Royal Caribbean has made quite an impact on the Broadway community after Sunday's Tony Awards, when Oasis of the Seas' production of Hairspray was performed live during the annual award ceremony.

Some are saying the spot, which Royal Caribbean paid the Broadway League for the time, was an example of product placement gone too far.  Royal Caribbean and the Tony Award organizers are defending the act as a good fit.

The bit began with actor Harvey Fierstein walking on stage wearing a tuxedo jacket, a blue plastic inflatable inner-tube hugging his stomach, pink swim trunks, and hoisting a cocktail glass sporting a tiny umbrella.   Fierstein promoted Royal Caribbean's Broadway productions on select ships in the fleet and then we were shown a live show from the Beacon Theatre aboard Oasis of the Seas, where the sailing troupe of performers entertained audiences with two numbers from "Hairspray."

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League doesn't think there was anything wrong with the sponsorship, "We thought it worked. They are a sponsor, they paid us to do it, and we felt that it was a good fit for the Tony Awards.  One of our goals is to spread the message about Broadway and make theater more accessible to people."

She added that this wasn't the first time the producers have tried to liven up the program, once simulcasting a musical number from Times Square. The cruise-line promotion, in the works for nearly a year, was simply a bid to reach new theater patrons, she said.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro was also happy with how the production went, "We were very excited to bring our world-class entertainment to the millions of viewers watching last night's Tony Awards.  We also are thrilled to have partnered with the Broadway League to showcase the Broadway shows we offer onboard our ships."

On the flip side, many writers, social media commentators and others thought the spot was too much of a commercial.  Others in the theater community were more upset about the fact nonunion actors were used.

What do you think?  Was the Royal Caribbean spot tasteful?  Or was it a case of advertising going too far?

Photo by IssiC_MS

Royal Caribbean has committed itself to serving the port of Barcelona, Spain through 2013 and will make about 50 stops next year.

During 2013, Liberty of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas will home port in Barcelona and offer western Mediterranean itineraries but they will soon be joined by other Royal Caribbean ships.  Splendour of the Seas will arrive in May and Serenade of the Seas will offer a new route from Barcelona in January to the Middle East.

The news comes after Royal Caribbean opted to drop other Spanish ports such as Malaga, Valencia and the Balearic Islands will be dropped in 2013.  Royal Caribbean has promised to re-evaluate the situation in 2014 but for now, Barcelona remains a key port of call for Royal Caribbean in Spain.

In 2013, over 20,000 cruise passengers will call at Barcelona on Royal Caribbean ships that are based on other ports and that will mean about 1.2 million euros spent in Barcelona by tourists.

Royal Caribbean will offer in 2012/2013 cruise season the option for customers to get married onboard its ships.

Splendour of the Seas arrives in Brazil on December 9 and will offer three choices of wedding packages: Royal Package, Royal Happiness and Royal Romance Eternity.

The ceremony lasts approximately one hour and is performed by one of the officers of the ship while the ship is moored in one of the ports allowed - Santos, Rio de Janeiro or Salvador.

In addition to the guests who can accompany them on the cruise, the couple can invite up to 40 guests not cruising to attend the celebration, and reservations must be made ​​up to two months in advance. 

More information on the Brazil wedding packages are available online.

Members of the government is meeting with officials from Royal Caribbean about interest in building a cruise pier in Rhodes, Greece.  

A meeting at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Athens on Thursday will lay out a plan by Royal Caribbean to spend over 25 million euros to build a pier at Akantia where they can accommodate ships of up to 350 meters and turn the island into a small "cruise center".

Royal Caribbean is looking to invest the money in the port in exchange for assistance with the notorious Greek bureaucracy.  

The meeting is scheduled to include Greek Miniser of Regional Development, Minister of Tourism and Culture and the Secretary General of the Ports along with represenatives from Royal Caribbean.  The purpose of the meeting is to see how quickly Greek officials can work to approve the proposal by Royal Caribbean.