After 21 days in dry dock, Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas has completed its $19 million "revitalization" program, where the ship has received a number of upgrades aimed at keeping the ship relevant and desirable in a market of cruise ships that increasingly offer more options.

The ship's upgrades include new dining concepts, entertainment options, children's programming and technology advancements that were first developed for Royal Caribbean's newest ships, Oasis and Allure of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean senior vice president, Hotel Operations Lisa Bauer believes the upgrades to Radiance will make it more desirable to guests, "Radiance of the Seas' drydock is part of Royal Caribbean's multi-ship enhancement and revitalization strategy to deliver the Royal Advantage to our guests.  The Royal Advantage comprises some of the industry's most innovative onboard amenities, programs and Gold Anchor Service that make up the most contemporary cruise vacation. By introducing almost all of the same specialty restaurants that can currently be found onboard Allure of the Seas as well some of the Oasis-class ships' most popular concepts to Radiance of the Seas, guests can enjoy a variety of brand new onboard experiences."

Changes to ship include

• Addition of Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• 12 newly added accommodations – one family, five interior and six exterior staterooms
• Technology enhancements that include Wi-Fi availability throughout the ship and flat-panel interactive televisions in all staterooms
• a new Concierge Lounge for suite guests
• a Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society members
• the Quill and Compass Pub
• an outdoor LED video wall overlooking the main pool area

The new restaurants onboard Radiance include:

• Boardwalk Dog House: Guests can choose from traditional hot dogs, wieners, brats, sausages and other delicious linked meats and a variety of toppings to split a long bun (open for lunch and dinner, complimentary)
• Giovanni's Table: An Italian trattoria featuring Italian classics served family-style (open for lunch, $15, and dinner, $20)
• Izumi: Featuring mouthwatering flavors and a sushi bar with hot-rock cooking, the pan Asian cuisine restaurant is a no-hassle, authentic dining experience (open for lunch and dinner, $3.00 cover charge for lunch and $5.00 for dinner plus a la carte menu pricing)
• Park Cafe: An indoor/outdoor gourmet market featuring salads, sandwiches, soups and pastries (open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, complimentary)
• Rita's Cantina: A casual yet vibrant indoor/outdoor restaurant, catering to families by day, and adults by night; offering traditional Mexican fare, a comprehensive selection of margaritas and live guitar music and dancing for evening entertainment (open for lunch and dinner, $3 cover charge and a la carte menu pricing)
• Samba Grill: Styled after popular Brazilian steakhouses, the churrascaria is an interactive experience where guests choose from a variety of meats, chicken and seafood brought table-side by servers, ready to slice and serve upon request (open for dinner, $25 per person)
• Chef's Table: An exclusive and private experience co-hosted by the executive Chef and Sommelier for a wine pairing dinner of five courses (open for dinner, $95 per person).

Now that Radiance is out of dry dock, she will embark upon  alternating, seven-night Southbound and Northbound Alaska itineraries before repositioning for its first winter 2011 season to Australia and New Zealand.

The next ship to receive upgrades will be Splendour of the Seas in October 2011.

Photo by Domino Gomez

Judge Marc Schumacher, of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, came down hard on Royal Caribbean for a hydrogen sulfide leak aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas that killed three crew members and injured 19 others.

The Judge said, "Royal Caribbean’s actions demonstrated a gross indifference to the life and health of not only the plaintiff but other passengers onboard the Monarch of the Seas when it continued to cruise with measures that allowed poison gas exposure to its passengers."

Furthermore, Schumacher felt Royal Caribbean "failed to take reasonable measures to prevent exposure" to the poison gas.

The criticism comes after seeing photos taken during a Coast Guard investigation of the incident document the "extensive corrosion" they say they found in engine room pipes where the leak originated.  The Coast Guarded concluded that "early signs… of hazardous H2S gas …were missed."

A 57 year old disabled woman was airlifted from Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas on Saturday after she became critically ill.

A spokesman for Portland, UK Coast guard said the passenger was wheelchair bound with little mobility and the airlift was called for by the ship's captain because of her critical condition.

As of yesterday morning, the woman is in stable condition at Dorset County Hospital.

Evidently there was an issue with the airlift, as Independence of the Seas had left Southampton, England on its way to Gibraltar.  The airlift had issues because the woman and her wheelchair were too heavy and the ship’s helicopter landing pad was too light for the helicopter.  The helicopter had to return to base to refuel before returning to Independence of the Seas to finally get the woman.

Judge Jerald Bagley of the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida has set a trial date of November 7, 2011 for the case of Amaran v Royal Caribbean to go to court.

The lawsuit alleges on March 8th 2004, Preetha Amaran collapsed on a treadmill aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and that Royal Caribbean's doctor and staff took too long to treat her properly and as a result, she had suffered an irreversible anoxic brain injury.

Amaran's family contends that the injury has resulted in Amaran's inability to work anymore and requires around the clock care. In addition, they believe that Royal Caribbean was negligent for not having emergency equipment -- particularly a defibrillator -- in the vicinity of the spa to have made treatment quicker.

Last week Royal Caribbean made the big news that its Voyager of the Seas ship will be based out of Sydney, Australia for five months in 2012 and while a list of port calls is expected next month, news has come that very likely Dunedin, New Zealand will be among the stops according to the Otago Daily Times.

Voyager of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship to ever visit New Zealand, surpassing the previous record of the Queen Mary 2's 3056 passengers.

The move by Royal Caribbean to move Voyager of the Seas to Australia and New Zealand is to help meet the increasing cruise demand of the region, according to Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein, "there are clear opportunities in the China and Australia markets, which are key areas for Royal Caribbean International's global development".

Parenting.com recognized Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas as one of the "Best Cruise Ships for Families".  In a survey of their top picks for best cruise ships to bring a family on, Allure was picked for among other reasons, the Dreamworks film connection.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Royal Caribbean ship that doesn’t indulge pint-sized passengers, but Allure and Oasis are the latest and greatest in the 22-ship fleet.

Parents of infants will appreciate Royal Caribbean’s Babies 2 Go program, which allows you to order organic baby food, and Huggies diapers, wipes, and creams for delivery to your stateroom. Don’t worry about packing toys either. The cruise line’s Fisher-Price Toy Lending Program lets you borrow them like library books.