Royal Caribbean on Haiti Quake

Prior to yesterday, Haiti evoked varying thoughts in cruisers. Most would probably equate it with hurricanes over the years. Some who follow the news would immediately think of Papa Doc Duvalier (and Baby Doc) the dictators who are much to blame for even current day Haiti's poverty. But for cruisers on Royal Caribbean, Haiti often evokes very happy memories of a great day at the beach spent at Labadee, RCCL's private island, which happens to be at the tip of Haiti.

Geographically isolated from the epicenter near Port au Prince, Labadee is not a focus of the rescue efforts and early reports indicate no significant damage to the facilities. But with cruise calls scheduled over the next week, it is on the mind of many, not the least of whom is Royal Caribbean President and CEO Adam Goldstein.

RCCL is well known for its charitable endeavors, including disaster assistance including delivering relief supplies after the hurricane in Cozumel a few years ago among many others. When I first heard of the earthquake, I wondered how long it would be before they were involved in the efforts. Others wondered the same thing, and I fielded calls from clients and the press today.

Tonight, Adam Goldstein addressed the catastrophe in his blog. You can read it for yourself at Nation of Why Not. It shows clearly the corporate heart, spirit and generosity of this line, and puts assistance first. I expect this to be the first of several posts on this subject, and likely will be providing information on relief efforts.

While I expect all the major lines to participate in this effort if needed, because of Royal Caribbean's close relationship and partnership with Haiti, they will likely be in the forefront. Thank you, RCCL, for all you do, and for being the type of company who gives back without question when the need arises.

If you are wondering what you can do to help, of course the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders are two organizations you can feel safe in giving your hard-earned money. They are already there and helping. Doctors Without Borders already had more than 700 medical professionals in the country, and with that infrastructure, they will take the lead in medical relief. The Red Cross has already used all of their existing resources in Haiti, and are working on getting new supplies. A donation to either organization would go right where it is needed.

Royal Caribbean Announces Dubai Sailings

Last week, Royal Caribbean announced that the Brilliance of the Seas will be based out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a series of 7-night sailings between January and April, 2010.

Dubai is an increasingly-popular vacation destination, with man-made attractions, from casinos to snow skiing in the desert, along with some of the most opulent hotels in the world. In fact, it's the future home of the Queen Elizabeth II. While it's just emerging as a destination for North Americans, it is a well-known playground for those in other parts of the world.

These sailings will be the "immersion" sailings, similar to the ones Royal Caribbean operates in Asia, Latin America and England. While they'll be marketed in the US, their primary focus will be more locally-based and regional passengers, rather than those from North America. It's their effort at expanding the brand, without creating additional "brands" and gives them more flexibility in best utilizing their fleet as demand and preferences change.

There is one major caveat if you're considering this destination, and it's one which has not yet been addressed by Royal Caribbean or Dubai - passports. Currently, the UAE routinely doesn't permit entry if the passenger has previously been to Israel and has Israeli stamps in their passport. Whether or not the UAE will issue a waiver for cruise line passengers is an open question. However, if you are considering this destination, and also have or will travel to Israel, I suggest you go as many travelers to the Middle East have had to do for years - apply for a duplicate passport for use in Israel only. You can get a duplicate for that purpose, and you should state that reason on your application. It's a pain, but due to political concerns in the region, one I highly recommend to ease your travel across borders.

Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas - Pre-Orders!

As most of you are probably aware, the Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest extremely innovative ship, will be accepting reservations for Diamond and Diamond Plus members starting August 21, other Crown and Anchor members on August 28, and for general reservations on September 3. However, we have created a website where you can let me know your booking desire RIGHT NOW and have me take care of the reservation when bookings open!

To make your waitlist reservation with me, go to Oasis of the Seas Pre-Order and click on Waitlist. Your request will be sent to me and I'll be sure you're among the first to get your booking!

Fourth Freedom-Class Ship for Royal Caribbean

Aker Shipyards (Finland) has announced a "tentative" agreement with Royal Caribbean to build a 4th Freedom Class ship, for delivery in the second half of 2011. There are still a number of conditions which must be met for the order to become firm, but essentially unless the worldwide cruise industry suddenly bottoms out, expect to see this order finalized in the near future.

This is good news to those who love the Freedom and Liberty of the Seas, and are looking forward to the launching of the Independence later this year!

Royal Caribbean TGIF Specials!

In honor of Leap Year, Royal Caribbean is going to be offering a series of TGIF (Thank Goodness It's February) Sales each... you got it... Friday!

Starting this week with the first announced special is for families or groups of friends. If you book between February 8-29, specific 3-5 night sailings on the Monarch of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas or Sovereign of the Seas, 3rd and 4th passengers in the same cabin will have fares as low as $99 (plus tax). Most of the applicable dates are for late-April, May, August and September sailings, with first and second passenger fares starting as low as $189/person (plus taxes and fuel surcharges).

If you're looking to have a quick getaway with family or friends, this is a terrific opportunity! Give me a call or email me for more information.

There will be more specials announced for sales starting February 13 (yes, I know that's not a Friday - go figure), February 15, and February 22. Keep watching here for more details on those promotions as they're announced!

Royal Caribbean and Smoking

Royal Caribbean has announced that, beginning on January 1, 2008, they will implement new smoking restrictions onboard their ships. These consist of:

-No smoking within the staterooms, not including the balconies.
-No smoking in any dining area of any ship, both indoors and outdoors.
-Champagne Bar will be added as a nonsmoking bar on every Freedom, Voyager and Vision-class ship.
-Viking Crown will be added as a nonsmoking bar on every Sovereign-class ship.

This policy will go into effect for the entire fleet with the exception of Legend, Rhapsody and Splendour on the first full sailing of January 2008. The policy will go into effect for the remaining ships on the transition sailing to their Summer 2008 itinerary.

Expect to see this happening with more cruise lines. Ever since the fire on the Star Princess, lines have become more strict about smoking onboard, and are making changes in their policies because of that. In addition, non-smokers continue to request more areas where they can go on the ships where they can have a smoke-free experience.