Royal Caribbean released a map of the Caribbean, with an updated look at which ports are open, closed, or ready for departures.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc on many Eastern Caribbean cruise ports, and recovery efforts are in-progress at all ports.  Understandably, many Royal Caribbean guests are curious about when these ports will re-open and if there will be any impact to their scheduled cruises in the meantime.

This update was released on October 2, 2017.  The status of any port listed as closed could change at anytime.  If/when there is an impact to your cruise itinerary, Royal Caribbean will contact you with changes.

We have another batch of fresh photos to share of the construction progress being made on Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean released new photos of Symphony of the Seas, which will be the cruise line's fourth Oasis Class ship.

Symphony of the Seas will debut in April 2018.

For 100 hours, Royal Caribbean is offering 50% off the second guest, plus up to $200 instant savings on cruises booked.

Cruise must be booked between October 1, 2017 through October 5, 2017 at 11:59 PM EST and applies to sailings departing on or after November 1, 2017.

Offer includes

• 50% off cruise fare of second guest who must be booked in the same stateroom as a first guest who books at full fare.
• 25% cruise fare savings for 3rd guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests.
• Kids Sail Free offer provides 3rd and 4th guests 12 years and younger free cruise fare.
  • Guests 12 & under sail free on 4 nights or longer Europe, Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, Coastal and Caribbean sailings departing November 1, 2017- December 31, 2018.
  • Excludes Symphony sailings and sailings departing 11/17/17-11/27/17, 12/17/17 – 1/8/18, 2/15/18-2/20/18, 3/10/18-4/1/18, 5/15/18-9/1/18, 11/17/18-11/22/18 and 12/15/18-12/31/18.
• 100 Hour sale provides instant savings determined by category booked and sailing length:
  • $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 5 nights or less
  • $75 savings for Balconies and $100 savings for Suites on sailings 5 nights and less
  • $75 savings for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 6 nights and longer
  • $125 savings for Balconies and $200 savings for suites on sailings 6 nights or longer
• Additionally, Deck the Holidays Deals offer provides onboard credit for guests who book a holiday sailing departing from December 19, 2017 through December 31, 2017 and December 18, 2018 through December 31, 2018.
  • Offer includes an onboard credit determined by category booked and sailing length:
    • $25 to spend onboard for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 5 nights or less
    • $50 to spend onboard for Balconies and Suites on sailings 5 nights and less
    • $50 to spend onboard for Interior and Ocean View on sailings 6 nights and longer
    • $100 to spend onboard for Balconies on sailings 6 nights or longer
    • $150 to spend onboard for Suites on sailings 6 nights or longer

100 Hour sale and Deck the Holidays offer exclude China departures. BOGO does not apply to third and higher occupancy guests. BOGO offer is combinable with Kids Sail Free, NRDB OBC, promotional OBCs and instant savings, NextCruise offers, restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military), Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits.  Deck the Holidays, Kids Sail Free and 100 Hour sale are 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. BOGO50 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. 

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas offers a lovely family vacation opportunity, and has some interesting anecdotes related to the ship's development and operation that we wanted to share.

This list is not a list of hidden secrets of things and ways to improve your Oasis of the Seas cruise experience.  Rather, this is an opportunity to share fun tidbits and factoids about a very popular Royal Caribbean cruise ship that continues to capture the attention of the cruising public.

Oasis of the Seas has seven Godmothers

It is maritime tradition for a ship to have a Godmother, which is a ceremonial position that serves more of a marketing role than anything else these days. Royal Caribbean decided to change things up and have not one, but seven Godmothers.  Why seven? The answer is one for each neighborhood on Oasis of the Seas.

Oasis of the Seas' Godmothers are Shawn Johnson, Daisy Fuentes, Jane Seymour, Michelle Kwan, Gloria Estefan, Darra Torres and Keisha Knight Pulliam.

Oasis of the Seas was known as Project Genesis

It's common in the cruise industry to begin working on a new class of ships under a project name and then announce a formal name later on. In the case of the Oasis-class, it was known as Project Genesis.

There is a small homage to the Project Genesis name on the Royal Promenade of Oasis of the Seas.

Name for crew area

The crew-only super highway that funnels food, services, and supplies to the 16 decks above stretches the entire length of the ship, and is called I-95. This is a reference to the major American highway that runs north and south on the eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.

A new terminal was created for Oasis of the Seas

When Royal Caribbean designed Oasis of the Seas, they realized she was so large and so different that they needed to also build a brand new cruise terminal to accommodate her.

The new terminal would need to be able to handle all the passengers, equipment, and supplies for the largest cruise ship in the world, so Royal Caribbean built the largest cruise ship terminal in the world at Terminal 18 in Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A 9,000 piece art collection

Oasis of the Seas is proud to blend spectacular art with its revolutionary architecture-over 9,000 art pieces have led it to be dubbed ’’a museum at sea.’’ 

The Boardwalk's inspiration

The Boardwalk neighborhood is a fun spot onboard for guests to catch a show, a bite to eat, or enjoy the ocean breeze any time of day or night.  Royal Caribbean's ship designers were inspired by the seaside piers that dot the coast of England and the nostalgic boardwalks of the past, such as Coney Island.

The centerpiece of Boardwalk is a one-of-a-kind carousel. The Boardwalk Neighborhood on Oasis is designed to be a breathtaking space for families inspired by the nostalgic seaside boardwalks of yesteryear; so the carousel was created using inspiration from turn-of-the-century carousel designs down to the very last detail.

Solar panels help light up the ship

21,000 square feet of thin solar film that produce enough power to light the ship’s Royal Promenade and Central Park areas.

Oasis of the Seas received the solar panels, after Royal Caribbean tested solar panel use on two of its Celebrity Solstice class ships.

While the solar panels may not a rapid payoff on its solar panel investment, the installation of these solar panels is what sustainability architects call “future proofing.” In other words, utilizing imperfect existing technology will pave the way for easy adoption of more efficient solar panels in the future. Old panels can be ripped off and new ones installed.

Other Royal Caribbean efforts to include more energy-efficient lighting and air-conditioning systems that can turn off automatically when balcony doors are left open too long.

Happy Sunday and welcome to October, which means there is plenty of pumpkin flavored everything, changing colors of the leaves and plenty of Royal Caribbean news!

We finally got some new Symphony of the Seas news this week, with word of the Broadway musical Royal Caribbean will feature on its fourth Oasis Class ship.

In a short tweet, Royal Caribbean announced Hairspray will return to Royal Caribbean as the Broadway show on Symphony of the Seas.

Hairspray was originally performed on Oasis of the Seas for a few years before being replaced by Cats.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean shared photos of the help it provided to those impacted by recent hurricanes in the Caribbean.
• Royal Caribbean announced new features coming to Independence of the Seas.
• TTG Travel awards named Royal Caribbean the Best Cruise Operator for the 10th consecutive year.
• Here is our list of the five coolest things about Harmony of the Seas.
• Read our full review of Izumi Hibachi on Harmony of the Seas.
• Six things to know about Adventure Ocean before you get on your cruise.
• We came up with a fun list of things you realize after a week on Harmony of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean Australia debuted a new marketing campaign.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 217th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we reviewed the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise on Harmony of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt and everyone on the group cruise discussed their experiences on Harmony of the Seas and shared tips and advice for someone considering cruising on Harmony.

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

Eat Sleep Cruise shared 10 reasons to cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas.

Michael Poole shared a cabin tour of his stateroom on Harmony of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean UK discussed what life is like onboard Independence of the Seas for the crew.

USA Today had a look at Key West with the first cruise ship to dock there since Hurricane Irma.

Do you Cruise? wrote about why she blogs about cruising.

Cruise Habit wrote about why cruising today is the best.

Royal Caribbean has been using its cruise ships to bring much needed aid to the hurricane-ravaged islands of the Caribbean.

Adventure of the Seas returned to Puerto Rico  carrying much needed humanitarian supplies. In addition, the ship has worked with the local government to take evacuees from Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas recently dropped off hurricane relief supplies in St. Marteen and St. Thomas after Hurricane Irma. In addition, the company worked with the local government to evacuate residents.

Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas was the first ship to visit Key West after the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma. In addition, to stopping in Key West the ship brought much needed supplies to the area.

Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas recently dropped off hurricane relief supplies in St. Marteen and St. Thomas after Hurricane Irma. In addition, the company worked with the local government to evacuate residents.

Every Friday, we invite our readers to send in their favorite Royal Caribbean photos so that we can showcase them right here on the blog.  We have a great selection of photos to share this week, but be sure to submit your favorite Royal Caribbean photos too!

Our first photo this week is from Alex Trakhtenberg, and it was taken on a Freedom of the Seas transatlantic cruise.

Justin Amrhein shared this photo of Grandeur of the Seas passing under the Key Bridge, on her way out of Baltimore.

Here is a photo of Nassau, taken by Diana Taylor.

Here is a beautiful shot of Allure of the Seas in Labadee, taken by Krisztina Benko.

Steve Dolan sent in this photo of the Atlantis Resort, as seen from his Boardwalk balcony stateroom on Oasis of the Seas.

Colum Clifford took this sunset photo while on Liberty of the Seas.

We round out this week's edition with another beautiful photo, this one by twangster of Grandeur of the Seas at sunset.  Love the reflection in the water!

That wraps up this week's edition of Friday Photos. Thank you to everyone who shared photos and be sure to send in your Royal Caribbean photos so that we can share them in an upcoming edition!

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is quickly becoming a very popular cruise ship with new cruisers and veteran cruises alike.  There is so much to see and do onboard, and we decided to list the five things about Harmony of the Seas that we think are just so darn cool that they deserve some recognition.

5. Bionic Bar

Robots are at the forefront of so many exciting ideas, and on Harmony of the Seas, guests can enjoy a cocktail made by a robot at the Bionic Bar.

Two robots serve up drinks to guests who order them from nearby tablets.  Pick the drink you like from a list of favorites, or opt to customize something you fancy.  You can even see reviews left by other guests of which drinks they liked best.

After placing the order, the robots go to work and provide real-time updates of the drink progress on a large screen, before sending the drink to you.  Just try and walk by the Bionic Bar and not stop to see the robots doing their thing.

4. Escape the Rubicon

Often people associate certain activities with being on a cruise ship, but the Escape the Rubicon game breaks all those molds.

Escape the Rubicon is an immersive escape room game, where guests work together to solve a series of clues and riddles before time runs out so that they can "escape" the room they are in.

Royal Caribbean teamed up with a leader in the escape room experience to create a dedicated space on Harmony of the Seas where guests can try their best to find all the clues and figure out a way to beat the game before time runs out.

3. Splashaway Bay

Royal Caribbean is a family cruise line, and kids will likely want to spend a lot of time at Harmony of the Seas' incredible aqua park, known as Splashaway Bay.

So what makes Splashaway Bay so cool? This fun spot is full of water slides, water cannons, waterfalls and more.  It is the kind of place kids will never want to leave. The gigantic drench bucket and a multi-platform jungle-gym mean not only will the kids get (and stay) drenched while playing there, they are going to have a great time doing it.

What makes Splashaway Bay special is the fact it is the latest and greatest water play area option in Royal Caribbean's fleet. That makes it one of the best ships if you are cruising with kids.

2. Grease

Guests sailing on Harmony of the Seas are able to see the Broadway musical, Grease, and it is available to enjoy on your cruise with no additional cost.

This stage production of Grease was specially adapted by Royal Caribbean Productions and features all of your favorite songs, such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Born to Hand-Jive,” “Beauty School Dropout” and more.

The best news about Grease on Harmony of the Seas, is that the show is included in the cost of your cruise fare, so you can enjoy a Broadway show while onboard for absolutely no additional cost.

1. Ultimate Abyss slide

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is the world's largest cruise ship and offers the world's tallest slide at sea in the Ultimate Abyss.

Located on the aft of the ship, the Ultimate Abyss is more than 150 feet above sea level and offers side-by-side slides that send guests down 10 decks at a rate of 9 miles per hour.

Guests board the slide by climbing stairs that lead directly into the mouth of a giant angler fish, where they get into a customized mat and then descend down the slide, traversing 216 feet of a multi-sensory tunnel. Guests can reach a speed of 9 miles per hour, and it is the kind of thrill experience unlike anything else at sea.

The Ultimate Abyss is free and available for rides mostly during the day.

There is much more!

We limited ourselves to the top 5 coolest things about Harmony of the Seas for this blog post, but there is so much more that will impress you.

Surf simulators, zip line, incredible restaurants, mini-golf, ice skating, water slides and much more. We cannot fit it all into one blog post but rest assured that a cruise on Harmony of the Seas is certain to impress.

For the tenth consecutive year, Royal Caribbean was named Best Cruise Operator of the TTG Travel Awards at the 28th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2017 ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand.

Royal Caribbean has been voted unanimously by readers of TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG India, TTGmice, TTG-BTmice China, TTGassociations and TTG Asia Luxury for the award. The TTG Travel Awards are given out annually to honor organizations in Asia Pacific’s travel industry for their strong commitment towards service excellence.

Royal Caribbean won the award for offering the best product, services and facilities. This is highlighted by the deployment of the newest Quantum Class ship Ovation of the Seas in Singapore for a season this year. 

Sean Treacy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. who accepted the award said, “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for: winning the TTG Travel Award for 10 years in a row! This makes our 10th anniversary in Asia even more meaningful, as we grew from a new market entrant into the region’s leading cruise brand, all with the strong unwavering support of our travel partners and customers from Day One. We are very proud that each of our ships in Asia has brought the cruising scene to new heights with innovative features and excellent service. We look forward to offering even more exciting holiday experiences in the next decade, while making cruising – and Royal Caribbean International – a top vacation choice in Asia.”

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

Episode 217 is available for downloading featuring a LIVE review from onboard Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas.

Our latest group cruise has just wrapped up and we recorded this week's episode onboard Harmony of the Seas, sharing our stories and tips for anyone cruising on Harmony of the Seas.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 217. 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!