Royal Caribbean announced its 2014 cruise schedule for Northeast America and European cruises across six ships serving ports in New England and Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, and the Baltic, North, Norwegian and Mediterranean seas, respectively. In total, Independence of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, and Legend of the Seas will embark on 87 sailings with a total of 85 unique ports of call on two continents.

Royal Caribbean put its 2014 Canada and New England cruises open for sale today while its Northern Europe sailings will go on sale on March 20, 2013.

Europe

Independence of the Seas also will sail an eight-night itinerary to the southern fjordlands of Norway on May 17, followed by a shorter six-night cruise to Paris (Le Havre), France, and Bilbao and Gijon, Spain, departing on May 25. Vacationers also can choose a three- and four-night sampler, sailing October 25 and 28 respectively, with calls at Bruges (Zeebrugge), Belgium, and Paris. Furthermore, Independence of the Seas’ 2014 Europe season is bookended with a 13-night eastbound trans-Atlantic voyage from winter-homeport Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and a 15-night westbound return crossing departing May 4 and Nov. 1, 2014, respectively.

Also to homeport at Southampton, Adventure of the Seas will offer vacationers a panoply of roundtrip Baltic, Iceland and Norway, and Mediterranean sailings, ranging from 12- to 16-nights. On the Baltic Sea sailings, guests will call at St. Petersburg for two days, enough time to explore the ‘Window to the West’ and a take an excursion to inland Moscow. On the Iceland-bound sailings, guests also enjoy a two-day call at Reykjavik to join in the vibrant ‘nightlife capital of the North.’

For a week-long cruise option, vacationers can chose a seven-night Southern Norway cruise, departing May 23, or a seven-night North Sea cruise to France and Spain, departing Oct. 26. Two short cruises, a four-night Belgium and France itinerary, departing May 4, and a two-night Paris (Le Havre) sailing, departing Aug. 29, will offer vacationers a taste of the Voyager-class ships, the first to introduce the cruise line’s iconic rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink, and the Royal Promenade, a boulevard of restaurants, lounges and boutiques that stretches nearly the ship’s length. Vacationers also can span two continents on 14-night trans-Atlantic crossings, sailing eastbound from Miami on Apr. 20 and westbound to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 2.

In addition to Southampton, vacationers can choose 12- and 13-night Scandinavia and Russia cruises, sailing roundtrip from Harwich, England, aboard Brilliance of the Seas that also features two-day calls at St. Petersburg. A 12-night Fjords & Iceland itinerary, departing July 26, brings guests to southern Norway, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands, as well as calls for two days at Reykjavik. Fourteen-night, Trans-Atlantic crossings also bookend the ship’s Northern Europe season, with the eastbound voyage departing on Apr. 30 from Tampa, Fla., and a westbound voyage departing on Aug. 31 that follows a northerly route to Boston, Mass.

Legend of the Seas heads for the Baltic Sea on April 16 on a 16-night trans-Atlantic crossing from Port Everglades to Copenhagen. Nordic and Baltic enthusiasts then have a choice of Copenhagen or Stockholm, from where they can embark on a seven- or eight-night Norwegian Fjords or Baltic cruise. From Copenhagen, an 11-night Arctic Circle itinerary, departing June 7, calls as far north as Tromsø and Honningsvåg to bring guests into the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun.’ An 11-night Ultimate Scandinavia Russia itinerary, departing Copenhagen on June 18 features a three-day call at St. Petersburg and an overnight at Stockholm for an extensive Baltic adventure.

Canada, Bermuda, New England and Caribbean from Northeast USA

In autumn 2014, vacationers have a choice of four ships, aboard which to catch the infinite range of colors in the grand Northeast U.S. and Canada’s Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. From Quebec City, four cruises aboard Legend of the Seas will sail 10- and 11-night itineraries, calling throughout the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A 12-night Canada and Bermuda cruise, departing Nov. 3, will include an overnight in Bermuda as the ship repositions to its winter homeport of Port Everglades. Brilliance of the Seas alternatively, will offer six autumn sailings to Canada and New England, sailing roundtrip from Boston to Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on seven-night itineraries.

Explorer of the Seas will offer two nine-night fall-foliage cruises, departing Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J. on Aug. 28 and Sept. 11. The ship also will alternate a five-night Bermuda and a nine-night Bermuda & Caribbean itinerary for the convenience of vacationers from the New York metropolitan area.

From Baltimore, Md., Grandeur of the Seas will offer mid-Atlantic vacationers four convenient sailings to catch the fall foliage on an eight-night Canada & New England itinerary. These eight-night sailings will alternate with a six-night Bermuda itinerary that uniquely features a three-day call at the British overseas territory.

In celebration of National Cruise Vacation Week, Royal Caribbean is launching a new week-long sale to customers considering a cruise to Europe.

Royal Caribbean is offering up to $100 in onboard credit for those booking a cruise in Europe by October 28.  The deal is valid on itineraries of seven nights or longer departing in 2013 (including trans-Atlantic cruises).

Those that book a balcony or suite cabin will receive a $100 onboard credit per cabin.  If you book an inside or ocean-view cabin, you will receive $50 in onboard credit.  

The sale is available to residents of the United States and Canada only.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein spoke in Milan, Italy yesterday about new investments, ships, airports and important partnerships.

"For years Italy has played a strategic role in the planning of Royal Caribbean International: Since 2005 we have more than doubled the ports of embarkation in the area, adding to Civitavecchia and Venice also Genoa, Messina and Naples. The arrival of a ship like Liberty of the Seas, which next season will embark from the port of Naples, confirms the company's commitment towards the Italian market, " Goldstein said.  " Even in 2013 Royal Caribbean International will pay particular regard to Italian guests with a special offer on board: from excursions, offering food and beverage, staff of dedicated service, all in an international environment that meets the needs of Italian. "

Coinciding with Goldstein was the debut of two new Royal Caribbean ships in Italy.  Liberty of the Seas will go toItaly for the first time and offer 7-night cruises out of Naples to the Western Caribbean while Legend of the Seas will take the place of Mariner of the Seas and offer 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises out of Civitavecchia and from Genoa to France and Spain.

"The ships dedicated to the Italian market in 2013 are the most innovative in the fleet," adds John Rotondo, CEO of Royal Caribbean, Italy "In 2013 there will be 5 ports of embarkation and 13 ports of call in Italy for four ships of the fleet Royal Caribbean International, for a total of 18 ports, 330 airports and more than 850,000 passenger movements, a further indication of the fact that Italy is a very important basin for. "

Royal Caribbean held talks with the Odessa City Council to bring a cruise ship there in April 2014.  A meeting between Royal Caribbean's vice president Craig Milan  met with the vice-mayor of Odessa, Elena Pavlova on August 21st to look at the tourist infrastructure of the city.

Milan commented on the city's possibility, "Several cruise ships call at  your port. Unfortunately they are isolated cases. But feedback from our customers, who have been in Odessa, has been very positive."

Milan says regular cruises with a mandatory sunset and base parking are planned in Odessa in April 2014.  

In turn, Pavlov noted that the city is interested in such a partnership, "If everything goes as planned, our city is waiting for the next tourist boom. Royal Caribbeancan bring from 2 to 4 thousand passengers on average." 

Royal Caribbean is interested in investing in the development of the Yalta and Sevastopol seaports as well.

Royal Caribbean is looking to attract more cruisers from Spain and has developed an interactive online cruise guide to help those new to cruising become acclimated to the process.

The guide is a series of videos that are introduced by a friendly hostess, who takes novice cruisers through various sections that address typical concerns for people who are cruising for the first time. 

These short videos show statements by people that have cruised a lot and they also can learn about the destinations Royal Caribbean serves as well as the ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet.  There's also access to frequently asked questions.

A new TV show will air on Royal Caribbean's ships called "The Avid Cruiser Takes On...", which aims to showcase the various things you can do while at the many ports Royal Caribbean visits.

The series will be comprised of 10-minute shows that feature cruise destinations, primarily in Europe, and showoff what passengers can do in these ports.  The show hopes it will "get people off the ships, and into the destinations".

You can view the episodes on Royal Caribbean ships and possibly on the company's sister cruise brands such as Azamara Club Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.

The first episode is about Copenhagen, Denmark.  Destinations that will be highlighted in future episodes include

• Stockholm, Sweden
• Le Havre, France
• Var Provence, including Toulon, Sanary-sur-Mer, La Seyne-sur-Mer, and Saint-Tropez
• Venice, Italy
• Nice, Villefranche, Cannes, Antibes
• Charlottetown, PEI
• Corner Brook, Newfoundland
• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Sydney, Nova Scotia
• Saint John, New Brunswick

Royal Caribbean has increased its focus on the Italy cruise market, with an emphasis in Genoa.  An interview was published recently with the new Royal Caribbean commercial manager for Italy, Mario Paquero.

The tragedy of Costa Concordia has strongly affected the entire national market for cruises. You ever expect to have a problem like that?
"We have always believed you could do great numbers, even if there were a couple of months rather difficult for everyone. But things quickly changed and bookings for the current season have gone beyond our expectations. If we also consider the difficult time of global economic crisis this represents for us an even greater success. "

How was it possible to reverse this trend?
"The company has decided to hold rates quite low given the high quality that will still offer the tourist. And then, for that matter, in the cruise price is really all inclusive, those who get on board our ships must not pull out a dollar for extras. "

And in Genoa, which are the next steps of Royal Caribbean?
"First, we plan to increase the number of our direct employees because the company believes very much in the Italian market and the future we hope to witness a fast and progressive growth of the group. Not only that, but from an operational standpoint, the port of Genoa will be reconfirmed as one of the major airports across the country. "

The relationship between the city and the cruise is not always positive: closed shops, a few attractions, little assistance to visitors. You who give judgment?
"I do not think this is true. For our part we have been from the beginning excellent relations with local government, the Port Authority and more generally with all the components of the economic fabric of the city that have supported our investments. By tourists, then there is a high rating to the city and the judgments that have emerged from our evaluation boards are more than good. Of course things can still improve and by the Royal's best efforts to make this happen through a constant dialogue with the institutions and associations. "

Not only Genoa: Your company also believes strongly in the port of La Spezia.
"The port of La Spezia is indisputably a major arrival point for our ships. And this for the extraordinary opportunity offered by the territory, rich in culture, natural beauty and geographically strategic with respect to the most important and famous Italian art cities. "

The cruise market, filed in 2012, will continue to grow?
"The feeling we have right now are positive although it is impossible to predict long-term. The index to the holidays of this type, however, increases from year to year. And this happens not only in the Mediterranean but also throughout the rest of the world. " 

July first marks the one year anniversary of Royal Caribbean adding a subsidiary in France.  For months, Royal Caribbean has been marketing to support sales and now they are seeing those efforts taking shape with the first cruises to French ports.

On June 3rd, Liberty of the Seas made her inaugural visit to Marseilles and Toulon harbor.  Liberty of the Seas is the largest ship operating in Europe and this summer will offer 21 cruises from France.

On July 5th, another Royal Caribbean ship, Brilliance of the Seas, will make its first stop at Le Havre and head for the Norwegian fjords.  Following her will be the recently refurbished Grandeur of the Seas, which will begin with a stop in Marseilles.

Frederic Martinez, CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises France, is happy with the progress the company has made, "We are very happy because ships arrive, they can be seen and tested by customers."

Overall, this year, the company will offer 27 cruises from French ports for a target of 30 to 35,000 passengers. This is less than the expected 40 to 45,000 customers at the launch of the French subsidiary, but Royal Caribbean was forced to reduce the estimates because of a difficult environment and the impact of the Costa Concordia disaster.

"We had one year in the form of a challenge because of the events he was forced to cash. Our growth has remained strong because we are still small, we have established a subsidiary in France there are less than a year, compared to the previous situation, our offer is much stronger because of departures from French ports. Nevertheless, we still felt a slowdown from February to early April. Also noteworthy is that the economic context is not famous. The crisis in the euro area can be felt in all European markets and, like others, the French are watching their budget. But now the market is very strong, although it has been boosted with blows of promotions, which is good for customers but not so good for owners, whose margins are reduced. This also causes a visibility problem because many customers wait until the last minute to book, hoping to get a better price, "says Frederic Martinez.

Royal Caribbean's boss in France believes, that the very aggressive pricing policy practiced in recent months by different companies, which forces Royal Caribbean's hand, should not last: "It's a real issue. We had an exceptional year and it was therefore necessary to sustain demand by offering very attractive. But we must not repeat this indefinitely and make reference price. Because this approach is not economically viable, at least maintaining a high level of quality, what we want. " 

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas will make a total of 40 cruises throughout Europe, with 41 stops in the summer of 2013.

Brilliance of the Seas will depart out of Harwich, England to ports in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea with 12 night itineraries.  Meanwhile, Splendour of he Seas will offer seven-night cruises to the Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean out of Venice, Italy.

Brilliance of the Seas will begin its summer season on May 15, 2013 and will offer eight trips to and from Harwich to scales and in Copenhagen Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Gothenburg and St. Petersburg where it gets a night.

Splendour of the Seas, which was upgraded in November 2011 with new amenities from the Royal Advantage program, will start its summer season on May 5 with a six-night cruise from Barcelona to Venice with a stop in Marseille, Florence/Pisa and Rome (Civitavecchia).  The ship will offer four itineraries, two in the Greek islands, one in the Greek Islands and Turkey, and another in the Greek Islands and Croatia.

Royal Caribbean announced that it will significantly increase its offerings from Marseille, France next year.

From May 6 to August 26, 2013, Royal Caribbean will offer 17 roundtrip cruises from Marseille, versus just 7 this summer. The itinerary will cover Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Genoa.

Currently Grandeur of the Seas is scheduled to sail out of Marseille but in 2013, Legend of the Seas.  Legend of the Seas was delivered in 1995 by French shipyards, the ship 264 meters long and 69,000 tons can accommodate 2,074 passengers. It will benefit next winter from a vast revitalization program to renovate its public spaces and cabins, while bringing new entertainment and dining options on board.

Besides cruises from Marseille, Royal Caribbean will increase its presence in 2013 at the port of Toulon. Between May 27 and October 21, 2013, 22 cruises (versus 21 this summer) will be offered aboard Liberty of the Seas.