Royal Caribbean cruises out of Baltimore are expected to continue despite a potential labor strike at the port.

The International Longshoreman's Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance are working against a December 30th deadline to reach a new labor agreement.  A strike or lockout have been threatened by both sides if a deal is not reached in time.

Cruises would continue under a International Longshoreman’s Association strike. A lockout, however, threatens to shut down all business at the Port of Baltimore.

It is unlikely the International Longshoreman’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance reach a deal before Sunday’s deadline, said Douglas N. Wolfe, general manager of Ceres Marine Terminals Inc. at the Port of Baltimore. Ceres employs about 170 cargo and container handlers at the port through the ILA, Wolfe said. 

Wolfe says that the Port of Baltimore will find a way to get passengers and their bags on those cruise shipss even if there is a lockout.

“I don’t see the cruise business being affected,” Wolfe said. “It think people will go on cruises. I know my company is dedicated to getting people to work.”

Mary Joan Levin, owner of the Baltimore-based travel agency Royal Travel Planners, said cruise lines would likely bring in their own workers or fly passengers to other departure ports in case of a lockout.  Either way, she hopes cruising will continue in the face of a possible strike or lockout.

When you choose a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, it's important to know what's special and unique about that ship so you can take advantage of it.  Today we will begin a look at the ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet and what is fun and exciting about it, starting with Freedom of the Seas.

Best place for sail away: the helicopter pad

Most guests enjoy Freedom of the Seas leaving port from their balcony cabin or the pool deck, but a lesser known fact is you can enjoy sailaway from the helicopter landing pad on the bow (front) of the ship.  

You can get to this special spot by walking all the way forward on deck 4 outside. There will be stairs that go up to the next deck, and farther forward is the helipad.

In addition, some nights the helipad is open to passengers at night which is perfect for star gazing.  Which night the helipad is open will vary from sailing to sailing.

FlowRider

One of the unique entertainment offerings on Freedom of the Seas is the FlowRider, which is a surfing simulator located on the back of the ship.  This is a free activity where you can try to learn to surf in a controlled environment.  There are also private and group FlowRider classes offered.

Lines for the FlowRider can be long for most of the cruise.  Try to hit it up as soon as you embark upon Freedom of the Seas on the first day or during port days.

Buy One, Get One Free Margaritas

Lately the "On the Air" bar on Freedom of the Seas has been offering buy one, get one free margarita drinks, which is fantastic deal for those that enjoy having adult beverages during their cruise.  We've seen this deal offered throughout the cruise as well as starting on the 2nd or 3rd day.  Check with the bar or your cruise compass when you board, but it's hard to go wrong with free drinks.

Freedom of the Seas Entertainment

Freedom of the Seas offers some unique entertainment that is only found on a few other ships in the fleet

• Ice skating show (Freedom-ice.com)
• DreamWorks parade in Promenade
• DreamWorks character breakfast (free with reservation)
• Marquee (stage show)
• Now You See It (stage show)
• Headliner Show
• Once Upon a Time (stage show)

Boxing Ring

Freedom of the Seas offers a boxing ring for passengers to use inside their massive gym.  Here you can take boxing lessons, which can be a fun workout.  Passengers can take individual or group boxing lessons for an additional cost. 

Ben and Jerry "Sweet"

On the promenade there is a special stateroom that overlooks the promenade area, cabin 6305, which is unique because it is themed to the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop that is below it. The cabin lies directly above the Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop on the Royal Promenade. And because on the porch of Ben & Jerry's two life-size cow figurines, the passengers look through their window behind these cows.

If you happen to stay in this stateroom, you will get certain extra amenities such as complimentary Ben & Jerry's ice cream as well as access to the concierge lounge.  

Freedom of the Seas quick info

Formal Nights: Day 2 (Monday) and Day 6 (Friday).  Monday is also the Captain's Reception

Specialty Restaurants: Chops, Portofino & Johnny Rockets
Other food that costs extra: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Cupcake Cupboard, Cafe Promenade (coffee), Vintages (wine)

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas was forced to return to Port Canaveral hours after it left port because of a severe injury to a one year old.

Monarch of the Seas had initially left Port Canaveral at 4:30pm to head to the Bahamas when a 1-year-old crawled through an 11th floor railing and fell to a balcony one deck below.

At 7:30 p.m. the child was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

There was no word on the child's condition.

We stumbled across this great video made by Dan Carter that takes a tour of Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas in beautiful high definition (be sure to enable the HD option). It's impressive and a great way to get "a quick fix" before your next cruise!

The Puerto Rico Tourism Co. (PRTC) has signed a deal with Royal Caribbean that will bring Oasis class cruise ships to the island of Puerto Rico in 2014, according to Caribbean Business.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis class cruise ships are the largest in the world and bring 5,400 passengers.   PRTC Executive Director Luis Gerardo Rivera Marín did not indicate weather Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas would visit the island, but Marín did say the ship would dock at Pier 3 in Old San Juan.  Furthermore, naval architects have been at the pier to verify pier compliance.

Earlier today the government of Finland announced that it would loan STX shipyard in Turku $28 million euros to build Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class cruise ship.  STX Finland says the loan is not enough and the shipyard is likely to lose the order to STX Europe in France.

Jari Aalto says the shipyard needs more money than the Finnish government has loaned, "We would have needed the 50 million euro loan."

Aalto says that STX Europe in France has a better loan to offer Royal Caribbean.

The Finnish Metalworkers' Union also expressed disappointment at the decision. It said a potential order loss now could harm the shipyard’s ability to attract customers in the future.

In addition, the report from this Finnish web site claims the government loan is 44 million euros, compared to the earlier report of 28 million.

The Government of Finland has announced it will support STX Europe with a $37 million loan if the shipyard can secure a deal with Royal Caribbean to build a third Oasis-class cruise ship.

STX has been lobbying the Finnish government for the 28 million Euro deal without luck until the government stipulated that it would indeed grant the money from its European Union-approved aid provided that a deal between STX and Royal Caribbean can be reached.

STX had previously built the first two Oasis class cruise ships for Royal Caribbean and many reports point to STX to be the leading candidate to build this new cruise ship.  Other possibilities for building the ship include shipyards in France and Germany.

The deal between the Finnish government and STX could employ about 20,000 workers, which would be a welcome boost for the local economy given Finland's cooling economy.

STX Finland said it was disappointed at not getting the loan and would continue talks with other creditors.

At the 19th World Travel Awards in Delhi, India, Royal Caribbean was honored with two awards for excellence in their cruise line.

Royal Caribbean won the World's Leading Cruise Brand and World's Leading Cruise Line awards.  Winners were determined by voting of accredited tourism professionals from around the world as well as readers of the World Travel Awards.

Accepting the awards was Royal Caribbean's Regional Director of Sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Helen Beck.  

A 68-year-old man died while on a snorkeling excursion in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica while traveling aboard Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas.

Police are investigating the exact cause of death, but Jim Caves of Riverside, California on a cruise aboard Vision of the Seas while it was docked in Dominica.  According to reports, Caves complained of feeling sick following a snorkeling at a local beach with his family members.

Caves was taken to a local hospital where he died.