Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas entered Singapore's Sembawang Shipyard today to begin a month-long refurbishment as part of the company's Royal Advantage program.

Rhapsody of the Seas is the third Royal Caribbean ship to receive these upgrades, that provides the older ships in the fleet upgrades and amenities found on the newer ships.  The end result is a revamped Royal Caribbean fleet that is better able to compete in the competitive cruise market.

Rhapsody of the Seas complete list of upgrades include

• Five new specialty dining venues
  • Chops Grille
  • Giovanni’s Table
  • Park Café
  • Izumi
  • Chef’s Table
• Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Diamond Lounge for Crown and Anchor Society members
• Concierge lounge for suite guests
• New furniture
• New carpets
• New upholstery
• Renovated staterooms.

Royal Caribbean's Commercial Manager Adam Armstrong commented on the refurbishment, "“Rhapsody of the Seas has been a tremendous success in Australia and New Zealand where she has carried over 175,000 guests and developed a very loyal following. Now we’re adding a host of extra innovations and popular features to really raise the bar for local fans. Originally scheduled for only a two-week ‘drydock’ for regular maintenance, we have since extended the project to four weeks in order to allow more extensive enhancements across the entire ship, including dining, cabins, entertainment and technology.”

Following the upgrades, Rhapsody of the Seas will head to Australia to join Radiance of the Seas, which received her own revitalization in May 2011.

Royal Caribbean is reporting that bookings for its cruises have made improvements in recent weeks, after taking a bit of a stumble due to the Costa Concordia disaster.

While Royal Caribbean admitted in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the pace of bookings is lower than this time last year, they are seeing improvement in revenue build .

Royal Caribbean noted that booked load factors (which is a measure of occupancy) is at about the same level as they were at this time last year but at higher prices.  Royal Caribbean also believes the Concordia incident will not impact long term bookings.

Royal Caribbean has opted to exercise an option to build a second Sunshine-class cruise ship, that will be delivered in Spring 2015.

Royal Caribbean's decision to build the second of the yet-to-be-seen class of ships signals the company feels good about the project.  The ship will be built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft on substantially the same terms as its first Sunshine ship.

Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain commented on the decision, "This confirms our continued confidence in the success of this new generation of ships and our strong conviction about the Royal Caribbean International brand."

Like the first ship Royal Caribbean ordered (and is still under construction), the second ship will be 158,000 gross registered tonnes and accommodate 4,100 guests.

Royal Caribbean is getting ready to kick off the summer season in Italy. Among these there are two Voyager Class ships including Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas. 

Navigator of the Seas will offer cruises of 7 nights between May and October from Civitavecchia and the new home port of Messina. Mariner of the Seas will offer cruises from June to September, with a new route of 7 nights in the Western Mediterranean from Genoa and Civitavecchia, from May to October, 12-night cruises to the Holy Land from Civitavecchia.

Another novelty of the season will be cruises of 6, 7 and 8 nights from Venice and the new home of the re-port of Bari with Spendour of the Seas, which completed a dry-dock refit in November 2011, and is ready to return to Italy with some of the most exclusive of the upgrades including more technology, more rooms with balcony, new restaurants and entertainment options. 

Royal Caribbean is going to hold an open audition for singers, dancers and gymnasts on March 4th in Atlanta, Georgia.  Royal Caribbean Productions is looking to fill some roles in its various shows aboard its ships including its Broadway, ice and aqua shows.  

The audition event will be at the Atlanta Ballet and they are looking for talented performers between the ages of 18 and 40.

Anyone interested in attending should bring with them a current photo and resume.  In addition, singers should come prepared with sheet music in the proper key and 16-32 bars of a ballad and an up-tempo song. Must be able to sing various styles of music.  Dancers must be technically trained with a strong background in Jazz. Flying and tumbling skills are a plus.

Royal Caribbean was among the winners of this year's Green Gateway Partners Award by the Port of Seattle for its "comprehensive environmental achievements".

The Green Gateway Partners Awards set as a minimum requirement participation in the Port’s At-Berth Clean Fuels programme or use of shore power.

These and other environmental activities are assigned point values. Depending on the number of points earned, Green Gateway Partners can achieve one of three recognition levels – gold, silver or bronze. The awards and scoring system were done by a third party.

“These maritime operators demonstrate by their actions every day that you can be good environmental stewards while contributing to our economy,” said Tay Yoshitani, CEO of the Port of Seattle. “We look forward to honouring more of our customers in the future.”

Fans of the "Jersey Shore" television show can book a cruise that features Deena Nicole Cortese in September.

The cruise aboard Explorer of the Seas departs Cape Liberty, New Jersey on September 16 and sail to Bermuda before returning on September 23.  

The cruise will feature

• Deena will host happy hours
• private events
• a club night in Bermuda

In addition to Deena, DJ Nicky Sibilia will also be onboard the cruise.

Prices start at $1,200 and go up to $2,975 depending on how swanky one wants to get. Additional opportunities -- outdoor games with Deena, dinner with Deena, dance lessons with Deena, etc. -- can also be had for an extra fee.

The Ukrainian government intends to transfer access to the ports of Sevastopol and Yalta to Royal Caribbean in an agreement that was reached. This was announced today at a press conference bythe first deputy chairman of the city administration Sergey Savenko.

According to Savenko, "This company is willing to invest 250 million dollars in the infrastructure to handle the large cruise liners, in the construction of hotels, restaurants, in the reconstruction of quay walls, such as passenger ships require long piers not less than 300 meters."

Sergey Savenkov also noted that "we consider the more expensive option of building a new wharf at Cape Crystal." In the meantime, he says, "the main task for us - removal of the base repair of ships from the South Bay away from the center, most likely in the area of ​​Inkerman, and a marina prepare for the reception worthy of yachts and ships."

As the head of the Sevastopol Sea Trade Port Sergei Tarakanov, "now active negotiations with the investor and the only obstacle to the imperfection of the Ukrainian legislation." "The government is preparing a decree according to which the Yalta and Sevastopol port may be conceded," - said Tarakanov. According to him, "in the next six months, the issue is resolved. I'm sure - this is one of the good lines, just because no one will give money. Investor needs to know what to pay."

Administration of the seaport of Sevastopol is also considering converting to receive large cruise ships dock, however that is currently on loan at the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas arrived on Wednesday for the first time in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil to begin cruises in the area.

A note from the Secretary of State for Tourism, Danielle Holder Novis, says that the arrival of the Royal Caribbean ship was "an achievement of the State Secretary of Tourism of Alagoas and the Municipal Tourism Promotion of Macedonia, who articulated the process."

The 2011/2012 cruise season is the largest that took place in Brazil and according to the Brazilian Association of Maritime Cruises (Abremar), Maceió will receive a visit from nine ships in 37 occasions, totaling over 100,000 cruisers in the capital of Alagoas.