Taking Action: Behind-the-Scenes of the Gibraltar Pier Explosion

My name is Svein Taklo and I am the Vice President of Marine Operations for Royal Caribbean International and RCL Cruises, Ltd. based in the UK. My focus is on the day to day safe, compliant and reliable operations of our vessels worldwide. As a company operating cruise ships, we are governed by a set of specific rules and regulations on an international level and we constantly strive to meet and exceed those requirements as we know that our guests (or “cargo” as us maritime folks affectionately refer to our customers) are quite a bit more valuable than what the average ship in the world is carrying!

Parts of our compliance requirements include the training of our crew in emergency procedures. While the regulations require certain details to be covered, our unique operations require additional focus on particular risks associated with the cruise industry. We have the responsibility for the safety of hundreds of thousands of guests and crew in over 400 ports each year and we take that responsibility very seriously. One of our procedures which goes above and beyond the basic emergency response requirements is to be able to respond to unforeseen events while the vessel is alongside in a port of call. While this normally relates to situations such as a surprising change in weather conditions which may affect the normal gangway operations and the vessel’s ability to remain alongside, occasionally we deal with issues related to the ports of call in which we are docked such as with the recent situation in Gibraltar.

Our nautical and port services departments go through a rigorous process of evaluating the ports of call we visit around the world; however, the shipping industry is a very dynamic environment and occasionally we are exposed to unique challenges. The explosion on the pier in Gibraltar falls into this category.

Our pre-departure procedures include a briefing on the bridge and in the engine control room which gather all involved officers together to discuss the planned departure and specifically the nautical conditions and maneuver to be performed. On that day, the explosion happened just after our bridge officers had completed their pre-departure briefing and the Captain was standing by on the bridge wing, ready to maneuver when the explosion occurred.

His immediate response and that of our engineering crew to provide propulsion control to the bridge quickly helped to allow the vessel to depart and increase the distance between the ship and the fire, within 3 minutes of the explosion. We also owe a big thanks to the local Gibraltar line handlers on the pier who bravely cast off our lines to allow the ship to depart as quickly as possible.

At the time of the explosion nobody would have faulted these workers for immediately running away from a dangerous situation. Again, the action taken by theses brave workers need to be recognized and if they had not responded in the way they did we would have had to cut our mooring lines which would have increased the time for us to move away from the pier.

Once the Independence of the Seas was safely away from the port, and the Captain confirmed all injured guests were being properly attended to, he made contact with shoreside support personnel and we immediately convened our shoreside Situation Management Team on a conference call with the ship to provide ongoing support to the guests and crew. We also made contact with our regulatory authorities to advise them of the situation and ensured guests and crew onboard the ship were updated through public address announcements.

The quick action of our onboard security personnel in reviewing our closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras gave us very clear insight into the situation just before, during and after the explosion and our footage was found valuable by the local investigators. We were happy to provide them with our CCTV footage as well as witness statements in support of their ongoing investigation.

While this was quite a stressful day for our guests, crew and shoreside personnel, our procedures kicked into high gear. Thirteen guests visited the medical facility as a result of the explosion and we are happy that we did not have a higher number of guest injuries.

Prior to joining Royal Caribbean in March 1998 my career onboard ships ranged from fishing vessels at the age of 19 to Coast Guard ships, Cargo ships and Oil tankers as well as Cruise ships. Given the dynamic environment we operate in, we have to be prepared for the unexpected and we are well aware that on calm and routine days we are only a phone call away from a situation that might require our immediate attention and support. Whenever we get a call of an emergency from one of our ships, our Shoreside support efforts are mobilized and at times we do experience an adrenaline rush as the emergency response efforts kick into high gear.

The ship personnel are on scene and living the experience while we are in our offices many miles, and some cases, several time zones away trying our best to assist. In these situations, I always find it important to remember my past career, and try to put myself in their shoes in order to respond appropriately and efficiently, and provide the right level of support.

In closing, on behalf of Adam and myself, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Captain Arnolf Remo and the rest of the Independence of the Seas crew on an emergency situation well handled. While we continually work to prepare, train and drill our shipboard and shoreside staff to be ready for such situations, but all situations are unique in nature and require some quick thinking and creative response. I’m sure many of you have experienced emergency situations and we never know how we will react, but I think we can agree that if we all reacted to an emergency situation as well as the crew of the Independence of the Seas and the Gibraltar Authorities we would be proud of our response.

BY:Svein Taklo|29th June, 2011 No Comments

The Goal May Not Have Been Reached, but the Fight Carries On

I have not previously written about one topic that is of prime importance to my family. My 16-year-old son, David, has dedicated himself to fighting for improved education, prevention, testing and treatment related to concussions. He has experienced several concussions from soccer that have demonstrated to our family how significant these brain injuries are and how little people know about avoiding them and/or getting help once they have occurred. Thanks to David and his Countywide Concussion Care effort, for the first time, football and soccer players in all of the public high schools in Miami-Dade County will receive baseline testing for concussions before next fall’s games.

Along the way, David has become a voice for an effort to achieve legislation in Florida to address basic issues of concussion education, removal from play and return to play. About 15 states have now passed such legislation with active support from the NFL. Florida had a great chance to be the first state in the Southeast U.S. to pass such legislation. Although we were warned that it was not easy to get legislation through the Legislature in Tallahassee on the first try, things were looking up after the legislation unanimously passed the House.

When the action moved to the Senate, the process was derailed at the last moment in a way that turned even my cynical political stomach. One powerful Senator who is himself a chiropractor decided – in my opinion without any basis in fact - that this legislation was a threat to the chiropractic profession. Displaying zero concern for Florida’s youth athletes, he engineered the legislation’s defeat on a voice vote that the President of the Senate was unable to manage effectively in the tumultuous last hours of the session. Maybe most remarkable is that the two Senators I understand (through my Our Kids service) to have specific child welfare responsibility both opposed Florida’s interest to protect its youth in favor of the chiropractic lobby. Don’t get me wrong, I am a loyal long-term patient of a wonderful chiropractor, but no one, who has anything to do with concussions in a serious way, believes chiropractors had justification to kill this bill. But they did, and now my son and the rest of us need to forge on to achieve the right result as soon as possible.

BY:Adam|27th June, 2011 10 Comments

Never a Typical Day in the Office! A Day in the Life of a Human Resources Manager

I am Jeff Carswell, the Human Resources Manager onboard Freedom of the Seas. I was invited to share my experiences as part of the “A Day in the Life” blog series. Here is a recent day in my life.

I arrived in my office at 7:00 am to prepare for the day ahead and handle a range of issues. At 9:00 am I joined the rest of the Executive Committee (EC), which is a five-person senior management group under the Captain’s Chairmanship, so we could meet the new crew members.

The introduction included each of the five EC members delivering a short talk on topics relating to our job responsibilities. I shared general information about human resources with an emphasis on the benefits each person can enjoy as a crew member while onboard. I also reminded them of the great opportunity to learn about different cultures and customs from our internationally diverse crew. Finally, I talked about the need to respect other crew members and to dedicate some time to relaxation.

After the crew member introductions, the EC started the weekly management meeting. We discussed key issues that are happening onboard as well as discussions on various matters of direct operational impact. We also covered issues from the Miami office for consideration and attention. One major topic always discussed from an HR perspective is crew welfare, which is considered a very important topic.

Shortly after returning to my office at 10:30 am I was visited by a crew member needing help finding a way home. He had just received a message from home advising that his father had passed away. Coming as it did, only a few short weeks after he also lost his mother, this was hitting him very hard. After calming him down I accessed one of our systems established to assist crew members experiencing major personal issues needing to get home as quickly as possible. The crew member’s Division Head was advised and all the necessary approvals were arranged very quickly and we were able to get the crew member on a plane home when we reached the next port the following day. These issues are always treated with special care because it is difficult to receive bad news when you are a long way from home.

Next I attended the monthly Service Award presentations where long serving crew members are honored at a function attended by the EC, Division Heads and the respecting employee Supervisors. At this particular function, arranged by Human Resources, the Captain presented 19 crew members with a plaque and their choice of a service gift. Most of the crew members receiving an award have worked for the company from five to fifteen years with one having clocked in an amazing thirty years – and they came from all ranks across the ship. The entire event was video taped to be shown on the ship’s TV Channels dedicated to crew member issues.

After the award presentation, I started work on preparations and planning for interviews of crew members who had submitted applications to transfer to a different position, or requesting a promotion. There were almost 80 applications and the work involved in screening the applicants and planning the interviews is time consuming. However, since one of our company’s key areas of focus is crew satisfaction, I spend the time attending to these tasks.

Later, I met with the HR Specialist to discuss issues and activities pertaining to Crew Welfare. Some of the topics included were scheduling the ship’s next Crew Appreciation Dinner, a special celebratory event held quarterly to celebrate the crews’ successes and the entertainment schedule for the current week and beyond. We hold movie nights several times a week, as well as Bingo. We finalized plans for a fund raising Monster Raffle, talked about the Crew Talent Show, and an expansion of the already well equipped crew iCafe.

Next I attended a delicious, special Soup Lunch, arranged as a casual team building event where Officers from two stripe levels up would drop in, enjoy some soup and have an opportunity to chat about whatever was on their mind and in particular, get to know one another better.

Around 3:00 pm I opened my office door to enable crew members to drop in and see me at their leisure as they were waking up from their afternoon break. Today’s main issues involved advice on the status of the selection processes where crew members had already been successful and were now waiting for a vacancy to arise, career guidance when crew members wanted my advice on where they should be heading in terms of their longer term career aspirations and finally dealing with a couple of conflicts between crew members which turned out to be misunderstandings because of cultural differences. I was also asked to provide support with plans for a couple getting married on one of the beaches in St. Thomas. Secretly, I needed to arrange a reception for them on their return to the ship after the ceremony and a Guest Stateroom for the rest of the week.

In the evening I delivered a talk at one of the Leadership Development Training sessions that was conducted to assist crew members preparing for more senior positions as part of their personal career planning.

Then it was time to retire to my cabin and concentrate on the large number of e-mails that arrived during the afternoon. At 8:45 pm I finally put my feet up and celebrated my birthday.

BY:Jeff Carswell|23rd June, 2011 18 Comments

Through Legislation and Leadership, Adam Discusses his Life Outside of Cruising

Some updates from the rest of my world:

Life goes on in Washington DC. I’ll be visiting again next month in connection with industry meetings. There are so many new members of Congress that it will take two years to meet a decent number of them, after which they probably all change again and it will be time to start over.

There are interesting developments in connection with the Energy Security Leadership Council on which I serve. There appears to be an opportunity for bipartisan support to spur the electrification of road transportation. Senators Alexander (R, Tennessee) and Merkley (D, Oregon) have introduced legislation before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee to spur action in this area. Here are some facts that bear on the topic: the U.S. uses almost 20 million barrels of oil per day; it imports about 50% of what it consumes; about 70% of the oil it uses goes to the transportation sector; and oil provides 94% of all the energy the U.S. consumes in transportation. The electricity grid is the only widespread infrastructure that is a meaningful alternative to the gasoline infrastructure. The U.S. doesn’t use much of its electricity generating capacity between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., so there is plenty of spare capacity which can be fueled by a variety of power sources. There are no magic solutions that can eliminate the short-term pain of $4 gasoline and a volatile oil market, but electrification should be a core component of our long-term quest for reduced dependence on imports of oil.

I have no progress to report on the prospects for the Citadelle to become a functioning tourist attraction in Haiti. Michel Martelly has just assumed office as the new President of Haiti. We are waiting to see who he will name to his Cabinet, in particular his choice of Minister of Tourism. It has been a year since Royal Caribbean presented the government with a Master Site Plan for activating the Citadelle. It would be great if the new government would commit to bringing this essential symbol of the country back to life.

My involvement in child welfare is not at the same level it was when I was on the Board of Trustees of Our Kids (OKI – the agency responsible for foster care and related services for several thousand children and young adults in Miami and the Keys). I have moved to the OKI Advisory Board (i.e., I’ve been kicked upstairs), but I still try to keep my finger on the pulse of what is happening on this always daunting terrain. Over time, OKI’s relationship with Florida’s Department of Children & Families (DCF — the oversight agency, and funding source for OKI) has ebbed and flowed. Now after several years of promising improvement the relationship has regressed. For the sake of the youth who need every advantage we can give them to improve their chances of leading enjoyable and productive lives, DCF and OKI need to find their way to a more mutually supportive environment.

Last but least there is my running. I’m running more and doing better in practice. That’s the good news. The frustrating part is turning that unofficial success into improved race times. Of course the remorselessly increasing heat and humidity are not allies. It also did not help in the Corporate Run in downtown Miami that the drawbridge was up in the middle of the race! I did manage a PR in the 10k with a 40:46. My personal trainer ran with me. He supplied motivational comments such as “Adam, don’t worry, they have paramedics if you need them.” My big 1500 meter races this summer are coming closer and closer.

BY:Adam|20th June, 2011 No Comments

The Passion of Cruising: A Special Guest Blog by Royal’s Leading Cruiser, Mario Salcedo

Introduction by Lillian Murphy, Vice President of One-to-One Marketing

What if cruising was more than your favorite vacation – what if it was your way of life? For our top cruiser, Mario Salcedo, Royal Caribbean’s ships are home and the crew is family. Mario is our most frequent guest, with over 2,800 Crown & Anchor Society cruise points earned, and 120 more voyages booked through 2012. Here’s his story.

It was a simple question – “Can you remember your first cruise”? , a guest once asked me. “Of course I can, it was the best cruise of my life,” I replied … at that moment in time, that is.

Upon completing my first cruise back in the mid 90’s I knew there were more to come but I could never imagine cruising would become a way of life for me in the future.

Hi, I’m Mario Salcedo, an addicted “frequent floater” and true loyal to Royal. I’ve been called many things - a cruise rat, a cruise hound, a cruise freak, the George Clooney of cruising, among others. My friends onboard just call me “Super Mario.” But it wasn’t always that way.

I’ve lived in Miami, Florida since childhood. My parents were forced to leave Cuba in the early 60’s seeking freedom from a brutal dictatorship and a chance at a second life. Soon after, we became proud naturalized citizens of the US. I love the United States and especially Miami, where I initially developed a passion for the ocean.

As a student I earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in finance and economics at top notch universities and entered the corporate world to pursue a career in international financial management in Latin America and the Caribbean region. My job required extensive travel to many of the Caribbean islands. It was during these visits that I encountered up close these magnificent cruise ships. I decided that cruising in the Caribbean was something I eventually had to do.

When the opportunity came, I took my first cruise (not on Royal Caribbean!). My life was changed instantaneously. I came to the conclusion that cruising was not only the perfect vacation but the perfect lifestyle.

But how to make it happen when one is immersed in the 9 to 5 work routine? I had to disrupt and redesign my life. On my 48th birthday, I decided to leave the corporate world, start a small and simple to manage financial venture which would provide cash flow, and booked 6 back-to-back cruises. I sampled every major cruise, every type of ship, many itineraries, with absolutely no loyalty towards any particular cruise line.

At the turn of the new millennium my emerging cruising career was about to be redefined. The Voyager of the Seas just came out and I sailed her. She was the grandest and most innovative ship afloat at the time. She left me breathless! I had found the perfect ship and the perfect cruise line!

Then, the Explorer, the Adventure and the Navigator were sequentially introduced. I became emotionally attached to Navigator and sailed her every other week up until 2007 when she relocated to Europe. One of my saddest moments was when I saw her sailing out of the Port of Miami on the transatlantic crossing. I was left homeless, ship-less, and broken-hearted!

But not for long. The Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas were then being home-ported in Miami. The crew on the Liberty decided to “adopt” me, and quickly I fell cautiously in love all over again with this young lady! I sailed her 100 times in a span of 4 years. Recently I “dropped her off” in Barcelona for her European season.

In between my Liberty cruises, I cruised on the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Without a doubt, these revolutionary ships have set a high bar in the cruising industry with all their incredible amenities and innovative features. I have now settled in quite nicely on the Majesty of the Seas sailing the Bahamas. The crew on Majesty of the Seas has “taken me over” making sure I’m well looked after. She’s not the biggest or most glamorous ship in the fleet but she sure has the biggest heart!

I’m often asked “What makes you so loyal to Royal”? The answer is quite simple:

- Royal Caribbean International has the most innovative/creative ships in the world, full of incredible amenities.

- They have the friendliest, most dedicated, professional, and enjoyable crew on the high seas.

- The incentives and rewards program for repeat guests is second to none. My favorite reward – free cruises for every 50 completed, once the highest tier level is achieved.

What are my favorite activities on a cruise?

- Scuba diving in the Caribbean

- Dancing salsa music and playing percussion with the Latin band at the Boleros lounge.

- Socializing and meeting guests from around the world.

- Interacting with crew members.

I also take the time to answer multitude of questions from guests, such as:

- What are the best activities and venues?

- What to do at the various ports of call?

- What recommendations for future cruising?

To be able to contribute to guests cruise experience, especially first time cruisers, is extremely gratifying. In this endeavor, I consider myself a sort of an unofficial ambassador to Royal Caribbean.

A frequently asked question is: What are the most memorable or WOW moments experienced during my cruising life? I tell them I’ve experienced many such moments but the absolute most thrilling ones were:

- Doing a dive under the hull of the Navigator while docked in Nassau. What a thrill it was to have had the unique opportunity to explore underwater the azipod propellers and bow thrusters!

- Being Santa Claus on the Majesty during the Christmas cruise last year and handing out gifts to over 300 kids.

- Being interviewed on the Liberty’s navigational bridge by Captain Charles Teige while sitting in his Captain’s chair.

- Going scuba diving with a group of officers on the ship’s rescue boat in Belize and Coco Cay.

Many people ask me how often I cruise. Well, I now cruise every week. My future cruise schedule shows 120 bookings, all on Royal Caribbean International ships.

As I reflect back on my years of cruising, I smile and think what an exhilarating ride it has been!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of every day on the ocean. And yet, it feels as though I’m just getting started … and I will continue on this amazing journey as long as the higher authority gives me good health and as long as I’m having fun.

Happy cruising to all of you!

BY:Adam|15th June, 2011 17 Comments

Adam Discusses the Recent Events that are Shaping Royal Caribbean’s Future

Some updates from Royal Caribbean’s world:

The tragic events in Japan have posed a number of challenges to us as it relates to Legend of the Seas’ Asia program. Before I get into those, I will re-emphasize that our thoughts and prayers remain with the people who have suffered from the effects of one or more of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant breakdown.

Because we were enthusiastic to get going with our North Asia program in 2011, we had picked an early start date – March 14th – to begin our cruises from Shanghai to Japan and Korea. The series of disastrous events unfolded right as the program was beginning. Eventually, we had no choice but to relocate Legend to Hong Kong and Singapore for the spring and early summer period. That means we had to start from scratch to offer cruises that no one had anticipated selling or buying. While this year will not be what we thought it could be for Legend, I am incredibly proud of the efforts of our colleagues in China and Singapore for the way they have taken up the multiple challenges of dealing with this situation. Fortunately, China’s government has rescinded the travel ban to Japan and we look forward to resuming our scheduled program from Tianjin in July.

“It might be 20 years too late for my wife and me, but Royal Caribbean now has a honeymoon registry website at RoyalCaribbeanHoneymoon.com. I won’t even try to compete with the copy writers for this new offering: “(it) will be a site that allows brides and grooms to register to have guests make contributions to their honeymoon onboard one of our ships as their wedding gift. The couple will be able to register for items such as spa treatments, specialty dining, shores excursions, Gifts and Gear, onboard credits or cash contributions towards the cruise fare.” Having missed our chance by two decades, we’ll have to find out if it’s possible to register for a vow renewal.

I’m happy to say that thanks to the release of iPhone app v1.1 we have expanded our global reach to Brazil and Spain and this blog is now available in the mobile world. Please do not read my blog while you are driving! Also, if you are inclined to book your next cruise on our website, you can get inspired by our new destination pages and you can now hold up to four staterooms simultaneously whereas until now you needed to book one room at a time. You can even split the payment among different credit cards!

Finally, you can watch our two mini-movies, “Royal Reunion” directed by and starring James Brolin, and “The Allure of Love” directed by and starring Jenny McCarthy, at any time by going to our web site or just by searching “Ocean Views films”. They are about 11 minutes each, or less time than it will take to make and eat the popcorn.”

BY:Adam|13th June, 2011 2 Comments

Ask Adam Blog Series – May 2011 Answers

We’ve just completed our third month of our “Ask Adam Blog Series”. You can view March’s Answer blog here and April’s Answer blog here. Again, a big thank you to everyone who has contributed questions, they have been enjoyable. If you’d like to ask a question for June’s Answer blog please do so on our facebook discussion page.

Now let’s get to the questions.

Why don’t you plan stops on certain ports for the whole night?
-Marcia G

Thank you for your feedback. You are right, a day might not be sufficient time to experience all there is to see in some of the wonderful cities that we visit around the world. The process of determining how much time to spend in each port as well as which ports to call on is complex and one that our Deployment and Itinerary Planning team put a lot of effort into.

Many factors go into this including operational considerations such as how far the port is from other ports and if we stay later would we still be able to reach the next port of call. Usually if we spend more time in one port then we will spend less time in another port. Or in the case of an overnight it could mean not including another port on the itinerary. The Deployment team has to balance these considerations.

While the majority of the ports we call are day calls there are some ports such as St. Petersburg, Russia offered by Jewel of the Seas; Venice, Italy offered by Voyager of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas; and Istanbul, Turkey and Haifa and Ashdod, Israel offered by Vision of the Seas where we have sailings overnight in a port. Outside of Europe we offer overnights in a few other cities such as Buenos Aires, Honolulu, Dubai and Sydney. An additional consideration for many destinations is the option to extend your trip on land with a Cruisetour before or after your voyage. This is most popular for our Alaska sailings on Radiance of the Seas between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver, Canada.

Thank you also for giving me an opportunity to mention our boutique sister brand Azamara Club Cruises. This deluxe two ship brand specializes in interesting itineraries featuring overnight stays in a variety of ports. You may find an upcoming itinerary to your liking on either Azamara Journey or Azamara Quest.

Why aren’t there military discounts on Oasis of the Seas cruises? Let me take it one step further, why aren’t there military discounts on all Royal Caribbean cruises?
-Shannon H.

We offer special rates to United States and Canadian military on select sailings, so please keep an eye out for sailings that offer these fares. At this time, we currently offer military discounts on over 100 sailings throughout the brand, on many different itineraries, including several Oasis and Allure sailings.

When searching for a cruise on RoyalCaribbean.com, be sure to click on “See if you qualify for exclusive rates” and then “check” the U.S. Military or Canadian Forces option.

Why can we not use our celebrity cruises towards Royal Caribbean?
-Patrick K. and Barbara M.

Currently we are not combining the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises loyalty programs but we appreciate the feedback and will take it into consideration in the future.

Just so everyone is clear, the brands do provide reciprocal recognition to each other’s loyal guests while they are onboard. So let’s take the example of a Diamond level member of Royal Caribbean International’s Crown & Anchor Society who has not previously cruised on Celebrity Cruises. When this Diamond member takes her first Celebrity Cruise, she will receive onboard recognition as if she is Celebrity’s equivalent of Diamond level. This reciprocal recognition has been in place for several years.

Why are there no listings for Allure or Oasis of the Seas for Fall/Winter 2012?
-Ed B.

On May 5th, we announced our new deployment schedules for Oasis and Allure. Both ships now have Caribbean sailings available to book through September 2013. You can view the sailings listed here.

I read on a forum that maybe in the future Royal Caribbean Cruise Line build a third sister ship of Oasis of the Seas. True or False?
-Marco M.

Marco, I’m glad you are enjoying our deployment in Italy. At this time we do not have plans to build a third ship in the Oasis Class. Recently we signed a letter of intent to build the first of a new generation of Royal Caribbean International cruise ships. We are using the code name, “Project Sunshine”. While there is a lot I can’t disclose about Sunshine, there are some things that I mentioned in a recent blog post.

Why are the hulls of Allure and Oasis of the Seas light blue instead of white?
-Dale M.

Dale, glad you enjoyed your recent cruise on Allure of the Seas. The hulls of Oasis and Allure are painted a very light blue. Please note that I am not in favor of gender stereotyping and do not always support blue for boys and pink for girls. On the other hand, I am a traditionalist and the ship will always be a “she.” We think the light blue looks terrific on her.

There was a lot of internal debate about moving away from the traditional white hull. Ultimately we decided that the Oasis-class ships are so unique that we wanted a somewhat different hull color. The difference is most visible when the sun is shining directly on the hull (never a bad thing!). At other times you have to look pretty closely to notice much of a difference from the rest of the fleet.

What do all the employees get to eat onboard the ships?
-Alexander B.

We continually hear from our guests that they want to know more about crew life while onboard. We offer a selection of freshly prepared meals in the crew dining area everyday generally in accordance with a 14 day meal cycle. We have a list of menu requirements for each meal of the day to ensure that the selection is satisfactory. The list is much more extensive than pasta with oil and does not include food from the guest dining areas. In fact, we also make a point to prepare foods from many different ethnicities which are very familiar to our International crew members. By the way, any crew who wish to voice concerns or suggestions about their food or any other aspect of life onboard are able to do so to a committee of their peers who have regular discussions about shipboard life with the officers onboard.

Why do some of the Royal Caribbean ships have a car onboard in the Royal Promenade?
-Brad T.

The first car was on Voyager of the Seas and was a donation by Richard Fain, our CEO and Chairman of the Board. A couple of years ago Richard posted a blog about the cars in the Royal Promenade, and I’d prefer that you read the post so you can get a sense of his enthusiasm, love of ship building and classic cars.

Link to Richard Fain’s Blog Post

Why won’t Royal Caribbean Cruise Line bring up a newer/bigger ship to sail out of Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ?
-Kathleen G-M.

We believe that Explorer is a great fit for the Northeast region and we are happy with her there. We will introduce some new itineraries for Explorer. Specifically Explorer will offer 7 night cruises to Bermuda for the fall of 2012 which she has not had before.

For the New Jersey and Baltimore region I do want to point out that Enchantment is now deployed on a year round basis from Baltimore. We just completed the first winter season. This provides a number of new options for the region.

Also, in the fall of 2012 we will bring a new ship to the Northeast region. Brilliance of the Seas, which is part of the beautiful Radiance class, will offer a new program of open-jaw sailings between Cape Liberty and Quebec City as well as round-trip Quebec City sailings. We are very excited about this program as it is very unique and gives guests an opportunity to see the wonderful Canada Atlantic destinations and the dynamic city of Quebec.

I would love to see a cruise of the pacific coast. Maybe starting in San Diego, with possible stops in Catalina Island, Monterey, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, then back to San Diego. Is there any possibility this can happen in the future since there is no more cruises being offered to Mexico in the West Coast?
-Delia G.

Thanks for the feedback. We will continue to review this as an option but do not have any immediate plans to offer a Pacific Coastal cruise.

We hope everyone enjoys reading these answers, and if you have a question that you haven’t seen yet please feel free to share your question in this month’s discussion http://on.fb.me/jpzblX.

BY:Adam|10th June, 2011 3 Comments

Revitalization Efforts Are in Full Swing Despite Minor Delays

The Radiance Dry Dock is in full swing. I joined the ship in Victoria to see how the progress was going, as well as to help host a press trip to share the scope of the revitalization work being completed onboard. In addition to our guests from the US and Canadian media, we also had the pleasure of having Barry Penner, the Attorney General of British Columbia, join us at the yard for a full tour and meeting to discuss the economic impact that the cruise industry has on the local economy. Royal Caribbean contributed significantly to the local economy, both in terms of dollars spent in the yard, as well as providing jobs for local contractors.

Overall it has been a very positive experience. The ship yard in Victoria has been outstanding to work with, and has been given top praises by Captain Claus and the New Build team. The biggest challenge we’ve faced so far was running into a Canadian holiday so we had some challenges with customs approvals. This put us behind our plan by about 8%, but we’ve managed to cut the timeline to being 3% behind and the team is confident we can catch up this week.

The biggest comment from everyone was the scope of the revitalization. When walking around Radiance, it had the same feel as when we do our walk-arounds for new builds. There was plywood in all of the elevators, all the carpet is completely covered, and the noise from drills, saws, and hammers resounded everywhere. Several of the areas have complete structural changes, such as the new addition of the pub, so it really is a major revitalization effort.

While part of the team was focused on the actual construction, crew training and orientation was taking place to share all the new venues and services that Radiance will offer. We also had several events and shore excursions for the crew while in Victoria so they could experience the island when they weren’t working. We had about 750 of the crew of almost 800 that stayed onboard during the dry dock.

Our fleet Executive Chef Marco was there as well, and the culinary team was practicing with the menus for the new restaurants. I’m heading back to Radiance this week to see the progress and Chef Marco has promised that the meatballs and lasagna for Giovanni’s will be ready for taste testing when I return. More on that next week!

BY:Lisa Bauer|8th June, 2011 No Comments

Ten Years and Counting! Radiances’ Revitalization will make Her Better than Ever

The revitalization of Radiance of the Seas is underway in Victoria, British Colombia. She is in dry-dock or “high and dry” in our parlance. I won’t re-cap all of the new features she will be getting as Lisa Bauer will give you a detailed update after she visits the ship in a few weeks. I will make a few general observations as the Royal Advantage revitalization program gets going in earnest.

I’m pleased that Radiance happens to be the first of our new generation of revitalizations. She is an important ship in our history. As the first ship in the four-ship Radiance-class (followed by Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas), she led us into a new era of cruise ship design, particularly featuring a close connection between the outside and inside via acres of glass that produce a wonderful effect. Throughout the last ten years we have often placed two of the Radiance-class ships in Europe and two in Alaska, allowing us to compete favorably with any ships in those markets.

Behind the scenes, as I have mentioned previously, we took a fresh look at our shipboard organization during Project Radiance (1999 – 2001). Although the immediate effect of profound change was a challenged start-up period for Radiance after her delivery in early 2001, the new approach has been critical to our successful expansion to a 22-ship-fleet operating all over the world.

Our long-term fans will recall that Radiance of the Seas debuted with two specialty restaurants, Chops Grille and Portofino. Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas, which had arrived in 1999 and 2000, respectively, had only one – Portofino. So we really thought we were doing something dramatic by doubling the number of specialty restaurants. That thought seems quaint and naïve as we prepare to add multiple new dining establishments to Radiance during her revitalization.

Radiance of the Seas arrived in 2001 as the dot com crash was unfolding. There wasn’t a strong connection ten years ago between the online environment and the cruise ship experience. Just as with culinary variety, a sea change has occurred in our and our guests’ expectations of technology. Pervasive Wi-Fi, upgraded in-stateroom televisions, digital signage and electronic waivers are some examples of additions in the current project, which we regard as obviously necessary for Radiance today.

The revitalization of Radiance will make an already fabulous ship even more fabulous. I cruised on her with family and friends to Alaska in 2002. I could not have envisioned most of what we are adding to her right now. I might have to find time for a repeat cruise to experience the changes for myself. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we are applying the final touches to the revitalization plan for Splendour of the Seas this fall.

BY:Adam|6th June, 2011 2 Comments

Through Camaraderie and Compassion, Radiance of the Seas’ Revitalizations Come to Life!

My name is Christian Compton and I am a project manager in our Newbuilding and Fleet Design department working with our Revitalization team, led by our Radiance Project Manager Dominick Flores, to revitalize our wonderful ship Radiance of the Seas. We have a wonderful team here of Engineers, Architects, Designers, Accountants, Ship Managers, Crew, Contractors and everything else we need to pull off this wonderful challenge. As I am writing this post, the ship is now in day 3 of our 21 day drydock, which will be sure to make Radiance of the Seas one of the most exciting ships in our fleet. You can see more of the details about what new venues we are adding here.

Radiance is the 3rd ship this year to receive new features under our Royal Advantage program after Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. The revitalization of Radiance is the largest of the three projects. I can only say, wow, we are excited. For those of our guests who have followed our company through the years you may remember our team featured in a documentary called “Drydock: A cruise ship reborn.” Well that team has grown and through the years we have pushed ourselves to take on bigger and greater challenges so that we can deliver bigger WOWs.

A big revitalization project like this takes a team of nearly 700 contractors and nearly 75 managers from our shoreside departments. That doesn’t even include the more than 1,000 regular crew members who will stay and help out. Although the ship is only out of service for 3 weeks a project like this is culmination of thousands of man hours, days of planning, meetings, and coordination. Already several weeks before the drydock began on May 20 we had teams or “riding crews” loading materials and organizing plans and cleaning out ship stores. When we build new spaces, we don’t need that old carpet design anymore, what we will need is space for new spares.

The whole team arrived in Vancouver in the days prior to May 20 to make sure that everything was in place to organize time for loading materials, debarking our guests and embarking 500 contractors. So as Radiance of the Seas came into the port of Vancouver, a small army of forklifts and teams were busy organizing containers, pallets, tools and checking-in 500 contractors. Thanks to our outstanding guest services, logistics, and hotel teams 45 minutes after the last guest was debarked 10 containers, 200 pallets and 500 contractors were onboard and making speed to Victoria Shipyard in Victoria, Canada.

The first day of revitalization can only be compared to that first day of school after a long summer break. Just like our guests who build long term relationships with other guests through years of sharing wonderful cruise vacations on our ships, our contractors too have become long time friends. The first day is a chance to see old friends and make new ones to take on exciting new challenges. Even our crew and officers have grown with us. Our outstanding Captain Claus Andersen was Staff Captain during Sovereign of the Seas Revitalization back in 2004. So 7 years later we have been reunited, albeit both in new roles yet just as excited to do it bigger and better.

As we pulled into the drydock on a beautiful spring day here in Victoria, only 6 hours after leaving Vancouver, Radiance of the Seas was already becoming her dramatic new self. Up on top the turf was pulled to make room for new future teak and space for the big screen TV to adorn the pool deck. The golf course was ripped up to make room for a bigger and better one. But the real drama was happening inside.

The Seaview Cafe not only has a seaview, it now temporarily has an open air patio as the window wall was torn down to make room for the new enlarged glass facade of the future Samba Grill. Across the hall the Country Club was paved to make room for the new arcade, which will be bigger than most a float. And as the new arcade was finding its home the old arcade was already stripped down to make way for our new Nursery in the Adventure Ocean area.

Downstairs at the same time the old sports bar memorabilia in the Scorecard Bar was being carefully packed away as a an army of sledge hammer holding demolition crews geared up to bring in the dawn of our biggest and grandest Pub at sea, the “Quill and Compass”. By the next morning the only remembrance of the Scorecard Bar was a Royal Caribbean International pennant hanging on the wall to remind everyone where we are and what is happening.

Part of the fun of growing with this team and developing our skills brings the joy of finding new ways to do our jobs better. We like to call it “finding new toys” and for this Revitalization we have wonderful set of little demolition superstars we affectionately call Terminators 1 and 2. These little machines resemble a little cleaning car, except their brushes are swapped out for mean little blades and spears that can pull up teak, turf, carpet, tile, and anything in between. Before we arrived in Victoria our contractors were struggling with the deck demolition. So when Captain Claus rolled the terminators out onto deck, like “blue knights” riding to the rescue, I can assure everyone the cheers from all the teams were probably heard back in Miami. Ahh the smile of kids and their toys.

While all of this work is going on we have to thank our outstanding crew onboard for keeping us safe, housed, fed and happy. The thing with Revitalization is that we are all living onboard, so really, Radiance is just on a different type of cruise with a different type of guest. Imagine that if you went in for a makeover, however extreme, and that you had to keep working while it was happening, not even the newest smart phone can handle that task. Although we are on a drydock cruise I can ensure you there is no sleeping in. If you would happen to forget to wake up by 7 am there are enough jack hammers, grinders, and workers running around to make sure that you get your wake up call.

Speaking of jack hammers, Our Vice President of Newbuilding and Fleet Design, Kevin Douglas, likes to say you can smell and hear how the project is going. Today I heard jack hammers and smelled burnt steel, so we know we are just starting and demolition is at full speed. Once we get that “new car” smell we will all know that guests are packing their bags and we better be heading out.

Long hours and hard work aside, we are looking forward to moving into the construction phase during the coming days. The real fun is seeing all of the workers and crew get excited about what we believe will be some of the best dining experiences, anywhere. I already mentioned the Samba Grill, but right below will be Rita’s Cantina and Izumi Asian Cuisine. Both venues will be finding homes next to our fabulous Windjammer Cafe making this truly an international culinary destination.

Speaking of international, as we all know we have wonderfully diverse crews, and we have a wonderfully diverse group of contractors helping us as well. Right now there are contractors from more than 20 different nationalities working together to build our new venues. Out here we all speak the same language which translates to working safely and efficiently so that on June 10 our guests will confirm the goal that we are what we are all working towards. To DELIVER THE WOW!

BY:Christian Compton|2nd June, 2011 8 Comments
 

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