Every Friday, we share our readers favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos because, we all can use a "virtual escape" to relive some great cruising memories.

If you want your photo featured in an upcoming Friday Photos post, be sure to use this form to send it to us.

Brian Robinson shared this photo on Royal Caribbean 1 Love of sail away.  Great start to a cruise!

FrodeofNorway took this photo of Rhapsody of the Seas, as seen from Santorini, Greece.

Here is a photo of Adventure of the Seas in St. Maarten, taken by Shana Smith.

Michael Poole took this photo in CocoCay.  He will be back there this weekend with his live blog from Majesty of the Seas!

Glenn Wildenmann took this photo on Anthem of the Seas, and caught a great angle of a lovely ship.

Hannes Scherz took this photo of the Bionic Bar on Harmony of the Seas while on his first cruise ever.

Speaking of Harmony of the Seas, Anne took this photo while docked in Labadee.

Thank you to everyone that sent in their photos that were featured this week, and we want to see your Royal Caribbean photos too! Use this form to send them in and we will feature them in an upcoming edition of Friday Photos!

The Port of Galveston issued an update today regarding the forecasted path of Hurricane Harvey and its impact on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas.

The Port of Galveston issued an update on their Facebook Page to indicate no changes have been made yet to Liberty of the Seas' itinerary, but Royal Caribbean is monitoring the path.  At this time, Liberty of the Seas will keep her original schedule for Sunday’s turnaround in Galveston, TX. Should the cruise line make any changes to Liberty of the Sea’s itinerary, Royal Caribbean will make sure to inform their guests and travel partners.

Royal Caribbean will provide an update tomorrow, August 25th by 12:00 PM EST.

See how science communicator Kevin Lieber, host of YouTube channel Vsauce2, experienced his first total solar eclipse onboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 212 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.

This week, Matt and Len Testa talk about Royal Caribbean's Price Integrity Policy and how it, and the cruise industry, are changing the price of cruise vacations.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 212. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS 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!

Hi Royal Caribbean Blog readers, its Michael Poole and here I am with my next live blog.

In January, I did a 10 night live blog on board Majesty of the Seas, so be sure to check that out. This time I’m headed back to Majesty of the Seas for a quick 3-night weekend getaway. This cruise set sails this Friday, August 25th. Since I couldn’t wait for the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise on board Harmony of the Seas, I had to add something. On this sailing I’ll be cruising with my good friend, Nick Vitani who spends almost every weekend on board.

Itinerary

This quick 3-night cruise will be visiting Nassau, Bahamas and Royal Caribbean’s private island Coco Cay.

In Nassau we plan to go visit the new resort Baha Mar on the other side of the island, which is know as Cable Beach.

For Coco Cay, no real plans but total relaxation. I do plan to take a lot of photos of all the construction of their new pier and report back how things are going on the island. I’ll be returning to Coco Cay in mid October so it will be nice to see the progress being made of the next few months.

Cabin

For this cruise, I’ll be staying in a superior ocean view cabin on deck 9. The actual cabin number is 9078, which is aft. I like the location a lot because it’s right beside the spa and gym, so I might fit one workout in! If you are looking to cruise on Majesty of the Seas, I highly recommend the superior ocean view cabins. Since this ship doesn’t have balcony cabins (other than suites) this is the largest cabin option without spending a lot of cash.

Dining / Drink Package

For this cruise we have decided to dine in Chef’s table. This is a specialty dining option that ranges from $85-$95 per person, depending on the ship. If you are flexible with time and date they are usually running a discount on board to book the first night. In all my cruises I’ve never had dinner in the Chef’s table, so I’m really looking forward to the experience. One perk of this dining option is the wine pairing, is included in the cover charge.

On this cruise I’ll be passing on the drink package, it was $170 for the weekend in the cruise planner. I’ll be spending most evenings in the Viking Lounge watching sunsets and that’s where the diamond lounge is on Majesty. We will see how this goes paying for drinks as I go.

Well friends it’s almost cruise time, please let me know if there is anything you would like to see on Majesty of the Seas. Feel free to comment below on my live blogs and I’ll respond during my cruise. I’ll also be doing live streams on the periscope app, so be sure to follow me @mpoole3.

If you are in the market for a fantastic guilty pleasure for your next Royal Caribbean cruise, be sure to check out the Thermal Suite in the Vitality Spa.  This ultimate adult retreat offers unlimited access to warm loungers, steam and sauna rooms, and more.  It is a fantastic way to relax while at sea.

Royal Caribbean offers a Thermal Suite on some of its ships, including Harmony of the Seas.  While aboard Harmony of the Seas, we took at tour of the venue to get a sense of what this is all about.

Royal Caribbean sells a limited number of passes to the Thermal Suite on every sailing.  Passes can be purchased onboard the ship at the Vitality Spa, and provide unlimited access to the facilities included with the spa.

The thermal suite is made up of a few areas that allow for relaxation as you see fit.  Unlike a massage, facial, or other service in the spa, guests can come as often as they like to take advantage of the thermal suite benefits.  It is the perfect way to relax and treat yourself at the same time.

What's Included

The thermal suite has the following amenities that can be used only by those that purchase a pass.

Thermal loungers

Steam room

Sauna room

Pricing

The thermal suite comes in three options:

• Single guest: $109 and includes 1 DIY scrub of your choice
• Couples (two guests): $199 and includes 2 DIY scrubs of your choice
• Ultimate Pass
  • $250
  • Good for two guests and includes 2 DIY scrubs and couples bath

Keep in mind that while the pricing refers to "couples", in reality, it means any two guests can take advantage of it.  Friends can book the couples option and take advantage of reduced pricing.

Guests can purchase their thermal suite passes from the desk at the Vitality Spa.  It is best to purchase them on embarkation day.

Bonnie Tyler performed a duet with DNCE of the Welsh singer's hit song, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" during a total solar eclipse.

The artists shared the AquaTheater stage aboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas as part of the Total Eclipse Cruise. The performance coincided with the Great American Eclipse that was 99 years in the making.

“As if moving our ship to sail along the eclipse’s path of totality to give our guests 100 percent visibility of this phenomenon wasn’t enough, we wanted to take it to another level – just above ‘out of this world’,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Royal Caribbean is known as the most innovative cruise line, always pushing to create bigger and bolder adventures for vacationers. We’re excited to have DNCE and Bonnie on board, and even more thrilled to have seen the looks on our guests’ faces when she was brought on stage to sing ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ This is what we live for – to make unforgettable memories. ”

As the moon made its way to cover the sun for the celestial event of the century, DNCE took center stage in Oasis of the Seas’ open-air AquaTheater, performing the band’s chart-topping hits, including “Kissing Strangers,” “Body Moves” and, of course, “Cake by the Ocean.” The concert culminated in the ultimate performance by DNCE and the Welsh-born singer. All eyes were on Joe Jonas and Tyler, alongside DNCE bandmates Cole Whittle, JinJoo and Jack Lawless, as they sang a powerful remix of Tyler’s classic, paying tribute to the solar eclipse.

Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet and Oasis of the Seas Captain Per Kristoffersen collaborate to navigate toward the path of totality for the Great American Eclipse – a celestial phenomenon 99 years in the making.