A 57 year old disabled woman was airlifted from Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas on Saturday after she became critically ill.

A spokesman for Portland, UK Coast guard said the passenger was wheelchair bound with little mobility and the airlift was called for by the ship's captain because of her critical condition.

As of yesterday morning, the woman is in stable condition at Dorset County Hospital.

Evidently there was an issue with the airlift, as Independence of the Seas had left Southampton, England on its way to Gibraltar.  The airlift had issues because the woman and her wheelchair were too heavy and the ship’s helicopter landing pad was too light for the helicopter.  The helicopter had to return to base to refuel before returning to Independence of the Seas to finally get the woman.

Judge Jerald Bagley of the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida has set a trial date of November 7, 2011 for the case of Amaran v Royal Caribbean to go to court.

The lawsuit alleges on March 8th 2004, Preetha Amaran collapsed on a treadmill aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and that Royal Caribbean's doctor and staff took too long to treat her properly and as a result, she had suffered an irreversible anoxic brain injury.

Amaran's family contends that the injury has resulted in Amaran's inability to work anymore and requires around the clock care. In addition, they believe that Royal Caribbean was negligent for not having emergency equipment -- particularly a defibrillator -- in the vicinity of the spa to have made treatment quicker.

Last week Royal Caribbean made the big news that its Voyager of the Seas ship will be based out of Sydney, Australia for five months in 2012 and while a list of port calls is expected next month, news has come that very likely Dunedin, New Zealand will be among the stops according to the Otago Daily Times.

Voyager of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship to ever visit New Zealand, surpassing the previous record of the Queen Mary 2's 3056 passengers.

The move by Royal Caribbean to move Voyager of the Seas to Australia and New Zealand is to help meet the increasing cruise demand of the region, according to Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein, "there are clear opportunities in the China and Australia markets, which are key areas for Royal Caribbean International's global development".

Parenting.com recognized Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas as one of the "Best Cruise Ships for Families".  In a survey of their top picks for best cruise ships to bring a family on, Allure was picked for among other reasons, the Dreamworks film connection.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Royal Caribbean ship that doesn’t indulge pint-sized passengers, but Allure and Oasis are the latest and greatest in the 22-ship fleet.

Parents of infants will appreciate Royal Caribbean’s Babies 2 Go program, which allows you to order organic baby food, and Huggies diapers, wipes, and creams for delivery to your stateroom. Don’t worry about packing toys either. The cruise line’s Fisher-Price Toy Lending Program lets you borrow them like library books.

Royal Caribbean has secured the necessary funds for it's next class of ships, dubbed "Project Sunshine".  According to cruise industry expert Stewart Chiron, Royal Caribbean has secured $779.35 million.

For the price, Royal Caribbean will receive a ship that will weigh in at 158,000 tons and accommodate 4,100 passengers. 

The Project Sunshine ships will be built  with German shipyard Meyer Werft, with whom Royal Caribbean has a formal agreement already.  The first ship should be delivered in 2014. The agreement also allows for an option for a second ship for delivery in spring 2015.

Development officials from Royal Caribbean met with Savannah Alderman Tony Thomas and Acting Assistant City Manager Marty Johnston earlier this week after Royal Caribbean learned the city was interested exploring the possibility of bringing a cruise line to the city.

The meeting was merely an introduction but part of a first step.  Savannah officials are planning to meet with two other cruise companies later this month before making a decision.

City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney's thoughts on the meeting were good, “That’s very encouraging when cruise lines are trying to seek out Savannah and saying, ‘What is happening?’”.

The city of Savannah is once again interested in luring a cruise line to stop in the city after seeing the success that nearby Charleston, South Carolina has had with its foray into cruising.

For years Royal Caribbean had a policy for adjusting your cruise price that if the price dropped and you called, you could have the new price applied to your cruise.  But things have changed since last year and now there's a new policy in place that has some people confused.

Price adjustment policy

The good news is, you can still adjust the price of your cruise from when you book UNTIL final payment for your cruise is due.  So if you book your cruise a year in advance, you can rest assured knowing that if there's a sale in a few months, you can adjust the price of your cruise with a simple call. If you do notice a drop in price, you can call Royal Caribbean directly or have your travel agent ask to have the new price applied to your reservation.

Once you reach the date of final payment, which is 45 days before embarkation, you cannot change the price of your cruise anymore.  There is one caveat to this rule and that is if the price of your cruise drops to the point an upgrade in your cabin is as inexpensive or more than your current cabin, Royal Caribbean will upgrade you to that category.

Book early or late?

There's no right answer, but the overwhelming consensus is that it's smarter to book your cruise in advance, as prices tend to only go up as you get closer to booking.  Occasionally there are last minute sales but if you really want to be on a particular cruise, the smart move is to book as soon as you can and watch prices until you get to your final payment.

Photo by Puerto de Alicante

Cruising site Cruise Critic held its first annual Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards, where it polled its readers on a number of topics related to cruising and Royal Caribbean did exceptionally well, especially in the large ship category.  

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas proved to be a real winner with fans as it swept the large-ship class with three category wins, as well as the top ranking for the overall category of Best Large Cruise Ship.

Royal Caribbean's winnings weren't limited to just Oasis of the Seas, it did very well in a number of category including the "Best Overall Cruisers' Choice Award", where four out of the top five ships were Royal Caribbean ships.

Here are the results where Royal Caribbean finished well in

Best Large Cruise Ships – 2,000+ passengers

1. Oasis of the Seas
2. Serenade of the Seas
3. Celebrity Equinox
4. Allure of the Seas
5. Freedom of the Seas
6. Celebrity Solstice 
7. Celebrity Eclipse
8. Golden Princess
9. Liberty of the Seas
10. Jewel of the Seas

• Freedom of the Seas (5th)
• Liberty of the Seas (8th)

Best for Dining– 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (4th)
• Serenade of the Seas (6th)

Best for Embarkation - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (1st)
• Serenade of the Seas (2nd)
• Allure of the Seas (6th)

Best for Entertainment - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (1st)
• Allure of the Seas (2nd)
• Freedom of the Seas (4th)
• Voyager of the Seas (9th)
• Liberty of the Seas (10th)

Best for Families - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (1st)
• Liberty of the Seas (2nd)
• Mariner of the Seas (6th)

Best for Fitness  - 2,000+ passengers

• Liberty of the Seas (1st)
• Freedom of the Seas (2nd)
• Oasis of the Seas (3rd)
• Independence of the Seas (4th)
• Serenade of the Seas (7th)
• Mariner of the Seas (8th)
• Jewel of the Seas (10th)

Best for Public Rooms - 2,000+ passengers

• Oasis of the Seas (2nd)
• Serenade of the Seas (3rd)
• Freedom of the Seas (6th)
• Allure of the Seas (7th)

Best for Service  - 2,000+ passengers

• Serenade of the Seas (1st)
• Oasis of the Seas (3rd)
• Freedom of the Seas (4th)
• Allure of the Seas (7th)
• Mariner of the Seas (8th)
• Voyager of the Seas (9th)
• Jewel of the Seas (10th)

Best for Shore Excursions - 2,000+ passengers

• Serenade of the Seas (6th)
• Voyager of the Seas (10th)

Best for Value - 2,000+ passengers

• Monarch of the Seas (5th)
• Radiance of the Seas (6th)
• Majesty of the Seas (10th)