And Now for Something Completely Different

The shows in the AquaTheater aboard Harmony of the Seas aren't just high-diving and swimming demonstrations. They're, well, fun. Yes, if you look beyond the story, you see incredible feats of high-diving and synchronized swimming, but you also see some cops and robbers in “Hideaway Heist,” which is currently running in the AquaTheater aboard Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas.

The complete story appeared in the April 11 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - February 16, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• As promised, Cunard will be taking the winner (and her people) of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show across the Atlantic aboard Queen Mary 2. Cunard is the only line to carry dogs and cats aboard their ships in a special dedicated kennel. 
• Harmony of the Seas diver Cesilie Carlton is seen in the video below, shot by acrobat Sydney Brown, diving into the Aqua Theater pool 55 feet below.  

Details appeared in the February 15 edition of Cruise News Daily.

A post shared by Sydney Brown (@sydneybrown_xo) on Jan 29, 2017 at 8:47am PST

Video courtesy of Sydney Brown, via Instagram, shown under the standard Instagram license. All rights reserved. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - December 29, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• the first major international line to homeport at Manila. 
• a medevac from Harmony of the Seas

Details appeared in the December 29 edition of Cruise News Daily

Medevac from Harmony of the Seas

Photo courtesy of US Coast Guard. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

* Other Things You'll Want to Know - December 22, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• Port Everglades receiving approval to move forward widening and deepening their channels to accommodate larger ships. 
• Royal Caribbean opening an eye-popping new show, “The Fine Line,” in the AquaTheater aboard Harmony of the Seas.  (a video is below)

Details appeared in the December 22 edition of Cruise News Daily.

The One-Minute Tour of Harmony of the Seas

Harmony of the Seas is now homeported at Port Everglades. Take a quick look around.
(Caution: There are many quick cuts and flashing images in this video.)

Harmony of the Seas Makes US Debut at Port Everglades

After meeting with her two sisters off the Florida coast on Friday, Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas came on into Port Everglades on Saturday to make her US debut on Saturday.

Photos courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Big Meeting

Meanwhile, today, off the coast of Florida, there was probably the biggest meeting in the cruise industry.

The three largest cruise ships in the world met for a photo op on the eve of Harmony of the Seas' first arrival in the US.

This story appeared in the November 4 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Harmony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas lined up today off the south Florida coast.

Harmony's crew turns out on the bow to see the event. Allure of the Seas can be seen ahead.

The ships are beginning to line up for the family photo. Here the other two ships are seen from the bridge of Harmony of he Seas. 

Photos courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - October 25, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• Royal Caribbean choosing a "hometown hero" as godmother for Harmony of the Seas.
• Royal Princess arriving on US shores as the first Princess ship to be painted in the line's new livery. 

Details appeared in the October 25 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Royal Princess in the line's new livery

Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Sky Walking on Harmony

Royal Caribbean gives us a sneak peak at another eye-popping special effect that will be a feature of an upcoming show. This one will be aboard Harmony of the Seas.

Harmony by the Numbers

Just five more days and Harmony of the Seas will be leaving Europe for Port Everglades, her new home port. (She arrives on November 4.) The third Oasis-class ship, Harmony is slightly larger than the others, making her the world's largest cruise ship. Packed with new and interesting experiences, this video will show her to you like you've never seen her before - by the numbers.
(Please note: For those of you who are susceptible, there are many flashes and quick cuts in the video.)

Have You Voted Yet?

This has nothing to do with early voting. Actually, you're very late and just about to miss your opportunity to cast your ballot. The election we're talking about is the election of a godmother for Harmony of the Seas, and voting closes October 14.

As you may remember, Royal Caribbean is seeking an educator from the South Florida area to name the largest cruise ship in the world. They are looking for “an educator who is inspiring the next generation to dream big, think differently and challenge the status quo.”

Details appear in the October 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - September 15, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• Harmony of the Seas getting back to sea after its tragic accident on Tuesday
• Gratuities going up on Princess
• Crystal scheduling a President's Cruise on Crystal Mozart
• New promotional pricing on Fathom and what it means
• Micky Arison checking up on the construction of Majestic Princess

Details appeared in the September 15 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Micky Arison and Stein Kruse tour Majestic Princess at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard today

Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Accident aboard Harmony of the Seas Claims One Life

One crew member aboard Harmony of the Seas died, and four others were injured today in an unusual accident during a crew lifeboat drill while the ship was docked in Marseille.

The complete story appeared in the September 13 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Looking for a Hero

Royal Caribbean is once again on the hunt for a godmother. But this time for the "largest and most innovative" cruise ship in the world, it needs to be a special person fo Harmony of the Seas. This person is already out there somewhere in South Florida and she's already been inspiring young people, probably for years, because Royal Caribbean wants to honor a teacher or educator.

Details appeared in the September 7 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Look All Around

Royal Caribbean has posted a spectacular video shot aboard Harmony of the Seas. Actually, it was shot from atop the giant ship, someplace you'd never normally go. The really cool part is that it was shot in 360-degree video, meaning you can put your mouse on the video and drag it around to see in any direction.

Look to one side and you can see Marseilles (France). Drag the picture around (Careful! You're on top of the ship.) to look off the other side of the ship, and you'll see the Mediterranean. Look behind you (yes, you can look down too - if you dare), and you'll see the ship below you with all its features.

You're going to need to play this several times to see everything.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - May 23, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• A new video released by Royal Caribbean showing freerunner Pip Andersen "touring" the new Harmony of the Seas (below)
• Carnival Legend expanding to Melbourne during the 2018 Australian summer season

Details appeared in the May 23 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - May 17, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• MSC opening the books for the inaugural cruise of MSC Seaside which will reposition it from Venice to Miami in November 2017
• Royal Caribbean declared a quarterly dividend
• Harmony of the Seas arrived at Southampton this morning to a traditional welcome (below)

Harmony of the Seas arrives at Southampton

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Harmony of the Seas Leaves Saint Nazaire

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas left the yard at Saint Nazaire (France) this weekend for it's first port call at Southampton. The video below shows the crowd of 60,000 local people who came out to see her off.

There’s Finally Harmony in the World

Royal Caribbean took delivery of the 227,000-ton Harmony of the Seas from STX France today at Saint Nazaire (France), and Harmony officially became the largest cruise ship in the world.
 
The official handover came during a flag-changing ceremony in the ship’s AquaTheater, complete with tons of confetti. During the event, there was quite an extraordinary moment when all 2,100 crew members sat for a portrait along with Richard Fain (Chairman and CEO of RCCL) and Michael Bayley (President and CEO of RCI). That’s not likely to happen again. (Who was running the ship?)

The complete story appeared in the May 12 edition of Cruise News Daily.

The flag-changing signified the ship's handover.

At the handover, the 2,100 crew members sat for a portrait.

The day before at a rally, the crew posed for a selfie with Richard Fain.

Photos courtesy of Royal Caribbean. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - April 25, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• What Caribbean ports are you least likely to leave alive? 
• Princess finds a perfect fit at Cairns.
• Harmony of the Seas goes out again for sea trials.

Details appeared in the April 25 edition of Cruise News Daily

Harmony of the Seas leaving St Nazaire last Thursday

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.