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Passenger claims storm on Royal Caribbean ship led to wife's death

In:
31 Jan 2011

Remember the news of Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas being hit by that big storm in the Mediterranean?  Well a woman who cruised on that ship during that storm has died and her husband believes it was because of her experience on the ship.

Barbara Davey slipped into a coma just three days after dealing with the giant waves impacting Brilliance of the Seas while in her stateroom.  When the ship docked in Malta, she was transferred to a hospital but she never recovered and was airlifted back to the United Kingdom.

Barbara's husband, John Davey, wants answers and restitution.  He is planning to sue Royal Caribbean over the incident because he feels the ship should have never left port after weather reports prior to the cruise hinted at the possibility of bad weather.

Frommer's names Allure of the Seas best ship of 2011

In:
14 Jan 2011

Frommer's travel guide has named Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas as one of the Best Cruise Ships of 2011.  Judges cited Allure and her sister Oasis of the Seas as, "undoubtedly the best entertainment ship at sea, with truly exceptional programming for both adults and kids."

Judges were impressed by many aspects of the Oasis class ships, especially the innovations Royal Caribbean introduced on these vessels, "The biggest innovation is the vessels' split superstructures, with the top eight decks bisected lengthwise by a long canyon that contains an open-air garden and a boardwalk-like entertainment zone. Besides letting light and air into the center of the ship, this makes the whole vessel feel more 3D -- like you're walking the streets of a high-rise city, not shuffling blindly from one horizontal deck to another."

The list of ships only surveyed ships in the Western Hemisphere, so ships in Europe and Asia were not included.

In addition to taking the top honors, a few other Royal Caribbean ships made the "notables" list.  Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas were all mentioned for scoring highly. 

Judges enjoyed the Radiance class of Royal Caribbean ships because. "These four sisters combine sleek, seagoing exteriors with nautically themed interiors and acres of windows."

Brilliance of the Seas to offer on-shore excursions to Dubailand

In:
13 Jan 2011

If you're going on a cruise aboard the Brilliance of the Seas, which visits Dubai, there's a new excursion option to check out.  Royal Caribbean has reached an agreement with Dubailand to allow guests to visit  The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence and key attractions at Dubailand.

The deal marks the second cruise season that Royal Caribbean and Dubai Properties Group (DPG) have woked together to make this an option for cruisers.

The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence is a lifestyle, shopping and leisure destination known for its stunning beach-side setting. The diversity of food, beverage, entertainment and cultural offerings has made The Walk at JBR a must-see for tourists.

Other key destinations in DUBAILAND® will also be promoted in Royal Caribbean's pre and post cruise tour land packages, as well as on-shore excursion programs. These attractions include Dubai Autodrome in MotorCity, Dubai Outlet Mall in Outlet City, The Global Village, and Dubai Sports City which features the Els Club, the Butch Harmon School of Golf and the Cricket Stadium. These projects currently receive millions of visitors annually, and add further variety to Dubai's tourism offering by providing visitors with exciting entertainment options and value for money.

From January 24 through April 9, Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas will offer seven night cruises that vist destinations in the Arabian Gulf area.  In addition, Royal Caribbean has added new 12 night itineraries that include stops in India as well. 

"We are delighted to resume the extremely successful marketing alliance between these two strong brands which has allowed thousands of visitors to experience our popular DPG designations last season," said Khalid Al Malik, CEO, Dubai Properties Group.

Rama Rebbapragada, Regional Vice President of Royal Caribbean International, said: "We hope to replicate the success of our full capacity 2010 sailings, and are thrilled that our new 12-night itinerary has received a huge amount of interest from key global source markets including the UK, North America and Germany."

Royal Caribbean kicks man off ship for trying to enter the bridge

In:
05 Jan 2011

Russian tourist Alex Skokov claims that he was illegally removed from a cruise in the Mediterranean under the pretext of security breaches. He intends to sue the cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises.

According to Skokov, while onboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas on a New Years cruise, he was accused of violating safety rules, and for that he was held for days in detention in the cabin, and then left on the shore in the Athenian harbor of Piraeus.

A Royal Caribbean statement describes the incident, "Skokov was filmed by surveillance camera at the Royal Carribean Brilliance Of The Seas at about 3.50 am 1 January 2011 at a time when he tried to go to the bridge through the door, where it was clearly written:" no entry ". Shortly before, he had twice, between 3.00 and 3.30, visited the Information Desk for the passengers and asked if he could immediately get to the bridge"

Skokov claims it was a mistake, "I knocked - I discovered", - explained the tourist, as he was there, where he was not supposed to be provided.

The Royal Caribbean document states that when Skokov was on the bridge, he was asked to leave, carried to the door and told to return to the cabin. After that Russian safety officers interrogated him twice.

"In both cases, Mr. Skokov admitted that he clearly understands the seriousness of the situation and the reasons for his removal from the vessel. Skokov violated rules of conduct for guests that he signed when boarding the cruise "

Report of over 100 injuries on Brilliance of the Seas

In:
17 Dec 2010

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas was involved in a big storm in the Mediterranean earlier last week and the story of injuries, large waves and upset guests has made its way around the world, but according to Seatrade Insider, injuries to cruise guests onboard were more than we were lead to believe.

A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman claims that the number of injured guests onboard Brilliance of the Seas has risen to 105 people now. This is in contrast to early reports of just 30 people being injured with 2 people suffering a bone fracture.

Royal Caribbean has already announced it will refund the cost of the cruise to passengers onboard the ship.

Royal Caribbean issues statement about Brilliance of the Seas

In:
14 Dec 2010

While the Brilliance of the Seas was coming to Alexandria, faced extreme weather conditions as strong waves and winds of 70 knots, about twice what was previously forecast. The combination of winds and waves resulted in the ship suffered intense movements.

Injuries were reported in some guests, two of whom suffered serious fractures. The medical facility on board is functioning optimally, and our medical team is diligently attending to the guests involved.

The intense movement of the boat damaged some public areas and caused blackouts in some rooms. Cosmetic damage inside the ship have caused the closing of three public places for the rest of the trip: the beauty salon, the arcade and disco. There was no impact on operating systems or engines, and the vessel maintains its full navigation capability.
Due to inclement weather, the Brilliance of the Seas could not get in Alexandria, going to the next harbor, Valetta, Malta, which will arrive next Tuesday at 7:00 am The ship completed its journey in Barcelona, Spain , on Friday as is scheduled. The subsequent cruises were carried out as scheduled, the ship will not need to go into dry dock, and are already making repairs.

As a gesture of goodwill, and to thank guests Brilliance of the Seas for your understanding during this difficult time, Royal Caribbean International has provided a shipboard credit and a refund of the fee paid for the trip

Royal Caribbean known to have been a terrifying experience for guests and crew, and our officers on board the Brilliance of the Seas will make every effort to ensure that the rest of the journey as pleasant as possible.

The Brilliance of the Seas is conducting a 12-night itinerary departing from Barcelona, Spain, with visits to ports in Sicily (Palermo), Italy, Athens (Piraeus) and Rhodes, Greece, Alexandria, Egypt and Valletta, Malta.  

Brilliance of the Seas makes it safely to Malta

In:
14 Dec 2010

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, the ship that had been struck by a terrible winter storm in the Mediterranean over the weekend, limped to port in Malta on Tuesday morning.

Brilliance of the Seas ran into a nasty storm of the weekend that caused rough seas, something Royal Caribbean called a "serious incident." The 90,000-ton ship swayed as far as 15 degrees in either direction several times. Several passengers reported minor injuries such as bumps and bruises and at least two people suffered broken bones.

Royal Caribbean offered cruisers a $200 credit because of the situation but some cruisers protested the offer and Royal Caribbean caved in, offering a full refund for the value of the cruise.

Rough seas hamper Royal Caribbean cruise

In:
13 Dec 2010

Rough seas caused minor injuries and some damage to Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas over the weekend.  A winter storm sent 30 foot waves against the cruise ship and caused some minor problems.

The ship rolled violently as the storm's huge waves crashed into the hull, throwing furniture, passengers and the ship's christmas tree around and breaking some interior glass.

The Brilliance of the Seas was supposed to be on a  12 day cruise that took it from Spain to Italy, then on to Greece, and finally Egypt. Due to the storm, Brilliance will now head back toward Malta.

UAE possible next hub for Royal Caribbean

In:
06 Oct 2010

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.

Royal Caribbean will send more ships to Europe

In:
24 Aug 2010

Royal Caribbean is planning on sending in the summer of 2011 as many cruise ships to Europe as ever before. Eleven ships will be in operation in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, the company said in Frankfurt, Germany.

That's three more ships than in the current summer season 2010. Also announced, the Brilliance of the Seas in the winter season 2011/12  will be reinstated in the Persian Gulf. The first tour to/from Dubai begins in November 2011 and that two months earlier than in the coming winter season.
 
For the first time this side of the Atlantic, Liberty of the Seas with space for up to 3634 guests, will be traveling in the summer of 2011 the 339 meters long, . It belongs to the second largest class of ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet and will travel from Barcelona to the western Mediterranean. Also for the first time in Europe is Grandeur of the Seas (279 meters, 2446 passengers), with a base port in the Palma de Mallorca. In Genoa, Mariner of the Seas begins the third Euro-novice their travels.
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