New Zealand officials are excited for the arrival of Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas in 2012 as it's confirmed that the largest ship to ever cruise the region will be making a stop in Dunedin.

It was speculated that Dunedin would be a stop a few weeks ago and with the itineraries announced for Voyager of the Seas' visit to Australia and New Zealand earlier today, people in the Kiwi nation are excited.

Royal Caribbean indicated that the first visit to Dunedin will be on November 17, and will visit the city five more times after that.

Dunedin Chief Executive of Tourism, Hamish Saxton, thinks the cruise industry is doing well and the fact Voyager of the Seas is now going to visit Dunedin is further endorsement of the burgeoning New Zealand cruise market.

"The frequency of the trips to New Zealand and the inclusion of Dunedin is terrific news.

Cruise arrivals are continuing to grow, particularly after some more challenging years, [and] the growth in cruise ship passengers is tremendous." Dunedin had previously coped well with cruise arrivals totalling more than 5000 passengers, Mr Saxton said.

"This ship going to be a spectacular sight in our spectacular harbour."

There's another winner of a Royal Caribbean cruise thanks to the Georgia lottery.  Acquenella and Donald Gates of Covington, Georgia won the seven night Royal Caribbean cruise while playing the scratch-off game Royal Caribbean Cruise for Cash.

Acquenella bought the winning ticket at a BP food mart in Covington after getting some gas.

“About three more scratches and there was the ship sitting in the corner,” she said. “(Donald) got two pairs of glasses and two magnifying glasses, including one with a "light."

Interestingly enough, Acquenella bought the ticket when she forgot to run an errand so she stopped at the food mart where she bought the ticket.

“It was there waiting for me,” Gates said.

Royal Caribbean announced last month that Voyager of the Seas would be sailing to Australia for the 2012/2013 season and since then, many fans have wanted to know more details about these sailings so Royal Caribbean has released more details about what we can expect.

Voyager of the Seas will kick off its Australian cruise season on November 23, 2012 and will offer 12 cruises out of Sydney and Fremantle, Australia  This first cruise will begin (and eventually end its run in Australia) with a 14-night repositioning cruise between Singapore and Perth, Australia with stops in Thailand and Vietnam.

Itineraries include four 14-night New Zealand itineraries along with shorter cruises to Tasmania and Fiji.  There's also two 18-night voyages between Fremantle and Sydney, taking in southern Australia along with Milford Sound in New Zealand.

Adam Armstrong, Royal Caribbean's commercial manager, is excited for the debut of Voyager of the Seas down under, "Voyager of the Seas will not only be the biggest ship based here but she also introduces unique concepts never before experienced at sea in the region".

In addition to Voyager of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas and the recently refurbished Radiance of the Seas will return to Australia as well for their own set of cruises.

Radiance of the Seas will also operate out of Sydney and Fremantle and offer passengers 10-night cruises to Queensland over the holidays of Christmas and Easter.  They will also offer five night "sampler cruises" to Newcastle and Brisbane.

Rhapsody of the Seas will offer 12 cruises to the South Pacific region along with four 11-night voyages to Tropical Queensland.

If you're a fan of the hit reality TV show "Dancing with the Stars", then there's the perfect Royal Caribbean cruise for you.  Dancing With the Stars pros Chelsie Hightower, Tony Dovolani, and Elena Grinenko are inviting their fans to join them on a cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas.

The cruise takes place January 15-22, 2012 and departs Port Canaveral, Florida on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  

The cruise will feature

• Exclusive master dance classes for all ability levels
• Dance parties
• Photo and autograph sessions
• Private theme parties
• Q&A sessions
• Dining and socializing with fellow Dancing fans

In addition, one lucky cruise passenger will win a private one hour dance lesson with Tony and Chelsie.

If you're interested, you can learn more at dancestarscruise.com.

Photo by Evelin Martinez

Royal Caribbean has named Louise James the new head of Royal Caribbean's Public Relations division in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

James' responsibility will be to take charge of the communications division for Royal Caribbean UK, which includes its press office and marketing communications.

Royal Caribbean Associate Vice President & General Manager, Jo Rzymowska, thinks James will be a good fit, "The marketing and communications need for the RCL Cruises Ltd business has evolved significantly in recent years. As well as celebrating new ships, we are investing in increasing our brand awareness within the overall holiday sector. The new PR appointment is a key development to aid this area of our communications strategy and I’m excited to welcome Louise James to the team."

Royal Caribbean joined with Bermuda's Minister of Business Development and Tourism, Patrice Minors, to award $15,000 to three students so they can pursue careers in hospitality as part of the Royal Caribbean Hospitality Endowment Fund.

Michiko Campbell, a student at Johnson and Wales University, won his scholarship for building – and flying – two 6 foot Bermuda style kites at his Miami school this past Easter.

Joliza Vanderpool, a Canadian student, is studying Professional Baking Fundamentals, Modern Pastry Craft and Culinary Techniques.  The final winner, Jallande Greaves, is also a student at Johnson and Wales University and is studying Travel Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Minister Minors was pleased to see three of Bermuda's citizens win the awards, “Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to highlight the success and accomplishments of those Bermudians who are pursuing careers in the hospitality industry. And this annual event provides us the perfect forum to do just that".

The ceremony took place aboard the Celebrity Summit

For guests looking to get a look at what goes on behind closed doors on their Royal Caribbean cruise, there's now an option to take a guided tour from the cruise line.

Royal Caribbean calls it the All Access Tour and is available on all of Royal Caribbean's ships starting with the July 2011 sailings.

Lisa Bauer, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, is excited about the new idea, "Our guests have always inquired into what happens behind the scenes and below deck.  We are glad to offer these really special guest tours into areas that are normally not accessible, escorted by staff members who explain the complex workings of running of the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ships.”

The new All Access Tour will include a tour of the ship's bridge, galley, backstage to the main theater, engine control room, and more. .  On cruises of less than seven nights, there will be at least one All Access Tour.  Cruises of seven nights or longer will have two tours at least.  Royal Caribbean confirms more tours can be added based on passenger demand.

The tours are 3.5 hours in duration and cost $150 per passenger.  The All Access Tour can be purchased onboard with the Concierge, Crown & Anchor Society Loyalty Ambassador, or at guest relations.

The new All Access Tour come two years after Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruises began offering behind-the-scenes tours on their cruise ships.

Dave Cariello, a blogger for Canal Street Chronicles, took a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas to Alaska despite some hesitations about going to a cold water port.  Nonetheless, Dave came away impressed by his trip and definitely a fan of both Alaska and Radiance!

I admit that when my wife suggested Alaska as a possibility for our next destination, I was a bit skeptical. Isn't cruising supposed to be for tropical destinations? And isn't Alaska anything but tropical?

I've been to quite a few wonderful places in my young life but Alaska is truly the most unique. Unless you've seen for yourself the untouched beauty that is The Land of the Midnight Sun, you cannot fathom it's true awesomeness.

Dave posted a lot more photos and summaries of each port they visited, such as Skagway, Juneau and Seward, on his blog.