“Royal Caribbean is proud to receive this honor for the seventh consecutive year from our valued Vacation.com travel agent partners,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of Sales, Trade Support and Services, Royal Caribbean International.

Vacation.com travel agent members on board were the first to learn about Royal Caribbean’s Loyal to You Always, more of the line’s continuous commitment to supporting travel agents.

“This latest consecutive Power of Partnership Award reaffirms our proven track record in building meaningful relationships with our indispensable travel agent partners,” said Freed.

Significance:  Travel agents are paid commission by cruise lines.  Times get tough sometimes.  Travel agents, formerly not much more than “order takers” when it came to cruise vacation booking, have either gone broke and are selling timeshares now or evolved to be a valuable asset to both cruise travelers and cruise lines as well.  Nice how that’s working out.

Chris Owen is a travel writer from Orlando Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information on cruise vacations with travelers. Certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris can be found via the popular travel blog, ChrisCruises.net and on the long-running cruise information website, YourCruiseDream.com.

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• Royal Caribbean wins consecutive Power of Partnership Award

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• Final days to enter Royal Caribbean’s ‘Shell Yourself’ photo contest

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Rhapsody of the Seas in ship yard. (photo: Royal Caribbean)

Royal Caribbean is making fleet-wide upgrades to their existing ships giving them the Royal Advantage, Oasis-class upgrades over the next few years. Some of these upgrades will include dining, technology, stateroom enhancements and entertainment upgrades.

Here are the Royal Advantage additions*:

• Pub
• Park Café
• Boardwalk Dog House
• Chefs Table
• Giovanni’s Table
• Izumi Asian Cuisine Rita’s Cantina
• Samba Grill Brazilian Steakhouse
• Digital Signage
• Shipboard wifi
• Interactive TV’s
• New staterooms
• Updated wine bar
• Nursery
• Concierge Club
• DreamsWorks Experience
• 3D movie theater
• Outdoor movie screen

SHIPS NOW AVAILABLE: Radiance of the Seas (see video below), Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas

*Exact dates and ship enhancements may vary.

Video:

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To qualify for a Military rate, at least one guest in the stateroom must be classified as one of the following:

1. Active personnel currently serving in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves or Canadian National Defense.

2. Retired from any of the divisions listed directly above.

3. Veterans with an Honorable Discharge serving a minimum of 2 years, or 6-months in an active war zone, in any of the United States service divisions listed above.

At least one guest per stateroom must be eligible to be considered in compliance with these rates.

Prices are per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy. All itineraries and prices are subject to change without notice. Certain restrictions apply. Government taxes and fees are additional.

Contact your local travel advisor for additional information.

Source: Royal Caribbean

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Liberty of the Seas. (photo: RCI)

Royal Caribbean International announced today that a total of nine ships will sail the European waters in 2013. Most recently announced was Legend of the Seas and Vision of the Seas.

So who’s going where?

• In May and August, Vision of the Seas will alternate seven-night Norwegian Fjords and Scandinavia & Russia itineraries from Copenhagen, Denmark. The ship also will offer seven-night Scandinavia & Russia sailings from Stockholm in July. Two Ultimate Scandinavia & Russia itineraries each feature two overnights in St. Petersburg, one sailing on June 19 from Copenhagen on an 11-night itinerary that concludes with an overnight at Stockholm, and the second on July 28 from Stockholm on a 10-night itinerary that concludes with an overnight at Copenhagen. Additionally from Copenhagen, vacationers can select a 10-night British Isles cruise departing on Aug. 7, or an 11-night sailing on June 8 that ventures up the Norwegian Coast and beyond Latitude 66 North into the Arctic Circle.
• Vision of the Seas complements Independence of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas’ Europe 2013 sailings in the North Sea. Brilliance of the Seas also will sail the North and Baltic seas, but on longer 10- to 11-night itineraries from Harwich, England. Independence of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas will homeport at Southampton, to offer a wide range of itineraries to the Baltics, British Isles, Mediterranean and Canary Islands.
• Legend of the Seas divides its Europe summer between the homeports of Rome (Civitavecchia) and Venice. From May through August, the ship sails a seven-night Western Mediterranean itinerary, calling at Genoa, Italy; Provence (Marseilles), France; and Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Valencia, Spain. A nine-night circumnavigation of the Italian peninsula, departing Aug. 31, brings Legend of the Seas to Venice, where the ship will offer vacationers a pair of 10-night Greek Isles and 11-night Greece & Turkey itineraries in Sept. and Oct.
• Legend of the Seas bolsters Navigator of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas sailings from Rome (Civitavecchia) and Venice, respectively. Navigator of the Seas offers seven-night Eastern Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises, while Splendour of the Seas offers seven-night Adriatic and Greek Isles sailings.
• And from Barcelona, Liberty of the Seas offers vacationers five- and seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises and Serenade of the Seas offer a selection of 12-night Mediterranean Greek Isles and Mediterranean Venice itineraries.

Most all of the cruise ships will undergo Royal Caribbean’s Royal Advantage program, giving the ships Oasis-like features and heavily refurbished.

Source: Royal Caribbean

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With only a few days left to enter, consumers can submit their entries by sneding a photo of themselves posing with a “shellphone” via the “Shell Yourself Contest” tab at www.Facebook.com/RoyalCaribbean and telling the cruise line where they’d like to sail and how they’d like to be treated royally.  One winner will receive a seven-night cruise for two anywhere Royal Caribbean sails, plus two round-trip tickets to get there.  And there’s more – the winner will also receive a one-night trip to Miami to star in a professional photo shoot that may be featured in the cruise line’s new worldwide cruises brochure. The final day for entries is Friday, May 18, 2012.

Inspiration is available on the contest tab page via videos of the new brand campaign, plus a comprehensive map outlining everywhere Royal Caribbean sails – including new itineraries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Mediterranean and Alaska, as well as newly revitalized ships sailing to the Caribbean

Source/photo: Royal Caribbean

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Enchantment of the Seas. (photo: wiki)

Royal Caribbean International announced yesterday that the 2,446-passenger Enchantment of the Seas will replace the aging Monarch of the Seas in Port Canaveral on April 25, 2013, offering guests three and four night Bahamas itineraries.

Before home-porting to Port Canaveral year-round Enchantment of the Seas will go through Royal Caribbean’s signature Royal Advantage Program adding: an outdoor movie screen, Chef’s Table, ship wide WiFi, concierge club, diamond club, digital signage, flat screen TV’s and a nursery.

Royal Caribbean is transferring Monarch of the Seas to sister cruise line Pullmantar next spring.

Enchantment of the Seas will offer a 12-night Southern Caribbean repositioning cruise from Baltimore to Port Canaveral before kicking off service in her new Florida home.

Grandeur of the Seas will replace Enchantment in Baltimore.

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• Royal Caribbean repositions Brilliance of the Seas to Tampa
• Celebrity Millennium emerges from dry dock “Solsticized”
• Carnival Breeze complete sea trials in Adriatic Sea
• Norwegian’s $1000 air credit offer
• Norwegian Cruise Line cuts steal on upcoming Norwegian Getaway

Theresa Masek, editor-in-chief of Vacation Agent Magazine gives us her review of Oceania Cruises brand new ‘Riviera’ and CEO of MSC Cruises USA joins us from South Florida to talk about home porting their upcoming MSC Divina in Miami.

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• Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas refurb
• Keel laid on Norwegian Breakway in German shipyard
• Princess Cruises putting a ship in SFO year-round
• Disney Wonder making inaugural run to Hawaii
• Seattle-Alaska cruise season kicks off

Greg Poplewko, Director of Product Development with Carnival Cruise Line will tell us about the new food venues aboard Carnival Breeze, launching this June.

Scott talks to Port Director of PortMiami, Bill Johnson about the rapid growth that PortMiami is experiencing.

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Voyager of the Seas (photo: Royal Caribbean)

Royal Caribbean announced this week that three of their ships will be deployed to Australia for 2013-14 cruise season. Voyager of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas will give guests 55 sailings to 56 exotic ports of call.

What ships?

The 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas will homeport in Sydney and offer a nine to 14-night sailings to New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia. The Australian deployment will start with a 14-night sailing from Singapore to Sydney on October 24, 2013.

The 2,139-passenger Radiance of the Seas and 1,998-passenger Rhapsody of the Seas will also both be homeported in Sydney from October 2013 to early May 2014, offering seven to 15-night sailings to Tasmania, Queensland, New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia.

Radiance of the Seas will also circumnavigate twice around Australia on 16-night north and 17-night south coast sailing.

Royal Caribbean has 22 ships calling in 72 countries across the world.

Source: Royal Caribbean

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The azipods from Oasis of the Seas. (photo: ABB Group)

Royal Caribbean’s two new 158,000-ton cruise ships will have a new energy efficient Azipods when they are delivered fall of 2014 and spring of 2015. ABB, a leader in azipod propulsion has received the orders for both ships, totaling $60-million.

Azipod units (pictured right) act as both the ships thrust and rudder, giving the ship 360-degree control, compared to tradition vessels that have a rudder to steer and separate propeller for propulsion.  The new azipod units will provide better maneuverability and less fuel.

“We are pleased that as the cruise ship market rebounds, a number of shipbuilders have chosen our market-leading Azipod propulsion systems for the next generation of cruise vessels,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s process automation division.

The two Project Sunshine ships are being built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenbury, Germany.

Source: ABB

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