The tests are in and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed that Norovirus was indeed the culprit in over 600 cruise passengers getting sick on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas last month.

The CDC says the particular strain of Norovirus was identified as the GII.4 Sydney strain, which is named after originating in Australia.

Furthermore, the CDC confirmed today that it is the most common norovirus of about 20 different types in the country right now.  In fact, it affects many more people on land than on cruise ships.

In fact, according to the CDC, over 21 million people are infected with Norovirus each year with less than 1 percent of out breaks occuring on cruise ships.

The GII.4 Sydney strain was identified in 2012 in Sydney, Australia.

Jan Vinje, the head virologist who tested the Royal Caribbean germ samples in the CDC’s lab, said Americans should not postpone cruises because of this new norovirus strain. “When we did the math last time, and looked at the total number of voyages annually, maybe less than half a percent had outbreaks. They are perfectly safe.”

If it's Friday, that means it is time to share some more awesome photos our readers have sent in of their Royal Caribbean cruise vacations!  As always, we want your photos too, so send us your best Royal Caribbean photos so we can share it with the world.

Our first photo this week is from Neil Davies and it's of Liberty of the Seas and Vision of the Seas in St. Maarten.  Quite a difference in size!

Next is this photo from Glenn Wildenmann taken aboard Independence of the Seas in December 2012.  The ship you're seeing is actually a Celebrity ship.  Glenn notes that him, his wife and four daughters are scheduled to sail December 2014 on Allure of the Seas.  Have a great time Glenn!

This photo is from johnpaulla and he writes, "10,000 lbs…that's what the weight on the ground said…not of my wife after a week of feasting on the Mariner of the Seas over the New Year cruise, but of the helicopter allowed on the pad."

Ken sent us this photo of his "shrine for his passion". The 3 pictures on the wall are of the Mariner of the sea from right to left Anchored in Cabo San Lucas docked in Cozumel and docked in Puerto Vallarta.  Great idea Ken!

Here's a photo of the Royal Promenade on Liberty of the Seas, sent to us by Capt. John.  Looks like there's a table waiting for me at the pub!

Our last photo is from Kayla when she was watching the famous cliff divers in Acapulco, Mexico.  Beautiful (and scary)!

Thank you to everyone who sent in their photos this week. Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your photos so we can post them next week by using this form.

Royal Caribbean is one of the investors in a 246-hectare Melaka Gateway project that aims to build a brand new cruise terminal, theme park, seven-star hotel and the Malaysia Eye in Malacca, Malaysia..

TTG Asia reports the mega project will be comprised of one natural and two man-made islands with an estimated gross development value of $12 billion (US).

Royal Caribbean is investing in the plan that was created by KAJ Development.  

Royal Caribbean V.P., Commercial and New Business Development, John Tercek, believes the new cruise termincal can, "grow and boost tremendously the cruise market for Melaka and the region in the years to come."

The project is slated to be completed by 2025 and is expected to increase the port's importance.  The new Melaka International Cruise Terminal and Ferry Terminal will be able to accomodate up to three cruise ships, a world-class maintenance and repair facility for mega yachts and the region’s largest marina with up to 1,000 berths.

The Gateway Beacon Tower, a 288m tower with over 80 storeys, will be home to a seven-star hotel and premium condominiums. Marina villas with individual berths right at the resident’s doorstep will also be available.

From rock-walls to sushi-making to towel origami, the competition is fierce for world-class athletes who boarded Royal Caribbean to compete in the Caribbean Cup Challenge. The tests are sometimes physical, sometimes mental, sometimes creative, but always full of fun.

Royal Caribbean announced that John F. Brock, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, has been appointed to the cruise line's board of directors.  The move is effective immediately.

Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain commented on Brock's arrival, "John's demonstrated leadership skills and his broad and impressive executive experience in the international beverage industry will help us to deliver long term value for shareholders. We warmly welcome him to the board."

Brock has been the chairman of Coca-Cola Enterprises since 2008 and CEO since 2006. Mr. Brock also has significant Board experience, having previously served on the boards of Dow Jones & Company, Campbell's Soup Company, InBev, Cadbury Schweppes, and Reed Elsevier.

Prior to working at Coca-Cola, Brock served as CEO of InBev, S.A., a global brewer, from 2003 to 2005 and as COO of Cadbury Schweppes plc, from 1999 to 2002. 

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Gary is onboard the first sailing of Navigator of the Seas after her month-long refurbishment and is sending us photos of what's new on the ship.

We will update this post regularly today with new photos showcasing some of the changes coming to the ship.

Around Navigator of the Seas

Renamed Star Lounge

Solera store on the Royal Promenade

New R Bar

FlowRider & Pool Area

Pool area with large LCD screen

Newly moved mini golf course

FlowRider entrance

The FlowRider

Junior Suite

Photo of Gary's junior suite stateroom. Notice the new flat screen LCD television.

Sabor Modern Mexican

Entrance to Sabor Modern Mexican specialty restaurant

A look inside Sabor

Larger dining room inside Sabor

Gary's Observations

• Plush new carpet in most of the common corridors and stairs. Very nice.
• New furniture in the lounges(or at least recovered) and bars.
• Flooring around pool decks either have been power washed or replaced. Again very nice.
• The golf area is completely new. Flow rider is a big hit.

Thank you to Gary for taking the time to send us these photos and be sure to check this post regularly for more photos.

Quantum of the Seas adviser Dhani Jones has a new video out today that shows him exploring activities to bring aboard Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas.

Hey everyone! Episode 27 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

This week, we're sharing the details about our cruise on Navigator of the Seas to the Western Caribbean that begins this weekend.  Let's look at why we picked this cruise, the cool things to do on Navigator of the Seas and our plans for each port of call.  

Be sure to also check out our pre-cruise summary of what our plans are for the cruise and for how you can read our live blog each day from the cruise.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 27. 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 is sending the largest cruise ship in the world, Allure of the Seas to Barcelona, Spain in summer 2015 to offer Mediterranean cruises.

Sailing from Barcelona, while also offering embarkation in Rome, Allure of the Sea’s seven night itinerary will feature calls in Palma de Mallorca, Marseilles, La Spezia (Florence and Pisa), Civitavecchia (Rome), and Naples.

Allure of the Seas will arrive in Barcelona in May 24, 2015 and offer cruises until October 2015.

The Mediterranean cruises will go on sale to Crown and Anchor Society members Febryary 12, 2014 and then go on sale to the general public on February 18.

Moving Allure of the Seas to Spain makes sense considering Royal Caribbean is bringing three new large cruise ships online over the next three years, with many (if not all) of them coming to the United States.

Royal Caribbean finished refurbishing work on Navigator of the Seas, which will begin offering service from Galveston, Texas tomorrow.

The refurbishment work on Navigator of the Seas is part of Royal Caribbean's fleet wide effort to revitalize all of its cruise ships with features and ammenities first seen on Oasis-class. Unique to Navigator of the Seas, work has been done to give guests a preview of new features on Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean touts this list of changes that have come to the cruise ship

• FlowRider surf simulator
• 81 virtual balcony inside staterooms
• New panoramic ocean view staterooms
• New specialty restaurants
  • Sabor Modern Mexican
  • Chops Grille (revamped)
  • Izumi Japanese Cuisine
  • Giovanni's Table
• Renamed the main dining room to Sapphire
• New digital signage
• Bow-to-stern Wi-Fi service
• New flat-panel televisions in every stateroom
• An oversized LCD movie screen overlooking the main pool
• New Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty member guests
• Royal Babies and Tots Nursery added.
• Champagne Bar has been re-conceptualized into Royal Caribbean’s signature, retro-chic R Bar