Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships offer so many amazing dining opportunities, with the premier experience being 150 Central Park.

150 Central Park is the creation of James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami.  Chef Schwartz created 150 Central Park with a commitment to sustainable and seasonal food sourcing that offers the freshest, most distinct ingredients.

Whether you dine on Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas or Harmony of the Seas, here are five things that are sure to please at 150 Central Park.

5. The setting

Any good chef knows that presentation is as important to a meal as the food itself, and 150 Central Park follows that rule with its picture-perfect home in the Central Park neighborhood.

Set among the beautiful layout of Central Park, guests will walk past towering Cuban laurel and Black Olive to clusters of calla lilies and rabbit foot ferns to get to the restaurant.

With dinner in the evening, it is an undeniably beautiful backdrop for dinner.

4. Upscale dining experience

A meal at 150 Central Park is more than just great food.  It is about every aspect of the meal, from when you set foot in the restaurant to when you leave.

Royal Caribbean designed 150 Central Park to offer guests an intimate dining experience that is unlike anything else offered onboard. That means not only dressing up for the occasion, but a wait staff trained to make your meal as personal as possible.

Your waiter will explain each menu choice for you and customize the experience to meet what you want. 

For guests seeking a chic night out, 150 Central Park is the place to go.

3. Seasonal tasting menu

Chef Michael Schwartz offers guests at 150 Central Park an innovative dining concept with 150 Central Park.

The menu is seasonal, which means it is regularly changed to offer the freshest and most distinct ingredients.

The 150 Central Park menu features rotating six-course menus per voyage highlighting fresh produce from small Florida farms.

No matter when you dine at 150 Central Park, you are sure to find responsibly- and locally-sourced ingredients that are in season.

2. Wine pairing

When you talk about any kind of upscale dining experience, wine pairings with your meal are common place, including at 150 Central Park.

Royal Caribbean offers guests the choice of reserving a meal at 150 Central Park with or without a wine pairing, or simply choosing select wines to enjoy with their meals.

At $75 per guest, the wine pairing option includes a glass of wine to match each serving during the course of the meal.

The wine accompaniment is chosen to compliment the evening's menu and serves to enhance the flavor of the food.

Wine lovers will consider this option a must-do.

1. Cucumber martini

In addition to the great food served at 150 Central Park, the restaurant features a signature cocktail that is a must-try: the cucumber martini.

As the name implies, there is a hint of cucumber to a classic martini concoction that is light and very refreshing.

This drink is a mix of cucumber, basil,Monin lemon grass syrup, sweet and sour mix and Grey Goose Vodka.

Many Royal Caribbean fans claim this is among the very best cocktails Royal Caribbean offers, so give it a try!

Each day we are getting closer to the launch of Harmony of the Seas and we "celebrate" with a new blog post, all about this amazing ship!

The Captain

One of the most important and recognizable roles on any cruise ship is her Captain and Royal Caribbean has already selected who will be in control of this magnificent ship when she debuts.

Royal Caribbean has actually selected two of its Captains to be the ship's Captain.

Captain Gus Andersson will take Harmony of the Seas out, which means he will be in charge of the ship once it is delivered from STX France shipyard and command her as she makes her way to her first sailings.

Captain Andersson has been with Royal Caribbean has some recent experience with new ships. In May 2010, he went to Turku, Finland as Staff Captain to be part of the Newbuild and Start Up team for Allure of the Seas.

He also served as part of the Newbuild and Start up team for the Quantum and Anthem of the Seas. After the initial start up period, he took command of each of the ships for their inaugural seasons.

He also served as Captain of Enchantment of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Eventually, Captain Johnny Faevelen will take over Harmony of the Seas and be the ship's Captain for the foreseeable future.

Like Captain Andersson, Captain Faevelen has been a Captain with Royal Caribbean for a while too.

Since 1994, has been a Captain and previously served as Captain onboard the Nordic Prince, Sun Viking, Sovereign of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!

For someone new to Royal Caribbean, one of the most common questions that is often asked is when exactly is the best time to book a Royal Caribbean cruise.

It is a simple question, but has major ramifications.  We all want to get a deal on our cruise vacations, or at the very least, save money where we can.

Here are some helpful guidelines to help you plan the right time to book your first (or next) Royal Caribbean cruise.

Book early

If there is one mantra everyone taking a Royal Caribbean cruise should know, it is to book cruises as early as possible.

In general, the best prices are found the earlier one books a cruise.

Royal Caribbean sells its cruises largely based on the concept of supply and demand. When a sailing is first offered, supply is at its highest because no one has purchase a stateroom yet. As time progress, more and more staterooms are reserved and stateroom inventory drops, so the price increases conversely.

The earlier you can book, the best chance you will have at getting a good price on your cruise.

When we say "early", it essentially means as early as you can.  Royal Caribbean puts its itineraries on sale as much as two years in advance of the sailing, and while that may be too far in advance for many to plan vacations, the earlier you can book the cruise, the better for that bottom line price.

Reprice when possible

Booking your cruise early not only lets you lock in a good price, but it gives you the maximum opportunity to ensure you have the lowest price.

Throughout the year, Royal Caribbean offers various cruise sales: BOGO deals, 72 hour sales, WOW sales, leap day sales and more are offered and each promotion comes with it different pricing and booking incentives.

From when you book your cruise until the final payment date of your cruise, North American guests can cancel and rebook under the new promotions without any penalty (residents of other parts of the world need to check local laws and policies).

Since Royal Caribbean pricing can change daily, or even hourly, re-checking the price of your cruise often is a good way to ensure you are getting the lowest price possible.

When it comes to re-booking (and booking in general), we are big fans of using a travel agent for the services they provide.  A good travel agent will not only be knowledgeable about Royal Caribbean, but take the time to re-book the cruise for you and even notify you when new promotions come out that you can benefit from.

Not when you book, but when you cruise

If you are wondering if there is an ideal time to book a cruise for the best price, it is not so much about when you book as when you want to cruise.

While there are times of the year that offer deeper savings than others (Cyber Monday has been a good time), finding the lowest fares has more to do with when you are actually going on your cruise.

In general, you will find lower fares if you are willing to cruise during the "shoulder seasons" and/or when school is usually in session.

This includes

• January (minus New Years holiday)
• Most of February
• May
• September
• October
• First two weeks of November
• First two weeks of December

Picking Royal Caribbean cruises that sail during these times of year often net the lowest fares because it is when less people have the opportunity or inclination to cruise.

What is your best tip for the best time to book a Royal Caribbean cruise? Share it in our comments!

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

Episode 140 is available for downloading where I will be reading more of your questions this week all about Royal Caribbean.

Matt is diving into the email bag this week to answer your emails all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise, including booking shows, what to do in Roatan, Liberty of the Seas changes and a whole lot more.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 140. 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!

Royal Caribbean is offering guests the option of exploring select ports of call mid-voyage with new Multi-Day Adventures program.

Guests debark their Royal Caribbean ship mid-voyage, where they take part in a fully guided tour that includes hotel accomodations, meals, airfare (where applicable) and transportation, before rejoining the ship at another port.

Royal Caribbean is offering Multi-Day Adventures in destinations such as

• New Zealand
• Guatemala
• Greece
• Israel
• Bangkok

These Multi-Day Adventure tours offer the opportunity to venture beyond the coast and explore the "heart" of each destination - from the Holy Land’s sacred spaces and the ‘lost’ Mayan ruins of Tikal, to visiting the site of the first Olympic games in Ilia, or admiring New Zealand’s magnificent Milford Sound.

To avoid cancelation penalties, Multi-Day Adventures must be canceled 30 days prior to sailing.

Program requires a minimum number of participants to operate at the advertised price. Should this minimum not be met, Royal Caribbean reserves the right to offer the program to those already booked at an adjusted price for a private excursion, or cancel the departure completely.

We love to share photo updates from around Royal Caribbean's fleet, and today we have a great look at the pool and sports decks from Liberty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Steve Ritter is back from Liberty of the Seas and shared these photos of the new kids pool area and the miniature golf course.

Both areas were added during Liberty of the Seas recent January 2016 refurbishment.

At 10 stories high, Harmony of the Seas' Ultimate Abyss is not only the tallest slide at sea but also an amazing engineering feat. Get an inside look into the construction process with the manufacturing team as well as the world’s only thrill engineer. Hear what makes Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate Abyss such an epic adventure.

Royal Caribbean announced today that the brand new Ovation of the Seas will extend her maiden Australian and confirmed she will return for the 2017/18 summer season.

During Ovation of the Seas' first season down under, the ship will now offer four extra cruises during this forthcoming summer 2016/17 season.

In addition, it was confirmed that Ovation of the Seas will return for a second season in summer 2017/18 due to, "the extraordinary demand for the ship from Australians."

Final deployment details for the additional sailings and 2017/2018 season will be released later in April.  Royal Caribbean Australia is offering a newsletter to get more information when they do become available.

“The level of interest for Ovation of the Seas has exceeded all of our expectations; we’re currently over 90 per cent sold for next summer’s sailings,” said Adam Armstrong, managing director, Royal Caribbean Australasia.  “She is a true game-changer and such was the high demand for the ship that we’ve been able to secure four extra cruises from Sydney, which will extend the season into late February 2017.

“This extension of her maiden season – plus her subsequent return in summer 2017/18 – reaffirms Australia’s position as one of the most significant cruising markets in the world and Royal Caribbean’s position as Sydney’s leading cruise line,” Armstrong continued.

“We are delivering Australians the most modern style of cruising from their doorstep – a style they previously had to travel overseas for.  Australia has asked for more and we will deliver; four more cruises, a return at the end of 2017, and more opportunities to experience a brand new era of cruising on Ovation of the Seas, purpose-built for the Asia Pacific market,” Armstrong concluded.

We love looking at beautiful Royal Caribbean photos and today we have a handful of great ones to share.

Photographer Rob Starling shared these great shots of four different Royal Caribbean ships coming and leaving Port Everglades, Florida.

Liberty of the Seas

Legend of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Independence of the Seas

All photos copyright Rob Starling.