Tampa, Florida port commissioners declined to approve staff recommendations to raise the daily parking garage rates from $14 to $15 and toincrease tariffs by 3 percent on cruse lines.

Raising the tariff would have affected Royal Caribbean because unlike other cruise companies in Tampa, Royal Caribbean does not have a long-term contract with the port that includes payments that can be lower than a tariff arrangement.  While Royal Caribbean may be subject to tariff increases in the future still, Royal Caribbean enjoys the luxury of being able to discontinue service at any time.

Photo by Shawn Rouse

For members of Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society, there is a special event for you.  Royal Caribbean will be recognizing its most loyal cruise guests in the month of December 2010 with its second annual Crown & Anchor Society Diamond Celebration.  During December, Diamond and Diamond Plus members who are sailing on any Royal Caribbean ship will receive...

• Special recognition
• Benefits
• Commemorative gifts
• Exclusive events
• "new Crown & Anchor Society enhancements"

In addition, Diamond and Diamond Plus guests can attend nightly events, during which Crown & Anchor Society members can mingle with senior ship officers and staff, and with each other. As a special gift to Diamond and Diamond Plus members, Royal Caribbean Gold Anchor staff  and crew  will recognize these loyalest of members with commemorative gifts and other onboard elements. Members also will receive one additional cruise credit for sailing during December.

Have you been on a Royal Caribbean cruise and thought to yourself that you would make a good cruise director?  Well Royal Caribbean has the perfect contest for you.  Royal Caribbean Brazil is looking for their next Director of Entertainment and is holding a contest.  

Before you enter, there are a few prerequisites...

• Candidates must have 5-10 years experience as Director of Entertainment (or similar areas) in resorts, theme parks and cruise lines
• Fluent in English
• Knowledge in management and budget control, team spirit, production management and cutting-edge entertainment
• Be able to present activities and events in English and Portuguese and excellent communication
• Be at least 21 years old
• Be a legal resident of Brazil

Interested parties have until August 25 to enter by sending an email to [email protected].  After August 25th, 10 candidates will be chosen for interviews.  Following the interviews, from August 30 to September 5, the public can view the profiles of the candidates, watch videos, and vote for your favorite candidate and select five candidates.

In a post from the Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein, a few updates were announced for policies all around Royal Cariibean

• Complimentary Internet access for the purpose of allowing guests to enroll in the Crown and Anchor Society via iCafe while they are onboard so they can be eligible to book onboard and take advantage of the onboard booking discount.
• On European cruises, those who wish to remain onboard longer on departure day may sign up in advance of the cruise for Late Departure Program. Sign up online under Shore and Land Excursions for the port of call where the cruise terminates.
• Oasis of the Seas is testing a an Extended Stay program that allows the Oasis guests to store their luggage and enjoy a day in Hollywood, FL in and around the boardwalk. This opportunity encompasses shopping, dining, going to the beach, riding the trolley and/or relaxing at our hospitality center. This opportunity is also available as a shore excursion under the port of call, Ft. Lauderdale, for all guests sailing onboard Oasis of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean now accepts bookings at specialty restaurants for parties of 10 or fewer guests. Previously they only accepted bookings for parties of 6 or fewer. 

Photo by Nagisa

Authorities and companies in Guatemala have formed The Guatemalan Tourism Institute whose goal it is to promote the cruise industry in this Central American country.  The group feels there is a lot of potential to generate significant foreign exchange earnings and jobs.

The growth potential of the cruise ship heading is "huge," but to get this type of tourism, Guatemala must move forward on the challenges of infrastructure and the legislative, authorities and employers agreed.

Federico Gonzalez-Denton, Royal Caribbean's Director-Government & Community Relations,Latin America & the Caribbean, "stressed that this industry has great growth potential in Guatemala".

Companies like Royal Caribbean are wary of Guatemala still because Guatemala needs to overcome the challenges of improving its infrastructure, pass laws to strengthen the tourist trade in general and more effective actions of public safety.

An official said that for the next cruise season there are 62 large cruise ships confirmed to visit Guatemala, which will generate foreign exchange and boost the economy of communities and provide an incentive for tourist services in the area.

The new cruise port in Falmouth, Jamaica now has a tentative opening date of November 2 according to E Pihl & Son Project Manager Jes Olsen. Olsen says the first two ships to use the historic port will be arriving on November 2.

Despite the port welcoming in ships by then, construction work will not be complete by then yet and at that time, "it will be a construction site", Olsen said.  Visitors who do dock in November will be taking buses to nearby Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

The goal is to have the port fully operational by March 13, 2011 when Oasis of the Seas will dock there.

Olsen would not say how much of a dent the overrun will put in the budget, but he noted that the longer the work takes, the more costly the project becomes.   According to Olsen, the delaying factors include soft soil at a spot where all the utilities are to be run, as well as coral which has had to be removed.

Royal Caribbean has a vested interest in the port opening, as The Port Authority of Jamaica is responsible for the port infrastructure, while Royal Caribbean committed $102 million to the land structures, such as the shops and restaurants.

In addition to Oasis of the Seas, other Royal Caribbean ships are scheduled to stop at the port.  Navigator of the Seas has a visit scheduled as well as Freedom of the Seas a bit later.

Photo by Carlos Fernandez

One of the major reasons to go on a cruise is your cruise ship brings you to a few ports of call in many different countries to visit.  Royal Caribbean ships visit ports of call on continents around the world and it can be a very exciting experience. Getting off your cruise ship to visit a port is as much a part of your cruise as the onboard entertainment or the food served daily on your ship.  Here are some guidelines for successful port touring.

Research your ports in advance

Before you ever set foot on your cruise ship, you should read about the ports of call you will be visiting and do some research into the port itself as well as what you're interested in doing.  You don't want to be that family that gets off the ship and has the argument about what to do.  Each port you visit has different options and it's hard to generalize any of them.  There are ports that have a lot of beaches, some that are urban and others that are a mix of the two.  It's your job to learn more about them before you get there.

You will want to first learn about the port you're visiting.  Before you know what you're going to do, you're going to need to know what the port is best known for.  Think of it like going to a steak house restaurant and ordering the salad.  Sure, you can do that but if you're going to a steak house, you should probably stick with what they are best known for...steaks!  So if a port is best known for its beaches, you may want to focus on that.  Likewise, if a port is known for its shopping or cultural heritage, you'd be best served sticking with that.  It isn't to say you couldn't have a good time going shopping on an island best known for its beaches, but it's just a best practice.

Getting off the ship

Each ship disembarks differently, but you will go to the assigned deck that the gangway is located on (usually a low deck, like deck 2).  Once at the gangway, generally speaking you will need your SeaPass card and it's smart to also bring photo identification.  There are differing opinions on this, but I personally recommend bringing your passport with you to any port you visit.  The reason for this recommendation is simple: if for some reason you get stuck on the island and miss the cruise ship, without a passport, it will be quite difficult to get back to your home country.  However, if you have a passport, all you need is to buy transportation back home and your passport will easily get you back.

When disembarking on Royal Caribbean, you will swipe your SeaPass card at a kiosk where a Royal Caribbean crew member will confirm your identity.  Think of this like checking out a book at the library, only this time, you're checking yourself out of the ship.  Make a note of what time you need to return to the ship by (and ensure you are back well before that time). 

Getting to port

There are two ways to get to the port and they are by a dock or by tenders.  A dock is simple enough, the ship docks and you walk off the gangway to a dock and you walk right into the port.  If your ship uses a tender, you will board small boats that will ferry you to the dock.

Docking is ideal because it makes for the easiest and most convenient means of getting to and from the ship.  Tenders are slower and will require more time to fully load and unload each time and there is usually a good amount of waiting,  especially during peak times.

Navigating around the port

Each port is different and offers different amenities to get you where you're going.  If you have an excursion booked, often you will meet in a pre-arranged area near the port dock and there's usually a lot of signs to indicate where and when to meet.  If you're doing something by yourself, some ports allow easy walking access to the area, while others may require taxis or rental cars to get around.

Having your research done in advance will assist in making the transition from ship to port as seamless as possible, as locals in many of the ports can be pushy with offering their services.  Be sure to know what you want to do in advance so there's no confusion about what to do.  

The people: Good and bad

One last word about the ports and that's the people you will encounter a wide variety of locals in each port you visit.  Some are pushy and some aren't.  When we say "pushy", we mean there are varying degrees of sales pitches to you for their goods or services.  Most often, a simple "no thank you" will suffice in ending their conversation, but some ports do have locals that will spend more time trying to convince you to spend your money.  It's hard to generalize about any port or people, so do your research to know if the port you are visiting will have locals that can be more aggressive than others.