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Thousands come out to greet Oasis of the Seas in Falmouth

In:
25 Mar 2011

Local officials in Falmouth, Jamaica estimate thousands of locals descended upon the new cruise port to witness Royal Caribbean's mega-ship Oasis of the Seas dock for the first time there on Tuesday.

Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain described the scene in conjunction with Oasis' arrival as "Wow".

Seaboard Street (the street adjacent to the wharf) and Market Street were jam-packed with onlookers who wanted to catch a glimpse of the enormous ship and perhaps the promise of a better future with added tourist dollars streaming into the area.

The excitement lasted through Oasis' departure, when she blew her horn a half hour before leaving and many returned to the pier to watch her leave.  Oasis of the Seas will return to Falmouth in two weeks.

Falmouth ready and excited for arrival of Oasis of the Seas

In:
22 Mar 2011

The residents of Falmouth, Jamaica are ready to welcome Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas today as she makes her inaugural visit to the port.

Port Authority of Jamaica Public Relations Officer Andrea White indicated that all systems are in place to accommodate the mega-ship.  Furthermore, the berthing facility atFalmouth port is 100 percent ready and everyone is raring to witness this historic moment.

Work crews have been working hard to ensure that Water Square looks perfect for Tuesday’s arrival of the ship. Colin Gager, Mayor of Falmouth, said cleaning efforts would continue right up to the arrival of the ship.

The townspeople are excited for the arrival too.  Many residents have been flooding the Mayor's office to seek more information on her arrival and the Mayor has announced big screen televisions will be placed at strategic points in Water Square so that residents can see what is happening on the port.

Jamaica's Consul General greets Oasis of the Seas passengers

In:
22 Mar 2011

Sandra Grant Griffiths, Jamaica's Consul General, greeted Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas' passengers this past Saturday to commemorate the mega-ship's first stop at the brand new Falmouth cruise port in Jamaica.

The moment took place in Port Everglades, Florida as Griffiths wished the ship a great vacation as it would begin a journey to bring its passengers to Jamaica.  Oasis will dock at Falmouth today, March 22, which coincides with the celebration of the official opening of the Falmouth Port.

Mrs. Grant Griffiths was accompanied on tour by officials of Royal Caribbean Cruise Limited, officials of Broward County Commission, and the Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

Underwater lifts on Allure and Oasis of the Seas made possible by Handling Specialty

In:
09 Mar 2011

The brand new Oasis and Allure of the Seas cruise ships can thank Handling Specialty for creating the three huge underwater lifts, two tilting diving boards and one rotating trampoline for Royal Caribbean's newest ships.

These innovations are what make the AquaTheater shows possible.  These systems, manufactured in Canada were shipped to Turku, Finland, where they were installed over the course of about 18 months to create the AquaTheater stage area for the largest and deepest freshwater pools at sea.

"This is very high profile and very exciting," said Handling Specialty president Tom Beach, adding the devices have already been featured in a couple of documentaries, including a Discovery Channel show, The Mighty Ships.

Royal Caribbean to introduce 3D theater to Allure of the Seas

In:
01 Mar 2011

Royal Caribbean announced it will partner with FUNA International to provide stereoscopic 3D digital cinema to Royal Caribbean's brand new Allure of the Seas.  Thanks to Royal Caribbean's partnership with Dreamworks Animation, the deal with FUNA will make it possible for guests on Allure of the Seas to enjoy all the current 3D DreamWorks titles as well as other 3D movies, in the ship's Amber Theater.

Christopher Vlassopulos, Entertainment Technology and Technical Direction for Royal Caribbean International had this to say about the new deal, "We called upon FUNA and their team to come up with creative technical design solutions in a number of areas including physical placement, additional cooling and power and integration with the existing audio system, and the result is a 3D movie experience as good as or better than any land-based theater.  On testing the finished product, people at the highest level at Barco [projection supplier], DreamWorks and Dolby [sound system supplier] were 'blown away' with the result. We wanted to do a good job but to impress them out of the gate was a real bonus and obviously something the guest will really enjoy. It looks and sounds great."

In addition to Allure of the Seas, other Royal Caribbean ships are set to receieve the 3D theater upgrade. Vlassopulos confirmed that Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas will reveive the 3D upgrade.

In addition to the new theater, FUNA has provided technical design, engineering, integration and consulting for entertainment, display and communications in most of the theaters, restaurants, clubs, and public spaces - as well as the crew recreation and support areas.

Falmouth is ready for Oasis of the Seas and other mega ships

In:
18 Feb 2011

The Port Authority of Jamaica announced today that its brand new Falmouth port that opened to cruise ships yesterday is now ready for mega ships like Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas now that all navigational requirements have been met.

When Voyager of the Seas docked yesterday in Falmouth, she was able to confirm that the berthing facilities "met and surpassed global standards".

Falmouth is a joint venture between the Port Authority of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean that cost $170 million.

Mike Henry, Minister of Transport & Works for the Port Authority was excited to welcome even bigger ships to Falmouth, “We are elated with the successful completion of this project which now creates an opportunity for Jamaica to receive Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest and most luxurious cruise ship, and we will do so at a time, when there is a high level of competition in the cruise industry. In addition, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to our main partners, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Limited, for forming this strategic partnership."

Royal Caribbean challenges Jamaicans to finish Falmouth port

In:
03 Feb 2011

Royal Caribbean Vice President of Commercial Development John Tercek is encouraging Jamaicans to work harder in the development of the new cruise port at Falmouth in Jamaica.

Falmouth is a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and the Port Authority of Jamaica, but the project has been delayed quite a bit from it's initial plans.  Tercek's call to action is a response to Royal Caribbean's desire to complete the project.

Speaking at the Stocks and Securities Limited investors forum on Tuesday, Tercek was giving a speech on the topic: 'Falmouth and the cruise-ship pier'.  When asked why Jamaica was not realizing its potential in the sector, Tercek responded , "Jamaicans are very good at talking and they are not so good at action. We try to take the initiative. We try to show up, not as talkers but as doers. We are putting a lot of money into the town. We made a lot of commitments to the town and to Jamaica."

"We have been trying to be a catalyst. We can't do it all - we can't restore, rehabilitate ... all of the town (Falmouth). We can do our project. We can bring our guests. We can make further investments into the town, and we are doing all of that ... but it is going to take a lot of initiative, not only from the Government," Tercek said, pointing out that all parties involved will have to take part.

Delays at Falmouth have caused cruise ships to cancel calls to the port.  Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas had been scheduled to make its maiden call at the port back on January 7 burt was forced to cancel. 

The updated schedule has Voyager of the Seas arriving on February 17, followed by Oasis of the Seas in March.

Port Everglades port traffic up 25%

In:
26 Jan 2011

Port Everglades, Florida is the home to Royal Caribbean's flagships, Oasis and Allure of the Seas and the last quarter of 2010 saw cruise traffic up 25% to 1.17 million cruise passengers.

This is great news for not just Royal Caribbean but the cruise industry as a whole because it shows the industry has rebounded nicely from the recession, thanks in part to new ships like Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas or Oasis of the Seas.  Locals in Fort Lauderdale area are happy as well as that means more cruise passengers spending money in the local area before and after their cruises.

In addition, port revenue for the first fiscal quarter was at $37.5 million, a level that exceeds the previous first fiscal quarter peak of $30.6 million in 2008.

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