​Royal Caribbean sends its more than 11,000 Filipino crew through safety training at its facility in Marongondong, Cavite, Philippines.

Friend of the blog, John Roberts, sent us these photos from his recent tour of the facility. The campus offers courses on Basic Safety Training, Advanced Firefighting, Survival Craft Operations, Water Rescue and other related courses designed to help build the competencies of cruise staff in a wide range of maritime skill sets.

The conditions created during the exercises simulate actual shipboard scenarios.

John Roberts writes about cruise and fitness-based travel on his website InTheLoopTravel.com.

Royal Caribbean's Giovanni's Table has spread to a number of ships across the fleet and serves up to guests some really tasty Italian food.  

Here are five things we think you will love about dining at Giovanni's Table.

5. Scallops

If you enjoy seafood, you will definitely want to order the scallops at Giovanni's Table, because they are truly wonderful dish.

Giant scallops are served individually on decorative clam shells.  A common mistake is scallops can be overcooked, but these are perfectly cooked and a real winner.

In short, the scallops are delectable and delicious. 

4. The filet

When we think of really good steaks on Royal Caribbean ships, one of the most underrated steaks is offered at Giovanni's Table.

The filet served up at Giovanni's Table is essentially Italian-style filet mignon and has an amazing flavor that is contrasted with the Gorgonzola cheese butter. And those steak fries!

An inside tip: there is a steak on the lunch and dinner menu, but the dinner steak option tends to be a better choice.

3. The decor on Oasis class ships

We mentioned earlier in this blog post that Giovanni's Table has spread to many Royal Caribbean ships, but the Giovanni Table locations on the Oasis class ships look and feel a little bit better than all the rest.

Giovanni's Table was originally introduced on Oasis of the Seas and there is just something about the Central Park setting that not only makes the restaurant look like a classy neighborhood restaurant, but it also just looks really nice inside.

Dining at Giovanni's Table on an Oasis class ship offers that perfect mix of great food set in a beautiful setting.  You can dine inside or opt for a table "outdoors" with a view of Central Park all around you.

2. Dessert cart

A trend among the newer Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants is to offer a dessert cart or tray of desserts and the dessert cart at Giovanni's Table is worth saving some room for.

Canolis, flourless chocolate cake, tiramisu are just a few of the options you can expect and they are truly devine.

These desserts are rich, decadent ways to top off a really good meal.

1. Lasagna

At the heart of Giovanni's Table is some fan-favorite Italian dishes that are tried-and-true winners, and this includes the lasagna.

The lasagna at Giovanni's Table is topped in a fabulous meat sauce and has just the right amount of cheese that accentuates the taste of the layers of pasta, sauce and meat.

If you are looking for a great traditional Italian pasta dish, the lasagna is for you.

Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Photos, where we share our readers' Royal Caribbean photos with all of you.  You can send us your Royal Caribbean photos by using this form.

To me, this weekly feature is an opportunity to enjoy a quick "mental escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation.  Let's get started with this week's batch!

Our first photo is from G.Spindler and it is of a beautiful sunset while at sea.  Looks perfect to me!

Speaking of beautiful, is this shot of Independence of the Seas by Shannon F in St. Maarten.  The water color and sky really look great!

Dave Rimington shared this photo of the Dubai skyline, as seen from Splendour of the Seas.  Love the contrast.

Denny sent us this photo from his stingray encounter from Grand Cayman.  Beautiful water color and that certainly looks like a close encounter to me!

Lastly this week, we have sister ships Serenade of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas by Frederic.  Two beautiful ships that look like mirror images of each other.

Thank you to everyone who sent in their photos this week. Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your photos so we can post them next week by using this form.

Royal Caribbean offers its guests that are fans of specialty dining the opportunity to purchase dining packages that promise to save guests money on the total cost of the restaurant experience.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean offers a variety of dining packages based on the number of nights you want to take advantage of the offer.  These packages can save guests up to 40% off the price if they were purchased individually.

There are dining packages for

• 1 night (referred to as First Night Done Right)
  • Only available on first night of the cruise
• 2 nights (referred to as BOGO package)
  • Only available on first two nights of the cruise
• 3 nights
• 4 nights
• 5 nights
• Ultimate dining package (good for the duration of the sailing)
  • The ultimate dining package includes lunch on sea days

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

Via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner, guests may select their dining party and preferred dining time and a courtesy dinner reservation will be made on your behalf in a pre-selected restaurant on day 1 or day 2.

On Day 1, guests will receive a reservation confirmation in their stateroom. If you would like to amend or to complete your additional dinner reservations, simply visit a Hospitality Desk or any specialty restaurant.

Guests then can make additional reservations on your first day onboard to guarantee preferred dining time and restaurants.

Kids ages 6-12 now dine at our specialty restaurants for only $10. Ages 5 and under eat free.  Royal Caribbean's staff can add children to your existing reservation at kid's prices once onboard.

For restaurants with a la carte pricing, package includes a $30 credit towards the food portion of your bill.

The main advantage of the dining packages are the cost savings compared to booking the individual specialty restaurants individually. 

Will you book one of these dining packages for your next Royal Caribbean cruise? Tell us in the comments below!

Across Royal Caribbean's fleet of cruise ships, there are some interesting and unique staterooms that are slightly different than the rest of the staterooms in the same category.

Today, we are looking at a very different Promenade stateroom on Freedom of the Seas that has a very unique look to it, the Ben & Jerry "Sweet".

Stateroom 6305 on Freedom of the Seas (and also sister ships Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas) is  the only inside stateroom on a Royal Caribbean ship to be considered a suite.

It is listed on deck plans as a normal cabin and not specifically mentioned in the catalog this "Ben & Jerry's" cabin is but one of the most unusual cruise ship cabins of all.

The stateroom sits directly above the Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop on the Royal Promenade and so, the room has a view of the two cows that are prominently displayed by the shop.  Thus, the view out the window is blocked.

Royal Caribbean decided to embrace the Ben & Jerry's motif by transforming this room into  the "Ben & Jerry Sweet". 

Throughout the entire room, there are cow sheets, pillows, pictures and other cow-related decorations.

The best part about this room are the perks you get for reserving it, which include

• Daily complimentary Ben & Jerry's ice cream for each guest
• Access to the Concierge Lounge
• Reservations for the ice show

By far the free ice cream and concierge lounge access are the best part about this stateroom.  Concierge access is usually limited to guests staying in a suite.

Concierge access allows guests to enjoy

• Use of the Concierge Club on deck 10
• Continental breakfast served in the lounge from 8am to 10am
• Hors d'oeuvres, petit fours and complimentary bar setup served in the lounge every evening before and after dinner from 4:30pm to 8:00pm
• Daily menus displayed and pre-ordering for your dinner wine.
• Reservations for any specialty restaurant, sports activities, shore excursions, salon and spa appointments.
• Personalized port and shopping advice
• Business services such as scan, copies, etc
• Reservations for shows onboard

Would you want to book this stateroom? Tell us in the comments!

Royal Caribbean announced today that one of its newest ships, Harmony of the Seas, will feature the DreamWorks Experience, all-new Adventure Ocean youth programming and new family amenities.

DreamWorks Experience

Harmony of the Seas will offer guests the DreamWorks Experience that other ships in the fleet have offered and many guests have come to enjoy.

DreamWorks Animation characters including Po of Kung Fu Panda; Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots of Shrek; and from Madagascar, Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, King Julien and the Penguins will be available for guests to meet during their cruise.

DreamWorks Experience activities onboard will include

• A DreamWorks Character breakfast in the main dining room
• 'Meet and greet’ experiences throughout the day
• Photo opportunities with the characters
• Adventure Ocean programming featuring DreamWorks Animation
  • Story time
  • Dance parties
  • Adventures rooted in the popular character stories

In addition, guests will have guaranteed seats on “opening weekend” of highly anticipated feature films such as "Kung Fu Panda 3,” which premieres onboard the same day it does in theaters on land. Year-round, guests can watch the latest and long-term favorite DreamWorks Animation films in the ship’s 3D movie theater and on a dedicated DreamWorks TV channel in their stateroom.

Enhanced Adventure Ocean Programming

New to be offered in Harmony’s Adventure Ocean Theater is Away We Go!, a black light puppet show created by Tony award-nominated actors and imaginative producers John Tartaglia by and Michael Shawn Lewis of Gable Grove Productions.

Additionally, programming by “Muffalo Potato” – the popular YouTube show, which teaches kids to draw anything in minutes using only letters and numbers – will round out Harmony’s lineup.

Muffalo Potato originally debuted aboard Anthem of the Seas and will expand fleetwide just in time for summer vacations, starting with Harmony of the Seas.

New family amenities for Central Park & Boardwalk staterooms

Starting in November 2016, Central Park and Boardwalk balcony staterooms will receive additional ammenities.

Guests with views of Central Park will enjoy

• Lunch for two at Jamie’s Italian
• A complimentary bottle of wine upon arrival
• Special perks in the Casino Royale. 

Guests with Boardwalk views will receive

• Lunch or dinner for four at Johnny Rockets
• A soda beverage package for two
• Private time on the cruise line’s iconic 38-foot tall rock wall.

Beginning in November 2016, guests staying in Boardwalk or Central Park view balcony staterooms will be able to enjoy complimentary amenities such as free food, drinks and more.

The new EAT • DRINK • PLAY complimentary amenities offer guests in Boardwalk balcony staterooms

• Complimentary meal for four at Johnny Rockets.
• Complimentary Royal Refreshment soda package for two guests.
• Exclusive rock climbing wall experience for the entire family.

The new EAT • DRINK • PLAY complimentary amenities offer guests in Central Park balcony staterooms

• Complimentary lunch for two at Giovanni's Table.
• Complimentary bottle of red wine in your stateroom.
• Private casino gaming lessons from an onboard expert.

The new EAT.PLAY.DRINK complimentary amenities for Neighborhood balconies on Oasis Class ships are available for sailings beginning in November 2016.

Royal Caribbean announced today it has extended its current 100 hour Caribbean sale through the end of the month.

The 100 hour sale was set to end today, but Royal Caribbean has decided to extend the promotion through January 31, 2016. During this promotion, guests can take advantage of BOGO offer, 25% off friends and family and 50% reduced deposit. They'll also get an extra $50 bonus for up to $350 to spend at sea.

Special 100 Hour Sale up to $350 onboard credit total per stateroom on 6-9 night Caribbean sailings departing April 1-Dec 31, 2016 excluding Harmony of the Seas. All other offers apply to all sailings excluding China departures.

The offer includes

• 50% off cruise fare for second guest booked in the same stateroom as first full fare guest
• 50% reduced deposit
• Onboard credit
  • Interior: $75
  • Oceanview: $250
  • Suite: $350
• 25% cruise fare savings for 3rd and 4th guests booked in the same stateroom as first two qualifying guests

Cruise must be booked Jan. 27-31, 2016.

BOGO is combinable with the adjoining OBC, 3rd and 4th Guest Savings, Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers; BOGO and 3rd and 4th Guest Savings are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). OBC Offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO) and NextCruise offers. OBC is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts. 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, Net Rates, Shareholder Benefits. 

Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.

Royal Caribbean was able to resume stops at its private destination of Labadee, following three cancelled scheduled stops due to local protests.

Allure of the Seas was able to dock in Labadee earlier this morning, and its guests were able to disembark and enjoy the activities onshore.

Good morning Haiti #royalcaribbean #labadee #haiti

A photo posted by Brittany (@_brittnaynay_) on Jan 26, 2016 at 6:06am PST

I'm at Labadee, Haiti https://t.co/tDhyjfUiJT pic.twitter.com/rc6TvtODpp

— mehmetelmastas (@mehmetelmastas) January 26, 2016

Royal Caribbean est de retour à Labadee.@DieudonneLuma @MTourismeHaiti @samueldameus @MCHaiti @David_Toussain pic.twitter.com/45DHEOn9kv

— Le Nord An Avan (@LeNordAnAvan) January 26, 2016

Royal Caribbean has been working closely with local and government officials in Haiti to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of its guests.