If you're a country music fan, there are two Royal Caribbean cruises in January 2012 that could be perfect for you.

First up is "Country's Family Reunion and Larry's Country Diner Cruise" aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas that departs January 16, 21012.  This five-night cruise to the Western Caribbean will feature Country Music stars

• Gene Watson,
• Larry Gatlin
• Moe Bandy
• T. Graham Brown
• Barbara Fairchild
• Teea Goans

The cruise will also include activities such as

• 4 live shows (2 CFR shows and 2 LCD shows)
• An exclusive cocktail party to meet the stars
• Opportunities for photos, autographs and signings
• Country music workshop

Another country music cruise is setting sail on January 28, 2012 aboard Voyager of the Seas out of New Orleans. The "Opry Country Classic Cruise" will feature  country music stars such as

• Jean Shepard
• Jeannie Seely
• Jan Howard
• Mandy Barnett
• T.G. Sheppard
• Host: Ralph Emery

Some of the onboard activities are

• private shows where the artists perform their own hits as well as country classics throughout the wee
• country karaoke
• mingle during an exclusive cocktail party
• meet the artists you enjoy

Key West officials are considering a plan to widen the shipping channel into Key West that would allow larger cruise ships to visit the iconic island.

The city council is considering the plan and wants input from its residents as well as consider the economical and environment impact dredging would have.

By enlarging the channel, ships like Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas could stop at Key West.  Currently Oasis is too big for Key West, but dredging would allow a ship like Oasis to make a stop there.

City Manager Jim Scholl cautions the plan is still in its infancy but it's a step in the right direction, "It's just a presentation and discussion.  The commission will hear about all the aspects of the channel-widening project and what the true impact of that proposal will be for Key West being a port of call for the cruise-ship industry. And really whether or not the commission will want to support the next step."

Ever since Royal Caribbean hinted at its next class of cruise ships that is has on order, Royal Caribbean fans everywhere have been guessing at the possibilities. 

Our friends at crociere.co.uk posted some educated guesses as to what the next class of Royal Caribbean ships, dubbed Project Sunshine, could look like and what features we're likely to find.

Included in their list are

• A split superstructure with neighborhoods that were big hits on Oasis and Allure of the Seas
• Different cabin layout
• Ship capable of being used worldwide, especially in the Mediterranean
• Central Park area with retractable glass roof
• Use of green tech onboard, such as solar panels
• Perhaps similar to Celebrity Solstice class of ships in design?

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."