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 intends to increase the number of departures from Malaga, Spain next year after a very successful year in other Spanish ports.  Royal Caribbean is planning on having five of its ships sail from Malaga, as well as Palma de Mallorca and Barecelona.

Dominic Paul, Royal Caribbean's Managing Director for the United Kingdom and Ireland likes the decision to increase cruises from Malaga, "Barcelona has long been a popular homeport for Royal Caribbean International and we have enjoyed significant growth in the UK for take up of cruises offered from Malaga since 2009.  To continue to stimulate the British holidaymaker’s love affair with Spain, new for summer 2011 we have introduced cruises from Palma de Mallorca for the first time. The good news is that these cruises are also delivering pre- and post-cruise land stays – this is fantastic for the Spanish hoteliers and the Spanish tourist industry in general."

About 30,000 of Royal Caribbean guests departed from a Spanish port during the summer of 2010 and of those customers, 40% were from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

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.”

Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas is heading to Australia to start service for the summer season. Rhapsody of the Seas departed Hawaii on September 29 and is heading for Australia to begin her fourth season in the land down under.  

Rhapsody of the Seas will head right for Sydney habor, where she is due to arrive on October 16 and will also have the distinction of being the first international cruise ship to arrive in Australia this season.  Rhapsody of the Seas is expected to carry over 35,000 guests from around the world on her itineraries.

Rhapsody has become a favorite in Australia, after completing a record season in 2009-2010 of sailing with a full compliment of guests every voyage. . Home ported in Sydney, Rhapsody of the Seas will sail 17 cruises and visit a number of new destinations, including maiden calls at Newcastle, NSW, Champagne Bay in Vanuatu and Lautoka in Fiji. Rhapsody also returns to cruise the South Pacific islands of New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji.

Royal Caribbean Australia Commercial Manager Adam Armstrong thinks Rhapsody of the Seas is a perfect fit for Australia, "Australia has truly embraced Rhapsody of the Seas since her arrival in 2007.  Her seasons down under go from strength to strength, with more and more Australians stepping onboard to experience our ‘Royal’ treatment.”

Rhapsody's trip to Australia from Hawaii will coincide with two important geographic events during her 16-night cruise across the Pacific.  First, she will pass the equator of the Earth between Hawaii and Tahiti.  Afterwards, guests onboard will "lose a day" as she passes the International Dateline after sailing west from Raiatea in French Polynesia.

If you're a fan of Disney and/or the Disney Parks, there's a Royal Caribbean cruise for you!

Magic Meets, a Disney fan gathering, is holding their annual event onboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas, which departs Bayonne, New Jersey for a 5 night cruise to Bermuda on July 16-21, 2011.

The cruise offers Disney fans from online communities a place to gather to share their interest in all things Disney.  Magic Meets has been running for a number of years with the event last year held for for the first time on a cruise, which was on Grandeur of the Seas this past July.

Prices start at $931 per person for an inside cabin (price includes taxes and fees).  You can book a cabin with MEI-Mouse Fan Travel.

Photo by Lucy Smith

Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas made her first visit ever to Seoul, South Korea, after being added as a port of call by Royal Caribbean.  Legend of the Seas will be largest ship to ever visit the the Incheon port on Tuesday.

Traditional plaque and memento exchanges to commemorate the maiden call took place at a VIP ceremony onboard the ship.

Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine and the Yalta Sea Trade Port signed a protocol on cooperation with Royal Caribbean International on reconstruction and development of the port.

The The Brazilian Association of Representatives of shipping companies (of which Royal Caribbean is a member) estimates that the six destinations of the state of Rio in Brazil that are scheduled to receive ships (Rio de Janeiro, Buzios, Angra dos Reis, Jaguanum Island, Big Island and Cabo Frio) will receive a total of almost 1.210 million of visits in the 2010/2011 season, which begins in Brazil in October.

Nassau port officials announced on September 16 that they had completed a major project to improve the port of Nassau for cruise ships. The $44 million contract, started in April of 2009, dredged 1.9 million cubic yards of material from Nassau Harbor and installed three mooring dolphins, causeways and ladders at Prince George Wharf and extension of the western end of Arawak Cay by 1,000 ft.

So why all the work?  Principally the project was to accommodate Royal Caribbean's new Oasis of the Seas, which made its maiden voyage to Nassau on December 11, 2009.

“The decision to dredge the harbour was based in part on the need to keep abreast of changes in the cruise industry where new Genesis class vessels have been introduced by the major cruise lines. In response, the Government proceeded with the enhancement of the Harbour’s capacity by dredging to accommodate the new mega cruise ships,” said Public Works and Transport Minister Neko C. Grant.