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!

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas rescued 18 Cuban migrants off the coast of Florida on Friday morning, following a 22 day journey at sea for the migrants.

The United States Coast Guard reported the rescue by the Royal Caribbean ship, which unfortunately also resulted in nine deaths prior to the resucue.

Brilliance of the Seas spotted the raft while on her way to Mexico, west of Marco Island in Florida. The migrants on-board suffered from severe dehydration, the Coast Guard said.

"Our deepest condolences to the families of the nine people who recently did lose their lives," said Captain Mark Gordon, chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard's 7th District. "Unfortunately, tragedy is all too common when taking to the sea in homemade vessels with no safety or navigation equipment. The dangerous waters of the Florida Straights can be unforgiving for the unprepared on ill-advised and illegal voyages."

Royal Caribbean is having a special weekend deal on spring and summer cruises with up to $100 off your cruise, combinable with the ongoing 30% off cruise sale that is still running.

This Last Minute Escape sale offers up to $50 onboard credit, which is doubled if guests book a cruise on Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas or Anthem of the Seas.

Cruise must be booked March 18-20, 2016 and applies to Bahamas, Bermuda and Caribbean sailings departing April 18, 2016 through September 30, 2016. 

Available discount:

• Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas
  • Interior and Ocean View staterooms
    • $50 off
  • Balcony and Suites
    • $100 off
• All ships sailing to Bahamas, Bermuda and Caribbean
  • Interior and Ocean View staterooms
    • $25 off
  • Balcony and Suites
    • $50 off

Dollars off is combinable with adjoining 30% Savings offer, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), and Next Cruise Offers. Dollars off is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts or shareholder benefits. 30% Savings is combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts.

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 the United States and Canada.

As part of Royal Caribbean's revamp of its suite offerings, a new service called, "Royal Genie", will debut in May and offer guests in Star Class (Loft Suites or higher categories) the opportunity to have their own personal Royal Genie to cater to their every whim.

Royal Caribbean promises the Royal Genie will serve as the ultimate insider helping craft one-of-a kind experiences based on a guest’s personal style and preferences.

The Royal Genie will help plan date nights or unique family celebrations, all in an effort to create memorable experiences. The Royal Genie will curate personalized experiences catered to each guest.

After a day in port enjoying customized shore excursions, guests can return to their suite to savor handcrafted cocktails made in-suite. The Royal Genies also will assist with making restaurant and show reservations, in-room dining requests, and any other needs – from laundry, pressing and shoe-shining, to luggage handling and unpacking.

Royal Caribbean is also ensuring their Royal Genies embody contemporary fashion and lifestyle with her/his own distinct look and feel, "From day time casual looks that feature pants and linen shirts for balmy Caribbean days to a more formal evening look with bold pops of purple and cranberry, the Royal Genie will impress in more ways than one."

The Royal Suite Class will be available for sailings beginning May 2016 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas as well as Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas (Sydney departures only) when they debut in spring 2016.