Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean Third Quarter Profits up 55%

In:

26 Oct 2010

Royal Caribbean third-quarter earnings rose an amazing 55% thanks to increased cruising demand and operating and fuel costs fell. Revenue rose to $2.06 billion from $1.76 billion a year before.

Third-quarter earnings were $356.8 million, or $1.64 per share, compared with earnings of $230.4 million, or $1.07 per share, a year earlier.

Royal Caribbean said it's near-term bookings were stronger than they had expected while revenue remained stable and continues to "be characterized as slowly improving,".

In addition to its third-quarter results, Royal Caribbean gave investors a prelimary look at 2011 earnings and expects to exceed Royal Caribbean's previous record of $3.26 a share.

Royal Caribbean Announces Opening of Its New School in Haiti

In:

News Royal Caribbean Press Release

22 Oct 2010

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.

In delivering the school to the Haitian people as promised, Royal Caribbean worked with South Florida based InnoVida and the St. Coleman's School, as well as Haiti based ProDev, L'Ecole Nouvelle Zoranje and the Solano Foundation.

"What better way to help Haiti than by educating the children?" said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. " Haiti's needs are enormous, and although we can only be a small part of the solution, we believe our model school is a good start. We hope that these children will develop into leaders who will guide Haiti's recovery in the future."

The school is on land Royal Caribbean leases from the Haitian government. Royal Caribbean worked with InnoVida and used the company's Fiber Composite Panels to build the entire school complex in only four weeks, using 50 local Haitian workers, in time for the 2010-2011 school year. All construction materials were transported from Miami onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships. InnoVida's structures can sustain hurricane winds, resist earthquakes due to their high deflection capacity, are waterproof and are a highly energy efficient system.

This first school will be a primary school for grades kindergarten through 5. There will be three kindergarten classes with 36 students, and each grade 1 through 5 will have 25 students, for a minimum of 230 children educated this school year. Royal Caribbean's next Haitian school building project is entering into the planning stages now.

Continuing its tradition of promoting innovation and creativity, Royal Caribbean partnered with the YMCA of Greater Miami and provided children an opportunity to name the school in Haiti. Out of the more than 3,000 submissions received, a seventh grader from the YMCA afterschool program in Miami Lakes proposed the winning name L'Ecole Nouvelle Royal Caribbean.

Beginning just three days after the earthquake, Royal Caribbean transported more than 3,000 pallets of much needed supplies on Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises ships that called on Labadee. Also, to date, Royal Caribbean's monetary contribution to the Haiti relief effort is at least $2.5 million, which includes money raised from the donated Labadee calls, the onboard guest donations, and matching funds. The company's operations at Labadee impact over 500 local Haitians who are either employees or vendors at Labadee commuting from nearby villages. Royal Caribbean also employs over 200 Haitian crew members onboard ships.

Falmouth, Jamaica port still not ready

In:

Ports Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas Oasis of the Seas Navigator of the Seas Falmouth Jamaica

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."

Royal Caribbean Third Quarter Earnings Report Scheduled

In:

Royal Caribbean Financial News

19 Oct 2010

Royal Caribbean has scheduled a conference call for Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 10am Eastern time to announce the results of it's third quarter fiscal calendar earnings.

If you're interested in hearing the results live, you can listen on-line at Royal Caribbean's investor relations web site, www.rclinvestor.com. To listen to the call by phone, please dial (877) 663-9606 in the US and Canada. International phone calls should be made to (706) 758-4628. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same site for a month following the call.

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

In:

News Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas Oasis of the Seas Press Release

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 donates TVs to needy of St. Croix

In:

News Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas St. Croix

15 Oct 2010

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 honored with 2010 World Tourism Award

In:

News Royal Caribbean Awards Ocean Fund

14 Oct 2010

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 to add 120 new jobs to Oregon call center

In:

News Royal Caribbean

07 Oct 2010

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.

The call center in Oregon had relocated from Florida about five years ago. Royal Caribbean spokesperson Barbara Otonicar cited some workers moving on to new jobs, which has lead to these openings.

“We'd really love to see people come out that enjoy talking to people on the phone, enjoy travel and really servicing the customer and giving them that extra ‘wow!’" Otonicar said.

She said the company offers good perks, including cruise benefits.

If you're interested in the job opportunity, you can find more information here.

Royal Caribbean Receives Top Recognition From InformationWeek Magazine

In:

News Royal Caribbean Press Release

01 Oct 2010

Royal Caribbean International received recognition for its innovative information technology initiatives onboard the global cruise line's largest and most revolutionary ship, Oasis of the Seas during last week's InformationWeek 500 Conference. Taking place in Monarch Beach, Ca. more than 500 companies were in attendance to discuss how technology innovation was being used to advance the agenda of business. During the awards gala, the cruise line was awarded a ranking of 41 out of a list of 500 companies for the most innovative uses of technology as well as a coveted spot on InformationWeek Magazine's 20 Great Ideas to Steal list. In addition, Royal Caribbean won the best in Customer Intimacy award.

"This special recognition is truly a testament to Royal Caribbean's continued dedication to innovation, and a reflection of true business and IT collaboration," said Bill Martin, vice president, Chief Information Officer, Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD. "I am extremely proud of our employees for their hard work and the sacrifices everyone made to build this incredible ship which has drawn so much attention in the travel industry."

Royal Caribbean achieved the recognition, and the spot on InformationWeek Magazine's "20 Great Ideas to Steal" list for its innovative uses of digital signage aboard Oasis of the Seas. The signage consists of a network of more than 300, 46-inch monitors strategically placed around the ship to provide information and improve the guest experience. The displays vary from passive screens with safety demonstrations and information on guest activities to fully integrated and interactive touch panels that provide real-time information regarding amenities on the ship such as the capacity at the dining venues. In addition, to support the global nature of the guest mix, the digital signage supports multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese.

Royal Caribbean announces Royal 5K in St. Maarten

In:

Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas Cruise Themes Royal 5K

01 Oct 2010

Royal Caribbean announced its first ever "Royal 5K" running event to be held in St. Maarten on December 16, 2010. This race will be open to those cruising aboard Allure of the Seas.

This special race coincides with a cruise itinerary dedicated to running enthusiasts that include vitality-themed activities, such as

Join fellow runners by exploring the different ports of call with group fun runs
Meet high profile racing athletes during private meet & greets
Attend seminars & lectures with high profile athletes
Receive personal training tips from experts
Test your speed with a chance to set a world record time at sea
Recognize everyone's accomplishments with an awards ceremony
Be entered for a chance to win prizes including a grand prize trip to ESPN Headquarters

The race package costs $50 for adults and $35 for children. Guests may register onboard the ship or in advance at the Royal 5K site. Participating guests will receive a commemorative race t-shirt, as well as exclusive access to a post-race reception on board.

“Royal Caribbean is delighted to offer this very special Royal 5K run in St. Maarten to Allure of the Seas’ guests,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president, Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International. “As part of our commitment to provide guests healthier vacation options, we look for opportunities like these to enhance our Vitality programming onboard and drive awareness of a health-conscious lifestyle. Coupled with an unprecedented line-up of new entertainment aboard Allure of the Seas, guests on this sailing will have a wide spectrum of exciting and heart-pumping options for an amazing cruise vacation.”

While the Royal 5K will be offered exclusively as a shore excursion on Allure of the Seas, all guests aboard the sailing have the chance to set the first Royal Caribbean jogging track record. Guests are invited to sign up in advance for a time slot on Tuesday, December 14, to test their running speed. Certified with RFID timing technology, they can attempt to set the cruise line’s record for the fastest run at sea on Allure of the Seas’ 0.46-mile long jogging track, the longest at sea.

Royal 5K participants also will be able to attend onboard seminars and receptions featuring running talents including Bart Yasso, the chief running officer of Runner’s World magazine; Frank Shorter, an Olympic Marathon Gold and Silver Medalist; Sonja Friend-Uhl, a member of seven U.S. world teams, 2000 Olympic trials competitor in the 1500m, and currently ranked in the top 24 women in the U.S. for distances from the 5k to the Half-Marathon; and Sean Jefferson, an NCAA All American, 1600m National Champion and professional runner and tri-athlete.

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