Happy Friday everyone! We have another great assortment of Royal Caribbean photos our readers have sent in to us to share with all of you.  This is always so much fun to do so thank you to everyone who makes this weekly post possible!

Our first photo is from Ken Sussler in Labdee while on his Independence of the Seas sailing in March.  I think Ken has inspired me for a photo opportunity on the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise!

Connor De La Pena sent in this photo and he didn't indicate what ship this is from but since all of his other photos he has sent in were from Oasis of the Seas, I'll guess it's also from Oasis of the Seas.

I am a sucker for sunset photos and lens flares photos so this Liberty of the Seas photo from Laura Metzler is my favorite photo ever. 

Eilika Trummar sent in this photo of the suite balconies on Allure of the Seas and I think it's a great example of composition and with the sunset in the background, you know it has my approval.

John McCormack sent in this photo of Legend of the Seas and two other ships vie for berthing space in St. Kitts. February, 2014.

Hunt sent in this photo of himself, his sister and her husband and Hunt's  dear friend Jeffrey, Arrrrrg!

We want to include your Royal Caribbean photos too! Send them in with this form and we will include it in an upcoming Friday Photos post!

Royal Caribbean announced Chef Michael Schwartz is the Quantum Experience Advisor for Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas and here is his first webisode describing his role in picking the food and dining experiences onboard.

Royal Caribbean will send Explorer of the Seas to Australia for the 2015-2016 cruise season to compliment sister ship Voyager of the Seas.

Explorer of the Seas will replace Rhapsody of the Seas, which has been a fixture in Australia since 2007.

Explorer of the Seas, a Voyager class cruise ship, was previously announced to be going to Europe for April through September 2015 and will begin offering cruises in Australia starting in November 2015.

Royal Caribbean made the announcement in an email sent to members of its Crown & Anchor loyalty program.

Radiance of the Seas will also return to the region again for the 2015-16 season, the newsletter reveals.

For Rhapsody of the Seas, 2014/2015 will be its last season down under.

Royal Caribbean’s Australasian itineraries for 2015/16 will go on sale at the end of the month.

Royal Caribbean announced today award-winning Chef Michael Schwartz is the newest Quantum Experience Advisor for culinary.  

Schwartz will influence food and beverage experiences on the Quantum-class cruise ships Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.Michael’s new role comes in addition to the latest announcement of the introduction of Michael’s Genuine Pub on Quantum-class ships, the first American gastropubs at sea, announced last week at Royal Caribbean’s culinary reveal in New York City.

Schwartz joins two other celebrity Quantum Experience Advisors athlete and adventurer Dhani Jones, Quantum Experience Advisor for Sports and Fitness and HGTV-star Genevieve Gorder, Quantum Experience Advisor for Design.

Schwartz has created the brand new Michael’s Genuine Pub, and will develope new twists to the Chef’s Table, food and beverage pairings, and programming for guests onboard. Michael is further building on his work with Royal Caribbean, having designed seasonal tasting menus for the cruise line’s Oasis-class fine dining restaurant, 150 Central Park, as well as helped select and integrate fresh, high quality ingredients into 150 Central Park’s supply chain.

 “I’m very pleased to be named a Quantum Experience Advisor and become even more engaged with the Quantum Class,” said Michael. “With the new Michael’s Genuine Pub and other Dynamic Dining options onboard Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, there are plenty of opportunities to showcase how good food and good drink can help enhance a Royal Caribbean Quantum-class vacation.”

Ever since Royal Caribbean announced the advent of Dynamic Dining that will be coming to its newest class of cruise ships, the Quantum-class, fans everywhere have been talking about it.  Dynamic Dining promises to be the next evolution in how we have dinner on a cruise ship.

Understandably, there's a lot of intrigue regarding this new kind of dining experience and people want to know what it is exactly and what to expect. We don't know everything quite yet, but here's a listing of all the information on Dynamic Dining that we do know in one place.

What exactly is Dynamic Dining?

The core concept of Dynamic Dining is Royal Caribbean is removing the main dining room completely and instead offering a number of complimentary and specialty (cost extra) restaurants for guests to choose from.

Passengers can book specific times for any of these restaurants in advance, prior to their cruise or opt to book reservations onboard the ship.

Which ships will Dynamic Dining be offered on?

Dynamic Dining will be available on Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and the yet-to-be-named third Quantum-class cruise ship.

Will Dynamic Dining be added to other Royal Caribbean ships?

At this time, Royal Caribbean has no plans to expand Dynamic Dining beyond the Quantum class. 

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein said explicitly they have no plans to add Dynamic Dining to other ships but if Dynamic Dining does well perhaps in many years down the line they could look at expanding Dynamic Dining to other ships.

What restaurants are being added to replace the main dining room?

The new complimentary restaurants include

• American Icon Grill, a take on the classic American road trip, pulling together best-loved regional favorites into one comfort-style menu
• Chic, where the height of contemporary cuisine is realized and the freshest ingredients, such as proteins that pack a punch and sauces made from scratch, are evolved for a modern palate
• Silk, a vibrant and exotic destination where the spices of the Far East bring new flavor to adventurous palates through a Pan-Asian menu
• The Grande, a luxuriant nod to a bygone era of classic European ocean liners when dining was a time honored ritual, featuring timeless dishes, and where every night is formal night.
• Coastal Kitchen, a concept created exclusively for suite guests, fusing Mediterranean influences with the unmatched riches of California’s bountiful farmlands.

The new specialty restaurants include

• Wonderland, an elaborate feast for the senses in a setting where Royal Caribbean chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes to invent a dreamscape of never-before-seen fare
• Jamie’s Italian, featuring rustic Italian favorites, handmade - using seasonal ingredients and Jamie’s tried-and-tested crowd pleasers
• Michael’s Genuine Pub, the first American gastropub at sea and the next evolution of Royal Caribbean’s relationship with James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, offering simply-prepared food and drinks made with quality ingredients from the best artisanal producers
• Devinly Decadence at Solarium Bistro, Royal Caribbean’s fittest dining destination, serving the foods you love all under five-hundred calories, designed by Devin Alexander, media personality, New York Times bestselling author and chef of highly-rated television show, “The Biggest Loser”.

​There will also be other specialty restaurants offered that aren't new to Royal Caribbean, such as Izumi, Johnny Rockets, Chops Grill and the Chef's Table.

The Windjammer is being re-designed (and kept open 24 hours per day).  Royal Caribbean is also adding a food truck, the SeaPlex Dog House.

SEE OUR DYNAMIC DINING RESTAURANT PHOTO GALLERY

​When can I start making reservations for Dynamic Dining?

Royal Caribbean will open up their brand new booking system for Dynamic Dining on May 15.  

There will be a new app to help guests make reservations and manage reservations both prior to their cruise and during it.

How will gratuities be handled with Dynamic Dining?

Gratuities will be the same as they are now.  Royal Caribbean charges an automatic gratuity to each passenger for each day of their cruise and gratuities are then given to the crew automatically.

Passengers can always stop at guest relations on their cruise and have automatic gratuities removed in favor of a different amount.

What if I want to dine with a large group?

Royal Caribbean says Dynamic Dining can accommodate groups up to 16 people.  Reservations will be able to be linked together and while your large group may not be able to sit at the same table, the staff will do their best to seat you at tables near each other.

Royal Caribbean today announced its 2015-16 Southern Caribbean itineraries, with ships departing Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, Miami and San Juan.

Adventure of the Seas will offer seven-night Southern Caribbean cruises out of San Juan, Puerto Rico from May through October 2015.  This will be Adventure of the Seas' first summer program from San Juan since 2009, and shifts from Sunday to regular Saturday departures.

Adventure of the Seas will offer three itineraries, one calling at St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados, while the second replaces St. Kitts with St. Croix. A third itinerary calls at St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba and Curacao. A one-time, six-night itinerary sailing on May 3 will call at Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and St. Maarten. Adventure of the Seas will then alternate two Southern Caribbean itineraries from Nov. 2015 through Apr. 2016. One seven-night, roundtrip sailing will call at St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Dominica, and Barbados, while the second include calls at St. Thomas, St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia and Grenada. 

Jewel of the Seas will also offer Southern Caribbean cruises out of San Juan in winter 2015-2016 and alternate two Southern Caribbean itineraries. Each seven-night, roundtrip sailing every Sunday will call at St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba and Curacao, or at Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Croix. Jewel of the Seas features a dining and entertainment nightspot on deck 6, where guests can take in a delicious dinner in Royal Caribbean’s signature Chops Grille steakhouse or Portofino Italian Ristorante, followed by a round of billiards in the Safari Club’s self-leveling pool tables, live music and entertainment in the Serengeti Card Club or the Zanzibar Lounge, and a nightcap in the Congo Bar. 

Independence of the Seas will sail out of Port Everglades, Florida and offer four- and five-night short Western Caribbean itineraries. The four-night itinerary calls at Cozumel, Mexico, while two five-night itineraries are also available, one that calls at Cozumel and Belize City, Belize, or the other at Falmouth, Jamaica, and Labadee.

Enchantment of the Seas will continue offering year-round cruises out of Port Canaveral to the Bahamas.Enchantment of the Seas will alternate a three- and four-night Bahamas itinerary. Guests will call at Nassau, The Bahamas, and spend a day at CocoCay.

Majesty of the Seas also will sail three- and four-night Bahamas cruises, year-round and roundtrip from Miami. The three-night itinerary will call at Nassau and CocoCay, while the four-night itinerary also includes a call at Key West, Fla. 

This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 35 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.

This week, Matt discusses how to choose a Royal Caribbean cruise when comparing the multitude of cruise options available.  Matt looks at how to decide between various cruise options and offer a methodical approach to whittling down cruise choices until you decide on the perfect one for you.

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

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 35. 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!

Royal Caribbean has been named the Best Cruise (India) of Readers Choice Awards 2013 by Travel + Leisure India & South Asia.

Royal Caribbean was the first runner up in last year's awards but this year they came out on top.

The readers’ poll was conducted over five months from August to December 2013, on the best hotels, resorts, spas, destinations, airlines, cruise lines and travel companies in India.

Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing that is Royal Caribbean’s India International Representative, received the award at the ceremony tonight. She said, “We thank Travel + Leisure readers as well as our customers and travel agents for their recognition and strong support. This prestigious travel award is testimony to Royal Caribbean’s growing brand presence and reputation in India, which has been boosted by the deployment of Asia’s largest Voyager Class ships to the region and the fleetwide revitalisation in the recent years. We aim to continue bringing the best of our innovative products such as the new upcoming Quantum Class ships and our high service standards to more travellers in India, so that in the long run, Royal Caribbean will become a top vacation choice in India.”

Royal Caribbean announced as part of its Dynamic Dining options it will offer "food trucks" on its brand new Quantum of the Seas and today we have our first look at what this will look like.

The SeaPlex Dog House is a hot dog "food truck" that will be based in the SeaPlex part of the new ship.  BusinessWeek posted a small write up on the new restaurant as well as the first look we've seen of what this food truck will look like.

The SeaPlex Dog House is the "evolution" of the Dog House cart first deployed on Allure of the Seas.  This new location has a truck facade and will offer hot dogs, bratwurst, and sausages.

The SeaPlex Dog House will be available on the Quantum-class cruise ships Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and the third yet-to-be-named Quantum-class ship.

Royal Caribbean gave guests a hint at some of the changes we can expect to find once Explorer of the Seas receives her ship-wide refurbishment next year.

Royal Caribbean confirmed that Explorer of the Seas will receive new virtual balcony staterooms along with a 3-D movie theater.

A full list of changes and additions is still forthcoming but we know for a fact the ship will get these two improvements along with a FlowRider.

The virtual balcony addition is not surprising since sister ship Navigator of the Seas had virtual balconies added to her earlier this year.

Scheduled for February 2015, Explorer of the Seas will be the fourth Voyager class cruise ship in the fleet to get a revitalization.  Royal Caribbean also promised new specialty restaurants and based on other ships' revitalizations, other ship facilities are likely to get upgraded as well.