The weekend is almost here and that means it is once again time to show off our readers' Royal Caribbean cruise photos because, well, we think these photos are a great way to take a quick "virtual trip" back onboard.  Here we go!

I like this photo that Kyle from DC sent us because he titled it, "Now this is the life" and it was taken in St Maarten.  Couldn't agree more!

Next is a photo from Ken Slusser of his Behind the Scenes tour on Allure of the Seas, where he got to see 4000 lobster tails being prepared for dinner. Yum!

Michael Poole sent us this photo of Enchantment of the Seas that he took while on CocoCay.  Not a bad view!

I really like this photo by Richard Todd of Oasis of the Seas tied up next to the Carnival Glory while docked in Nassau.  Great perspective!

Here's a photo of the Royal Promenade on Navigator of the Seas by Jack.  I really love how it looks post-refurbishment!

Great photo of two Royal Caribbean ships docked together in Cozumel by Mary. One is Jewel of the Seas but nbot sure whuch is the other ship behind her.

Our last photo is from Woodrow Herron and he writes, "Wow, just got back from the Allure where we won the "Make a Wish" auction for the Chef's Table for lunch. Had an exceptional lunch served by Executive Chef Lorenzo Dearie paired with wonderful hand selected wines served by Sommelier Rudi Duvenage! Going back and doing it again!"

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!

Royal Caribbean has begun looking for a new standalone digital and social media agency to handle its UK operations.

Up until now, a group made up of JWT and Mindshare, based in New York, has handled Royal Caribbean’s $90 million global ad account since 2007.

The cruise line is using Creativebrief to run the process and contact potential agencies.

Royal Caribbean director of sales for the UK and Ireland, Ben Bouldin, told Travel Weekly at a recent trade event that the company has been "great for families" historicaly but the Quantum-class of cruise ships will give the line greater appeal across many markets.

“Royal Caribbean will redefine the cruise experience as we know it,” he said.

“You take our best ships today, Allure and Oasis, and Quantum will feel very different to that.”

Anthem of the Seas will be based out of Southampton, UK in 2015 after sister ship Quantum of the Seas debuts in November 2014 in the United States.

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

Episode 46 is available for downloading and this week we have an exclusive interview with Royal Caribbean's Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir.

Royal Caribbean is hard at work building and designing everything on Quantum of the Seas and we had the chance to speak with Nick Weir, who is in charge of entertainment for this new ship.

Matt asked Nick about the new shows we can expect onboard, insight into some of the decisions Royal Caribbean made and even a peek into what the future may hold.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 46. 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 has a new video showing how it's casting for the brand new shows set to debut on Quantum of the Seas in November 2014.  

Royal Caribbean is in the process of casting for two awe-inspiring shows, which will take place in its 1,300-seat Royal Theater as part of a diverse entertainment offering. The catch is that performers need to be able to participate in both MAMMA MIA!, the award-winning musical featuring all of ABBA’s classic pop hits and Sonic Odyssey, a fusion of experimental music, dance and aerial acrobatics.

Royal Caribbean signed an initial agreement with Taiwan International Ports Co. (TIPC) worth $33.3 million to build a cruise ship pier in outlying Penghu County to allow the company's cruise ships to dock there.

The deal is a joint venture, with Royal Caribbean having a 51 percent stake in the investment and state-owned Taiwan International Ports Corporation holding the remainder.

The new pier will be complete in 2016 and will allow for cruise ships as large as Oasis of the Seas to dock there.

The pier will be Royal Caribbean's first construction project in Asia.

TIPC says the new project will not only boost travel to Penghu but will also raise Taiwan's profile as a cruise destination, as it is likely to increase the number of tourists visiting the country's other ports such as Keelung, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien.

Penghu announced plans to build a cruise port back in February 

A new Royal Caribbean brochure was released showing the most in-depth look at the layout of Anthem of the Seas we have seen yet.

The cut-away image shows the insides of the Quantum-class cruise ship and gives guests a good indication of how this ship is laid out, especially venues that are new to this class.

Thanks to Lloyd for alerting us to this find!

Happy Friday! We've got a slew of great Royal Caribbean photos that our readers have sent in and each Friday we showcase them right here for all of you. Enjoy!

I can never have enough sunsets, so we will start off with this photo of a sunset in the Caribbean from Kyle.  Love it!

Ken Slusser sent us this photo of Enchantment of the Seas' pool deck from his June 2012 cruise.  Ken mentions they had great weather and really enjoyed the ship!

Here's a photo of Rhapsody of the Seas as she departs Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia by Wes Brown.  Wes took the photo from the Opera Bar, Sydney Opera House.

Mary sent us this photo from Maho Beach in St Marten of an airplane landing.  I loved visiting this little tourist trap because, well, it's just so cool to see the planes land like this.

Next is a photo from John Siegmund of aerial performers from Renaissance Aerial Spectacular on Vision of the Seas.  Awesome show!

Michael Poole sent us this photo of what he does when he firsts boards any Royal Caribbean ship.  He finds these little maps to find his away around. This is from his Oasis of the Seas cruises in 2013.

Did I mention I like sunset photos? Here's another one from Don Harlan from his Serenade of the Seas cruise.  This one was from the Mediterranean so we're expanding our collection of sunset pics.

Our last photo this week comes from Mike Jones and it was taken n Flam, Norway.  While on Independence of the Seas he snapped this photo with the ship and mountains (or are they fjords?) in the background.  Spectacular!

Be sure to send us your Royal Caribbean photos so we can feature them here too!  Use this form to send us your photos and we will include them in future posts.  Have a great weekend!

Royal Caribbean bartender Shekhar Grover was awarded best cruise line bartender by Diageo Reserve World Class Final event in Miami.  Shekhar impressed with his "incredible showmanship, inventive cocktail-making and unrivalled flair".

Shekhar, 27, competed against 5,500 bartenders from other cruise lines  He and fellow competitors were tested on different aspects of their craft, creativity and bartending knowledge.

The winning drink for Shekhar was the 'French Royale' featuring CÎROC Vodka.

Shekhar will now advance to the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year Global Final taking place July 28th in London, where he will compete against 50 of the world's best bartenders to be named bartender of the year.

Shekhar works on Oasis of the Seas and was quite happy to win the award, "I'm thrilled to win the WORLD CLASS Global Travel Final and I'm very excited to be going forward to represent cruise-line bartenders at one of the industry's most prestigious and respected mixology competitions. I've been inspired and challenged by many talented bartenders over the last few weeks and I'm really looking forward to using the skills and knowledge that I've developed through the program to wow the judges."

Recipe for Shekhar's signature serve: the 'French Royale'  

Ingredients  

• CÎROC Vodka
• Sauternes Dessert Wine
• Fresh Grapes
• Fresh Lime Juice
• Crème De Cassis

Recipe: 

1. Muddle fresh grapes in a Shaker Glass, add fresh lime juice and sugar syrup
2. Then add CÎROC Vodka and dessert wine. Add a splash of Crème de Cassis and cubed ice. Shake all the ingredients well and double strain in a chilled martini glass

Glassware: Martini glass

Garnish: Cassis infused skinned black grape (soak overnight)

Moment Factory is the company behind the brand new stage show "Starwater" that will debut on Quantum of the Seas later this year and Eric Fournier, partner and leading producer, was interviewed by La Presse about this new show.

Starwater is a 55-minute show and will feature 16 dancers, three singers and a cellist as well as that is able to capture the movement of spectators. One hundred people have been working on the project since last January.

Fournier had previously worked on the visual aspect of shows for Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Nine Inch Nails and more recently Miley Cyrus and Arcade Fire.  His company then wanted to work on something more their own.

Fournier recalled, "This project marks a new milestone for us. It is a little extension of what we did for the Festival of Lights in Lyon. Our ambition has always been to go beyond the visual surround. We think we can take our multimedia expertise and expand it."

The show will take place in the five hundred seat lounge, Two70, and multimedia projections across robotic panels will be displayed using what Moment Factory created.

A dozen "air capsules" on the themes of the sea or space will also be broadcast throughout the duration of the cruise in this theater. "These are vignettes, immersive environments under the sea, in the air and in space," says Eric Fournier.

"With its new generation of ships, Royal Caribbean wanted to push up the use of multimedia for its entertainment offerings, said the producer. We therefore relied on the media as the anchor around which other elements are added to a show. "