St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Tourism Richard “Ricky” Skerritt announced that Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, will make a stop to St. Kitts in December 2011.

Allure will make a stop at the island's Port Zante cruise pier on December 30.

Royal Caribbean's vice president of Government Relations, Michael Ronan, is excited about the news of bringing Allure to St. Kitts for the first time, "Royal Caribbean International is delighted to bring the world-renowned Allure of the Seas to St. Kitts. While Allure of the Seas is the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship, the ship’s ports of call are also very important to our guests. We look forward to bringing more of them to beautiful and vibrant St. Kitts."

Royal Caribbean now expects 45 ports of call to St. Kitts in the 2011-2012 season by its ships, doubling the 2010-2011 season when just 20 calls were made there.

Royal Caribbean announced it will partner with FUNA International to provide stereoscopic 3D digital cinema to Royal Caribbean's brand new Allure of the Seas.  Thanks to Royal Caribbean's partnership with Dreamworks Animation, the deal with FUNA will make it possible for guests on Allure of the Seas to enjoy all the current 3D DreamWorks titles as well as other 3D movies, in the ship's Amber Theater.

Christopher Vlassopulos, Entertainment Technology and Technical Direction for Royal Caribbean International had this to say about the new deal, "We called upon FUNA and their team to come up with creative technical design solutions in a number of areas including physical placement, additional cooling and power and integration with the existing audio system, and the result is a 3D movie experience as good as or better than any land-based theater.  On testing the finished product, people at the highest level at Barco [projection supplier], DreamWorks and Dolby [sound system supplier] were 'blown away' with the result. We wanted to do a good job but to impress them out of the gate was a real bonus and obviously something the guest will really enjoy. It looks and sounds great."

In addition to Allure of the Seas, other Royal Caribbean ships are set to receieve the 3D theater upgrade. Vlassopulos confirmed that Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas will reveive the 3D upgrade.

In addition to the new theater, FUNA has provided technical design, engineering, integration and consulting for entertainment, display and communications in most of the theaters, restaurants, clubs, and public spaces - as well as the crew recreation and support areas.

Jamaican authorities arrested two Royal Caribbean crew members after finding cocaine while Grandeur of the Seas was docked in Montego Bay.

Customs agents discovered 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of drugs in one of the crew members cain and 15 kilograms (33 pounds) in another cabin on the ship Grandeur of the Seas,

Royal Caribbean said in a statement. The ship had just arrived on Wednesday from the Colombian port of Cartagena. Cynthia Martinez, Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, said both crew members are Jamaicans and that the company is cooperating with authorities in the investigation

Heavy fog on Sunday at the ports of Houston and Galveston, Texas delayed the arrival of Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas.  Officials said the fog caused hours of delays before she could dock.

Due to the fog, Voyager of the Seas was not able to dock on Sunday on time.  This resulted in a day shortened cruise for the cruise that was supposed to depart on Sunday afternoon.  Passengers were able to board on Sunday evening but the ship wasn't ready to leave until Monday according to a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman.  While the ship will now be a day shorter in duration, it will still make all 3 stops that were originally scheduled in Roatan, Belize and Cozumel.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas became the first ship to dock at the brand new port of Falmouth in Jamaica, located between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, which opened unofficially on Thursday after several months delays .

The construction of the port results from a joint effort between Royal Caribbean and the government of Jamaica, whose opening was scheduled for last May, but construction delays pushed consecutive opening and forced to change routes of Allure of the Seas & Oasis of the Seas to visit Costa Maya in Mexico.

The official opening of the port is scheduled for March 22 when the Oasis of the Seas will make its first stop there, says a statement from Royal Caribbean. The new port will still receive the scales of the Freedom of the Seas on February 23, Navigator of the Seas on the 24th of this month and the Allure of the Seas on March 30.

In a statement Royal Caribbean says Historic Falmouth is the first port theme and a gateway to more than 60 experiments land on the north coast of Jamaica, including the Good Hope Great House, Dolphin Cove and Dunn's River Falls, Appleton Estate or Rafting on Martha Rae.

Thanks to SoloPolo Kidrealtype Anderson for the photos!

Royal Caribbean International's Voyager of the Seas today became the first ship to call at Historic Falmouth port. Situated between the popular cruise ports of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, Historic Falmouth is the first-ever thematic cruise port and is also a convenient gateway for guests to embark on more than 60 exhilarating land experiences along the north coast of Jamaica. Additionally, restoration throughout the town of Falmouth offer guests a wide selection of cultural and historic experiences.

"We are delighted to see Voyager of the Seas make the first-ever ship call at Historic Falmouth," said Craig Milan, senior vice president of Land Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "By partnering with the Port Authority of Jamaica, we are working to deliver our shared vision of Falmouth's rebirth. Together, we are bringing the town's historic sites to life and integrating the culture and authenticity of this destination into a superior guest experience."

The grand opening celebrations of Historic Falmouth port will take place on March 22, 2011 when Oasis of the Seas makes her maiden call into the port. Other Royal Caribbean ships that will be calling at Historic Falmouth include Freedom of the Seas on Feb. 23; Navigator of the Seas on Feb. 24; and Allure of the Seas debuting on March 30. Guests can experience a diverse variety of shore excursions at an additional cost while at Historic Falmouth, including:

• Good Hope Great House: located fifteen minutes from Falmouth, guests can choose from the new horse & carriage ride, river-tubing, ATV exploring, among others, on this former 18th century Jamaican plantation.
• Dolphin Cove & Dunn's River Falls: adventure seekers can climb Dunn's River Falls; zip-line through the lush rainforest canopy or wind down the mountainside on a Jamaican bobsled at Mystic Mountain; or swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Cove.
• Appleton Estate: after a scenic drive through the Cockpit Country and Bamboo Avenue, guests can indulge in one of Falmouth's old-world delicacies by learning to make rum and sampling different aged rums.
• Rafting on Martha Brae: located five minutes from Falmouth, guests can enjoy a tranquil ride on a 30-foot bamboo raft.

"Falmouth has an important place in the cultural history of Jamaica. It is especially rewarding for us to use that history as an entree for a new generation of guests," said Hon Mike Henry, Jamaica's Minister of Transport and Works, who has portfolio responsibility for cruise shipping. "Our sights have always been set on being the preeminent cruise destination, and with the best-in-class berthing facilities at the Historic Falmouth port, we'll now easily welcome the world's largest ships."

The revitalization of Historic Falmouth is a multi-phased development project with the first phase near completion offering a two-berth pier, retail and restaurant services as well as a transportation center. Subsequent phases will include onsite attractions and experiences, hotel and residential developments, as well as additional retail and restaurant options. The town also has many prominent houses, shops and public buildings built in the 18th and 19th centuries that are still standing, but are in need of refurbishment. The restoration and preservation of several historic buildings in Falmouth is currently underway.

Falmouth was founded in 1790 from land owned by Edward Barrett. His granddaughter Elizabeth Barrett Browning would later be celebrated as one of the greatest poets in the English language. At that time Jamaica was the world's leading sugar producer, and this was most evident in Falmouth with more than 80 sugar estates nearby. The town was meticulously mapped out in the Colonial tradition, with streets named after British royalty and heroes—King Street, Queen Street, Rodney Street (after 18th century naval leader Admiral Lord George Rodney) and Wellington Street (after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington). The remarkable density of historic Georgian architectural buildings, which residents have lived in and maintained, is reflective of the town's rich heritage. Its public amenities included the first piped water supply system in the Western Hemisphere, established in 1799. The town prospered throughout the first half of the 19th century and was the birthplace of the abolition slavery movement. Falmouth was the site of many revolts, and many of the buildings in the town served as safe houses for those who had escaped. In fact, a prominent Falmouth reverend, William Knibb, whose house still stands in the town, was granted Jamaica's highest civil honor, the Order of Merit, in 1988, 150 years after the abolition of slavery. 

The port of Falmouth in Jamaica is set to welcome its first cruise ship today after years of construction and some recent delays.  Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas will dock at 8:00am and be the first ship to dock here since Royal Caribbean and the town of Falmouth planned to build a brand new cruise port in this historic port.  

It's been 50 years since the last cruse ship visited Falmouth but today's arrival will bring 3,000 tourists to the town that used to be a center for sugar production in the hemisphere.  

Construction isn't 100% complete yet and wont be until sometime in June 2011, but enough is done so that ships can stop here.

Jes Olsen, manager of the development project at Falmouth is excited for the new first stop, "The project is at a stage where it can accommodate cruise ships, even the world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, which is expected to call at the Falmouth port in the month of March".

Royal Caribbean signed an agreement with Royal Media Partners, LLC to provide Royal Caribbean ships sailing in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, New England, Mexico and Alaska stateroom television programming, port shopping services, publish and other onboard media ideas.  The new venture will put a big emphasis on entertainment and technology that is interactive.  The new deal begins October 1, 2011.

Royal Media Partners President Philip Levine is excited about the new partnership, "We are very excited to once again be working with the team at Royal Caribbean International and to not only increase revenue for the port shopping program, but to be a partner in driving all onboard revenue."

The new port shopping program will feature destination TV programming brought directly to guests’ staterooms. Guests wishing to plan their shopping day at port will be able to access pre-cruise, web-based port shopping and concierge information, as well as live shopping talks on demand once onboard. By creating mobile applications especially for Royal Caribbean, guests may retrieve real time port shopping information and up-to-date values and specials from the comfort of their smart phones or other mobile devices. In addition, a customized Royal Caribbean International Magazine will feature lifestyle content and photography.

Royal Caribbean continues its project of promoting social lunches for organizations located in ports where its ships make stops, this time in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

About 70 senior citizens attended with social worker Sister Dulce.  They came aboard Vision of the Seas in El Salvador and were excited to board the ship for the first time. In Rio de Janeiro, almost 60 children from the NGO Viva Cazuza and Child Health also had lunch on the ship.

This program of social outreach started in December and continues today, "The action represents a way found by the company to contribute to the work done by these entities and offer a chance, unknown to many, to meet a ship and live an unforgettable holiday experience," says the CEO of Royal Caribbean in Brazil, Ricardo Amaral.

Thursday will mark the first cruise ship stop at Falmouth, Jamaica, the new port project that Royal Caribbean has spearheaded to build. Falmouth's opening has been delayed due to construction falling behind schedule but on February 17, Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas will be the first ship to stop at Falmouth and local businesses can't wait.

Joy Laesch, president of the newly formed Trelawny Art and Craft and Entertainment Association, which comprises some 300 of the parish's craft vendors, says locals are ready, "We are prepared spiritually, mentally, and physically. Persons from all walks of life are now seeing the benefits of the trade. There is going to be big demand for local craft items."

The members of the association have been making their own preparations, which includes formal training, with lessons in business and entrepreneurship covering how to manage a business, balance the books, marketing, and customer care.  In addition, the vendors are prepared to operate their businesses in an orderly manner and rotate vendors so that the first 100 craft vendors will sell their goods to guests on Voyage of the Seas on Thursday and another 100 or so will do business when Oasis of the Seas arrives in March.