Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas rescued 23 Cuban refugees during a cruise last week near Jamaica.

The Cubans were originally from the Manzanillo and Bayamo areas and were trying to reach Honduras but had been traveling in their makeshift boat for three weeks.  The group was spotted with binoculars the approximately 14ft boat bobbing four miles away.

Crew aboard Oasis of the Seas donated clothing to the people before they were turned over to Mexican immigration officials.

19 men and four women were brought on board the Oasis and kept in the conference room on the third deck until the ship docked in Cozumel, Mexico on Thursday.

Royal Caribbean has outlined its plans for cruises to Europe in 2013 and it will include sending Liberty of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas, among other ships, to Europe for the season.

Royal Caribbean calls for stopping in 30 ports and features 121 sailings over 25 itineraries.

Royal Caribbean had previously announced Independence of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas were being deployed to Southampton, England, and now there are more ships that will be sent as well. Royal Caribbean plans to have these five ships ready for bookings with additional deployments in the region that will be announced later this month.

Royal Caribbean vice president Dominic Paul commented on the plans, "Royal Caribbean International is the perfect choice for couples and families to experience and share all the wonders, flavours and colours of Europe. Liberty of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Serenade of the Seas already offer holidaymakers so many things that other operators do not, such as the DreamWorks Experience onboard Liberty of the Seas, or a real ice-skating rink featuring breath-taking shows onboard Navigator of the Seas and even self-levelling pool tables onboard Serenade of the Seas."

Royal Caribbean announced today that it has nominated Ann S. Moore, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Time Inc, to its board of directors.  The election will be held at the Company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 31, 2012.

If elected, Ms. Moore will serve for a three-year term, and the Board will expand from 11 to 12 members.

Royal Caribbean's Cupcake Cupboard restaurant that is found on many of its ships has inspired a new cookbook that the cruise line has launched all about cupcake recipes as well as ice cream flavors.

"Cupcakes & Scoops" features recipes for $34.95 and can be purchased aboard Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas as well as online.

Included with the book is 1 apron, 1 piping bag, 3 piping tips, 25 regular cupcake liners, 25 mini cupcake liners and 12 decorative picks.

Royal Caribbean has also indicated that a $1 donation from each book sold will be benefit the cruise line’s charitable partner Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Royal Caribbean's first quarter bookings in the Middle East have surged up despite some concern around the world with the state of cruise ship safety.

Royal Caribbean believes the uptick in bookings can be attributed to a recent marketing initiative that worked to increase awareness among potential travellers in the region.

Royal Caribbean Executive Director for the Middle East Lakshmi Durai commented on the good news, "We are 30 per cent up, first quarter to first quarter [last year]. We still have a huge population that is [yet] to experience cruising, so potential is high. Awareness is being created."

The cruise industry is also playing an increasingly important role in the UAE's tourism growth strategies. Growth over the past decade has been phenomenal in the sector. In 2001, Dubai received just 6,900 passengers on a handful of cruises that stopped in the emirate. Now, the UAE is considered to be the regional hub for the industry and last year Dubai received about 135 cruise ships with 375,000 tourists, according to figures from the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

By 2015, Dubai hopes to attract 180 cruise calls, carrying 625,000 passengers. In October, the emirate announced plans to build a cruise terminal to accommodate the expected growth in the number of passengers.

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas arrived at New Mangalore, India today and is the first cruise vessel of 2012-13.

S. Gopalakrishna, Traffic Manager of New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), said this is the largest cruise vessel ever handled at the port.

P. Tamilvanan, Chairman of NMPT, and the Traffic Manager, interacted with the Captain of the vessel. Dr Tamilvanan said that he got a good feedback on the world class facilities available at the cruise lounge, neat and tidy berth area, and immigration facility from the ship operators.

Royal Caribbean will offer its passengers the French wine Chateau Lafite Rothschild aboard its cruise ships.  

This experience includes one hour of the discovery of four distinct wines: Special Reserve Bordeaux Blanc and Bordeaux Red, Special Reserve Medoc and Pauillac Special Reserve. These four wines illustrate the richness of the Bordeaux appellations. The session, led by a sommelier from the company, is both educational and entertaining. Explanation of the Bordeaux region, winemakers and wine pairings will stake out this moment of conviviality.

This wine courses can be booked in advance in travel agencies, or directly on board.  

Royal Caribbean presented a plan to Uruguay authorities of an exclusive terminal for their ships at the port of Montevideo, which would include a hotel and would involve a total investment of 40 million dollars.

El Pais reports that the Administration National Port Authority (NPA) and the Ministry of Tourism are studying the tourism investment project presented by Royal Caribbean to define an area exclusively for the cruise ship docking at the port of Montevideo and to build a hotel on an adjoining block.

Royal Caribbean looked at investing in Uruguay eight years ago when it considered building a cruise terminal in South America.  After considering their options, Royal Caribbean opted to go to ports in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires due to costs.

The site of the proposed cruise terminal is an area currently used for shipping, the public moorings A and B of the port of Montevideo, which operates the ANP.

Pacheco said that "initially build a lightweight terminal that also include the actual building of the Ministry of Tourism, which will have to relocate elsewhere, as suggested by the authorities," adding that Royal Caribbean would seek access to a block adjacent to the building the PA to build a hotel on four floors with 200 rooms.

"The idea is to make a base port to embark and disembark passengers from different countries of the company," he said, adding that the shipping company also plans to build in that area a place to set up shopping malls and cultural centers. Similarly, although not official, Royal Caribbean would be interested in a larger project in Punta del Este .

After a month in dry dock in Singapore, Rhapsody of the Seas has completed a $54 million revitalization.  Royal Caribbean characterized the refurbishment as, "deliver guests a host of exciting new dining options, visually stunning entertainment and unique amenities after the ship's bow-to-stern transformation."

Royal Caribbean senior vice president of marketing, Betsy O'Rourke, commented on the refubishment, "Rhapsody of the Seas' dry dock is part of Royal Caribbean's multi-ship enhancement and revitalization strategy to deliver the world's most innovative cruise ships, exciting itineraries and world-renowned Gold Anchored service to our guests, also known as the Royal Advantage.  With every inch of Rhapsody of the Seas renewed, five new dining restaurants added, the evolution of entertainment in our iconic Centrum, plus an array of new touches, guests will be wowed by what is virtually a new ship."

The complete list of changes to Rhapsody of the Seas includes

• Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• a Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty members
• a Concierge Lounge for suite guests and top-tier loyalty guests
• Completely refreshed staterooms
• Wi-Fi availability throughout the ship
• Flat-panel televisions in all staterooms
• Outdoor LED movie screen on the pool deck
• a digital way-finding system
• Reinvented Centrum

New restaurants aboard Rhapsody of the Seas include

• Giovanni's Table (lunch, $15, and dinner, $20)
• Izumi Asian Cuisine restaurant (lunch and dinner, $3.00 cover charge for lunch and $5.00 for dinner plus a la carte menu pricing)
• Park Cafe deli-style restaurant (open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, complimentary)
• Chop's Grille steakhouse (dinner, $30 per person)
• Chef's Table (dinner, $95 per person)

The oldest ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet, Monarch of the Seas, will be transferred to sister company Pullmantur Cruises in April 2013.

Monarch of the Seas, built in 1991, was sailing 3 and 4 night cruises out of Port Canaveral to the Bahamas and will conduct its last sailing on March 29, 2013.

Royal Caribbean will announce a replacement for Monarch in the next few months.\

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the news, "She will go on creating wonderful travel memories through her final sailings for our brand through next March and then continue doing the same for Pullmantur's guests."