Rockland, Maine is set to vote on a proposal to limit the number of cruise ships that can visit the city each year after the debate was sparked last year when Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas made it's inaugural visit to the city.

On October 18, Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas is set to return but city commissioners are considering a proposal to limit only allowing three of the biggest ships per year -- one in May and two in October.

Rocklan's mayor is in favor of the proposal because of the strain on the area where passengers unload from cruise ship.  The mayor cites the harbor infrastructure is getting old and any repairs that would be needed would be footed by the taxpayers.  Local businesses are against the proposal, claiming the restrictions would ruin the city's chances of becoming a regular cruise ship destination.

Mayor McNeil says she expects at least one councilor will try to eliminate the restrictions on the large ships. The Chamber of Commerce says it has no problems with the rest of the plan, just the portion that would limit the number of ship visits.

Royal Caribbean's Ocean Fund program has been awarded a 2010 World Tourism Award for their dedication to sustainable tourism and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.

Royal Caribbean's Ocean Fund was awarded “in recognition of Royal Caribbean Cruises’ establishment of the Ocean fund which has awarded over $11 million in annual grants supporting nonprofit marine conservation organizations in protecting the world’s oceans through research, education and development of innovative technologies.”

Mainlinemedianews.com interviewed Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein about his childhood, growing up in Maine.  He attended New Eagle Elementary, Valley Forge Middle School and Conestoga High School and generally looks back fondly on his early years in Maine, "learning French at Conestoga opened up an incredible world of opportunities for me. I was also a committed member of the cross-country and track teams and I am still in touch with my coach 33 years later. The discipline of running under Coach Ramsey was extremely important to my development."

So how did Goldstein come to work for Royal Caribbean and become it's CEO?  He started off in 1988 as the vice president and corporate secretary to the Board of Directors. A year later an opportunity in the marketing department opened and he jumped at it and would become the vice president of international sales and marketing.  By 2005 Goldstein was named president and in 2007 president and CEO.

“I didn’t imagine that anything like this existed in business,” said Goldstein. “The company is 12 times larger than it was when I started. Royal Caribbean has become the leading cruise brand in the world. They are building ships that couldn’t have been built when I started.”

The Motorola Solutions business of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that it has deployed a mobility solution to help Royal Caribbean International enhance the guest experience onboard Oasis of the Seas – the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world. In an effort to provide travelers with the most memorable experience, Royal Caribbean has equipped its employees with Motorola enterprise mobile computers to empower them with the information they need to ensure customer needs are taken care of on-the-spot anywhere on the ship.    

Royal Caribbean is looking to hire 120 new employees by the end of 2010 for its call center in Springfield, Oregon.  Royal Caribbean's "Vacation Planning Group" is currently hiring, looking to expand its operations.

Royal Caribbean International is slipping-on its boogie shoes this spring and debuting Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, the third licensed main-stage musical production at sea for the cruise line. Created by Royal Caribbean Productions in association with Robert Stigwood Organisation Ltd., the acclaimed-West End show will debut aboard Liberty of the Seas in April 2011, as part of the ship’s revitalization and shipboard enhancements beginning in late January 2011 aboard the popular Freedom-class cruise ship. Based on the hugely popular, 1970s feature film, Saturday Night Fever, the theatrical experience features a repertoire of hit songs from The Bee Gees song album sure to inspire guests to dance the night away.

“The debut of Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, created by Royal Caribbean Productions’ in-house entertainment team, continues to raise the bar for cruise vacations aboard one of our most innovative ships,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president, Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International. “Our award-winning musical productions have been so incredibly well-received by guests, first with Hairspray aboard Oasis of the Seas and then with the announcement of Chicago: the Musical aboard Allure of the Seas. It’s only fitting we broaden the selection to include a West End hit as Liberty of the Seas embarks on its maiden season in Europe for summer 2011.”

Royal Caribbean is considering a new hub in the United Arab Emirates.  Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President Michael Bayley hinted at the possibility of a new hub in the country.

During the maiden docking of Brilliance of the Seas in Dubai, Royal Caribbean revealed plans ready for a Dubai-Mumbai cruise starting in 2011 .  

Hamad Mohamed bin Mejren, Executive Director, Business Tourism at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said that Brilliance of the Seas' seven night sailings would include Dubai to Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.  These stops are among the most popular with tourists.

West Indian Company Ltd. President and CEO Ed Thomas said it and Royal Caribbean were going to spend a combined $15-$20 million to dredge St. Thomas Harbor so that mega ships Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas could dock there but not anymore.

“The cruise lines are not going to put up that money because they accomplished their goal,” he said. “Their ship is in St. Thomas. Certainly the West Indian Company is not going to put up money to do that kind of dredging because the ship is already in St. Thomas.”

Problems started back on October 14, 2009 when Governor John deJongh Jr put the dredging project on hold after substantial public opposition.  Those opposed to the dredging plan were concerned about the part of the plan that called for dumping 162,000 cubic yards of material into an existing depression in Lindbergh Bay.  While searching for an alternative, Oasis of the Seas would have to dock in Crown Bay.

Despite the halt in the plan, deJongh was confident that the dredging project would be complete in time for Allure of the Seas' first stop in St Thomas on December 10, 2010 during the busy tourist season.  However, talks never progressed very far according to Thomas, talks collapsed in January.

The trend of cruise ships getting larger and larger means St. Thomas Harbor will eventually need to be dredged acrroding to Thomas and that the harbor is already due for maintenance dredging thanks to all of the debris kicked up by departing and arriving cruise thips over the last few years.

Royal Caribbean intends to increase the number of departures from Malaga, Spain next year after a very successful year in other Spanish ports.  Royal Caribbean is planning on having five of its ships sail from Malaga, as well as Palma de Mallorca and Barecelona.

Dominic Paul, Royal Caribbean's Managing Director for the United Kingdom and Ireland likes the decision to increase cruises from Malaga, "Barcelona has long been a popular homeport for Royal Caribbean International and we have enjoyed significant growth in the UK for take up of cruises offered from Malaga since 2009.  To continue to stimulate the British holidaymaker’s love affair with Spain, new for summer 2011 we have introduced cruises from Palma de Mallorca for the first time. The good news is that these cruises are also delivering pre- and post-cruise land stays – this is fantastic for the Spanish hoteliers and the Spanish tourist industry in general."

About 30,000 of Royal Caribbean guests departed from a Spanish port during the summer of 2010 and of those customers, 40% were from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Photo by Rodrigo Borges