This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 62 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.

This week, Matt looks at the top 5 Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants.  There's over 20 specialty restaurants to choose from these days and Matt has considered each one to find the top 5 specialty restaurants he enjoys the most.

There's also lots of reader emails and voicemails to share this week about everything Royal Caribbean.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 62. 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!

Rebel Ink magazine has announced a tattoo-themed cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas.

The magazine for all things tattoos is inviting fans of the art to join them on April 16, 2015 for a four-night cruise out of Fort Lauderale with special events just for those who join in.

The "Ink or Swim Tattoo cruise" will feature special events such as

•  Flash art tattoo Fridays
• Tattoo pin up contest
• Tattoo competitions

Also attending the cruise witll be celebrity tattoo artists such as Tatu Baby, Amy Nicoletto, Chris Torres, Sarah Miller,Mark Longnecker and more.

More information is online at the Ink or Swim website.

With Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, launching very soon, we're counting down each day with a brand new blog post all about this amazing cruise ship.

North Star installation photos

We discussed North Star all the way back on day 99 of our blog series, as it was our first post all about this innovative new feature on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas.

Just the other day, Meyer Werft installed the North Star feature onto the ship and Ingrid Fiebak took some really great photos of North Star being installed.  She was kind enough to share the photos with us so big thank you to Ingrid!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!

Fully equipped at its full height of 18 decks, the individual mega-blocks of Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas are floated into the massive building hall to be connected to construct the smartest ship in the world.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas debuts in less than 100 days so we're counting down all the great things about Quantum of the Seas. Each day we will post something about Quantum of the Seas to share with you.

What don't we know (yet) about Quantum of the Seas

Royal Caribbean has revealed quite a lot of what will be waiting for us on its newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, but there are still some aspects of the ship we don't know everything about quite yet.

Royal Promenade or not

All the Royal Caribbean ships since Voyager class have featured a Royal Promenade, which is a large strip of shops, restaurants and entertainment that create a hub of activity onboard the ship.  

We've assumed there will be a Royal Promenade onboard but that hasn't been confirmed yet.  In fact, there are rumors out there that instead of a Royal Promenade, there will be a Royal Esplanade.  In fact, the Dreamworks Experience part of the Royal Caribbean web site says, "Your favorite DreamWorks characters are coming to the Royal Esplanade onboard Quantum of the Seas."

It sounds like one way or another we're going to have an indoor area of the ship that offers a number of shops, restaurants and lounges but it may be different than we've experienced before.

Bars and lounges

Speaking of bars, Royal Caribbean has not revealed all the bars and lounges that will be onboard Quantum of the Seas.  

Will some of our favorites be returning, such as Boleros, R-Bar or the Schooner Bar?  Or will there be new experiences?  

Of course, we do know Bionic Bar is coming but there's plenty more places to enjoy a cocktail onboard.

Onboard shopping

Like the bars and lounges, which shops guests will be able to peruse online remains a mystery.

A recent presentation in Miami featured a look at what is likely to be some of the shops available onboard, including Hublot, Cartier, Kiehl's, and Michael Kors.

More surprises?

Royal Caribbean has promised the most WOW of any ship with Quantum of the Seas so there's still potential that we may see more surprises and announcements yet to come.

What questions are you still wondering about when it comes to this amazing ship?  

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!

One of the rumors going around is Royal Caribbean will have a Royal Esplanade instead of a Royal Promenade.  

Regardless of what they call it, we've run across photos of this area onboard the ship that is under construction and it gives us a look at what we can expect.

Many thanks to Lloyd for alerting us to these photos in the first places. Enjoy!

To countdown the launch of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, we're blogging about one aspect of the ship each day for 99 days. Check back each day for something exciting to read about this new ship.

Royal iQ

Yesterday we highlighted Royal Caribbean's new pre-cruise planner revamp that was all about planning your perfect cruise aboard Quantum of the Seas but today we're going to look at another bit of technology created for use during your cruise.

Royal Caribbean created a new onboard smart app called Royal iQ, which is dubbed as a "personal vacation amanagement app".

What does that mean?  This app for your smartphone or tablet will allow you to keep track of what's going on during your cruise as well as remind you about excursions and other reservations you have made earlier.

Royal iQ allows guests to manage details during the cruise, includes a convenient calendar that provides at-a-glance views of the cruise or conference program. They'll also be able to keep in touch with one another and home via phone and text capabilities.

You can also find a daily schedule of events inside Royal iQ, along with maps of the ship.

Royal iQ will also allow you to track your luggage with new RFID tags.  Once you drop off your luggage at the pier, Royal iQ will allow you to track your luggage as it moves from sidewalk to ship to stateroom.  This will allow you to not have to keep going back to your stateroom to see if your bags have arrived yet.

Royal iQ will be available for iPads, iPhones and Android phones before October 31st.  Guests booked on Quantum of the Seas will receive an email when the app is ready for download.  

If you prefer not to carry a phone or tablet with you, Quantum of the Seas will offer eight freestanding iQ stations at Guest Services that give you the same functionality as the mobile apps.  You will also find roaming Guest Services staff to assist as well.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!

We're counting down the days until Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship debuts, Quantum of the Seas, with our 99 days of Quantum countdown. Each day we will post something about this amazing new ship.

Cruise Planner

Royal Caribbean has updated its Cruise Planner part of its website to make a simple and powerful means of preparing for your cruise.

Cruise Planner allows you to research and book reservations for Quantum of the Seas Dynamic Dining offerings, shore excursions, spa appointments and more, courtesy of its new and easy‑to‑use website.

The new Cruise Planner starts out with My Calendar, which automatically populates itself with reservations you make. Each day of your trip is listed and broken down by location, date, arrival and departure times and what has been reserved by guests. It's a snapshot view of what your vacation looks like, reserved in advance the way you want it.

Cruise Planner has also simplified other aspects fo the cruise planning, including dining reservations, shore excursions and spa treatments.  Royal Caribbean aimed to make reserving these options simple and quick.

Cruise Planner is accessible on your tablet or computer after you've booked your cruise.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!

Royal Caribbean vice president John Tercek met with Vietnamese officials in early September to ask permission to keep the casinos, souvenir shops and other services open after the cruise ships dock at Vietnamese ports.

Royal Caribbean is planning to increase its business in Vietnamese ports.  They are aiming to bring 25,000 cruisers a year with bigger cruise ships visiting Chan May Port in Thua Thien – Hue province.

After cruise ships dock at Vietnamese ports, many passengers opt to stay on the ship and the cruise line would like to offer more entertainment onboard.

The reason for the ban is a result of government conerns regarding smuggling.

To countdown the launch of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, we're blogging about one aspect of the ship each day for 99 days. Check back each day for something exciting to read about this new ship.

Gatsby

For nighttime entertainenment, how about a party that is a throwback to the roaring 1920s, when decadence was king?  Royal Caribbean has created a completely new party it's calling Gatsby.

Gatsby takes place in Two70 and will see the room transformed into a celebration that will make you feel like you're a character in the famous novel.  

You will find specialty cocktails that were inspired by the era as well as a live DJ to play the right blend of music.

Royal Caribbean will encourage guests to dress up to add to the feeling that they stepped out of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.  Dressing up is optional but if you elect do so, you will feel like you're really part of the fun.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!