Summer is here and hopefully you've got a summer cruise lined up in the coming months.  Welcome to our weekly wrap up of what's new and happening at Royal Caribbean.  This is a summary of what happened during this week in the world of everything Royal Caribbean.

This week we've got lots of international Royal Caribbean news, a new (and affordable) cell phone package on Royal Caribbean cruises, and more!

Royal Caribbean News

We’ve gathered this week’s Royal Caribbean news from your favorite cruise ships!

• AT&T launched a new series of cell phone packages for people cruising on Royal Caribbean!
• Royal Caribbean is warning passengers on the June 24 Majesty of the Seas sailing to expect traffic delays.
• Mariner of the Seas visited Shanghai for the first time and was greeted with a special ceremony.
• Royal Caribbean's ChoiceAir has been upgraded to offer a new low price guarantee.
• Italy expects to see 1.5 million tourists visit their country just from Royal Caribbean cruises!

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

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein explains how life as a CEO is a lot like life as a NBA point guard.

CruizeCast has a brand new episode available that covers some recent cruising news.

Royal Caribbean Fans found a hotel in South Korea that looks a lot like Royal Caribbean's Sovereign class cruise ships.

Cruise Critic has a list of 12 ways to definitely have a have a miserable cruise!

CruiseCurrents posted a great wrap up of day one from the Cruise3Sixty conference!

With eight ships sailing in and around Italy, Royal Caribbean is expected to bring about 1.5 million tourists to Italy in 2013.  The ports of Civitavecchia (Rome), Venice, Genoa and Naples will all see Royal Caribbean cruise ships stop by.

The amount of passengers coming to Italy in 2013 is up 18% from the year before.  The port of Civitavecchia will see the most traffic.

Royal Caribbean director general for Italy, Gianni Rotondo, commented on the increase in cruise traffic, "In 2013, Royal Caribbean began with encouraging results and now we are about to enter a period full of novelty and change.  With the arrival of three new ships in Italy and the addition of Naples in the Italian ports of embarkation, we are closer to the goal of improving and diversifying what we offer in the area."

"Italy is undoubtedly a strategic country for Royal Caribbean: the cities of art, sailing routes and the beaches of southern Italy are all a strong call for cruise passengers who want to spend a holiday exploring the local cultural heritage without giving up on fun and relaxation. "

In all, 14 cruise ships will visit Italy, including Liberty of the Seas, which will be the largest of Royal Caribbean's ships cruising the Mediterranean. The number includes some of sister company Celebrity Cruise ships as well. 

In Italy, there's also reason to be excited for 2014 because Oasis of the Seas will sail Italian waters for the first time ever, as part of a short European season.

Royal Caribbean’s NextCruise future booking program has gotten some new enhancements to make it a better value for passengers.  

Now passengers can book up to three Open Bookings with NextCruise, which are fully transferrable, and can be used as gifts for friends and family. Furthermore, Crown & Anchor Society members can combine the onboard booking bonus that they earned through Open Booking with their Crown & Anchor Society Savings Certificate or the Platinum-tier and above Balcony and Suite discount.

NextCruise is an exclusive benefit for Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program members that allows guests a reduced deposit of $100 per person ($200 per person for suite-category staterooms) and an onboard booking bonus of up to $200 per stateroom to spend on their next sailing with Royal Caribbean. Guests can choose to make a reservation on board for a specific Royal Caribbean sailing and enjoy their onboard booking bonus during their future cruise.

NextCruise bookings allows passengers to still work with their travel agents automatically. Royal Caribbean’s onboard Loyalty & Cruise Sales Teams are available to assist guests in determining their best future cruise booking option.

Royal Caribbean announced today ChoiceAir, the cruise line's flight booking system for guests looking to combine their cruise and air travel, now features a Lowest Airfare Guarantee.  Royal Caribbean promises if guests  find a cheaper airfare within 24 hours of booking their flights on ChoiceAir, Royal Caribbean will refund them 110 percent of the difference in onboard credit to spend on their cruise vacation. 

“Royal Caribbean International’s Loyal To You Always commitment to travel agents drives us to create these programs that continue to support the travel agent community,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of Sales, Trade Support and Services, Royal Caribbean International, at a press briefing held at the Cruise Lines International Association’s Cruise3Sixty Tradeshow and Conference in Vancouver, B.C. “Royal Caribbean ChoiceAir is a new tool that our valued travel agent partners can use to add more value to their clients’ vacations; help deliver a seamless experience; and generate repeat business.”

In addition to the low price guarantee, Royal Caribbean is standing behind guests that book ChoiceAir with round-the-clock guest support throughout the vacation planning process. If the ChoiceAir flight is delayed or cancelled, Royal Caribbean will work to re-accommodate guests to help them make it to their ship in time for departure or to the next port.

As part of its kickoff promotion, Royal Caribbean is offering a $50 onboard credit bonus for U.S. and Canadian guests who make a new booking from June 21 through July 14, 2013, on a Royal Caribbean cruise of six nights or longer and then book their flights on Royal Caribbean ChoiceAir within the same period. Vacationers must mention offer code “SOX9” at the time of their cruise booking in order to receive the offer.

With an existing cruise booking, guests can instantly start shopping for their ChoiceAir flights at www.RoyalCaribbeanChoiceAir.com. More information about Royal Caribbean ChoiceAir can be found at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/ChoiceAir.

Royal Caribbean is warning its passengers that are scheduled to board Majesty of the Seas on the June 24th sailing to arrive early because of possible local traffic delays.

The Miami Heat won the NBA Championship last night and their victory parade in Miami could affect passengers trying to get to the port.   Some of the victory parade festivities will take place in the downtown Miami area and include streets that provide access to the Port of Miami.

As a result, Royal Caribbean is recommending passengers arrive at the port between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. or between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Check-in for your sailing will take place between these times. The sailing’s departure time will be delayed to accommodate this event, but it will not impact the scheduled itinerary.

Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas godmother Kristen Chenoweth performed on Monday night at the Sydney Opera House for Royal Caribbean and guests.

''It was a dream come true to perform the special material that I created just for my Australian tour last night at Sydney's Opera House and it was a thrill to have special guests of Royal Caribbean in the audience," Chenoweth said.

Chenoweth recently co-hosted the grand reveal of Quantum of the Seas in New York and has become associated with Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship.

"I am so excited to be godmother of Quantum of the Seas and hope to see lots of my Aussie fans on board when she launches in the US next year," Chenoweth said.

Chenoweth took time to pose with Royal Caribbean commercial director for Australia, Adam Armstrong, backstage.

Our blog reader Kenneth sent these photos of some interesting changes occurring aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas on this week's voyage.

Storefront on Royal Promenade closed for remodeling

Bridge tour with Captain Fleming and a passenger

Reopening of the Casino

British commandos boarding for the transit around the African horn

Earlier today Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas arrived in Shanghai, China with more than 4,300 passengers at the Shanghai Wusong Paotaiwan International Cruise Terminal. This was the first time Mariner of the Seas has stopped in China and her arrival was met with a small ceremony.

To commemorate Mariner of the Seas' arrival in Shanghai, the Captain was presented with this papercut piece hand-crafted in the Baoshan district.

Mariner of the Seas follows the other large Royal Caribbean ship to stop in Shanghai, Voyager of the Seas.  Mariner of the Seas will operate in and around Shanghai until October 26, with a total of 52 calls in Shanghai.

Her visit to Shanghai comes immediately after Mariner of the Seas was the first cruise ship to dock in the brand new Hong Kong cruise terminal earlier in the voyage.

AT&T has launched a new plan for its smartphone users exclusively for Royal Caribbean cruises where affordable data usage while at sea would be possible.  Until now, cell phone use onboard cruise ships has been prohibit ably expensive due to roaming charges.

The new plans by AT&T are as follows

• AT&T Cruise Ship Calling: Includes 50 minutes for $30 per month
• AT&T Cruise Ship Calling and Messaging: Offers 50 minutes of talk and 100 text/picture/video messages sent for $60 per month
• AT&T Cruise Ship Calling, Messaging and Data: Includes 50 minutes, 100 messages sent and 100MB of data for $120 per month

AT&T does require the package be activated for at least one month, although cruisers could sign up for the service before they leave for their cruise and then call and deactivate the package after their cruise is done.  This rate is in addition to your normal contract rate.

The new package is limited to the cruise ships of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.  Here's a full list of supported Royal Caribbean cruise ships

• Adventurer of the Seas
• Allure of the Seas
• Brilliance of the Seas
• Enchantment of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Freedom of the Seas
• Grandeur of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Jewel of the Seas
• Legend of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas
• Majesty of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Radiance of the Seas
• Rhapsody of the Seas
• Serenade of the Seas
• Splendour of the Seas
• Vision of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

The new AT&T packages are available when passengers are at sea and see the "Cellular At Sea" network.