A 17-year-old girl from Pennsylvannia is accusing a Royal Caribbean singer aboard Navigator of the Seas of getting her drunk and then raping her.

The girl's family filed a civil lawsuit against Royal Caribbean in federal court in Miami.  The family also reported the incident to the FBI, but no criminal charges appear to have been filed.

The girl alleges that on March 5, while onboard the Navigator of the Seas, she was listening to a band when the singer invited her to dance.  The singer later ordered several alcoholic drinks at the bar.  In the lawsuit, neither the singer nor the bartender asked to verify the girl's age.  She then says she was taken to the singers room as she was "extremely intoxicated and impaired" and when the man started engaging in sexual activity, the girl regained enough consciousness to want to leave. Once she managed to leave, she was found in the hallway crying by another Royal Caribbean employee who brought her to the medical center for examination.

Cynthia Martinez, a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, said the incident was immediately reported to the FBI and that a team from the company offered the passenger medical care and counseling, "To date, the company is unaware of any charges being filed against anyone in this matter.  Royal Caribbean maintains strict policies governing employee interaction with guests. Due to the violation of this policy, the musician in question is no longer employed by Royal Caribbean."

Royal Caribbean has named Ricardo Amaral as their new Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.  Amaral spent seven years as Royal Caribbean's marketing manager in Brazil and Costa Rica. before taking this new position.

The move is part of a restructuring operation within Royal Caribbean to focus on international markets, which now represent 50% of total revenue.

Amaral has 19 years of experience in the cruise industry, including work in leading companies marketing and sales operations in this segment and its local represenatives. 

The brand new port of Falmouth, Jamaica is bustling with new cruise ship passengers who are visiting the port every week and that has local businesses excited.  So much so that the Trelawny Parish Council is overwhelmed with applications for vendor licenses on days when ships are in port.

Last month the Trelawny Parish Council started encouraging vendors to register after reports of some locals harassing cruise guests.  The council reports that in just four days, over 1000 applications have been submitted.

Falmouth Mayor Colin Gager isn't sure how to proceed, "We are overwhelmed by the number of venders who want to sell craft items and at this point we are not sure how we are going to accommodate all of them".

The original plans by the council called for between 20 and 25 vendors in Water square to be allowed on a rotating basis.  In addition, there would be another 50 allowed on the pier during a day when a cruise ship was docked.

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.

At this year's Seatrade Awards Ceremonial Dinner, Royal Caribbean was awarded  the "Investment in People" award for its “Building On Talent” leadership development program.

The Building on Talent program was created as a partnership between Royal Caribbean executives and Human Resources and is a multi-dimensional leadership development initiative.  The program identifies people in Royal Caribbean who are high-potential leaders and develops bench strength so leaders can potentially assume multiple roles throughout the company. Building on Talent's reach is global, both shipboard and shoreside, and cascades from senior executive to professional levels.

Royal Caribbean vice president, global chief and human resources officer Maria Del Busto was honored to receive the award on behalf of the company, “This special recognition is truly a testament to Royal Caribbean's continued dedication to nurturing our company's talent and creating our leaders of tomorrow.  By strategically managing our talent, and thoughtfully planning the successors of our key leadership roles, Royal Caribbean will be better positioned for the future.”

Royal Caribbean is promoting a road show in five towns in São Paulo, Brazil this week to spread the news for the 2011/2012 cruise season. One of the novelties introduced is the Splendour of the Seas, which went through a revitalization and will be in Brazil starting on December 11.

The road show has gone through Bauru, Sao Jose do Rio Preto and Ribeirao Preto. Today (May 4) it will be held in Sao Jose dos Campos at 7:30pm, and then at Blue Tree Power. Tomorrow (May 5), it will be promoted in Campinas, from 7:30pm at the headquarters of Anchorage.

Guests aboard Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas ran into a major transportation problem on the island of Bermuda during a recent stop.  Guests arrived off the ship to King's Wharf, Dockyard, when they ran into a very crowded situation thanks in part to Bermuda's timetable cuts.

Tourists complained many times to officials in an effort to figure out how to get to their destinations after encountering rude staff and a lack of organization.

The problem seemed to be a lack of enough transportation options after the Ministry of Transport introduced plans for a dispatcher to “control tourist numbers” in a bid to save seats for locals. Locals have long complained that tourists were given priority as full buses were driving past them on the way to Hamilton.

In an effort to remedy the situation, Bermuda's Tourism Minister Patrice Minors and Transport Minister Terry Lister met earlier this week to discuss how to address growing concerns about timetable cuts.  No word yet on what, if any, solution has been reached.

Shadow Transport Minister Kim Swan said he hoped the meeting would pave the way for an improved public transport system which “meets the needs of the whole Island.”

The hit Broadway musical "Saturday Night Fever" has debuted on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas and is the first Broadway show featured on a Royal Caribbean cruise in Europe.

Performed in Liberty of the Seas' state-of-the-art, 1,320-seat Platinum Theatre, the musical depicts Tony, the ambitious Brooklyn teen who spends his Saturday nights disco dancing.  Tony is played by  the British actor Lucas Rush.

The addition of Saturday Night Fever to Liberty of the Seas marks Royal Caribbean's third full-length Broadway musical to be performed on its ships.  The two other plays are “Hairspray” performed on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and “Chicago” playing on Allure of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas played host to a special luncheon gathering of Royal Caribbean staff and Jamaican officials on April 27th to honor Jamaica's Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry and to celebrate the partnership between Royal Caribbean and the Port Authority of Jamaica.

During the ceremony, Allure of the Seas' Captain, Hernam Zini, presented Mr. Henry with a plaque while Mr. Henry returned the favor and gave Captain Zini a plaque of his own.  There was also special commemorative gifts presented to Royal Caribbean by local members of Trelawny and Falmouth.

Both organizations had worked together to revamp and open Falmouth, Jamaica as a premiere cruise port.  Joining the group were members of Jamaica's government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and the business sector.

Henry was pleased with how the partnership was going, "I am calling on the Falmouth community for an integration of the local residents and visitors in affording them the opportunity of having the greatest experience in Jamaica, as this is crucial to the sustainability of the Jamaica's visitors' market".

Royal Caribbean announced the launch of Caribbean cruises on sale for the 2012-2013 season. 13 of the 22-ships, including the flagship Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, will offer tourists cruise the islands of the Caribbean. During the winter season of 2012-2013 cruises will depart on voyages lasting from 4 to 12 nights. Part of cruises now available for booking, the remaining will be available starting next week.

According to Royal Caribbean's Vice President for marketing Betsya O'Rourke, travel on Royal Caribbean ships are ideal for families and couples of all ages, leaving a lifelong pleasant memories. "The experienced staff of our modern ships ready to provide passenger service of the highest class, and entertainment will leave the impression of a bright holiday during the entire trip."

In 2012, Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas will continue their routes in Western and Eastern Caribbean of 7 nights. Every weekend, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will depart from Fort Lauderdale (Florida), while Freedom of the Seas will begin its voyage from Port Canaveral. Also from Port Canaveral to begin its voyage Monarch of the Seas. Her path will run through the Bahamas on a private island of Royal Caribbean CocoCay. The same route will go Majesty of the Seas, but only from Miami. Both cruises have a duration of 4 nights.

During Winter 2012-2013, Brilliance of the Seas will offer 8-day cruises to the southern Caribbean from San Juan (Puerto Rico). Explorer of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas also will be sent round from Bayonne (NJ) and Baltimore in a Caribbean cruise. Explorer of the Seas in the coming season will offer a trip to the Bahamas for 7 nights, as well as 9 and 11-night cruises in the eastern and southern Caribbean. Additionally, in mid-April 2013 it will be possible to take the opportunity to spend 5 or 6 nights in a voyage to Bermuda. The schedule of ship Enchantment of the Seas - Cruise on 9 nights in the eastern part of the sea and 12 nights on the islands of the southern basin.

Routes for the Mariner of the Seas will serve the Gulf of Mexico starting from the port of Galveston. Jewel of the Seas will continue to cruise out of Tampa (Florida), who will alternate routes to the Mexican island of Cozumel and Grand Cayman with a visit to Key West and Cozumel. Both cruises are designed for 5 nights. Finally, Liberty of the Seas from Port Everglades will offer crises in the western Caribbean Sea on 4 and 5 nights.