Royal Caribbean will add a second cruise ship that will sail out of Tampa starting in the fall of 2014.  Vision of the Seas will be added and offer seven-night Western Caribbean cruises from Tampa throughout winter 2014-15.  Vision of the Seas will join Brilliance of the Seas, which had been offering seasonal four- and five-night Western Caribbean cruises.

Vision of the Seas will sail a nine-night Southern Caribbean itinerary from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on November 6, 2014, to Tampa, with calls at Aruba, Curacao, Grand Cayman and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach paradise on the north coast of Haiti. Beginning November 15, Vision of the Seas will sail every Saturday from Tampa to destinations in the Western Caribbean, including Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan (Honduras) or Belize.  

Port officials are excited to welcome an additional ship to Tampa, which has been home port to Royal Caribbean ships since the first ship, Rhapsody of the Seas, called in January 2002.

Vision of the Seas is planned to recieve a refurbishment in September 2013, which will match Brilliance of the Seas' refurbisment that took place in May 2013.

When you book a Royal Caribbean cruise, the intriguing destinations the ship will go to are among the most compelling aspects of taking a cruise.  So it may seem a little odd when you consider staying onboard the ship when it is docked somewhere but the truth is, it's perfectly okay.

Why you would want to stay onboard

You might be wondering why anyone wouldn't get off the ship when you're docked somewhere and that question has a lot of possible answers.  Sometimes a particular port isn't of interest for a variety of reasons, such as having been to the port before, trying to save money or looking to take advantage of what's onboard.  On port intensive cruises, a day off from touring may sound like the perfect day.

Royal Caribbean builds its ships to be floating entertainment hubs and that isn't limited to just sea days.  The ship offers a lot of things to do and the activities don't stop when the ship is docked somewhere.  With a majority of guests enjoying things on shore, staying onboard can give you easy access to the otherwise popular parts of the ship.

The really neat sensation of staying onboard when the ship is in port, is the feeling of having the ship to yourself.  With so few other guests onboard, it really does feel like you have the ship to yourself.

Differences onboard when in port

When your ship is docked, there's still plenty going on, but activity wise, you will notice less things to do.  There will still be classes, activities and group events offered, but not nearly as many as a sea day.  You will want to consult the Cruise Compass for what's available and decide if anything is of interest.

In terms of dining, the Windjammer will be open as usual, although lunch is typically not served in the Main Dining Room on port days.  Specialty restaurant lunch schedules may also be affected by being in port, so you will need to check with the restaurants.

Of course, when you're docked on a port day, the ship will feel empty, especially in the late morning to mid afternoon.  It's quite a difference to be able to walk down the Royal Promenade or pool deck without the usual array of people around.  

Best things to do onboard

If you're staying onboard, there's a few good choices to consider when what you want to do.  By far, the best choice is go to the pool.  The pool is usually the most crowded area of the ship at any given time, but on port days, it can feel like you have the pool to yourself.  This is particuarly good for kids, who may find the pool area too crowded.

Fans of spa services will find port days to have the best deals.  The spa usually offers the best deals on port days to attract guests to book services because everyone is off the ship.  Check the daily spa specials on your port day to see what's available.

Just like the pool, the Windjammer will feel far more open and less congested on a port day.  Forget waiting in line for the buffet, you ought to be able to have free reign here.

Exploring the ship is also a great idea on port days.  Royal Caribbean builds amazing ships that are difficult to see everything in the time you're vacation is alloted, so some extra time to explore is always a great choice.  You may discover something you never knew about and it could become your new favorite thing.

The exception

All of this may sound great, but the exception to this may occur when the weather isn't great.  If you're in port on a rainy day, more guests than usual may decide to also stay onboard, thus negating the low crowd advantage outlined earlier.  

Royal Caribbean has reached an agreement to have UK based Oceans TV provide in-cabin entertainment for use onboard Voyager of the Seas while she is in China.

Voyager of the Seas will now offer in all of its staterooms popular Chinese movies, including the highest grossing domestic Chinese movie of all time, Lost in Thailand.

In addition to movies, Oceans TV supplies cruise lines with satellite TV channels, live TV events, international movies, promotional videos, safety films and portable entertainment systems such as the iPad.

This is the first time Oceans TV has licensed movies to the cruise industry.

Royal Caribbean's next three cruise ships, Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and a yet-to-be-named third Oasis class ship, will utilize processing technology supplier Metso DNA for its integrated alarm, monitoring and control systems.

Metso is being contracted by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, where the ships are being constructed.  Each ship will recieve integrated alarm, monitoring and control systems that are capable of producing 18,000 input/outputs in the machinery, air conditioning and emergency shutdown systems. The diesel electric power plant will also be managed by the system.

Previously Metso had provided the automation system components for Royal Caribbean's Radiance class of ships.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein is proud of what his company has been able to achieve in terms of success in the China cruise market.

"China is already our third-largest market in the world, behind the US and the UK, which is amazing, and we believe it will grow even more," said Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International.

Royal Caribbean reported the number of passengers embarking on China home-ported sailings has quadrupled from 25,000 in 2010 to 115,000 last year.  This year, Royal Caribbean is expecting to see that number rise to 300,000 guests.

Goldstein believes that it will take some more time, but eventually the Chinese cruise market will eclipse the United States cruise market, however, he does see it will bypass the UK cruise market in the next five years.

Part of Royal Caribbean's success was bringing bigger ships over, including Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.

"When we first came to China in 2008, and talked about 2,000 people getting on in Shanghai and getting off in South Korea, no one believed it," Goldstein recalled.

Howdy fellow Royal Caribbean fans!  Exciting news today for all you commuters, walkers, runners, gym-goers, and other assorted podcast listeners!

The Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is back with another fun episode! The 4th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and ready for downloading!

In this episode, Matt talks about everything Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee has to offer, including the beaches, what there is to do there and the food and drink available.  We're also sharing listener feedback and inviting everyone to share their first Royal Caribbean cruise experience.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 4. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

STX France is making preperations to begin construction on Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class cruise ship by first building a frame to help build the massive ship.  In order to accomodate the massive ship, STX France is constructing a new portico, which started arriving this week.  Formal construction on the portico will begin starting next month. 

Once the portico is complete, STX France expects the shipyard to begin construction of the new Oasis-class ship in the first quarter of 2014.

The new STX France portico, ordered specifically for the new Oasis class ship but will be used for other future builds, just arrived in Saint-Nazaire from China in the last few days.  It weighs 160 tonnes and measures 44 by 10 meters.

The old portico was built in 1968 and was one of the oldest in the world.

Royal Caribbean has announced the winter 2014-2015 Brazil and South America cruise schedule for Splendour of the Seas.

Splendour of the Seas will sail roundtrip out of São Paulo, Brazil and offer three- to eight-night cruises with port stops at Buzios, Ilha Grande, and Ilhabela. In addition she will offer seven-night Argentina and Uruguay cruises, calling at Punta Del Este and Montevideo, Uruguay; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Included in this schedule is a special eight-night holiday cruise that leaves on December 27, 2014 and will visit the ports of Porto Belo, Buzios, Ilha Grande and Ilhabela, and herald in the New Year at Rio de Janeiro to catch the world-famous fireworks show at Copacabana Beach.

Splendour of the Seas’s winter 2014-15 Brazil and South America cruises are now open for sale. 

Lisa Bauer, Royal Caribbean executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, commented on the news, "We are glad to bring Splendour of the Seas back to Brazil for an eighth winter season.  Splendour of the Seas combines a vast array of new and modern features and conveniences, exciting itineraries, and our world-renowned friendly and engaging GOLD Anchor Service to deliver a unique South America vacation experience that can only be found on Royal Caribbean. And our award-winning family programming will help make a vacation to the region an unforgettable experience for all ages."

The cruise business in Australia is booming and things could get even better if the Royal Australian Navy goes ahead with plans to leave Sydney's Garden Island.

Doing so would increase the berthing capacity for the city, which is characterized as "desperately needed".  Among those calling for the Navy to leave is Royal Caribbean's Regional Vice President for Australia, Gavin Smith.

"None of our ships will fit under the Harbour Bridge," said the line's regional vice president Gavin Smith.

“Modern cruise ships are too big to do so. To continue to grow we need certainty, in particular berthing certainty. Asian ports have provided this in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai with brand new dedicated cruise terminals. More and more cruise ships are visiting these ports as a consequence.

“Sydney, as the gateway to the Australian cruise industry, needs to respond to this competition within our region. This will ensure that the other cruise destinations in Australia and New Zealand can share in the economic growth of the local industry.”

Sydney's current cruise terminal is over 50 years old.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on Tuesday that a taskforce would be set up to consider moving some or all of the navy fleet to Queensland.

Rap music pioneer "Rev Run" from the group Run D.M.C. and his family are on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas as part of a Bermuda cruise.

Rev Run and his family, who includes his aspiring rapper son Diggy Simmons, took the Dolphin Quest shore excursion in Bermuda and swam with the dolphins over the weekend.

Christine Mihelcic of Dolphin Quest said it was an honour to have the Simmons family at the facility, and they were a kind and loving family.

Rev Run — aka Joseph Ward Simmons — is one of the founding members of the hip hop group Run D.M.C, and also appeared on an MTV reality entitled “Run’s House” along with his family.