Royal Caribbean is launching another sale for residents of the United Kingdom starting today.  In addition to it's free drinks and free balcony upgrade promotions, starting today an 11-day WOW sale is going on for residents of UK & the Republic of Ireland.

If you book by a cruise between September 1 and December 31, 2013, you will receive $100 (£65) in onboard credit for your cruise.  To qualify for the sale, the cruise must be booked by August 19, 2013.

Unlike WOW Sales in the United States, there does not appear to be a difference in the amount of onboard credit depending on cruise length. 

Onboard spend is only valid for bookings made in balcony & suite categories, including X & W guarantees.  Transatlantic sailings are included in the sale.

We stumbled across a list of frequently asked questions that Royal Caribbean created related to Quantum of the Seas and there's some new details here that was news to us.  

The document, aimed at travel agents, answers a number of concerns people have raised about the new ship and while it does not divulge everything we wanted to know, it does give us a better glimpse at what we can expect.

After going through the document, here's what we found interesting.

General

• There will be no Studio B/ice skating ring.  Space for this is being taken up by SeaPlex (bumper cars, circus school, roller skating area)
• Dining venue information will "be revealed later in the year"
• There will be a Royal Promenade
• There will be a Broadway show, which will be announced "soon".
• There will be one rock climbing wall and it will be 30 feet high.
• Barbie Experience will be available on Quantum of the Seas
• Dreamworks Experience will be available on Quantum of the Seas but "at a later date"

NorthStar

• NorthStar will accomodate 13 guests, plus a wheelchair guest (14 total)
• North Star will be complimentary and available for guests at sea, as well as in port. Three premium packages also will be available for advance purchase and booking, including 
  packages for Sunrise and Sunset flights, or a Private Flight, which is ideal for marriage  proposals and wedding ceremonies. All packages include a pre-flight reception, in-flight 
  Champagne toast, a commemorative flight certificate, and a post-flight brunch or dinner
• NorthStar will be 3.6 meters x 4.5 meters in dimension
• NorthStar arm extends up to an 80-degree angle, and descends to a horizontal position to fully rest on the top deck. The length is 41 meters, or 135 feet long. 
• NorthStar will require guests to be seated and will feature air conditioning and heat

RipCord

• Ripcord restrictions are: 
  • Those less than 6 feet tall must weigh less than 230 lbs, and those over 6 feet must weigh less than 250 lbs.
  • Children under 18 years of age need to have a parent or guardian to sign their waiver. 

SeaPlex

• ​Bumper car rides will last approximately 3 – 5 minutes and there will be up to 30 cars to choose from.
• At this time, it is still not determined whether the Circus School will be complimentary or not
• Bumper cars will be offered throughout the day in SeaPlex. They are open to guests on a first come, first served basis
• Roller Blades are NOT permitted in SeaPlex

Two70°

• Approximately 475 guests will fit comfortably in Two70°.

We're very excited to launch the brand new Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast!

Head on over to http://www.royalcaribbeanpodcast.com and click on the first episode post (Welcome)! From there you can download the podcast or listen immediately.

We plan to explore the many facets of a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation, which covers everything from the Royal Caribbean cruise ships to activities, excursions, planning your cruise vacation and more. We’ll always be answering listener questions, so send yours to us in the subject line!

There’s lots more to come! We look forward to your feedback as we keep on learning!

Royal Caribbean's Ocean Fund has made possible a new initiative by the Caribbean island of Roatán to become the first tourist destination in Honduras to complete a comprehensive 360-degree assessment and action plan for destination-level sustainability.

The project aims to allow Roatán's thriving tourism industry to have a long-term support for the environment that draws so many tourists. Of all the tourists that visit Honduras, 55% go to Roatán.

The Rapid Sustainable Destination Diagnostic was carried out by the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative in close collaboration with global non-profit organization Sustainable Travel International, Honduras’ Ministry of Tourism and Roatán’s local Geotourism Council.

The evaluation of Roatán’s performance was based on five elements of sustainability: sustainable tourism planning and governance, economic linkages, preservation of cultural heritage, social and community issues, and environmental protection.

If there's one feature of Royal Caribbean's next-generation cruise ship that is just starting construction, Quantum of the Seas, that is capturing people's imagination the most, it's likely the virtual balconies.  These 80-inch LED screens attached to a wall are promising to deliver an innovative take on the inside cabin.  

Understandably, there's a lot of intrigue regarding this new kind of cabin 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 virtual balconies that we do know in one place.

What is a virtual balcony?

The virtual balconies will be 80-inch LED projection screen that stretches from floor to ceiling.  They will offer digital real-time views of the ocean and destinations visible from the ship’s exterior.  

It will be displayed in high-resolution color on a giant 80-inch LED screen on the wall of an otherwise windowless stateroom.  It will work at sea and in port.

Will virtual balconies cost extra?

When they were announced, Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein said there will not be a specific surcharge for interior cabins with virtual balconies, but added that he hopes they will bring higher yields.

How many inside cabins on Quantum of the Seas will have virtual balconies?

There will be 373 inside cabins on Quantum of the Seas that will offer the virtual balcony feature.

Will any ships other than Quantum of the Seas have virtual balconies?

It's a safe bet sister ship Anthem of the Seas will have virtual balconies along with the unnamed third Quantum-class cruise ship Royal Caribbean has on order.  

In addition to those ships, Navigator of the Seas will receive virtual balconies as part of a previously planned refurbishment.  Navigator of the Seas will go for its refurbishment in December 2013. It is scheduled to sail from Galveston when the upgrades are complete.  Royal Caribbean will use Navigator of the Seas as the "testing ground" for this brand new innovation.

In addition to Navigator of the Seas, virtual balconies will be included as part of scheduled refurbishments for Voyager, Adventure and Explorer of the Seas.  Those ships are set to undergo the revitalization process in 2014-15.

Will the virtual balcony projection be on all the time?

No, you may turn the virtual balcony feature on or off at your convenience.

Where did Royal Caribbean come up with the idea for the virtual balconies?

According to Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain, they got the idea from Disney Cruise Line's virtual portholes that debuted on their ships a few years ago.

"We actually had looked at the idea, and we didn't think that the technology and the receptivity from the public was there," he says. Disney "proved that the public does value something like this."

It's August and Royal Caribbean news this week really heated up with lots of news and changes.  It's hard to pinpoint the biggest but if I had to pick one, it would be centered around Royal Caribbean's two newest ships.

On Friday, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas moved one step closer to being built...at the same time! Quantum of the Seas kicked things off with its official keel-laying, which officially begins formal construction of the ship.  

Right after that, Anthem of the Seas had her steel-cutting ceremony.  We're still about 18-24 months away from both ships taking passengers but it's starting to get exciting!

Royal Caribbean News

• What are Royal Caribbean's dress codes? We explored what to wear on your Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Have you ever tried this Royal Caribbean classic food, the honey stung chicken?
• Two new Royal Caribbean sales this week, starting with free drinks for kids and adults on cruises out of the UK.
• The other new sale is for North and South American cruisers who can get a balcony for the price of an oceanview cabin.
• We got a new glimpse at Quantum of the Seas' North Star mockup.
• Royal Caribbean is ending cruises that leave from France next year.
• Want to stay fit on your Royal Caribbean cruise? Check out our guide to the gym and exercise programs.
• Royal Caribbean followed through with their promise to release cruise crime data.

Join us for the first ever Royal Caribbean Blog Cruise!

We're so excited to announce the first ever group cruise for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboard Quantum of the Seas!  This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on one of the first Quantum of the Seas sailings on an 8-night cruise to the Caribbean.

This Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is all about enjoying this brand new ship with other fans who are big fans of Royal Caribbean.  Don't miss this opportunity to check out the brand new cruise ship as well as be a part of exclusive events for those that book with our group!

For more details on booking the cruise, the itinerary and prices, check out the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise page and if you have any questions, email me!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

The Miami Herald's readers helped another reader who wanted the recipe for a salad dressing that was offered on Royal Caribbean cruises back in the 1980s.

Cruising with Kids? Fox News has a list of what the cruise lines do to accommodate children.

Speaking of kids, Royal Caribbean thinks cruising is a family affair and all generations can enjoy it together.

Just before Royal Caribbean celebrated the keel-laying of Quantum of the Seas today, another milestone was reached for another brand new cruise ship.  Sister ship Anthem of the Seas had her first steel-cutting at Meyer Werft shipyard's laser centre.

The steel-cutting for Quantum of the Seas took place in February 2013 and today's event is the next step for Anthem of the Seas, which has been relatively quiet in terms of news about her.  

Delivery of Anthem of the Seas is scheduled in the spring 2015.

UPDATE 11:09AM: Royal Caribbean President and CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the ceremonies for both Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas today, "Today is a very special day in the development of our new Quantum class, as we are now two steps closer to delighting guests around the world with Quantum cruising.  It’s incredibly rewarding to see Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas coming together so well, and today we not only honor these two very important milestones, but also recognize the years of hard work and dedication from the team developing these ships."

Today at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, Royal Caribbean held its keel-laying for Quantum of the Seas and put down a 430-ts block in place in the yard's covered building dock.

Royal Caribbean Executive Vice President Maritime, Harri Kulovaara, put down the lucky penny before the ship's block was lowered by the 800-ts crane.

The first of a total of 74 blocks of Quantum of the Seas weighs 430 tons. This keel-laying marks the official start of construction of the Quantum of the Seas. For the time being the 167,800-gt Quantum of the Seas is the biggest ship the shipyard has built so far.

Quantum of the Seas will be able to accommodate 4,180 passengers with 2,090 staterooms.  She will enter service in November 2014.

UPDATE: 11:11AM: Newly minted coins were placed under the keel which then stays in place until the end of construction. Once the ship is nearing completion the coins are retrieved and presented to the ship’s Captain and crew to be placed onboard the ship. According to maritime tradition, the coins are said to bring luck to the ship during its construction and then to its Captain and crew when she is at sea.