People that are new to cruising many not be aware of the sheer amount of things to do aboard a Royal Caribbean ship and that's why Travel Weekly highlighted some of the best activities on cruise ships today that aren't expected by a new passenger.

Voyager of the Seas' sports deck is something that stands out because there's so much to choose from.  You can go in-line skating, use the jogging track, try the golf simulator and more.  Aboard Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, you can zip line, learn to surf or play basketball.

If entertainment is more your thing, the ice shows in Studio B aboard Voyager of the Seas is another fun option.  In addition, the DreamWorks Experience offers you the chance to meet passengers from Kung Fu Panda or Shrek.  Oasis and Allure of the Seas have an Aqua Theater where athletes perform  acrobatics, trapeze artistry and water ballet.

Wärtsilä Hamworthy has signed a deal with the Meyer Werft to build hybrid scrubbers for Royal Caribbean's new Sunshine Class ships that have been kept very secretively.

Wärtsilä Hamworthy is a leading marine scrubbing technology company and will provide a total of four hybrid scrubber systems for the two ships that are under construction in Germany.

The choice of scrubbers for Royal Caribbean's new Sunshine class vessels will enable the new ships to travel anywhere in the world, because the scrubbers will be compliant with the 2015 Emission Control Area (ECA) 0.1% sulfur limit, as well as the worldwide 0.5% limit from 2020 and the impending North American ECA, by removing sulfur emissions and harmful particulates from the vessel's exhaust. 

Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft chose this solution not just because it ensures universal compliance with sulfur limits, allowing maximum choice over voyage routes and destinations; it also allows significant flexibility in the operation of the scrubber itself. The hybrid approach allows switching between open-loop and closed-loop scrubbing. This means that at sea, scrubbing using only sea water can be enabled but while maneuvering or in port the system can be closed, re-circulating the water already within the scrubber.

Royal Caribbean's two new Sunshine Class ships are both under construction, with the first ship ready for delivery in the fall of 2014 and the second ship ready by spring 2015.  Both ships will accommodate 4100 passengers.

Bahrain's Culture Ministry tourism marketing and promotion acting director Mohammed Al Subaie claims that Royal Caribbean and Costa Cruises are considering returning their cruise ships to the country of Bahrain, after pulling the ships due to civil unrest.

"Discussions are also being held with Costa Cruises and Royal Caribbean, who have expressed willingness to come to Bahrain."

"After the last two seasons were severely affected due to the unrest, we spoke to several of the cruise companies who said they were reluctant to come to Bahrain because insurance premiums had been substantially increased," he said.

"They said they could look at Bahrain favorably if there were other incentives so we took a decision to do that."

Bahrain agreed to a number of measures to offset higher insurance costs and Bahrain feels there is has been expressed willingness to return.  These measures include cutting the port fees in half for cruise ships.

The civil unrest in Bahrain meant cruise operators would have to pay an additional $300,000 in insurance charges over the course of the cruise season.

A new TV show will air on Royal Caribbean's ships called "The Avid Cruiser Takes On...", which aims to showcase the various things you can do while at the many ports Royal Caribbean visits.

The series will be comprised of 10-minute shows that feature cruise destinations, primarily in Europe, and showoff what passengers can do in these ports.  The show hopes it will "get people off the ships, and into the destinations".

You can view the episodes on Royal Caribbean ships and possibly on the company's sister cruise brands such as Azamara Club Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.

The first episode is about Copenhagen, Denmark.  Destinations that will be highlighted in future episodes include

• Stockholm, Sweden
• Le Havre, France
• Var Provence, including Toulon, Sanary-sur-Mer, La Seyne-sur-Mer, and Saint-Tropez
• Venice, Italy
• Nice, Villefranche, Cannes, Antibes
• Charlottetown, PEI
• Corner Brook, Newfoundland
• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Sydney, Nova Scotia
• Saint John, New Brunswick

Photo by tPFmariah9999

A Royal Caribbean passenger traveling aboard Rhapsody of the Seas died while kayaking on Mendenhall Lake in Juneau, Alaska.

Michael Ray Fullerton, a 62-year-old man from Texas died late Sunday afternoon when his kayak overturned.  He was part of a group of kayakers who rented kayaks to tour the lake, which at the foot of Mendenhall Glacier.  

Tongass National Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole said Fullerton apparently became fatigued and was unable to paddle.

“The group tied their kayaks together and it’s still unclear to us at this point how the kayaks overturned,” Cole said.

Others in the group also overturned, although they survived and were treated for hypothermia.

The equipment for the excursion was provided by Alaska Boat and Kayak in Auke Bay.  The group was not part of a guided trip but they were given a safety briefing before they loaded their kayaks and gear.

“They get questioned about how much paddle experience they’ve had, and then they get a thorough safety briefing that talks about self-rescue, using the bilge pump, paddle float, wearing the PFD and spray skirt, and how to work together and paddle as a group,” owner Sean Janes said.

Forest Service Supervisor Cole said the agency continues to investigate the accident.

The head of the Phuket, Thailand Marine Department Office is trying to kick-start stalled negotiations to expand the port to allow larger cruise ships to dock there.  Represenatives from Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises met with Thai officials on July 12 to discuss the problems encountered by large ships using their port.

Located at Cape Panwa, the deep sea port has long been criticized as too small to accommodate large vessels, both cargo and passenger, for docking.

According to Marine Department Region 5 chief Phuripat Theerakulpisuk, Royal Caribbean wants to see the government become more involved in lengthening the wharf and dredge the seabed.

Chief Phuripat cited one example of a Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, measuring 312 meters long and 38m wide, that is forced to moor about four kilometers from the wharf and ferry its passengers ashore on smaller vessels.

Chief Phuripat commented on the need, "“It’s uncomfortable for passengers. Royal Caribbean Cruises has come to Phuket three times – once in May and twice in June, bringing 6,000 passengers each time. I truly believe if the port were improved, there would be a lot more ships from across the world arriving on Phuket.”

Photography buffs, aspiring photographers or just people that want to take better photos are all encouraged to join the 11th DSLR Photography Workshop Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas on October 21-28, 2012.

Hosted by professional photographers Arthur Bleich and Peter E. Randall, the cruise will teach you how to first learn to identify the crucial elements that make up every great image. Over the eight day cruise, you're promised a photographic epiphany: you'll go from simply "taking" photos to "making" them, shooting with a firm concept in mind of exactly what story you want your shot to tell.

The workshop will feature one-on-one help with taking better photos, lecture and demonstration sessions and more.

If you're interested, check out more details on the workshop website.

Royal Caribbean has invited two former Olympic Athletes, Michelle Kwan and Greg Louganis, to compete in a number of physical activities aboard Oasis of the Seas.

Dubbed the Royal Deck-athlon, there will be 10 featured events, such as Flow Rider, Rock Climbing wall, figure skating, zip line, diving, mini-golf and more.

You can follow along the progress with video updates on the Facebook page.  Royal Caribbean is also offering a chance for a free seven night cruise aboard Oasis of the Seas for those that watch the videos.