For this weekend only, Royal Caribbean is offering a Cruise Planner Weekend Sale, with discounts on onboard experiences such as spa services, drink packages, internet packages and more.

Royal Caribbean has been offering discounts on certain areas of the Cruise Planner before, but this is the first time we have seen the nearly the entire catalog of pre-cruise bookable options on sale.

There are discounts on

• Select shore excursions
• Select specialty restaurant reservations
• Voom internet packages
• Unlimited beverage packages

This promotion ends at midnight on Monday, October 31, 2016.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site and check any available offers.

If you have already pre-purchased any of these items, Royal Caribbean allows guests to cancel and receive a full refund, and then re-book at the new lower rate.

Share in the comments if this weekend sale saved you money!

Royal Caribbean reported its third quarter 2016 financial results on Friday, which included higher-than-expected quarterly profit attributed to strong demand for North American cruises and increased onboard spending.

Continued strength in demand for North American cruises was a key driver for Royal Caribbean's strong quarter, with the rest of the itineraries performing within expectations.  This strong demand helped offset the impact from the delay in opening Empress of the Seas sailings in the fourth quarter. Onboard revenue growth continued to outpace net yield growth, even after an extraordinary outperformance last summer. In addition, favorable trends in both currency and fuel helped the quarter.

Net revenue yields, which take into account spending per available berth, rose 0.4 percent for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Royal Caribbean's net income rose to $693.3 million, or $3.21 per share, in the quarter, from $228.8 million, or $1.03 per share, a year earlier, when the company took a non-cash charge of $399.3 million related to its Pullmantur brand.

Total revenue rose 1.6 percent to $2.56 billion. Analysts on average had expected a revenue of $2.58 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Excluding items, the company earned $3.20 per share, beating analysts' average estimate by 10 cents.

At this time, 2017 itineraries are booked ahead of last year in both rate and volume. New ships including Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas are seeing strong trends, supporting a solid outlook for 2017.

A historic journey is underway as the world's largest cruise ship starts her epic transatlantic voyage. Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest and most innovative ship, leaves Barcelona, Spain, to venture across the Atlantic to her new homeport of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Hear from Captain and crew about what it takes to make this epic journey.

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas offers guests quite a bit to see and do onboard, and the ship itself is a marvel, when you consider just how large it is and how much work and coordination is required to make it run flawlessly. Here are some fun facts about Harmony of the Seas that put into perspective the sheer scale of everything on this ship.

General

• Flag: Bahamian
• Port of Registry: Nassau
• Built by: STX France
• Place built: St. Nazaire, France
• Maiden Voyage: May 29, 2016
• Godmother: Brittany Affolter

Neighborhoods: Seven (7)

1. Adventure Ocean
2. Central Park
3. Pool & Sports
4. Vitality Spa & Fitness Center
5. Boardwalk
6. Entertainment Place
7. Royal Promenade

Ship Stats

• 227,000 gross tons
• 1,188 feet long
• 46 wheelchair accessible staterooms
• 5,479 guests (double occupancy)
• 24 guest elevators
• 16 passenger decks
• 30 feet draft
• 215.5 feet wide
• 22 knots cruising speed
• 6,780 guests
• 2,100 crew

Staterooms

• Total: 2,747
• Outside: 266
• Interior: 524
• Balcony: 1,768
• Virtual Balcony: 85
• Staterooms with additional berths: 717 3/4
• Accessible: 46
• Promenade: 18
• Studio: 15

Technical

• Main propulsion: 3 x ABB Azipod, each 20 MW
• Motors ABB: 60 MW = 80.500 HP
• Generators: 6 with a power of 92MW each for a total of 128.000 HP
• Stabilizers: 2 x Blohm & Voss
• Bow Thrusters: 4 x Wartsila 5.5 MW each; 7.300 HP total of 22 MW or 29.500 HP
• Max Speed: 25.1 knots
• Fuel consumption at Full Speed: 16 Metric Ton/hour = 0.7 Metric Ton/Nautical Mile; 
  125 Gallon/Nautical Mile; 45 feet/gallon
• Fresh water production: 4 x 825 tons/24 hours + 2 x 400 tons/24 hours;
  Total of 4100 tons/24 hours
• Water Consumption: 1700 Tons/Day

Construction Facts

• The AquaTheater pool is 17.9 feet deep; the largest performance pool at sea.
• Harmony of the Seas is 75 feet longer than Freedom-class ships;
• The Central Park neighborhood is the fist ever (along with Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas) living park at sea with 10,600 plants, 52 trees, 2 Living Walls containing 10,240 live plants and 70 tons of plating soil for them to grown in.  All plant material is contained in 2200 modules within 46 planter beds.  The entire park is automatically irrigated with a state of the art system to include a Fertigation unit.
• 5,070,632 lbs. of water in the swimming pools.
• 110,231 lbs. of ice cubes made every day.
• 4,700,000 lbs. of fresh water consumption per 24 hours.
• 181 grand blocks were used to construct Harmony of the Seas, each block weighed approximately 1,200,000 lbs. (600 metric tons).
• Harmony of the Seas was constructed out of 500,000 individual parts.
• 150 miles of piping.
• 3,300 miles of electrical cables.
• 158,503 gallons of paint.
• 1,614,586 square feet of air conditioned area.
• 968,751 square feet of carpet.
• 86,111 square feet of windows.
• 7,000 works of specially commissioned art.
• The building of the cruise terminal 18 in Fort Lauderdale took 62,572,500 pounds of concrete, the weight of 782 18-wheeler trucks; 33.3 miles of conduit; and 153 miles of wire, which would stretch from Fort Lauderdale to Key West.

Food & Beverage Facts

• 20 Chefs, 222 cooks, 102 sanitation & culinary cleaning crew.
• 15 Bar managers/supervisors, 188 bar tenders & bar servers.
• 25 food service areas including a 24 hour Crew Windjammer.
• 37 front bars and 26 back-of-the-house support bars.
• 28 galleys operating independently, some with a 24 hour operation.
• Total of 108 catering areas, bars, galleys, pantries, provision food preparation rooms.
• All breads and pastries are made fresh onboard. Our bakery has a machine that makes 4,000 bread rolls in 1 hour.
• Have the most efficient and most innovative galley equipment onboard the Harmony of the Seas.
• Each restaurant operates independently with own galleys and culinary & service teams, even each deck of the main dining rooms.

Consumed in an average week

• Beef: 15,600 lbs.
• Chicken: 16,000 lbs.
• Pork: 10,517 lbs.
• Lobster: 1,800 lbs.
• Seafood: 11,000 lbs.
• Salmon: 4,000 lbs.
• Fresh eggs: 86,400 pcs.
• Flour: 16,500 lbs.
• Sugar: 3,500 lbs.
• Coffee: 1,500 lbs.
• Fresh Fruits: 45,000 lbs.
• Fresh Vegetables: 62,000 lbs.
• Fresh berries: 600 lbs.
• Potatoes: 18,000 lbs.
• Ice cream: 8,000 gallons
• Milk and fresh cream: 8,000 gallons
• Cheese: 5,800 lbs.
• Beer: 10,200 bottles
• Beer: 8,500 cans
• Soda: 11,500 cans
• Wine: 2,225 bottles
• Whiskey: 175 bottles
• Vodka: 550 bottles
• Champagne: 175 bottles
• Water: 3,500 bottles
• Individual yogurts: 4,200
• Slices of pizza: 18,000

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is making her away across the Atlantic to her new home in Port Everglades, Florida, and Royal Caribbean has released a new infographic that shows off how long this journey really is.

Harmony of the Seas will arrive in Port Everglades, Florida on November 5, 2016, in the early morning hours. 

You can track Harmony of the Seas' progress during her journey, via our Harmony of the Seas ship tracker.

Royal Caribbean is offering up to 30% on select spa services reserved through the Cruise Planner on most cruises that guests have booked.

Not all services offered by the spa include a discount, but there are quite a number of discounted options to choose from, including deep-tissue massages.

The 30% off deal mentions this is a "limited time offer," although there is no indication of when the discount will expire.  Keep in mind that anything pre-purchased via the Cruise Planner is 100% refundable before your cruise begins, so there is little risk in purchasing it under this deal and deciding later to keep it or not.

This is the first time we have seen discounts on spa services, although up to 30% off deals have been spotted on drink packages and internet packages.

Would you book a spa service if you received this kind of discount offer? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Royal Caribbean is offering for a limited time third and fourth guests sailing free onboard Empress of the Seas.

The new 3rd and 4th passengers sailing free offer applies to Empress of the Seas sailings booked October 25 - November 6, 2016, on sailings departing on or after November 3rd, 2016. Excludes sailing departing 12/27/16.

Offer provides for free cruise fare of third and fourth guests booked in the same stateroom as the first two offer qualifying guests in a triple or quad occupancy stateroom.  All other charges, including, but not limited to, taxes, fees and port expenses, are additional and apply to all guests.

Empress 3rd and 4th guests sail free Sail Free is combinable with BOGO offers, Savings Offers, Instant Savings, OBC offers, Crown & Anchor discounts, and NextCruise offers. Empress 3rd and 4th guests sail free is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military).

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 the United States and Canada.

Royal Caribbean has found its Godmother for its newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, and that person is South Florida educator Brittany Affolter.

Brittany’s work with Teach for America in Miami-Dade County has supported and inspired a number of high-needs schools in Royal Caribbean’s hometown.

Following a search that lasted months, Affolter was among three finalists, who then competed in a vote by the general public.  Brittany was won that popular vote, and was selected to become the ship's Godmother. For winning, Affolter will be recognized for her incredible contributions to the education of South Florida youth with a grant of $25,000 donated by Royal Caribbean. The grant money will be donated to Teach for America Miami-Dade.

In addition, Affolter will have the privilege to officially name the ship and bless the vessel and all those who sail onboard, during the prestigious naming ceremony at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL on November 10, 2016.

Brittany will take part in the inaugural cruise and then be invited back to enjoy a seven-night Caribbean voyage on he Harmony of the Seas.

Most people likely envision their cruise vacation involving plenty of time to sit by the pool on their ship, sipping a cocktail and forgetting about all the trials and tribulations of being back at home.  Since so many guests have a similar day dream, this means it can tend to get crowded at the pool during your Royal Caribbean cruise.

The good news is there are plenty of other times to get your time in by the pool, without having to deal with big crowds.  Here are five easy times during your cruise to enjoy splashing, swimming or just hanging out on a Royal Caribbean cruise, without lots of other people around.

Swim on embarkation day

Most guests do not bring their swim suits with their carry-on luggage, and that means the first half of embarkation day results in an empty pool area.

Either wear your swim suit to the ship, or pack it in your carry-on luggage and then change in a public restroom onboard.  This is particularly good for kids who want to jump in as soon as possible.

Swim during dinner

On most days, the pool will get its most crowded in the afternoon, but as the day drags on, many guests start to leave to get ready for dinner and this is a great time to hop in the deep end.

By 4pm, guests begin leaving the pool to get ready for dinner and the next few hours result in a much more open time for a quick dip. 

Keep in mind that in the Caribbean (and other areas in the tropics), the sun sets later than back at home, so there is more sunlight to enjoy.

Swim at night

Just like the tip before, once the sun goes down, many guests skip the pool completely, but night swims are not only a great time for an uncrowded swim, but they are really a lot of fun too.

There will be at least one pool open each evening, and hot tubs too.  Plus, Royal Caribbean regularly shows movies on the pool movie screen, so you can combine a great flick with your night swim.

Swim while in ports

If you really want to get in some time at the pool in the day time when it is hottest, head for the pool on a day your Royal Caribbean ship is docked in a port.

On port days, most guests leave the ship for shore excursions, which leaves the pool wide open.  This is perhaps the best time for an afternoon swim (provided you do not have plans on shore).

Likewise, you could get off the ship earlier in the morning, and return back to the ship well before guests must return and likely find the pool emptier than usual as well.

Swim during shows

On the bigger Royal Caribbean ships, there can be headline shows during the day.  These can include Broadway shows, ice skating shows and AquaTheater shows.

Take advantage of guests opting to take in these matinees, but taking advantage of a less crowded pool.  The pool may not be empty, but you will find many guests choosing to see the show and leave their spot in the pool.

Your thoughts

When is your favorite time to go for a swim without the crowds? Is there a good time that we missed in this post? Share your suggestions in the comments!

The fall temperatures may be dropping, but the Royal Caribbean news from this week is as hot as ever, and we have it all summarized for you in this week's round up!

Sit back, and catch-up on all of the Royal Caribbean news and happenings form this week.

Late in the week, Royal Caribbean filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark office for a new cruise ship name.

On October 17, Royal Caribbean registered, "Icon of the Seas" to presumably use for its first Project Icon class of cruise ships that were announced last week.

Assuming Icon of the Seas is in fact the name of the first Icon class ships, that ship will debut sometime in 2022 and be powered by liquefied natural gas and fuel cell technology.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean has become the first cruise line to be named Gay Travel Approved.
• Our photo report of CocoCay, following Hurricane Matthew.
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones are now banned on all Royal Caribbean ships.
• Royal Caribbean scheduled its third quarter earnings call for late next week.
• Our in-depth look at the deluxe drink package.
• What you need to know about the neighborhood balcony staterooms.
• A video overview of Harmony of the Seas, by the numbers.
• Royal Caribbean has extended its Singapore cruise season until next June.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

It seems like everyone is discussing the big news of Royal Caribbean's Project Icon ship announcement, including us on this week's podcast episode.

In this week's Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast, Matt and Michael discuss what we know about Project Icon ships and speculate on the long-term and short-term impact this news has for Royal Caribbean fans.

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

Reuters has a look at how big brands (like Royal Caribbean) use Periscope.

Royal Caribbean shared top picks for what to do in the Caribbean from a crew member.

Eat Sleep Cruise has a review of Chops Grille on Oasis of the Seas.

ShermansCruise has a look at what it is really like on board a mega ship.

Canada.com thinks the Radiance class ships still can dazzle guests.

The Kitchy Kitchen offers a list of their favorite things on Harmony of the Seas.