Royal Caribbean announced better than expected fourth quarter and full year 2010 results.  Its fourth-quarter net income climbed to $42.7 million or $0.20 per share from $3.4 million or $0.02 per share a year ago.

Royal Caribbean revenues for the fourth quarter were up to $1.6 billion, compared to $1.5 billion in the 2009 fourth quarter.  Royal Caribbean attributes this increase to additional ship capacity and yield improvements.  

Royal Caribbean also mentioned that during the fourth quarter, weather issues affected some of the ships and that affected the Net Yields a little bit as it increased 3.2%, but if you take away the weather issues, Net Yields on a Constant Currency basis would have increased 4.7%, in line with previous guidance.

Thanks to better energy consumption innovations, Royal Caribbean's quarter's fuel expenditures were about $4 million better than initially predicted.

In addition to the fourth quarter results, 2010 yearly results were in and net income for 2010 was $547.5 million, compared to net income of $162.4 million for the year 2009. Moreover, 2010 revenues increased to $6.8 billion, a 15% increase, compared to 2009 revenues of $5.9 million.  Royal Caribbean's net cruise costs excluding fuel declined for the third year in a row.

Port Everglades, Florida is the home to Royal Caribbean's flagships, Oasis and Allure of the Seas and the last quarter of 2010 saw cruise traffic up 25% to 1.17 million cruise passengers.

This is great news for not just Royal Caribbean but the cruise industry as a whole because it shows the industry has rebounded nicely from the recession, thanks in part to new ships like Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas or Oasis of the Seas.  Locals in Fort Lauderdale area are happy as well as that means more cruise passengers spending money in the local area before and after their cruises.

In addition, port revenue for the first fiscal quarter was at $37.5 million, a level that exceeds the previous first fiscal quarter peak of $30.6 million in 2008.

Royal Caribbean is going to try out adding cabins for solo travelers in the spring of this year on Radiance of the Seas, according to a report by USA Today.

Radiance of the Seas will add three windowless "inside" stateroom cabins specifically for guests who are traveling alone.  To accommodate this change, Radiance of the Seas will enter dry dock in late May, have the new cabins installed and depart in early June. She will then spend the coming summer sailing in Alaska.

Single cabins are a new fad in some cruise lines and until now, Royal Caribbean did not have any.  The reason for this is because the the cruise business model revolves around cabins designed for two or more people.

Photo by absolutM

This past Friday, music superstar Taylor Swift performed aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas and as you might expect, tickets for the show were a little hard to come by.  Luckily, POPSTAR! Magazine & PopstarOnline.com posted this video they took from aboard the ship.

Royal Caribbean  this week opened its new office in Mexico City, located on the Boulevard Manuel Avila Camacho, where employees working in sales, marketing and business operations of the three cruise brands operated by Royal Caribbean:  Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises Club.

Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said the company appreciates its strong market position in Mexico and its new office will increase revenue, expand offerings of destinations and increase the number of passengers.

The Sun Sentinel newspaper "profiled" the leading cruise lines and described who each cruise line is best for.  When it came to Royal Caribbean, the paper felt it was a great line for those that can't get enough onboard activities.

Super sports complexes at sea. More than just the young and the restless can enjoy this line's list of sports firsts: rock-climbing wall, surfing pool, ice-skating rink, bungee trampolines, boxing ring and a zip-line that soars high above the pool deck. With two sumo-size sister ships, the world's largest, the 252,000-ton Oasis, and Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean even has enough real estate for a suite of suites overlooking its "Central Park," a green space loaded with restaurants and a boardwalk.

Royal Caribbean is updating its customer loyalty program, the Crown & Anchor Society, offering guests new ways to earn points and new advantages. Starting today, members accumulate points based on the number of nights of their cruise and not according to the number of cruises they've taken. In addition, the program now has two new levels of membership: Emerald, between Platinum and Diamond, and Pinnacle Club - an exclusive club for guests who traveled more than 100 times with Royal Caribbean - after the Diamond Plus.

These new changes to the Crown & Anchor Society take effect for sailings on or after January 21, 2011.

Thus, every night on board ship, Royal Caribbean is equivalent to a point in the program and double cabins higher the score. All current members of the program will be transferred automatically to the corresponding level according to the accumulated number of nights and no associate will lose their current status.

Moreover, innovations also include new benefits, such as a free automatic upgrade to associates; customization preferences; States may indicate a "friend" to go out and earn the same $ 25 onboard credit.

"These latest enhancements to the Crown & Anchor Society will further help recognize our loyal guests when they sail with us," said Betsy O'Rourke, senior vice president of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. "We continuously listen and respond to our members' feedback and have updated our loyalty program to provide a more equitable way for our members to advance to the next level.  This program evolution is part of the Royal Advantage, our dedication to innovate our amazing ships and unprecedented programs to offer guests the best cruise vacation. It's important to understand that Crown & Anchor Society members will continue to enjoy all of their current program benefits and status, plus having the opportunity now to advance to the next tier even faster than before. For this one-time conversion, we have grandfathered everyone's status in the program."

To celebrate the incredible loyalty of program members, Royal Caribbean is introducing a limited time offer: 'Bring a Friend' and receive $25 to spend onboard. Members will be rewarded for introducing new guests to Royal Caribbean International for new bookings made between January 12 and April 30, 2011. The promotion will offer a $25 onboard credit per stateroom to Crown & Anchor Society members when sailing with their 'first to Royal' friends or family, for up to five staterooms per sailing, depending on the length of their cruise. Full details, terms and conditions and registration for promotion can be found online at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/BringaFriend.

For fans of the Beatles, there's the perfect cruise for you.  The "Beatles Tribute Cruise" is sailing from Miami, Florida on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas. This Eastern Caribbean itinerary will feature 

• Laurence Juber, a guitarist known for his work with Paul McCartney in the Wings band
• Shannon - "The Worlds Greatest Beatles Artist"
• Yesterday - A Beatles tribute band
• Tony Perkins - TV and radio personality
• Tony Bramwell - Super Beatles fan
• Joe Johnson - host & creator of the nationally syndicated radio show "BeatleBrunch"

If you consider yourself a big Beatles fan and want to join this cruise, you can register for the cruise

Royal Caribbean has scheduled to announce its fourth quarter 2010 financial results with analysts for Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 10:00am.  

J.P Morgan expects "solid 4Q10 results" based on strong demand and ticket prices in the quarter. Despite rising price of crude and bunker fuel, J.P Morgan thinks the higher costs will be offset by "strong operating momentum" of Royal Caribbean's young and innovative fleet of cruise ships.

The call will be available on-line at the company's investor relations web site, www.rclinvestor.com. To listen to the call by phone, please dial (877) 663-9606 in the US and Canada. International phone calls should be made to (706) 758-4628. There is no passcode or meeting number. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same site for a month following the call.