It appears Royal Caribbean is starting to offer a new dining package, where guests can eat at any of the specialty restaurants aboard the ship for a fixed price.

A Royal Caribbean Blog reader, Michael C, returned from a Freedom of the Seas cruise last week and in the Cruise Compass is a new offer, "Ultimate Dining Package", where for $20 per day, guests can dine at any of the specialty restaurants every day of the cruise.

The package is described as, "Pay one set price and dine in any of our specialty restaurants every day of your cruise.  Whatever you're craving, there's something for every palate. (Except Mystery Dinner & Chef's table).

This offer has been spotted on Freedom of the Seas, but there's no word yet if this new dining package will be offered on any other Royal Caribbean ships.

Currently on Freedom of the Seas, there are three specialty restaurants with individual costs higher than the package's daily rate:

• Chops Grille: $35 per person
• Giovanni's Table: $25 per person
• Sabor Modern Mexican: $25 per person

With this ultimate dining package, a person could save up to $105 on their cruise compared to paying for the restaurants on their own.

UPDATE: Other readers have reported the ultimate dining package is being offered on Liberty of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas as well.

Photo by Debby Smith

Will you purchase the ultimate dining package?  Tell us what you think in comments below!

Many of the popular cruise ports have public spots that are great for watching Royal Caribbean ships leave.  While we all wish we could be on those ships, seeing them up close is perhaps the next best thing.

If you are in the Seattle area, there's a great spot for anyone wanting to view Royal Caribbean cruise ships (as well as other cruise line ships) departing and heading up Puget Sound to the Straight of Juan De Fuca before heading to the Pacific Ocean.

Public spots to see cruise ships leave

Probably the best two spots are Carkeek and Richmond Beach parks for the views.  

You can also watch the ships from Elliot Bay Marina (Pier 91 is where Jewel of the Seas departs from).   Golden Gardens is also a good spot to see the ships leave as well.

Myrtle Park & Centennial park are between Piers 66 & 91 along the Seattle waterfront, where can catch views of ships leaving both ports.

Pier 66

Myrtle Park

There is a small park in Ballard suburb of Seattle called Sunset Park, which has a magnificent sweeping view from up high, and is very tranquil.

For the Pier 66 ships (downtown Seattle), head over to Anthony's Bell Street Diner, because you can get close to the ships and wave to the excited cruisers as they sail away.  You will feel liek you're sailing away with them!  

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

Episode 94 is available for downloading where we explore what you need to know about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska.

Alaska cruises have been a staple of Royal Caribbean's deployments for years and this week, we discuss various aspects of planning a cruise to Alaska, including what you should pack, the ports you will visit and differences between an Alaska cruise and other cruises.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 94. 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!

Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, will be reaching a milestone in her construction progress that will bring her one step closer to her debut.

Right now, Harmony of the Seas' metal shell is about 80% complete and the last blocks will be installed in early June.  Following that, she should be set afloat later that month.

Once Harmony of the Seas is floating in water, the next phase of her construction progress can begin.

Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class cruise ship, will have her inaugural cruise in June 2016.

Check out these new construction photos that were posted on Mer et Marine and are all copyright STX France by Bernard Biger.

Royal Caribbean has filled its Quantum-class cruise ships with a slew of specialty restaurant choices and among them is Royal Caribbean's flagship specialty restaurant, Chops Grille. 

Chops Grille has been a fan favorite choice for years and on Quantum of the Seas, we took the opportunity to see if this Royal Caribbean classic holds up on its newest class of ships.

On Quantum of the Seas, the restaurant features an updated menu that offers what you would likely find at any great American steakhouse on land.  There's a mix of choices that have been staples of the restaurant along with some new choices, most notably dry-aged steaks.  Dry-aged steaks 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.

Atmosphere

Chops Grille is located in the aft section of deck 5, near the Schooner Bar.  Despite being onboard the ship for a few days at the time we dined here, I still found myself wondering where exactly it was located.  Odds are you will not be passing it by often as you walk around the ship (unlike Jamie's Italian or Wonderland) but once you look it up on a map, it's simple enough to find.

If you've been to any other Chops Grille on other Royal Caribbean ships, you will likely feel right at home at Chops Grille on Quantum of the Seas.  The restaurant's familiar use of browns, reds and yellows give the restaurant an "earth tone" decor.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the Chops Grille on Quantum of the Seas to be more well-lit than other restaurants I've been to.

Chops Grille has never had much of a real theme other than looking like a nice steakhouse.  You will find a large room with tables in the center and booths on the edges.  There's some good use of steel or aluminum lighting that seem like they were borrowed from American Icon Grill that give Chops Grille on Quantum of the Seas a little different touch.

For Royal Caribbean fans that been dining at Chops Grille for years, this restaurant will feel a lot like others you have been to.

Eats

Once you are seated, you will be served pretzel bread and butter, which is pretty darn tasty.  It's the kind of bread that you will eat more of it than you probably like because pretzel bread, when done well, is a tasty treat.

The menu at Chops Grille offers a wide selection of appetizers and for your entrees, there's plenty to choose from too.  

To start with, I opted for a Chops Grille classic: French onion soup. A microcosm of the difference between a specialty restaurant and the complimentary restaurant can be found in this soup.  At the Grande, there's a French onion soup served but the one at Chops Grille is far superior because of the ingredients used.  At Chops Grille, there's more cheese, thicker cut of onion and in general it just tastes better.

French onion soup at Chops Grille

French onion soup at The Grande

We also ordered a few appetizers to share at the table, such as the charred beef carpaccio and crab and shrimp cake.  Both were tasty and light choices that we enjoyed.

I mentioned earlier there are a lot of entrees to choose from but considering Chops Grille is a steakhouse, I feel obligated to choose a steak. Since updating Chops Grille's menu, Royal Caribbean offers a number of dry-aged steaks that have an extra cost in addition to other steaks that are included with the price of the restaurant.

I tried the dry-aged steak when I was on Navigator of the Seas and I'll be honest and say I really could not tell much of a difference between the dry-aged steaks and a less expensive steak.  Personally, my palette can appreciate a steak up to a certain level and after that, they all taste the same.  Clearly, I am not a connoisseur of steaks by any means.

We both decided to order from the regular steak menu.  I went with the "petite" New York Strip Steak (6oz) and my table mate opted for the "petite" filet mignon (6oz).

Both steaks tasted great and my only regret is I ordered too little steak.  I went with the petite cut because I always left the restaurant feeling stuffed but not the case this time!

I think we both agreed the steaks were great and by far it's the best cut of beef we had onboard the ship.  

The hidden gem of any Chops Grille visit are the sides. There side dishes are designed to be shared among the people at your table and they are generally really, really good.  So good that I leave some room for them because at my first few visits years ago, I would stuff myself before realizing the sides are so darn good.

We ordered gruyere cheese tater tots, roasted mushrooms, mashed potatoes and grilled jumbo asparagus.  All were quite good except for the tater tots.  The cheese gave it a very odd texture and next time I will go with the french fries instead.  

For dessert, I always order the same thing at Chops Grille and for good reason.  The red velvet cake is something I always pick and I've never been disappointed with it.   On this visit, the cake was as good as I remembered and I can continue to recommend it as a great choice.

Overall

The reason I go to Chops Grille on almost every Royal Caribbean cruise I go on is because of how consistently good it is.  Some restaurants are a bit of a gamble in the sense that they can be hit or miss but Chops Grille has been always a good experience and on Quantum of the Seas, it's more of the same.

If you have dined at Chops Grille many times as well, you will find Chops Grille to be a familiar choice and very similar to other Chops Grille restaurants across the fleet.  If you're new to Royal Caribbean, Chops Grille is a solid choice for anyone that wants a really good specialty restaurant experience.  Great food, good service and a moderate cost are what you will find at Chops Grille.

There's many online that will debate the merits of the dry-aged steaks on the menu and if they are worth it.  If you want to sample the very best steaks out there, there's no question dry-aged are in style and perfect for you.  But if you just want a good steak without the additional cost, the steaks included on the menu will do you just fine.

I think on my next trip to Chops Grille, I will sample some non-steak choices just to mix things up.  

Welcome back to Friday Photos, our weekly showcase of Royal Caribbean photos that were taken by readers of this blog.  

Every week, we ask our readers to send us their best Royal Caribbean vacation photos to be considered for this post and you're welcome to send yours in as well. We'd love to feature photos of the ships, excursions, activities onboard and anything else that reminds you of a great time while sailing with Royal Caribbean.

So without further adieu, here is this week's batch of photos.

First up is this photo of sunrise at Royal Caribbean's private island of Labadee by Jeff Poole.  Yup, looks like paradise!

Here's another sunrise photo, this one taken by Tom and Diane Trudnowski of sunrise while headed to Key West, Florida.  I never get sick of these sun rise or sunset photos!

Next up is a photo of Anthem of the Seas by Neil Barnes on her first day in Southampton.  She's a beauty and I can't wait to sail aboard Anthem sometime soon!

Here we have a clear sunset photo from Quantum of the Seas taken by Kim Olsen.  Looks gorgeous, doesn't it?

Last, but not least, we have a photo by Keith Davis of a "sand man" that his daugher created in Megan's Bay.  What a neat idea!

Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos this week.  Be sure to send your photos in as well by using this form.

Royal Caribbean announced it has selected of Mullen Lowe of Boston, Massachusetts to handle the cruise line's creative marketing efforts.

Pending successful contract negotiations, Mullen Lowe will will become Royal Caribbean's creative agency, replacing J. Walter Thompson.  Mullen Lowe was selected after an extensive agency review process that began back in February 2015.

“After an extensive search we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Mullen Lowe,” said Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “We are impressed by their strategic and creative thinking, which matches the energy and innovative imagination of our brand."

Mullen Lowe, an award-winning agency which was named to Ad Age’s Agency A-List in three of the past five years and also named a CreativityInnovator of the Year in 2014,  is part of the Interpublic Group of agencies.

In the first nine months of 2014, Royal Caribbean spent $58 million in measured media, according to Kantar. For all of 2013, the brand invested $81 million.

Royal Caribbean was awarded Best Cruise Operator for the seventh year in a row by Travel Weekly China and TTG China.

Both awards honor the best in the travel industry and recognize leaders in many aspects of travel, such as hotels and resorts, travel destinations, cruise lines, online travel and more.

Royal Caribbean Vice President of North Asia & China Dr. Zinan Liu commented on the award, “We are absolutely thrilled to receive these two prestigious trade awards once again.  As these awards are voted on by travel agents and consumers across the country, it is an honor to have the support and confidence in our brand from our valued travel partners and the market. This is a great accomplishment for the Royal Caribbean International team and we will continue to offer our partners and guests the best products and service.”

“These awards identify the industry’s finest,” said Rebecca Zhang, Travel Weekly’s Publisher in China. “The professionals who read and rely on trade media have the expertise to select those business, destinations and hotels that provide higher level of service to their clients. Our readers can be confident that these winners represent the best this industry has to offer.”

Royal Caribbean will be raising its recommended gratuities for sailings that depart on or after July 1, 2015.

The new recommended daily gratuity amount will be $12.95 per day, per guest for those occupying standard accommodations and $15.95 per person, per day for those in suites.

The new gratuity rate takes effect on sailings that depart on or after July 1, 2015.  Guests that pre-pay their gratuities for existing reservations before June 1st will be able to lock-in the current rate of current guideline of $12.00 per day, per guest in standard accommodations, and $14.95 per day, per suite guest.

Royal Caribbean says the new gratuity amount, "will help recognize the exceptional work that Royal Caribbean's staff and crew does to deliver unforgettable vacations every day."

Tip of the hat to Katina Bradley for alerting us to this change.

EDIT: For clarification, any reservations that you have already made you can have Pre Paid Gratuities added prior to June 1, 2015 if you haven't already and still pay today's current rate for Junior Suites and below of $12.00 per person per day or $14.95 per person per day for suite guests.