Hurricane Sandy went through Royal Caribbean's private island of CocoCay and despite some damage, the oasis for Royal Caribbean cruise passengers is open again.

Royal Caribbean spokesperson Cynthia Martinez talked about the damage the storm did to the island, "The island of Coco Cay was impacted by the storm, with damage being sustained to some of our facilities and the beach areas. Our Coco Cay team has been working diligently to prepare the island for our guests arrival."

Despite the damage, Majesty of the Seas called on CocoCay yesterday as scheduled and Monarch of the Seas is expected to also call on CocoCay today.

Bahamas Ministry Of Tourism director of cruise development, Carla Stuart, claims that Hurricane Sandy had cost Nassau alone a collective $927,000 in lost cruise spend and taxes.

Ms Stuart noted that vessel cancelations between Thursday to Saturday last week cost Nassau an estimated $742,000 in passenger spending, plus $185,000 in likely departure tax.

For a limited time, you can give the gift of a Royal Caribbean cruise for a future birthday, holiday or anniversary with Royal Incentive Rewards cruise certificates.

From November 1 through December 15, 2012, you can buy Royal Incentive Rewards certificates, which can be redeemed for a future cruise of your choice.  These certificates are essentially pre-paid cruise certificates that offer flexibility for the recipient to plan a trip at their convenience with the  ability to upgrade or transfer their certificate, and no expiration date.

Certificates come in increments of $50 USD, $100 USD, $250 USD, $500 USD, $1,000 USD, $1,500 USD, $1,700 USD and $2,000 USD.

Those purchasing the certificates can choose choose among a variety of Royal Incentive Rewards certificate levels for different cruise regions and itinerary lengths. Once the recipient is ready to redeem their certificate and book a cruise, they simply call the Royal Incentive Rewards Desk, and the cruise line will handle the rest.

Certificates can be purchased from your travel agent or at https://www.royalcaribbeancertificates.com.

Royal Caribbean is putting its 2013 cruises on sale for the month of November in an effort to spur holiday gifts of a cruise vacation.

Throughout the month of November, Royal Caribbean is offering $50 to $1,000 savings on all 2013 Bermuda, Bahamas, Caribbean, Canada, Europe and trans-Atlantic sailings.

For more information about eligible sailings and savings amounts, please visit http://www.RoyalCaribbean.com/together. Cruise must be booked from Nov. 1 through 30, 2012, and vacationers should state promotion code “SKC9” at time of booking or apply it to their booking by Nov. 30, 2012. Limit one offer per stateroom and additional restrictions apply.

Royal Caribbean is now offering weddings and vow renewals in a new program called "Sweethearts at Sea".  The Bahamas has cleared Royal Caribbean to conduct legal weddings aboard their cruise ships while at sea.  

Couples wishing to share this special moment with friends and family can enjoy the Sweethearts at Sea promotional offer, inclusive of a ceremony performed by the Captain, photography and more, when booking 12 or more staterooms on a 2013 Royal Caribbean International sailing during the special introductory offer.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the news, "Thanks to the support of the Bahamas, our guests can now be married during the course of their Royal Caribbean cruise and bask in the romance of the sea as they exchange their vows. Royal Caribbean's staff and crew will cater the affair with our world-renowned friendly and engaging Gold Anchor Service to help make the day extra special for the couple and their guests.”

Couples will work with the Royal Romance team of wedding specialists that will work with you to create an event that reflects the desires of the bride and groom.The Royal Romance team assists in wedding planning services, including any legal requirements pre-departure, and once onboard, the Royal Romance Coordinator ensures every last detail is taken care of for the special moment.

Brides and grooms looking to marry onboard a Royal Caribbean ship will be married in a manner that is legally recognized by the Bahamas through the newly passed Marriage Act. The act allows for marriages while in international waters, which is defined as outside the 12-mile limit of the territorial waters of any nation. The actual location of the ship when the marriage takes place is then recorded in the Marriage Record book of the Bahamas.

Couples have several customizable Royal Romance Package options that celebrate their big day and include all the essentials for creating the perfect wedding. For example, the Royal Romance at Sea package includes: the ceremony performed by the ship’s captain, a groom’s boutonniere, a rose bouquet for the bride, freshly-made cake, recorded music and a live soloist during ceremony, wine at the ceremony, dinner for the bride and groom at an onboard specialty restaurant, photography services, plus champagne and strawberries in the couple’s stateroom.

The Sweethearts at Seas promotion offers couples a complimentary Romance at Sea package when they share their happy memories with family and friends and their wedding party books 12 or more staterooms on a 2013 cruise of five nights or longer. Those couples booking 25 or more staterooms can enjoy the above, plus a complimentary stateroom upgrade, bar service and an hors d’oeuvres reception.

The Sweethearts at Seas is now available to be booked for cruises starting January 1, 2013. For more information about the Royal Romance Programvisit us at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/weddings or call 888-WED-RCCL (888-933-7225).

Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas stopped at the port of Boracay in the Phillippines for the first time this past Saturday, which was celebrated with an official ceremony welcoming the ship.  

The Philippine Governor of Aklan, Helen Catalbas met with Legend of the Seas' Captain  Yngvar Knutsen to give Legend of the Seas a traditional plaque and key during a ceremony held on the ship.  

Ms Marilen Sandejas-Yaptangco, Royal Caribbean’s International Representative in the Philippines said, “Boracay is a vibrant island which is rising in popularity amongst tourists in recent years. We are proud to add yet another destination in the Philippines to Legend of the Seas’ Asian itineraries, which will give our international guests more ways to discover this country.”

Legend of the Seas, which is conducting her final Asian season, stopped at Boacay as part of an 8-night Southeast Asia itinerary with calls at Xiamen, Manila and Kota Kinabalu.

Following Boracay, Legend of the Seas also called at Kota Kinabalu for the first time today. After this sailing, Legend of the Seas will be returning to Singapore for her final season, to complete her long-running Asian deployment in next April.

Royal Caribbean announced today that it is partnering with MGM Resorts International to create a strategic relationship that will offer members of both loyalty programs opportunities to more rewards.

Members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society and MGM's M life will receive new offers and benefits starting in January 2013.  

Crown and Anchor Society member will receive M life offers and benefits such as pre-sale access to tickets for A-list concerts and championship boxing matches, priority reservations, priority hotel check-in, room upgrades, VIP services and more, based on Tier Level.

Likewise, M life members will receive offers with a range of benefits when sailing with Royal Caribbean.  As members advance to the next M life Tier Level, their cruise offers and benefits will grow.

Royal Caribbean executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, Lisa Bauer, commented on the deal, "Whether on land or at sea, Crown & Anchor Society and M life members will enjoy unprecedented recognition for their dedication to our brands. We are delighted to be an M life preferred partner and welcome M life members aboard to experience our world-renowned Gold Anchor Service, innovative cruise ships, unexpected onboard amenities, and unforgettable itineraries to exciting destinations.”

Please welcome Marc Schwartz as he shares his review of 150 Central Park restaurant on Oasis of the Seas.

Background

My wife, Dianna, and I have been cruising since our honeymoon in 1981 and to date we have been on 9 cruises total, 5 on Royal Caribbean.

We have also more recently come to enjoy specialty dining, which is at an extra cost over the main dining room on the ships, but provides for a superior experience, both in food and service. On Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships, there are multiple options to choose from and I offer my thoughts on one of them here.

150 Central Park

150 Central Park (150), located on the Central Park area of the ships on Deck 8, is arguably the premiere specialty restaurant on the Oasis and the Allure and perhaps all of Royal Caribbean’s ships. The service charge for dinner at 150, as of this writing, is $40 per person (includes gratuities). There is an optional, 6-course dinner with wine pairing, for an additional $75 per person ($115 total per person, including gratuities).

The atmosphere is upscale and dress is recommended to be semi-formal to formal. I would also strongly urge that you make pre-cruise reservations unless you are doing a specialty dining package, where you may have to wait until you are onboard the ship to make some of the reservations.

On our Oasis and Allure cruises, we did the wine pairing both times and are not sorry that we did. The entire meal, from beginning to end was a wonderful experience with a selection of food and wines that was phenomenal. I would recommend planning at least two and a half to three hours for dinner, especially if you do the wine pairing, to give yourself sufficient time. Consider this if you have other after dinner plans, such as one of the ship’s shows, as you do not want to be rushed. During our first experience at 150 on the Oasis, we had planned to see the main theater show after dinner and only gave ourselves about two hours for dinner. Our server, Mladen, who is from Serbia, indicated that he could “speed things up for us”, but gently urged us to take our time to relax and enjoy the evening. I am glad that we elected to take his advice and see the show another day. We did not make the same scheduling mistake on the Allure.

Dinner

The dining experience starts with an optional, extra cost, Cucumber Martini. This is the signature drink at 150 and is only available there. I was hesitant at first, but had heard of the drink from friends before we sailed. It is a wonderful and refreshing pre-dinner palate cleanser, as the alcohol (Grey Goose Vodka) is very light. It would be too easy to have several of them, but save yourself for the wine. We liked them so much that we got the recipe from Mladen and now make them at home frequently.

Dinner then proceeds with a selection of breads, fresh butter and a wonderful assortment of flavored salts. Your server will introduce you to each salt, its country of origin and of course the flavor. Butter your piece of bread and sprinkle one of the salts over the butter to experience the unique flavors and textures. You may find that you like some and not others.

As dinner proceeded, each pour of wine was served just prior to the course it was to be paired with, as our server described the wine to us. Each bottle of wine was served using the Il Decantino decanting flask. We ended up buying one of the Royal Caribbean logoed Il Decantino units to take home with us and use it all the time with newly opened bottles of wine.

From that point on, we slowly enjoyed each course and the paired wine. The presentations were very fresh and colorful, appealing to your visual senses, as much as they would ultimately take over your nose, tongue and taste buds, all of which are of course, biologically intertwined. The size of each course is very typical for today’s internationally influenced, fine dining experiences. Sufficient to provide you with a enjoyable experience of each, while not being so large that you would find yourself filled before reaching the end of the meal.

Pumpkin Bread Gnocchi

Cheese Selection

Citrus-Chipotle Crab Salad

While enough time has now passed that I cannot comment in detail on each course, I will say that each was wonderful and I have no recollection of any particular course that I did not care for. They were each quite unique and provide an opportunity to expand your culinary horizons.

Our servers were not overbearing in their presence during the evening, but were exceptionally attentive and engaging.

Berkshire Pork two ways

Broiled Sablefish with dijon mustard

When time came for dessert, we took our time, enjoyed some coffee, an after dinner drink and of course, the dessert.

150 Central Park Candy Bar

Conclusion

If you have not already guessed, we would go to 150 Central Park again, without hesitation, on future cruises. Is it expensive? Of course, but it is a fine dining experience at sea that would compete with any similar land based experience. We paid $230 (at current pricing) for the two of us and some extra for an additional tip, for superior service. However, consider that a similar, land based, fine dining experience, with a wine pairing, would easily be over $400 for two, before a tip.

If you are taking a future cruise on the Oasis or the Allure and are considering experiencing specialty dining, I would urge you to include 150 in your plans. It’s that good.

The Fiji Health Ministry is reporting Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas has been the site of 51 cases of norovirus, which prompted health officials to quarantine the cruise ship as it was docked at Suva Wharf.

The ship, which has 2300 passengers and 870 crew, took measures immediately to combat the virus as soon as the crew received reports of cases.

Affected passengers have been isolated and no one is allowed to enter the quarantined area on the ship except the medical response team.

According to Doctor Joe Koroivueta, Rhapsody of the Seas will leave for Noumea, New Caledonia tonight.

Norovirus causes symptoms such as symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain.  It's spread from person to person, through contaminated food or water, and by touching contaminated surfaces.  It's important for every cruise passenger on every cruise ship to take steps to avoid getting norovirus.

Royal Caribbean is starting to take a look at the damage Hurricane Sandy has done to its private island of CocoCay in the Bahamas.

"The impact to the island of CocoCay from Hurricane Sandy was not severe, but requires a significant cleanup effort ahead of guest arrival. Guests will be able to enjoy most of the island, however due to significant beach erosion in one area of the island, that area will unfortunately not be accessible to guests. The majority of our shore excursions will be available."

The good news is the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism says things are nearly back to normal in Nassau and Freeport, where minimal damage was sustained.