There's been about seven cruise ships to stop in the brand new Falmouth, Jamaica port so far and while the port's opening has been the subject of much praise and celebration, some locals in the port town are complaining that the economic benefit they were expecting has not been felt yet.

Trelawny Chamber of Commerce President Richard Bourke says some people in the business community have complained about the cruise ship effects, "I am getting both positive and negative reactions. The craft vendors are reporting increased business, while the wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, and law offices in Water Square are complaining that the traffic restrictions in the square have severely disrupted their businesses."

In addition, Bourke is critical of how basic services in Falmouth have been prioritized. Specifically, the transportation center that hasn't been bult yet, the unfinished police station, and the new market that were supposed to be completed from last year are all areas that need to be addressed.

In response to these complaints, Godfrey Dyer, Chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, said improvements in Water Square should be finished by the end of this month.

Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain sat down with Smart Money for a question and answer session to talk about the state of Royal Caribbean today.  Here are a few of the questions of particular interest.

SmartMoney: Historically, cruises have been cheaper than vacations on land. Has the gap narrowed?
A cruise is still a better value. It frustrates me that [so many people] haven't cruised. Eighty percent of Americans haven't taken a cruise!

SmartMoney: Asia has the growth everyone wants. You have done little there.
We are getting to that point. The Chinese government in particular has made a decision that cruise tours are good for the country. They have started making investments in port facilities. [Our participation] couldn't have come much earlier.

You can read the entire interview here

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas has completed a series of upgrades it received at the Grand Bahama Shipyard.  Freedom will return to service this week with a slew of new changes to the ship.

Freedom of the Seas received these upgrades while in drydock

• Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Large 18.5-foot video screen overlooking family pool area
• LCD wayfinder system
• Cupcake Cupboard restaurant
• Vintages lounge will be redone
• DreamWorks Experience
• 3D movie screen
• Imaginocean! puppet show
• outdoor LED video walls

The upgrades, part of Royal Caribbean's Royal Advantage program, invested $70 million in ship upgrades to help keep Freedom and other Royal Caribbean ships more appealing to consumers with newer and bigger ships coming online.

Royal Caribbean vice president of hotel operations Lisa Bauer thinks the upgrades to Freedom of the Seas will make a difference based on what they've seen for Liberty of the Seas, “The outdoor video screen installed aboard Liberty of the Seas in January has already been so well received that we have decided to deploy it aboard all the ships scheduled to undergo the Royal Advantage revitalization in 2011."

As of today, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas have finished their upgrades with Radiance of the Seas set to be changed in May and Splendour of the Seas in October.

Demand is so big for Royal Caribbean's cruises in the Middle East that the company has decided to extend its third consecutive season for the 2011/2012 season.

The new cruise season will include 18 round-trip seven night sailings and two Dubai to India 12 night sailings from November 2011 through to April 2012.

Brilliance of the Seas was almost completely booked for Royal Caribbean's second Gulf season from her homeport in Dubai.  Brilliance has been sailing seven night itineraries with stops in the region in places like UAE, Muscat, Fujairah, and Oman.

Thanks to the increased demand, Royal Caribbean has also added two new 12 night itineraries including stops in India for the first time.

Royal Caribbean International’s regional sales director Helen Beck was excited about the demand, "We were in the happy position that the majority of our seven-night sailings were close to being sold out, with some limited availability on the late March and April sailings. We’re equally pleased with the performance of our new 12-night itineraries to India and they are on track to sail at full capacity also.”

With the docking of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas on March 22, the brand new Falmouth port in Jamaica is officially opened after a ribbon cutting ceremony that was attended by Jamaican officials and Royal Caribbean represenatives.

Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain was on hand for the ceremony along with Jamaica Minister of Transport and Works, Mike Henry, Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett,  Member of Parliament Dr Patrick Harris and chairman and chief executive officer of the Port Authority of Jamaica, Noel Hylton. 

Henry, in his opening remarks, said, "I am happy to be part of this official opening ceremony for the new cruise ship port here in Falmouth. It is certainly good to be no longer hearing about one cruise port being poised to stifle the others, but about the very exciting times that are here and ahead for the local cruise sector.

"... Whether the cruise liners dock in Montego Bay, Falmouth, Ocho Rios or Port Antonio, it is important to remember that we are one country, from Negril to Morant Point, as we collectively search for a better life and more opportunities for each and every one of us".

The Falmouth project was developed by the Port Authority of Jamaica in partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises.

Royal Caribbean CIO Bill Martin spoke with Network World about how Royal Caribbean uses various mobile tools to benefit customer service.

Royal Caribbean has deployed iPhones, iPads and handheld systems from Motorola and XRiver Technologies to its cruise ships as well as land based operations.  One such use is the kid tracking technology in stripped down iPhones that allow parents to track the movements of their children aboard a ship. The kids wear a Wi-Fi equipped bracelet that uses the ships' Wi-Fi access points to triangulate the position of the child.

Cruise employees use XRiver Technologies tablets to assist customers in enrolling in activities-such as the Waverider, rock climbing and zip lines-by selecting the activity a guest wants, swiping her stateroom key card and having her sign any necessary liability waivers right on the screen. The tablets replace the paper waivers required for each activity and speed up the entire process.

iPads are being used on Royal Caribbean ships for providing a wine list that suggests food pairings and shows photos and videos of the vineyards-but doesn't throw open the doors for any mobile device.

If you're an Android fan, you may be wondering why Royal Caribbean hasn't used any of that software yet and Martin says there are so many iterations of that operating system on many different devices. "We do try to simplify where we can," he says, adding that he's begun testing some Android applications.

Celebrity gossip site TMZ is reporting Foxy Brown was kicked off a Royal Caribbean cruise after she became irate over missing an onboard manicure appointment.

According to guests on the ship, Brown made the appointment a day after the cruise departed and then showed up three hours late to the nail appointment.  After creating an incident, security held her until the next stop was made by the ship and was promptly kicked off the ship in the Cayman Islands.

Foxy Brown had performed on the ship the night before and was flown home after being escorted off the ship. Royal Caribbean has no comment on the incident.

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Sea arrived for her new Mediterranean itineraries for the first time in Italy.  The ship arrived in the early hours of the morning to Civitavecchia, where she will be home for the entire 2011 season, until the end of October.

During the "Italian baptism," the ribbon-cutting ceremony has been entrusted to champion Fiona May. Mariner of the Seas was also the scene of a unique event, "Run for Royal", the first 3km never sailed on a cruise ship, which involved five runners.

Yesterday in Civitavecchia, in the presence of a large group of journalists, travel agents, port authorities and sports stars and entertainers, there was an Italian baptism of Mariner of the Seas, the new queen of the Royal Caribbean's Mediterranean Fleet, for the first time in the Mare Nostrum.

The ship's godmother of the event was Fiona May, an Italian athlete, twice world champion of long jump, welcomed on his arrival the ship was established in 2003.

Lina Mazzucco, general manager Royal Caribbean Italy, explains the choice: " In a lively and passionate character and style of Fiona, we recognized the spirit of Mariner of the Seas, a ship full of character, dedicated to the Italians, lovers of sport and a holiday at the same time dynamic and healthy, which makes the wishes of the family. Its elegance, femininity and perseverance in life as in sport, we did see in her the perfect spokesperson for this amazing ship . "

For the first time ever in the history of the company, the ship will depart from Genoa Royal - apart from Civitavecchia - and will offer seven-night cruises to the guests that will touch Cannes, Ajaccio, Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca.

Local officials in Falmouth, Jamaica estimate thousands of locals descended upon the new cruise port to witness Royal Caribbean's mega-ship Oasis of the Seas dock for the first time there on Tuesday.

Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain described the scene in conjunction with Oasis' arrival as "Wow".

Seaboard Street (the street adjacent to the wharf) and Market Street were jam-packed with onlookers who wanted to catch a glimpse of the enormous ship and perhaps the promise of a better future with added tourist dollars streaming into the area.

The excitement lasted through Oasis' departure, when she blew her horn a half hour before leaving and many returned to the pier to watch her leave.  Oasis of the Seas will return to Falmouth in two weeks.