O3b Networks announced it has signed a multi-year deal worth multi-millions of dollars to provide Royal Caribbean with high-speed satellite-delivered broadband service.  By the summer of 2013, Oasis of the Seas will benefit from O3b's enhanced connectivity at sea that claims it will be like being connected to fiber at home or in the office.

Royal Caribbean will be the first cruise company to utilize O3b's new maritime offering O3b Maritime, which delivers the reach of satellite and the speed and latency of fiber at a fraction of the cost of conventional providers. O3b is enabling maritime service providers to offer affordable fiber-like capacity across the Caribbean and ocean regions around the world. Providing unparalleled bandwidth, O3b's steerable satellite beams will provide cruise industry passengers ultra-fast Internet communications throughout their voyage.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the deal, "Royal Caribbean is committed to delivering the most contemporary vacation to our guests, and that includes pushing ahead for onboard technological advances that offer the modern conveniences that guests enjoy on land. This milestone agreement with O3b Networks enables us to provide our guests with unprecedented Internet service at sea aboard Oasis of the Seas and potentially in the future aboard other ships in our fleet."

Royal Caribbean is warning passengers on the Majesty of the Seas cruise out of Miami, Florida on June 25 that there could be delays related to the Miami Heat victory parade.

The victory parade for the NBA champion Miami Heat is scheduled for the same day the ship is scheduled to depart. Some of the victory parade festivities will take place in the downtown Miami area and include streets that provide access to the Port of Miami.

Royal Caribbean is advising anyone on the ship to give extra time prior to embarkation.  The ship's 4:30 p.m. departure will not be delayed due to traffic. As a reminder, all guests must be checked in and onboard the ship 60 minutes prior to sail time.

Radiance sailing into Fremantle Harbour (Perth Western Australia) by Murray Back

July first marks the one year anniversary of Royal Caribbean adding a subsidiary in France.  For months, Royal Caribbean has been marketing to support sales and now they are seeing those efforts taking shape with the first cruises to French ports.

On June 3rd, Liberty of the Seas made her inaugural visit to Marseilles and Toulon harbor.  Liberty of the Seas is the largest ship operating in Europe and this summer will offer 21 cruises from France.

On July 5th, another Royal Caribbean ship, Brilliance of the Seas, will make its first stop at Le Havre and head for the Norwegian fjords.  Following her will be the recently refurbished Grandeur of the Seas, which will begin with a stop in Marseilles.

Frederic Martinez, CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises France, is happy with the progress the company has made, "We are very happy because ships arrive, they can be seen and tested by customers."

Overall, this year, the company will offer 27 cruises from French ports for a target of 30 to 35,000 passengers. This is less than the expected 40 to 45,000 customers at the launch of the French subsidiary, but Royal Caribbean was forced to reduce the estimates because of a difficult environment and the impact of the Costa Concordia disaster.

"We had one year in the form of a challenge because of the events he was forced to cash. Our growth has remained strong because we are still small, we have established a subsidiary in France there are less than a year, compared to the previous situation, our offer is much stronger because of departures from French ports. Nevertheless, we still felt a slowdown from February to early April. Also noteworthy is that the economic context is not famous. The crisis in the euro area can be felt in all European markets and, like others, the French are watching their budget. But now the market is very strong, although it has been boosted with blows of promotions, which is good for customers but not so good for owners, whose margins are reduced. This also causes a visibility problem because many customers wait until the last minute to book, hoping to get a better price, "says Frederic Martinez.

Royal Caribbean's boss in France believes, that the very aggressive pricing policy practiced in recent months by different companies, which forces Royal Caribbean's hand, should not last: "It's a real issue. We had an exceptional year and it was therefore necessary to sustain demand by offering very attractive. But we must not repeat this indefinitely and make reference price. Because this approach is not economically viable, at least maintaining a high level of quality, what we want. " 

Microsoft's recent announcement of upcoming Windows 8 tablets will cause some businesses to take a look at their tablets in business. The new Microsoft Surface tablet may have some novelty to it right now but is it enough to get companies to change?

Royal Caribbean CIO Bill Martin made the decision to put iPads in every stateroom in its most recently renovated ship.  When asked why Martin chose iPads, he responded, "That's what the hotel team wanted."  However, Martin did note that the choice could change in time if viable Windows tablets came into the market and Android tablets gained in popularity and stability.

If companies like Royal Caribbean are going to invest in a new tablet deployment, such as giving them to all of their salespeople, the company will need to know that the tablet they choose will be supported and around for a while.  Apple doesn't provide the kind of long-term product roadmap IT teams are used to getting for enterprise software, server, and PC lines. But for Martin at Royal Caribbean, the lack of a roadmap wasn't a big issue. "It's more around our confidence that the product has a viable life," he said. Apple's iPad has that.

Royal Caribbean will support the third annual charity party "Magic Night", for by the "Gaslini Band Band", to be held on June 22, 2012 at the Cove North East of Santa Margherita Ligure.

Royal Caribbean's support of the evening's event, "Crazy Mask Party", whose proceeds will be donated to the implementation of "Care Bears Den".  This is a recreational area dedicated to siblings of children admitted to the Giannina Gaslini Institute of Genoa.

"This is a charity project that Royal Caribbean International Bride with enthusiasm," said John Rotondo, Director General Royal Caribbean Italy, "hoping that the Gaslini Band Band reaches its goal thanks to the contribution of all participants in this beautiful evening. Royal Caribbean International is strongly committed to the social fact, since 2000, along with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, helping to fulfill the dreams of children suffering from serious diseases by 2011 and support the scientific research of the Foundation Telethon. "

If you're looking for a free Royal Caribbean cruise and enjoy running, then there's a great contest for you.  Runners World is offering the, "Ready Sail Race Sweepstakes", where you can have the opportunity to participate in a 5k race in beautiful St. Maarten and a cruise to get there.

The grand prize includes a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas plus an entry into the 2012 Royal Caribbean's Royal 5K in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, which is one of the ports of call of the cruise.

Entry into Runners World's Ready Sail Race Sweepstakes is open to residents of the US and Canada (void in Quebec) aged 18 and up. Enter daily through June 22, 2012.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas has made its maiden voyage to China, stopping in Shanghai on Tuesday to begin the ship's summer itinerary.  The arrival culminates Royal Caribbean's shift in attention to China and already, the company is making good on its investments.

Lisa Bauer, senior vice-president, global sales and marketing, of Royal Caribbean, commented on the market in China, "China's cruise market is young and vibrant. Royal Caribbean International is optimistic about the development of the cruise industry here and will continue investment in this market."

Bauer said Royal Caribbean's business has grown tremendously since its entry into the China market in 2008, "The growth rate was above 50 percent at the beginning, when we entered China, and now it is over 100 percent."

Shanghai is aiming to make itself a major cruise center, with a new Five-Year Plan to hopefully become the third cruise center in East Asia, after Singapore and Hong Kong.

Michael Liu, Royal Caribbean China public relations and communications manager, thinks as more mega ships arrive in China, renovation and maintenance are becoming a market with huge potential, "Currently, we have to sail the ships to Singapore for renovation."

Bauer said the line has strict requirements for repair facilities and port infrastructure.

"We are generally satisfied with the infrastructure here but also believe there is still room for improvement," she said, noting that the company is talking with local governments and companies about wider cooperation, including renovation for the ships.

Royal Caribbean plans to introduce Mariner of the Seas, the sister of Voyager, to Shanghai next year, to meet surging demand from Chinese customers.