Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: March 6, 2016

In:
06 Mar 2016

Welcome to March! We hope you are having a great weekend and are ready to sit back, relax and catch up with all the latest Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean released its summer 2017 European itineraries this week, allowing guests to book cruises for this upcoming season.

Guests can enjoy cruises all over Europe, on 8 of the line's cruise ships, including Freedom of the Seas for the first time.

Royal Caribbean is offering cruises to the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Northern Europe and more in 2017.

We have a full breakdown of where each Royal Caribbean ship is going in summer 2017, so you can pick the right itinerary for you.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 135th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, and we have a roundtable review of our group cruise aboard Allure of the Seas.

Int his episode, Matt and everyone that was aboard the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise recorded a review of Allure of the Seas, live at Vintages.  The group discussed their experiences onboard, discuss what they think of a ship the size of Allure of the Seas and discuss some of the fun experiences from our week aboard.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Porthole Magazine has a look at the design of Royal Caribbean's smart ships (written by me!).

Travel Pulse criticizes the way the media has unfairly reported on cruise news lately.

CNBC posted a video interview with Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about Ovation of the Seas.

Captain Greybeard wonders why cruising has such an image problem.

Shermans Cruise tried the White Truffle Dinner on Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: February 21, 2016

In:
21 Feb 2016

Hope you had a great week (maybe one week closer to your next Royal Caribbean cruise?) and you had a chance to keep up with what's new with Royal Caribbean this week. But if not, here's a roundup of this week's news.

The big news this week was Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas had its first media preview of its progress at STX France shipyard.

Harmony of the Seas is set to debut in a few months, and members of the European media were allowed to check out her progress and the result was a lot of great photos of her inside and outside.

In addition, Royal Caribbean posted photos of the ship's progress and we saw a video of a computer simulation of what the Ultimate Abyss will look like.

There was a lot more Royal Caribbean news this week, so here is what else happened

Royal Caribbean News

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Stay tuned to Royal Caribbean Blog each day for a brand new post all about Harmony of the Seas until she debuts (91 more days!).

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 133rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're reviewing a podcast listener's recent cruise on Navigator of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt invites podcast listener Ethan to discuss his family's first Royal Caribbean cruise and why he chose to cruise on Royal Caribbean as well as why they picked Navigator of the Seas.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Travel Weekly reports the storm Anthem of the Seas hit was a "weather bomb".

Shermans Cruise offers a first look at Harmony of the Seas.

Cruise Hangout has a look at all the Ovation of the Seas float out videos.

CruiseFever has 10 reasons why you should take a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: February 14, 2016

In:
14 Feb 2016

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day is filled with chocolate, flowers and a Royal Caribbean cruise! We are spreading the Royal Caribbean love with our look at all the Royal Caribbean news from this week.

Unfortunately, the big news this week was word of Anthem of the Seas running into a large winter storm in the Atlantic that saw wind speeds over 150 miles per hour and waves over 30 feet in height.

Following the storm, Royal Caribbean made the decision to return Anthem of the Seas to her homeport early and offer its guests full refunds.

The ship sustained mostly superficial damage, but an onslaught of media attention painted the story very negatively.

Royal Caribbean apologized for the incident and added it has created a new weather team at its headquarters to provide additional assistance to ships in determining the severity of storms.

There is a lot more Royal Caribbean news to share...

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast


The 132nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're talking about Royal Caribbean's Royal Promenade

In this episode, Matt talks about what the Royal Promenade is, what it offers guests and why he thinks it is such a great spot onboard for so many activities.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Ron shared a photo of treats from Cafe Promenade. 

Travis Kamiyama posted this amazing sushi platter.

Kayla Gillman shared this photo of the Royal Promenade on Independence of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: February 7, 2016

In:
07 Feb 2016

Good news, we are all one week closer to our next Royal Caribbean cruise!  In case you missed any of the Royal Caribbean fun from this week, here is our weekly round up!

During Royal Caribbean's quarterly earnings call, they announced a simpler no last minute discount program, aimed at making the policy simpler to understand.

Royal Caribbean will not offer any new discounts within 30 days of a sailing on all Royal Caribbean cruises, excluding 3 and 4 night sailings.

The policy is in effect in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland markets and protects against last minute discounts in the weeks leading up to a cruise.

We have a lot more Royal Caribbean news to share, so let us jump right in!

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Mike Eads took this shot of Enchantment of the Seas docked in Port Canaveral this week.

Ben noted that Apple updated its 3D Flyover maps for the Virgin Islands and Royal Caribbean ships can now be seen from there.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 131st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt is discussing why a families will feel right at home on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt invites the author of a recent ebook onto the podcast to discuss why Royal Caribbean came out at the top of their list for best cruise lines for a family.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Beyond Ships has an interview with Anthem of the Seas' hotel director.

ShermansCruise shared what cruisers need to know about the Zika Virus.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: January 31, 2016

In:
31 Jan 2016

Happy last day of January! It’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy our weekly round-up of the best Royal Caribbean news.

Royal Caribbean and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced earlier this week a five-year global partnership to help ensure the long-term health of the oceans.

The partners will set measurable and achievable sustainability targets that will reduce Royal Caribbean’s environmental footprint, raise awareness about ocean conservation among the company’s more than five million guests, and support WWF’s global oceans conservation work.

The targets announced focus on supply chain sustainability and emissions reductions through 2020.

We have a lot to share with you this week, so let’s jump right in…

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Royal Caribbean Cruise Director Jerome Sueur posted a photo with comedian Kathy Griffin on Navigator of the Seas.

Robin Rinkewich‎ shared this photo of her finding the Central Park gnome on Oasis of the Seas.

Jared Grauvogel posted this photo of the water slides being added to Liberty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 130th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are reading our listener's emails

In this episode, Matt reads emails that listeners have sent in about all aspects of a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Royal Caribbean UK lists 15 reasons why you shouldn't go to Ajaccio this summer.

Cruise Radio has a review of Oasis of the Seas.

Beyond Ships has a conversation with Serenade of the Seas hotel director.

ShermansCruise has a guide to picking a cabin on Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: January 24, 2016

In:
24 Jan 2016

We wrapped up a busy week of Royal Caribbean fun, but if you missed any of it, we have it all wrapped up nicely for you in this weekly news round-up!

Unfortunately two Royal Caribbean ships were unable to stop in Labadee this week due to peaceful protests preventing guests from enjoying the private destination.

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas both opted for sea days instead of allowing guests to go ashore in Labadee because of the protests. 

It is Royal Caribbean's policy that if a protest takes place while a ship is port, there would be a significant impact on guests’ ability to enjoy Labadee they may have to cancel the visit completely.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 129th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, and we are sharing a listener review of their cruise on Oasis of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt welcomes Bryon to talk about his experience on Oasis of the Seas and share what their first Royal Caribbean experience was like.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Announcing our Fall 2016 Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!

We are so excited to announce our fall 2016 group cruise plans for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboard Freedom of the Seas. This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on the beautiful Freedom of the Seas on an 7-night cruise to the Western 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 this fabulous 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

Bloomberg interviewed Royal Caribbean Chairman and CEO Richard Fain about the cruise industry and the Chinese economy.

Beyond Ships has a photo tour of Serenade of the Seas.

Cruise Critic has a look at 3 things they loved (and 2 they didn't) about Freedom of the Seas refurbishment.

Sherman Cruise has a look at the food Chef Michael Schwartz brings to Anthem of the Seas.

Cruise & Ferry has an interview with Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: January 17, 2016

In:
17 Jan 2016

Can you believe January is half way over? That means we are all getting closer to our next Royal Caribbean cruise!

This week, there was plenty of Royal Caribbean news, including the big entertainment reveal for Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean pulled back the curtain on all the entertainment planned for Harmony of the Seas, which includes two musicals: Grease and Columbus, The Musical!

There are also new shows in the AquaTheater, Studio B ice skating rink and new parties and shows across the ship (the 90's party really has us excited).

There was plenty more Royal Caribbean news, so let's jump right in.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 128th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are previewing our upcoming group cruise on Allure of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt and Annette share the plans for the second Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise and why they think, this will be a really fun event.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Cruise Deals App shared 18 money saving cruise secrets, including one from us!

Royal Caribbean has 4 cruise experiences for any budget.

 

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: January 10, 2016

In:
10 Jan 2016

Good news, we are all one week closer to our next Royal Caribbean cruise!  In case you missed any of the Royal Caribbean fun from this week, here is our weekly round up!

The Royal Caribbean news everyone was talking about was the rise in price of the unlimited alcohol packages.

Royal Caribbean rose the prices of its unlimited alcohol and non-alcoholic drink packages a bit this week. The increases ranged from less than a dollar to a few dollars per day.

This was the first change in the base price of the drink packages since Royal Caribbean introduced the drink packages in late 2012.

Royal Caribbean News

There was plenty more Royal Caribbean news, so dig into this week's batch!

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 127th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are discussing what shore excursions to do in Nassau, Bahamas.

In this episode, Matt and Erin discuss why a lot of guests struggle with what to do in Nassau and share some of their picks for what to do (and not to do) in Nassau.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Collier Swecker took this photo of Adventure of the Seas docked in San Juan.

Andrew McConnell took a panoramic photo from Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Royal Caribbean shared six unique adventures on Anthem of the Seas.

Fortune Magazine looked at how cruise lines are targeting gamers.

Cruise Critic answered the top frequently asked questions about Oasis of the Seas.

Shermans Cruise has a 90 second tour of Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: January 3, 2016

In:
03 Jan 2016

Happy New Year! We hope your 2016 is off to a great start and that you have a wonderful year in the days to come.

The big news this week was Royal Caribbean's decision to remove Devinly Decadence on Anthem of the Seas just before the New Year.

Celebrity chef Devin Alexander confirmed that the restaurant was being removed from Anthem of the Seas due to a conflict in commitments.

Devinly Decadence was among the initial restaurants announced for its Quantum class ships and started out as a specialty restaurant on Quantum of the Seas.

There was lots more Royal Caribbean news this week, so let's jump right in!

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Nick Vitani shared this great photo of Enchantment of the Seas at dawn, while in Nassau.

Barbara Murphy shared with us our favorite angle on Jewel of the Seas, looking down into the Centrum.

Chris Curl took a minute to post this helipd selfie on Brilliance of the Seas before their cruise started.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 126th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are joined by Brian to share his experience on Allure of the Seas.

In this episode, Brian returns from his Allure of the Seas cruise to talk about what he liked about it, review some of his onboard and onshore experiences and tell us if Royal Caribbean is his new favorite cruise line.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Meet us in Atlanta!

The first ever Royal Caribbean Blog meet up is happening on January 10 in downtown Atlanta and you are invited!

Join us for our first ever meetup at the Johnny Rockets near the Atlanta Aquarium on Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 1pm.

Everyone is welcome and you can RSVP for the fun on our Facebook event page to let us know that you will be coming!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

From the Deck Chair shares why Aaron is super excited for the return of Empress of the Seas.

Eat Sleep Cruise offers the top six reasons to dress up on formal night.

Leo Laporte shared a 360 video of his amazing suite on Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: December 27, 2015

In:
27 Dec 2015

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday earlier this week, and with the holidays around us, it is easy to overlook some of the Royal Caribbean news, so we have gone through and compiled this collection of news in case you missed any of it.

At long last, Royal Caribbean opened up bookings for Empress of the Seas this week for cruises beginning in March 2016.

Empress of the Seas will sail out of Miami, Florida and offer 4- and 5-night getaways from Miami to Nassau, The Bahamas; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; Grand Cayman and Key West, Florida.

Empress of the Seas will stand out from other sailings in that she will offer things like "Sunday Brunch" everyday, with a complimentary Mimosa or Bloody Mary, no formal nights and overnight stays in Cozumel.

We have a lot more Royal Caribbean news to share, so jump right in!

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!

Barbara Murphy shared this photo of Poinsettias on the glass staircase of Jewel of the Seas.

Nick Weir posted this photo of Santa and his elves arriving to Anthem of the Seas via North Star!

BCaldwell posted this photo of drinks from Jewel of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast


The 125th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, we are counting down our absolute favorite Royal Caribbean desserts!

In this episode, Matt shares his top five Royal Caribbean desserts of all time and also shares a list of desserts some of you contributed.  As is so often the case on the podcast, it is an episode dedicated to food!

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

How you can support Royal Caribbean Blog

So many of our readers have reached out to us to ask how they can help the blog and we are introducing the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders for just that reason.

The Insiders group is a way readers can contribute to Royal Caribbean Blog and help fuel some of the really amazing ideas, projects and new content that we have lined up.

As a way of saying thank you for your contribution, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders.

Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! 

As always, thank you for visiting Royal Caribbean Blog and being a part of our community!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Space Coast Daily reports good progress is being made on the new parking garage at Cruise Terminal 5 in Port Canaveral.

Royal Caribbean shared a look at what it takes to keep it clean and keep it green.

CMO looks at why split-funnel attribution is changing Royal Caribbean's customer approach.

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