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A 31-year old chef working onboard the Coral Princess was feared to have gone overboard from the cruise ship while it was sailing from Aruba to Cartagena, Colombia last Thursday. According to Princess Cruises spokeswoman Julie Benson, the chef, Angelo Faliva, from Cremona, Italy, was last seen on deck at 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning talking to a fellow crew member. Flavia's family, however told the Associated Press that they had been told that Flavia had unexpectedly left work at 8:15 p.m. the previous evening while working the dinner shift and had not been seen since. They also said that they had been told a life jacket was missing from the ship and that the emergency light and reflective tape had been removed from the life jacket. The Colombian Coast Guard station in Cartagena, Colombia was alerted about 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning that a person had been reported missing from the Coral Princess and that the person had last been seen the previous evening while the ship was sailing near La Guajira, Colombia. They received a second report from the cruise ship later that day indicating that Flavia had been seen again early Thursday morning. The Colombian Coast Guard initiated a search Thursday afternoon using several boats and a helicopter but as of Sunday afternoon, had not found any evidence of the missing man. The Coral Princess is on a 14-day cruise from Miami to Acapulco, Mexico.

NCL's Norwegian Dawn lost power on Friday while sailing about 95 miles off the coast or Puerto Rico. The power outage affected almost all of the ship's electrical systems including the propulsion system and the lights and air conditioning. According to NCL, the ship's propulsion system was out of service for a "relatively short" period of time but power was not restored to the lighting and air conditioning systems until some time later. Some reports from passengers onboard the cruise ship claimed that air conditioning was unavailable for 36 hours and that some passengers spent the night on deck to avoid the heat. Once partial power was restored the ship was able to return to San Juan. Following a mechanical inspection in San Juan, the remainder of the cruise was cancelled and passengers were flown home from Puerto Rico. Passengers were given a 75% refund for the current cruise and offered a 50% discount on a future cruise. Norwegian Dawn's next cruise, a 5-Day Western Caribbean sailing from Miami, scheduled to depart on Sunday, was also cancelled. Earlier today, NCL announced that the ship's December 4, 2009 nine-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean will sail as scheduled and that the mechanical problems had been resolved.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Safe travels to those traveling.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is pleased to announce that the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd. (SIPG) at Shanghai International Passenger Terminal yesterday. The memorandum will strengthen the strategic partnership between the two parties in areas of cruise operations in port, market promotion, staff training and management experience exchange. This cooperation will open more gateways to overseas visitors to Expo 2010 Shanghai and further boost China's cruise market. By leveraging the opportunities brought by China's rapid economic growth and Expo 2010 Shanghai, the strategic partnership between the two parties is dedicated to jointly promoting the healthy and fast development of the Chinese cruise market. Activities from SIPG include the development of the international cruise terminal with the addition of cruise-relevant retail outlets, market promotion, services as a ticket agent, and operating as a one-stop boarding and clearance service for Royal Caribbean guests. As part of the new commercial partnership, Royal Caribbean will share its operational experience of managing world-leading international cruise terminals with new staff training and development, as well as key activities to improve the operations and logistics, service quality and infrastructure of Shanghai International Passenger Terminal. Together Royal Caribbean and SIPG are working to ensure that Shanghai firmly establishes itself as a world-class port of call. Long-term steady economic growth in China has led to a surge in consumer travel demand and an increase in the attractiveness of cruising. Statistics show that between February 14, 2009 and October 11, 2009, passenger volume has grown by 258 percent year-on-year at Shanghai Port. Outbound/inbound passengers and voyage numbers both hit record highs at Shanghai Port during that period. It is forecast that the number of international cruise passengers will reach 600,000 at Chinese sea ports in 2010. "We are committed to developing SIPG into a world-class water gateway," said Haihu Lu, Chairman of SIPG. "With a rapidly increasing number of cruise passengers, we have strengthened our investment in both infrastructure and management, and further upgraded our facilities and service levels in order to meet the growing demands of this market. Royal Caribbean is one of the world's leading cruise companies and through this new strategic partnership we look forward to sharing their market-leading management and service experience, which will profoundly drive forward the cruise industry in Shanghai." "Royal Caribbean enters China at a crucial time when the industry is undergoing a period of rapid growth, in fact developing our business in China is part of our global expansion plan," said Michael Bayley, senior vice president of international for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Such strategic partnerships are an important and valuable element of our activity to increase penetration in the Chinese market." Dr. Zinan Liu, Managing Director China, Royal Caribbean, added: "We have long enjoyed a mutually beneficial close working relationship with SIPG, and this new formal agreement gives each party a distinct opportunity to enhance the experience of both our domestic and international guests arriving or departing in China." Royal Caribbean has enjoyed a strong reaction to its Chinese port-based 2010 itineraries, particularly in the domestic Chinese market with key cruises over peak holiday times sold out. Cruise options include a five-night sailing onboard Royal Caribbean International's Legend of the Seas from Shanghai calling at Kagoshima (Japan), and Busan (Republic Of Korea, South Korea) available in March 2010, and similar cruises throughout May and June 2010 and with the additional port of call of Fukuoka in Japan also included.

Gerry Herrod, founder of Ocean Cruise Line and Orient Lines, has announced a new destination cruise line, Voyages to Antiquity. The new venture is designed in the same spirit that Mr. Herrod created the Ocean Pearl's unique Far East program and Orient Lines itineraries aboard the Marco Polo, but this time focused only on the Mediterranean Cruises on the Aegean Odyssey will begin in May of 2010 and Voyages to Antiquity will provide an experience where guests learn about the cultures and people who created the "cradle of civilizations" of the Mediterranean. Meticulously planned itineraries are inspired by John Julius Norwich's book "The Middle Sea" that traces the development and impact of the three prominent ancient cultures in Rome, Egypt and Greece. The small ship is able to provide truly unique experiences by sailing closer to the coast and visiting many unique harbors and inlets near otherwise inaccessible sites ashore. The Voyages to Antiquity brochure features 9 itineraries and 16 departures to the Mediterranean, North Africa and Red Sea where only a small ship can take guests to a myriad of fascinating destinations. The aim is to combine the very best in cultural travel - fascinating destinations and first-class lecturers - with a sense of fun and style. This sense of fun does not stretch to nightclubs and casinos. Some of the traditional formalities of cruising, such as formal nights and black tie receptions, have been dispensed with and "smart casual" best describes the dress code. However, some exceptional special events are planned including a private evening in the Doge's Palace at St. Mark's in Venice and a cocktail reception at the Palazzo Gangi in Palermo, Sicily. Extraordinary value is a hallmark at Voyages to Antiquity. For 2010, in addition to included shore experiences in each port of call, wine at dinner and shipboard gratuities, free air is offered from select east coast gateways and low air add-ons ($99 or $199) from more than 70 gateways throughout North America. Additionally, a number of special offers apply for the 2010 inaugural season. There is no supplement for single occupancy on most sailings and a $1,000 or $500 savings (per stateroom) applies on select departures throughout the summer. Certain restrictions apply. The Aegean Odyssey is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment and the capacity is being reduced from 570 to around 350 guests. Over 80 brand new suites and staterooms will be featured and there will be extensive enhancements to many public areas including the Spa and Terrace dining venues. Onboard the Aegean Odyssey, guests will enjoy a comfortable, relaxed environment with friendly service, good food and wine. The dining experience will feature continental cuisine augmented by regional foods obtained during each voyage and the relaxed atmosphere is enhanced by open seating dining in the main restaurant with wine, beer or soft drinks included with dinner each evening. There will be alternative dining venues at the Terrace Cafe and Tapas on the Terrace. Voyages to Antiquity brochures may be requested, viewed or downloaded at www.voyagestoantiquity.com

Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International believe that their guests' cruise experience begins before the first suitcase is packed. Today, the cruise lines announced a new electronic cruise document, or "eDocs," and luggage tag program designed to offer guests a dynamic, one-of-a-kind pre-cruise documentation experience and simultaneously give travel agents an opportunity to promote their own business. A personalized, interactive, visually appealing, web-based format offers guests all the information they need prior to their cruise, including travel agency contact details, information on shore excursion choices and various onboard offerings available during the guests' particular cruise, travel and documentation instructions, and much more. Once the booking has been finalized, eDocs will be issued as early as 49 days prior to sailing. In an effort to offer guests more information in a visually appealing way with less burden on the environment, all Azamara, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean bookings made on or after December 13, 2009, will generate eDocs as the default format for guest travel documents. eDocs also will be the default format for any bookings made before December 13, 2009, that didn't include a selection of a hard-copy guest travel documents preference. Guests will access their eDocs via each cruise line's consumer website: Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. "Our travel partners have told us that now is the time to move to an electronic option for cruise documents," said Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President, Sales, Royal Caribbean International. "Given that close to half of our guests and travel partners already select eDocs as their preferred format, the momentum has been building toward this type of approach as eDocs have become widely accepted by travel partners and cruise travelers alike." "While most other cruise brands have moved to a purely electronic format, we wanted to continue to offer a choice by providing guests the opportunity to purchase a printed document," said Dondra Ritzenthaler, Senior Vice President, Sales, Celebrity Cruises. "We realize that our travel partners may choose to print the eDocs' printer-friendly version and give a hard copy to their clients, but we strongly encourage our partners to share the eDocs link so their clients can experience the truly interactive, personalized format." The technology behind the eDocs brings with it various conveniences for the guests and travel partners who use them. Not only do the eDocs give guests and travel partners around-the-clock access to important pre-cruise information, they also offer hyperlinks to all pre-cruise activity reservation opportunities. Additionally, eDocs offer a table of contents with hyperlinks that take the guest to the exact page they're interested in, the ability to email a copy to friends and family, and the option to print specific pages. As an added bonus, the eDocs that Azamara, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean will offer are visually stunning, colorful and easy to read. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean will offer guests the option of ordering printed cruise documents, for a fee of $35 per document. The up-market, smaller-ship brand Azamara, however, will waive this fee for its guests who order printed cruise documents. "We want to offer our guests the same highly personalized service that is already part of the onboard Azamara experience, before they even step onboard," said Edie Bornstein, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Azamara Cruises. "We include butler service, concierge style amenities and complimentary specialty restaurant dining for every guest, so we wanted to include the printed cruise document option, too." It is also possible for travel partners and guests to self-print eDocs at no charge using a printer-friendly format; however, this version will lack the interactive qualities of the online eDocs. For all bookings made through travel partners, the Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International eDocs will be customized to display the travel agency name and phone number. Travel partners can access eDocs through the three lines' travel agent portal, CruisingPower website. Not only will the new eDocs program help travel partners avoid shipping costs by eliminating the need to mail printed documents to their clients, but travel partners also have options around how their clients receive their eDocs. Agents can receive eDocs on behalf of a client, they can give the cruise line the client's email address or provide the client with the booking number so that the client can self-manage their eDocs (which saves the travel partner valuable administrative time). Alternatively, travel partners can offer their clients the opportunity to purchase a printed document. A new eDocs luggage tag system designed to save guests time at the pier and streamline the onboard luggage sorting and delivery process is a crucial part of the three cruise lines' revamped pre-cruise planning and documentation experience. Qualified guests may request luggage tags to be mailed to them by completing the request form available on each brand's website. With the new program, guests will receive, via mail, a complimentary set of eight pre-printed, self-adhesive, color-coded and personalized luggage tags. Luggage tags can be requested as soon as documents are issued and must be requested no later than 14 days prior to sailing. Alternatively, travel partners can request that a client's luggage tags be mailed either to the client or the travel agency by providing a mailing address at the time of booking; these will be mailed 13 days prior to sailing.

The largest cruise terminal in the world to serve the two largest and most revolutionary cruise ships in the world officially opened at Port Everglades on Friday, November 6, one week prior to the arrival of Royal Caribbean International's 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas. Local county and city officials, as well as Royal Caribbean executives, were on hand for the opening celebration. The event also featured Royal Caribbean dancers, who performed a number from the Hairspray musical. "We finished building Cruise Terminal 18 on time and under budget, which is a demonstration of government at its best," said Port Everglades Director Phil Allen. Port Everglades, located within the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, Florida, is governed by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners. "There may be bigger terminals that service two ships at the same time, but Terminal 18 was constructed specifically to handle one Oasis-class ship at a time." At 240,000 square feet (5.5 acres), Cruise Terminal 18 is more than three times larger than it was just 22 months prior to opening when Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) reached an agreement with Broward County to homeport both of the new Oasis-class of ships at Port Everglades. "We are very appreciative of the efforts of Director Phil Allen and his team at Port Everglades to create a state-of-the-art facility that will provide a seamless experience for our guests," said President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International Adam Goldstein. "Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will present an unprecedented vacation to guests and Terminal 18 is an integral part of delivering that offering." To accommodate these revolutionary cruise ships, the Port invested approximately $75 million to build Cruise Terminal 18. The terminal's mega-size will accommodate the more than 5,400 cruise guests and their luggage so that both arriving and departing guests can go through processing procedures simultaneously. Each Oasis-class ship is projected to generate approximately 584,000 passenger movements annually at Port Everglades. The first of the 225,282-gross-registered-ton ships, Oasis of the Seas, is scheduled to begin sailing year-round from Port Everglades in December 2009, with the second sister-ship, Allure of the Seas, to begin year-round sailings one year later.

Norwegian Cruise Line today announced that Legends in Concert, the original and world's greatest live tribute show, will be featured for the first time at sea in more than a decade on Norwegian Epic, the company's largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date, debuting in June 2010. A staple on Las Vegas' center strip for the past 25 years, Legends in Concert is known as the pioneer of live tribute shows and has assembled the greatest collection of live tribute artists and celebrity look-alikes in the industry. Norwegian Epic also welcomed Howl at the Moon, the world's greatest rock .n roll dueling piano show that encourages audience participation. "Norwegian Epic has already made headlines with its world-class entertainment offerings, featuring Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams" and Dinner and The Second City. Now, with the addition of Legends in Concert and Howl at the Moon, we have raised the bar even higher, taking cruise ship entertainment to a whole new level, on par with major entertainment hubs like Las Vegas and New York," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer. "With their wide range of incredibly talented superstar tribute artists and celebrated entertainers, Legends in Concert will appeal to music fans of all ages, making this a must-see show for our guests. Howl at the Moon gives guests the chance to sing along to music from the '70s to today in a highly interactive show." Legends in Concert is a live musical celebration featuring the world's greatest celebrity tribute artists such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Tom Jones, Tina Turner, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Rod Stewart, Cher, Barry White, Tim McGraw and Shania Twain, among many others. Legends in Concert on Norwegian Epic will feature three celebrity tribute performers taking the stage in the Epic Theater for six 45-minute shows over three days during a seven-day cruise. In addition, a cabaret-style show will be performed on three additional nights in the Manhattan Room, the ship's New York-inspired supper club, providing an unprecedented dining and entertainment experience on Norwegian Epic. The celebrity performers will change every four months, keeping the show fresh and exciting. Each universally-renowned Legends in Concert performer not only looks and sounds like the star they portray, they transform themselves through hours of practice at their craft. This is accomplished by using their own natural voices and every detail is taken into consideration from choreography, to hair, make-up and mannerisms. "We are thrilled about this new long-term multi-dimensional partnership with Norwegian and are honored to be invited to perform weekly on board this exceptionally innovative ship, joining the most prolific entertainment line-up ever assembled on the high seas," said Brian Brigner, chief operating officer for "Legends" producer On Stage Entertainment. "We will have the highest quality tribute acts in the world performing on Norwegian Epic, and they will be joined by the always electrifying Legends singers and dancers, and a rockin' live band." Performing four times per cruise in Headliners, Norwegian Epic's comedy club, Howl at the Moon is a total entertainment experience where the talented piano players not only entertain the guests; the guests become part of the show. The fun is centered around two baby grand pianos and a full out rock show with Howl's entertainers playing the best music from 70's rock to hip-hop for four hours per show. Howl at the Moon, with multiple locations across the United States, encourages people to live out their inner rock star, so guests should be ready to clap, sing, dance and howl. "We are very excited to bring our high-energy entertainment to the high seas," said Jimmy Bernstein, Howl at the Moon founder and chief executive officer. "Howl's mission is to entertain every guest with our ever-evolving rock show and to create a party atmosphere that can be enjoyed by everybody. I cannot wait for Norwegian Epic's guests to experience what Howl at the Moon is all about!"

After more than 16,000 suggestions from more than 40,000 travel agents and fans around the world, the names of the 16th and 17th ships in the Costa fleet have been selected. The two sister ships, set to debut in 2011 and 2012, will be named the Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa. The selections were chosen as a result of Costa's "Send Us a Sea of Names" project whereby travel agents and fans sent in name suggestions for the two ships. The final selections were chosen based on their definition of the all-encompassing magic, glamour, emotion and passion reflected on all of Costa's ships. The Costa Favolosa and Costa Fascinosa, (114,500 gross tons with a double occupancy of 3,000 each) will be delivered in summer 2011 and spring 2012 respectively. The two new sister ships, built by Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard, are part of a major fleet expansion plan for Costa with five new ships due for delivery between 2009 and 2012. This plan includes the launch of the Costa Luminosa the Costa Pacifica (June 2009) and the Costa Deliziosa (set to debut in January 2010) for a total investment worth 2.4 billion Euros. The Costa Favolosa will be the first of the two new vessels to enter service. The laying of the first "building block" is set to take place on Thursday, November 5 at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard. The choice of names was guided by 40,000 travel agents in over 40 countries who submitted more than 16,000 pairs of names as part of the "Send Us a Sea of Names" project. The initiative encouraged travel agents, customers and web users all over the world to take part in the search for the names for the two new Costa flagships. The submissions were summarized in a list of 25 pairs of names posted on www.worldofcosta.com . All web site visitors were invited to choose their favorite pairing. More than 42,000 votes were received.

Royal Caribbean International's Oasis of the Seas has run into severe weather during her voyage from the shipyard in Turku, Finland to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and as a result will arrive at least two days later than originally scheduled. The world's largest cruise ship was originally scheduled to arrive in Florida on Wednesday, November 11th but the storm has forced the ship to take a more southerly route and according to Royal Caribbean, Oasis of the Seas will now reach Ft. Lauderdale on Friday morning. Royal Caribbean CEO, Richard Fain, who is blogging about the crossing said that while the ship is handling well it was facing an intensifying storm with wave heights of up to 35 feet and peak waves over 60 feet. To lessen the effects of the storm, Captain William Wright took the ship on a longer, southerly route. According to Fain, the captain is constantly adjusting the ship's course and speed to accommodate what will probably be the only time in OASIS's life that it will face such a storm. Fain also said that the weather had affected rehearsals by entertainers onboard and prevented some of the work scheduled to be done by a work crew from the shipyard during the crossing from being completed. Oasis of the Seas is scheduled to be in Ft. Lauderdale hosting media and industry guests through November 30th so there will likely be plenty of time to complete any outstanding work prior to her maiden voyage with paying passengers on December 1st.

Holland America Line's ms Nieuw Amsterdam, currently under construction at Fincantieri shipyard, was floated out of its dry dock at Marghera, Italy, Friday, Oct. 30, 2009. The floating out — considered a significant milestone in the construction process — was prefaced by several traditional ceremonies. Following the ancient practice of shipbuilders, two commemorative coins were sealed in a compartment in the traditional Coin-Under-the-Mast ceremony, believed to bring good fortune to a vessel. "It is always a meaningful moment to bring a new ship along to this point in the building process," said Stein Kruse, president and CEO of Holland America Line. "With the rich legacy of the name Nieuw Amsterdam, and this being the fourth ship in our 136-year history to carry this name, it is all the more significant for our company." The special coins used in the ceremony were minted to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the river in New York that bears his name. In 1609, Hudson, an English explorer employed by the Dutch East India Company, sailed his ship Half Moon up that river. Hudson's explorations eventually led to the first permanent Dutch settlement in North America — a tiny village on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, which was named Nieuw Amsterdam. In recognition of that longstanding connection, several rooms on Nieuw Amsterdam will have New York City themes. The main restaurant is the Manhattan Dining Room, the atrium art is inspired by the city's skyscrapers and the youth area will feature an authentic 1981 New York Checker cab. After the blessing of the ship and the ceremonies, floodgates on the dry dock opened. As the dock began to fill, a bucket was lowered into the water and some of the first water to touch the ship's hull was captured and preserved in a crystal bottle that is presented to the captain during the ship's official dedication. Nieuw Amsterdam was towed to the fitting-out dock where she will be finished and delivered in early July 2010. Second in the Signature Class and sister ship to the ms Eurodam, she will carry 2,106 guests and 929 crew.