Royal Caribbean has reached an agreement with local officials to allow cruisers to tour the Arechi Castle (Castello di Arechi) in Salerno, Italy. 

According to agreements reached with representatives of Royal Caribbean, the Castle will be visited by guided tours with stops, tastings of local products.  These tours will be included in the itineraries of 2011 that visit the city.

The Arechi Castle is a massive castle commanding the city from a 300 m  hill. It was enlarged by Arechi II over a pre-existing Roman-Byzantine construction. Today it houses rooms for exhibitions and congresses. The Castle offers a complete and spectacular view of the city and the Gulf of Salerno.

Oasis of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world currently and it's been celebrated from bow to stern.   An interesting article has been written by LiveDesign about the lighting onboard Oasis of the Seas.  Michael Riotto of Michael Riotto Design LLC designed the lighting for many of the entertainment venues found on Oasis.

He worked on the lighting found in the nightclubs Boleros, Blaze, and Dazzles, the Jazz Club, the Comedy Live club, and the Viking Crown Observation Deck.  Each area he worked on had its own unique theme, “There needed to be a common thread from a consistency standpoint in terms of control. We didn’t want to have different types of consoles in all the venues, for all the obvious reasons, but maintenance was a consideration.”

Design changes for the ship forced Riotto had to change his ideas for lighting.  In one example, he was working on the Latin dance club Boleros and had an idea for a backlit ceiling, but when designed changed the height of the ceiling, it forced him to cancel the idea.

The design for Blaze nightclub, a Live Design Excellence Award winner this year, was also adapted after the space was changed from a two-story venue to just one level. However, the size of the oval-shaped dance floor stayed the same and gave the lighting designer the opportunity to create an innovative ceiling. “The architect didn’t have anything planned for it,” he says. “It was just a matte black ceiling with a mirrored soffit running around it for lighting.”

If interior design and lighting is of interest to you, then be sure to check out this article for an in-depth look at Oasis' unique lighting and design.

After you decide on a cruise vacation, one of the first decisions to make is when should you arrive.  Assuming you don't live within driving distance of the port where the ship embarks,  you're going to need to fly down for your cruise.  There are two options: arrive the day of the cruise or arrive at least one day before your cruise departs.  Choosing which option can depend largely on you and your circumstances.

Advantages of arriving early

If you choose to arrive to port a day or more earlier than your cruise, you're all but guaranteeing that you will be able to make your cruise.  Even if your flight is delayed or cancelled, more than likely you will have enough time for the next flight to get you down in time.  Circumstances like weather, plane problems or airline scheduling changes can all occur without warning and by arriving a day or more early for your cruise, you can have plenty of time to deal with it without missing the ship.

Arriving a day or more early for your cruise also starts your vacation earlier and gives you more time on vacation.  It's generally hard to argue with that!

Advantages of arriving on the day your cruise leaves

If you arrive on the day your cruise leaves, you won't have to spend more money on a hotel, rental car, food, etc that would be necessary if you flew down a day or more in advance.  If you're on a budget for your vacation, you may simply not be able to afford to spend a day or more in advance of your cruise.  

If you're worried about missing your cruise due to outside circumstances, cruise insurance can often alleviate those fears.  

Things to check for before deciding

• Check airfares for arriving the day of your cruise versus arriving early.  You may find significant savings for one option over the other.
• Research hotel rates for your stay and figure out if there's an option that works for you to arrive early. If you're going during a busy time of year or during a local event, hotel space at a reasonable price may not be available.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek listed four types of boating vacations that you shouldn't miss and for the category of "the family", Oasis of the Seas was named its winner.  BusinessWeek liked the many options that the ship offers as well as the piece of mind of being on board.  They specifically chose the Eastern Caribbean itinerary for Oasis as well.

One key to bringing the brood together is being able to spend time apart. For all their flaws, cruises balance family and free time: You'll find activities aplenty—and containment that eases (some of) your worries about the kids.

I guess BusinessWeek should have called the category "the rich family" because it recommends the Royal Family Suite to stay in ($1,750 per person).

The summer of 2011 will have some very big cruise ships stopping in Barcelona, Spain and Liberty of the Seas, a Freedom Class ship, will be included. Aside from Oasis and Allure of the Seas, it's the next largest Royal Caribbean ship with a capacity of 3,600 passengers.

The Miami Herald had a quick write up about the things to see in Barcelona, a city known for its beauty, and one of the most popular European cities for Americans to visit in Europe.

Downtown, near the port and especially along the famed walking street Las Ramblas, Barcelona pulses with strolling crowds of all ages. You'll find engaging street entertainers, including mimes dressed like the Tin Man or a flowering plant, each hoping for a contribution. Nearby are outdoor markets, churches, parks, and dozens of fine restaurants.

Liberty of the Seas will sail on Saturdays to Toulon, France; Nice; Civitavecchia and Naples. 

Two-time Canadian silver medallist Vaughn Chipeur has announced he is retiring from competitive figure skating.  Instead of performing in front of judges, the 25 year old will skate in professional shows across Canada before joining the lineup on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

In addition to a pair of second-place finishes at the Canadian championships in 2009 and 2010, Chipeur was fourth in 2008 and seventh in 2007. He was 23rd at the Vancouver Winter Olympic this past February.

It isn't clear which ship he will be joining, but it will be likely limited to the fleet of Royal Caribbean ships that have an ice skating rink, the Oasis, Voyager and Freedom class vessels.

We usually only have one photo of the day for each day but this photo was just too cool to pass up.

Photo by Ramón

Oasis of the Seas has been in service since December 2009 and it has taken the world by storm with it's impressive assortment of onboard amenities such as the bigger rock wall, Flowrider, carousel and even a zip line.  It's hard to imagine that Royal Caribbean could have put anything else on it but in fact, at one point there were plans to include a roller coaster and a ferris wheel!

Cruisersconnect cites in a recent article from VG by Rune Thomas Ege, CEO of Royal Caribbean Adam Goldstein mentioned the idea for some of these additions. "Imagine the experience (of riding a roller coaster at sea). You are pulled to the top of the ship, and then the roller coaster takes you along the outside of the ship and down towards the ocean as the ship is moving, it would be really spectacular.”

Sounds pretty cool, but after further review, Royal Caribbean nixed the idea because, "Both the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster would probably turn out really expensive, so for the time being we have not moved on with the ideas.”

Photo by Hacienda Cocina

Another finalist for Royal Caribbean's Culinary Challenge, which looks who will be the next Chef de Cuisine of 150 Central Park, the signature restaurant onboard Allure of the Seas, has been profiled by their hometown newspaper.  Anthony Burd, a chef from Belvidere, Pennsylvania, is one of the six finalists for the competition.

Voting ends on Sunday, July 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET and you can vote once per day.