Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas was in dry dock receiving new upgrades and has now finished them.

The new renovations include

• New large screen TV (18.5 feet) on the pool deck that will play movies and sporting events
• New shops and dining options to promenade area, including the Cupcake Cupboard
• Vintages, a wine tasting bar, has been remodeled
• LCD wayfinder system added
• Broadway show added (Saturday Night Fever)

These and other changes have been added after these features become popular on Oasis and Allure of the Seas.  Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein referred to these upgrades as "Oasis-sized".

Royal Caribbean has decided to end port of calls in Barbados after moving Serenade of the Seas to Europe for the Summer 2012 cruise season.

The move has upset Caribbean officials, namely the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), which has expressed concern about the loss.  CTO Secretary General Hugh Riley said they are aware that repositioning is a normal course of business within the cruise sector, particularly during the summer months.

The brand new Oasis and Allure of the Seas cruise ships can thank Handling Specialty for creating the three huge underwater lifts, two tilting diving boards and one rotating trampoline for Royal Caribbean's newest ships.

These innovations are what make the AquaTheater shows possible.  These systems, manufactured in Canada were shipped to Turku, Finland, where they were installed over the course of about 18 months to create the AquaTheater stage area for the largest and deepest freshwater pools at sea.

"This is very high profile and very exciting," said Handling Specialty president Tom Beach, adding the devices have already been featured in a couple of documentaries, including a Discovery Channel show, The Mighty Ships.

The Palm Beach Post has posted a review of a recent cruise aboard Navigator of the Seas.  For those who are considering a cruise on Navigator, it might be a useful insight into this person's experience onboard.

Make no mistake, there are a lot of public rooms but its not like they are scattered all over the place on every deck. The Navigator hosts over 3,000 passengers. The age mix is good on Royal Caribbean. It seems to appeal to all age groups and is a good cruise line if say the entire family, Grandma through 1-year-olds, are traveling together. Granted a lot of the attractions are set more toward young families, there is something for everyone.

I have noticed over the years there are more and more extra charges on cruise ships. I think one day there will be a charge for food period. Your cabin costs this much and if you want the main dining it will be this much but if you want extra special dining that will be more……maybe, maybe not. It seems like they are slipping it in little by little and people accept it. Room service is very good and so far no charge. Most of the time it is fairly fast. If you have a balcony you can order breakfast and eat out there in your bathrobe.

You can read the entire review on the Palm Beach Post website.

Royal Caribbean is tapping famous Hollywood actor James Brolin to star and direct a new series of video clips that can be seen online. Called "Ocean Views", these webisodes will be available on March 14 on the Royal Caribbean's web site as well as its YouTube channel.

The episode Brolin will star in and direct is called "Royal Reunion", which will tell the story of how many different generations of family are taking a cruise on Allure of the Seas.  Joining Brolin in the cast will be other actors such as Dean Cain and Amy Yasbeck.

Brolin's episode is one of many in the video series that will feature actors starring and directing in their own episodes.  Jenny McCarthy will act in and direct a video called “The Allure of Love,” which also takes place on the ship; it is a comedic look at a star-crossed romance.  Other stars set to appear include Samantha Bee, Adam Carolla, Paula Deen and Albert Pujols.

After announcing a new class of cruise ships last month, Royal Caribbean signed an agreement with German shipyard Meyer Werft to build them.  Previously the two companies had  signed a letter of intent but Royal Caribbean has now signed an agreement that will solidify the deal.

The new class of ships, called "Project Sunshine", will be a 4,100 passenger ship that is scheduled to be delivered in the fall of 2014.  The agreement also allows for an option for a second ship for delivery in spring 2015.

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Tourism Richard “Ricky” Skerritt announced that Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, will make a stop to St. Kitts in December 2011.

Allure will make a stop at the island's Port Zante cruise pier on December 30.

Royal Caribbean's vice president of Government Relations, Michael Ronan, is excited about the news of bringing Allure to St. Kitts for the first time, "Royal Caribbean International is delighted to bring the world-renowned Allure of the Seas to St. Kitts. While Allure of the Seas is the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship, the ship’s ports of call are also very important to our guests. We look forward to bringing more of them to beautiful and vibrant St. Kitts."

Royal Caribbean now expects 45 ports of call to St. Kitts in the 2011-2012 season by its ships, doubling the 2010-2011 season when just 20 calls were made there.