A story speculating about the possible name of the new baseball stadium that is set to open next year for the Florida Miami Marlins names Royal Caribbean as a possible contender.  

The Florida Marlins currently play in Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida but managed to get a new stadium built that will open for the 2012 baseball season.  Like any new stadium, the naming rights are sold to a corporation to make some extra money to cover expenses and a number of Miami based companies are in consideration currently.

The Marlins have said a deal is in the "final stages of completion" and the companies talking to the Marlins are "multinational companies that are looking to get their name in Miami," according to Marlins senior vice president of communications P.J. Loyello.

Considering the "multinational" approach, the field suddenly expands to a broader one but it might still include the favorites thought by many to be Bacardi (a local corporation; producer of rum) and even a cruise ship company perhaps Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or Carnival (all have headquarters in South Florida).

Phil Reimer of Canada.com recently took a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas on a Mediterranean itinerary and wrote about his experience onboard. The cruise was out of Barcelona, Spain and visited ports in France and Italy.

Reimer shared his advice for those visiting Toulon, France and what he enjoyed, "The best place to start in this city of 200,000 is at the La Rotonde fountain, next to a tourist office and with a choice of five roads in the roundabout. If you pick Le Cours Mirabeau, you will quickly run into Les Deux Garcons, a brasserie that dates back to 1792, where Cezanne was a regular and luminaries like Pablo Picasso, Edith Piaf and - I was told - Ernest Hemingway hung out."

In Villefranche, Reimer enjoyed the variety of offerings to be found here, "From this port on the Cote d'Azur, better-known places like Cannes, Nice, Antibes, and Monte Carlo are all within reach. The train and bus stations are 15 minutes from the ship. The bus cost one euro, and in 20 minutes, I was in the heart of Nice."

Once Liberty made her way to Italy, the port of Livorno offered Pisa and Florence and Reimer tried to do both but regreted that decision, "I chose to visit both, but hindsight tells me going straight to Florence would have been a better idea, given the limited time."

For their stop in Rome, Reimer shared his plan for how he tackled this famous city, "From cruise ships, you walk 15 minutes from the Civitavecchia port gate and take the regular train to Rome for nine euros (return). You can get off at Rome's Saint Pietro station and visit the Vatican City to start your tour, or you can stay on to Romo Termini, the main station. The ``hop-on, hop- off'' buses take you right from there to watch your history lessons come to life - and to enjoy."

Tropical Storm Emily has caused another itinerary change for Royal Caribbean.  Serenade of the Seas was scheduled to visit the island of Antigua on Thursday, but will now try for a Friday arrival so long as the weather in the Leeward Islands permits the visit.

Nathan Dundas, president of the Cruise Tourism Association, said the decision to delay Serenade's arrival was made to ensure the safety of the ship and passengers.

“It is normally common during the hurricane season for these ships to make such diversions. They pay very careful attention to the weather patterns and as such they had their consultations with the head office in Miami and us, and indicated to us it was necessary to make this diversion.”

Photo by Allison Walke

The tourist port of Bari, Italy is taking a big leap forward this year with Royal Caribbean's mega cruise ships calling on Bari for a total of 22 times, which will bring 80,000 more tourists this year.

To help accommodate the passengers, the province is offering a shore train, the pilot project of the Department of mobility. The idea is to take through the intermodal bus and train cruise passengers visiting the port of Bari to visit the centers of major artistic and historical interest of the Province.  Partners of the project include the Port Authority of the Levant , the City of Conversano and Royal Caribbean.

The City of Conversano has provided a welcome service in the language, guided tours, tastings and wine, cooking classes and shops open.

The Councillor of Apulia Region Guglielmo Minervini explains the shore train project makes sense, "By enhancing the hospitality offered by the area more attractive we make the first step of Bari The trial will cover the city of conversation, but other centers will be able to join as early as next year."

Royal Caribbean has canceled port stops for the Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas in St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The passengers on the Oasis of the Seas will have the biggest effect to their route.

The Oasis of the Seas will spend Monday and Tuesday at sea, leaves on Wednesday to Costa Maya and Cozumel on Thursday after, as planned before it goes back to Fort Lauderdale. The Freedom of the Seas will be diverted on Wednesday to Grand Cayman on Thursday and is also in Cozumel.

Representatives of seven U.S. cruise companies will visit Alicante, Spain from September 22-24 to explore the possibilities of the port and the city for inclusion in the scales of their cruises.

At the Port of Alicante, employers will provide a detailed tour of the municipality, which includes a visit to the port facilities and various destinations in the city and the province suitable for cruisers trips.

The group is made up of directors of Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Windstar Cruises, Princess Cruises, Crystal Cruises, The World and NCL. They all pose a significant potential to attract cruise ship tourists, so the visit will be crucial for the interests of the Port and the city.

Result of relations with one of them, Royal Caribbean, owner of  Independence of the Seas, visited yesterday the Port of Alicante, with a passage more than 4,000 travelers who had the opportunity to many excursions in Alicante and its province. The ship, which came from Palma de Mallorca, afternoon sail to Lisbon, from where they sail back north to their summer base in Southampton.

Launched in 2008, the Independence of the Seas will return to dock in Alicante on 29 August.

Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, the largest cruise ship sailing the Mediterranean, has made ​​its third stop in the port of Alicante, Spain. More than 4,000 passengers have had an opportunity to make numerous trips to Alicante and its province, as reported in a statement by the Port of Alicante.

Thus, the ship, which comes from Palma de Mallorca, sails on Monday for Lisbon, Portugal before sailing north back to their summer base in Southampton, UK.

Independence of the Seas has a capacity for 4,500 passengers and 1,500 crew members and is 339 feet long and 38 wide, making it one of the largest cruise ships in the world, the highest among those who ply the waters of the Mediterranean, and will dock in Alicante on August 29. 

On September 22, representatives from seven North American carriers will also come to Alicante, where they remain until the 24th for a tour that includes visits to the port facilities and various destinations in the city and the province "suitable" for travelers cruise. 

There are just some things that go hand-in-hand with going on a cruise - umbrella drinks, hair braiding and the spa.  Every Royal Caribbean ship features an onboard Vitality Day Spa and Fitness Center that offer a variety of services that you can purchase to help relax, ease tension, make you look/feel better or just plain splurge.

What can I have done at the spa?

There's a number of services offered at the spa on a Royal Caribbean cruise.  Exact services can vary from ship to ship, but in general there are these services

• Massages
• Facial Treatments
• Wraps and body therapies
• Cosmetic services (BOTOX, Teeth whitening)
• Acupuncture

Who can use the spa?

The spa is open to anyone at least 18 years old or older.  There are also services available for passengers age 13-17 called the special YSPA menu for teens.  You will have to inquire at the spa for more details on teen programs.

Which treatment is right for me?

The Vitality Day Spa usually offers free tours of the spa, especially on embarkation day.  On your first day of your cruise, you can usually drop by and get a tour and see the facilities as well as hear descriptions of what's available on your cruise.  We've found these tours to generally be fairly low sales pressure and it can be a fun activity for the family to look at.  

In addition to the tour, you can speak with a spa staff member about what you're interested in.  Given the slew of treatments and services available, there's a lot to choose from and everyone's needs are different.

Spa treatments are a nice perk for yourself or someone you're with.  They cost extra and some can cost as much as a few hundred dollars.  They are far from a necessity but many cruisers love to take the opportunity to indulge in one.

How do I book a spa treatment?

You must make a reservation for a spa treatment at the spa desk or by calling the spa.  Generally speaking, the spa books up quickly on sea days and is easier to get into on port days.

You may also book the spa online prior to your cruise via the Royal Caribbean website.

How much do treatments at the spa cost?

Prices for spa treatments vary and can change often.  While we can't quote you exact prices for your cruise, we can give you some ball park ideas of what prices will roughly cost. Keep in mind, these are generalizations and your actual cost may be less or more.

• Full Body Massage 50 minutes - $109
• Aroma Stone Therapy - $175
• Hydra-Lift Facial - $109

What about tip?

It is customary to tip the person who provided the spa services to you after your treatment is complete, but be sure to ask if gratuity is already included in the price they quote you.  Often gratuity is included and while you may tip extra if you feel the service was extraordinary, it isn't necessary.

Royal Caribbean is posed to name its second female cruise ship Captain aboard its Vision of the Seas ship later this month.  Lis Lauritzen is the woman who will command the ship.

Lauritzen follows in the footsteps of Karin Stahre-Janson, who is Captain of the Monarch of the Seas.  She was promoted to that rank in March 2007, becoming the first female captain of a major cruise ship.

Since Stahre-Janson, two other cruise lines have appointed woman to be in charge of cruise ships, including P&O Cruises and Cunard Line in 2010.