Tropical Storm Irene has caused Royal Caribbean to change a few cruise itineraries.  Oasis of the Seas will reverse its itinerary and now visit Cozumel first on Monday, Tuesday is a sea day, stop at Falmouth, Jamaica on Wednesday, stop at Labadee on Thursday, sea day again on Friday and return to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday

Freedom of the Seas will also reverse its itinerary and left port today to go to Cozumel first on Tuesday, followed by Grand Cayman on Wednesday, Falmouth on Thursday and Labadee on Friday.

Allure of the Seas will now stop at Nassau, Bahamas on Saturday instead of Monday. The rest of her scheduled stops at St. Thomas (Wednesday) and St. Maarten (Thursday) will take place as planned.

Finally, Serenade of the Seas will have its cruise order changed as well. It left from San Juan, Puerto Rico today and will  visit Aruba on Tuesday, Curacao on Wednesday, St. Kitts  on Friday and St. Thomas on Saturday.

Photo by Allison Walke

Royal Caribbean has canceled port stops for the Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas in St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The passengers on the Oasis of the Seas will have the biggest effect to their route.

The Oasis of the Seas will spend Monday and Tuesday at sea, leaves on Wednesday to Costa Maya and Cozumel on Thursday after, as planned before it goes back to Fort Lauderdale. The Freedom of the Seas will be diverted on Wednesday to Grand Cayman on Thursday and is also in Cozumel.

Photo by Jason Trent

Cruise passenger traffic is up for Royal Caribbean at Port Canaveral, Florida.  The amount of passengers for Royal Caribbean's ships based out of Port Canaveral is up 1 percent for the year at nearly 360,000.

This figure is slightly skewed when you consider the fact that Royal Caribbean ships have made nine more voyages out of the port so far this year.  Royal Caribbean has matched competitor Carnival Cruise Lines in replacing smaller ships with larger ones at Port Canaveral during the past two years.

Royal Caribbean currently home ports Freedom of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas out of Port Canaveral for year round trips. 

Port officials also report total cruise revenue is up year to date about 19 percent.

Royal Caribbean has teamed up with Orlando, Florida based Mustard Seed to help donate its mattresses, pillows and other cruise ship to charity.

Mustard Seed is an organization that specializes in giving furniture and clothing to victims of natural disasters and personal tragedies.

Royal Caribbean has been in negotiations with Mustard Seed since January, according to Mustard Seed Executive Director Michelle Lyles.  With the deal signed, Royal Caribbean delivered 1200 mattresses at Port Canaveral to the non-profit agency.

Lyles is excited about the new partnership, “Royal Caribbean has done so much in the community and with the environment,  We appreciate our partnership with Monarch of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas to divert mattresses and furniture items that were heading to the landfill towards families who need help. It’s just one more way how both Royal Caribbean and The
Mustard Seed are helping to improve the lives of people in our community".

Rodolfo Villasmil, Corporate Environmental Commodity Manager for Royal Caribbean adds: “We know that clean oceans are good for the environment and good for our guests, so we strive to achieve the highest possible standards of environmental and community stewardship; and we are happy to work with The Mustard Seed to be a responsible partner in keeping our earth safe and clean.”

If you're a fan of the hit reality TV show "Dancing with the Stars", then there's the perfect Royal Caribbean cruise for you.  Dancing With the Stars pros Chelsie Hightower, Tony Dovolani, and Elena Grinenko are inviting their fans to join them on a cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas.

The cruise takes place January 15-22, 2012 and departs Port Canaveral, Florida on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  

The cruise will feature

• Exclusive master dance classes for all ability levels
• Dance parties
• Photo and autograph sessions
• Private theme parties
• Q&A sessions
• Dining and socializing with fellow Dancing fans

In addition, one lucky cruise passenger will win a private one hour dance lesson with Tony and Chelsie.

If you're interested, you can learn more at dancestarscruise.com.

Photo by Daria Rebbecchi

Network: Planet Green

9:00pm: Ultimate Cruise Ship: Building of Freedom of the Seas (60 minutes)
The creation of the world's largest ocean liner.

10:00pm: Extreme Cruise Ship (60 minutes)
The largest passenger ship in the world; Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean will offer showings of Dreamwork Animations newest film "Kung Fu Panda 2" on some of their newest ships.

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas will have the new film playing onboard from June through August 2011. In addition, there will be  a series of red-carpet premieres aboard each ship, which will be celebrated onboard Oasis of the Seas on June 4, Freedom of the Seas and Allure of the Seas on June 5, and Liberty of the Seas on June 18.

In coordination with the new film, Royal Caribbean is rolling out a new promotion called “Pandamonium,” which is a cruise promotion aimed at families who are looking to cruise this summer.  The package is available onboard the four Royal Caribbean ships that feature the DreamWorks Experience, and includes VIP seating at one of the onboard “Kung Fu Panda 2” premieres, exclusive meet and greets with DreamWorks Animation characters, two soft drink packages, two cupcakes from the Cupcake Cupboard, a complimentary family photo and a chance for guests to build their own Pets at Sea plush animal. The Pandamonium package can be booked using the promotional code YNOTxxPO.