Guests sailing on Brilliance of the Seas can look forward to enjoying an escape room game while onboard their next sailing.

Puzzle Break CEO Nate Martin confirmed to Royal Caribbean Blog in an exclusive interview that the company now offers, "Royal Mystery," which is a hybrid puzzle hunt escape room experience that is playable by multiple teams at the same time.

Puzzle Break's website lists Brilliance of the Seas as a ship offering a Puzzle Break experience

"To bring Puzzle Break experiences to an even larger audience, we also have a couple of games that we've done for Royal which we're rolling out to more and more ships everyday. It is a kind of a hybrid experience, that kind of captures what an escape room is...but instead of one team in one room, it's a whole bunch of teams in a very large space all working on the same puzzles independently, racing against the clock and somewhat racing against each other," said Nate Martin, Co-Founder and CEO, Puzzle Break.

"This is called A Royal Mystery, we're going to be eventually be doing several of these for Royal.  They are available now aboard Brilliance of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, and I think we are rolling out to Harmony pretty soon."

"I think the current plan of record is to get those on every single ship in the fleet."

Royal Mystery on Ovation of the Seas. Photo by drummerdave72

Royal Caribbean and Puzzle Break are also collaborating on bringing an escape room experience to Symphony of the Seas, which is Royal Caribbean's upcoming fourth Oasis Class ship that will debut next year.  According to Martin, an escape room game for a ship like Symphony of the Seas costs "over a million dollars to make."

Royal Caribbean sent an update to users that its current smartphone app for iOS devices is being retired.

The app was updated in the iTunes App Store on May 17, 2017, with the notice, "Unfortunately, this Royal Caribbean App is being retired and will no longer be supported. Make sure to visit our mobile experience on RoyalCaribbean.com to book your next adventure and stay informed when you're on the go."

The official Royal Caribbean app was rarely updated, with just one update in all of 2016 and a few updates in 2015.

While not confirmed, it is believed retiring the current Royal Caribbean app may be the precursor to the release of the new smart phone app that Royal Caribbean is actively developing. According to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain, the new smart phone app should be out sometime this summer.

Thanks to Jason Percival Sr. and Marc Schwartz for alerting us to this app change.

Royal Caribbean is now offering a kids sail free promotion on top of their current Maycation sales event.

Kids Sail Free is valid on cruises booked between May 17 - 31, 2017.

Offer includes

• 30% off the standard cruise fare for all guests in a stateroom; all stateroom categories. Applies to sailings on or after June 17, 2017.
• Kids Sail Free offer
  • Free cruise fare of third and higher guests who are 12 years or younger as of cruise departure date, booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests in a triple or quad occupancy stateroom on 5 nights or longer sailings that depart between Sep. 1, 2017 - Dec. 14, 2017 across Bahamas, Caribbean, North East Caribbean, Bermuda, Coastal and Canada itineraries.
  • Valid on Vision of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Empress of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas.
  • Kids Sail Free excludes sailings departing on or between 11/16/17 – 11/26/17.
• Oasis Class Sale
  • Valid on cruises booked May 17, 2017 7:00AM EST to May 24, 2017 6:59am EST on sailings that depart on or after June 17, 2017.
  • Dollars off on Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas sailings departing on or after June 17, 2017 determined by stateroom category booked:
    • $50 off per stateroom for interior and oceanview
    • $150 off per stateroom for balcony
    • $300 off per stateroom for suite

30% Savings is combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts, Shareholders Benefits and NextCruise offers. 30% Savings is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including but not limited to, restricted rates. All offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion.

Dollars Off is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts or Shareholder Benefits. Maycation 30% and Dollars Off are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including but not limited to, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, and Military), Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, and Net Rates.

Offer open to residents of U.S. or Canada.

A Royal Caribbean cruise is a top choice for many families that want to enjoy a great vacation, but there are some important strategies for saving (a lot of) money off the total cost of the cruise.

Bargain hunters should be aware there are some definite ways to bring that total cruise cost down.  Here are five ways we have found to consistently save hundreds of dollars on cruise vacations.

Book your cruise early

If there is one tried-and-true strategy for getting the lowest price on a Royal Caribbean cruise, it is to book the sailing as early as possible.  If you can book your sailing 12, 18 or even 24 months in advance, you will very likely pay much less than someone that waits to book their sailing just a few months before the cruise.

The simple reason why booking early gets you the lowest price is that when a sailing is put on sale, all the staterooms are available to book, and thus, demand is at its lowest.  As guests start to book rooms, supply goes down, which inversely drives prices up.  Over time, we typically see prices for a sailing go up.

Moreover, if you live in a country that allows re-booking prior to final payment date (United States, Canada, Australia, etc), you can always take advantage of price drops, if they were to occur, and get the new lowest price.  If you book early enough, you may find regardless of the deal or promotion Royal Caribbean publicizes, the rate you had booked early on is still a better deal.

Cruise close to home

If you can manage to go on a cruise without having to fly, or take another expensive means of transportation, you will reap a ton of savings.

In addition to the traditional cruise homeports in Florida, Royal Caribbean also offers year-round and seasonal cruises from New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, Galveston and San Juan.  This means a great deal of convenient embarkation ports that can be driveable. 

By not having to include an airline ticket in your vacation budget, you will save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Of course, there still will be a transportation cost to get to the port, but very likely the savings in not buying an airline ticket will outweigh gas, tolls and even a hotel stay.

Buy a dining or drink package

If you are the sort of person that will indulge in specialty dining or alcoholic beverages onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, a dining or drink package can save you a lot of money.

Royal Caribbean's dining packages allow guests to enjoy meals at a variety of specialty restaurants for one low price.  There are many packages available, but taking advantage of these dining packages will save money compared to eating at those same restaurants, but paying the walk-up price without a package. When you figure multiple people investing in a dining package, the savings stack up quickly.

Likewise, a Royal Caribbean drink package can save you money, provided you drink enough every day of your cruise to make it worthwhile. Guests pay a flat cost to enjoy unlimited beverages that are included in the package they select.  Be sure to get a discount on a Royal Caribbean drink package prior to your cruise to increase your total savings.

It is worth noting that a drink or dining package may not inherently save everyone money.  The cost savings depend on how much you will actually consume on a cruise.  It is important to sit down before your cruise and think about how many drinks you might have, factor in time off the ship in foreign ports of call, and determine if a drink package is right for you.  Dining packages are a bit easier to figure out if they are a worthwhile investment, because you can look at your Cruise Planner and determine what looks of interest and plan accordingly.

Book your next cruise onboard

Royal Caribbean will reward you if you book another Royal Caribbean cruise, while still onboard your current sailing.  These rewards come in the form of onboard credit, which can stack up into the hundreds of dollars quite quickly.

Dubbed NextCruise, Royal Caribbean has changed up some of the rules lately for how the program works, especially if deposits are refundable or not.  It is important to be aware of all the rules on canceling or changing sailings prior to booking. 

However, if you are certain of the sailing you want to take, booking onboard will garner significant savings, especially on longer sailings (7 nights or more) and/or balcony and suite staterooms. The NextCruise program is one of the easiest ways to earn money towards your next sailing.

Be flexible with your cruise dates

If the dates you can take a Royal Caribbean cruise are somewhat open, you can shave off hundreds of dollars from your cruise fare. 

Just like the entire travel industry, cruises have peak and off-peak seasons.  Booking a cruise over Christmas week will see a much higher cost than if you opt for that same cruise two weeks earlier or later. Those that can cruise when many families are stuck following a school or work holiday calendar, will find rock bottom prices for cruise fares.

Finding the lowest fares typically 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.

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

Episode 198 is available for downloading, which features an interview with Puzzle Break's CEO, Nate Martin.

Nate Martin and his team are responsible for bringing the incredible escape room games to Royal Caribbean ships.  Nate shares what it took to create these interactive experiences, and gives us a peek into what we can expect to see in the future on other Royal Caribbean ships.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 198. 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's Symphony of the Seas is under construction at STX France shipyard, and we have a new batch of photos to share.

Thanks to our friends at Saint Nazaire, une ville à la mer, we are able to share photos that were taken on May 16, 2017.

© Hervé GLAIS

Symphony of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean's fourth Oasis Class cruise ship and is set to debut in Spring 2018.  She will offer Mediterranean sailings in her first summer, prior to arriving in Miami, Florida at her new homeport in November 2018.

The theatrical possibilities of the AquaTheater, the distinct high diving, acrobatic performance space introduced by Royal Caribbean with the Oasis class of ships, have breathtaking limits. Two 10-meter high platforms and the hydraulic-floored pool, the largest and deepest freshwater pool at sea, below will serve as podiums for high-diving, hair-raising aerobatics that AquaTheater audiences have come to love.

Izumi has developed a reputation across Royal Caribbean's fleet of offering top-notch Japanese cuisine, namely sushi.  While sushi is a popular choice for many guests, there are other great menu options to consider.

On Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, Izumi's theme fuses and function for a restaurant that has a sleek, modern look to it.  Located on deck fourteen in a rather small area, the restaurant makes the best utilitarian use of their limited space. There are tables throughout the restaurant that provide views of the ocean, along with a sushi bar that has ample seating as well. 

We dined at Izumi on a number of occasions while onboard Navigator of the Seas and one thing worth noting about Izumi is the level of service.  Based on our interactions with numerous the servers at Izumi, I am confident in saying that the service is top notch. The crew members were attentive, stead-fast in their service and made themselves available to answer questions or assist throughout the meal.

Often we hear from readers who tend to avoid Izumi because they, "don't eat sushi."  In fact, my wife is one of those people that does not eat sushi (no one is perfect), but Izumi's menu offers a good variety of choices that go beyond just sushi.  So while I indulged in a steady serving of underwater goodness, my wife and friends who joined us, were able to take advantage of the land-based foods.

Izumi is priced a la carte, which means there is cover charge and you pay for only what you order.  What I love about Izumi is the option to drop in for soup and a roll, or untighten my belt and dare the sushi chefs to do their worst best .  In fact, there is a takeout sushi option that I regularly took advantage of, and brought a roll or two back to my stateroom balcony.

Every meal at Izumi includes an edamame appetizer, which is perfect for sharing. It is topped lightly with salt, and a great start to our meal. 

Personally, I always order miso soup to accompany my meal.  There is something about having miso soup that makes the meal complete.  Plus, it is light and has great flavor.

For guests who prefer not to eat sushi, the best choice on the menu are the hot rocks (Ishiyake), which are literally slabs of rock that are heated to 575°F.  Your food is served raw on the side, and you then place the food on the hot rock and cook it in front of you. 

There are four varieties of ishiyake to choose from, and all are served with vegetables and steamed white or fried rice:

• Mixed seafood (scallop, shrimp, lobster, salmon)
• Chicken breast
• Chicken and beef skewer
• Beef tenderloin

All hot rocks come with lemon ginger vinaigrette, teriyaki sauce and Thai sweet chili dipping sauces. Cooking the food is as fun as actually eating it.  Our waiter made himself available to assisting in the cooking process, which we took advantage of to avoid any concerns that our food might be undercooked. While Navigator of the Seas (and most other ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet) lack a hibachi option, this is the next best thing.  For anyone that has no desire to eat sushi, this is a solid alternative.

Being the sushi maven of the group, I opted to try freshwater eel (unagi) sashimi, along with DX Sushi combo.  The eel sashimi had terrific flavor, and worked on its own or as a "topper" to one of the sushi rolls in my combo.

A friend went for the rainbow roll, which is a classic sushi choice.

For dessert, we ordered a round of assorted Mochi ice cream.  After the typically salt-infused foods earlier, having something sweet in the form of Japanese ice cream was the perfect way to finish the meal.

Overall, Izumi earns high marks for its reasonably priced, yet all around terrific, menu. Offering relatively mild options and more adventurous fare makes it a restaurant that most people will enjoy if they give it a chance. With the advent of Royal Caribbean's specialty dining packages, having $30 per person to spend at Izumi will likely result in a very filling meal. 

Looking around Izumi, it always seems like everyone dining in Izumi is satisfied with their choices. I have been dining at Izumi since it was a small outpost at the very top of Oasis of the Seas, and in the years since, Izumi has become a great choice that is unlikely to disappoint.

It appears guests looking to book a 2018-2019 Royal Caribbean cruise from Australia will have to wait a few more weeks.

Royal Caribbean informed travel agents that its 2018/2019 summer cruises, which were supposed to become available today, will now go on sale in "early June."

Royal Caribbean explained that these new sailings "are not quite ready to go on sale just yet."

Thanks to Pippa for sharing this update with us.

Happy Mothers Day! All the moms out there deserve a big hug, thank you and hopefully a cruise too.

Royal Caribbean announced a new non-refundable cruise fare program that will begin in July.

As of July 1, 2017, the fleet-wide launch of nonrefundable deposit fares will debut across all ships. When making a cruise reservation at least 6-months prior to sailing, guests who opt to take advantage of nonrefundable deposit fares will automatically qualify to earn up to $100 per stateroom to spend at sea. Early booking credit is combinable with the existing promotional offer available at time of booking.

Change fees are only incurred should an adjustment to the ship and/or sail date occur; therefore, no change fee will be assessed upon swapping between category types on the same ship and sail date.

Royal Caribbean News

• It appears Sabor on Harmony of the Seas has changed to all-inclusive pricing.
• Royal Caribbean opened up cruises to Cuba through March 2019.
• Harmony of the Seas debuted a year ago this week, and we took a look back.
• Forbes named Royal Caribbean one of America's Best Employers.
• Answers to ten commonly asked first time Royal Caribbean cruise questions 
• We shared tips from cruise experts for visiting Cuba.
• A look at the lucky coins hidden on Oasis of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean added 10 new Mariner of the Seas sailings from Singapore.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 197th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, sharing tips about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise to Cuba.

In this episode, Halee joins Matt to talk about her recent cruise to Cuba and what the experience was like on the first sailing.  Halee also shares tips and advice for anyone visiting Cuba soon.

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

Seatrade interviewed Royal Caribbean SVP of Hotel Operations about the changes coming to CocoCay.

In The Loop Travel has a new video from their recent Navigator of the Seas cruise.

Royal Caribbean has ways to make Mother's Day even better with a cruise.