Royal Caribbean raised the amount it suggests its guests tip its staff onboard its ships to 20%

Royal Caribbean will start the new gratuity recommendations for cruises that depart on or after July 1, 2011.  At that time, passengers will be asked to tip $11.65 per day, up from $9.75 that was previously recommended.

Gratuities onboard are optional, but passengers who choose to prepay their gratuities will be forced to pay the higher rate.

The brand new 32-acre Falmouth port in Jamaica will finally open next month.  The construction of the port has been a $220-million project developed by Royal Caribbean in partnership with the Port Authority of Jamaica.  

The first ship to dock will be Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, and her guests will have access to walking tours of the 240-year-old town, as well as access to 60 attractions in the surrounding area and in Ocho Rio and Montego Bay.

Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain is trying to learn to surf again at the fourth annual "Chairman's Challenge" aboard the Flowride Surf Simulator.

We had the opportunity to interview Padraic Connelly, a performer on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, who is best known onboard the ship for playing the role of Wilbur Turnblad in "Hairspray".

Tell us a little about yourself, such as where you're from and how you got into the entertainment industry
I'm originally from Daytona Beach, FL. I first started doing musical theater at Flagler Palm Coast High School, where I had three incredibly inspirational directors. I ended up at the University of Florida as a Theater major, and while I was there I began performing and teaching with UF's Theatre Strike Force, which is the school's official improv group. After college, I moved with my two best friends (who, coincidentally, are now performing with The Second City on NCL's Dawn) and started performing at the IO Theater in Wrigleyville. When I'm not on a cruise ship, I'm doing a show called Whirled News Tonight ( http://www.whirlednewstonight.com ) which has been running continuously for the last seven years with almost the entire original cast.

• Favorite restaurant on Oasis of the Seas
  Tie. Giovanni's Table for lunch, Solarium Bistro and Giovanni's for dinner. I cannot get enough of the risotto at Giovanni's or the pumpkin soup at Solarium!
• Preferred drinks on a cruise ship
  It all depends on the mood! If we're sitting in the Schooner bar, listening to Ed or Paul play, nothing beats a Manhattan on the rocks. If it's a party on the pool deck, you have to grab a Bushwhacker. And for watching a show or people watching on the Royal Promenade, it's tough to beat a margarita on the rocks or a simple scotch and soda! And for the next morning, several of the ship's venues serve fresh-squeezed orange juice. LOTS of fresh-squeezed orange juice.... thank goodness....
• Favorite port of call to visit
  Puerto Costa Maya on the Western Route for its INCREDIBLE food (don't miss the catch of the day or the fresh salsas and guacamole at Maya Bar) and the Mayan ruin tours. If you're heading to the Chacchoben ruins, ask for Luis, who's an amazing guide. On the Eastern Route, you absolutely can't beat St. Maarten. Whether you stay on the Dutch side in Philipsburg or head over to Marigot for a few hours, you'll have a blast!
• Favorite song on the radio/iPod today
  I hate to admit it, but Cee Lo Green's "F*** You" has been topping my playlist lately (along with the rest of the album).

Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest ship, utilizes an extensive network of security networks for both public areas and even some not-so-public regions.  Allure and its sister ship Oasis of the Seas, use more than 300 Oncam IP 360° 5-megapixel cameras. Many of these cameras are positioned in public areas of the ship that have multiple entrances, enabling simultaneous monitoring of all those entrances.

"A well-designed video surveillance system is an important tool for the safety and protection of everyone," said James Ionson, CEO, Oncam Global Inc. "It provides invaluable assistance to security personnel in resolving incidents, such as helping to identify a noise in the engine room, responding to passenger medical emergencies and determining liability issues, for just a few examples. With the right information, they can appropriately react."

The benefit of these cameras is it can do what traditional security cameras could not.  One camera in the ceiling in a hallway with elevators on both sides can be monitored at the same time along with the traffic in the hallway.  One of these Oncam IP 360° cameras replaces four traditional CCTV cameras.

In addition to Oasis and Allure, Royal Caribbean has been retrofitting these new security cameras into the security system of older cruise ships since 2006.

Royal Caribbean is reporting travel agents and consumers in Australia have become more familiar with the Royal Caribbean brand in recent time, but there are still challenges ahead as the cruise line looks to gain an even larger share of the cruise market down under.

Royal Caribbean Cruises managing director, Gavin Smith, said the increased capacity planned over the next 12 months, including the return of Celebrity Cruises and the debut of Radiance of the Seas, will coincide with Royal Caribbean putting on more field sales staff to drive its message home to agents.

Just how far has Royal Caribbean come?  One year ago, there were about 40,000 beds available but today that number is closer to 100,000 beds to sell.

Helping increase the inventory is Radiance of the Seas, which features 50% of its cabins having a balcony, which is important to the Australian cruise market.  Gavin Smith cites that Americans and British cruisers that go to Australia demand the balconies.

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas rescued six people adrift at sea on a raft during a recent cruise.

Monarch of the Seas was on its way out of the Bahamas when a passenger onboard the ship spotted the raft near Freeport, Bahamas.  The Coast Guard reports that the rescued people on the raft did not appear to have any life-threatening issues.  Officials estimate the group of six was floating for 15 days, but there was no way to know exactly how long.

Investigators said they think the people on the raft are migrants from Cuba. If they are, officials said the group will be sent back to their country.

The Palm Beach Post posted an overview of the newly launched Allure of the Seas and here are some highlights.

Overall, the ship exudes an air of elegance, without being stuffy.

While the suites are lavish as you might expect, the rooms for the mere mortals among us are pretty good, too. Tastefully appointed, they feature the latest technology, including flat-screen TVs and iPod docking stations. They do a remarkable job of maximizing the space with shelves, cabinets and cubbyholes for all your belongings.

Imagine exiting an elevator in the middle of a cruise ship and walking out into the bright sunshine amid thousands of trees and plants, complete with chirping birds and upscale restaurants. It's called Central Park, and, like its New York namesake, it's the perfect place to rest and unwind amid walls of plants five decks high.

Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas has left the South China sea and is headed to Singapore for some popular southeast Asian cruises.  These cruises will cover holidays such as Christmas, New Year and Lunar New Year and there are over 20 sailing planned.

Legend of the Seas will make calls to ports including Phuket in Thailand and Penang, Kuala Lumpur or Langkawi in Malaysia.  Other cruise highlights include

• A two-night weekender to Malacca in January
• A seven- or eight-night cruise to Bali, Indonesia, in February
• In March, the cruise ship will embark on a nine-night Exotic Asia Cruise from Singapore to Shanghai, visiting Ho Chi Minh City and Hue in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Xiamen.

According to Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein, Royal Caribbean will begin adding cabins for single cruisers to some of its older ships.

"We are going to be revitalizing our older ships such as Radiance of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas, and so we will have opportunity to create spaces for single travelers then. It is definitely something that we are looking at.”

For those looking to get a single cabin on a newer ship, such as Allure of the Seas or Oasis of the Seas, you're going to have to keep waiting as Goldstein mentioned these and other newer Royal Caribbean ships will not receive this update.

So why the change? Royal Caribbean is considering adding single cabins because of the increased demand from people who travel alone. Most ships are designed with cabins for 2 or more people; single travelers have to pay a single more if they want to go on a cruise.