The Costa Concordia disaster has prompted Royal Caribbean's CEO Adam Goldstein to post a blog entry about the incident and what Royal Caribbean is and has been doing to keep guests safe.

"Safety is a journey rather than a destination. We need to operate safely now yet constantly improve our safety. We need to hunt for lessons learned in every minor incident or accident. We need to apply those lessons learned across the fleet ASAP. This is a never ending cycle."

Goldstein said that half of the fleet's Captains and most of Royal Caribbean's Hotel Directors were meeting in South Florida over the weekend to discuss safety both today and in the future.  Goldstein promised to review all of Royal Caribbean's safety processes, technology and people to ensure no catastrophes befall Royal Caribbean.

Goldstein also promised more information to the public on what Royal Caribbean is doing to keep its ships and passengers safe, "In the upcoming weeks we will communicate by text and video about many of the key elements of safety. Many readers who know us well will not be surprised by our focus on and commitment to safety. Those who have less experience with us should learn some interesting and compelling facts about how we prepare our ships and crew for safe operation every day."

The terrible tragedy of the Costa Concordia has raised a lot of questions about cruise line safety and even the notion of are the big cruise ships that cruise lines like Costa, Carnival or Royal Caribbean sail still safe.  While there is no doubt in anyone's mind that what transpired in Italy with the Concordia was absolutely awful, I think it's time to rid ourselves of the notion that cruise ships aren't safe.

Here's a question: name all of the large cruise ship disasters you can think of ever.  Okay, there's obviously the Concordia and the Titanic.  But that's all I can think of.  The media is in a frenzy over trying to scare the public with these headlines of "Too big to sail?" or "How safe are our cities of the sea?‎" and they make it seem like large superliner cruise ships are sinking regularly.  Don't be fooled, the media is just looking to get as much web page hits and viewership numbers as possible since it's a story that a lot of people have shown interest in.

First and foremost, the Concordia disaster appears to be human error.  It wasn't like the engine blew up or the ship's guidance system veered off path or some other technical glitch. Rather, the Captain chose a path too close to shore.  It's no different than if an airline pilot decided to change the plane's altitude on his own. Had the Captain chosen a different route, the Concordia would likely be wrapping up her sailing for this week.

As a frequent passenger with Royal Caribbean I've always felt safe on their ships.  Unlike the Concordia, Royal Caribbean mandates their safety drill occur before sailing.  And I know I've seen the crew practicing using the life boats or other emergency procedures at least once a cruise while in port somewhere.  

While you can make an argument about the cruise lines' reputation for looking the other way for personal safety over the years, I disagree that these mega ships we sail on are in any way flawed.  Given the track record for cruise ships safety, especially over the last twenty years or so, I think the idea that large cruise ships are unsafe is absolutely wrong.

Royal Caribbean will hold a conference call on February 2, 2012 at 10am to discuss its fourth quarter 2011 financial results.

The World Travel Awards handed Royal Caribbean three awards at a ceremony held on January 11, 2012 at the Katara Cultural Village in Doha, Qatar.  Royal Caribbean won awards for World's Leading Cruise Line, World's Leading Cruise Brand and World's Leading Large Ship Cruise Line.

Royal Caribbean's Regional Director Helen Beck spoke about accepting the awards, "Winning not one, but three awards, is truly a testament to Royal Caribbean’s continued dedication to innovation.  With a history of creativity and innovation - delivering many at-sea industry firsts, such as ice rinks, rock-climbing walls, zip lines and Broadway shows - we are committed to providing an unforgettable and rejuvenating experience that appeals to vacationers of all ages.”

Royal Caribbean's Executive Director in the Middle East, Lakshmi Durai, echoed Beck's comments, "We are very proud to have received three awards and would like to thank our travel partners from around the region for their continued and valued support over the years in spreading the word about the incredible value and satisfaction that Royal Caribbean International offers.”

Photo by Kenneth

Records show that a 25-year-old Royal Caribbean employee has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing a minor after allegations arose that he had sex with a teenage girl aboard Royal Caribbean's Enchantment Of The Seas, which sailed out of Baltimore on December 17.

The victim told police that she was alone on the deck of the ship when she met the man, Fabian Palmer, and he took her into a men's locker room where he began having sex with her.  He was stopped when another employee knocked on the door.

Video cameras captured "the likeness of Palmer," the victim, and the second employee outside the locker room around the same time that the victim said the abuse occurred, records show. Palmer was interviewed by Royal Caribbean employees and admitted having sex with the girl, but said he believed she was 16, records show. He was indicted on one count of sex abuse of a minor on Jan. 11.

Reality television star Kate Gosselin, who is best known for being the mom to eight kids, is hosting a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas August 12-19, 2012 and you can cruise with her.

Costs for this cruise range from $1900 to $5500, which gets you time with Gosselin such as

• Meet Kate Gosselin at our private welcome cocktail party
• A commemorative personalized gift from Kate (one per family)
• Capture your memories onboard with a personal photo with Kate Gosselin
• Join Kate for a private BBQ on deck with a fabulous band
• Join Kate for a morning brunch
• Fun fun family games with Kate and staff
• Charity dinner with Kate (optional)
• Got questions for Kate? Attend her Q & A session
• Check out Kate's latest book and bring it onboard for a book signing
• Doesn't Kate always have the best ideas! Learn a new craft from the professional herself
• Let's explore! Shore excursion with Kate
• Let's talk about our fabulous cruise experience! Private group farewell dinner

If you're interested in booking the cruise, you can contact Luxury Cruises & Tours for more information.

A few weeks ago Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas failed the Center for Disease Control's inspection after being cited for health-related issues such as fruit flies and food storage mistakes.

Last week, Royal Caribbean fixed the problems and Monarch of the Seas passed the test with flying colors, according to Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez. During the January 6 inspection, Monarch of the Seas earned a score of 96 (out of 100).  The examination was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP).

Royal Caribbean has announced its winter 2012-2013 sailings for Vision of the Seas, which will include itineraries that visit the Caribbean and Panama Canal.

Vision of the Seas will offer 10 to 15 night itineraries out of Port Everglades, Florida.  One special cruise will leave on December 24, 2012 and include stops in St Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent, Martinique and Royal Caribbean’s private island, Labadee.

There are a number of options aboard Vision of the Seas including 10-night Eastern Caribbean sailings that will make calls at Tortola, St. Maarten, Dominica, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Croix and Martinique, with an 11-night itinerary calling into Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, St. Kitts, Dominica and St. Vincent, a maiden port of call for the line.

Two 14-night and two 15-night Panama Canal-transit sailings will also be offered, sailing from Port Everglades and San Diego respectively, along with two trans-Atlantic crossings sailing between Port Everglades and Southampton.

The 14-night westbound voyage will depart on 21 September 2012 from Southampton, calling into Gijo, Vigo, Lisbon and Ponta Delgada with the 13-night eastbound trip sailing from Port Everglades on 17 April 2013 visiting Lisbon, Vigo and Normandy.