Christmas is right around the corner and for many Royal Caribbean fans, we all received an early present this year with some big Royal Caribbean news.

Royal Caribbean revealed the details surrounding its 10 story slide coming to its third Oasis class cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.

After months of hinting, Royal Caribbean has finally revealed what guests can look forward to trying onboard Harmony of the Seas with the 10 story slide known as, "Ultimate Abyss."

The brand new slide is more than 150 feet above sea level and will send guests plummeting down 10 decks, with spontaneous audio effects within each of the slide's two tunnels that will create a multi-sensory thrill.

The Ultimate Abyss is brand new to Royal Caribbean and we also shared five quick facts about this new slide.

Royal Caribbean News

We have a lot more Royal Caribbean news to share this week, in case you missed any of it

• Ovation of the Seas will offer a new show onboard called, "The Dream".
• Royal Caribbean was named Best Cruise Line for the 13th consecutive year by Travel Weekly.
• Our preview of six big changes coming to Royal Caribbean in 2016.
• Royal Caribbean is now offering a 4 device internet package.
• Over 180 guests were sickened on Explorer of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean unveiled a montage to Mediterranean coastal cities that will be on display on Harmony of the Seas. 
• What you need to know about Royal Caribbean's internet packages.
• Check out "Leonardo's Dreams" in Two70 on Anthem of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean opened a new NextCruise office on Oasis of the Seas.
• Read our full review of Giovanni's Table on Brilliance of the Seas.
• Speaking of dining, here is our guide to dining with kids in Royal Caribbean's specialty restaurants.

Royal Caribbean Blog Reader Finds

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!

Tony sent us this fun photo of a towel creation on Anthem of the Seas.

Cruise Diamond UK shared this photo of a beautiful day in the Solarium onboard Splendour of the Seas.

Ron Kozlik sent this photo of Anthem of the Seas in Port Canaveral.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 124th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this week, listener Brian White joins Matt to preview his Allure of the Seas cruise!

In this episode, Brian and Matt talk about Brian's upcoming cruise on Allure of the Seas, including why Brian is trying Royal Caribbean for the first time and what his family's plans are once 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.

Announcing the 2017 Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!

We are so excited to announce our 2017 group cruise plans for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboardNavigator of the Seas. This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on the beautiful Navigator of the Seas on an 9-night cruise to the Southern Caribbean.

This Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is all about enjoying this brand new ship with other fans who are big fans of Royal Caribbean.  Don't miss this opportunity to check out this fabulous cruise ship as well as be a part of exclusive events for those that book with our group!

For more details on booking the cruise, the itinerary and prices, check out the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise page and if you have any questions, email me!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Cruise & Ferry wrote about how Royal Caribbean and Eniram are cutting fuel costs and reducing emissions.

Shermans Cruise shared 7 secret off-menu dishes at sea, including a few from Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean is sharing how to sneak in learning while on vacation.

JetSetSarah offers a three minute review of Anthem of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean has completed refurbishing the NextCruise office onboard Oasis of the Seas and we have some new photos to show what it looks like now.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Edwin Wallace is onboard Oasis of the Seas and was able to share these photos of the new space, following the removal of the construction walls earlier today.

Royal Caribbean's NextCruise office allows guests to book new Royal Caribbean cruises while onboard and enjoy a booking bonus.

We are just weeks away from the start of 2016 and the new year will be bringing with it a lot of changes to Royal Caribbean.

From new ships to new amenities to new things to try onboard, there is plenty of reason to be excited about the changes coming to Royal Caribbean in 2016.  

6. Three ships will be refurbished in 2016

Liberty of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas are all due for refurbishments in 2016, which means a lot lot of new things to do onboard each ship.

Liberty of the Seas is getting a massive upgrade, with new restaurants, staterooms, water slides and an aqua park.  

Liberty of the Seas will go into drydock in January 2016 for about a month and then resume service in February 2016 with a ton of new options.

Next up will be Jewel of the Seas, which will receive a $30 million bow-to-stern revitalization in April 2016.

Jewel of the Seas will get a ton of upgrades, with new staterooms, restaurants, Voom high speed internet, poolside movie screen and a lot more.

Majesty of the Seas will also be going to drydock after her April 29, 2016 cruise and will receive several upgrades, including water slides, additional hot tubs, and an outdoor movie screen added to the pool area.

The ship will also add new restaurants, upgrades to the casino and additional amenities for guests staying in suites.

All three ships are due for some major work and the result will be completely new and impressive options for guests to enjoy going forward.

5. Empress of the Seas is returning to the fleet

Photo by Chris&Steve

Empress of the Seas will return home to Royal Caribbean an almost eight year absence.

Just like the ships listed above, Empress of the Seas will undergo an extensive refurbishment in Spring 2016 before resuming service in the fleet.

Royal Caribbean veterans that remember Empress of the Seas will enjoy the return of an old friend and the opportunity to cruise on a classic ship once again.

4. Broadway show will debut on two ships

What is better than a new Broadway show on a Royal Caribbean ship? How about a new show on two ships!

The hit Broadway musical, Grease, will debut onboard Harmony of the Seas and Independence of the Seas starting in 2016.

The all-new, never-before-seen stage production, specially adapted by Royal Caribbean Productions, will boast a soundtrack of crowd favorites such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Born to Hand-Jive,” “Beauty School Dropout” and more.

3. Voom is coming to more Royal Caribbean ships

Royal Caribbean's high speed internet service known as Voom is arguably one of the best innovations Royal Caribbean has ever created and it is going to be available on even more Royal Caribbean ships in 2016.

We know of at least six ships that will be getting Voom in 2016

• Freedom of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Majesty of the Seas
• Jewel of the Seas
• Enchantment of the Seas

The exact dates when each ship will start offering Voom may vary, but expect all ships to have Voom ready to go by May 2016 at the latest.

2. Ovation of the Seas will debut

In addition to everything else we listed, Royal Caribbean will launch two brand new ships in 2016, starting with Ovation of the Seas.

Launching in April 2016, Ovation of the Seas is the third Quantum class cruise ship will offer a 52-night Global Odyssey from Southampton, U.K. to Tianjin, China.

Following a summer season in Asia, Ovation of the Seas will head south to Australia, where she will homeport in Sydney for winter 2016-17.

Ovation of the Seas will not only claim the title of the largest cruise ship to ever call Australia home but also the most technologically advanced in the region.

1. Harmony of the Seas will debut

While China gets the newest Quantum Class, North America is getting the newest Oasis Class, Harmony of the Seas.

Debuting in May 2016, Harmony of the Seas will offer a blend of classic Oasis class offerings coupled with some new enhancements.

The soon-to-be largest cruise ship in the world will offer European sailings from her homeport in Barcelona, Spain, starting on June 7.  Following her summer season, she will head to Port Everglades, Florida offering seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings.

Harmony of the Seas is going to packed with a lot to do onboard, including the recently announced Ultimate Abyss 10 story slide.

Which Royal Caribbean change are you most excited about for 2016? Tell us in the comments!

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas spread some early holiday cheer by welcoming onboard a group of seniors and volunteers of  the local voluntary welfare organisation Lions Befrienders for a Christmas tour, show and lunch.

The 60 seniors were treated to an ice show, as well as lunch in the Main Dining Room. They also enjoyed viewing the Christmas decorations onboard and had a photo-taking session with the giant Christmas tree along the Royal Promenade.

Captain Mal Bardsnes of Mariner of the Seas with Mr Sean Treacy, Managing Director, Singapore & Southeast Asia of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., also presented a donation check of S$10,000 on behalf of the company to Dr Chey Chor Khoon, Executive Director of Lions Befrienders, to contribute to Lions Befrienders’ seniors' welfare and more eldercare services and facilities.

This activity is part of Royal Caribbean’s yearly Christmas charity activity in Singapore which invites onboard local charity groups, ranging from seniors to children with special needs or from low income families.

Mr Treacy said, “This year, we specially honour the Pioneer Generation for our Christmas charity celebration. Hence it is our great pleasure to invite Lions Befrienders’ seniors to tour our ship during one of her most beautiful moments of the year, for them to enjoy a day out with our family-friendly entertainment and amenities, and most of all, for us to have the opportunity to contribute to their welfare. Royal Caribbean will continue to work closely with charity organizations in the region to contribute actively to the community.”

Dr Chey added: “We are delighted to have Royal Caribbean’s continual friendship and care for our seniors, many of whom may not have the opportunity to enjoy such a treat on the seas. Royal Caribbean’s donation will go a long way in ensuring the sustenance of our services as we expand our programs and reach to more vulnerable seniors.”   

Royal Caribbean is celebrating the impending debut of Harmony of the Seas with a new panoramic drawing that has never been done before.

British artist Stephen Wiltshire MBE – Member of the Order of the British Empire created the drawing entirely from memory of the coastal cities of Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Marseille, three of the six destinations guests will experience when sailing on Harmony of the Seas. 

Wiltshire’s drawing gives a taste of the views, in startling detail, that discovery-driven travelers will see while sailing the Western Mediterranean next summer.

Utilizing his unique ability to sketch entire cityscapes from memory, Wiltshire merged the three distinct cities into one seamless coastal montage that is anchored by landmarks such as Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, Palma de Mallorca’s Castillo da Bellver and Marseille’s neo-Byzantine cathedral.  Wiltshire sketched the panoramic view in his London studio with astounding accuracy after committing each scene to memory by carefully scanning the coastline from the top-deck of Allure of the Seas this past summer.  

Debuting in May 2016, Harmony of the Seas will showcase the custom artwork onboard throughout her inaugural summer season, traveling to Europe’s most popular cruise destinations on seven-night Western Mediterranean itineraries. 

“It was the first time I’ve ever been on a cruise and the whole experience and range of activities onboard completely took me by surprise,” said Stephen Wiltshire. “The views were absolutely breathtaking. I spent quite a lot of time visualizing the different coastlines of Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Marseille and to create the final panorama. It was a pleasure to be given the opportunity to create the piece and I’m thrilled that so many people from all over the world will be able to view my work while on the ship.”

“Harmony of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship ever built. Therefore, we wanted to capture something truly extraordinary that reflects the ultimate views people will experience onboard Harmony – and the best destinations they can explore off the ship too,” said Stuart Leven, Managing Director – UK & Ireland, Royal Caribbean International. “The Mediterranean coastline is undoubtedly one of the most awe-inspiring places to visit by sea. We just couldn’t wait to give our passengers a taste of its beauty and diversity ahead of the launch of Harmony of the Seas.”

Residents of the United Kingdom and Ireland can win a free 7-night cruise on Harmony of the Seas through a new contest Royal Caribbean is offering in conjunction with Google Maps.

Participants may enter the completion by going to Google Ship View, which will take them to the Allure Google Street View page hosted on the Royal Caribbean UK website.On that webpage participants will be greeted with a clue to where the Harmony Christmas Present is hidden within Google Street View. From there the participant must find the present and click on it for a pop up to appear inviting them to insert their personal details and accept these competition terms.

Participants may enter this free of charge competition from 09:00 GMT on Thursday 17 December 2015 until 23:59 GMT on Thursday 31st December 2015. No entries will be counted after the closing date.

One winner and 4 runners up will be selected entirely at random from all eligible entries by 8th January 2015 and will be informed by email within 7 days.

The grand prize winner will win a cruise for themselves and a guest of their choice traveling with them in the same accommodation on Harmony of the Seas sailing on the June 26, 2016 from Barcelona which will call at Palma De Mallorca, Provence, Florence, Rome & Naples then return to Barcelona on July 2nd, 2016. This prize includes flights from selected UK departure airports, in destination transfers, standard meals on-board (excluding specialty dining) and ship WiFi but excludes optional gratuities.

The next 3 runners up that are picked at random from the remaining eligible entries will each win an iPad mini 16GB and the final runner up picked at random from the remaining eligible entries will win an Xbox 1.

Full contest terms and conditions can be found here.

At the Travel Weekly Readers Choice 2015 awards, Royal Caribbean came away as being named the Best Cruise Line Overall for the 13th consecutive year.

Royal Caribbean also claimed the top spot in a few other categories including

• Best Cruise Line in the Caribbean
• Best Sales & Service
• Best New Cruise Ship (Quantum of the Seas)

“It is such a great honor to be chosen in so many categories by Travel Weekly readers, our valued travel agent partners,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president,Sales, Trade Support and Service for Royal Caribbean International. “We are very proud to have won the Best Cruise Line Overall award throughout the life of this recognition program, as well as the Best Sales & Services award for eight years in a row. We thank Travel Weekly and travel agents for their ongoing support.”

Travel Weekly honored the winners of its 13th annual Readers Choice Awards at a gala dinner and ceremony Tuesday at the Conrad Hotel in New York. Winners were selected in 67 categories in the airline, car, hospitality, rail, GDS, agent education, tour, cruise, destination and theme park sectors. The awards are presented to suppliers considered by Travel Weekly readers who led the way in product and service during the past year.

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

Episode 124 is available for downloading, where our friend Brian previews his upcoming cruise on Allure of the Seas.

Brian is taking his extended family on an Allure of the Seas cruise, and we talk about why they chose to try to Royal Caribbean, some of the plans they have and what their older kids are most excited to try onboard.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 124. 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!

Of all the Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants available, few have spread as far and as wide as Giovanni's Table has, especially given how relatively new it is to Royal Caribbean.

While aboard Brilliance of the Seas, I just could not resist the temptation to enjoy lunch at Giovanni's Table one more time.

I had no plans to dine at Giovanni's Table, but the tempting favorites along with the lower lunch price swayed my decision on one particular sea day.

Atmosphere

Located on deck 6, Giovanni's Table is across from the ever popular Schooner Bar.

Walking in, the restaurant is rather large and offers seating in a variety of configurations.

The restaurant is essentially one large room, with windows making up one wall, that offer an unobstructed view of the ocean.

On our day to eat here, there were waves of 2-4 meters, so we certainly had some action to see.  Admittedly, these waves were also responsible for not having the largest of appetites with all of the motion.

Giovanni's Table will not win any accolades purely for its aesthetical looks, but it feels like a restaurant that is distinct from its surroundings and certainly more elaborately decorated than Rita's Cantina. 

Eats

It is no secret that Giovanni's Table is an Italian restaurant and there are plenty of Italian favorites to pick from on the menu.

On my last visit to Giovanni's Table on Freedom of the Seas, I felt I did not do a good job ordering, so this time I would try something more on the "seafood spectrum" as means of correcting the experience.

Once seated, we were served complimentary bread and olive oil.  This is consistent with the every other Giovanni's Table I have dined at and having bread and oil is a standard practice among many Italian restaurants.

As I said earlier, the ship was rocking quite a bit so we ordered lightly.  

To start with, we shared an insalata caprese.

This is your standard tomato and mozzarella salad. If I can be picky, I would point out the tomatoes are the same previously frozen tomatoes served in the Windjammer.  Not the end of the world, but I was hoping for something fresher.

I also ordered the eggplant parmigiana.

The eggplant parm from Giovanni's Table is not breaded and is more of a baked eggplant than traditional eggplant parm.  Nonetheless, I would say this was the best eggplant parm I have had at Giovanni's Table in quite a while.

For our entrees, I ordered the sole filets, while my wife opted for the pappardelle pasta.

My fish was a lightly fried sole filet that was served on top of sautéed garlic zucchini spaghetti.

The fish was light and pretty good, but it was the zucchini that I really enjoyed.  Combining the zucchini and fish together was a real treat and if I were to order this again, I would ask for extra zucchini.

My wife's pasta came in a white cream sauce and the little she ate of it, she enjoyed (the motion of the ocean was starting to get to her by this point).  

I sampled a bit of it too and thought the pasta tasted better than something out of the box.

Overall

Giovanni's Table on Brilliance of the Seas is a good option for those looking for Italian food that is more than just the typical pasta and sauce served in the Windjammer.

It is far from my favorite specialty restaurant, but the price (especially for lunch) makes it almost impossible to ignore. 

I will point out that when we dined there, there were perhaps six tables but only one waiter who also was serving as maître d'.  

Because of this, the service was extremely slow.  It did improve towards the tail end of the meal when more servers showed up to assist. 

Our overworked waiter was still quite generous, because he opted not to charge my wife for her meal because she barely ate it due to her not feeling well.  Definitely a welcome gesture and a credit to his service.

If you are asking, "should I eat at Giovanni's Table on Brilliance of the Seas," my advice is go for lunch on a sea day and take advantage of the lower cost and ease of which it is to get a table.  Stick with traditional Italian dishes and enjoy the view!

Giovanni's Table is open for lunch 12:00pm to 1:30pm and open for dinner 6:00pm to 9:30pm and we reviewed Giovanni's Table on Brilliance of the Seas.

Australian health authorities are reporting about 182 passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas have been sickened with a gastrointestinal virus during a recent cruise.

Royal Caribbean notified the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District of the virus.

No patients required treatment at a hospital, although paramedics were on hand when Explorer of the Seas docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at The Rocks just before 6am on Wednesday.

A representaive from the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District indicated the ship would undergo extra cleaning to control the outbreak prior to new passengers being able to board.

Explorer of the Seas recently arrived in Australia to begin her cruising season just last month.

Explorer of the Seas last experienced a Norovirus outbreak in January 2014.