Royal Caribbean announced today that it has signed an agreement to build a third Quantum class cruise ship with the Meyer Werft shipyard. This will new ship will be the sister ship to Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, both of which are set to be built as well.

Royal Caribbean expects the third Quantum class ship, which is yet unnamed, to be delivered sometime in mid-2016.

Quantum of the Seas will debut in November 2014 with Anthem of the Seas following in 2015.  Royal Caribbean also has a third Oasis class ship that will be delivered in 2016 as well.

Today @royalcaribbean confirms 3rd Quantum-class ship to be built at Meyer Werft Shipyard.

— Royal Caribbean PR (@RoyalCaribPR) May 30, 2013

Aside from the announcement that a third Quantum class ship is being built, there are no further details at this time.  There's been speculation about names and it's very likely this third ship's name will come from a pool of unused names Royal Caribbean trademarked last year.  The unused names are Passion of the Seas, Vantage of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Pulse of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean announced today it will cancel the next six cruises for Grandeur of the Seas so that the ship can undergo repairs that are needed after a fire occurred earlier this week onboard.

Grandeur of the Seas is expected to return to service on July 12.

Guests booked on cruises that were scheduled to occur between May 31 and July 5 will recieve a full refund along with a certificate for 25% off their next Royal Caribbean cruise.

Guests that were booked on one of the cancelled Grandeur of the Seas cruises should call their travel agent or 1-888-824-0012.

Royal Caribbean also said it moved the Grandeur of the Seas from the Freeport Cruise Terminal to a berth at the Grand Bahama Shipyard, where repairs will take place.

Analyst Tim Conder of Wells Fargo estimated the cost to Royal Caribbean at $15 million to $20 million, including refunds, repairs and canceled cruises.

Royal Caribbean is allowing its Crown and Anchor Society members the first chance to book their spot aboard Quantum of the Seas.

Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship that is under construction, will have her inaugural cruise in November 2014.  The ship features a number of ammenities new to the cruise industry such as an observation pod and skydiving simulator.

Those interested in booking can call Royal Caribbean directly, consult a travel agent or book online.

The general public will be able to book their cruise on Quantum of the Seas starting on June 4.

Royal Caribbean made an announcement today that the next scheduled sailing of Grandeur of the Seas has been canceled.  The May 31st sailing out of Baltimore, Maryland will be cancelled so that the ship can undergo repairs to fix what was damaged by a fire onboard earlier today.

Guests booked on the May 31 sailing will be provided a full refund of the cruise fare paid for their sailing. Royal Caribbean also will provide these guests with the opportunity to sail in the future by providing a future cruise certificate for 50 percent of the cruise fare paid for the May 31, 2013, Grandeur of the Seas sailing.

Guests who booked air transportation through Royal Caribbean International will receive a full refund for air costs. If they did not purchase air transportation through Royal Caribbean International, the cruise line will pay for their airline change fees.

A dedicated telephone hotline has been established for guests on these two sailings. Guests may call us at 1-888-824-0012 in the U.S. or +1-408-916-9000 internationally. 

Grandeur of the Seas was damaged by a fire early in the morning on May 31, 2013.  No one was injured in the incident although the ship was redirected to Freeport, Bahamas where it remains.

Royal Caribbean reported a fire onboard Grandeur of the Seas early this morning and after assessing the damage, the cruise line has decided to cancel the remainder of the cruise.

Royal Caribbean issued a short statement on its decision via social media, "We have assessed the damage to Grandeur of the Seas and have made the decision to cancel the remainder of this voyage. We are currently arranging flights for all guests onboard to return to Baltimore, Maryland tomorrow. Guests on this sailing will receive a full refund of the cruise fare as well as a future cruise certificate. Information about upcoming sailings onboard Grandeur of the Seas will be posted as soon as it is available."

Royal Caribbean also set up a phone hotline for getting more information on the cruise, especially about people who may be on the ship.  The toll free number is 888-824-0012. International callers should call +1-408-916-9000.

A fire broke out at 2:50am on Monday and while no one was hurt, the ship's Captain decided to muster all passengers as a precaution.  The fire was put out at 4:58am and the ship was redirected to Freeport for further evaluation.

Royal Caribbean reported no injuries beyond passenger calls for incidents such as fainting, reports of high blood pressure and an ankle sprain.

Throughout, the ship’s power, propulsion and communications systems functioned uninterrupted.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein and a Guest Care team are en route to Freeport to meet guests.

Grandeur of the Seas was supposed to sail to CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island. Instead it sailed right to Freeport, Bahamas for evaluation.

The Grandeur of the Seas sailed out of Baltimore, with a stop at Port Canaveral before the fire.

A fire was reported aboard Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas while on her way to the Bahamas.  The event occurred on Monday morning by Royal Caribbean and was quickly extinguished.

Royal Caribbean says passengers had to report to evacuation stations but that all are safe and have been accounted for. The cruise line also says the ship still has full power. No serious injuries were reported, and the ship is still making its way to the Bahamas.

#GrandeurOfTheSeas experienced a fire on the aft mooring deck this morning which was quickly extinguished. (cont'd)

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) May 27, 2013

The fire was reported on deck three around 2:50 a.m. Monday.

Grandeur of the Seas sailed out of Baltimore, with a stop at Port Canaveral before the fire.

Photo sent by Kenneth Kinzig

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas arrived today at Mormugao Port in Goa, India.  Mariner is making a stop in Goa as part of a sailing from Dubai.  The ship was greeted by the Deputy Chief Minister of Goa, Francisco D’Souza.

A traditional reception with Goan music and dance was organized by the Goa Tourism, Government of Goa to welcome the passengers. The passengers were also given memorabilia by the Goa Tourism while they disembarked from the ship to tour Goa.

Tourism Minister of Goa, Dilip Parulekar said, “We welcome this cruise and we will work on bringing-in more cruises and tourist in Goa.”

Royal Caribbean will move Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne, New Jersey and right into Port Canaveral, Florida in November 2014.

Explorer of the Seas will offer a range of four- to nine-night Bahamas, and Western and Southern Caribbean vacations.  Explorer will join Freedom of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas, which are based in Port Canaveral year-round.  Explorer of the Seas’ 2014 holiday season cruises from Port Canaveral are now open for sale.

Explorer of the Seas will sail four Western Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Port Canaveral through Jan. 4, 2015. On these five-night itineraries, guests call at Cozumel, Mexico, and Nassau, The Bahamas, or CocoCay and Cozumel. Vacationers also can choose two Southern Caribbean sailings on a nine-night itinerary that call at each of the ABC Islands and Labadee.

Additionally, a five-night Bahamas cruise, departing Dec. 13, 2014, will call at Nassau, Grand Bahamas Island and CocoCay. Guests on a special four-night sailing, departing Dec. 23, will call at Labadee on Christmas Day. The following eight-night Caribbean itinerary will herald in the New Year in St. Maarten, as well as call at San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Croix and Labadee. Vacationers also can choose an extended 14-night Southern Caribbean itinerary, departing Nov. 1, 2014, which repositions Explorer of the Seas from Cape Liberty to Port Canaveral via the Southern Caribbean.

Explorer of the Seas, a Voyager class ship, had spent 8 consecutive years in the New York metro area.

Royal Caribbean is set to put cruises on its newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, on sale on May 28, 2013 and today they announced the first cruises onboard the ship.

Quantum of the Seas' inaugural voyage will take place on November 23, 2014.  This will be the official inaugural voyage for the ship, although shorter cruises for the media and travel agents are likely to precede it.

Quantum of the Seas will offer seven- and eight-night Bahamas, eight- to 11-night Eastern Caribbean, and 11- and 12-night Southern Caribbean itineraries.  As previously announced, Quantum of the Seas will sail out of Bayonne, New Jersey.  The first round of itineraries that Royal Caribbean has announced today extend through April 2015.

Bookings will be available to Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program members beginning May 28, 2013 before opening to the general public on June 4.

“Royal Caribbean is proud to partner with some of the Caribbean’s premier destinations for the inaugural season of Quantum of the Seas,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “The Quantum class of ships will combine a new set of truly exciting and first-at-sea innovations that can only be found on Royal Caribbean, with some of the most incredible destinations in the region. We can’t wait to WOW vacationers with Quantum cruising.”

On the Bahamas cruises, guests call at Port Canaveral, Fla., Nassau and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private tropical island paradise. The Eastern Caribbean cruises will include ports of call among San Juan, Puerto Rico; Samana, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas; St. Kitts; and St. Maarten. Guests on the Southern Caribbean cruises will call at San Juan, St. Maarten, Martinique, Barbados and St. Kitts. On most Caribbean sailings, Quantum of the Seas also will visit Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s very own highly-rated private beach paradise on the north coast of Haiti.