Dr. Kenneth Howard of Rome, Georgia won the Royal Caribbean Cruise for Cash May 31st drawing from the Georgia Lottery.  His windfall includes a seven-night cruise for two aboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

"I’m extremely excited. I’ve never been on a cruise before."

The Georgia Lottery allows players to enter a non-winning Cruise for Cash instant ticket into the Second Chance drawing for another chance to win a seven-night cruise aboard a Royal Caribbean ship. 

Howard says he will take his wife on the cruise with him, where they will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary next year.

The Port of Miami is working on a plan that would allow it to handle Oasis of the Seas sized ships and compete better with other ports, such as its neighbor to the north, Port Everglades.

A $250 million plan is still being kept under wraps but would center around upgrading the cruise facility to handle larger ships.  In addition it would include the construction of a "multi-terminal — a single terminal that can accommodate more than one cruise vessel," according to Kevin Lynskey, port director of business initiatives.

Work on any new terminal wouldn't start for at least four of five years according to Lynskey.  He also believes the Caribbean cruise market will continue to grow yearly over the next 10 years.

A greater issue would be how the new project would be financed.  Currently the port owes a little more than $490 million in debt with revenues at around $110-115 million.

After 21 days in dry dock, Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas has completed its $19 million "revitalization" program, where the ship has received a number of upgrades aimed at keeping the ship relevant and desirable in a market of cruise ships that increasingly offer more options.

The ship's upgrades include new dining concepts, entertainment options, children's programming and technology advancements that were first developed for Royal Caribbean's newest ships, Oasis and Allure of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean senior vice president, Hotel Operations Lisa Bauer believes the upgrades to Radiance will make it more desirable to guests, "Radiance of the Seas' drydock is part of Royal Caribbean's multi-ship enhancement and revitalization strategy to deliver the Royal Advantage to our guests.  The Royal Advantage comprises some of the industry's most innovative onboard amenities, programs and Gold Anchor Service that make up the most contemporary cruise vacation. By introducing almost all of the same specialty restaurants that can currently be found onboard Allure of the Seas as well some of the Oasis-class ships' most popular concepts to Radiance of the Seas, guests can enjoy a variety of brand new onboard experiences."

Changes to ship include

• Addition of Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• 12 newly added accommodations – one family, five interior and six exterior staterooms
• Technology enhancements that include Wi-Fi availability throughout the ship and flat-panel interactive televisions in all staterooms
• a new Concierge Lounge for suite guests
• a Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society members
• the Quill and Compass Pub
• an outdoor LED video wall overlooking the main pool area

The new restaurants onboard Radiance include:

• Boardwalk Dog House: Guests can choose from traditional hot dogs, wieners, brats, sausages and other delicious linked meats and a variety of toppings to split a long bun (open for lunch and dinner, complimentary)
• Giovanni's Table: An Italian trattoria featuring Italian classics served family-style (open for lunch, $15, and dinner, $20)
• Izumi: Featuring mouthwatering flavors and a sushi bar with hot-rock cooking, the pan Asian cuisine restaurant is a no-hassle, authentic dining experience (open for lunch and dinner, $3.00 cover charge for lunch and $5.00 for dinner plus a la carte menu pricing)
• Park Cafe: An indoor/outdoor gourmet market featuring salads, sandwiches, soups and pastries (open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, complimentary)
• Rita's Cantina: A casual yet vibrant indoor/outdoor restaurant, catering to families by day, and adults by night; offering traditional Mexican fare, a comprehensive selection of margaritas and live guitar music and dancing for evening entertainment (open for lunch and dinner, $3 cover charge and a la carte menu pricing)
• Samba Grill: Styled after popular Brazilian steakhouses, the churrascaria is an interactive experience where guests choose from a variety of meats, chicken and seafood brought table-side by servers, ready to slice and serve upon request (open for dinner, $25 per person)
• Chef's Table: An exclusive and private experience co-hosted by the executive Chef and Sommelier for a wine pairing dinner of five courses (open for dinner, $95 per person).

Now that Radiance is out of dry dock, she will embark upon  alternating, seven-night Southbound and Northbound Alaska itineraries before repositioning for its first winter 2011 season to Australia and New Zealand.

The next ship to receive upgrades will be Splendour of the Seas in October 2011.

Judge Marc Schumacher, of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, came down hard on Royal Caribbean for a hydrogen sulfide leak aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas that killed three crew members and injured 19 others.

The Judge said, "Royal Caribbean’s actions demonstrated a gross indifference to the life and health of not only the plaintiff but other passengers onboard the Monarch of the Seas when it continued to cruise with measures that allowed poison gas exposure to its passengers."

Furthermore, Schumacher felt Royal Caribbean "failed to take reasonable measures to prevent exposure" to the poison gas.

The criticism comes after seeing photos taken during a Coast Guard investigation of the incident document the "extensive corrosion" they say they found in engine room pipes where the leak originated.  The Coast Guarded concluded that "early signs… of hazardous H2S gas …were missed."

A 57 year old disabled woman was airlifted from Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas on Saturday after she became critically ill.

A spokesman for Portland, UK Coast guard said the passenger was wheelchair bound with little mobility and the airlift was called for by the ship's captain because of her critical condition.

As of yesterday morning, the woman is in stable condition at Dorset County Hospital.

Evidently there was an issue with the airlift, as Independence of the Seas had left Southampton, England on its way to Gibraltar.  The airlift had issues because the woman and her wheelchair were too heavy and the ship’s helicopter landing pad was too light for the helicopter.  The helicopter had to return to base to refuel before returning to Independence of the Seas to finally get the woman.

Royal Caribbean has secured the necessary funds for it's next class of ships, dubbed "Project Sunshine".  According to cruise industry expert Stewart Chiron, Royal Caribbean has secured $779.35 million.

For the price, Royal Caribbean will receive a ship that will weigh in at 158,000 tons and accommodate 4,100 passengers. 

The Project Sunshine ships will be built  with German shipyard Meyer Werft, with whom Royal Caribbean has a formal agreement already.  The first ship should be delivered in 2014. The agreement also allows for an option for a second ship for delivery in spring 2015.

Development officials from Royal Caribbean met with Savannah Alderman Tony Thomas and Acting Assistant City Manager Marty Johnston earlier this week after Royal Caribbean learned the city was interested exploring the possibility of bringing a cruise line to the city.

The meeting was merely an introduction but part of a first step.  Savannah officials are planning to meet with two other cruise companies later this month before making a decision.

City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney's thoughts on the meeting were good, “That’s very encouraging when cruise lines are trying to seek out Savannah and saying, ‘What is happening?’”.

The city of Savannah is once again interested in luring a cruise line to stop in the city after seeing the success that nearby Charleston, South Carolina has had with its foray into cruising.

Cruising site Cruise Critic held its first annual Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards, where it polled its readers on a number of topics related to cruising and Royal Caribbean did exceptionally well, especially in the large ship category.  

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas proved to be a real winner with fans as it swept the large-ship class with three category wins, as well as the top ranking for the overall category of Best Large Cruise Ship.

Royal Caribbean's winnings weren't limited to just Oasis of the Seas, it did very well in a number of category including the "Best Overall Cruisers' Choice Award", where four out of the top five ships were Royal Caribbean ships.

Here are the results where Royal Caribbean finished well in

Best Large Cruise Ships – 2,000+ passengers

1. Oasis of the Seas
2. Serenade of the Seas
3. Celebrity Equinox
4. Allure of the Seas
5. Freedom of the Seas
6. Celebrity Solstice 
7. Celebrity Eclipse
8. Golden Princess
9. Liberty of the Seas
10. Jewel of the Seas

• Freedom of the Seas (5th)
• Liberty of the Seas (8th)

Best for Dining– 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (4th)
• Serenade of the Seas (6th)

Best for Embarkation - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (1st)
• Serenade of the Seas (2nd)
• Allure of the Seas (6th)

Best for Entertainment - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (1st)
• Allure of the Seas (2nd)
• Freedom of the Seas (4th)
• Voyager of the Seas (9th)
• Liberty of the Seas (10th)

Best for Families - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (1st)
• Liberty of the Seas (2nd)
• Mariner of the Seas (6th)

Best for Fitness  - 2,000+ passengers

• Liberty of the Seas (1st)
• Freedom of the Seas (2nd)
• Oasis of the Seas (3rd)
• Independence of the Seas (4th)
• Serenade of the Seas (7th)
• Mariner of the Seas (8th)
• Jewel of the Seas (10th)

Best for Public Rooms - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (2nd)
• Serenade of the Seas (3rd)
• Freedom of the Seas (6th)
• Allure of the Seas (7th)

Best for Service  - 2,000+ passengers

• Serenade of the Seas (1st)
• Oasis of the Seas (3rd)
• Freedom of the Seas (4th)
• Allure of the Seas (7th)
• Mariner of the Seas (8th)
• Voyager of the Seas (9th)
• Jewel of the Seas (10th)

Best for Shore Excursions - 2,000+ passengers

• Serenade of the Seas (6th)
• Voyager of the Seas (10th)

Best for Value - 2,000+ passengers

• Monarch of the Seas (5th)
• Radiance of the Seas (6th)
• Majesty of the Seas (10th)

The big news today is Voyager of the Seas is going to China in 2012 but after she is done in China, Royal Caribbean is sending Voyager of the Seas to Australia for a while, where she will dwarf any other cruise ship that has ever been based in that country.

Voyager of the Seas will offer cruises for five months that will sail out of Sydney and Fremantle, Australia beginning in November 2012.  Cruises will offer itineraries that will visit destinations in the South Pacific including New Zealand and Australia.

Royal Caribbean's addition of Voyager of the Seas will add another ship to Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas, which has been offering cruises in Australia for a number of years already.

Speaking at the Shanghai International Conference Center in China, Royal Caribbean executives announced that Voyager of the Seas will be going to China in June of 2012.

The 3,114-guest mega cruise ship is double the size of any other cruise ship in the Asia-Pacific region and will offer itineraries ranging in length from four to ten nights and will address the burgeoning cruise industry in the country. Voyager of the Seas will serve to also attract cruise guests from around the world to visit China as they sail around Asia.

Royal Caribbean's CEO Adam Goldstein is excited about the move, "Our brand's strategy for China is to leverage Royal Caribbean International's leading position in the market by offering innovative ships and customized services. And we look forward to working with our travel partners and helping to grow the cruise economy in China."

In addition to Voyager of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas will return to China and homeport in Shanghai in March of 2012.  Both ships will be worked on to offer products tailored to Chinese guests such as more Chinese language services, authentic Chinese food and culturally appropriate recreational activities and duty-free items.

Voyager of the Seas will depart for Sydney, Australia in October.