The 2011 Mediterranean cruise season in Naples is underway with Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, the third and final ship in the Freedom-class (160,000 tons) and Royal Caribbean International's flagship for the Mediterranean.  The ship arrived yesterday in the port of Naples.

Following Independence of the Seas,  other Royal Caribbean ships will call on the capital of Campania including Mariner of the Seas on April 4, Celebrity Solstice May 18, Celebrity Equinox May 26, Liberty of the Seas June 2, Silhouette Celebrity, Celebrity Cruises' new flagship recently opened, August 8, Voyager of the Seas October 25, Splendour of the Seas November 21.

Campania is, however, the primary destination for the Royal Caribbean group with other strategic ports depending on itinerary.

Royal Caribbean is sending 11 vessels to Italian ports for the 2011 season, for a total of 104 calls and a handle over 335,000 passengers. Independence of the Seas will call 6 times a year in Naples, for a total of approximately 26,220 passenger movements.

Royal Caribbean's Director General for cruises in Italy is happy about Royal Caribbean's role in Italy, "For years, Naples has a strategic role in the planning of Royal Caribbean, and increasingly consolidated his lead role.  Choosing the Campanian capital as the primary port is aligned perfectly with the European development project and especially the Italian company. As further proof of our happy synergy with the port of Naples also boast a partnership established in the management of Terminal Napoli, a sign of a common desire to work constructively with local institutions and key stakeholders. It 'just been to Naples to start this great policy terminals management and we are honored to have first shared this philosophy that we think of great success. "

Add another award to Royal Caribbean's collection.  On Monday in London, England, Travel Weekly honored select companies at a spectacular Globe Travel Awards ceremony.  During the ceremony, Royal Caribbean picked up an award for best mainstream cruise company.

On hand to accept the award was Royal Caribbean's Associate Vice President & General Manager at Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Jo Rzymowska, "This award shows how important agents are to us. We don't get everything right all the time but what we do is listen to the trade and this award means we get it right".

Bermuda's Supreme Court found a former Royal Caribbean waiter guilty of conspiring to import more than $424,000 worth of cocaine into the country via the ship he was working on, Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.

Ricardo Stewart, 32, from Jamaica, denies conspiring to bring cocaine into the country.  Prosecutors allege that their plan worked until packages containing 3.9 kg of cocaine were found hidden under a chair in the ship’s disco.

Stewart has maintained he is innocent and claims he barely knew the accomplices he was alleged to have worked with.  Furthermore, he denies being involved in the drug trade.

Country music star Taylor Swift is ready for her first concert at sea.  Swift will perform on Royal Caribbean's brand new Allure of the Seas on Friday, January 21, 2011 while the ship is in Cozumel, Mexico.

Taylor, who has won a Grammy award four times, will perform in Allure's AquaTheater that can hold 735 people.  Guests onboard Allure of the Seas can also win passes to the performance by participating in Taylor Swift-themed events aboard, including a look-alike contest, trivia contest, Taylor Swift karaoke and other activities.

Guests on the ship also can win passes to the performance by taking part in Taylor Swift-themed events aboard, including a look-alike contest, trivia contest, Taylor Swift karaoke and other activities, the cruise line said.

Photo by David French

Given the situation of flood victims of the rains in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Royal Caribbean is gathering donations of food or personal hygiene products that are sent through the Red Cross St. Paul.
Among the items needed most are bottled water, powdered milk, cups and plates and disposable baby diapers of all sizes.
The company will receive donations until Thursday, April 20. Delivery shall be made from 10:00am to  6:00pm hours in the office of Royal Caribbean, located at Alameda Santos, No. 74, 13th floor.

Royal Caribbean is joining two other cruise lines in ending or reducing their travel to Mexico from southern California, a trend that some in the industry attribute the growing violence in the country has scared off tourists.

Royal Caribbean's luxurious Mariner of the Seas departs on Sunday for her last journey from the Port of Los Angeles to the west coast of Mexico, said port spokesman Phillip Sanfield.

The ship then moved his base to Galveston, Texas, offering seven-night trips to the western Caribbean, the company said.

Norwegian and Carnival Cruise Lines are also pulling their ships from the area.But the loss of Mariner of the Seas, Norwegian Star and Carnival Splendor represents most of the cruise ship traffic in Southern California to Mexico, which has been beaten by the violence and slow U.S. economic recovery.

"Certainly, Mexico has some problems," said Sanfield.

Luxury cruises in Southern California have traditionally made stops in Mexican tourist destinations like Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, which have prevented some of the worst drug violence that has swept Mexico in recent years.

"However, people are taking a broader view (...) to violence in other parts of Mexico," Sanfield said.

An estimated 755,000 cruise passengers passed through the Port of Los Angeles last year, but expects that number to drop to 605,000 in 2011, said the port. Only the Mariner of the Seas transported 320,000 passengers in the port in 2010, and Royal Caribbean has had a presence in place for most of the past 20 years.

"They have been one of the main pillars, and we hope you come back here in the future," Sanfield said. "Each time a cruise ship visits a port in southern California, contributes 1 to $ 2 million to the local economy."

Drug-related violence in Mexico began to grow in 2006, the year that President Felipe Calderon sent the army to fight the cartels. On January 8, in the latest bloodshed that has occurred in a tourist destination in Mexico, 14 decapitated bodies were found in the resort of Acapulco.  The bodies were found near a shopping mall, with handwritten messages signed by the leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel.

Stewart Chiron, an industry analyst CruiseGuy.com, said that apart from the poor economy, another factor contributing to the decline in travel to Mexico is that passengers are just tired of these routes.

Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas has become the largest ship to have ever visited the Port of Palma in Spain.

The president of the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB), Francesc Triay, gave the ship's Captain a traditional commemorative plaque to celebrate the visit.

Independence of the Seas has a displacement of 154,407 tonnes, which is more than 148,528 tonnes larger than the legendary Queen Mary 2, which held the mark at the port since 2004, although this last vessel is seven meters in length longer.  Independence of the Seas Freedom has a length of 338 meters, a width of 38 meters and a maximum capacity of 4,370 passengers in 1,817 cabins with a crew of about 2,360 people.

The ship has 15 decks, has a covered mall 150 meters long and an ice rink, among many other attractions for passengers, and an impressive theater with a capacity of 1,350 spectators, a climbing wall for climbing, miniature golf, a basketball court and even a wave pool for surfing.

Frommer's travel guide has named Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas as one of the Best Cruise Ships of 2011.  Judges cited Allure and her sister Oasis of the Seas as, "undoubtedly the best entertainment ship at sea, with truly exceptional programming for both adults and kids."

Judges were impressed by many aspects of the Oasis class ships, especially the innovations Royal Caribbean introduced on these vessels, "The biggest innovation is the vessels' split superstructures, with the top eight decks bisected lengthwise by a long canyon that contains an open-air garden and a boardwalk-like entertainment zone. Besides letting light and air into the center of the ship, this makes the whole vessel feel more 3D -- like you're walking the streets of a high-rise city, not shuffling blindly from one horizontal deck to another."

The list of ships only surveyed ships in the Western Hemisphere, so ships in Europe and Asia were not included.

In addition to taking the top honors, a few other Royal Caribbean ships made the "notables" list.  Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas were all mentioned for scoring highly. 

Judges enjoyed the Radiance class of Royal Caribbean ships because. "These four sisters combine sleek, seagoing exteriors with nautically themed interiors and acres of windows."

Photo by Kevin Kennedy