If you have been on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, then you likely are well aware of the impressiveness of this cruise ship.  From stern to bow, she is packed with wonderful experiences.  To create a ship this alluring, Royal Caribbean spent a lot of time planning and designing it, and we have a look at seven really interesting anecdotes that make Harmony of the Seas stand out from the rest of the fleet (and cruise industry).

7. First Royal Caribbean ship built with water slides in its design

Royal Caribbean has long been the leader in creating exclusive first-at-sea experiences.  Harmony of the Seas does not disappoint in continuing to uphold that longstanding, revered position.  Harmony of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean ship to be designed with water slides in mind.

Royal Caribbean tested water slides by adding them to Liberty of the Seas in January 2016. This gave the company an opportunity to test the slides on a ship, before implementing them on Harmony.

The Perfect Storm water slides were designed by Aquatic Design & Engineering.  The slides were designed to be part of the ship's design and blend it with the style of the ship.

6. Offers the tallest slide at sea

Royal Caribbean commissioned Spark Cooperative to push the envelope of what a cruise ship can offer, and build on the cruise line's innovative reputation with a brand new, thrilling experience. They came up with The Ultimate Abyss slide.

The Ultimate Abyss is a pair of side-by-side 100 ft- high slides that guests can ride down multiple decks of the ship. Spark worked to offer a slide experience that offered multi-sensory channels, including spontaneous audio effects, bespoke ride mats and custom uniforms and accessories. The attraction is designed to thrill guests while maintaining a sense of heart-pumping anticipation.

The Ultimate Abyss towers 150 feet above sea level at the aft of Harmony of the Seas and offers a 100 foot drop.

5. Harmony of the Seas has Royal Caribbean's first original musical production

Royal Caribbean built a reputation in the cruise industry for offering some of the best onboard entertainment, and that reputation continues with its original musical on Harmony of the Seas, Columbus, The Musical.

Columbus, The Musical! is a new Royal Caribbean original production that tells the tale of Christopher’s luckless distant cousin, Marvin, on a madcap voyage to the Caribbean. The musical was created in the spirit of “Spamalot” and “Something Rotten."

The story is fun, the cast energetic and the music perfect to sing along with. Columbus is at the very top of our list of favorite shows we have seen onboard any Royal Caribbean ship.

4. Only Wonderland restaurant that is two decks high

Royal Caribbean introduced a new specialty dining experience, Wonderland, on its Quantum Class ships, and they have been a huge hit with guests.  It was no surprise Royal Caribbean wanted to add Wonderland to Harmony of the Seas, but on this ship, they designed a brand new space for it that encompasses two decks.

The striking two-story restaurant is a must-try sensory experience and serves whimsical meals that will delight and inspire from beginning to end.

3. No pool in the Solarium

No one is quite sure why, but Harmony of the Seas does not have a pool in its adult-only Solarium. 

Sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas all had pools in their Solarium, but with Harmony of the Seas, the cruise line decided to replace the pool with a walk-through mister intended to cool off guests.

2.  Harmony of the Seas hosted a rock concert

As part of Harmony of the Seas' celebration of its arrival in North America, Royal Caribbean held a rock concert in the AquaTheater that featured multi-platinum-selling band DNCE.

The concert was part of Royal Caribbean's "Friendsgiving" event onboard, with the group performing their best known songs. 

1. Its art collection is inspired by the wonders of our world

Art has always been a focal point for Royal Caribbean, with its cruise ships serving as floating galleries of many kinds of art.  On Harmony of the Seas, the ship's 3,000 piece art collection is centered around the theme of, “The Wonder of Our World, The World We Live In,” from artists spanning 60 countries.

The collection explores wonder from four perspectives— people, places, what we do and what inspires us —through an array of media. Many of the works were created specifically for Harmony of the Seas and designed to bring joy to all who sail.

Actress and avid traveler Shay Mitchell is Royal Caribbean's "Adventurist," the adventure adviser and storyteller for the world's most adventurous cruise line, Royal Caribbean International.

Royal Caribbean earned five wins in the 2017 Travel Weekly Reader's Choice Awards, including three major milestones — Best Cruise Line Overall and in the Caribbean 15 years running. And Best Sales & Service for 10 years straight.

The awards won were

• Best Sales & Service: Royal Caribbean International
• Best Cruise Line Overall: Royal Caribbean International
• Best Cruise Line in the Caribbean: Royal Caribbean International
• Best Individual Cruise Ship: Harmony of the Seas
• Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International

Travel Weekly honored the winners of its Readers Choice Awards at a gala dinner and ceremony at the Conrad Hotel in New York. Winners were selected in 77 categories, ranging from hotels to tours to airlines to GDSs to cruise lines, represent the best of the best in travel.

More than 300 passengers Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas experienced an onset of gastrointestinal illness on the most recent 5-night Caribbean cruise.

Many news outlets are reporting on the incident, in which the passengers affected reported symptoms that included bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. Royal Caribbean said in statements to media outlets that 332 of the 5,547 passengers and crew became ill.

Photo by Mike Dinsmore

Guests were notified of the incidents during the sailing, with over-the-counter medicine provided to treat symptoms. Guests onboard also reported round the clock work by the crew to sanitize the ship throughout the duration of the sailing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, around 20 million people are infected with Norovirus each year with less than 1 percent of out breaks occurring on cruise ships.

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!

Royal Carbbean released 2019 itineraries for Alaska and some European sailings.

Across eight ships, guests can now book a variety of sailings to these destinations.

Royal Caribbean News

• Deck-by-deck look at the changes coming to Independence of the Seas.
• Guests can now book post-cruise excursions to Elizabeth, New Jersey.
• Royal Caribbean released a new video on why you ought to cruise to Alaska.
• Our readers shared some great Royal Caribbean tips for a better cruise.
• Here's an overview of entertainment on Royal Caribbean cruises.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 228th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, Matt talks about the Solarium on Royal Caribbean ships.

In this episode, Matt provides an overview of the adults-only pool area, discusses the appeal of these areas, and shares some differences between each of them.

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

Skift interviewed Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain about building smarter ships.

Yahoo shared a look at Royal Caribbean's big bet on tech.

Cruise Critic highlighted 8 of the coolest cruise ship atriums, and one Royal Caribbean ship made the list.

Cruise Habit wrote about the realities of Norovirus and cruise ships.

Welcome back to Friday Photos, our weekly showcase of Royal Caribbean photos that were taken by readers of this blog.  

Every week, we ask our readers to send us their best Royal Caribbean vacation photos to be considered for this post and you're welcome to send yours in as well. We'd love to feature photos of the ships, excursions, activities onboard and anything else that reminds you of a great time while sailing with Royal Caribbean.

So without further adieu, here is this week's batch of photos.

First up is this photo of Labadee, taken by Geoffrey Straubinger from an overlook on a walking path.

Here is a photo of the beach beds in CocoCay, taken by Gibson.

John Bamber sent in this photo of Oasis of the Seas docked in St. Maarten.

Next is a photo of Empress of the Seas in Cuba by Krisztina Benko.

Dan Kohout snapped this photo of Enchantment of the Seas in Nassau, as seen from his "brief pit stop" at Señor Frogs.

Our next photo is by Chelsey Curry, and it is of Freedom of the Seas docked in Cozumel.

We go back to CocoCay for our final photo this week, and it is from David Ep of the Cabanas.

Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos this week.  Be sure to send your photos in as well by using this form.

Royal Caribbean is offering up to 30% off select Cruise Planner purchases this weekend, with its Deck the Deals sale.

The weekend Cruise Planner sale promises savings on certain shore excursions and drink package purchases.  Guests can check which discounts, if any, are available for their upcoming sailing by visiting the Cruise Planner site. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

Based on the countdown timer, the sale will expire at midnight on Sunday night.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site and navigate to the Dining & Beverage section to see any available offers.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

Guests sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Cape LIberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, will have the option to take shore excursions to one of New Jersey’s oldest and most historic cities, Elizabeth.

A new partnership between Royal Caribbean and EMI Global offers passengers the option to book a post-cruise excursion in and around Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is known for its historical precedence of being the starting point for New Jersey (est. 1664) and home of America’s founding fathers, like Alexander Hamilton, Elias Boudinot , Marquis de Lafayette and many others. Additionally, Elizabeth is noted for its rich ethnic diversity, representing more than 50 countries and 37 language groups, authentic cultural cuisine, and as being the 5th best City for Shopping in America due, in part, to being the location of New Jersey’s largest outlet and value retail center, The Mills at Jersey Gardens, a Simon Center.

Guests can get more information about these shore excursions at www.GoElizabethNJ.com/RCCLExcursions.

Hands down the best way to see Alaska is on a cruise. Travelers can experience the awe of the Inside Passage, with its jaw-dropping scenery and diverse wildlife as well as land based thrills on a variety of curated cruisetours. Royal Caribbean is taking Alaska cruises to the next level by offering some of their best ships, including Radiance of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean is offering guests a bonus of up to $100 instant savings on top of its 30% off all guests and kids sail free offer.

The Dashing Deals offer is valid on cruises booked between December 14 - 18, 2017 on sailings departing on or after January 14, 2018. Offer excludes China departures.

Deal includes:

• 30% off every guest
• Kids Sail for Free
  • Free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on 4 nights or longer Europe, Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, Canada, Coastal and Caribbean sailings departing January 9, 2018- December 15, 2018.
  • Excluding Symphony of the Seas sailings and sailings departing 2/15/18-2/20/18, 3/10/18-4/1/18, 5/15/18-9/1/18 and 11/17/18-11/22/18.
• Instant savings determined by category booked and sailing length:
  • Sailings 5 nights or less
    • $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View
    • $50 savings for Balconies
    • $75 savings for Suites
  • Sailings 6 nights or longer
    • $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View
    • $75 savings for Balconies
    • $100 savings for Suites

30% off is combinable with NRDB OBC, Kids Sail Free, Free Upgrades, promotional OBCs and instant savings, NextCruise offers, restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military), Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Dashing Deals is combinable with NextCruise offers, NRDB OBC, and restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military) but is not combinable with Shareholder benefits and Crown and Anchor discounts. 30% off bookings made for China departures are combinable with NextCruise offers and Crown and Anchor balcony/suites discounts only. 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.

Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.