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Frommer's names Allure of the Seas best ship of 2011

In:
14 Jan 2011

Frommer's travel guide has named Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas as one of the Best Cruise Ships of 2011.  Judges cited Allure and her sister Oasis of the Seas as, "undoubtedly the best entertainment ship at sea, with truly exceptional programming for both adults and kids."

Judges were impressed by many aspects of the Oasis class ships, especially the innovations Royal Caribbean introduced on these vessels, "The biggest innovation is the vessels' split superstructures, with the top eight decks bisected lengthwise by a long canyon that contains an open-air garden and a boardwalk-like entertainment zone. Besides letting light and air into the center of the ship, this makes the whole vessel feel more 3D -- like you're walking the streets of a high-rise city, not shuffling blindly from one horizontal deck to another."

The list of ships only surveyed ships in the Western Hemisphere, so ships in Europe and Asia were not included.

In addition to taking the top honors, a few other Royal Caribbean ships made the "notables" list.  Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas were all mentioned for scoring highly. 

Judges enjoyed the Radiance class of Royal Caribbean ships because. "These four sisters combine sleek, seagoing exteriors with nautically themed interiors and acres of windows."

Allure of the Seas uses 360-degree IP cameras

In:
07 Dec 2010

Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest ship, utilizes an extensive network of security networks for both public areas and even some not-so-public regions.  Allure and its sister ship Oasis of the Seas, use more than 300 Oncam IP 360° 5-megapixel cameras. Many of these cameras are positioned in public areas of the ship that have multiple entrances, enabling simultaneous monitoring of all those entrances.

"A well-designed video surveillance system is an important tool for the safety and protection of everyone," said James Ionson, CEO, Oncam Global Inc. "It provides invaluable assistance to security personnel in resolving incidents, such as helping to identify a noise in the engine room, responding to passenger medical emergencies and determining liability issues, for just a few examples. With the right information, they can appropriately react."

The benefit of these cameras is it can do what traditional security cameras could not.  One camera in the ceiling in a hallway with elevators on both sides can be monitored at the same time along with the traffic in the hallway.  One of these Oncam IP 360° cameras replaces four traditional CCTV cameras.

In addition to Oasis and Allure, Royal Caribbean has been retrofitting these new security cameras into the security system of older cruise ships since 2006.

Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas meet

In:
16 Nov 2010

The two biggest cruise ships in the world, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have come stern to stern and met for the first time.  Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Allure of the Seas, received a warm welcome from more than 8,000 guests and crew members aboard sister-ship Oasis of the Seas on Saturday, November 13.

Allure of the Seas' captain, Hernan Zini, confirms that his ship is five centimeters longer than Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean sees more overseas and younger cruisers as a trend

In:
11 Nov 2010

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein said in a recent interview that Royal Caribbean's newest megaships, Allure and Oasis of the Seas, are drawing a much younger age group than traditionally seen. 

On an overall basis the average age of an RCI cruiser is 44. ... But on Oasis and Allure, the average age of people booking and taking trips is 39 or 40. We're seeing a much heavier family involvement on these ships. I believe the family vacation experience on these ships is competitive with anything that exists on land.

In addition to younger people going on a cruise, Goldstein was convinced that overseas cruising (outside the United States) is a place of tremendous growth for the company.  In fact, next summer, Royal Caribbean will have 11 of their 22 ships in Europe.

The biggest trend in the cruise industry right now is globalization. That is what's happening. For the first 30 years of the cruise industry as we know it, the American market was very dominant, and although marketing took place in other countries, particularly the U.K., it was limited. For the most part, people had to travel long distances to get on cruise ships and they were mostly occupied by U.S. customers. In the last 10 years, that has started to change in a meaningful way.

Oasis class ships receive award for shipboard wastewater treatment

In:
05 Nov 2010

The CleanSea Shipboard Wastewater Treatment System that can be found onboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and the soon to ship out, Allure of the Seas, has received certification from Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

This certification follows successful testing of the CleanSea system to verify that the effluent produced by the system meets MEPC 159(55) regulations. These regulations stipulate that the effluent has met or exceeded certain characteristics, verified over a 10 day period. The Headworks Bio CleanSea system produces excellent quality effluent with all parameters under the maximums by 30-90%.

These water systems handle all of the all black water, hotel grey water, laundry grey water, galley grey water, and decanted bioresidue wastewater produced during operation. The system, which is 100% redundant, is rated to handle 3,000 m³/day (790,000 GPD).

Falmouth, Jamaica port still not ready

In:
20 Oct 2010

Unfortunately the brand new port at Falmouth, Jamaica is still not ready for cruise business yet, a fact that cannot sit well with Royal Caribbean.  Royal Caribbean has tried infusing the project with millions of dollars to get things going and the port is still not ready for cruises due to a number of construction delays.

All was expected to be ready in time to welcome 1,800 passengers from P&O's Aurora and another 1,250 from Holland America's Ryndam on November 3, but those visits have now been cancelled and the ships will divert to Ocho Rios.

The new plan is to have Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas make the inaugural visit to the port on January 7, with Oasis and Allure following in March.  A Royal Caribbean spokesperson had this to say about the progress and future of the port.

"The revitalisation of Historic Falmouth Port is moving forward as scheduled and we look forward to beginning ship calls at what will be a great cruise port.
 
By mutual agreement between the Jamaica Port Authority and Holland America, initial ship calls to Falmouth that were scheduled during November and December 2010 will now anchor at Ocho Rios. This modification will minimize interference with the ongoing construction efforts that include more than 300 workers on site.
 
Royal Caribbean looks forward to the cruise port's successful completion and readiness by January 2011."

DeFi Global will power new mobile device on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

In:
18 Oct 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."
 
Rice added, "Our next-generation software is fully integrated with other company-owned location-based products, including a watch wristband for children under 12 that automatically tracks their position on the ship. Now parents can have fun and peace-of-mind of knowing where their children are at all times. We are integrating these and other incentives to use the device more often to enhance the overall vacation experience. For the cruise operator, we deliver multiple new revenue-generating opportunities through mobile advertising and turnkey direct marketing platforms."

Royal Caribbean taps Motorola for enterprise mobile computers to assist employees

In:
13 Oct 2010

The Motorola Solutions business of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that it has deployed a mobility solution to help Royal Caribbean International enhance the guest experience onboard Oasis of the Seas – the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world. In an effort to provide travelers with the most memorable experience, Royal Caribbean has equipped its employees with Motorola enterprise mobile computers to empower them with the information they need to ensure customer needs are taken care of on-the-spot anywhere on the ship.    

"Oasis of the Seas is a revolutionary cruise ship that transforms the way Royal Caribbean interacts with its guests," said Bill Martin, VP and CIO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "By aligning with Motorola, we are now able to address guest needs in real-time while increasing the productivity of our staff – ultimately raising the standard for guest experiences and satisfaction."
 
As mobility becomes increasingly more important for hospitality organizations to maintain competitive advantage, Royal Caribbean turned to Motorola to provide a reliable solution to help drive revenue, improve service and enhance the customer experience. Mobile applications running on Motorola MC55 and MC70 enterprise mobile computers carried by the Oasis of the Seas staff include, mobile point of sale (MPOS), mobile mustering, work order management, show ticketing and asset management.  
 
Throughout the guest entertainment area of Oasis of the Seas, staff are equipped with MC70 mobile computers and snap-on mobile payment modules to more quickly respond to and complete guests' credit and debit solutions.  This MPOS solution reduces the amount of time guests wait in line for shows, as well as speeds order-taking poolside to not only improve the guest experience but increase beverage sales.
 
In addition, the MC70 provides en electronic, mobile solution for mustering to increase accuracy and compliance with ship regulations. With the MC70, guest sea pass cards are scanned to get an accurate count of guests who have been briefed on emergency procedures once on board.  The new solution has helped reduce the amount of time to complete a muster – in turn increasing employee productivity and allowing guests to spend more time relaxing or participating in onboard activities.
 
"Motorola is committed to helping hospitality organizations, like Royal Caribbean International, provide superior customer service, "said Tom Moore, director of hospitality solutions, Motorola Solutions.  "Our extensive mobile computing portfolio enables us to equip the right worker with the right device – in turn providing our hospitality customers with the ability to better serve their customers anywhere, anytime."
 
Motorola's MC55 provides business-critical information onboard Oasis of the Seas- enabling streamlined processes for work order and asset management for engineering, housekeeping and the ship's dining room. From plumbing and air-conditioning to televisions and slot machines, all systems and appliances must be in working order to guarantee guest satisfaction. Equipped with an MC55 with integrated voice and data capabilities, Royal Caribbean maintenance staff can receive tasks in real-time, providing managers with visibility into progress of work orders and ensuring any issues are addressed immediately.  The MC55s are also used to manage assets within its dining room, including silverware and tableware.  This solution helps reduce inventory management time – allowing staff to spend more time focused on the guest experience.  
Royal Caribbean is planning to expand its use of mobile computers across its fleet of ships throughout 2012.  

Dredging of St Thomas Harbor halts

In:
05 Oct 2010

West Indian Company Ltd. President and CEO Ed Thomas said it and Royal Caribbean were going to spend a combined $15-$20 million to dredge St. Thomas Harbor so that mega ships Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas could dock there but not anymore.

The cruise lines are not going to put up that money because they accomplished their goal,” he said. “Their ship is in St. Thomas. Certainly the West Indian Company is not going to put up money to do that kind of dredging because the ship is already in St. Thomas.

Problems started back on October 14, 2009 when Governor John deJongh Jr put the dredging project on hold after substantial public opposition.  Those opposed to the dredging plan were concerned about the part of the plan that called for dumping 162,000 cubic yards of material into an existing depression in Lindbergh Bay.  While searching for an alternative, Oasis of the Seas would have to dock in Crown Bay.

Despite the halt in the plan, deJongh was confident that the dredging project would be complete in time for Allure of the Seas' first stop in St Thomas on December 10, 2010 during the busy tourist season.  However, talks never progressed very far according to Thomas, talks collapsed in January.

The trend of cruise ships getting larger and larger means St. Thomas Harbor will eventually need to be dredged acrroding to Thomas and that the harbor is already due for maintenance dredging thanks to all of the debris kicked up by departing and arriving cruise thips over the last few years.

Royal Caribbean ships contribute to Bahamian economy

In:
01 Oct 2010

Last month Nassau, Bahamas completed extensive dredging and refurbishment of Nassau Harbor and businesses in downtown Nassau are reporting healthy business as a result.

Ships like Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, which docks in Nassau every other Sunday, is responsible for increasing revenues in the city.

The Bahamas was amongst many countries which were seeking to have these ships call on their ports,” said Carla Stuart, director of Cruise Development in the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation. “By the end of December, the Oasis would have made 34 visits and brought at least 183,600 passengers for the year 2010. Head tax to be derived is estimated at $2.7 million while spend from the passengers of this vessel is estimated at $12 million. The ship will continue to call every other week.”

Thelma Miller of Vintage Island Handicraft, a Festival Place souvenir store, pointed out that the Oasis’ calls have been good for business on Sundays, which would otherwise be slow. Meanwhile, Senor Frog’s has also been happy with the business that the Oasis brings.
 
It does make a difference when the Oasis comes in,” said Chester Williamson, manager of Senor Frog’s. “I think the second week it came in with 3,000 people on board.”
 
Things will get better for Nassau after December when Oasis of the Seas' sister ship Allure of the Seas joins the Royal Caribbean fleet and will also make regular stops in Nassau.  this will allow for a stop each week by one of the mega-vessels.
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