Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Sea entered Esqumalt Harbour and the Victoria Shipyard dry dock last week and here's video of her pulling in.

Royal Caribbean has started a promotion to create a special announcement commemorating his two years in Brazil.

"You are the star of two years of Royal Caribbean" will be the campaign running with a photo of a guest of the company.  To enter the contest, the participant must upload a photo of him or herself on board a Royal Caribbean ship to any of its social media outlets (facebook, twitter, flickr, orkut, picasa, etc.) and send a link to the email address [email protected].

The best photo wins a mini cruise on board the Vision of the Seas will be the subject of the announcement and celebration.

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas entered dry dock last week in British Columbia, Canada where it will receive upgrades before reentering service in Australia after it is done with the work on June 10.

Royal Caribbean's managing director in Australia Gavin Smith thinks the upgrades will be a nice addition, “Radiance of the Seas is already the best ship to be based in the region – the newest, largest and most innovative – but what we’re doing is taking an already great ship and transforming her into a truly spectacular ship. And best of all – Australians will be amongst the first in the world to enjoy the enhancements."

The changes being made to Radiance of the Seas include

• Six single cabins will be added and, if successful, they will also be featured on other ships in the fleet
• Addition of outdoor poolside movie screen
• Seven new dining options
  • Samba Grill (Brazillian steakhouse)
  • Rita’s Cantina (Mexican)
  • Giovanni’s Table (Italian)
  • Park Café (Deli)
  • Izumi (Sushi)
  • Boardwalk Dog House (Hot dogs)
  • Chef’s Table (High end restaurant)
  • Quill & Compass (Bar)
• Addition of Diamond Lounge and Concierge Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society members
• Wi-fi will be "enhanced
• Interactive televisions added to staterooms allowing passengers to book shore tours, order room service or check their SeaPass balance
• Addition of Royal Babies & Tots Nursery

Royal Caribbean will once again have a cruise presence in New Orleans, Louisiana as Voyager of the Seas is set to arrive in the Port of New Orleans in November 2011 for seven-night trips to the western Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean's return to New Orleans will be its first sailing since 2007 and voyages will continue through April 2012.

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas will make its first port of call today at Salerno, Italy to begin its 2011 Mediterranean season in Campania.

Brilliance of the Seas will call at Salerno 12 times for a total of 30,000 passengers handled. Between May and September Brilliance of the Seas will offer itineraries in Europe, with alternate cruises in Greece and Croatia, sailing from Barcelona. Then the ship will move during the winter months in the Persian Gulf for seven-night itineraries in the UAE.

Royal Caribbean has just embarked on becoming the largest operator at the cruise port in Malaga with a challenge on the horizon of moving 75,000 passengers.

The company opened its third season in Manchester and the second with the ship Adventure of the Seas , a veritable floating city where passengers enjoy experiences such as skating on an ice rink, climbing or attend a show worthy of the billboard Broadway.

This ship was activated an operation that provides up to 28 outputs from the port of Malaga cruise one week until the end of next October.  Malaga thus constitutes the second most important point of embarkation for Spain for Royal Caribbean, behind Barcelona.

The ship Adventure of the Seas has planned seven-night cruise sailing the Mediterranean and visiting cities such as Rome, Pisa / Florence, Ajaccio in Corsica, Malaga and Valencia.  The novelty of the season is that in autumn, the ship carried four-night short breaks from Manchester visiting Lisbon, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Marc Pedrol, communications director for Royal Caribbean's goal this year is to consolidate Málaga a product that is working well and that has permeated the force.  Pedrol reported that in 2010 the ship moved 63,000 passengers in Malaga, of which 38,000 were Spanish. This year the challenge will reach 75,000 passengers in Malaga, of which half will be Spanish.

An important market in which Royal Caribbean wants to focus this year, with reinforcement of personnel and marketing activities, is the capital of Spain. The idea is to turn the port of Malaga from Madrid who love cruise travel.

Thus, the ship keeps the agreement reached with the railway operator Renfe that allows them to check their luggage at Madrid's Atocha station before boarding the AVE Malaga direction and find the bags in their cabins.

According Pedrol, 'this year we have ahead of departures from Manchester compared to last year and have changed the itineraries in the fall season. We are delighted with the response and hope to continue growing in this city. "

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas picked up 9 Cubans in a small boat while on their way back to Florida.  

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in a statement that eight men and one woman were spotted in a boat near the northern tip of Cuba at around 2pm on Saturday. The Cubans were brought on board and given food, water and medical treatment.  The United States Coast Guard picked up the Cubans after a few hours.

The rescue was announced to cruise passengers by the ship's Captain while it was happening.

A 17-year-old girl from Pennsylvannia is accusing a Royal Caribbean singer aboard Navigator of the Seas of getting her drunk and then raping her.

The girl's family filed a civil lawsuit against Royal Caribbean in federal court in Miami.  The family also reported the incident to the FBI, but no criminal charges appear to have been filed.

The girl alleges that on March 5, while onboard the Navigator of the Seas, she was listening to a band when the singer invited her to dance.  The singer later ordered several alcoholic drinks at the bar.  In the lawsuit, neither the singer nor the bartender asked to verify the girl's age.  She then says she was taken to the singers room as she was "extremely intoxicated and impaired" and when the man started engaging in sexual activity, the girl regained enough consciousness to want to leave. Once she managed to leave, she was found in the hallway crying by another Royal Caribbean employee who brought her to the medical center for examination.

Cynthia Martinez, a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, said the incident was immediately reported to the FBI and that a team from the company offered the passenger medical care and counseling, "To date, the company is unaware of any charges being filed against anyone in this matter.  Royal Caribbean maintains strict policies governing employee interaction with guests. Due to the violation of this policy, the musician in question is no longer employed by Royal Caribbean."

Photo by Acapulco News

Royal Caribbean has named Ricardo Amaral as their new Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.  Amaral spent seven years as Royal Caribbean's marketing manager in Brazil and Costa Rica. before taking this new position.

The move is part of a restructuring operation within Royal Caribbean to focus on international markets, which now represent 50% of total revenue.

Amaral has 19 years of experience in the cruise industry, including work in leading companies marketing and sales operations in this segment and its local represenatives.