RCCL and Celebrity Award Marine Conservation Grants

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises have awarded marine conservation grants totalling more than $800,000 to 19 marine conservation and environmental organizations. The recipients are quite varied, including Audubon of Florida; Blue Ocean Institute in East Norwich, N.Y.; Conservation International in Arlington, Va.; El Colegio de la Frontera Sur in Quintana Roo, Mexico; Galapagos Conservancy in Falls Church, Va.; Island Dolphin Care in Key Largo, Fla.; Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, Calif.; and Marine Stewardship Council in London, U.K. Also receiving grants were Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Mass.; MAST Academy in Miami; The Nature Conservancy; The Nature Conservancy of Canada in British Columbia; New England Aquarium in Boston; Seattle Aquarium; Shake-A-Leg Foundation in Miami; University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science; University of North Carolina in Wilmington; University of Oregon in Eugene; and World Wildlife Fund based in Washington D.C.

Royal Caribbean has long been involved with marine research. Their Explorer of the Seas ship has an onboard NOAA research facility which monitors changes in the ocean along their weekly routes.

Way to go RCI! And take that, people who believe that cruising is not concerned with the environment!