Happy New Year! If you're ready for a mental escape to a Royal Caribbean cruise, then you're at the right place because we have some great Royal Caribbean photos our readers have sent in.  Each week we ask our readers to send us their best Royal Caribbean photos to showcase right here on the blog so be sure to send yours in too!

First up, we have a photo from Michael Poole of Anthem of the Seas docked in Nassau, Bahamas as seen from Enchantment of the Seas.  I really like the color contrast!

Next up is this shot of the Royal Promenade on Independence of the Seas by Tom and Diane Trudnowski.  Oh, what I would not give to be there right now!

Here is a great shot of "twin sisters", Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, in Cozumel, by James Carruthers.  Hard to go wrong with those Freedom class ships.

Here is a great early morning photo from Nick Vitani of Enchantment of the Seas.  The colors you get around dawn are hard to beat.

Rounding things out is this photo of Anthem of the Seas on her first day in Southampton, by Neil Barnes.  

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos this week and if you have Royal Caribbean photos, well, we want to see them!  You can use this form to send us your photos and we will feature them on an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

It seems like everyone is curious what the various stateroom types look like, so we bring to you these photo tours of various stateroom categories.

Today, we have a Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony on Independence of the Seas in category D3.

On Independence of the Seas, Elena Oliboni took photos of stateroom 6450, which is located on deck 6 closest to the forward elevator bank. Entry to the room is by your SeaPass card.

Category D3 staterooms on Independence of the Seas are listed at 199 square feet, with a 65 square foot balcony.

The bed is joined together but can be split apart if need be, with a nightstand on either side of the bed.  

There is also an expanded living area with desk, drawer space, vanity, and sofa. Each stateroom also has its own flat-screen television, thermostat controlled air-conditioning, internet access, direct-dial telephone, radio, mini bar, individual safe, and 24 hour room service.

The bathroom contains a sink, shower and toilet.  

At 65 square feet, the balcony has enough room for two chairs and a table.  There is lots of room for two guests to enjoy the views here.

Royal Caribbean is testing a new punch card system on Grandeur of the Seas for guests to enjoy 10 drinks for a fixed price.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Rich T shared this photo from the Cruise Compass on Grandeur of the Seas, wher guests could purchase 10 drinks for $89.95.

The drink card is valid for the purchase of most beers, glasses of wine and cocktails as well as fountain soda and specialty coffee.

Guests had reported also seeing this kind of a drink card system tested on other ships, including Liberty of the Seas.

This just one of a few tests Royal Caribbean is testing in regards to different beverage packages and price structures these days. With ships full of guests that are more inclined to party with the holidays, it seems to be an opportunity to try offers like this punch card out.

Royal Caribbean spokesperson Celia de la Llama told Cruise Critic, "Ships have been given the option to test different beverage package offerings onboard.  The decision of which program to offer, if any, is made by the ship."

Earlier this week, a one day sea day beverage package was also spotted on a few Royal Caribbean ships.

Would you buy a drink ticket like this instead of an unlimited alcohol package? Share your thoughts in the comments!

It appears Royal Caribbean has changed the complimentary restaurant Devinly Decadence to the Solarium Bistro onboard Anthem of the Seas.

Message board members on Cruise Critic first reported the change that as of the December 19th sailing, the restaurant was being changed over to Solarium Bistro.

Devinly Decadence was inspired by celebrity chef Devin Alexander, and she confirmed 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.

In January 2015 Royal Caribbean dropped the cover charge for guests to dine there and made complimentary on Anthem of the Seas as well.

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

Episode 126 is available for downloading which has a review of a listener's recent experience on Allure of the Seas.

Podcast listener Brian is back to share his family's experience on Allure of the Seas.  Brian talks about the ports he visited, his stateroom and everything he did onboard Allure of the Seas.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 126. 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 Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, is back at it again with hints about a new show coming to Harmony of the Seas.

For a few weeks, Weir has posted on Twitter concept art with subtle hints related to what the images could mean.

Based on the clues, it looks like there is a new show or new aspect to an existing show coming to Harmony of the Seas in the Aqua Theater.

Weir employed a similar hinting strategy in November 2015, when he hinted at which Broadway show was coming to Harmony of the Seas.

What do you think Nick is hinting at? Share your ideas in the comments!

If you're going to Royal Caribbean's private island of CocoCay and are intersted in getting one of the best values for a bit of privacy, here is your guide to what you need to know about renting a beach lounger.

What are the beach loungers?

Formerly known as cabanettes, the beach loungers are clam shell beach umbrellas that offer privacy and protection from the sun.

In CocoCay, the beach loungers have an advantage over the cabanas because they are closer to the ocean for quicker "commutes".

What is the cost of a beach lounger?

Each beach lounger rental costs $45 and covers two guests.

What services come with the beach lounger?

The beach loungers are located in the South Beach area, which are away from the crowds and food.

As of September 2016, the amenities included with the beach loungers have been removed and a beach lounger rental now only includes the clam shell beach umbrella.

How do I reserve a beach lounger?

Guests can book a beach lounger online, via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner.

In addition, the concierge onboard can reserve a beach lounger or guests can book them at the Shore Excursions desk.

Keep in mind that reservations tend to go quickly for beach loungers, so it is best to reserve as soon as possible.

Royal Caribbean has released a new video with Chef Michael Schwartz, as he talks bourbon flight tastings at Michael’s Genuine Pub, onboard Quantum class ships.

Social media has never been more popular and a recent study looked at how cruise lines used social media, particularly on Facebook, in 2015 to see how each company fared.

The survey pulled data on many Facebook page interactions each cruise line gained on Facebook, including all the likes, comments and shares from users on the cruise line's posts from January 1 through December 1, 2015.

The survey results are as follows

1. Disney Cruise Line (2.67 million Page interactions)
2. Carnival Cruise Line (2.64 million Page interactions)
3. Princess Cruises (1.47 million Page interactions)
4. Norwegian Cruise Line 1.31 million Page interactions)
5. Royal Caribbean International (1.31 million Page interactions)

On the surface, it looks as though Royal Caribbean came in last among that group, but the study did notice that Royal Caribbean's performance was actually the opposite of that.

"It’s important to note a couple facts, though, that say the opposite: first, the Royal Caribbean International Facebook Page that ranked in the top 5 is a Global Page; Royal Caribbean also has local Pages, including for countries like Brazil and Mexico. For these two local Pages in particular for example, they gained an additional 674,000 interactions. It’s well known that local Pages tend to receive higher engagement per fan than Global ones because local Pages are able to cater their content better. Thus, local Pages tend to be a great move by larger international companies who have many different markets. In this sense, Royal Caribbean is doing a great job on Facebook catering to different audiences."

It appears Royal Caribbean is offering on Enchantment of the Seas a one-day unlimited alcohol package that is aimed at getting guests who do not want to commit to a full beverage package.

Megan Tellalian spotted this new deal on Enchantment of the Seas, where guests could purchase a "sea-day beverage package" for $65 per person.

This one day drink package includes unlimited beers, cocktails and select glasses of wine, as well as bottled water, juices and specialty coffees.  Essentially, it is a one-day version of the ultimate drink package.

Other guests have reported seeing a similar package on Anthem of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas.

Would you buy a one-day unlimited drink package? Let us know in the comments!