just east of the Cove restaurant district. That cost includes site work, the gangways and an adjacent 1,000-vehicle parking garage.

The new decade-long agreement will more than double the guaranteed annual revenue to Port Canaveral. By 2024, Port Canaveral will get $18.4 million in guaranteed money compared to just $7 million in 2013.

For Royal Caribbean, the new agreement will allow for more flexibility to move ships into Port Canaveral and even open the door to the cruise line bringing even larger ships to Port Canaveral.

Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Walsh is excited about the new deal, “I’ve literally heard four or five scenarios” on how the shifting of Royal Caribbean ships could affect Port Canaveral For us, it’s a win-win, without tying their hands on flexibility.”

Walsh also indicated that Royal Caribbean will get preferred scheduling at the 188,514-square-foot Cruise Terminal 1, which is being designed to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships. But other cruise lines also will use the terminal.

Walsh said port commissioners likely will vote on the Royal Caribbean deal next month.

Hey everyone! Episode 29 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

This week, Matt is back from his latest Royal Caribbean cruise on Navigator of the Seas and is sharing everything about his experience onboard this newly refurbished ship.  From what's new on the ship to the dining to the ports of call, this episode is full of details from Matt's cruise experience.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 29. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS 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 signed a contract with Mobimar to add the FlowRider surf simulator to Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas.  

Mobimar, a construction firm in Finland, also was contracted to add the FlowRider to Navigator of the Seas, which it already completed.

The FlowRiders will be installed on Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas later this year, with no specific date.  Voyager of the Seas is scheduled for a refurbishment in May 2014 and Explorer of the Seas will have her refurbishment in February 2015.

Each Flowrider module contains the surrounding stands, canopies, lights, water treatment system, Hi-Fog system, piping and cabling connections to the ship. The installation of each module requires approximately 30 days with minor advance preparation prior to entry into drydock.

Mobimar has been Royal Caribbean's partner for installing FlowRiders on its cruise ships since 2004 when it added them to Freedom of the Seas.  Mobimar is also working currently to add a FlowRider to Quantum of the Seas.

Tip of the hat to CruiseCurrents for the news.

Royal Caribbean has added two roundtrip cruises out of the port of Los Angeles, California, which marks the cruise line's return to the west coast after a number of years absence.

Jewel of the Seas will offer 7-night cruises on September 26 and October 03, 2015.

The cruises will visit the ports of Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Monterey and Ensenada, Mexico.  The stop at San Francisco will be overnight.

The news confirms a report we posted back in December of a possible return to the west coast for Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean hasn't had a cruise ship based out of Los Angeles since 2010 when Mariner of the Seas left due to violence in Mexico.

Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft have joined forces again to build Quantum of the Seas & Anthem of the Seas. This collaborative partnership has led to new levels in shipbuilding.

Royal Caribbean has released its 2015 Caribbean summer itineraries, including which ship will replace Allure of the Seas out of Port Everglades when she goes to Europe.

Independence of the Seas will be ported in Port Everglades after she crosses the Atlantic in May 2015, returning for its first summer of Caribbean cruises.

Royal Caribbean had announced earlier that it is sending Allure of the Seas to Europe for a summer season in 2015.

Independence of the Seas will offer eastern and western Caribbean itinaries on alternate weeks.  This includes stops in Falmouth, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Labadee for the western Caribbean.  In the eastern Caribbean, she will visit San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Kitts.

Oasis of the Seas, will continue sailing out of Fort Lauderdale as well, with Freedom of the Seas remaining in Port Canaveral.  Both ships will offer 7 night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.

Grandeur of the Seas will remain in Baltimore and offer alternate Bermuda and Canada/New England cruises.

Brilliance of the Seas will sail out of Boston and offer Canada/New England cruises.

Serenade of the Seas will offer 10- to 14-night fall foliage cruises back and forth between Bayonne, N.J., and Quebec City.

Lastly, Liberty of the Seas will sail out of Galveston, Texas to replace Navigator of the Seas.

The newest specialty restaurant to be added to Royal Caribbean's fleet is Sabor Modern Mexican, described as a contemporary twist on traditional Mexican food. 

Sabor first debuted on Navigator of the Seas in February 2014 and we had a chance to try her our to see what exactly "modern Mexican food" really is.  The short answer is it means amazing food.

Atmosphere

Located on deck 4 of Navigator of the Seas, Sabor is in the former Dungeon nightclub.  Unlike any of the other specialty restaurants on Navigator of the Seas, there are no windows to the sea so its a dark establishment with lots of red, yellow and brown colors around you.

It looks like the designers wanted a chic look, so the decor in Sabor is definitely not like your favorite Tex-Mex place down the street.  No maracas, sombreros or cactus' here.

When you walk into Sabor, you will see the restaurant is divided length wise by a divider, with the section farthest from you the longest.  It's not a giant restaurant but certainly not the smallest specialty restaurant either. 

The modern look is what Sabor emphasizes and we found the atmosphere eating in Sabor to be like that of a new restaurant that opened up that everyone is talking about.

Eats

Once you're seated in Sabor, you get the usual menu but one of the complimentary things you will receive is guacamole made right at your table.  

A waiter brings a cart of ingredients around the restaurant and stops eat each table to explain how guacamole is made and shows you as he/she does it right in front of you.

The output is some of the best guacamole I've ever eaten.  Combined with the chips that are also freshly made (I could see the oil on them from the creation process), it's really quite tasty.  

Part of what Sabor tries to do with modern Mexican food is to make sure everything you order is made fresh.  There's a large emphasis placed on how fresh the food is and any foodie will tell you fresh food always tastes the best.

There's also freshly made salsa available as well that is complimentary and it too was quite good.  I'm a salsa fanatic and for me, there is no such thing as too much salsa.  The salsa I sampled was terrific and like the guacamole, some of the best I've ever had perhaps.

Speaking of food made at your table, Sabor also features two margaritas that if ordered can be created at your table as well for $12 each. There's a margarita cart that will come around to create either the sweet and spice margarita or the Sabor Grand Margarita. 

There are a number of other margaritas available, although they are not made at your table.  Just like the guacamole cart, the margarita waiter explains how the drink is created and pours it for you on the spot. Once again, a very tasty margarita albeit an expensive one.

Sabor also features a number of tequilas and tequila flights to choose and if you enjoy a good tequila, there's no question this is the place onboard your Royal Caribbean ship to sample one.  Unfortunately there isn't a way to have a tequila or three without going to the restaurant and paying the cover charge.

Moving onto the food, there's a lot to choose from the menu.  Like most specialty restaurants on Royal Caribbean ships, you can choose as many dishes as you care to order.

The menu offers some traditional Mexican items like tacos and burritos as well as "platos fuertes", which are more authentic Mexican fare.

Assuming you did not fill up on the guacamole and salsa earlier, there are a number of appetizers to consider.  We tried the Queso Fundido, Oaxacan Ceviche of Red Snapper and Sopa de Tortilla.

The queso fundido is your typical cheese dip with a myriad of vegetables mixed into a block of Mexican cheese that is melted down.  Perfect for dipping chips in, the queso was above average what you may find at a Moe's or Chevy's.  

The ceviche was a small serving of fish and fruit and once again, you could taste the freshness of both.  It was light and quite tasty. I think it's a good sign when the reviewer finishes the entire dish alone, and this was the case with the ceviche.

Also unusual was the tortilla soup.  I've had a lot of tortilla soup in my day and this was by far not your typical tortilla soup.  

I felt it was more like Mexican minestrone soup to some degree but aside from its appearance, it was really quite tasty.  It was one of those dishes that is so different than what I'm used to that it's hard to compare but the bottom line is it was good.

By the time you get to your entrees, you might be getting full.  We had to force ourselves to stop eating the guacamole and salsa to save room for our main courses.

Our waiter recommended the chicken and roasted corn empanada and give that I wanted to try something other than a taco, this sounded great. 

The empanadas are fried chicken and corn in a green mole and peanut sauce.  The menu says spicy but I didn't find it spicy at all.  A little kick but nothing I'd warn anyone about.

The empanadas reminded me of a Spring roll that you might find at a Chinese or Thai restaurant.  It was a small dish and definitely something different than what I've ever had. Still, it was quite good and with a little leftover salsa that I put on top, I found this to be really good.

My wife ordered the tres quesos quesadilla, which came out just like she wanted.  I found them a little bland on their own but when dipped in the provided salsa (or dip it in the guacamole), it was a big hit.

Of course there are also side dishes that are really meant to be shared family style with everyone at the table.  

Yuca fries were interesting, reminding me a lot of plantains.  The calabacitas (zucchinim roasted poblano pepper corn, black beans) sounded better than they tasted.  I was trying to be adventurous but I think simple Mexican rice would have been a better choice.

Did we mention dessert yet? If you manage to save room, the good news is Sabor made the dessert ordering decision for you because each table gets an assortment of desserts to share.

I think the shared dessert idea is great because most often in my experience, desserts are something you want to share and something you rarely finish on your own.  Everyone raved about the chocolate banana empanadas, which I enjoyed too despite my aversion to cooked bananas.

Overall

Let me be blunt: Sabor was my best meal I've ever had on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Period.

The quality and taste of the food blew us away and I think it's going to be a massive hit.  In just the two cruises Sabor has been open, the staff at Sabor reported they've been busy every night with customers and I think it makes perfect sense.

The cost is $25 per person, and I've read plenty of people who think it's too high for Mexican.  I think you can easily get your moneys worth and if I had to pick a Royal Caribbean specialty restaurant to eat at tonight, it would be Sabor. The freshly made food really stands out and the quality of the food was impressive.

Sabor is one of the initiatives of Royal Caribbean's new head of food and it along with the new Chops menu is part of the new wave of restaurant choices coming to ships.  If Sabor does well, you can expect it to be added to other Royal Caribbean ships, most notably Quantum of the Seas.

I was quite impressed with my meal at Sabor and for the rest of the cruise, we wished there was an option to eat at Sabor for just the guacamole and chips or the drinks.  To me that says a lot when you want to go back again that quickly.

Sabor Modern Mexican is open for dinner between 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. and we reviewed Sabor Modern Mexican aboard Navigator of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas made her first stop ever at Laem Chabang in Thailand, according to TravelDailyNews.

Mariner of the Seas arrived yesterday and stayed overnight in port and will depart today, February 18.  She is on a 7-night cruise from Singapore which will also call at Ho Chi Minh City. 

As part of the tradition when a cruise ship visits a port for the first time, plaque exchanges were conducted between LT. Sutthinan Hatthawong, Managing Director of Laem Chabang Port and Captain Flemming Nielsen of Mariner of the Seas onboard to commemorate the ship’s maiden call in Laem Chabang.  

Royal Caribbean Executive Vice President of Operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo hinted in a blog post a couple of dining options making their debut first on Navigator of the Seas that we can expect to see on Royal Caribbean's brand new ship, Quantum of the Seas.

Lutoff-Perlo writes, "Meanwhile, Navigator of the Seas’ guests will be the first to get a sneak peek of some of the dining options making their debut on Quantum of the Seas this fall.  Guests on board Navigator will be among the first to enjoy the fully revamped Chops Grille: The New American Steakhouse, featuring traditional steakhouse offerings with a contemporary flair.  Chops Grille on Navigator of the Seas will showcase brand new selections, such as the Veal Chop Parmesan and a Slow-braised Short Rib of Beef with Bordelaise sauce."

Royal Caribbean has been quiet regarding the dining choices coming to Quantum of the Seas and this is the first indication that we will likely see Chops Grille onboard and its new menu.  

Chops Grille has been a staple of Royal Caribbean cruise ships fleetwide, so it's inclusion on Quantum of the Seas is hardly a surprise but one more piece in the puzzle for guests trying to get a sense of everything that will be on the new ship.