It was another week full of exciting Royal Caribbean news including something for those with special needs, itinerary changes because of a hurricane, a new website update and more!

We have a lot to share, so let’s jump right in…

The big news this week was Royal Caribbean will start offering the Autism Channel on most of its cruise ships very soon to meet the needs of its special needs cruisers.

The Autism Channel is a streaming television service providing information and resources to families and professionals supporting and improving the lives of people with autism spectrum disorders.

The new on-demand programming will begin in late October 2015 on Quantum, Oasis, Freedom, Voyager and Radiance class ships.

There will be over 35 different episodes available, ranging from 4-30 minutes in length. Some episodes are about an hour as well.

Royal Caribbean News

• Hurricane Joaquin forced Royal Caribbean to chang the itineraries of Enchantment of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean updated the look and feel of its website's cruise book section.
• Royal Caribbean was named Best Cruise Operator for the 8th year in a row.
• Explorer of the Seas is on her way to Australia.
• Everything about the FlowRider on Royal Caribbean ships.
• A look at how Royal Caribbean and Heinken created a new recyclable beer keg.
• 12 photos of breaktaking views from the bridges of Royal Caribbean ships.
• Mariner of the Seas will host Asia's first cosplay cruise.
• Junior Sute photo tour on Independence of the Seas.
• The recipe for one of our favorites: the Lava Flow cocktail.

Let's cruise together on Allure of the Seas

I want you to join me on Allure of the Seas!

The Royal Caribbean Blog staff are going on Allure of the Seas and we are inviting all of our blog readers to join us!

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)!

Read all the details (and the fun meets we already have planned).  This will be an amazing week with plenty of surprises and exclusive events for those that book into our group!

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!

Ryan Fritsch sent us this great photo of Jewel of the Seas with the Golden Gate bridge behind her.

Paul Crow shared a photo of waiting for the ice show to begin on Independence of the Seas.

Nikki Nothstein‎ just returned from a cruise Liberty of the Seas and she says,"already wishing I was back on the deck in the Solarium enjoying the sunshine."

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 113th 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 taks to Susan all about her experience doing a back-to-back cruise on Independence of the Seas, with a look at her staterooms, onboard activities she enjoyed and how her high school reunion at sea went.

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

Royal Caribbean shared the 10 most stylish items to take on vacation.

Travel Weekly reports on Royal Caribbean's goal of eliminating last-minute cruise deals.

Eat Sleep Cruise has a virtual bar crawl around Adventure of the Seas!

Cruise Hangout shared reviewed their first Royal Caribbean cruise.

Perhaps no onboard activity is as synonymous with Royal Caribbean as the surf simulator known as the FlowRider.

When Royal Caribbean started adding FlowRiders to its cruise ships, it generated a lot of buzz and ever since then, the company has been working to add FlowRiders to more and more ships in its fleet.

If you want to give surfing a shot on your next cruise, here is what you need to know about this popular surf simulator.

What is the FlowRider?

Photo by Lawrence Smith

The FlowRider is a simulator that sends water a very high speed across a small area that mimics what it is like to surf on the ocean.

FlowRiders were first created as a business on land and have partnered with Royal Caribbean to offer guests cruising the chance to try it out there.

The FlowRider supports two surfing styles: stand up traditional surfing and boogie boarding.

Which Royal Caribbean ships have a FlowRider?

Royal Caribbean has added FlowRiders to more of its ships recently and here is the list of ships that offer a FlowRider

• Freedom of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Allure of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Harmony of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Symphony of the Seas (two FlowRiders)
• Quantum of the Seas
• Anthem of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Adventure of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Wonder of the Seas
• Icon of the Seas
• Utopia of the Seas

How much does the FlowRider experience cost?

Photo by Royal Caribbean

A ride on the FlowRider is included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare.

Guests can ride the FlowRider as many times as they like for free. They will simply need to wait in line for a turn.

There is the opportunity to book private lessons for an additional cost.  At last check, private lessons cost $60 per person and lasts about an hour. Each lesson will have six to eight guests.

Private lessons can be booked onboard the ship and is sometimes available via the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner.

What are the restrictions for using the FlowRider?

Guests participating in the FlowRider, for example, must be at least 52"/132 cm tall to use the bodyboard and 58"/147 cm tall to use the flowboard. 

Absolutely no footwear allowed, no goggles and no go-pro cams are allowed.

Important FlowRider tips

• As the cruise goes on, the lines for the FlowRider can get quite long.  For shorter lines, embarkation day is always simple.  Port days and morning sessions tend to be less crowded.
• Be sure to wear clothing that will not easily come off.  The force of the water has been known to cause "wardrobe malfunctions".  Women, especially, should consider wearing one piece bathing suits and/or t-shirts and shorts.
• Guests can surf until they fall off the board, but the staff is pretty good at challenging the talented guests in an effort to improve their skills and increase the likelihood of falling off.
• Check your Cruise Compass for session times. Often Royal Caribbean will offer special times for teens or adults.
• The sports staff is there for your safety and your assistance. Ask them for advice, especially if you are new.
• Tips for successfully surfing:
  • If you are stand up surfing, shift your weight to the back foot and never lift either foot off the board.
  • If you are boogie boarding, keep your elbows in and keep most, if not all of your legs in the water.

There is something about having a cocktail on your Royal Caribbean cruise vacation that just puts you into that perfect "now I am on vacation" mood.  Maybe it is the little umbrella or perhaps it is the combination of juice and liquor, but it is hard to go wrong with these delicious mixed drinks.

Over the last few cruises, we have engaged in some serious "research" by sampling a number of mixed drinks and frozen beverages on Royal Caribbean ships and came up with our list of ther drinks worth trying on your next cruise.

Sweet & Spice Margarita and the Sabor Grand Margarita from Sabor

The New Southern from American Icon Grill

Pineapple Special from Freedom of the Seas main pool area

Anything in the color changing mugs!

Labadoozie from Labadee

Mojito from Boleros

Pina Colada from Boleros

Wildberry Lava Flow from pool bar

Coco Loco from CocoCay

How much are these Royal Caribbean drinks?

If just looking at all these drinks makes you want to get onboard and book a cruise, you may also want to know how much these drinks are selling for.

Most of the drinks will cost about $12, not including any souvenir mugs and before gratuity. 

If your drink is the drink of the day, Royal Caribbean will knock 25% off the cost.

Many guests opt for an unlimited alcohol package so they can enjoy plenty of these drinks for a fixed cost.

What is your favorite Royal Caribbean drink? Tell us (and share a photo of it) in the comments below!

A virtual balcony stateroom offers guests the chance to pay for an inside stateroom, but still get a balcony-level view.

This amazing innovation is exclusive to Royal Caribbean and combines impressive technology with breathtaking views.

Inside cabins are usually dreary and cramped, without any natural light.

But a virtual balcony stateroom provides an opportunity to brighten up the space without paying a steep cost.

For guests who want a balcony view without paying the full price for a balcony stateroom, staying in a virtual balcony cabin is a useful hack.

These cabins are located on the inside of the ship, without real windows or balconies.

Instead, a floor-to-ceiling HD screen displays a real-time video feed that mimics a balcony view.

The LED screen shows a look at the view outside the ship, the same as if you were staying in a balcony room.

If you are considering booking a Royal Caribbean cruise, here is everything you need to know about virtual balconies and how they work.

What is a virtual balcony?

Virtual balconies are inside staterooms on select Royal Caribbean ships equipped with 80-inch LED televisions. These TV screens provide live HD views from outside the cruise ship, right into your stateroom.

The screens are 4K ultra-high definition capable screens that stretch from floor to ceiling.

The video feed is received from cameras that are mounted at the stem and stern of the ship. 

Essentially, guests could either view the front of the ship from the camera near the bridge, or the ship’s wake from the camera at the back.

The technical team decided to place these cameras at the front and back because there wasn’t room on the starboard and port sides of the ship. 

Additionally, having the cameras display a feed at the front or back ensures that guests won’t experience any seasickness from the view. 

Video plays 24/7 on the cruise, showing views like the ship coming into port in the mornings, or even black space at night.

Royal Caribbean created these rooms to mimic the feeling of having a balcony as closely as possible.

The screen has curtains in front of it, just like a real balcony would. 

You can also turn the virtual balcony on and off at your own discretion, enjoying a view whenever you feel like it.

The cabins even have a computer-generated balcony overlay to give guests the perspective of a real balcony stateroom.

Natural sounds are also piped in to mimic the atmosphere that guests would have while staying in a real balcony stateroom. 

But in a virtual balcony cabin, the volume can be adjusted or even turned off.

The ambiance also ensures that guests can enjoy natural views without sacrificing the climate control and cheaper prices of an inside cabin.

Why stay in a virtual balcony cabin?

A virtual balcony provides the benefit of solving the disadvantages of staying in an inside cabin while being available at a similar price.

You can pay the cheap price of an inside cabin, but not have the struggle of living without windows and natural light.

The screen brightens an otherwise gloomy style of stateroom.

A virtual balcony screen pipes in natural lighting and ambient noises. Guests can enjoy the views of the ocean without leaving the comfort of their stateroom.

You can even glance at the screen and see the weather before getting dressed in the morning.

You’ll also know right away if the ship has docked at a port, or started to leave.

Cruise cabins become your home for the length of the cruise, so it’s important to balance budget and comfort.

A virtual balcony stateroom appeals to both, available at the price of an inside cabin while providing comfort through technological advances.

Where can I find a virtual balcony?

This innovative stateroom category was first pioneered on Quantum of the Seas in 2014 and can be found on all Quantum-Class ships. 

These staterooms have since been added to more ships, including some older vessels.

Virtual balcony staterooms are located on the following Royal Caribbean ships:

• Anthem of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas
• Spectrum of the Seas
• Symphony of the Seas
• Utopia of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas
• Wonder of the Seas

All ships with the virtual balcony category have at least ten available, ensuring that you should receive one if you book it ahead of time.

Read more: I stayed in the cheapest virtual balcony cabin on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas. Look inside my $137 a night room.

How does the virtual balcony work?

The tech behind the virtual balcony screens took a team of network and software engineers to develop.

Making the virtual balconies work was no easy task because of a variety of ship-specific needs that were not available when the project was first being developed.

Read more: An inside look behind the making of Royal Caribbean's virtual balcony

It took a lot behind the scenes to make the virtual balcony happen.

First, the team had to start by finding a camera that would run indefinitely.

They settled on using two RED Epic cinematic cameras, which are currently what Royal Caribbean uses to provide the view of the ocean.

These cameras have fantastic dynamic range and can support up to 240 frames per second.

The camera picks up just about what the human eye could see.

For example, on evenings when there is no moon, the human eye would see nothing but darkness on a real balcony—so the same is true for the view on a virtual balcony screen.

 But if you would be able to look outside and see the moonlight reflecting on the waves, that would be reflected by the virtual balcony’s cameras.

The virtual balcony receives the feed and displays it on 80" 4K LED Sharp Aquos screens in each stateroom.  

Do you want to stay in a virtual balcony stateroom on your next Royal Caribbean cruise? Tell us in the comments below!

When you sail on your next Royal Caribbean ship, there is a good chance you will find Coca-Cola's amazing self-serve beverage dispensers known as the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine.

The Freestyle machine offers guests 100+ flavors of various Coca-Cola products that you can mix together to create the perfect drink for you.  Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line to offer Freestyle machines.

In order to use the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, guests must purchase an all-inclusive beverage package or the Royal refreshment package and use their complimentary Coca-Cola souvenir cup. The Coca-Cola souvenir cup has a special chip in it which activates the machine.

The following Royal Caribbean ships have Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines

• Adventure of the Seas 
• Allure of the Seas 
• Anthem of the Seas 
• Enchantment of the Seas 
• Explorer of the Seas 
• Freedom of the Seas 
• Grandeur of the Seas 
• Harmony of the Seas 
• Independence of the Seas 
• Jewel of the Seas 
• Mariner of the Seas 
• Navigator of the Seas 
• Oasis of the Seas 
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas 
• Ovation of the Seas 
• Rhapsody of the Seas 
• Symphony of the Seas 
• Wonder of the Seas

It seems that Freestyle machines are only available in the United States, Canada and limited availability in the UK and Europe and Royal Caribbean has added the machines to ships based mostly in the United States.

Using the Freestyle machines is pretty simple too, you pick a base flavor (like Coke or Fanta) and you can customize the drink with fruit flavors (Orange Coke or Orange Fanta, Lime Fanta, etc).  You can also stop a drink mid-pour by just releasing the dispense button and select another drink to mix two together. So if you want to mix Orange Fanta with Mello Yello Grape you can!

Some of the base flavors available to choose from are Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Fanta, Fanta Zero, Minute Maid Lemonade, Minute Maid Light, Dasani, Dasani Sensations, Powerade, Powerade Zero, Hi-C, Barq's, Diet Barq's and Seagram's Lemon Lime Seltzer. and more.

The special souvenir Coca-Cola cups that Royal Caribbean sells also has a time restriction, which prevents guests from getting refills until 10-15 minutes have passed since their last pour.  This time restriction is to prevent abuse of the Freestyle machine privileges.

Use of the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines is available with a few unlimited drink packages:

• Royal Refreshment package
  • $8.00 per day, per guest
• Royal Replenish package
  • $22.42 per person, per day (includes service charge)
• All of the Royal Caribbean unlimited alcohol packages
  • Unlimited alcohol packages begin at $42 per person, per day

Have you tried the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines on your Royal Caribbean cruise? Thinking about using them on your next cruise? Tell us about it in the comments!