Jamil Murni, from Houston, Texas has been sentenced to four years in jail for defrauding Royal Caribbean.  Murnii was a fuel buyer for Royal Caribbean who concocted a scheme to defraud the cruise line of more than $600,000, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

Murni created a fake fuel purchasing company called "Sea Fuels Trading" and applied to have it become a fuel provider for Royal Caribbean. He then used his position with the cruise line to secure contracts with his company.  He then purchased fuel from competitors and sold it back to Royal Caribbean for a higher price.

As part of his punishment, Murni will have to pay back $610,228 in restitution to Royal Caribbean.

Two Royal Caribbean passengers were arrested last week by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers for allegedly smuggling heroin in a bag of shoes.

When Serenade of the Seas arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, custom officers seized 3.5 kilograms of cocaine and 6.48 kilograms of heroin in two unrelated incidents.  Officials nabbed Diana Hortencia Latigua-Lorenzo, 32, a U.S. citizen, and her brother, Breidy Latigua-Lorenzo, 20, a citizen of the Dominican Republic.

The estimated street value of the heroin is $324,000 and the estimated value of the seized cocaine is $84,000.

Royal Caribbean took delivery of its newest ship, Allure of the Seas, sister ship to the much touted Oasis of the Seas from the STX Europe shipyard in Turku, Finland.

After nearly two years of construction, STX handed over Allure of the Seas to Royal Caribbean, who will now begin the process of readying Allure of the Seas for her inaugural cruise later this year. Allure is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on November 11. It's maiden voyage is set for Dec. 1.

Among new offerings on Allure is the first Starbucks at sea, the first GUESS store at sea, a Brazilian churrascaria restaurant, a Mexican cantina and a hot dog stand. The ship also will be the first to feature DreamWorks Animation characters such as Shrek, part of a new partnership between DreamWorks and Royal Caribbean.

Guests cruising aboard Royal Caribbean's new Allure of the Seas will have the opportunity to have their usual morning coffee as Starbucks will launch its first coffee shop at sea. 

“We are always looking for unique ways and places to connect with our customers and deliver the Starbucks Experience,” said Chris Carr, senior vice president and general manager of Starbucks Licensed Stores. “Starbucks presence aboard Allure of the Seas is another place where our customers want and expect us to be.”

Starbucks will serve it's usual line of coffee drinks on the Royal Promenade from 7am to 11pm each day.  The Seattle's Best Coffee will remain on the ship (Seattle's Best Coffee is a subsidary of Starbucks) and be served in the Adagio main dining room, conference rooms and the ship's signature specialty restaurants.

“We are passionate about delivering the WOW,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International. “Opening the first ever Starbucks at sea is another example of how Royal Caribbean is delivering distinctive beverage and dining options to our guests and exceeding their expectations. We are offering something that no other cruise brand can.”

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., one of Haiti's largest foreign investors for almost 30 years, today announced the completion of the L'Ecole Nouvelle Royal Caribbean – one of the first schools to be built in Haiti after the earthquake.  The strategically located 6,500 square foot school complex is in northern Haiti near nine towns and villages: Labadie, Cormier, Ducroix, Fort Bourgeois, Marchegalles, Cimetiere-Juif, Champ de Mars, Port Francais and Cap Haitien.  The campus consists of six buildings, with 12 classrooms, administrative offices, a computer lab and bathrooms. The school will provide children from the area an education, including classes in English and environmental stewardship. In the evenings adults will attend vocational training.

Allure of the Seas is booked to be the set for a few scenes of a new film starring Adam Sandler, Al Pacino and Katie Homles.  When Allure of the Seas arrives in Florida in November, the cast will board the ship to shoot scenes for the film "Jack and Jill".  Filming will take place on the ship from November 12 to 23, during which time final preparations to Allure of the Seas will be underway.

The crew of Allure of the Seas will be in some of the scenes of the movie as extras.

An internal memo invites staff to send a photograph of themselves to the extras casting department, and says: "The movie production is looking for people between 30-60 years of age of all ethnicities, plus kids between the ages of 6-14. They also are looking for couples or pairs that can share staterooms."

Don't worry, the movie shoot will not affect your planned cruise on Allure of the Seas as her maiden voyage wont happen until December 1, 2010.

DeFi Global, Inc. announced today its plans to roll out a next-generation mobile application for the Apple iPhone on board Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' latest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas. Allure of the Seas is the sister-ship of Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest and most innovative cruise ship. Currently under construction, Allure of the Seas is scheduled to make its maiden voyage in December of this year.

As does sister-ship Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas will offer guests the opportunity to use a revolutionary iPhone application integrated with state-of-the-art mobile communication tools and patent-pending navigational technology powered by DeFi. Jeff Rice, chairman and CEO of DeFi Global, Inc. said, "We have begun generating revenues from sales of rented, dedicated iPhones on-board Oasis of the Seas. We are now very excited to expand our relationship with RCCL to their new ship, Allure of the Seas, and add to the ship's unprecedented array of amenities for a truly world-class vacation experience."

Nearly two dozen charitable organizations on the island of St. Croix received televisions from Royal Caribbean in a generous donation.

Royal Caribbean donated fourteen 25-inch Phillips color TVs that were previously used aboard the Serenade of the Seas to various charities on the island.  These charities include

• Aldershville Senior Citizen Multipurpose Center
• Herbert Grigg Home for the Aged
• Bethlehem Homeless Shelter
• Boys & Girls Club
• Richmond Senior Citizen Center
• Flamboyant Gardens Elderly Community
• Wilford Pedro Home
• Sunny Isles Housing Community
• Catholic Charities
• 10,000 Helpers

“On behalf of the Department of Tourism, I would like to thank Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for their gift to the people of St. Croix,” said Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “We appreciate this act of goodwill and look forward to working with our partners at Royal Caribbean to continue building ties with the members of our local community.”

Royal Caribbean's Ocean Fund program has been awarded a 2010 World Tourism Award for their dedication to sustainable tourism and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.

Royal Caribbean's Ocean Fund was awarded “in recognition of Royal Caribbean Cruises’ establishment of the Ocean fund which has awarded over $11 million in annual grants supporting nonprofit marine conservation organizations in protecting the world’s oceans through research, education and development of innovative technologies.”

Royal Caribbean is looking to hire 120 new employees by the end of 2010 for its call center in Springfield, Oregon.  Royal Caribbean's "Vacation Planning Group" is currently hiring, looking to expand its operations.