Royal Caribbean has canceled port stops for the Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas in St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The passengers on the Oasis of the Seas will have the biggest effect to their route.

The Oasis of the Seas will spend Monday and Tuesday at sea, leaves on Wednesday to Costa Maya and Cozumel on Thursday after, as planned before it goes back to Fort Lauderdale. The Freedom of the Seas will be diverted on Wednesday to Grand Cayman on Thursday and is also in Cozumel.

Representatives of seven U.S. cruise companies will visit Alicante, Spain from September 22-24 to explore the possibilities of the port and the city for inclusion in the scales of their cruises.

At the Port of Alicante, employers will provide a detailed tour of the municipality, which includes a visit to the port facilities and various destinations in the city and the province suitable for cruisers trips.

The group is made up of directors of Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Windstar Cruises, Princess Cruises, Crystal Cruises, The World and NCL. They all pose a significant potential to attract cruise ship tourists, so the visit will be crucial for the interests of the Port and the city.

Result of relations with one of them, Royal Caribbean, owner of  Independence of the Seas, visited yesterday the Port of Alicante, with a passage more than 4,000 travelers who had the opportunity to many excursions in Alicante and its province. The ship, which came from Palma de Mallorca, afternoon sail to Lisbon, from where they sail back north to their summer base in Southampton.

Launched in 2008, the Independence of the Seas will return to dock in Alicante on 29 August.

Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, the largest cruise ship sailing the Mediterranean, has made ​​its third stop in the port of Alicante, Spain. More than 4,000 passengers have had an opportunity to make numerous trips to Alicante and its province, as reported in a statement by the Port of Alicante.

Thus, the ship, which comes from Palma de Mallorca, sails on Monday for Lisbon, Portugal before sailing north back to their summer base in Southampton, UK.

Independence of the Seas has a capacity for 4,500 passengers and 1,500 crew members and is 339 feet long and 38 wide, making it one of the largest cruise ships in the world, the highest among those who ply the waters of the Mediterranean, and will dock in Alicante on August 29. 

On September 22, representatives from seven North American carriers will also come to Alicante, where they remain until the 24th for a tour that includes visits to the port facilities and various destinations in the city and the province "suitable" for travelers cruise. 

There are just some things that go hand-in-hand with going on a cruise - umbrella drinks, hair braiding and the spa.  Every Royal Caribbean ship features an onboard Vitality Day Spa and Fitness Center that offer a variety of services that you can purchase to help relax, ease tension, make you look/feel better or just plain splurge.

What can I have done at the spa?

There's a number of services offered at the spa on a Royal Caribbean cruise.  Exact services can vary from ship to ship, but in general there are these services

• Massages
• Facial Treatments
• Wraps and body therapies
• Cosmetic services (BOTOX, Teeth whitening)
• Acupuncture

Who can use the spa?

The spa is open to anyone at least 18 years old or older.  There are also services available for passengers age 13-17 called the special YSPA menu for teens.  You will have to inquire at the spa for more details on teen programs.

Which treatment is right for me?

The Vitality Day Spa usually offers free tours of the spa, especially on embarkation day.  On your first day of your cruise, you can usually drop by and get a tour and see the facilities as well as hear descriptions of what's available on your cruise.  We've found these tours to generally be fairly low sales pressure and it can be a fun activity for the family to look at.  

In addition to the tour, you can speak with a spa staff member about what you're interested in.  Given the slew of treatments and services available, there's a lot to choose from and everyone's needs are different.

Spa treatments are a nice perk for yourself or someone you're with.  They cost extra and some can cost as much as a few hundred dollars.  They are far from a necessity but many cruisers love to take the opportunity to indulge in one.

How do I book a spa treatment?

You must make a reservation for a spa treatment at the spa desk or by calling the spa.  Generally speaking, the spa books up quickly on sea days and is easier to get into on port days.

You may also book the spa online prior to your cruise via the Royal Caribbean website.

How much do treatments at the spa cost?

Prices for spa treatments vary and can change often.  While we can't quote you exact prices for your cruise, we can give you some ball park ideas of what prices will roughly cost. Keep in mind, these are generalizations and your actual cost may be less or more.

• Full Body Massage 50 minutes - $109
• Aroma Stone Therapy - $175
• Hydra-Lift Facial - $109

What about tip?

It is customary to tip the person who provided the spa services to you after your treatment is complete, but be sure to ask if gratuity is already included in the price they quote you.  Often gratuity is included and while you may tip extra if you feel the service was extraordinary, it isn't necessary.

Royal Caribbean is posed to name its second female cruise ship Captain aboard its Vision of the Seas ship later this month.  Lis Lauritzen is the woman who will command the ship.

Lauritzen follows in the footsteps of Karin Stahre-Janson, who is Captain of the Monarch of the Seas.  She was promoted to that rank in March 2007, becoming the first female captain of a major cruise ship.

Since Stahre-Janson, two other cruise lines have appointed woman to be in charge of cruise ships, including P&O Cruises and Cunard Line in 2010.

Believe it or not, Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas has been in operation for over a decade now, having debuted in November 1999 and Jackie Roseboom wrote about how well the Voyager Class namesake has held up over the years.

Voyager of the Seas was a real catalyst for Royal Caribbean as Roseboom points out, "It spawned an unprecedented building boom in new, large cruise ship construction – five other Royal Caribbean fleet mates alone are larger today."

Of course, there's still plenty to do on Voyager of the Seas from ice skating, to shopping, to great specialty restaurants.  Even though the ship may be over 10 years old, it's still a crown jewel in Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Royal Caribbean is bringing back its sports and fitness program for this year's cruise season, called "Royal Life". With cruises out of Santos, Brazil on January 27 and Rio de Janeiro on January 28, the goal is to combine leisure cruise vacation, wellness and health care. On board, passengers will be able to exercise, attend lectures on nutritional counseling and relaxation.

For a week, adults and children will hold various activities overlooking the sea and the beautiful beaches of Brazil. The cruise participants will attend spinning classes, rhythms, hydrobike, pilates, yoga (at sea and ashore), kids yoga and contest for the whole family. To help keep in shape, the ship's menus will have options for eating lighter and healthier. In this new edition to be in charge of new partnerships between the Royal and renowned professionals in the areas of sports, wellness and nutrition

The Royal Life cruise costs from R$ 203.80 10x + R$ 81.52 per person, no fees, inside cabin double. The feeding schedule and activities are included.  

Royal Caribbean has selected Gianni Rotondo to lead Royal Caribbean's Italy office and be in charge of the development of the Italian market. Lina Mazzucco held the position with Royal Caribbean Italy since 2005, and will pass the baton to Gianni Rotondo, who has joined Royal Caribbean three months ago.

"After 6 years of activity in this great company I decided it was time to leave to pursue other routes. I carry with me all the experiences and challenges, the people with whom I have worked in recent years and the rewards, including one of all: to have ten times the number of Italian guests on our ship," says Lina Mazzucco "hope Gianni professional satisfaction and the same passion. "

With over 30 years of experience in the travel and a degree in Law, Round arrives from Atahotels Royal Spa, an independent Italian chain of hotels, where occupying the role of commercial director. Before that, he was general manager of the Northern European markets in London and Alitalia CEO of lastminute.com Italy, and CEO of Easy Market Spa.

"The Italian market has experienced strong growth in demand from consumers Italians, for all the brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Royal Caribbean International in particular." Said Michael Bayley, executive vice president, international, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We have great confidence in the new general manager. Gianni has all the personal qualities and professional and managerial skills that we need to pursue our growth strategy in Italy."

"It 'an important time for growth of the Italian market," says Gianni Rotondo, " and European company, which will expand its activities in 2012 with 23 new ports in seven countries. This result is undoubtedly the result of passion and commitment with which Lina Mazzucco has guided the company in recent years. Following the precious example of Lina, who preceded me in this challenge, I will do my best to give further impetus to the company and increase brand value. "

The Genoa office of Royal Caribbean has about 30 employees, including sales, marketing and business operations, management of the 3 brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises Club.

Mariner of the Seas in March has arrived for the first time in the Mediterranean to Civitavecchia, where he remained until the end of October, offering 7-night cruises calling at Cannes, Ajaccio, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.

At Royal Caribbean's second quarter 2011 quarterly results yesterday, Royal Caribbean announced an accounting error that has resulted in double digit drop in Royal Caribbean's stock price.  Today, corporate litigators Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims concerning whether Royal Caribbean and certain of its officers and directors have violated federal securities laws.

Royal Caribbean had said it would have to revise prior statements because of an error in the way it accounted for interest expense for amortizing financing fees. It reduced its full-year earning guidance by 10 cents per share even without the accounting change, and by 20 cents per share with the change. On this news, shares of Royal Caribbean plunged 10%, or over $3.25 per share.

Royal Caribbean held its conference call today to announce the company's second quarter financial results, Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain characterized an accounting error from the previous quarter as being "embarrassed".

Nonetheless, Fain was excited about the company's short term future and was overall positive about the direction Royal Caribbean is going in, "It still looks like this will be one of the best years in our history".

As a result of the error, Royal Caribbean lowered its full-year earnings per share prediction by 30 cents at the midpoint to a range of $2.90 to $3.20, mostly in order to reflect a revision to how it accounts for interest expense.

Despite Fain's and other executives attempts to diffuse the accounting error situation, Royal Caribbean's stock took a hit following the call, with the price dipping as low as 11% from its market open price.

The interest-expense accounting error related to the amortization of certain financing fees, and caused the revision of some prior results and lower guidance for the rest of the year. The revision is a noncash item, and Fain said the team that made the error also found it and quickly reported it.

During the call, Brian Rice, Chief Financial Officer for Royal Caribbean, called the mistake a human error and like Fain, was embarrassed by the situation.