Royal Caribbean announced it will partner with FUNA International to provide stereoscopic 3D digital cinema to Royal Caribbean's brand new Allure of the Seas.  Thanks to Royal Caribbean's partnership with Dreamworks Animation, the deal with FUNA will make it possible for guests on Allure of the Seas to enjoy all the current 3D DreamWorks titles as well as other 3D movies, in the ship's Amber Theater.

Christopher Vlassopulos, Entertainment Technology and Technical Direction for Royal Caribbean International had this to say about the new deal, "We called upon FUNA and their team to come up with creative technical design solutions in a number of areas including physical placement, additional cooling and power and integration with the existing audio system, and the result is a 3D movie experience as good as or better than any land-based theater.  On testing the finished product, people at the highest level at Barco [projection supplier], DreamWorks and Dolby [sound system supplier] were 'blown away' with the result. We wanted to do a good job but to impress them out of the gate was a real bonus and obviously something the guest will really enjoy. It looks and sounds great."

In addition to Allure of the Seas, other Royal Caribbean ships are set to receieve the 3D theater upgrade. Vlassopulos confirmed that Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas will reveive the 3D upgrade.

In addition to the new theater, FUNA has provided technical design, engineering, integration and consulting for entertainment, display and communications in most of the theaters, restaurants, clubs, and public spaces - as well as the crew recreation and support areas.

Heavy fog in Galveston, Texas harbor delayed the launch of Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas after the port closed for the second straight weekend.

Because of the fog, Royal Caribbean had to delay the arrival of Voyager of the Seas and subsequently, the departure of the next cruise itinerary.

Photo by Francisco Junior

Jamaican authorities arrested two Royal Caribbean crew members after finding cocaine while Grandeur of the Seas was docked in Montego Bay.

Customs agents discovered 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of drugs in one of the crew members cain and 15 kilograms (33 pounds) in another cabin on the ship Grandeur of the Seas,

Royal Caribbean said in a statement. The ship had just arrived on Wednesday from the Colombian port of Cartagena. Cynthia Martinez, Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, said both crew members are Jamaicans and that the company is cooperating with authorities in the investigation

Photo by DJ Lee Rockstarr

Heavy fog on Sunday at the ports of Houston and Galveston, Texas delayed the arrival of Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas.  Officials said the fog caused hours of delays before she could dock.

Due to the fog, Voyager of the Seas was not able to dock on Sunday on time.  This resulted in a day shortened cruise for the cruise that was supposed to depart on Sunday afternoon.  Passengers were able to board on Sunday evening but the ship wasn't ready to leave until Monday according to a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman.  While the ship will now be a day shorter in duration, it will still make all 3 stops that were originally scheduled in Roatan, Belize and Cozumel.

Royal Caribbean has another Facebook based contest going where they want to see who can most accurately guess how long this ice sculpture onboard Explorer of the Seas will last.  

Standing approximately six feet tall and weighing 300 pounds, this ice sculpture will be aboard Explorer of the Seas for a nine-night Caribbean cruise that sails out of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ.  If you think you can guess how long she can last, you can submit your answer on the Royal Caribbean Facebook page.  The winner will win their own Caribbean cruise.

The Port Authority of Jamaica announced today that its brand new Falmouth port that opened to cruise ships yesterday is now ready for mega ships like Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas now that all navigational requirements have been met.

When Voyager of the Seas docked yesterday in Falmouth, she was able to confirm that the berthing facilities "met and surpassed global standards".

Falmouth is a joint venture between the Port Authority of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean that cost $170 million.

Mike Henry, Minister of Transport & Works for the Port Authority was excited to welcome even bigger ships to Falmouth, “We are elated with the successful completion of this project which now creates an opportunity for Jamaica to receive Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest and most luxurious cruise ship, and we will do so at a time, when there is a high level of competition in the cruise industry. In addition, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to our main partners, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Limited, for forming this strategic partnership."

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas became the first ship to dock at the brand new port of Falmouth in Jamaica, located between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, which opened unofficially on Thursday after several months delays .

The construction of the port results from a joint effort between Royal Caribbean and the government of Jamaica, whose opening was scheduled for last May, but construction delays pushed consecutive opening and forced to change routes of Allure of the Seas & Oasis of the Seas to visit Costa Maya in Mexico.

The official opening of the port is scheduled for March 22 when the Oasis of the Seas will make its first stop there, says a statement from Royal Caribbean. The new port will still receive the scales of the Freedom of the Seas on February 23, Navigator of the Seas on the 24th of this month and the Allure of the Seas on March 30.

In a statement Royal Caribbean says Historic Falmouth is the first port theme and a gateway to more than 60 experiments land on the north coast of Jamaica, including the Good Hope Great House, Dolphin Cove and Dunn's River Falls, Appleton Estate or Rafting on Martha Rae.

Thanks to SoloPolo Kidrealtype Anderson for the photos!