The Cruise Passenger Ratings Survey, by www.cruise.co.uk, has awarded Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas the best service award. Adventure of the Seas has the distinction of being the only award winner not to sail from the UK.
Adventure of the Seas is a Voyager Class ship built in 2001 and is currently sailing out of San Juan, Puerto Rico before it moves to Malaga, Spain later this year to begin a Mediterranean itinterary.
Food prices around the world are on the rise, particularly for meat, sugar and coffee, and companies like Royal Caribbean are finding ways to deal with the problem.
Royal Caribbean Chief Executive Richard Fain says the cruise line is hedging increases in cattle prices, that hasn't fully offset its rising costs for beef. Since the fall of 2010, meat prices have risen for Royal Caribbean and since the steakhouses aboard their ships are the most popular according to Fain, it makes sense for Royal Caribbean to be concerned. Royal Caribbean serves about 53 million pounds of beef, poultry, lamb, veal and pork a year.
"Meat is important to our guests," Mr. Fain adds. "We aren't prepared to sacrifice the quality and we can't raise prices enough to reflect it, so it ends up being a cost we have to absorb." Royal Caribbean is also paying more for citrus fruits and fish, particularly shrimp, another popular dish on its cruises.
A great blogger Chris at Gadling.com has posted an in-depth look at the suites available on Royal Caribbean ships. Like so many of us, we're enamored with the idea of luxury and who doesn't dream about staying in a lavish suite on their next cruise? Because of the many suite configurations found throughout the fleet, Chris uses the Grand Suite aboard Freedom of the Seas as an example.
Grand Suites in Freedom of the Seas are 432 square feet in size. That's considerably larger than a standard balcony cabin on that ship which comes in at about 200 square feet. So right off the bat you have more space, accommodating up to five guests.
But it's not so much the extra space that matters with a Grand Suite as it is what comes with it.
The first stop on the luxury train is the restricted-access Concierge Lounge, exclusively for Suite guests and top-level members of the line's Crown and Anchor Society past-guest program. Inside this special area suite guests will find
Chris has posted lots more detail about the suites along with some great photos in his blog entry this week.
Cozumel, Mexico saw more than 2.9 million cruise passengers in 2010, which is the highest number in the last seven years, according to the state Tourism Department . This figure is the best record in the last seven years which surpassed the 2004 statistics, a period in which they were registered with 2.8 million visitors to the island. Cozumel lost a great deal of tourists after Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
Helping raise Cozumel's numbers were the arrival in 2010 of Royal Caribbean's twin ships' Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. These two ships helped Cozumel beat tourist numbers in the same segment of tourism destinations in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea, said the head of the state Tourism Department
Among other reasons, helping Cozumel's cause to bring back tourists, last year Michel Ronan, vice president of Royal Caribbean complimented Cozumel and Mahahual by describing the island as a safe cruise destination. This tourism department feels this puts them in the preference of companies to bring their clients.
The 2011 Mediterranean cruise season in Naples is underway with Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, the third and final ship in the Freedom-class (160,000 tons) and Royal Caribbean International's flagship for the Mediterranean. The ship arrived yesterday in the port of Naples.
Following Independence of the Seas, other Royal Caribbean ships will call on the capital of Campania including Mariner of the Seas on April 4, Celebrity Solstice May 18, Celebrity Equinox May 26, Liberty of the Seas June 2, Silhouette Celebrity, Celebrity Cruises' new flagship recently opened, August 8, Voyager of the Seas October 25, Splendour of the Seas November 21.
Campania is, however, the primary destination for the Royal Caribbean group with other strategic ports depending on itinerary.
Royal Caribbean is sending 11 vessels to Italian ports for the 2011 season, for a total of 104 calls and a handle over 335,000 passengers. Independence of the Seas will call 6 times a year in Naples, for a total of approximately 26,220 passenger movements.
Royal Caribbean's Director General for cruises in Italy is happy about Royal Caribbean's role in Italy, "For years, Naples has a strategic role in the planning of Royal Caribbean, and increasingly consolidated his lead role. Choosing the Campanian capital as the primary port is aligned perfectly with the European development project and especially the Italian company. As further proof of our happy synergy with the port of Naples also boast a partnership established in the management of Terminal Napoli, a sign of a common desire to work constructively with local institutions and key stakeholders. It 'just been to Naples to start this great policy terminals management and we are honored to have first shared this philosophy that we think of great success. "
Add another award to Royal Caribbean's collection. On Monday in London, England, Travel Weekly honored select companies at a spectacular Globe Travel Awards ceremony. During the ceremony, Royal Caribbean picked up an award for best mainstream cruise company.
On hand to accept the award was Royal Caribbean's Associate Vice President & General Manager at Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Jo Rzymowska, "This award shows how important agents are to us. We don't get everything right all the time but what we do is listen to the trade and this award means we get it right".
Bermuda's Supreme Court found a former Royal Caribbean waiter guilty of conspiring to import more than $424,000 worth of cocaine into the country via the ship he was working on, Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.
Ricardo Stewart, 32, from Jamaica, denies conspiring to bring cocaine into the country. Prosecutors allege that their plan worked until packages containing 3.9 kg of cocaine were found hidden under a chair in the ship’s disco.
Stewart has maintained he is innocent and claims he barely knew the accomplices he was alleged to have worked with. Furthermore, he denies being involved in the drug trade.
Country music star Taylor Swift is ready for her first concert at sea. Swift will perform on Royal Caribbean's brand new Allure of the Seas on Friday, January 21, 2011 while the ship is in Cozumel, Mexico.
Taylor, who has won a Grammy award four times, will perform in Allure's AquaTheater that can hold 735 people. Guests onboard Allure of the Seas can also win passes to the performance by participating in Taylor Swift-themed events aboard, including a look-alike contest, trivia contest, Taylor Swift karaoke and other activities.
Guests on the ship also can win passes to the performance by taking part in Taylor Swift-themed events aboard, including a look-alike contest, trivia contest, Taylor Swift karaoke and other activities, the cruise line said.
Photo by David French
Given the situation of flood victims of the rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Royal Caribbean is gathering donations of food or personal hygiene products that are sent through the Red Cross St. Paul.
Among the items needed most are bottled water, powdered milk, cups and plates and disposable baby diapers of all sizes.
The company will receive donations until Thursday, April 20. Delivery shall be made from 10:00am to 6:00pm hours in the office of Royal Caribbean, located at Alameda Santos, No. 74, 13th floor.