James Beard award-winning Chef and Royal Caribbean Quantum Experience Advisor Michael Schwartz is not only serving up good food but authentic local brews. Chef Schwartz travels to Alabama where his signature Michael Genuine Home Brew is crafted that will be served up onboard Quantum of the Seas.
There are less than 100 days until Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, debuts and every day we're counting down each day with something really fun on this brand new ship. Read our blog each day for a new post all about this amazing cruise ship.
When Royal Caribbean added a rock climbing wall to its cruise ships, people were amazed by what you could do on a cruise ship. Then Royal Caribbean added an ice skating rink, mini-golf course and a surf simulator and that changed everyone's minds on what's possible on a cruise ship. With Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is about to change those perceptions once again.
RipCord by iFly is a skydiving simulator that will be a first for cruise ships. Rather than descend from 10,000 feet in the sky, RipCord allows guests to get the sensation of skydiving without the incredible risk.
Set in a recirculating indoor vertical wind tunnel, guests can feel like they're falling from the heavens in a safe environment. You wear the gear and goggles as if you were jumping out of an airplane, so it's as authentic an experience as you can get without the airplane. Trained instructors are with you the whole time in a totally controlled environment.
Guests will be able to make reservations online prior to their cruise or onboard as well. The RipCord experience is complimentary and there's the option to purchase pictures or video of the fun too.
Before taking flight guests are required to register and participate in a training course where they are shown an overview video and taught correct flight position and hand signals from trained instructors. Guests are then outfitted in their flight gear, including a jumpsuit, goggles, and helmet. Once on the flight deck, each guest enjoys two, one-minute long flights with an instructor, consisting of one practice flight followed by a free-style flight.
RipCord is going to be one of those experiences that you tell your friends and family about when you get home because it's not too often you get to experience something like this.
RipCord operates daily and is included in your cruise fare.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
The Haitain government announced it has reached a deal with Royal Caribbean to raise the fee the cruise line pays the country for each cruise passenger that visits Labadee by $2. The additional revenue will fund social projects benefiting the local community.
Royal Caribbean operates a private resort on the peninsula that its cruise ships visit.
Haiti's Prime minister, Laurent Lamothe met with Royal Caribbean's COO, Adam Goldstein, and negotiated the new fee that will pay $12 US per visitor instead of the $10 US paid so far. The agreement will begin starting on March 15, 2015.
About 600,000 cruise passengers visited the Labadie site in 2013.
The Haitian Prime minister said he urged Royal Caribbean to also invite cruise passengers to visit a number of touristic sites in surrounding areas, such as the Sans Souci Palace, at Milot, and the Citadelle, a UNESCO world heritage Fortress built nearly two centuries ago, near Cap-Haitien.
Haitian authorities also announced a series of measures to increase security and set up or repair basic infrastructure in targeted areas to facilitate the excursion which will be offered to visitors.
Hat tip to Cruise Law News for alerting us to this story.
We're counting down to the 99 days until Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, launches with a brand new blog post every day. Be sure to check back for something new everyday here.
We posted last week the first batch of beautiful photos we could find that were quite lovely but we ran across a batch of photos that Jens Hagens posted and it was so darn beautiful we had to share these too. Can you really have too many beautiful Quantum of the Seas photos?
Special thanks JENS HAGENS PHOTOGRAPHY to for providing the photos.
All photos provided by JENS HAGENS PHOTOGRAPHY.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
Burgers are a staple of cruise food and Royal Caribbean offers a few different burgers across its fleet, but the question is which is the best?
Today we're going to compare the burgers Royal Caribbean serves up across its fleet to determine which one comes out on top!
Part of the appeal of the Windjammer is it serves up really good food, all day long. For lunch and dinner, their burger bar offers burgers that you can customize to your hearts content.
You can opt for the traditional lettuce, tomato and onion or you could bring your burger to a different station and enhance it beyond what the burger bar offers.
Photo by daschu27
The key to the burgers in the Windjammer is how fresh they are. Ideally you want to grab one that is fresh from the grill rather than one that's been sitting under the heat lamps for a while.
The heavy favorite for a good Royal Caribbean burger has to be Johnny Rockets. The land-based restaurant is known for its burgers so their sea-based operations are very similar.
Johnny Rockets relies on the basic premise that its burgers should remind you of classic Americana. Its menu features fresh, never frozen, made-to-order hamburgers, sides, shakes and desserts.
In addition, there's a number of different burgers to choose from, The Original, #12, Smoke House and Streamliner. Different kinds of burgers is always a big advantage.
The only thing going against Johnny Rockets is their inconsistencies on some ships. I've had excellent meals on one ship and not-so-great on another.
Photo by Franz Neumeier
On Oasis of the Seas, the Seafood Shack serves up, well, seafood but it offers two different kinds of burgers as well that are worth noting.
If you're in the mood for a quality burger, the Seafood Shack has the Bermuda Onion Hamburger and the Key West Fisherman Burger. The char-broiled Bermuda Onion offers fried onion rings which are a great addition. The Fisherman burger is a breaded catch of the day burger for those looking for a healthier alternative.
The Seafood Shack may be a good choice for when others want seafood but you want to grab a burger instead.
A few restaurants on Quantum-class will offer burgers and Jamie's Italian is one of them. The restaurant is the product of celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver, a famous chef from England.
Jamie Oliver has added The Jamie's Italian Burger to the menu, which is described as, "Prime British chuck & flank steak with smoked mozzarella, mortadella, balsamic onions, tomato, pickles & chillis, served on a charred bun".
The burger here promises to be of a higher quality beef combined with better garnishments.
Like Seafood Shack, a burger from Jamie's Italian could be the "dark hourse" choice for best Royal Caribbean burger given Jamie Oliver's reputation for good food.
Chef Devin Alexander is the star of NBC's The Biggest Loser and she's created a special menu for the Solarium Bistro.
Given her reputation she created a "healthy burger". Seriously. It's actually based on the Big Mac but with far less calories.
I sampled this burger at the recent Quantum of the Seas dining reveal event in New York and it tasted just like the fast food variety but was told it was healthier so I was sold.
So when you find yourself on Quantum of the Seas or Anthem of the Seas maybe this is the burger to try so you can avoid the post-burger regret.
Royal Caribbean is rolling out a brand new menu to its signature specialty restaurant, Chops Grille, and there is a burger available on their menu.
Chops Grille is offering a dry-aged steak burger on a broche bun with melted Gruyere cheese along with Pancetta. That does sound pretty darn good.
The thing to remember about Chops Grille is it's one of the most consistantly good restaurants in Royal Caribbean's fleet. I've lost count how many times I've eaten here and yet it is always a good choice.
Photo by blmiers2
On the aft of Oasis-class ships, you will find the Wipeout Cafe for quick bites to eat. The idea is to grab something in between spending time on the Sports Deck being active.
Wipeout Cafe offers burgers much like the Windjammer but with less of a crowd. In fact, I'm not sure I've even set foot here other than passing through but when you want a burger and don't want to hoof it somewhere else, this is the place for you.
If you happen to be sailing on Jewel of the Seas before it gets its refurbishment then run (don't walk) to the Seaview Cafe.
The Seaview Cafe is known for its quality, fresh made food for free. What makes the food at Seaview Cafe different is it's not mass produced in advance. When you order a burger, then the cook grabs a patty and starts to cook it.
Anyone that knows what makes good food will tell you freshly made food is always the best choice so it's not surprising to find the burgers (and all the food) here to be really good.
Once Jewel of the Seas gets her refurbishment, the Seaview Cafe will be replaced with a specialty restaurant but until then, check this one out!
Which Royal Caribbean burger has your vote for the crown? It's a tough choice so share your vote in the comments for this post and choose wisely!
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.
Royal Caribbean has a reputation for offering the very best in onboard activities, such as the rock climbing wall, ice skating, mini-golf and the FlowRider.
On Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is introducing SeaPlex, a multi-purpose sports facility that can transform during your cruise to offer a variety of activities.
The big activity here is bumper cars, a first for any cruise ship. The bumper car rides will last approximately 3 – 5 minutes and there will be up to 30 cars to choose from. Bumper cars will be offered throughout the day in SeaPlex. They are open to guests on a first come, first served basis.
But there's way more than that: ping pong, basketball, roller skating, dance parties and circus school are also being offered in SeaPlex.
Circus school will be another complimentary activity that features a flying trapeze (if you're brave enough to try it). Circus school also features Lyra hoops and juggling.
Since it's an indoor space, they can use it for a lot of purposes to keep the venue from getting stale. There's an opportunity to go to SeaPlex a different times of the day and engage in completely different activities.
At night, SeaPlex transforms yet again into a dance venue.
There's lots to do at SeaPlex but there's also food here too. An on-site food truck will offer a variety of treats. SeaPlex Dog House is first-ever food truck at sea serves up gourmet hot dogs for all to enjoy in the SeaPlex.
SeaPlex Dog House offers different hot dog and sausage combinations to match the kind of fare you'd find in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Austin, Portland, and San Francisco.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
In the past few days, Royal Caribbean released an updated Quantum of the Seas cutaway and also announced its art collection for the ship. Putting both together, we can now get a better idea of what to expect on the ship.
Blog reader Victor Sacal analyzed the new cutaway to look for what's new and the art work featured in the cutaway stood out.
In total, there are 10 art pieces you can now spot in the Quantum of the Seas cutaway.
The Via Corridor, and The Via Rotunda is the space between the Aft elevators and two70.
Hope you had a great week (maybe one week closer to your next Royal Caribbean cruise?) and you had a chance to keep up with what's new with Royal Caribbean this week. But if not, here's a roundup of this week's news.
The big news this week was all about Quantum of the Seas and her float out that took place a few days ago.
After a few days delay due to poor weather, Quantum finally made her way out of the Meyer Werft shipyard dry dock and is now one step closer to launching.
With Quantum of the Seas succesully floated out, the ship will begin functionality tests. Royal Caribbean also announced a countdown of less than 100 days until her official debut.
To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Quantum, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing. Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Quantum of the Seas so here's what you might have missed this week.
North StarStay tuned to Royal Caribbean Blog each day for a brand new post all about Quantum of the Seas untils he debuts (93 more days!).
The fifty-fourth episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're previewing a podcast listener's upcoming cruise on Allure of the Seas.
In this episode, Matt invites podcast listener Danielle Perry to discuss her family's first Royal Caribbean cruise and why she chose to cruise on Royal Caribbean as well as why they picked Allure of the Seas.
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 posted an article about what happens if there is a hurricane during your cruise.
CruiseInd has started up its Quantum of the Seas live blog that will track the new ship's progress.
Royal Caribbean explores Quantum of the Seas' art theme.
Travel Weekly posted a new service for cruise visitors to Bermuda that allows easier access to Horseshoe Bay.
Royal Caribbean has updated its Quantum of the Seas ship cutaway, which shows off many venues on the ship and gives a good indication of where everything is relative to ship.
Thanks to Victor Sacal for sending us a copy of this. Among other new things the giant magenta bear has been added so this cutaway is as up-to-date as we have.
The full cutout is 8 megabytes (!) in size so you can download it here if you wish to see it in all its glory.
There's less than 99 days until Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas debuts so we're counting down each day with a brand new blog post all about Quantum of the Seas. Read our blog each day for a new post all about this amazing cruise ship.
The suite category of staterooms has always been about splurging and with Quantum of the Seas, we get a brand new category of suite that is sure to impress anyone with a few extra dollars to spend.
The Royal Loft Suite is a two-deck high stateroom that offers panoramic views of the ocean. It's a one bedroom, two bathroom cabin that sleeps up to 6 on the aft of the ship.
The main level of the Royal Loft Suite has a living room and dining room with a dry bar and sofa that can also open up to a queen bed. There's also a full bath with shower.
Gong upstairs, you will find the master bedroom with two twin beds that convert to a Royal King. There's a master bath with a soaking tub, shower, two sinks, bidet and private balcony with dual whirlpool tub.
Of course, there's a large balcony with whirlpool and dining area so you never have to go back inside.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
