Showing posts with label Oasis of the Seas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oasis of the Seas. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 January 2015

Royal Caribbean delays Dynamic Dining roll-out

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas
When Quantum of the Seas was launched late last year so to was Royal Caribbean’s concept of Dynamic Dining. Royal Caribbean replaced the main central dining room with a multitude of individual restaurants, comprising of a mix of complimentary and fee-charging restaurants. The intention was to create a more flexible dining set-up for guests where they could choose where to dine, when to dine and with whom on a day-by-day basis rather than being restricted to set times (early or late seating).

During her spell in dry dock last year the main dining room on-board Oasis of the Seas was redeveloped into the style of separate venues. It was intended that traditional main dining room system would be offered until March 2015 at which point Dynamic Dining would then replace it.

Recently, however, Royal Caribbean International confirmed that they are delaying the rollout to their Oasis-class ships until “late 2015”. Reports suggest this delay is to gather more guest feedback prior to help ensure a successful launch of the concept onto an older vessel for the first time.

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean UK stated “Dynamic Dining is a strategic initiative for Royal Caribbean and based on the positive response from our guests, it is our intention to implement this program across as many of our ships as possible, as part of our Royal Advantage program — our ongoing commitment to offer the best experience in the industry to our guests."

This delay appears to only affect the retrospective rolling out of Dynamic Dining. It will not affect Anthem of the Seas which will launch with Dynamic Dining facilities in place in April. Allure of the Seas is expected to receive the same main dining room changes as sister ship Oasis of the Seas received when she goes into dry dock in May with the switch to Dynamic Dining following later in the year.

(Photo credit to Royal Caribbean International)

Sunday, 4 January 2015

Boy nearly drowns in pool on Oasis of the Seas

A four year old boy has been hospitalised after nearly drowning in a pool on-board Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

Media reports suggest that at approximately 5.30pm local time a passenger discovered the boy submerged in a "wave pool" on Deck 15. It is believed that he was underwater for between five and ten minutes. A second passenger then pulled the boy from the pool where it was discovered he had no pulse.

CPR was administered and he regained a pulse but it was deemed that he needed further medical attention. The ship changed course and headed back to Port Everglades, Florida. The boy was then rushed to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Launderdale.

Mike Jachles of Broward Sheriff Fire and Rescue commented that the boy was "pulseless when found" and in "full cardiac arrest". “Aggressive advanced life support” was administered by the ship’s medical personnel according to Jachles during the sail back to port.

Authorities have not named the boy although Cynthia Martinez, a spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., confirmed to Sun Sentinel that the child was from Italy. He remains in a critical condition.

Oasis of the Seas set sail from Port Everglades at approximately 10.45 pm to continue with a seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary. Strictly speaking Oasis of the Seas is the second largest passenger cruise ship in the world at 225,282 gross tons (second to sister cruise ship Allure of the Seas). She has a maximum capacity of 6,296 guests and has a crew of approximately 2,400.

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Take a look at what's new on board Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

Oasis of the Seas

Cruise ship Oasis of the Seas arrives in Southampton after its 14-day dry-dock with a new look including revitalised dining, high-speed internet, new shops, and the musical Cats in its theatre. 
Sister ship Allure of the Seas will follow suit next May with almost identical enhancements. 
One of the most exciting features, according to executive vice-president Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, is Dynamic Dining, which has been created by turning the ship’s three-deck main dining room into three distinct restaurants.
The American Icon Grill will offer a take on the classic American road trip, pulling together best-loved regional favourites into a comfort-style menu. Silk is a vibrant and exotic destination where the spices of the Far East bring new flavour to adventurous palates through a Pan-Asian menu. The Grande, where every night is formal night, offers an elegant ambiance and refined French cuisine.
However, passengers will have to wait until next March before the menu changes are brought into effect.
The three complimentary venues are among 20 eating places on Oasis. The others include:
Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, a revitalised Izumi Japanese Cuisine offering a full teppanyaki menu as well as sushi rolls and sashimi. Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar, first introduced onboard Navigator of the Seas to rave reviews, will feature a authentic Mexican dishes including hand-made tableside guacamole and freshly-mixed Margaritas. Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine, a unique culinary adventure for the senses where Royal Caribbean International chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes in a whimsical setting that challenges the imagination with never-before-seen fare. Coastal Kitchen is an exclusive restaurant for suite guests, fusing Mediterranean and Californian influences. Guests will continue to enjoy Giovanni’s Table, 150 Central Park and Vintages wine bar, the successful speciality dining concepts introduced on the Oasis class in 2009.
Royal Caribbean International’s game-changing partnership with technology partner O3b provides guests on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas with internet connectivity that matches fast broadband connections onshore and is greater than all other cruise ships in the world combined. Royal iQ is a new app that puts guests in charge of their holiday choices, confirming dining reservations, shore excursions and spa appointments onboard through a downloadable app and at freestanding iQ stations around the ship.
The changes to Oasis include 10 new suites on Oasis-class ships, some with ocean views and others looking across or the AquaTheater and Boardwalk neighbourhood. Two Royal Family Suites can accommodate up to six guests.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical Cats makes its debut at sea on Oasis – replacing Hairspray – while Mamma Mia! will take over from Chicago on Allure from next June.



Friday, 10 October 2014

A ship out of water: Pictures of Oasis of the Seas during dry dock service


Oasis of the Seas is going to look as good as new when she arrives in the UK next week. Here she is in dry dock having her 5-year service. As well as a paint job on the ship's hull, with particular attention being paid to the huge bulbous bow, the propulsion pods have been given a makeover.

The Royal Caribbean ship comes to Southampton on Wednesday. She will visible from Ryde on the Isle of Wight at approximately 8.20am, Calshot at 9am, Hythe at 9.25am and finally, Mayflower Park from 9.30am. Oasis is due to tie up at the City Cruise Terminal by 10.00am, and is expected to leave shortly before midnight.



Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Preparing for Oasis of the Seas' SECOND visit to Britain

oasis of the seas
Oasis of the Seas in The Solent, on her first visit to the UK in 2009

There’s much anticipation over the arrival in the UK next week of Oasis of the Seas, one of the two biggest cruise ships in the world.

Oasis will spend next Wednesday alongside at Southampton’s City Terminal, after a short season of cruises in the Mediterranean and an even shorter visit to dry dock in Rotterdam for her scheduled 5-year check-up.

Royal Caribbean’s  1,181-ft long ship, which can carry a maximum of  6,360 passengers and 2,164 crew is at least 40 per cent bigger than any passenger ship to have ever visited the port.

But it’s not the first time the ship has been in British waters. On November 2, 2009, I watched from the shore at Lee-on-the-Solent as the 222,900-ton vessel paid a brief visit en route from the Finnish shipyard where she was built to her future homeport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A number of workmen who stayed on board when Oasis left Turku had to be disembarked before the ship began her Transatlantic crossing. Dusk was falling as the vessel came to a halt in The Solent and the men were transferred to tenders for the journey ashore..

Bringing Oasis further up Southampton Water presents its own challenges. Its crew are used to operating in the Caribbean, where tides do not reach the 15-ft range it may experience next week. Instead of using the air bridges from the terminal building, or entering the ship at its breathtaking Royal Promenade level, passengers are likely to embark low down on Deck 2.

It’s a busy day in Southampton with a total of four cruise ships in port as well as container and other cargo traffic. Oasis will wait until almost midnight before casting off and making a three-point turn at the port’s Upper Swinging Ground.

Even to get guests on board – some simply as day guests, others to make the 12-night crossing to Fort Lauderdal via Vigo in Spain – will stretch Southampton’s passenger-handling capabilities.

Extra check-in desks and security screening will be available – all good practice for when 4,200-passenger sister ship Quantum of the Seas arrives for a short stay at the end of the month, and its twin, Anthem of the Seas, begins regular cruises from Southampton next year. Royal Caribbean claim that by expecting Anthem’s  passengers to check-in online, and with the use of mobile phone apps to track luggage, they will get guests from kerbside to cabin in 15 minutes.






Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Onboard credit and all-inclusive deals on Royal Caribbean cruises booked this weekend




Thinking about booking a cruise this weekend? You can book deals online from the comfort of your own home with Royal Caribbean International.

The company has some great deals available online this weekend, but you'll need to be quick as they won’t be around for long.

Book from this Friday 19 September to Monday 22 September for any sailings between the 1 October 2014 and the 31 December 2015 and receive £50 onboard credit per stateroom for sailings between seven and ten nights, and £100 onboard credit per stateroom for sailings of more than 11 nights.

This offer is combinable with Royal Caribbean’s all-inclusive package, which ends 30 September and entitles guests who book on select 2015 cruises to have gratuities and select drinks packages included into the price of their holiday.


Subscribe to World of Cruising magazine here          Follow us on Facebook 

Adventure Cruising blog

Sunday, 9 February 2014

Barcelona Bags A Biggie!

Royal Caribbean is bringing its mega-ship cruising to the Mediterranean for a full season for the first time in 2015 when the 220,000-ton Allure of the Seas will sail a series of cruises from the Spanish port of Barcelona.

After carrying more than two million passengers to date in the Caribbean, Allure will return to Europe - from where it was delivered by STX Finland in late 2010 - to operate for five months next year.

The impressive vessel will arrive in Barcelona in May and sail from the port until October.  Royal Caribbean's mega-ship deployment follows the announcement of a short Mediterranean season for Oasis of the Seas this autumn. 

Allure's seven-night cruises will visit Palma de Mallorca, Marseilles (for Provence), La Spezia (for Florence and Pisa), Civitavecchia (for Rome) and Naples. Passengers will also have the option to join the ship in Civitavecchia for a week-long cruise starting and ending in the Italian port.

Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society loyalty programme members also have the opportunity to book for this rare European season starting on Wednesday (Feb 12), one week before general bookings open on February 18.

In addition, the line's Rhapsody of the Seas will offer three 10 and 11-night Black Sea itineraries from Istanbul, then sail a variety of 7 to 11-night Greece and Turkey itineraries from Civitavecchia while Splendour of the Seas will offer seven-night Greek Isles and Turkey cruises from Venice.

Allure has sailed year-round from Port Everglades since entering service as well as sister ship Oasis of the Seas, which debuted in 2009. This year's Mediterranean season for Oasis in September consists of several cruises round-trip Barcelona and one from Barcelona to Rotterdam, where the ship will enter dry-dock for routine maintenance. It then returns to Port Everglades in October.

More info: call 0844 493 4005 of visit www.royalcaribbean.co.uk.

The new edition of World of Cruising is now out, and you can see the digital version online on our home page at www.worldofcruising.co.uk. To subscribe at our special offer rate for 2014, see this link.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Quantum of the Seas - Too MUCH Innovation?

Royal Caribbean revealed their big Quantum of Solace new-ship details this week in a grand online presentation featuring godmother-to-be Kristin Chenoweth.

It was a glamorous and eye-catching show, with plenty of novel features aboard their latest-and-greatest, which builds on the dramatic success of their 220,000-ton Oasis class duo.

Quantum will add still more innovative elements to the Royal Caribbean line-up, including several headline-grabbing features, like the North Star - a giant mechanical arm with a glass capsule at one end to give passengers a genuinely different view of the ship (above) - and a breathtaking-looking 3-storey lounge venue, Two70, that provides a wide variety of entertainment options, including a night-time aspect where the glass windows become a giant LED screen (below).

Other innovations include inside staterooms with 'virtual balconies' (taking Disney Cruise Line's 'virtual' portholes idea and making it substantially bigger), an onboard 'skydiving' facility (like the land-based vertical wind-tunnels we see at places like iFly Orlando), bumper cars, a circus school, extensive Music Hall live entertainment venue and more. Much more.

And they have yet to unveil any of their dining options and other interior detail!

What we saw this week adds up to a truly mind-boggling array of headline features and amenities for the 4,180-guest ship, which will make its debut in autumn 2014 out of New York.

It certainly adds to the improbable-but-impressive Oasis-class ships, but I have to wonder - at what point do we try to put too MUCH innovation on what is still, essentially, a floating vessel for a week's holiday?

We've seen rock-climbing walls, ziplines, surf pools, ice rinks, bowling alleys and self-levelling pool tables, not to mention a wide array of water slides, extravagant open-air venues, giant video screens and all manner of 'virtual reality' gadgets.

But this is still supposed to be a cruise ship, right? And much of what is being presented here (the likes of bumper cars, rock-climbing, ziplines, etc) can all be done on land, and substantially better.

So why do cruise lines think it is necessary to bombard us with more and more "cruise innovation"? By all means provide new entertainment; the likes of Norwegian Cruise Line's onboard Blue Man Group and Legends In Concert shows are a great addition, as is Royal Caribbean's DreamWorks tie-up to provide onboard character interactions. And the expansion in dining options is very welcome and a notable feature of just about every new ship these days.

But, to be honest, much of what has been released about Quantum of the Seas smacks of sheer gimmickry, providing new ideas simply because they can, not because they are necessarily good ideas. There has to be an unknown safety question to things like North Star and onboard skydiving (which is an incredibly difficult - and expensive - skill to master, if you've been to anywhere like iFly Orlando) and, while the idea of a 'virtual balcony' is pretty cute, how much does it ratchet up the price?

I have always thought that the Oasis-class finally broke the mould of what could realistically be called a 'cruise ship.' They are, in fact, floating resorts with no connection to the sea. They might just as well be moored on a lake in Las Vegas for all the real 'cruising' they do (just adding to the handful of standard and rather dull Caribbean ports of call that can handle these behemoths). 

So you'll have to excuse me if I reserve judgement on the Quantum experiment for now. Because that is what it seems - an experiment in what people will actually accept in cruise terms. And safety.

PS: for the full video 'reveal' on Quantum, see this link to our friends at Cruise Radio.

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Get Set For A Caribbean Cruise Bonanza

Royal Caribbean have announced their winter 2013-14 Caribbean cruises on board six innovative ships, including new itineraries from New Orleans

Oasis, Allure, Independence, Freedom, Navigator and Serenade of the Seas will together offer 140 sailings on 31 itineraries that will call at 20 ports of call. Independence, Freedom, Navigator and Serenade of the Seas have all undergone recent enhancements to deliver more dining options, cutting-edge entertainment and modern on board features that first debuted on board the big new duo, Oasis and Allure.

Serenade will offer the new itineraries from New Orleans (Louisiana). Guests can be on board when the ship crosses the Atlantic and arrives in The Big Easy for the first time, on a 15-night itinerary, departing on November 27, 2013 from Barcelona. The first sailing will be a one-time, nine-night Caribbean Adventure, departing December 12, calling at Key West, Nassau, Labadee (Haiti) and Ocho Rios (Jamaica). Serenade will then alternate new seven-night Bahamas and Western Caribbean itineraries. On the Western itinerary, calls will be at Falmouth (Jamaica), Grand Cayman and Cozumel, while the Bahamas itinerary calls at Key West, Nassau and CocoCay.

Oasis and Allure will continue to alternate seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. Sailing round-trip from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, the ships will call at Nassau, St Thomas and St. Maarten on the Eastern sailing and at Falmouth, Cozumel and Labadee on the Western route.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK's leading cruise-agent specialists.

Saturday, 26 May 2012

Get Ready For A Grander Grandeur!!

Royal Caribbean is continuing its grand scheme of ship refurbishments and enhancements, using the  line’s most innovative features and popular venues first introduced on Oasis-class ships, with the revitalisation of Grandeur of the Seas this month. With a host of new dining venues, a new baby and toddler nursery plus a giant outdoor cinema screen, there will be a wealth of new features awaiting guests when she emerges from dry dock.

Following the five-week long, $48million refurbishment at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, the 2,446-guest Grandeur will sail an 11-night Mediterranean itinerary round-trip from Barcelona. From there, she will spend the summer offering a variety of Mediterranean voyages from Venice and Provence. In winter 2012/13, Grandeur will offer Southern Caribbean cruises from Colon in Panama and Cartagena, Colombia.
 
Returning to service on May 31 with new entertainment options, restaurants, children’s programmes, technology advancements and more luxurious accommodation options that were originally introduced on the acclaimed Oasis-class duo, Grandeur should be a wow for guests with her fresh new look and cutting edge facilities.

For bookings, follow this link to the Cruise Line Ltd, the UK's leading cruise-agent specialists.

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Royal Caribbean's 'Summer of Pandamonium!'

In conjunction with the arrival of DreamWorks Animation’s 3-D feature film “Kung Fu Panda 2” in cinemas, Royal Caribbean is celebrating “Pandamonium” onboard Oasis, Allure, Freedom and Liberty of the Seas with a series of onboard red-carpet premieres.

Throughout August, guests on the four ships can enjoy screenings in 3-D, in addition to the year-round DreamWorks Experience. Features onboard include:
  • 'Celebrity' characters, including Shrek, Fiona and Puss In Boots from Shrek;” Alex, Mort, and the Penguins of “Madagascar”; Po of “Kung Fu Panda”; and Hiccup from “How to Train Your Dragon.”
    An ice skating 'How to Train Your Dragon' show
  • A DreamWorks Animation parade down the Royal Promenade
  • Interactive character meals in the main dining room
  • Plenty of photo opportunities
For more info, visit www.royalcaribbean.co.uk or, for bookings, contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Sunday, 30 January 2011

The Disney Difference

So, having evaluated the new Disney Dream from it's first-glance appeal, accommodation, dining and entertainment quotients, how should we sum up this glitzy new offering from Disney Cruise Line?

Well, it certainly remains a great proposition for families AND for couples without children, as the adults-only facilities remain some of the best at sea. And, should you so wish, you wouldn't need to even see a child aboard, let alone know you are at sea with several hundred of them at any one time!

There are, of course, the overtly Disney touches that could only come from the House of Mouse, notably the three themed restaurants, the superb (but distinctly Mickey-fied) big show productions, the many character meet-and-greet opportunities, and the outrageously outfitted kids activity centres, which only Royal Caribbean's biggest ships can touch for space, range and style.

The introduction of their 'magical portholes,' the virtual window onto the outside world which all inside cabins now boast, the Enchanted Art throughout the ship (special pieces of art which literally come alive when activated by a pssing guest) and the special fireworks-at-sea deck party also all point to the kind of imagination and invention which exists primarily with Disney's 'Imagineers.'

But the designers have continued to keep a handle on cruising's luxury and tradition-orientated heritage, with many touches which look and feel totally five-star. The Cove Cafe, glamorous Concierge Lounge and associated cabins, Palo restaurant (and new bar area), District nightlife complex and, especially, the gourmet dining of Remy all highlight a tendency which Disney began with the Magic and Wonder and have firmly continued with their latest vessel.

Their staff remains keen and eager to please and even the standard level cabins are wonderfully comfortable, practical and well-fitted, with the split bathroom arrangement putting them well ahead of most of the competition.

And, as befits a ship produced by the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, it displays a superlative level of finish and build quality. While the yards of Finland and Italy are not short on style and quality, I have never failed to be impressed by the end product out of this German marine production centre, and feel they go the extra yard to making sure everything is completed to the nth degree.

Take time to stroll along the classic internal promenade on Deck 3 (above), take time out at the Bon Voyage bar, walk the 'red carpet' into the Walt Disney Theatre and take a ride on the unique AquaDuck 'water-coaster' and you will have sampled four highly contrasting but all representative facets of this extraordinary ship.

Unlike the vast Oasis and Allure of the Seas, it is not a destination in itself; and it is not an out-and-out resort at sea, with all mod cons and little connection with the maritime world. It does have plenty to keep guests occupied without ever setting foot ashore (and, to be honest, it's 3 and 4-day cruising to the Bahamas is not guaranteed to have people flocking off anyway, with the exception of Disney's private island of Castaway Cay), but the onboard style still has more in keeping with cruise tradition than the all-mod-cons approach of others.

Are there elements that don't work especially well? Almost certainly. The deck space in the adults-only Cove Pool area is less than capacious; there are sure to be quite long queues to try the AquaDuck; and the main atrium area seems like a huge, empty void at times, as it is geared up for the many Disney character photo opportunities and is otherwise a pretty pointless space.

Their rotational dining system may not suit those who prefer to dine in one main location, especially for a 7-day (or longer) voyage, but it is hard to fault the novelty and attraction that it represents over just 3 or 4 days.

We absolutely love Castaway Cay, where we were able to cycle at our leisure, enjoy the adults-only Serenity Beach area, grab a quick lunch with ease and stroll along the main beach back to the ship, which is docked by the purpose-built pier. Brilliant thinking all round, and the family facilities here are the equal of any beach resort in the world.

Does it all add up to the premium price that Disney charges for such a short cruise? It can cost $1350/person for a 4-night cruise in a balcony cabin, which could get you a 7-night cruise (or even longer) on a few other lines. But you will certainly feel like you are in high-quality territory here, and the X-factor that comes with all Disney ventures is most firmly to the fore here.

All in all, it is a superb experience, a real one-off in the cruise world today, and one that is well worth considering. The rest, as they say, is up to you...!


Sunday, 21 November 2010

The World's Largest - Together!

We have just been on board Royal Caribbean's stunning new Allure of the Seas (the 'world's largest cruise ship,' being 5cm longer than sister vessel Oasis, last year's BIG cruise news), and the highlight (among very many) was a rare sea rendezvous of the two leviathans of the seas outside Port Everglades last night.

Captain Hernan Zini of the Allure positioned his ship - on a two-day travel trade preview cruise - a few miles out to sea off the south Florida port for Fort Lauderdale and waited for the line's other big ship, which was on her way out on her regular Saturday sailing to the Caribbean.

The two unmistakeable vessels then met up at almost 6.30pm as darkness fell, and each launched a small boat to offer a special commemorative gift to each other.

Passengers thronged the rails on both ships and lightbulbs flashed madly as most people tried to snap a memorable photo of the event. Finally, after nearly an hour in close proximity, the two ships went their separate ways.

It may also be a long time before they meet up again as the Allure will begin her regular 7-day Sunday cruises on December 1, so the two colossi will only cross paths as they go hither and thither on either eastern or western Caribbean routes in future.

We will have a LOT more to say about Allure - both here on Time Spent at Sea and in the Winter edition of World of Cruising magazine - in the near future, but suffice it to say for now she is easily an equal technological marvel to her sister but the addition of new entertainment options really marks her out as THE cruise ship to see in 2010/11.

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Royal Caribbean's Big 5-Ship Refurb

London, 9 November 2010Royal Caribbean International has announced the revitalisation of five ships in its fleet; Radiance of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas will all undertake various updates during 2011.

“The planned enhancements of five ships in 2011 will help expand some of the most successful programmes that we have launched on our incredible Oasis-class ships to deliver these new ‘wows’ to more ships in our fleet,” said Betsy O’Rourke, senior vice president of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. “We are proud to continue to deliver more to see, do, and love than ever before to our guests.”

In mid-2011, Radiance will begin its revitalisation with the addition of new speciality restaurants, including the Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse, Mexican-themed Rita’s Cantina, and the Italian Giovanni’s Table, as well as the Park Café deli-style restaurant and the exclusive Chef’s Table dining experience. Other enhancements to the ship will include a new Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty programme members, as well as the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, interactive flat-panel televisions in all staterooms, and Wi-Fi throughout the ship.

Splendour will receive two new speciality restaurants, and the Park Café, the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, a Diamond and Concierge Lounge, flat-panel televisions, and Wi-Fi throughout the ship. In addition, there will be new balcony staterooms added, select stateroom enhancements and upgrades to public areas, including a refreshed Windjammer Marketplace.

Oasis of the Seas will also launch new onboard guest programmes starting in the first quarter of 2011. Guests will be able to enjoy the DreamWorks Experience and 3-D films in the main Opal Theater. Also, a Starbucks coffee shop will replace Mondo Café on the Royal Promenade. This follows the first-ever Starbucks at sea which will launch onboard Allure of the Seas when the sister ship enters service on 1 December 2010.

In early 2011, Freedom (above) and Liberty of the Seas will introduce new dining, entertainment, children’s programming and other enhancements made popular on the Oasis-class ships. This will include the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, The Cupcake Cupboard, the groundbreaking Wayfinding navigation system for guests, and an oversized outdoor video screen in each ship’s main pool area. In addition, the DreamWorks experience, 3-D movies and complimentary guest service kiosks, which will be introduced on Allure, also will be implemented onboard Freedom and Liberty, as well as sister-ship Oasis of the Seas. Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, Royal Caribbean’s third licensed main-stage musical production, will debut on Liberty in the main Platinum Theater.