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

Episode 138 is available for downloading, where we have an exclusive interview with Allure of the Seas' Hotel Director, Joao Mendonça.

Mr. Mendonça gives us an inside look at how he and his team keep Allure of the Seas up and running so well.  It is a fascinating look at what it takes to keep the largest cruise ship in the world functioning so well.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 138. 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 announced the entertainment options on Ovation of the Seas, its newest Quantum class cruise ship.

Two70

Two70, a multi-level great room that seamlessly fuses entertainment and technology, will offer entertainment throughout the day.

Vistarama

Two70 features an impressive show known as Vistarama, which utilizes expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that can be set into any scene, real or imagined, by combining 18 projectors to create an ambient surface over 100 feet wide and over 20 feet tall. In addition, a troupe of six, agile Roboscreens combined with highly trained live performers, music and special effects, gives guests front-row seats to stunningly visual shows

Spectra's Cabaret

This completely original production, created by Royal Caribbean International and Moment Factory exclusively for Two70, will take the stage on Ovation.

Having first debuted on Anthem of the Seas, the show features the Maestro and his Agents of Rhythm as they invite the audience to an electric, multi-dimensional cabaret that transports them to invisible realms.

Each night, the portal opens for a limited period of time and immerses guests’ imaginations into a multimedia show brimming with kaleidoscopic sounds, effervescent colors and dazzling movement. “Spectra’s Cabaret” blends live performance and experiential cinema with music from contemporary pop culture. It creates a world seen through the lens of music and technology, all while exploring the deepest recesses of the heart. 

Main Theater

The Dream

This thrilling production chronicles the story of a man who is visited by his departed soulmate in a very special dream. His long-lost love has come to help him rediscover his passion for life and gives him the will to pursue his wildest dreams and to find love again. In his slumber, he will confront his deepest and most secret fears and journey on a rite of passage towards his eventual awakening. The unique combination of wonderful storytelling, soulful performances and spectacular production values will surprise and delight audiences time and time again. This is the biggest adventure of this man’s life, and Royal Caribbean audiences are invited to join him on a wild and audacious journey of discovery.

Live. Love. Legs.

The same highly-acclaimed creative team behind the wildly popular “Sequins & Feathers” on Quantum of the Seas has brought its signature combination of talented artists, high-energy performances and remarkable beauty, to deliver another unforgettable theatrical experience. “Live. Love. Legs” brings a collection of incredible aerial acrobatics, next-gen choreography and superb vocal performances that come straight from the Broadway stage.

Infusing all the hallmarks of the Sequins & Feathers experience, featuring lavish costumes, jaw-dropping video effects, special musical arrangements, and a dedicated group of international artists, this all-new production onboard Ovation of the Seas will reward audiences with a full sensory overload.

More entertainment options

In the ever popular Music Hall, guests are treated to the most exciting live music venue at sea, where travelers can dance till the wee hours of the morning as well as enjoy theme parties such as Groovy Town.

Two70 hosts late-night themed parties such as Twist & Shout and Fireworks Party along with the Roboshows that perfectly incorporate live performers and technology.

The DreamWorks Experience offers events and activities featuring DreamWorks Animation's popular film characters.

• DreamWorks character breakfasts in the main dining room
• impromptu ‘meet-and-greet’ experiences
• photo-ops throughout the day
• exclusive DreamWorks merchandise

The newest addition to Quantum class will officially launch in April 2016, when she departs Southampton, England for Tianjin, China on a 52-day “Global Odyssey” voyage. She will begin her first homeport sailing season in China from Tianjin in June 2016. Ovation, together with Quantum of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, will make up the largest fleet of any cruise line sailing in China.

It appears Royal Caribbean has removed the complimentary high speed internet offer for Majesty of the Seas once the ship completes her scheduled refurbishment.

Cruise Critic is reporting Royal Caribbean decided to remove the offer, "due to a need for more resources for the ship's overall refurbishment that will include an expanded pool bar and poolside movie screen, family-friendly hot tubs, a kids-only pool area with the Splashaway Bay aqua park, and upgraded cabins."

Royal Caribbean had announced the details of Majesty of the Seas' refurbishment in July 2015, but has since scaled back those plans in January 2016, when they announced  the ship will not be receiving a new waterslide, new specialty restaurants in Sabor Modern Mexican or Izumi, as well as not receiving the DreamWorks Experience.

Royal Caribbean will honor the promise of complimentary internet to all guests that booked a cruise on Majesty of the Seas cruises departing May 15 to July 1, 2016. In addition, passengers who booked a Majesty of the Seas cruise on or before March 15 for a sailing departing anytime on or after May 15, 2016, will also receive free Internet. All others (anyone booking a cruise on or after March 16 for a sailing departing on or after July 2, 2016) will have to pay for their onboard Internet use.

With less than 100 days until the launch of Harmony of the Seas the construction teams are down to the wire. Get an update on her construction process and see how she is coming along.

Royal Caribbean recently launched a new way to reward guests loyal to Royal Caribbean with upgrades.

Royal Caribbean will provide travel partners with a means for travel partners to provide upgrades to their clients at a reduced rate.

The new program began on March 16, 2016 and each week, Royal Caribbean will send travel partners an email with a list of your clients who are eligible for a reduced-rate upgrade on an upcoming sailing.  The email will include name, booking ID, upgrade category and upgrade fee.

Eligible Crown and Anchor Society members whose email address in Royal Caribbean's database and has given their permission to send communications, will also receive an email notification.  For all guests booked via travel partners, the call to action is to call their agent.

HOW TO SET YOUR UPGRADE PREFERENCES

All eligible Crown and Anchor Society members whose email is on file, regardless of channel booked, will receive the notification 24 hours after Royal Caribbean sends the email to the travel partner.

Upgrades are offered about 45 days prior to departure date.

The upgrade fee cost is per stateroom.

If an upgrade is from a balcony to a Junior Suite, the Crown and Anchor Society members will not receive the additional point per night.

There are less than 100 days until Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, debuts and every day we're counting down each day with something really fun on this brand new ship. Read our blog each day for a new post all about this amazing cruise ship.

Chops Grille

If there is one specialty restaurant that Royal Caribbean is known for, it has to be Chops Grille, and on Harmony of the Seas, guests will be able to experience a terrific steakhouse at sea.

Chops Grille is located in the Central Park and offers a number of cuts of steak, along with seafood, chicken and a whole lot more.  The Chops Grille menu on Harmony of the Seas features choices like Shrimp Cocktail with a chipotle kick, Roasted Organic Chicken with truffled chicken jus and fine dry-aged steaks from Iowa and Nebraska.

These dry-aged steaks are at the center of the new menu, which are aged for nearly four weeks to enhance the flavor, tenderness and aroma. Royal Caribbean is particularly proud to be offering dry-aged steaks first at sea and it's a tremendous addition.

Chops Grille is a specialty restaurant and has a cover charge to dine there. There is a smart casual dress code and it will be open for dinner.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!

Are you excited for Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas to debut? We are too and that is why every day, we are posting something new about this incredible new cruise ship leading up to her arrival in less than 99 days.

1887: A Journey in Time

Ice skating shows have become a staple of Royal Caribbean's entertainment line up and on Harmony of the Seas, guests can look foward to a brand new ice skating show, 1887: A Journey in Time.

The ice skating shows feature world-class skaters performing extraordinary skills, with stunning multimedia visuals, audio an state-of-the-art technologdy prociding a sight and sound theatrical experience. Guests will watch as the surface of the ice rink in Studio B transforms before their very eyes, creating a backdrop of ultra-high definition video, which blends fantasy with reality.

Luminous Creative Imaging is a group of talented creatives that focuses on putting their team together to create beautiful visuals. As simple as it sounds, Luminous specialized in 3D/CGI, Illustration, Digital Art, Manipulation, Photography and just to name a few and they are currenly based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1887 is a brand new show by Royal Caribbean Productions that is about love and adventure and is best described as a, "steampunk styled ice show." 

Images by The Imagination House / Luminous Creative Imaging

It is set in Paris on February 14, 1887 at the height of the career of Jules Verne, renowned author of timeless adventure novels such as “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1864), “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” (1870), and “Around the World in Eighty Days” (1873).

Beginning their journey on the frozen River Seine, Juliet and her mysterious time traveling companion, the Tempus, travel in multiple dimensions to discover the wonders of the world, and of the heart.

It's Sunday and the good news is 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!

There was a lot of Royal Caribbean news this week, but the big story was Royal Caribbean's decision to cancel the first six Empress of the Seas sailings.

We were a about two weeks away from her debut, but the company stated it need more time to finish the upgrades and changes they planned on adding to her, and decided to push her debut back by six weeks.

For guests that were booked on one of the cancelled sailings, Royal Caribbean has offered the option of a full refund, or to be booked on another Empress of the Seas or Majesty of the Seas sailing.

We have a lot to share with you this week, so let’s jump right in…

Royal Caribbean News

• Gavin Smith was promoted to Senior Vice President of International.
• Brilliance of the Seas rescued 18 Cubans that were on a raft at sea.
• Royal Caribbean's Royal Genie program is about to debut.
• Our full review of Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar.
• Here is an updated 2017-2018 deployment schedule.
• A set of beautiful Ovation of the Seas conveyance photos.
• It looks like Royal Caribbean is offering discounts on drink packages and the internet on select cruises.
• Our guide to dining with a picky eater on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Read our excursion review of Blue Waters Escape, in Falmouth.
• Everything you need to know about Royal Suite Class.

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

• Harmony of the Seas returns from sea trials
• Harmony of the Seas tests her engines
• Puzzle Break Escape Room
• New shore excursions for Harmony of the Seas
• Retail shopping
• DreamWorks Experience

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 137th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss eveything about dinner on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt talks about the subject of eating dinner on Royal Caribbean, and tries to provide a general overview of the process as a means of explaining what to expect and why dinner is such an enjoyable experience onboard.

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 Interent

The New York Post has 10 crazy facts about Harmony of the Seas.

Ren Behan has a review of Wonderland's "Dry Run" in London.

Cruise Critic's editor-in-chief has a new column about winter weather and cruising.

Fortune Magazine asked Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein about what to do when you are overwhelmed at work.

Each day we are posting a brand new blog post to countdown until Royal Caribbean launches Harmony of the Seas. There's a lot to get excited about on this amazing ship and we're highlighting it all.

DreamWorks Experience

Ever since Royal Caribbean partnered with DreamWorks to bring their characters onboard Royal Caribbean's cruise ships, it's been a big hit.  Not surprisingly, the DreamWorks Experience will be coming to Harmony of the Seas as well.

DreamWorks Animation characters including Po of Kung Fu Panda; Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots of Shrek; and from Madagascar, Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, King Julien and the Penguins will be available for guests to meet during their cruise.

DreamWorks Experience activities onboard will include

• A DreamWorks Character breakfast in the main dining room
• 'Meet and greet’ experiences throughout the day
• Photo opportunities with the characters
• Adventure Ocean programming featuring DreamWorks Animation
  • Story time
  • Dance parties
  • Adventures rooted in the popular character stories

Kids also get the chance to play with their favorite DreamWorks Animation characters at Adventure Ocean.

Of course, you will be abloe to watch DreamWorks films in your stateroom.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Harmony!