This cool time lapse video shows lots of cruises and features many Royal Caribbean ships such as Jewel of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas & Majesty of the Seas and the Royal Caribbean private island of CocoCay.

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.

On April 29th, 2011, several hundred mom bloggers will board a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Majesty of the Seas in Miami to begin their voyage to the Bahamas, as part of the Bloggin’ Mamas Conference & Cruise. Organizers Heather Lopez of Happy Healthy Mom and Caroline Schafer of the Moms On Vacation Travel Club have teamed up to create this one of a kind opportunity for moms to network for both business and pleasure.

Schafer & Lopez took the concept of mom group traveling and combined it with a mom blogger conference after hearing many complaints from moms about having to spend too much money to attend onshore conferences, having to be away from their family, and not really enjoying everything because they were too overwhelmed. According to Heather Lopez, “The cruise environment allows for the controlled scheduling of workshops and social events, and even onshore activities, which makes it easier to ensure that moms will benefit from both the information and the experience. Plus, the moms can bring their kids and spouses, so they get the benefit of a vacation as well.”

Highlights for the event include:

• Engaging workshops conducted by experienced bloggers sharing how bloggers can grow their following, grow their influence, and convert their blogs into profitable endeavors
• Networking opportunities that can help connect faces to their blogs
• Brand 2 Blogger connections, giving moms the opportunity to try out the latest in products for their family
• On shore excursions in the Bahamas
• Workshops scheduled in mid afternoon, rather than morning to allow moms to shop and tour the Bahamas
• Childcare available
• Evening social mixers to bring some more fun onboard
• Invitation Only events for VIP’s
• Swag Bags & Giveaways
• Affordable Package Price & Payment Plan

When Lopez and Schafer first came up with the concept, they immediately assembled an advisory board made up of some of the most influential mom bloggers out there to ensure that all aspects of the event were planned with several viewpoints in mind. Advisory board members include Traci Bisson/ The Mom Entrepreneur, Amy Bellgardt/ Mom Spark and Mom Made That, Holly Hanna/ The Work At Home Woman, Dawn Berryman/ Market Mommy, Toni Bloomfield/ Market Mommies, Abbey Fatica/ Living My MoMent, Lin C/ Blogomomma, and Lucinda Cross/ Corporate Mom DropOuts; reaching a combined total of over 100,000 moms nationwide between them.

The Bloggin’ Mamas Cruise & Conference has already garnered tons of brand interest and will be launching a marketing campaign to promote the event shortly. Megan Calhoun of TwitterMoms agreed to help promote the event to her network of over 25,000 members and Jennifer James of the Mom Bloggers Club & Mom Salon is tentatively scheduled as one of the event’s keynotes. Moms are encouraged to register soon to reserve the current rate.

Photo by Kristina Remon

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

For fans of cruising and heavy metal music, there is news that a special concert will be held on Majesty of the Seas that will sail Monday, January 24, 2011.  The cruise is called  "70000 Tons Of Metal" and has been dubbed "the world's biggest floating heavy metal festival".  This themed cruise will feature a number of metal acts.  These include..

• agent steel
• amon amarth
• death angel
• epica
• exodus
• fear factory
• finntroll
• forbidden
• moonspell
• obituary
• raven
• saxon
• sodom
• sonata arctica
• stratovarius
• swashbuckle
• testament
• trouble
• uli jon roth
• witchburner

More bands will be announced and a total of 40 acts have been promised.

American Idol fans may remember Mandisa as a talented contestant from season five of the popular show.  She made the top 10 finalists, before being voted off the show.  Her new tour will bring her to perform aboard Majesty of the Seas in November 2010.  From November 8 through 12, 2010, the 29 year old from Tennessee will take the stage aboard Majesty of the Seasas part of her current 2010 tour.

Mandisa has turned her songs to sing gospel now and she joins other acts such as Newsboys, Jeremy Camp and the David Crowder Band aboard "The Music Boat 2010" tour, which has a Gospel theme to it.  In addition to the musical acts, Major League Baseball players Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers and Matt Diaz of the Atlanta Braves will also be on board for this themed cruise.

The Majesty of the Seas cruise is a four night cruise out of Miami, Florida and will visit Nassau, Bahamas, CocoCay® and Key West, Florida.  If gospel music and cruising is your thing, perhaps this cruise is of interest to you.

Here's a great photo of Majesty of the Seas pulling into port in Miami earlier this morning.

Photo by Erika

If you've been on a cruise before, more than likely, you've been to Nassau, Bahamas.  Nassau has become the ubiquitous stop for most cruisers due to it's proximity to the United States eastern shore cruising ports.  Many seem to have a love it or hate it opinion of the port but there's definitely good reason many ships make a stop here.

Nassau Benefits

• Beaches: Nassau has an assortment of private and public beaches to choose from that are sure to please most beach goers.  While Nassau beaches aren't the absolute prettiest in the world, they do embody that typical Caribbean white sand and blue water motif that many seek on any vacation into the Caribbean.
  • Best private beach: Atlantis Resort
  • Best public beach: Cable Beach
• Shopping: The downtown area near the dock area is easy to navigate and offers a variety of shopping options.  Nassau isn't known for having the best deal on much, but pricing here can be a bargain when compared to buying the items back in the United States.  Liquor tends to be a good deal, especially the local variety.
• Historic landmarks: While not renown for its historical significance, there are some rather interesting historical landmarks to see at least once.  These relics from the British colonial era can be fascinating and educational to see.
  • Not to be missed landmarks: Queen's Staircase, Christopher Columbus Statue, Fort Charlotte

Nassau Detractions

• "Pushy" locals: Nearly all ports in the Caribbean will have their share of locals trying to persuade tourists to get their hair braided or take a taxi cab or some other service.  While the pushiness in Nassau isn't as bad as other islands, it's still existent and can be an issue for those who do not like being approached.
• Lack of exoticness: Even proponents of Nassau will admit that Nassau and Paradise Island aren't the most exotic of locations.  Other ports in the Caribbean tend to be much more exotic looking and intriguing a destination.

If you choose not to get off the ship at Nassau, be sure to look into deals on board the ship for deals as port days often bring better deals at the spa, among other locations.

Royal Caribbean Ships stopping in Nassau: Explorer of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas