Royal Caribbean has been forced to cancel stops to its private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay, through Monday due to the effect Hurricane Irene had on it.  Royal Caribbean's reasoning for cancelling is being described as, "we feel our guest's experience ashore would be disrupted".

The following stops have been canceled

• Majesty of the Seas - August 27
• Monarch of the Seas -  August 28
• Freedom of the Seas - August 29

As a result of this itinerary change, Royal Caribbean has decided to amend the following itineraries as follows

• Monarch of the Seas will now stay overnight in Nassau, Bahamas, arriving at 12:00 p.m. today and departing at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 28.
• Majesty of the Seas will also stay overnight in Nassau, Bahamas, arriving at 12:00 p.m. today and departing at 5:00 pm. on Sunday, August 28.
• Freedom of the Seas will call on Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday, August 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

No word at this time if any further cancelations will be necessary.  Royal Caribbean reported sending a team yesterday to evaluate the damage to the island.

Hurricane Irene has altered the itinerary of two more Royal Caribbean ships.

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas will skip Cococay on Tuesday, its private island in the Bahamas.  Instead, the ship will spend an extra day at sea.

Majesty of the Seas will also skip her scheduled sotp at CocoCay on Wednesday and go directly to Key West instead.  Majesty should arrive at Key West at 4pm on Wednesday and stay there overnight until 6pm on Thursday.

These two changes are in addition to four other Royal Caribbean ships that had their itineraries altered already inlcuding Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas.

In addition, Hurricane Irene has caused Royal Caribbean to secure and evacuate Cocacay.

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas will host the Ante Up Poker Cruise, which is scheduled from August 29 to September 2, 2011.

A usual, the Ante Up Poker Cruise offers various multi-table tournaments, cash games as well the flagship event Ante Up Poker Tour. And participants can play poker no limit hold'em, limit hold'em, pot-limit Omaha, HORSE or HORSE limit during this Summer Cruise.  Monarch of the Seas' conference room will be converted this time by the poker room. And note that a leading player will also be part of the adventure.

There are also many cash in major poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit. And on this trip, it will offer a free course of poker through a two-hour session during which Poker professional Lee Childs will share his experiences and best strategies.

Boarding will take place August 29 and after the small reception to accommodate passengers happily, the poker room will be open for Sit & Go.

Monarch of the Seas will stop in the Bahamas and passengers may also participate in tournaments at the Crystal Palace Casino. The tournament Ante Up Poker Tour $ 125 will be held on Thursday 1st September. And the ship will reach Port Canaveral Friday, September 2. The next and final Ante Up Poker Cruise will then take place in December.

Cruise passenger traffic is up for Royal Caribbean at Port Canaveral, Florida.  The amount of passengers for Royal Caribbean's ships based out of Port Canaveral is up 1 percent for the year at nearly 360,000.

This figure is slightly skewed when you consider the fact that Royal Caribbean ships have made nine more voyages out of the port so far this year.  Royal Caribbean has matched competitor Carnival Cruise Lines in replacing smaller ships with larger ones at Port Canaveral during the past two years.

Royal Caribbean currently home ports Freedom of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas out of Port Canaveral for year round trips. 

Port officials also report total cruise revenue is up year to date about 19 percent.

Royal Caribbean has teamed up with Orlando, Florida based Mustard Seed to help donate its mattresses, pillows and other cruise ship to charity.

Mustard Seed is an organization that specializes in giving furniture and clothing to victims of natural disasters and personal tragedies.

Royal Caribbean has been in negotiations with Mustard Seed since January, according to Mustard Seed Executive Director Michelle Lyles.  With the deal signed, Royal Caribbean delivered 1200 mattresses at Port Canaveral to the non-profit agency.

Lyles is excited about the new partnership, “Royal Caribbean has done so much in the community and with the environment,  We appreciate our partnership with Monarch of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas to divert mattresses and furniture items that were heading to the landfill towards families who need help. It’s just one more way how both Royal Caribbean and The
Mustard Seed are helping to improve the lives of people in our community".

Rodolfo Villasmil, Corporate Environmental Commodity Manager for Royal Caribbean adds: “We know that clean oceans are good for the environment and good for our guests, so we strive to achieve the highest possible standards of environmental and community stewardship; and we are happy to work with The Mustard Seed to be a responsible partner in keeping our earth safe and clean.”

A message on Royal Caribbean's website is warning those scheduled to sail on Monarch of the Seas on July 8th that the anticipated launch of the last space shuttle flight on the same day is expected to create major traffic delays.

Royal Caribbean is recommending its passengers provide ample time to get to the port prior to the 4:30pm departure time.

Furthermore, Royal Caribbean warned it would not delay the departure of Monarch of the Seas due to traffic congestion.  If you're scheduled to be on this cruise, it would be wise to arrive many hours before the required time.

Monarch of the Seas is scheduled to sail out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Friday, July 8. The final space shuttle launch is also scheduled for Friday, July 8. Port Canaveral historically experiences heavy traffic volume before and after the shuttle launch. Since the shuttle launch on July 8 is the last launch, the Port is expecting extremely heavy traffic in the area.

We ask that guests who are scheduled to sail on Monarch of the Seas on July 8, provide ample time to arrive at the port for boarding. The ship's 4:30 p.m. departure will not be delayed due to the launch traffic. As a reminder, all guests must be checked in and onboard the ship 60 minutes prior to sail time.

Judge Marc Schumacher, of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, came down hard on Royal Caribbean for a hydrogen sulfide leak aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas that killed three crew members and injured 19 others.

The Judge said, "Royal Caribbean’s actions demonstrated a gross indifference to the life and health of not only the plaintiff but other passengers onboard the Monarch of the Seas when it continued to cruise with measures that allowed poison gas exposure to its passengers."

Furthermore, Schumacher felt Royal Caribbean "failed to take reasonable measures to prevent exposure" to the poison gas.

The criticism comes after seeing photos taken during a Coast Guard investigation of the incident document the "extensive corrosion" they say they found in engine room pipes where the leak originated.  The Coast Guarded concluded that "early signs… of hazardous H2S gas …were missed."

On Royal Caribbean's official Facebook page and Twitter feed, the company issued a statement denying rumors that the cruise line was possibly going to sell Monarch of the Seas and/or Majesty of the Seas.

There have been inquiries, around rumors, asking if we are selling Majesty of the Seas and/or Monarch of Seas. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is not selling these nor any of its brands' ships.

The statement is in response to recent speculation in South Korean newspapers that Royal Caribbean was going to sell one or both of the ships to cruise ship operator "All That Cruise".

Also of interest was Royal Caribbean's choice to post the information on its Twitter and Facebook page in lieu of traditional means of conveying news.  It confirms Royal Caribbean's commitment to its social media initiatives.

A video is circulating around the Internet showing Disney Cruise Line's brand new Disney Dream coming very close to hitting Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas on January 17, 2011.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez issued this statement regarding the incident, "Monarch of the Seas was anchored and the Disney ship casted off and drifted close to our vessel".

Disney says the captain of the Dream was in control and the ships never got closer than 20 or 30 feet.  

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.