Royal Caribbean announced today that it was sending its famous Oasis of the Seas cruise ship to operate in Europe for a short autumn season in 2014.

Oasis of the Seas will offer two trans-Atlantic crossings where passengers will be able to experience an exclusive preview of the Quantum-class experience and join in special programs that will amplify the Oasis-class experience.  A 12-night eastbound cruise from the ship’s homeport of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Barcelona departs Sept. 1, 2014 and a 13-night westbound cruise will return Oasis of the Seas to Port Everglades from Rotterdam on Oct. 14. Vacationers also can embark the westbound trans-Atlantic cruise at Southampton on Oct. 15.

Once in Europe, Oasis of the Seas will offer a choice of three European sailings.  Guests can choose among two roundtrip sailings on a five-night Western Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona, and a seven-night Spain itinerary sailing from Barcelona to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where Oasis of the Seas will enter drydock in Képpel Verolme shipyard for routine maintenance. Additionally, a two-night Bahamas cruise departing on Aug. 30 and a five-night Western Caribbean cruise departing on Oct. 27, both roundtrip from Port Everglades, will bookend Oasis of the Seas’ short 2014 Europe season.

Oasis of the Seas' 2014 Europe season will go on sale on April 11, 2013.

“Nothing can compare to the Oasis-class vacation experience, a testament to Royal Caribbean’s more than 40 years of innovation,” said Lisa Bauer, executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. “Now vacationers can combine Europe’s rich cultures and history with the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship for a regional experience that can only be found on Royal Caribbean. And for those who have always wanted more time to enjoy the myriad activities on Oasis of the Seas, our two trans-Atlantic cruises will offer more than enough time to do everything on board, as well as some surprises along the way.”

Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas assisted two Cubans that were adrift in the ocean on Sunday.

The two Cuban boaters signaled for help, and the crew of the Liberty of the Seas responded by picking up the stranded passengers.

Originally, Royal Caribbean said they picked them up. But later issued this statement, saying: "The two Cubans did not board the Liberty of the Seas, but were retrieved by a coast guard vessel."

The Coast Guard said they picked up the two men from the cruise liner and found they have legal status in the U.S. They took them to the border patrol offices in Marathon, where their legal status were confirmed, and they were released.

Royal Caribbean says the FBI is probing the death of a passenger aboard its Enchantment of the Seas cruise ship.

Enchantment of the Seas returned to Baltimore yesterday after a passenger reported his 62-year-old wife was found dead in their stateroom on Sunday.  

Royal Caribbean issued a statement saying it contacted the FBI and local police as part of standard procedures once the crew was aware of the incident.

The identity of the woman is unknown and there's no other details at this time other than the FBI is investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

UPDATE: Here's Royal Caribbean's statement on this incident:

"We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the 64-year-old female guest from the United States who died while onboard Enchantment of the Seas. On March 24, 2013, the guest was found by her husband deceased in their cabin.

As is our standard procedure, both the FBI and local law enforcement were notified. The FBI responded to the ship when it arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, on Monday, March 25. A member of our Care Team is providing support and assistance to her family.  

Enchantment of the Seas concluded its seven-night sailing in Baltimore, on March 25, 2013. The sailing included port calls to Port Canaveral, Florida; Nassau and CocoCay, Bahamas."

Today's photo is from Singapore where Royal Caribbean's two cruise ships in Asia, Voyager of the Seas (left) and Legend of the Seas (right) both arrived at  Marina Bay Cruise Centre.  This is the first time both ships have been next to each other.

Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship based in Asia, was starting on her 8-night cruise to Shanghai while her sister ship Legend of the Seas was leaving for a 2-night Malacca weekend cruise as part of her Singapore season.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas arrival in Singapore on Saturday marked the end of its cruise season in Australia.  The massive cruise ship had started offering cruises in Australia in November, when she became the first single cruise ship to carry more than 3000 passengers to Sydney.

Adam Armstrong, Royal Caribbean commercial directory for Australia, described the public's response to Voyager of the Seas as, "phenomonal".

"Judging from the feedback from our guests and trade partners, they can't wait to see her again for the 2013/14 summer season," he said.

During her time down under, Voyager of the Seas transported 40,000 passengers with every single cruise full.  Of the 40,000 passengers, about 85% were from Australia or New Zealand.

"Voyager of the Seas is a big ship, and her size and calibre was only previously available in the Caribbean or Europe. This has meant big things for Australia," Armstrong said.

Armstrong mentioned that Voyager of the Seas had a big impact on Sydney's local economy, with approximately a $25 million contribution along with around $40 million to the overall Australian economy.

Voyager of the Seas will return to Australia in the 2013/14 summer cruise season with four new itineraries and two additional sailings, boosting its program by 10%.

Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas arrived in Brunei for the first time in more than 10 years as part of a Borneo explorer cruise.  The cruise started in Singapore and includes stops in Kota Kinabalu and Puerto Princesa.

As part of the stop, officials in Brunei organized an official ceremony to welcome the cruise ship's return.  The ceremony was attended by Pg Haji Mohd Zain bin Pg Hj Abd Razak, acting director of Muara Port, port officers and media.

“We are pleased with the opportunity to call at Bandar Seri Begawan again, bringing our guests the best of Brunei at this interesting destination and giving a boost to the local tourism. Today, the cruising scene in Asia has much evolved and our Asian itineraries of Royal Caribbean International cater to international guests and even more so those from the region. Hence this is also a good chance for us to showcase Royal Caribbean’s renowned international style of cruising here,” said Kelvin Tan, Royal Caribbean’s regional director, Asia.

Brunei is a small nation on the island of Borneo, bordering Malaysia in Southeast Asia. 

Royal Caribbean will hold a special Super Saturday Sale where passengers can get up to $100 onboard credit when they book cruises that depart April 1 through June 30, 2013.

For those that book a Royal Caribbean cruise on Mar. 23, 2013 for all sailings departing April 1 through June 30, 2013, they will receive $25 onboard credit per Interior and Oceanview staterooms, and $50 per Oceanview stateroom with Balcony and Suite-category staterooms.

For sailings from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ, aboard Explorer of the Seas, and sailings from Baltimore, MD., aboard Grandeur of the Seas during the same period, guest will enjoy double onboard credits of $50 onboard credit per Interior and Oceanview staterooms, and $100 per Oceanview stateroom with Balcony and Suite-category staterooms.

The Super Saturday Sale is applicable for all new individual U.S. and Canadian bookings.  For all deals on this sale, check out the Super Saturday Sale website.

Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas will host a three-night cruise for older women looking to meet younger men as part of Cougarevents.com 7th annual Cougar cruise.

A cougar is roughly defined as older women (over the age of 40 or so called cougars) look for younger men (in their 20's or so) to meet and the idea is women find young men for "companionship" while the young men find a woman who has financial stability, among other things.

The cruise is being put together and will offer an equal mix of younger men and older women and events include

• Coordinated single get-togethers throughout the weekend
• Past & new Singles Travel Company travelers from our years of past trips/cruises/cougar cruises
• Private dinner time and designated area, dancing & socializing every night within our singles group
• Roommate matching to avoid the single supplement
• Singles Social Director Host(s)
• Meeting new and fun single friends

Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas docked for the first time at Puerto Princesa in the Philippines today as part of the cruise ship's seven-night "Borneo Explorer Cruise".  The cruise includes stops at Kota Kinabalu and Bandar Seri Begawan.  

The city's mayor, Edward Hagedorn, and local government officials welcomed the cruise ship at the port.

“We are proud to add yet another destination in the Philippines… to Legend of the Seas’ Asian season for her guests to explore and experience. Our successful call at Puerto Princesa today is the result of the strong effort and support of the Philippines government in terms of infrastructure building which marks a positive step in cruise development for the country,” said Marilen Sandejas-Yaptangco, Royal Caribbean’s representative in the Philippines.

“The maiden voyage of Legend of the Seas to Puerto Princesa is historical and we are glad that the visitors can experience the scenic beauty and hospitality of our people which will boost tourism in our country,” added Mayor Hagedorn.

Puerto Princesa is located on the island of Palawan and is best known for its Subterranean River National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.