Royal Caribbean has released a new photo from the development that is ongoing for Quantum of the Seas.  Today, we have a photo of the North Star observation pod, featuring a scale model of the top of the ship and arm.

In the background, we can see a full size replica of the observation pod that will be attached to the North Star "arm". 

When finished, North Star will be a first of its kind innovation for a cruise ship, where passengers can go up to 200 feet above the ocean's surface to get what is sure to be beautiful views.  The inspiration for the North Star was revealed to be the London Eye.

Quantum of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship that will be built and will have her first official cruise in November 2014.

Royal Caribbean is launching a new promotion for cruises out of the United Kingdom called "Drinks on us!" that will begin on August 1, 2013.  

The new promotion offers a little something for everyone in the family.  For kids between the ages of 3 and 17 years old, they can enjoy free unlimited soda at all bars, lounges and restaurants.  Adults will enjoy free wine while you dive, with five complimentary bottles of wine per stateroom.

This offer is applicable on all sailings of seven nights or more traveling from the UK between May and October 2014.  

When it comes to classic Royal Caribbean food, the honey stung chicken has developed a bit of a cult following to it thanks to many fans who have come back from their Royal Caribbean cruises speaking of its wonders.  So what is it and why is it so good?

At its core, honey stung chicken is a breaded chicken cutlet that is served in the Windjammer.  Over the years more and more cruises started talking about it so its legend continues to grow.  

Honey stung chicken is served in the Windjammer but the catch is it's only served on embarkation day.  So if you don't get it on that first day you board your Royal Caribbean cruise, then you are out of luck until your next cruise.  We have heard of instances where honey stung chicken is sometimes available via room service as well.

Frankly, its popularity is hard to pin-point but we think because it's only served on embarkation day, it gets rave reviews because people associate it with the start of their cruise and let's face it, everyone is the happiest on the day their cruise vacation they have been looking forward to is finally starting.  

Of course, that's not to take away from what the food is: a tasty piece of boneless fried chicken that is always a good choice when going down the buffet line.

Honey Stung Chicken Recipe

• 3- 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 Tbs raspberry or cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2 Tbs fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

1. Cut the tenders from the breast, and pound the breasts to flattens slightly. Stir the honey and vinegar together and pour over the chicken. Marinate for 2 hour to 4 hours in refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper; set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.
4. In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat to 300°, (higher temperatures could burn honey). Turn oven on to 200.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and drain on paper towels. Dip the chicken in beaten egg mixture, season with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour mixture, coating thoroughly. .
6. Add the chicken pieces two or three at a time. Don't overcrowd the pan. Fry on each side until golden brown. Remove to a rack on a sheet pan, lined with paper towels. Hold in the oven, while you fry the rest of the pieces. 

So are you a fan of honey stung chicken?  Have you tried it and is it a tradition to order it on embarkation day?

What to wear on your Royal Caribbean cruise is a source of controversy among fans and a never-ending source of debate. Nonetheless, dinner time on a Royal Caribbean cruise comes with suggested dress attire and for first-time cruisers, what you should and should not wear can be confusing.

The good news is cruising these days is a far cry from the "old days" in the last century when it was ball gowns and tuxedos with tails and top hats.

Royal Caribbean is pretty open about what you can wear throughout the cruise but at dinner time, there are still a few elements of formality left to consider. And for those who don't want to dress up beyond t-shirts and shorts, Royal Caribbean has options for you as well.

Casual

The casual dress code is defined by Royal Caribbean as, "Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women." 

This basically means its clothing that is a step up from what you might wear around the ship during the day. Often during the day, guests will wear shorts, t-shirts, and other pool-friendly clothing. The casual dress code means it should be nicer than that, with the suggestions we see above.

In our experience, we see men wearing long pants with polo shirts with khakis or "nice jeans" (no holes) and a collared shirt. 

For women, we often spot sundresses or just a nice blouse. The best way I can describe it is what you would probably wear to visit your grandmother on a holiday.

Casual night dress code is the most common dress code you will find on your cruise and it's the easiest to pack for.

Also, Royal Caribbean states, "Please keep swimwear to the pool deck. Shorts are welcome for breakfast and lunch. Bare feet are not allowed at any venue. Tank tops are not permitted."

Smart Casual

The smart casual dress code is the next step up from casual. Royal Caribbean defines it as, "Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women."

For men, you can swap out the polo shirts for collared shirts and add a jacket with a tie. 

Royal Caribbean states, "Jackets, sports coats, and blazers are snazzy and welcome."

For women, this can be dresses, skirts, blouses, and pantsuits.

Smart casual clothing is the sort of clothing you might wear on a religious holiday to a place of worship. 

Formal Nights

The formal night dress code is the most stringent in terms of formality (hence the name) and Royal Caribbean defines formal clothing as, "Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women."

Formal night clothing is what you would probably wear to a traditional wedding and should be a step up from any other night's clothing. You may see some men wearing tuxedos, but a vast majority of men on Royal Caribbean cruises these days opt for a two or three-piece suit.

For women, it's an opportunity to dress up as much as possible, with evening gowns, cocktail dresses, and lots of accessories. 

Read more: Royal Caribbean formal night: What to wear

How often formal nights are offered depends on the length of your cruise and the itinerary. This also differs from ship to ship. Generally, it follows this pattern:

• 3-5 nights: 1 formal night
• 6-7 nights: 2 formal nights
• 8-10 nights: 2 formal nights
• 11-14 nights: 3 formal nights
• 15+ nights: 3 or 4 formal nights

Chef's Table enforces a formal dress code policy.

What about kids?

Children are expected to follow the evening's dress code just as closely as adults. There may be a little more leeway in terms of the degree of formality for children's clothing, but at the same time, children are expected to be dressed up more than what they would wear during the daytime. 

For boys, polo shirts and nice pants will suffice for most evenings and girls can wear dresses, skirts, and sweaters.

Specialty Restaurants

The specialty restaurants onboard have their own dress code each evening, which supersedes what the main dining room dress code may be. Of course, you can always overdress for these restaurants by wearing more formal attire, but that's up to you.

A trick some veteran cruisers will try is booking specialty restaurants on formal nights of their cruise with the rationale that if you have to dress up anyway for the specialty restaurant, then you may as well do it on a formal night and "kill two birds with one stone."

What are the theme nights?

On a typical Royal Caribbean cruise, you will find in the Cruise Compass there is a certain dress code in the Main Dining Room every night. Here are some examples of theme nights you will see:

• Casual: Jeans, polo shirts, golf or Bermuda shorts, t-shirts, blouses
• Dress To Impress/Dress Your Best/Formal: Suits, sports coats, cocktail dresses, gowns
• Caribbean/Tropical: Tropical prints, pastel colors, linen shirts, Bermuda shorts, sundresses
• White Night: Casual attire, but white!
• 70s/80s Night: Bell-bottom jeans, polyester suits, wide lapel shirts, maxi dresses, mini skirts, knee-high boots, platform shoes
• Country: Flannel tops, jeans, cowboy boots, cowboy hats

What if I do not want to get dressed up?

The fact is you do not have to dress up at all for dinner on your cruise. 

Royal Caribbean gives you the option of dining in your stateroom (room service is complimentary), at the Windjammer buffet, or at another casual restaurant onboard like Sorrento's or Playmakers.

In either case, you can wear anything other than swimsuits (with shoes) to dinner and it will be perfectly acceptable.

Read more: What to wear on a cruise that works for all dress codes

Is the dress code enforced?

Officially Royal Caribbean states they will enforce the dress code every night, however, the reality is the staff cannot screen everyone and what they are wearing.

There are plenty of cruisers out there that will tell you about people they have seen at a restaurant wearing shorts or a tank top. Moreover, people may cite what others are wearing isn't formal enough for the suggested dress code of the evening. Inevitably, it's a decision the Royal Caribbean staff will make depending on the situation.

The dress codes offer suggestions but they are starting points for what to wear. Because Royal Caribbean does not explicitly list everything that you may not wear, there's room for interpretation by passengers. Nearly every description of dress codes for Royal Caribbean cruises mentions passengers should not wear shorts, but you will likely see someone on your cruise wearing shorts in the restaurants.

Welcome to this week's post round up and there was a lot of news and happenings this week in the world of Royal Caribbean.  

In addition to the news this week, we showcased 33 beautiful Royal Caribbean photos worthy of drooling all over your keyboard as well as a list of all the fun onboard outdoor activities on Royal Caribbean ships.

Were you able to catch up with it all?  If not, let's dive into what happened this week for a look back.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean's second quarter financials were released and the company did really well.
• The cruise industry is preparing for new air pollution laws set to go into effect in North America and Royal Caribbean's approach involves something called scrubbers.
• Royal Caribbean was summoned to Congress and pledges to provide lots more onboard crime data.
• Royal Caribbean's plan to redevelop Cape Liberty to make room for Quantum of the Seas was approved by the port.
• We know a little more about the fire on Grandeur of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain attributes a strong financial quarter to increased revenue and efficiency. 

Join us for the first ever Royal Caribbean Blog Cruise!

We're so excited to announce the first ever group cruise for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboard Quantum of the Seas!  This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on one of the first Quantum of the Seas sailings on an 8-night cruise to the Caribbean.

This Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is all about enjoying this brand new ship with other fans who are big fans of Royal Caribbean.  Don't miss this opportunity to check out the brand new cruise ship as well as be a part of exclusive events for those that book with our group!

For more details on booking the cruise, the itinerary and prices, check out the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise page and if you have any questions, email me!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Seatrade Insider has a look at how the China-Japan territorial dispute has affected Royal Caribbean's bottom line.

Cruize Cast has a brand new podcast episode out discussing cruising to Italy.

USA Today has a photo tour of a former Royal Caribbean ship, the Song of America.

The New York Times has a great look at travel bloggers and how they pay for their trips.

As we reported earlier this week, Royal Caribbean got the official go-ahead to build a new cruise terminal at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey and today we've got more details as to what the facility will entail.

The $70 million terminal will be paid for by Royal Caribbean and includes a 36,000-square-foot check-in terminal, a 60,000-square-foot luggage area, a parking deck, additional parking and berth improvements. Construction will begin this summer and should be completed by October 2014.  Quantum of the Seas is scheduled to have its first cruise out of Cape Liberty in November 2014.

As part of the agreement allowing construction of the cruise terminal, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the marine terminal facility in Bayonne, agreed to extend Royal Caribbean’s operating agreement for the terminal for an additional five years through 2043.

Passenger volume at the Cape Liberty port have been increasing steadily over the past three years, from 393,000 in 2010 to 476,000 in 2012. Once the new cruise terminal is complete, officials expect the passenger volume to increase to about 600,000.

During Royal Caribbean's second quarter financial results conference call, Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain credited an increase in revenue in part due to its newer ships being more efficient and generating revenue at a faster pace.

According to Fain, cruise ships built since 2006 are generating 25% more revenue per berth than their older sister ships.  Moreover, operating costs for older ships are more than 20% higher per berth.

To that point, Fain pointed out that Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are the most efficient ships in the fleet, with 25% lower fuel consumption per berth than the rest of the fleet.  Fain expects Quantum of the Seas to follow the Oasis-class path by doing even better, and should set a new standard.

Fain also mentioned an emerging technology that Royal Caribbean has been testing with sister-brand Celebrity Cruises that use bubbles to lessen hull friction in the water.  Tiny bubbles stick to the bottom of the ship's hull so the ship literally is sailing on a cushion of air.  The technology is working so well that Fain expects to roll it out to other ships in the fleet, "in due course".

The exact cause of the fire on Grandeur of the Seas that occured in late May 2013 is still unknown but during yesterday's congressional hearing into cruise ship safety, we got some more details.  

In his testimony, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio spoke to why the fire became as large as it was.  Admiral Servidio said a deluge system vale, which is a piece of firefighting equipment, was inaccesible because of the fire's location. In addition, an open deck hatch allowed the fire to spread.

Servidio also mentioned that the Coast Guard will be investigating the entire class of Vision-class ships that Grandeur of the Seas is part of, to seek more information.  This includes Legend of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean met with representatives from Haiti's Tourism Ministry to discuss the operation of the cruise line's private destination of Labadee.

In a statement from the ministry, the meeting was focused on access to the resort area, increased integration of the villagers of Labadee in tourist activities and the general development of the region.

Haiti’s Tourism Ministry said a monitoring committee will be created to coordinate policy measure that will aim to increase local development in Labadee, along with improving access to the site.

That committee is set to become operational in mid-August.

Currently about 300 Haitians work at Labadee.