It's time to start saying goodbye to Splendour of the Seas.  Royal Caribbean announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2016. The ship will then be leased to Thomson Cruises, which will operate the vessel.

Splendour of the Seas will complete all scheduled open deployment, and no sailings will be altered or disrupted due to the sale.

"Splendour of the Seas has been a treasured member of the Royal Caribbean International family since she entered service," said Michael Bayley, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean International. "She has offered countless guests memorable vacation experiences and we look forward to continuing to provide the same Gold Anchor Service our brand is known for right up to the last sailing." Her final sailing will commence on April 4, 2016, and all officers and crew will remain with the company and will be transferred to other vessels worldwide after the ship leaves the Royal Caribbean International fleet.

Splendour of the Seas is not the only Royal Caribbean ship that will be leaving the fleet. In November 2014, Royal Caribbean announced Majesty of the Seas will be transfered out of the fleet in 2016.

Splendour and Majesty's exit from the fleet coincides with Royal Caribbean's cruise ship building spree that is underway, with four new ships set to come online in the next few years.

Royal Caribbean says people from Scotland are the biggest spenders on cruise ships among Great Britain, given that they book more expensive staterooms and spend more onboard.

Royal Caribbean UK managing director Stuart Leven indicated Royal Caribbean will now try to lure more Scots to book a Royal Caribbean cruise by launching a new development fund to encourage more travel agents to sell cruises.

Leven said the new direction came ahead of the cruise line adding billions of dollars in new cruise ships over the next four years.

Royal Caribbean will bring Anthem of the Seas to Southampton when she debuts in April 2015, which will mark a new effort by Royal Caribbean to appeal to the UK cruising market.

Blog reader and talented photographer Björn Haß recently had the opportunity to take some wonderful shots of Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Anthem of the Seas following her float out last week.

Since I'm not one to pass up a good photo of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, I thought I'd share Björn's photos.  Enjoy!

Another week has come to an end and we've gone through and hand-picked some fun articles for you to take a look at in case you missed any of it.

By far, the big Royal Caribbean news this week was details emerged all about the third Oasis-class cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.

First, Royal Caribbean announced her name after a couple of weeks of rumors floating around that it would be Harmony of the Seas.

Then just a few days later, Royal Caribbean announced many details about Harmony of the Seas, including restaurants, entertainment and onboard activities.

Royal Caribbean News

• Liberty of the Seas experienced some propulsion problems that slowed her down.
• Royal Caribbean lead the pack in the 2015 Members Choice Awards.
• We featured some beautiful Anthem of the Seas float out photos.
• Heavy sea fog canceled the February 23 Brilliance of the Seas cruise.
• What first time cruisers to Royal Caribbean need to know.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The eighty-second episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and this we're talking about the strategy of staying onboard your ship in port.

In this episode, Matt discusses why you might want to stay onboard your Royal Caribbean ship while it's in port.  There are some distinct advantages to not leaving the ship, including being able to enjoy the feeling of having the ship to yourself.

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

Cruise Critic Managing Editor Colleen McDaniel spoke to Fox Business about the best cruise ships of 2015.

Live Design has an in-depth look at the theater tech behind the Royal Theatre on Quantum of the Seas.

CBS Sports noted Royal Caribbean's witty tweet to Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer after he was stuck on Brilliance of the Seas.

Cruise Hangout has a visual recap of Anthem of the Seas' float out.

Whether you are new to cruising or just new to Royal Caribbean, there's some important things to know about taking a Royal Caribbean that can definitely improve your cruise experience.  

We're big fans of planning ahead for any cruise vacation and these tips will give you some good starting points to be prepared for your first cruise onboard Royal Caribbean.

Be sure to check-in online

In years past, Royal Caribbean used to mail you your cruise documents with everything you needed to get onboard but since we are in the digital age, Royal Caribbean now has it all online and you'll want to fill it all out in advance.

Royal Caribbean's Online Check-In is a pretty simple tool to save you time at the pier and greatly simplify the entire check in process. 

You simply need to go to the Royal Caribbean web site to check in and complete the steps.  

At the end, you will have access to print out your SetSail Pass (your cruise boarding pass) as well as luggage tags.  

Remember, you must complete and print out your SetSail Pass 3 days prior to your sail date.

Use a travel agent

We're big fans of using travel agents in general to book our Royal Caribbean cruises but if you're new to the brand, having someone who knows Royal Caribbean really well and costs you nothing extra is a great bonus.

Royal Caribbean has 22 ships in its fleet and sails to destinations around the world, so it can be difficult to be aware of all the differences and changes going on.  A good travel agent will be able to guide you in the right direction based on the kind of cruise vacation you're looking for.

There's also lots of deals and discounts to be found and between that and the general questions you may have, a travel agent will help make your first Royal Caribbean cruise a big success.

Your stateroom won't be ready until 1pm

In most cases, your stateroom may not be ready for you to go into until 1pm.  We've seen situations where the time is earlier or later but it's usually in the early afternoon.

It's important to keep this time in mind because until you get into your stateroom, you will have to carry all the luggage you opted not to check with the porters.  

I've seen plenty of families camped out with there many bags in the stairwell waiting for their stateroom to be open.  What you ought to do is only take with you what is really necessary and that way you can stay mobile and explore the ship.

Read the Cruise Compass every day

Each day of your cruise, you will find in your stateroom Royal Caribbean's daily newspaper of events called the Cruise Compass.  Inside is a listing of all the events, sales and information you need to know.

The Cruise Compass is your best way to be aware of all the interesting things going on onboard your ship.  It also included a weather forecast so you can know what to expect when you step outside or on shore.

Essentially, you're reading the Cruise Compass so you don't miss out on an event that you may have wanted to check out.  Royal Caribbean offers so much onboard their ships, it can be difficult to know what's going on, so the Cruise Compass is a great tool.

You can also get extra copies of the Cruise Compass at Guest Relations if you need additional copies for the kids (or if you're a bad sharer.  We're not judging).

Sign your kids up for Adventure Ocean on your first day

One of the must-do's for your first day aboard your Royal Caribbean ship is any children who are eligible for Royal Caribbean's complimentary kids program, Adventure Ocean, should be registered at some point that day.

Adventure Ocean is a wonderful program for kids as young as 3 years old and as old as their late teens.  On embarkation day, Adventure Ocean isn't usually open but the staff will be there to give tours of the facility as well as register your kids.  

By registering on day one, you're assured they can jump right into the fun on day two and you don't have to waste time at that point.  Embarkation day is the right time to register kids for Adventure Ocean and it will set them up for a days of great experiences.

Make reservations for the specialty restaurants

No matter which Royal Caribbean cruise you will be on, there's a number of great specialty restaurants to choose from and if you opt to dine at one of them, be sure to make a reservation.

Specialty restaurants come with an additional surcharge, either in the form of a cover charge or a la carte pricing.  Regardless, they can be quite popular for dinner, especially at peak times.  

Whether you choose to make a reservation online before your cruise or onboard, you should make a reservation to avoid waiting for a table or being locked out of dinner.  

It's easiest to make a reservation online at Royal Caribbean's website but if you prefer to wait for the cruise, you can always book a reservation onboard by visiting the restaurant, Guest Relations or calling the dining reservations phone number in your stateroom.

Don't double tip (unless you want to)

If you order a beer or alcoholic beverage, Royal Caribbean will automatically add a gratuity to your bill, so unless you really loved the bartender or waiter, don't tip them twice.

Often guests don't really read the receipt and are so accustomed to adding a tip that they don't realize gratuity has been automatically applied to the bill. 

We're not advocating not rewarding very good service, rather, be aware of what you're really paying.

There will always be something to eat available at any time

Cruises in general have a reputation for offering a lot of food to eat and it's definitely the case on Royal Caribbean too.

Check your Cruise Compass, but there's always at least one venue open 24 hours in addition to room service which has its own menu items.   You don't have to worry if you get the late-night munchies onboard because there will always be somewhere to grab a bite.

If you are looking for an after-hours meal and opt for room service, keep in mind Royal Caribbean has a $3.95 surcharge on meals ordered between midnight and 5am. 

Royal Caribbean released a new video, detailing the recent float out for Anthem of the Seas.

The weekend is here and that means it's time to share your Royal Caribbean photos!  Each week we invite our readers to share their favorite Royal Caribbean photos with all of us, so here we go!

Our first photo this week comes from Sean McLellan and it's a size comparison between a number of ships and Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.  I think we have a winner!

Next, is this great shot of Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor logo from Liberty of the Seas by Blake Baldwin.  Great shot!

We're going a couple hundred feet in the air for our next photo. It's Quantum of the Seas as seen from North Star, by Paquot.  These North Star photos never get old!

Check out the color of the sky in this photo by Matteo of a Royal Caribbean ship sailing away from Allure of the Seas while in Cozumel.  Not sure what ship it is, but the pastel colors in the sky are beautiful.

This photo looks like it should be on a postcard.  It's by THorsten of Blue Lagoon Beach Break in the Bahamas from his Oasis of the Seas cruise.  Love it!

Our last photo this week is from Paul Jordan on Radiance of the Seas from the Champagne Bar, sailing from Newcastle to Hobart.  Sunset and a drink on a Royal Caribbean cruise is the definition of perfection!

I think this was a great collection of photos this week and of course we want to see your photos too!  Use this form to send us your best Royal Caribbean photos and we will feature them in an upcoming blog post!

A guest on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas is reporting the ship is experiencing propulsion problems that is forcing the ship to travel at a reduced speed.

As a result of the slower speed, the ship has chandelled a scheduled port stop in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and will instead head back home to Fort Lauderdale.

The report has not been confirmed by Royal Caribbean yet but the guest did indicate Royal Caribbean is issuing an onboard credit of $100 for inside staterooms and $200 for balcony staterooms for the inconvenience.

Liberty of the Seas is not the first Royal Caribbean ship to experience problems like this. In December 2014 Freedom of the Seas had propulsion problems; In March 2014 Adventure of the Seas had propulsion problems; and in November 2013 Allure of the Seas had propulsion problems.  In the case of all these problems, the propulsion system had to be repaired in port as part of a drydock.

Hat tip to Cruise Fever for alerting us to the story.