Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas rescued seven Cubans from a small raft at sea on Saturday.
Royal Caribbean Blog reader Keith Hect was on Freedom of the Seas and reported that the ship picked up the Cubans during their cruise.
Photo by Ron Lodowski
Local10 also confirmed the report and shared video of the rescue.
Videos by Desiree Stovall
Another guest onboard Freedom of the Seas reported that the group of Cubans had been out to sea for 10 days with nothing but "small amounts of water and crackers."
The United States Coast Goard coordinated the rescue with the Royal Caribbean ship.
It’s been an exciting week as we have a front row seat to all the Royal Caribbean news from this week!
Royal Caribbean gave us all a sneak peak at their new brand marketing, which aims to breakthrough cruising stereotypes and show how exciting a Royal Caribbean cruise can be.
Dubbed, "Come Seek", the new marketing campaign will begin on October 19th and will be a combination of television and web based ads.
The campaign is directed at Millenials, who have certain preconceptions about what a cruise is and Royal Caribbean wants to erase those notions.
The "Come Seek" campaign will also integrate live billboards that use Periscope, a new Tumblr page port recommendations by crew members and ads that promote authentic experiences.
Royal Caribbean News
Royal Caribbean made improvements to its private island of Coco Cay.
We will be sailing on Allure of the Seas on February 21, 2016 and there are some fabulous rates available. Interior staterooms start at only $850 per person (double occupancy)!
If you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and spot something cool, new or just fun, share a photo with us on facebook or twitter so we can add it to our Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds each Sunday!
Nick Vitani took this photo of the Royal Promenade on Liberty of the Seas from this weekend.
Svenn-Harald Eikenes is on Explorer fo the Seas and enjoyed some time by the pool.
Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast
The 115th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, our friend Susan returns to talk all about her back-to-back Independence of the Seas cruise.
In this episode, Matt discusses what the NextCruise program is, explores the benefits of booking another cruise onboard and why you might want to take advatnage of NextCruise.
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's Freedom of the Seas has a lot of different staterooms to choose from and today, we will look at the Grand Suite with Balcony (GS) stateroom to give you an idea of what to expect if you book this category.
This photo tour comes to us from Royal Caribbean Blog reader Ron Lodowski, who recently sailed on Freedom of the Seas.
Ron took photos of his Grand Suite, which was in stateroom 1598 on Oasis of the Seas during an October 2015 sailing.
The Grand Suite measures 401 square feet and has a balcony that is 107 square feet.
Grand Suite staterooms on Freedom of the Seas include two twin beds that convert to a Royal King, measuring 72.5 inches wide by 82 inches long, private balcony, sitting area (some with sofa bed) and private bathroom.
Also includes minibar, TV, stereo, DVD player, larger private bathroom with bathtub and double sink, vanity area, hair-dryer, phone, vanity table with an extendable working surface for laptop computers and 110/220 electrical outlets. Sleeps up to four people and can accommodate a rollaway bed and/or Play Yard.
In just a little under 20 days, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas will be arriving in the New York City area to begin offering cruises from her new home in Cape Liberty, New Jersey.
You might be wondering how Anthem of the Seas is different from her sister cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas and we have the list of how to tell them apart!
1. Art
Perhaps the most noticable difference between Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas is the art work.
Royal Caribbean has added thousands of art pieces onboard Anthem of the Seas and as you explore the ship, you will encounter pieces from all over the world.
Anthem of the Seas even has its very own Picasso!
Once you get onboard Anthem of the Seas, be sure to explore the ship to discover the many pieces of art. You will find art all over the ship, from the elevators and stairways to the restaurants, staterooms and even out on the decks.
2. Gigi
One big difference (and we mean big) is on the top deck is a 32-foot tall giraffe that the crew affectionately have named, "Gigi".
You will find Gigi wearing a bright pink inner tube and yellow swimsuit, just outside the SeaPlex.
French artist Jean-François Fourtou designed Gigi, and says her purpose is to, " always to show something outside of its natural context."
"I hope people will feel a big surprise — I hope they will laugh, and I hope some of them will feel something emotional because, for me, the giraffe seems almost human with her expression," he says. "Much like being a father, you have to let the kids leave home, and I think it’s great that she’s going to see the world and have a great adventure."
3. We Will Rock You
These days, no new Royal Caribbean ship is complete without a new musical and guests on Anthem of the Seas get a chance to rock out to a West End favorite.
"We Will Rock You," performs multiple times on Anthem of the Seas in the Royal Theater.
The 90 minute show is included in the cost of the cruise and performs some of Queen's greatest hits, while telling the story of Bohemians seeking to restore the power of rock 'n' roll.
Not only is "We Will Rock You" an entertaining and fun show to watch, it is a great example of the first class entertainment Royal Caribbean is known for.
4. Escape From the Future
If you are looking for something fun but different, check out "Escape from the Future".
Basically, "Escape from the Future" is a game where teams of guests try to figure out clues and codes to find a key that allows them to escape from the room. The catch is, guests only have one hour to figure it all out.
This interactive brain teasing game is something very different from other onboard activities and it can be a very fun way to test their wits.
"Escape from the Future" was designed by a land-based company known as Puzzle Break and the all the fun is included in your cruise fare.
5. Stowaway Piano Player
Royal Caribbean is always trying to offer more entertainment that gets guests talking and finding this show may require some random luck.
On the surface, the stowaway piano player sounds like a normal piano player that can crank out some great tunes. But the catch is you will never know where to find the stowaway!
The piano player is quite mobile, and that means performances can break out almost anywhere on the ship.
In addition, the piano has hidden compartments and functions and can dispense various things, such as lollipops for kids or appear to overheat because of "intense" piano playing.
6. Spectra's Cabaret
On Quantum of the Seas, the Starwater show in Two70 was very impressive and Royal Caribbean offers a brand new evening show in Two70 called, "Spectra's Cabaret."
This is an original Royal Caribbean production created by Moment Factory, exclusively for Two70 on Anthem of the Seas and it features, "the Maestro and his Agents of Rhythm as they invite you to an electric multi-dimensional cabaret where you will be transported into invisible realms."
Guests that watch "Spectra's Cabaret" will witness a multi-media show featuring kaleidoscopic sounds, effervescent colors and dazzling movement.
Spectra’s Cabaret blends live performance and experiential cinema along with music from popular culture.
Royal Caribbean's next Quantum class cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas, has reached a construction milestone that brings it one step closer to entering service.
Royal Caribbean Australia & New Zealand shared this photo of Ovation of the Seas to show that she is almost half way to being completed.
It has been thirteen months since the steel cutting ceremony took place and if all goes well, she will be ready for conveyance down the River Ems for sea trials in the middle of March 2016.
Ovation of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Werft ship yard in Papenburg, Germany. Ovation of the Seas will be debuting in April 2016 and will be offering cruises in Asia and Australia.
Royal Caribbean is expecting to book 10,000 Indonesian cruise passengers next year, which would represent double-digit growth for the region.
The Jakarta Post reports Royal Caribbean saw 5,500 Indonesian passengers on its ships last year and has experience a growth rate of at least 5 percent in Indonesian passenger numbers since 2013.
Globally, Indonesia is the second-biggest cruise market after China although no cruise ships embark passengers there.
Most Indonesian passengers board a Royal Caribbean cruise at Singapore. Royal Caribbean managing director for Singapore and Southeast Asia Sean Treacy said Indonesians enjoy cruises that visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Phuket, Thailand.
The Transportation Ministry recently issued a ministerial regulation that finally allowed foreign cruise ships to pick up and drop off tourists in selected Indonesian ports, such as Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, and Belawan, North Sumatra in a bid to boost the tourism sector.
Royal Caribbean will hold a conference call on October 23, 2015 at 10am to discuss its third quarter 2015 financial results.
The call will be available on-line at the company's investor relations web site, www.rclinvestor.com. To listen to the call by phone, please dial (877) 663-9606 in the US and Canada. International phone calls should be made to (706) 758-4628. There is no passcode or meeting number.
A replay of the webcast will be available at the same site for a month following the call.
Some aspects of a Royal Caribbean cruise are experiences that become forever associated with being onboard one of these amazing ships and certain drinks onboard are among those moments.
Guests who enjoy a tasty, creamy cocktail that is almost like a dessert, often order a Banana Baileys Colada, better known as a BBC on their Royal Caribbean cruise.
The BBC is a creamy drink that combines bananas with always pleasing Baileys liquor.
Some of the bartenders will swizzle some chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass before they fill it, which is sometimes referred to as a Chocolate BBC.
Royal Caribbean is launching a new marketing campaign entitled, "Come Seek", that aims to show a Royal Caribbean cruise is more than just a vacation on a floating hotel.
The new campaign will debut on October 19, 2015 and conveys that a Royal Caribbean vacation is not simply a cruise and those that take a cruise are not taking a conventional vacation.
Royal Caribbean's multi-million dollar campaign wants to "roll out red carpet for next generation of cruisers" that are not just new to cruising, but also tech-savvy and relish an immersive and experiential kind of vacation.
Royal Caribbean are calling these people "Seekers" because, travel is not about vacations or being a tourist: travel is a way of life.
"Come Seek" has three main messages: This is not a cruise; You are not a tourist; This is not the Caribbean. At the end, it ends with simply, "This is the Royal Caribbean".
Through a variety of channels, Royal Caribbean aims to have "Come Seek" invoke imagery of mashing up surprising onboard experiences, such as North Star, the FlowRider and connecting on social media with Voom high speed internet.
In addition, Royal Caribbean wants to show the depth of places to explore in the Caribbean. All of this works towards giving guests experiences and memories that they cannot wait to show off to their friends and family.
New television ads will begin to debut on the October 19th in 15 and 30 second spots.
In addition, Royal Caribbean will be add 5 second ads in programs with heavy live viewership, such as The Voice and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, with a 30 second ad later on to expand upon the 5 second teaser.
Guests will also see 5 second ads will run across the web including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Going beyond traditional media
Perhaps one of the most innovative parts of this new campaign are the brand new "live billboards" in the New York city area that will feature live look-ins to Royal Caribbean's ships.
Two hundred and thirty geo-target units across New York City will show live broadcasts via Periscope in high traffic commuter areas, such as John F. Kennedy International Airport terminal, newsstands and subways. Using the Voom high speed internet, these live tune-ins from the ships to show off the experience as it's happening in real time.
These live look-ins will occur throughout the month of November and be shown around peak commuting times. Most, if not all, of the tune-ins will come from Anthem of the Seas sailings.
Royal Caribbean will also look to guests to suggest experience that Royal Caribbean should broadcast back on Periscope.
Going off the map
Royal Caribbean is also trying something else new to show off the kind of amazing experiences waiting in the Caribbean with a new Tumblr page called, "Uncharted".
Royal Caribbean crew members will become ambassadors and share content as they experience it on their cruises.
These Uncharted experiences will also be on the website, advertising and social media. If it proves successful, the program could eventually extend to guests and travel agents.
Getting noticed
The idea behind this kind of advertising is to get past the traditional produced and polished advertising people expect.
Royal Caribbean believes authentic experiences will be something guests really value and notice.
Royal Caribbean is very cognizant that consumers are used to being advertised so much that a lot of gets tuned out or fast forwarded. With live Periscopes and crew ambassador reviews, the hope is the public will take notice because this is not a traditional kind of ad.
Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International
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