Royal Caribbean to expand cruise capacity in Tampa

[mercedes]

Industry giant Royal Caribbean has unveiled its plan for short cruises to the Caribbean in 2010 and 2011, and it includes more capacity in Tampa.

The line today announced it will have five ships sailing voyages of five or fewer nights in the region for the 2010-2011 season and will offer 20 different short cruise itineraries.

The schedule will include:

-- An enhanced and expanded deployment in Tampa. The 2,501-passenger Radiance of the Seas will begin short cruises out of the city in the fall of 2010, taking over seasonal winter sailings from the smaller, older Grander of the Seas. Radiance of the Seas’ itineraries will include a four-night sailing calling at Cozumel, Mexico, and a five-night sailing that adds Costa Maya.

-- Alternating ships in Fort Lauderdale. The Grandeur of the Seas will reposition to Fort Lauderdale to offer short cruises during the summer and fall of 2010, after which the larger Navigator of the Seas will take over short cruises in the market.

The Grandeur of the Seas will sail four- and five-night Western Caribbean itineraries with calls at Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya, George Town and CocoCay. The Navigator of the Seas sailings, which start in November 2010, also will be four- and five-night trips but with some different itineraries. On one of its five-night itineraries that depart Mondays, Navigator will call at the new port of Falmouth, Jamaica, and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach resort on the north Haitian coast. Other ports of call will include George Town, Cozumel, Belize City, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

-- Continued sailings out of Miami and Port Canaveral. The line's Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas will continue their current schedule of year-round, three- and four-night sailings to the Bahamas from the ports. Calls include Nassau, CocoCay, and Costa Maya.