Sit back and catch up on this week's Royal Caribbean news.  We've gone through and hand-picked some fun articles for you to take a look at in case you missed any of it.

Earlier this week Royal Caribbean announced who the godmother will be for Anthem of the Seas.

Emma Wilby, a 27-year-old travel agent from the United Kingdom was selected to be the new ship's godmother.  To help her prepare for inaugural day, Craig Yates, Team Captain from British choir group Only Boys Aloud will be Ms. Wilby’s vocal coach, and Royal Caribbean is treating her to a full makeover.

Wilby will perform a special song at the ship's inaugural ceremony in Southampton, UK on April 20, 2015.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean is adding a giant giraffe to Anthem of the Seas.
• We break down if Royal Caribbean's unlimited alcohol packages are worth it or not.
• Anthem of the Seas will offer a new escape room experience.
• California residents can take advantage of a bonus booking offer just for them.
• Royal Caribbean sued owners of two typo domain names.
• The new water slides on Harmony of the Seas will be manufactured by an Orlando based firm.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The eighty-seventh episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we've got a live recording from Quantum of the Seas.

Matt is back from Quantum of the Seas and recorded a live review of Quantum of the Seas with other RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers during their cruise!

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.

Join us aboard the largest cruise ship in the world!

We're so excited to announce the next group cruise for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboard Allure of the Seas!  This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on a fantastic Allure of the Seas sailing on an 7-night cruise to the Western Caribbean.

This Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is all about enjoying a fun Royal Caribbean cruise along with other fans who are big fans of Royal Caribbean.  Don't miss this opportunity to check out the amazing 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

The Motley Fool has an interesting post about what sending Ovation of the Seas to China says about the Chinese cruise market.

Seattle Times documents how Royal Caribbean prepares Oasis of the Seas between Caribbean cruises.

Miami Herald reports Royal Caribbean board member Bernard Aronson will not stay on the Board of Directors.

Today we were in Cozumel, Mexico from 8am-7pm, so we had a full day to enjoy on shore.  

I had made prior reservations for Nachi Cocom beach resort.  When you book they require you pay $11pp online, and then the rest in cash once you arrive.  The total cost is $55pp for the day, which includes an open bar and full served lunch.  One of the reasons I like this resort so much is there is no buffet for lunch like many do and they only let 100 people spend the day here.  

Since this is not booked through Royal Caribbean you must cover the cost of transportation as well.  We had made friends with another couple traveling to Nachi for the day so they joined us for the cab ride over, costing $32 each way for six people. 
 
Mexico is on Central time zone, so they don’t officially open until 9am local time.  We left the ship at 9AM ship time (eastern zone) and arrived around 20 minutes later. They don’t mind you coming in early as they are there setting up for the day, just won’t serve you yet.  This was my third time here and I’ve never seen it so busy (maybe 100+ people), we did have two carnival ships, the Serenade of The Seas, and well 8490 people on the Oasis. 
 
Lunch was at 10:30AM, (for us it was already 11:30am) and that means lunchtime!  They have a full menu of tacos, nachos, and the typical Mexican food. The food is very fresh and authentic Mexican.  

I must recommend one thing; the fresh guacamole is a must here.   After which we enjoyed the day in the ocean and pool.  Around 4pm we headed back to the ship, and the cost of the taxi was once again $32 for six. 

 
Dinner at Giovanni’s Table
 
I don’t have any pre-dinner actives to share with you because we all napped until dinnertime.  But that’s okay tonight was Giovanni’s Table! I’ve been talking about eating here all week and it was finally here.  The last time I ate here I was cruising solo and I don’t think you get the full effect of family dining cruising solo.  Giovanni’s Table is a family dining style experience.  We made reservations online at 8pm for $25pp and not surprised it was packed just like Chops.  Royal must be doing really well with their specialty dining on board, because they always looked packed.

Okay back to the good stuff, FOOD!   The waiter suggested we just pick an entree each and he would take care of all the starters.  My brother is a little picky eater so he asked the waiter what he was going to bring out and made a few changes.  I had scallops, which came out on seashells, amazing! Also had seafood tomato soup, I love hot soup with dinner.  Dinner we all order the filet, but our server heard us talking about how badly we wanted to try the lasagna…so he bought a plate of that also.  This dish is usually just served at lunch, but I’m telling you this dish was the best I’ve ever tasted.  I’ve read about how good it was but never dreamed of the quality being this good; going forward I’ll be dining here for lunch.  The steak was also great, my brother loved it more than chops, but I didn’t agree.  I’d say it was a great steak, but not the same as chops for mean, perhaps it was the wine sauce I missed. 
 
Desert they bring over a cart of options, and I picked the tiramisu.  I’m going to give this the second best desert at sea, because nothing surpasses the apple pie at Johnny Rockets.  The Tiramisu was flavorful and a great way to finish the meal.  The service was also much faster than Chop’s Grill so we enjoyed not sitting there for hours. 
 
I’m sad to report, after that full dinner at Giovanni’s Table I skipped the Quest.  I know you must be thinking, what?  I was so tired from the sun and that large meal I just wanted a great nights rest for our last sea day.  

I woke up early, well early for me on vacation, at 7:30AM and quickly changed for the pool deck.  I'm pleased to the sun finally came out!

I was so excited, but sad to see all the beach chairs were all taken again.  I was thinking, what time to these people come out here? After seeing chairs with towels in them for an hour I asked the pool attendant to remove their belongings, which he did.

Moving into the early afternoon the pool deck was packed and everyone was having such a fun time.  

Lunch at Johnny Rockets

For lunch today we all went to the boardwalk for some burgers and fries.  The cover charge here is $5.95pp and everything is included.

I always get the smokehouse burger and lots of fries and onion rings.  One of the waiters recognized me from the last time I was on board, so that's always fun catching up.   Now I'm going to share one of my secrets about cruising with Royal, the apple pie desert at Johnny Rockets is the best you will find period.  I discovered this many years ago, and always make sure I grab a piece or two.  

Afternoon on board

After lunch I went back to the pool deck for a few more hours of sunshine. 

The band had made an appearance playing the typical poolside Caribbean jams.  I do like on the other class ships, the band is right beside the pool.  

On Oasis class there are 4 large pools on the top deck and the band is in the middle of them.  They have the H2O Zone for the children, the sports pool for pool games, the main pool, and the beach pool. 

The beach pool is my favorite pool, because they have tables and umbrellas.  

Evening - Formal Night

Tonight was our second formal night so we all got cleaned up for a perfect evening.  It does not take me long to get ready, so I headed to the diamond lounge for the first time. 

Since all my travel partners were not diamond I only went for one cocktail.  They had some snacks out, but I passed on them trying saving room for lobster night.

My group all met up in Vintages for some wine and taps.  They had free taps available tonight, with cheese and grapes.  The decor in this venue is absolutely beautiful, and very intimate. 

Dinner - Main Dining Room

I'm going to be honest I tried to talk my group out of the dining room tonight, but I'm glad they didn't listen.  The service was absolutely outstanding, we asked them to speed the service up so we could make the 70s party. 

My brother ordered the chops steak for $16.95 and we actually thought it was better than the other night in Chops.  My lobster was so good my waiter brought me another without even asking. 

It was nice to have some lobster again, because I sail on Enchantment a lot and they don't serve lobster on the weekend sailing. 

Evening Actives 

After dinner we rushed to the room to change clothes for the 70's Street Party on the Royal Promenade at 10PM. 

There is a lot of singing and dancing, and it was a blast.  The dancing lasted until 11:00.   Then we explored the ships in and out of venues looking for live music. Well on the Oasis that’s not very hard to find since there are so many options.  We explored the pub and Jazz on 4. 

But the best entertainment of the evening goes to the comedy show at midnight.  They had two lines once we arrived those who had reservations and those without, I don’t think anyone got in without RSVP so be sure to book ahead.  The comedy show is very intimate show since only around 100 people are in there and you get the chance to interact with the comedians. 

The jokes are very adult rated, so no kids here. 

Shortly after the show we called it a night and rested up for our day in Cozumel tomorrow!  Hope y’all are enjoying as much as I am sharing.  

If you're a resident of California, then Royal Caribbean has an extra good deal for you.

In addition to the regular BOGO50 promotion Royal Caribbean is offering to everyone, California residents can save an additional $100.

Eligbile sailings will receive

• Buy One Guest, Get Second Guest 50% off
• Buy One Premium drink package, get one 50% off (Promo code BOGOBEV)
• 50% reduced deposit
• PLUS $100 savings per stateroom (all categories)

California residents that book any 5-night or longer cruise to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermida or roundtrip European sailings that depart between May 15 and December 31, 2015 are eligible.  Cruises must be booked between April 1 and April 30, 2015.

Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas are excluded from this offer.

Happy Friday to everyone! When the calendar hits Friday, that means we are sharing our readers favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos!  

Each week we invite our readers to send us their favorite Royal Caribbean photos and we showcase them all right here!

First this week we have a photo of Voyager of the Seas by Ross and Pam from Australia.  Great view!

Here's a photo by Michael Poole of the belly flop competition on Enchantment of the Seas.  This is always a really fun show to watch.

Brent sent us this photo of sunrise over the Bahamas from Enchantment of the Seas.  Love the colors that you can only get at sunrise or sunset!

Here's a photo by Michael from the deck of Independence of the Seas in Falmouth while Allure of the Seas was pulling into port.  That's an impressive sight!

We want to share your Royal Caribbean photos too! Send us your favorite, best, most awesome Royal Caribbean cruise photos by using this form and we will feature them in an upcoming Friday Photos blog post!

Royal Caribbean is installing a larger-than-life art piece on its newest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, that is a giant giraffe.

The giraffe is wearing a swimsuit and has an inflatable tube around its waist.

Sister cruise ship Quantum of the Seas features a giant 30-foot-tall magenta bear onboard its ship (which the crew has nicknamed Felicia) and so on Anthem of the Seas, there will be a giant giraffe instead.

These large animal art pieces are part of the ship-wide art collection that is meant to incite wonder among guests, encouraging them to admire the giraffe from afar, as well as interact with it on a more intimate, yet whimsical level.

Royal Caribbean announced that Emma Wilby, a 27-year-old travel agent from Sunderland, U.K., is the godmother for Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas.

It's a maritime tradition for cruise ships to have a godmother and Wilby will officially christen Anthem of the Seas and perform a special song for more than 1,300 invited special guests and dignitaries at the ship’s inaugural ceremony in Southampton, U.K., on April 20, 2015. 

In addition to being a travel agent for Thomson, Ms. Wilby is a military wife and budding singer who performs in the Military Wives Choir in Kinloss, Scotland, where she is based with her husband, a Royal Engineer for the British Army. To help her prepare for inaugural day, Craig Yates, Team Captain from British choir group Only Boys Aloud will be Ms. Wilby’s vocal coach, and Royal Caribbean is treating her to a full makeover.

“Emma’s inaugural song will herald in a ship that will be a new anthem for the cruise industry,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “I am very much looking forward to Emma’s performance and launchingAnthem of the Seas with her. I know she will be simply spectacular.”

Traditionally, Godmothers have celebrity status or even royal connections, such as Royal Caribbean Godmothers Gloria Estefan, Jane Seymour, Whoopi Goldberg and Steffi Graf, to name a few.

“I still can’t believe I won,” said Ms. Wilby after being informed of her new title earlier this week. “I am really honored to have been chosen. I am hugely excited to be taking on the role of Godmother for Anthem of the Seas – it will be incredible to sing in front of all these people and a real honor to give the ship the best sendoff possible.”

Royal Caribbean Blog contributor Michael Poole is on Oasis of the Seas this week reporting all about his cruise experience.

Good morning from beautiful Jamaica! 

I didn’t have any set plans today, so we thought we would do a little shopping around the pier and then head to the beach. 

For those who have not visited Falmouth, Royal Caribbean has spent millions on this brand new pier for their ships to visit.  The pier is the nicest I’ve ever seen, but you are limited it activates if you don’t wish to go outside the closed in area. 

My girlfriend shopped around and I went to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretville, for the classic Jamaican beer – Red Strip.  These were $6 each and included just steps away on board, so I just had two. 

After about an hour of shopping I was ready to head over to Red Strip Beach and then it happened…it started down pouring once again.   This is so frustrating, but what can you do?  We decided to go back on and enjoy some hot tub time, has anyone noticed this is becoming a trend? 

Afternoon on board Oasis of The Seas

This afternoon my girlfriend and I went down to the pub for some pints.  Since she does not have the drink package, she used her Crown & Anchor BOGO coupon on a Stella. 

The ship was mostly empty, so I guess every decided to wing it in the rain and stay in Jamaica.  After a few pints, and I might say that term a little loosely we were ready for an afternoon snack.  It’s almost funny when you are talking about all the options on board for a snack, so we went for hot dog on the boardwalk at Dog House.  This was my first time ever trying one of their hot dogs (which are free) and I must say, simply amazing! 

We actually ran into my brother and his partner and they now wanted to get off in Jamaica.  The ship was docked from 10am-7pm, so getting off at 4pm (again) left us plenty of time.  They mostly did some t-shirt shopping and about an hour later we headed back to the ship.  I thought everything was overpriced so no shirt for me, maybe in Cozumel. 

Dinner at Chops

For pre dinner drinks I went to vintages for some caymus wine (those who wish to know it’s $22 glass).  I thought it was strange how empty the bar was, but they said it was common on port days.  They had little table set up with taps for $10pp, I passed on this since we were going to Chops Grill.  

Our dinner reservations were at 8PM, and the restaurant was completely full. Our waiter said they service around 220 passengers a night, so I suppose that’s why the price went up to $39pp supply-demand. 

The quality of the meal was amazing as always, but the service was not so much. 

The waiter kept saying sorry for being so slow, but I think he was just overworked with tables.   He didn’t charge us for the sparkling water, or the difference in wine price vs package.  The unlimited package covers wine up to $12, but we were all drinking wine that was $14. I noticed they still bring you all the sauces to pick from for the steak, on the Enchantment/Liberty they just come out in the Red Wine Sauce. 

By this point we were getting close to the 3-hour mark and had a show to get to so we left right at 10pm. 

Headliner Show - Mo5iac

My brother talked me into going to the headliner tonight and boy was I glad he did.

This was a group of five guys who preformed with no instruments, which means all the sound we heard all night, came from their voices.  They would sing songs, with making it sound like they had a full band with them. 

It’s hard to describe the show, but was without a doubt the best show I’ve seen on any cruise.  The crowd was on their feet multiple times cheering them on and clapping.  If you ever get a chance to see this group on board, believe me don’t miss it. 

The show ended close to midnight and that’s where I called it a day.  

Puzzle Break has announced it is partnering with Royal Caribbean to offer a new shipboard escape room experience aboard Anthem of the Seas called, "Escape from the Future".

Puzzle Break specializes in live interactive escape-the-room games and currently offers similar experiences in Seattle and San Francisco.

Puzzle Break is thrilled to announce we are partnering with @RoyalCaribbean on a shipboard escape room experience "Escape from the Future!"

— Puzzle Break (@PuzzleBreak) March 31, 2015

No further details are available yet. Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the partnership yet either.

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

Episode 87 is available for downloading where Matt and other Royal Caribbean Blog readers discuss their recent cruise aboard Quantum of the Seas.

While onboard Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, Matt invited other blog readers to join him to share their thoughts on their cruise aboard Quantum of the Seas. 

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 87. 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!