Hurricane Matthew inflicted damage to many areas of the Bahamas, including Royal Caribbean's private destination of CocoCay.  The cruise line has skipped scheduled stops there since the storm passed, but will resume calls later this week.

CocoCay is scheduled to welcome guests back starting on Saturday, October 15.

If that schedule holds up, Enchantment of the Seas should be the first Royal Caribbean ship to return to the private destination on that date.

The extent of the damage to CocoCay has not been disclosed, although Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley issued a letter to guests last weekend that indicated the cruise line was working with Bahamian officials to help repair and restore services in the region.

"There are fewer details to share yet in the Bahamas, but he need will no doubt be great, and we will do all we can to assist. We are in contact with the Bahamian government to understand their most urgent needs and how we can help."

Royal Caribbean has narrowed down the choices for who will be Harmony of the Seas' Godmother to just three amazing women.

The cruise line is conducting a search for a Hometown Hero in Education for her Godmother. In selecting Godmothers, Royal Caribbean looks to capture the essence of the role by honoring women whose life lessons and achievements illustrate the kind of courage, dedication and determination that are an inspiration to all.

Anike Sakariyawo

Physical Science Teacher, Miami Norland Senior High School

Katherine O'Fallon

Magnet Coordinator, New River Middle School

Brittany Affolter

Manager, Teacher Leadership Development, Teach for America Miami-Dade

"We’ve seen an overwhelming response from the community with an outpouring of exceptional nominations from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. It is an honor to be able to recognize such inspiring educators for the work they do to make a positive impact on our youth," said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "These three upstanding individuals have demonstrated unwavering passion and dedication, going above and beyond the classroom to make a huge difference in the community. We thank everyone who participated by recognizing our many heroes in education; they are leading the way in inspiring our youth to dream big, and that’s work we all can be proud of."

The public can now view each of the essay submissions and vote for the educator they feel is having the most positive influence on South Florda's youth. The winner will receive a $25,000 grant for their non-profit organization, and the honor of becoming the Godmother to Harmony of the Seas. The winner will receive an invitation to the naming ceremony of the Harmony of the Seas on November 10, 2016. The Grand Prize winner will also receive A 7-night Caribbean cruise onboard the Harmony of the Seas for two in a double-occupancy balcony stateroom (winner and a guest) awarded in the form of a cruise certificate.

Online voting is open from October 6 at 12:00pm to October 14 at 12:00pm EST, 2016 at local10.com/godmother.On Oct. 24, one finalist will be named the winner, and honored as Godmother of Harmony of the Seas, the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship, during an official naming ceremony on Nov. 10, 2016.

Royal Caribbean announced today it has said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with shipbuilder Meyer Turku to build a new class of cruise ships that will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The new cruise ships will join Royal Caribbean's fleet and are under the project name "Icon". The Icon ships would likely accommodate approximately 5,000 passengers, but details are still being worked out.

The vessels will be delivered in the second quarters of 2022 and 2024. In the meantime, the company said, it will begin testing fuel cell technology on an existing Oasis-class ship in 2017, and will also run progressively larger fuel cell projects on new Quantum class vessels being built in the next several years.

According to Royal Caribbean, the use of LNG and the introduction of fuel cell technology will usher in a new era of shipbuilding that will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"With Icon class, we move further in the journey to take the smoke out of our smokestacks," said Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. "We are dedicated to innovation, continuous improvement, and environmental responsibility, and Icon gives us the opportunity to deliver against all three of these pillars."

"Our guests expect us to push every envelope we can," said Michael Bayley, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean International. "And on this new class of ship, we began by challenging ourselves to find a new approach to power and propulsion that is safe, reliable, and more energy-efficient than ever before." Bayley added that exciting and innovative new guest experience elements of the Icon class design will be revealed later in the development process.

The switch to LNG provides further momentum for the technology, which has begun making significant inroads in the maritime industry. "Increasing the commitment to LNG makes it easier for suppliers to make their own infrastructure commitments," said Fain. "As more ships are built for LNG, the number of ports that support it will grow." The Icon ships are expected to run primarily on LNG but will also be able to run on distillate fuel, to accommodate occasional itineraries that call on ports without LNG infrastructure.

This order is contingent upon the completion of contractual conditions, including documentation and financing.  Final contracts are expected to be completed by year end.  Based upon current ship orders, projected capital expenditures for full year 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are $2.4 billion, $0.5 billion, $2.6 billion, $1.5 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively.  Capacity increases for 2016 through 2020 remain unchanged and do not include potential ship sales or additions that the company may elect to make in the future.

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas has generated a lot of interest among Royal Caribbean fans and first time cruisers alike, and with a ship this intriguing, there are a lot of concerns and questions people may have.

We decided to list answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related specifically to Harmony of the Seas for everyone's future reference.

When can I reserve shows onboard?

Royal Caribbean has added a lot of great entertainment on Harmony of the Seas. Guests are able to reserve shows on their Harmony of the Seas cruise, although when exactly they become available varies from sailing to sailing. The truth is, there is no rule about when these kinds of activities become available for booking, and every sailing can be different.

Typically, we see enteratainment become available to reserve online around 75-60 days prior to the sail date, but your experience may vary.

What exactly is the Wonderland restaurant?

Wonderland is a specialty restaurant that has a cover charge and is an imaginative take on specialty dining, where the experience is just as important as the food offered.

Wonderland first debuted on Royal Caribbean's Quantum-class ships, but Harmony of the Seas is the first Oasis-class ship to offer this unique restaurant. In fact, it is a two-story Wonderland restaurant.

It is loosely based on the Alice in Wonderland books, and features an eccentric design motif.  Dining at Wonderland is more than just another place to eat.  Rather, it is an opportunity to try something completely different and the wait staff is part of the experience as much as the food.

What are the Windjammer hours?

Exact times can change, but here are the Windjammer dining hours we have seen thus far.

• 6:30-7:00am Early bird
• 7:00am - 11:00am Breakfast
• Noon-3:30 Lunch
• 6:00pm - 10:00pm Dinner

What is Royal iQ and how does it work?

Royal iQ is Royal Caribbean's smart phone app available on Harmony of the Seas for iOS and Android devices. Royal iQ already let guests track their luggage delivery status on embarkation day, manage a personal calendar of reservations and events, communicate with other guests onboard, book shore excursions and modify existing reservations.

Guests do not need a Voom WiFi plan for the Royal iQ app to work.

Ideally, the app should be downloaded before the cruise and then once onboard, connect to Royal Caribbean's WiFi network and open the app.

The app's core functionality provides the ability to track luggage, manage personal calendar and book shore excursions and dining reservations without any additional cost.

There is a communications option, which costs $7.95 for use onboard and provides the option to text or call someone else that is using the app and has activated their iQ Unlimited Call & Text Package.

Photo by Kayy McKay‎

Each person needs to have the app for the iQ communications package to function.

How do the stateroom lights work?

Staterooms on Harmony of the Seas feature a card slot near the entrance to each stateroom that requires a card to be inserted into it for the lights and air conditioning to work.  This ensures an energy-saving means of reducing the ship's impact on the environment.

Just insert your SeaPass card (or really any card you might have) in the card slot and the lights and air conditioning will remain active as long as the card is in the slot.

What makes Harmony different from other Oasis-class ships?

There are a number of large and subtle differences between Harmony of the Seas and her sister ships, but here are the big ones.

• Harmony of the Seas offers water slides
• Ultimate Abyss is on Harmony of the Seas
• The H2O Zone has been replaced by Splashaway Bay
• Jamie's Italian replaces Giovanni's Table
• Wonderland specialty restaurant is on Harmony of the Seas
• There are different shows and parties on Harmony of the Seas
• Escape the Rubicon puzzle room is available on Harmony of the Seas
• Bionic Bar is available on Harmony of the Seas

What is the Escape the Rubicon puzzle room?

Escape the Rubicon is a puzzle game, which is a timed game where guests compete to figure out a series of clues hidden throughout one room in an allocated amount of time (usually 60 minutes) in order to find the "key" to escaping the room.

After a briefing, guests search a room for clues and hidden messages and then try to put it all together to figure out the key phrase. There are word searches, patterns and other challenges designed to get you thinking in a lot of different directions.

Each game requires at least six guests and is located near the Adventure Ocean club.  Guests can sign up for it once onboard the ship (although some guests have reported seeing it available on the Cruise Planner site).

Can you open balcony partitions?

If you have a connecting balcony stateroom, often guests want to open up the balcony divider between the rooms to allow for a larger balcony space.

The key to getting this done is to ask the stateroom attendant. Talk to your stateroom attendant and ask if you can have the balcony dividers opened up because you are friends with the balcony stateroom(s) next to you.

Who will the Captain and Cruise Director be when Harmony of the Seas does its trans-Atlantic sailing?

Captain Gus Andersson will be Harmony of the Seas' Captain and Abe Hughes will be the cruise director for the repositioning cruise to Harmony of the Seas' new homeport in Port Everglades.

Eventually, Captain Johnny Faevelen will resume his duties aboard Harmony of the Seas. Each Captain takes a 10 week rotation, so Captain Johnny will be the ship's Captain once again sometime after Harmony of the Seas arrives in Port Everglades.

Did we miss your question? Post it in the comments below and we will try our best to answer it!

Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas arrived in Cape Liberty, New Jersey yesterday after the cruise line decided to divert the cruise ship there for a few days to avoid a storm in the North Atlantic.

Royal Caribbean confirmed on Twitter that Grandeur of the Seas will remain in Bayonne, New Jersey until Tuesday to ensure the safety and security of its guests.

@sttsxm Hey Meg. We've diverted to Cape Liberty for the safety and security of our guests. We'll keep you updated with any changes.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 10, 2016

Grandeur of the Seas was originally scheduled to depart from Baltimore on a 5-night sailing to Bermuda, but Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Nicole changed those plans and the ship was rerouted to Canada.  This new weather system has interrupted those plans as well. 

Because of the unusual change in itinerary, Royal Caribbean will also offer guests onboard a 100% future cruise credit.

@MichelleP14580 Hi Michelle. Grandeur will now stay in New Jersey from Sunday to Tuesday . Guests will receive a 100% future cruise credit.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 10, 2016

Happy Sunday! It has been a busy week of Royal Caribbean news, and we have it all summarized for you in this round up.

The big news this week was all about the impact of Hurricane Matthew on Royal Caribbean's operations. A number of sailings were impacted, including one Majesty of the Seas cruise that was canceled.

At first, Royal Caribbean delayed the sailing by a day but then decided to cancel the October 8th cruise because of the path of the storm.

The massive hurricane presented too large of a problem for the sailing to operate, and thus, Royal Caribbean took the rare action of actually cancelling the entire cruise.  Royal Caribbean gave guests the choice of a full refund for the cruise fare paid or future cruise credit of 150% of the cruise fare paid.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean's CEO provided an update on damage to its private destinations.
• Guests can save up to 30% off their drink packages before the end of this weekend.
• Hurricane Matthew delayed three ships sailaway times to give guests ample time to arrive.
• Our blogger, Michael Poole, is live blogging from Enchantment of the Seas.
• Top 16 things everyone needs to try at least once on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Our full review of Chops Grille on Freedom of the Seas.
• Ovation of the Seas will host professional FlowRider lessons on one sailing.
• Shore excursion review of the Cozumel Food Tour.
• Our picks for the best spots on Allure of the Seas throughout the day.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 166th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss what you need to know about choosing a stateroom for your Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt looks at the different stateroom categories available and provides information and tips on choosing the right stateroom for you.

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

Beyond Ships shared a photo feature of Navigator of the Seas in Europe.

Cruise Critic has a look at why following a hurricane matters.

Eat Sleep Cruise reports on the Royal Suite Class.

Ever since Hurricane Matthew passed through the Caribbean, many Royal Caribbean fans have been concerned about what damage the storm had on the cruise line's private destinations.  Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley shared an update with guests aboard Allure of the Seas.

Thanks to Kathy Van Wormer Sanders for sharing this letter

Here is the excerpt from the letter regarding Labadee, "In Haiti, the area near Cap Haitien that is home to Labadee was thankfully spared the worst of the storm.  Our staff was able to remain onsite throughout the week and is making sure the facility is in a clean and safe condition.  The school we operate for local children was closed for several days but class will be back in session next week."

In regards to CocoCay, there were fewer details that Bayley shared, "There are fewer details to share yet in the Bahamas, but he need will no doubt be great, and we will do all we can to assist.  We are in contact with the Bahamian government to understand their most urgent needs and how we can help."

Royal Caribbean is also providing aid and supplies to the people of Haiti, as outlined by Bayley in the letter, "Together with our longtime NGO partner, the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF), we are already providing relief supplies to affected areas near Port-au-Prince, and have established a matching fund for contributions.  PADF is using our seed money to purchase tarps, water, rice and beans for areas hit by the storm.  There's good news, in that hospitals are operating, but that means medical supplied will be needed soon.  We have also sent trucks with mattresses, sheets and blankets to some hard hit areas, and our ships will also be dropping off supplies."

Royal Caribbean is actively working on providing ways for its guests to donate to help support these efforts, "We expect to have our relief plans for the region fully shaped in the next few days, including ways guests can help."

If you would like to donate towards the rebuilding efforts, consider a donation to the Help Haiti Now effort by PADF.

The effects of Hurricane Matthew are still being felt with three more Royal Caribbean ships that will have a delayed departure.

To give guests more time to arrive to the ship with transportation issues for Freedom of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

New departure times are:

• Oasis of the Seas sailing from Port Everglades on Saturday, October 8, will now depart at 7:00 p.m.
• Allure of the Seas sailing from Port Everglades on Sunday, October 9, will now depart at 7:00 p.m.
• Freedom of the Seas sailing from Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 9 will now depart at 9:00 p.m.

If there are any questions, please contact Royal Caribbean at 866-562-7625.

Many guests with cruises booked are reporting seeing up to 30% off certain unlimited beverage packages for their upcoming Royal Caribbean cruises.

Royal Caribbean has been offering 20% the alcohol packages for a while now, but for the next 60 hours, there are now discounts of up to 30% off certain packages.

The exact discount will vary from sailing to sailing, but the Deluxe unlimited alcohol package has been spotted with 20-25% off deals and the Refreshment package has been seen with a 30% discount.

Based on the countdown clock, it appears this promotion ends at midnight on Sunday night, October 9, 2016. This promotion has been extended through midnight on October 10, 2016.

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 have a drink package already prepurchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same drink package under this promtion.

Thanks to Royal Caribbean Blog reader Michael C for assisting with this information!

Do you see a similar discount for your sailing? Share the details in the comments and if you will buy one!

Every Friday we share Royal Caribbean cruise photos that our readers sent in, as a means of showcasing great photography and giving all of us a "virtual break" to enjoy the view of being on a cruise.  If you want to send in your photo, use this form and we could feature it in an upcoming post.

Our first photo is of Independence of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas docked in Labadee.  This photo was taken by Joe L. while on his honeymoon and it is a beautiful shot!

Here is a photo of the Solarium on Allure of the Seas, by Bob Carpenter.  Bob said this is one of the most relaxing spots on the ship and I can tell you all from experience that Bob is indeed correct!

Next up is this photo of Dickensons Bay in Antigua by Pamela.  That is one really nice looking beach!

Take a look at this photo by Dan of Explorer of the Seas, as seen from the Space Needle in Seattle.  Hard to beat a view like this!

Tara Franz sent this photo of her daughter performing (she is the butterfly) in an Adventure Ocean show onboard Allure of the Seas.  So cute!

Next is a photo of Grandeur of the Seas, as seen from the beautiful sandy shores of CocoCay.  Emmanuel Mossino shared this photo and it instantly put me in the mood for a beach day.

Our last photo this week is from Richard Dreyer of Central Park on Allure of the Seas. This is my favorite neighborhood on Allure of the Seas, and a great look at how large this space really is.

Thank you to everyone that shared their photos with us this week! If you want to share with us your photos, use this form to send them in!