Royal Caribbean has said that Vision of the Seas will dock in Bergen, Norway and Brilliance of the Seas will dock in Flam, Norway this morning as planned, despite a strike by pilot boat skippers in Oslo.

The strike is expected to spread across Norway by Thursday.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez issued a statement regarding the situation, "Both ships are expected to depart their ports of call today as scheduled. However, we are currently preparing contingency plans in the event the strike continues and either ship is unable to make their next scheduled port of calls in Norway."

The strike comes at the peak of the Norwegian fjord sailing season and threatens to disrupt the tourists coming to see them.

Vision of the Seas is scheduled to call to Geiranger, Norway, on Thursday, May 31, then spend Friday, June 1, at sea and conclude its sailing in Oslo, Norway, on Saturday, June 2.

Brilliance of the Seas is scheduled to call to Bergen, Norway, on Thursday, May 31, spend Friday, June 1, at sea and conclude its sailing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Saturday, June 2.

The island of Antigua is promising a better cruise season in 2013 thanks in part to Royal Caribbean bringing back ships during summer.  Jewel of the Seas will visit three times a month during the summer period from May to October 2013 and will remain for the 2013-2014 winter season.

Jewel of the Seas is planning to make 29 stops at the island, which translates to 72,500 passengers in 2013.  Jewel of the Seas replaces Serenade of the Seas.

Chief Executive Officer of Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority Colin James mentioned Royal Caribbean's return was thanks in part due to ongoing "lobbying efforts" by the island. A delegation involving the Antiguan Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture met with Royal Caribbean in recent weeks.

“I think this is excellent news for the destination because in the summer months things really dry up and it makes it very difficult for the key tourism partners on island to sustain their business during the summer month. It is good news for our destination and we are really pleased that the lobbying effort has borne fruit."

Royal Caribbean is sending Mariner of the Seas to China in 2013 to join sister ship Voyager of the Seas that was already going to the Far East.  Together, Royal Caribbean will be able to offer cruises to Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea.

Mariner of the Seas will arrive in China in June 2013 and offer a number of itineraries from 3 to 12 nights.  The addition of Mariner of the Seas will offer additional capacity to a Chinese cruise market that is growing quickly.  Mariner will also adopt the same product customizations that Voyager of the Seas made to adapt to the Chinese marketing, such as Chinese-style menus, enhanced retail and entertainment offerings and language services.

To get to China, the ship will depart the Caribbean in April and head to Singapore and onto China via Dubai and the Suez Canal.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the move, "2012 is for our company the year of China."

“We see Asia in general and China in particular as a major strategic objective for our company,” Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain said. “China has proven to be a very special market.”

Royal Caribbean senior vice president of marketing Betsy O'Rourke has decided to resign from Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the resignation and said O'Rourke's last day on the job will be May 25, 2012.  The company has no immediate plans for a successor.

O'Rourke had the job since 2009 and reported to Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein.  Her role with the company had been overseeing Royal Caribbean's overall marketing program including brand strategy and positioning, consumer and trade advertising, web and loyalty marketing, research, brand development and communications.

The U.S. Virgin Islands is excited to welcome two additional Royal Caribbean ships to its islands after Royal Caribbean announced its new Caribbean itineraries in 2013-2014.

Jewel of the Seas will visit St. Thomas while Adventure of the Seas will stop at St. Thomas and St. Croix, which is in addition to the other Royal Caribbean ships that had been visiting the islands.

USVI Governor Jogn de Jongh, Jr. commented on Royal Caribbean's new deployment plans and the importance of St. Croix as a destination, "The Virgin Islands has a wonderful relationship with Royal Caribbean, and that is reflected in the cruise line's newest itineraries, which frequently call on the territory's ports."

The change marks the cruise line's largest deployment ever in the region.

Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will continue to alternate seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries with stops in St. Thomas, while Freedom of the Seas' Eastern Caribbean itinerary lists calls on St. Thomas.

The Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore is a brand new cruise terminal in Singapore that looks to draw in the largest cruise ships in the world, including Royal Caribbean's fleet.

The $395 million terminal will welcome Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas on Saturday, which will be the largest ship of its kind to dock in Singapore.   Voyager of the Seas is just the beginning, because the cruise terminal operator want to attract even larger ships.

SATS-Creuers Cruise Services commented on the plans the terminal has in a statement, "pave the way for the newer generation of larger cruise liners to dock in Singapore and Asia, including Oasis-Class ships."

For fans of heavy metal, the "Barge to Hell" cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas may be the cruise fo them.  Billed as "The World's Most Extreme Metal Cruise", this four-night cruise is planned for December 3, 2012.

There will be 40 bands that will play two live shows across two days while aboard the cruise.  Bands signed for the cruise include Napalm Death, Behemoth, Enslaved and Sepultura.

Onboard the ship, the group has set up a few events already...

• The luxurious "A Chorus Line" theater where we spare no expense to have the benches removed on the floor. Because at a Metal show, who actually wants assigned seating in front of the stage?
• The cozy "Spectrum" that gives you the real club feeling.
• The open air stage on the pool deck. The world's biggest open air festival stage to sail the Oceans.

The cruise is being put on by he same people that organized the 70000 tons of metal cruise that was a big success.

Royal Caribbean announced it will send just nine ships to Europe in 2013, down from 12 ships this year.  Weak bookings in Europe have contributed to Royal Caribbean's decision to reduce its presence there.

The nine ships will offer 276 cruises over 58 itineraries in 2013.  

A third of the ships going to Europe in 2013 will sail out of the United Kingdom, including Independence of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas.  The ships will offer cruises to the Baltics, Mediterranean and Canary Islands.  A report from the Passenger Shipping Association shows that more than 40% of British passengers choose to being their cruise from a UK port.

In addition, Legend of the Seas will offer seven-night western Mediterranean itineraries out of Genoa, Italy and visiting Provence (Marseilles), France; and Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Valencia, Spain.

Vision of the Seas will alternate seven-night Norwegian cruise to the North Sea and offer cruises to visit the Norwegian Fjords, Russia and other northern European destinations.

Navigator of the Seas will offer seven-night eastern Mediterranean and Greek isle cruises.  Serenade of the Seas will offer 12-night Mediterranean and Greek isle cruises.  Splendour of the Seas will serve the Adriatic sea and Greek isles.  And finally, Liberty of the Seas will offer a selection of five- and seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona.

Cruise tourism in Abu Dhabi is going to get a bump when Royal Caribbean sends its recently revamped Serenade of the Seas to the middle eastern city in 2012-2013.  Serenade of the Seas replaces Brilliance of the Seas  and will mark the first time Serenade of the Seas has served the Middle East market.

Serenade of the Seas will make 17 stops in the UAE capital starting in January 2013.

Royal Caribbean Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Helen Beck, commented on the news, "The resilience of the Middle East market is very encouraging. Bringing a new-look Serenade of the Seas to the region is testament to that belief. She will undergo a complete renovation and will boast a number of new food and beverage outlets and attractions that haven’t been seen here. It will certainly up the game for the regional industry."