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Panama structures ready for cruise season

In:
Ports Grandeur of the Seas Panama
13 Sep 2010

Panama is preparing its port facilities and tourism services for the cruise season that begins in October, with aspirations to outperform the previous period, according to Panamanian sources.

Data from the Tourism Authority show that in the activity of this modality for the 2009-2010 period there were 246 trips from various destinations in the Caribbean and the U.S..
 
More than 300 000 passengers arrived in Panamanian ports, a figure that can be left behind if they meet forecasts for the coming season.
 
So far it is anticipated that at least seven companies are responsible for providing that option, and two of them (Pullmantour and Royal Caribbean International) used at the port of Colon in the province of the same name as the base.
 
Pullmantour operate with the ship Ocean Dream (thousand 422 passengers) to offer 36 departures between October this year and July 2011.
 
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean will use the ship Grandeur of the Seas, with capacity for two thousand 466 tourists and 25 trips scheduled to come November to April next year.
 
In addition to the benefits of this modality to the ports, joins the positive impact on hotels and airlines because of the demand for accommodation and transportation.

Royal Caribbean will send more ships to Europe

In:
News Ports Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas Mariner of the Seas Brilliance of the Seas Europe Grandeur of the Seas
24 Aug 2010

Royal Caribbean is planning on sending in the summer of 2011 as many cruise ships to Europe as ever before. Eleven ships will be in operation in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, the company said in Frankfurt, Germany.

That's three more ships than in the current summer season 2010. Also announced, the Brilliance of the Seas in the winter season 2011/12  will be reinstated in the Persian Gulf. The first tour to/from Dubai begins in November 2011 and that two months earlier than in the coming winter season.
 
For the first time this side of the Atlantic, Liberty of the Seas with space for up to 3634 guests, will be traveling in the summer of 2011 the 339 meters long, . It belongs to the second largest class of ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet and will travel from Barcelona to the western Mediterranean. Also for the first time in Europe is Grandeur of the Seas (279 meters, 2446 passengers), with a base port in the Palma de Mallorca. In Genoa, Mariner of the Seas begins the third Euro-novice their travels.

Grandeur of the Seas possibly to skip Key West

In:
Hurricane Grandeur of the Seas Key West
22 Jul 2010

UPDATE: Guests aboard Grandeur of the Seas reporting they will skip Key West.

Due to a tropical storm Tropical Storm Bonnie brewing near the Bahams right now, there is a possibility that Grandeur of the Seas, which departed today, may not be able to dock in Key West. It has left port in Fort Lauderdale but a statement by Royal Caribbean had this to say about what lays ahead:

"According to the most recent weather forecasts, the ship will be able to depart on time and head south to Key West, Florida. However, U.S Coast Guard has closed the Port of Key West until tropical storm force winds have subsided. If the Port of Key West has not reopened by early tomorrow morning, Grandeur of the Seas will be unable to make its scheduled port of call there tomorrow. Should the ship be unable to visit Key West, Grandeur of the Seas will spend the day at sea tomorrow, sailing directly to Cozumel, Mexico, where it will arrive earlier than scheduled on Saturday."

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