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.

Let's get right into this week's batch of photos!

First up is a photo of muster drill from Don Donahue.  Muster drill is something we all have to do, but once it's over, your cruise vacation really begins!

Next is a night shot of Explorer of the Seas while docked in Kings Wharf Bermuda, June 2010 from Shawn Holmes.  Bermuda is one of those ports where Royal Caribbean stays overnight and it's a great sight to see Explorer of the Seas all lit up.

Christopher Pescatore sent us this photo of Adventure of the Seas on the December 2nd sailing in 2012 in St. Croix.  The cloud above the ship is a little odd but otherwise, looks like paradise!

Kris sent in this photo of Freedom of the Seas from February 2013 and I have to admit I'm a little bias towards this photo since Kris and I were on the same cruise.  Ah, memories!

Next is a great view of Alesund, Norway and Independence of Seas in May 2013 by Chris Davis.  I love photos like this that show off the port along with the Royal Caribbean ship!

Judy sent in this photo and described it as, "My favorite way to pass time on board!!".  Can't say I can fault her!  It's hard beating a frozen concoction on the pool deck.

David Domanski sent us this photo of Explorer of the Seas in the western Caribbean, which was also his first cruise on Royal Caribbean.  When you go on an amazing ship like Explorer of the Seas and go to places with water color like that, it's easy to become Loyal to Royal!

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 announced today its summer 2014 season for Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, continuing sailings from Shanghai (Baoshan), Beijing (Tianjin), Hong Kong, and Singapore.  The two ships will offer cruises to South Korea, Japan or Taiwan.

From March 2014 through November 2014, Mariner of the Seas will offer roundtrip cruises out of Shanghai (Baoshan) on three- to six-night itineraries that call at Seoul (Incheon), Busan, Jeju Island, or Yeosu (Gangyang). The ship’s summer season will conclude with an eight-night sailing from Shanghai (Baoshan) to Singapore, departing Nov. 4, 2014, with ports of call at Xiamen and Hong Kong, China, and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam.

The summer 2014 season for Voyager of the Seas will begin with a 10-night itinerary departing Singapore on April 10 to Tokyo, Japan, with calls at Hong Kong, Kaohsiung and Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan, and Nagasaki, Japan. Voyager will then sail a six-night South Korea and Nagoya (Japan) itinerary, roundtrip from Tokyo on April 20, followed by two Japan cruises, a four-night itinerary from Tokyo to Taipei (Keelung) departing May 5, and a seven-night roundtrip itinerary from Taipei (Keelung) departing May 9.

From June through September 2014, Voyager of the Seas will sail four- to six-night Korea itineraries roundtrip from Beijing (Tianjin), and call at Seoul (Incheon), Yeosu (Gangyang), Busan, and Jeju Island, South Korea. The ship will then sail a seven-night Japan and Korea cruise from Beijing (Tianjin) to Hong Kong on Sept. 10, followed by four-, five- and seven-night Japan and Taiwan cruises roundtrip from Hong Kong throughout Sept. and early Oct. 2014.

Lisa Bauer, Royal Caribbean executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, commented on the announcement, "We are delighted to offer Asia vacations that cannot be found anywhere except on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.  Guests of all ages will enjoy the DreamWorks Experience, a wide range of signature Royal Caribbean onboard amenities, and our award-winning entertainment and family programming. Throughout, every member of the staff and crew will deliver our world-renowned friendly and engaging GOLD Anchor Service on an unforgettable Asia vacation."

Royal Caribbean has joined several other cruise lines in banning smoking on its stateroom balconies as part of a new policy that begins on January 1, 2014.

First reported by Cruise Currents, Royal Caribbean has updated its Smoking Policy on its website specifically banning smoking on balconies, which is in addition to a pre-existing ban on smoking inside a stateroom.  

Smoking is not permitted inside any stateroom and any stateroom balcony. This applies to all stateroom categories onboard. If a guest is in violation of this stateroom policy, a cleaning fee of $250 USD will be applied to their SeaPass® account and may be subject to further action pursuant to the "Consequences Section" of the Guest Conduct Policy.

Anyone caught smoking on their balcony or in their stateroom will be subject to a $250 fee.

There will remain a few designated areas to smoke onboard, which are inside the Casino Royale, outdoor areas of the starboard side of all ships; with the exception of Oasis-class ships that will allow smoking on the port side of the ships.

In the last few weeks, Disney Cruise Line, Cunard & P&O cruise lines all banned smoking on balconies and it seems like Royal Caribbean has joined in the new trend.

Perhaps one of the more underrated shows on any Royal Caribbean cruise is the ice skating shows that are performed on the Freedom, Voyager and Oasis class ships.  Ice skating shows don't usually grab people's attentions but the Freedom-ice.com show on Freedom of the Seas is exciting and very entertaining.

The Show

Freedom-ice.com takes place in Studios B and is a mash up of different eras of music set to interpretive ice skating dance.  I know that may not sound like the most riveting thing you could do on your cruise but it is a lot more interesting than you may think.

The cast of performers is an international assortment of ice skaters who have had various degrees of experience performing both on stage and in professional and amateur ice skating competitions.  Depending on which cruise you happen to be on, there will be one or two special guest stars who seem to have more experience than the rest of the cast and perform some of the more demanding tricks.

During each scene, the skaters come out in costumes set to match the music being played and dance along to the tunes.  Some bits will feature one or two performers while others feature nearly the entire cast.  It's the solo and duet acts that really shine because it gives those performing an opportunity to really show the audience their skills as ice skaters.  Often we will see double and triple axles, flips and other difficult tricks.  Not to be out done, the full cast sets astound for having so many people in such a small rink.

In terms of production value, Freedom-ice.com is really impressive with great choreography, beautiful costumes and elaborate sets.  It's astounding to see how many costume changes the cast does in just one show. In terms of the shows that are available to see on Freedom of the Seas, it's arguably the best.

Comments

As someone that wondered how good an ice skating show can be, I was pretty darn impressed by what I saw.  What is really impressive about the show is the presentation of acrobatics, skating and costumes all while on a moving ship.  

Because the ship is moving, it's even more amazing how few falls there are during the performance.  There are times when I would be hard pressed to walk straight because of ship movement but these professionals manage to hit their marks.  While there is a fall here and there, it's rare to witness more than 1 or 2 per show. 

By far the audience relishes the difficult moves, such as the various spins and flips.  I won't pretend to know more than a triple axle is among the most difficult moves, but when it's done properly, it's an amazing sight.  

If you want to see Freedom-ice.com on your cruise, I highly recommend booking your tickets in advance.  Tickets are free but the line for the shows can get very long and quite often Studio B will fill to capacity.  Your best bet is to reserve tickets online before your cruise and be certain to arrive early.  

Freedom-ice.com is available on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.  There is no cost to see Freedom-ice.com

In accordance with FTC guidelines, please note that my cruise and food were provided by Royal Caribbean International, of which this Freedom-Ice.com show was a part.  However, my opinions and reviews are my own.

Royal Caribbean has decided to split up its three cruise line operations in the United Kingdom and create individual businesses for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.  The decision comes after concluding the three companies have grown to a size that warrants “increased focus and investment”.

Effective January 1, 2014, current associate vice president & general manager Jo Rzmowska will become the managing director for Celebrity Cruises. Top positions for managing directors of Royal Caribbean and Azamara is underway both internally and externally.

Each individual managing director will also get his or her own commercial, marketing and sales teams, as well as separate agent trainers and trade marketing budgets.

Dominic Paul, who remains as vice president and managing director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the proposed restructure was an important milestone in the history of the global RCL Cruises Ltd business:

“The only other market that we have this kind of focus is North America. This is the first time we have given any other market such attention. We have seen that when a market gets to a certain size of importance, this is the structure that works best to grow.

“The UK is the second-largest market globally and this move is a recognition of the growth achieved so far and to best position each cruise line for future development and growth.”

Hey everyone! Episode 5 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

This week, we're looking at everything Freedom of the Seas, including what makes this ship appealing, our favorite things to do onboard and our not-to-be-missed parts of the ship.

Joining us on this week's show is our good friend Mike Rahlmann, who is as big a fan of Freedom of the Seas as me and shares his experiences on this beautiful ship.  We also have lots of your listener feedback to share as well!

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 4. 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!

We love to share with our readers different tricks, secrets and other lesser known tidbits about cruising on Royal Caribbean so you can take advantage of them on your next cruise.  Today, we've got a great spot to go to for sail away on Freedom of the Seas that will get you a great view without a lot of people around.

The helipad on Freedom of the Seas is located on the bow (front) of the ship and during sailaway, Royal Caribbean permits guests access to the helipad.  This is a great spot to see the port as you leave, especially for those that do not have a balcony stateroom or simply want something a little different.

Photo by Andrew Quested

You can get to this special spot by walking all the way forward on deck 4 outside. There will be stairs that go up to the next deck, and farther forward is the helipad.  Once there, you will find benches to sit on but the best spots are as far forward as you can get.

In addition to sailaway, the helipad is usually open most of the day, but it can close at any time for safety reasons (usually high winds).

In addition to Freedom of the Seas, you should expect this secret to work on her sister ships Independence of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas.  Guests may access the helipad on all Freedom, Voyager and Radiance Class ships.

Royal Caribbean announced today that Rear Admiral William D. Baumgartner, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired, will serve as the Senior Vice President of Marine Operations.  RADM Baumgartner will be responsible for the global cruise brand’s fleet and their nautical, technical and maintenance operations.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, executive vice president of Operations, commented on the new hire, "We take our work so seriously here, and there is such commitment throughout our entire organization to give our guests the safest, happiest and smoothest vacation experiences we can.  It’s a good feeling to know we are adding someone with Bill’s background to make our team even stronger.”

Recently retired from a distinguished 33-year career, RADM Baumgartner served as Commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District and Director of Homeland Security Task Force Southeast, with responsibility over 40 ships, more than 11,000 people and all Coast Guard operations in the Southeastern U.S. and Caribbean basin – an area encompassing more than 1.8 million square miles.  RADM Baumgartner coordinated Coast Guard operations with 34 foreign countries and territories in addition to overseeing several thousand search and rescue missions, the confiscation of nearly $2 billion in illegal narcotics, and the safety and security of commercial shipping in a region that included the three largest cruise ship ports, six of the nation’s largest container ports, and three strategic military outload ports.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Royal Caribbean team,” said RADM Baumgartner. “Royal Caribbean has an outstanding reputation not only for delivering the Wow Factor, but also for being an industry leader and doing things right.  With my skills and experience, I believe I can be a driving force for growth and can help Royal Caribbean become even better.”

Just prior to the above role, RADM Baumgartner served as General Counsel (Judge Advocate General) for the Coast Guard, a $10 billion organization with more than 50,000 full-time and 40,000 part-time employees.  He managed more than 250 attorneys in more than 15 offices worldwide and was the Federal Government’s lead maritime attorney.  RADM Baumgartner began his career at sea and served as the commanding officer of two Coast Guard ships.  

RADM Baumgartner holds Bachelor of Science Degrees in Marine Engineering and Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, an MBA from the University of New Orleans, and a Law Degree from Harvard Law School.

Now through September 30, Royal Caribbean is offering 30% off the Barbie Premium Experience package on Royal Caribbean cruises departing from November 22 through December 31, 2013.

The Barbie Experience is an exclusive partnership between Royal Caribbean and Mattel.  The special stateroom overlay and onboard experience that is centered around Mattel's Barbie doll, offers girls 4 to 11 a Barbie themed cruise with decorations, parties, fashion shows, movies, interactive events and more.

The 30% off sale is valid on existing cruise bookings as well as new cruise bookings.  Guests may not cancel a current Barbie Premium Experience booking and rebook to receive the Offer. Offer is not available on Majesty of the Seas or Enchantment of the Seas 3/4-Night Bahamas sailings.