Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas will be transformed into a world of cosplay fantasy once again next February, when it plays host to Asia’s biggest cosplay festival at sea for the second time. “COSFEST SEA: Beyond The Great Horizons”, organised by The Singapore Cosplay Club in collaboration with the cruise brand, will be on a 3-night weekend cruise from Singapore to Penang from February 17 to 20. The region’s top cosplayers for the championship plus exciting cosplay entertainment and activities will be in store to spellbind fans and guests.

Stephanie Loh, President of The Singapore Cosplay Club said, "“COSFEST SEA: Beyond The Great Horizons” will be bigger and better with new cosplay activities and entertainment for folks of all ages! Everyone including young kids and their parents is invited to indulge in a moment of fantasy onboard. We want to make cosplay enjoyable for everyone, all the more on a super ship like Mariner of the Seas."

The biggest highlight of this theme cruise is the Asia Cosplay Meet Championship which will feature contestants from eight countries and territories such as China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, The Philippines and Thailand all vying for the top spot. For the first time as well, there will be guest contestants from outside of Asia, namely USA. This will be open for public viewing for all the guests onboard to catch the action. There is also a special preview before the competition begins. More details on the contestants will be unveiled at a later stage.

Onboard, the cosplayers will also have chances to mingle with one another and discover about different cosplay cultures. As for the guests, they are welcome to join in the mood in their own cosplay outfits.

Other activities highlights open to all guests include the ‘Movie Costume Museum’ which will show an impressive display of costumes from many movie and animation titles and have costumes for guests to dress up their children for photo taking; the spectacular ‘Cosplay Parade’ along the Royal Promenade which will be filled with cosplayers dressed up as popular Anime characters; and the ‘Cosplay Treasure Hunt’ for participants to accomplish as many missions as possible onboard. Guests onboard will have the chance to meet some of their favourite movie characters. 

Interested parties can visit www.sgcosplayclub.org to book and get access to all COSFEST SEA private events.

Friday is here and that means it is time to share our readers' favorite Royal Caribbean photos! Each week, we invite our readers to send us photos from their past Royal Caribbean cruises to be showcased on the blog.

With the weekend nearly upon us, here is this week's batch of fabulous photos!

We begin this week with a photo of Radiance of the Seas in Sydney, Australia by Dave Rimington.  That is a well-composed shot!

Next, is a photo of the Ultimate Abyss on Harmony of the Seas by Hannes Scherz.  This might be the first time the Ultimate Abyss has graced a Friday Photos post, and I hope it is far from the last.

As many of you know, I love sunset photos and this one by Mel E. from Adventure of the Seas is fabulous.  Look at those colors!

How awesome is this photo of Kathy-CruisingKat giving a shoutout to us from Majesty of the Seas? This screen shot is from the Port Canaveral Web Cam, which is run by the PTZtv folks.

Here is Oasis of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas in Cozumel, taken by Emily K.  Two wonderful ships next to each other in a really fun port!

Adam Callaghan took this photo of Rhapsody of the Seas at the beautiful port of Kusadasi, Turkey. Lots of history to explore in that port.

Our final photo this week was taken aboard Adventure of the Seas by Pamela.  The artwork in the Centrum of the Royal Promenade is always quite lovely.

Thank you to everyone for their great photos, and we invite everyone reading to send in their photos too.  Use this form to submit your photos to be included in an upcoming Friday Photos post!

Are you ready to purchase a Royal Caribbean unlimited drink package?

Beverage packages have become incredibly popular with passengers because they like the idea of locking in the price of their drinks onboard by getting an unlimited drink package so they have one less thing to worry about.  

Here is how you can purchase a drink package for your Royal Caribbean cruise.

Online before the cruise

To pre-order any drink package online, go to Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner and choose which drink packages you want to order.

Drink packages are available for ordering online many months in advance of a cruise sailing date.  In fact, it is one of the first items available for purchase via the Cruise Planner.

Buying a Royal Caribbean drink package before your cruise begins offers two significant advantages: you can split up the total cost of the cruise vacation because the drink package cost will be charged at the time of purchase and it will be ready to be used once you board the ship.

As an example, the price on Icon of the Seas for the Deluxe Beverage package that included unlimited alcohol will cost $643.93 per person (before gratuity) for a 7-night cruise. For two guests with gratuity, that comes out to $1,519.56.

Read more: Guide to Icon of the Seas

While that is a lot of money up-front, you could pay it off now on a different credit card billing cycle, and not have to pay it on top of other purchases made on your sailing. Guests can pay off the drink packages before the cruise even begins, which means less of a bill that will be incurred following the conclusion of a cruise.

Moreover, most sailings offer some sort of pre-purchase discount on the drink package, which can bring that cost down.  Pre-purchasing a drink package online is the most reliable way of saving money on a drink package purchase (compared to booking it onboard).

Going back to our example, Royal Caribbean advertises the price is 20% off onboard prices.

As an added benefit, buying online means you won't have to waste time waiting to buy a drink package onboard the ship.

In short, your best choice is to pre-purchase a drink package before the cruise to get the lowest price and save time once you get on the ship.

Phone

There is one more method of pre-purchasing an unlimited drink package and that is by phone.

Guests may call (800) 398-9819 in the U.S. or Canada to reserve drink packages for their cruise.

If there's ever a choice, it's faster and easier to book a drink package online rather than the phone, however, there is one reason to call in and that's if you want to buy the drink package with alcohol but get someone else in the room a different drink package.

Royal Caribbean's rules stipulate if one adult gets the Deluxe Beverage Package, then all other adults in the cabin have to get one too. This is to prevent sharing of drink package benefits.

If there's an adult booked in the cabin that does not or cannot drink alcohol, you can call Royal Caribbean and ask for that adult to instead get the Refreshment package, which is the non-alcoholic option.

You have to call in to get this workaround, as it cannot be done online.

Onboard

Another option is to wait and purchase the drink package onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise.

Drink packages can be purchased at various kiosks set up around the ship, as well as any bar or lounge.

There only real advantage of waiting to buy a drink package onboard is if you choose to purchase a drink package on a day other than embarkation day.

In that case, Royal Caribbean will prorate the cost of the package for the remainder of the cruise.

If you know you're going to get the drink package, buy it online pre-cruise to save money and time. The onboard price will absolutely cost more per day than if pre-purchased.

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is filled with a lot of fun activities, exciting shows and incredible dining choices.  The level of detail on this brand new ship is truly amazing, including one very small (and cute) bit of detail that is easy to overlook.

Hidden in the Central Park neighborhood, among the beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers, is Tony the Garden Gnome!

A photo posted by Tom Brownlee (@caribbeanplantdoctor) on Oct 8, 2016 at 5:43am PDT

Photo by Tracey Van Leeuwen

Tony was donated by Matt and Samantha Alexander, and have been adopted by the ship's horticulturist, Tom Brownlee.

Guests can find Tony under a tree, opposite the Trellis Bar in the Central Park neighborhood.  While not as thrilling as the ship's water slides, Tony is a great example of a fun hidden gem onboard Harmony of the Seas that you can visit once onboard.

Royal Caribbean will kick off its next promotion with the return of a WOW Sale, which will offer 60% off second guest, up to $200 to spend at sea and 50% reduced deposit.

For five days, The October WOW Sale will run, with a special preview just for Crown and Anchor Society Members. A valid Crown & Anchor Society membership number must be included in the reservation to book any sailing during the Crown & Anchor Society preview.

This WOW sale is open to Crown and Anchor Society Members beginning at noon ET on October 12, and the general public October 13-19, 2017.  It is valid on all sailings departing on or after November 12, 2016, excluding China departures.

The offer includes:

60% off second guest offer, 3rd and 4th guests receive 30% off

• Cruises 5 nights or less
  • $50 onboard credit per stateroom
  • 50% Reduced Deposit
• Cruises 6-9 nights
  • $100 onboard credit per stateroom
  • 50% Reduced Deposit
• Cruises 10 nights or longer
  • $200 onboard credit
  • 50% Reduced Deposit

Bonus Holiday onboard credit up to $500 per stateroom, for eligible Bahamas / Caribbean holiday sailings:

• $100 OBC per stateroom for eligible 3-5 night sailings departing Dec 22-31, 2016 & Dec 22-31, 2017
• $200 OBC per stateroom for eligible 6-9 night sailings departing Dec 15-31, 2016 & Dec 15-31, 2017
• $500 OBC per stateroom for eligible 10+ night sailings departing Dec 15-31, 2016 & Dec15-31, 2017

WOW Sale and Holiday Bonus are combinable with BOGO60, standard/full fare and restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, etc.) and Next Cruise offers. WOW Sale is not combinable Crown & Anchor discounts, Shareholder Benefits or Loyal to Royal Sales. All offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates.

Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 167 is available for downloading, which features a first-hand review of the Royal Suite Class on Anthem of the Seas.

Guide book authors Laurel Stewart and Len Testa join Matt to talk about their experience in a Grand Loft Suite on Anthem of the Seas, and review their experiences trying out the Royal Suite Class offerings.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 167. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher 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!

At the eighth annual Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards, Royal Caribbean came out on top for two categories related to accomodations.

Royal Caribbean won for Best Cruise Line Inside Cabins and Best Cruise Line Suites.

Cruise Critic described why Royal Caribbean won for each category.

Inside rooms:

Royal Caribbean proves inside cabins can be fun and functional. Several of the cruise line's ships include interior staterooms with virtual balconies that have floor-to-ceiling HD-TVs showing real-time views of oceans and ports -- complete with the sound of the waves. Royal Caribbean also has inside cabins that can accommodate single travelers, a relative rarity at sea.

Suites:

Royal Caribbean offers many options when it comes to its suites, with staterooms like the luxurious two-level Royal Loft Suite, as well as the innovative Presidential Family Suite, exclusive to Harmony of the Seas. The cruise line's Royal Suite Class ups the ante, with a customized menu of inclusions, amenities and services that make the experience feel special and personal.

The awards are selected by a global panel of impartial Cruise Critic editors and celebrates excellence in cruise travel and features a host of categories dedicated to ocean, river and luxury cruising.

Here's the full list of Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks award winners.

Hurricane Matthew inflicted damage to many areas of the Bahamas, including Royal Caribbean's private destination of CocoCay.  The cruise line has skipped scheduled stops there since the storm passed, but will resume calls later this week.

CocoCay is scheduled to welcome guests back starting on Saturday, October 15.

If that schedule holds up, Enchantment of the Seas should be the first Royal Caribbean ship to return to the private destination on that date.

The extent of the damage to CocoCay has not been disclosed, although Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley issued a letter to guests last weekend that indicated the cruise line was working with Bahamian officials to help repair and restore services in the region.

"There are fewer details to share yet in the Bahamas, but he need will no doubt be great, and we will do all we can to assist. We are in contact with the Bahamian government to understand their most urgent needs and how we can help."

Royal Caribbean has narrowed down the choices for who will be Harmony of the Seas' Godmother to just three amazing women.

The cruise line is conducting a search for a Hometown Hero in Education for her Godmother. In selecting Godmothers, Royal Caribbean looks to capture the essence of the role by honoring women whose life lessons and achievements illustrate the kind of courage, dedication and determination that are an inspiration to all.

Anike Sakariyawo

Physical Science Teacher, Miami Norland Senior High School

Katherine O'Fallon

Magnet Coordinator, New River Middle School

Brittany Affolter

Manager, Teacher Leadership Development, Teach for America Miami-Dade

"We’ve seen an overwhelming response from the community with an outpouring of exceptional nominations from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. It is an honor to be able to recognize such inspiring educators for the work they do to make a positive impact on our youth," said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "These three upstanding individuals have demonstrated unwavering passion and dedication, going above and beyond the classroom to make a huge difference in the community. We thank everyone who participated by recognizing our many heroes in education; they are leading the way in inspiring our youth to dream big, and that’s work we all can be proud of."

The public can now view each of the essay submissions and vote for the educator they feel is having the most positive influence on South Florda's youth. The winner will receive a $25,000 grant for their non-profit organization, and the honor of becoming the Godmother to Harmony of the Seas. The winner will receive an invitation to the naming ceremony of the Harmony of the Seas on November 10, 2016. The Grand Prize winner will also receive A 7-night Caribbean cruise onboard the Harmony of the Seas for two in a double-occupancy balcony stateroom (winner and a guest) awarded in the form of a cruise certificate.

Online voting is open from October 6 at 12:00pm to October 14 at 12:00pm EST, 2016 at local10.com/godmother.On Oct. 24, one finalist will be named the winner, and honored as Godmother of Harmony of the Seas, the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship, during an official naming ceremony on Nov. 10, 2016.

Royal Caribbean announced today it has said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with shipbuilder Meyer Turku to build a new class of cruise ships that will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The new cruise ships will join Royal Caribbean's fleet and are under the project name "Icon". The Icon ships would likely accommodate approximately 5,000 passengers, but details are still being worked out.

The vessels will be delivered in the second quarters of 2022 and 2024. In the meantime, the company said, it will begin testing fuel cell technology on an existing Oasis-class ship in 2017, and will also run progressively larger fuel cell projects on new Quantum class vessels being built in the next several years.

According to Royal Caribbean, the use of LNG and the introduction of fuel cell technology will usher in a new era of shipbuilding that will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"With Icon class, we move further in the journey to take the smoke out of our smokestacks," said Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. "We are dedicated to innovation, continuous improvement, and environmental responsibility, and Icon gives us the opportunity to deliver against all three of these pillars."

"Our guests expect us to push every envelope we can," said Michael Bayley, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean International. "And on this new class of ship, we began by challenging ourselves to find a new approach to power and propulsion that is safe, reliable, and more energy-efficient than ever before." Bayley added that exciting and innovative new guest experience elements of the Icon class design will be revealed later in the development process.

The switch to LNG provides further momentum for the technology, which has begun making significant inroads in the maritime industry. "Increasing the commitment to LNG makes it easier for suppliers to make their own infrastructure commitments," said Fain. "As more ships are built for LNG, the number of ports that support it will grow." The Icon ships are expected to run primarily on LNG but will also be able to run on distillate fuel, to accommodate occasional itineraries that call on ports without LNG infrastructure.

This order is contingent upon the completion of contractual conditions, including documentation and financing.  Final contracts are expected to be completed by year end.  Based upon current ship orders, projected capital expenditures for full year 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are $2.4 billion, $0.5 billion, $2.6 billion, $1.5 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively.  Capacity increases for 2016 through 2020 remain unchanged and do not include potential ship sales or additions that the company may elect to make in the future.