Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s third Oasis class cruise ship, will be the first in the fleet to offer the Splashaway Bay, an interactive aqua park for kids, the Miami-based cruise line said in a press release.

The new 5,497- passenger Harmony of the Seas is scheduled to debut Continue reading →

A fire broke out aboard Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas Wednesday injuring one crew member. Passengers were moved to assembly stations but not evacuated.

The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. while the cruise ship was pulling into the port of Falmouth, Jamaica. Royal Caribbean International said on its Twitter page that the fire started in a mechanical area and was extinguished a short time later. The passengers were told to put on their life jackets and gather on the deck. The fire suppression system for the vessel was immediately activated and the fire did not spread. Photos posted on social media showed a thick plume of grey smoke coming from an upper deck of the 154,407-ton Freedom of the Seas. Continue reading →

The British entrepreneur Richard Branson officially announced that his latest travel venture, Virgin Cruises is planned to launch from Miami in early 2020. The Virgin founder made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, in Miami.

The company had signed a letter of intent with the Finacntieri shipyard in Italy to build three 110,000-ton ships with 1,430 cabins. The ships are expected to be delivered in early 2020, 2021 and 2022. Each vessel will have room for over 2,800 passengers and 1,150 crew members, said Tom McAlpin, Virgin Cruises CEO. Continue reading →

The Harmony of the Seas had its final block of ship structure lowered into place at the STX France shipyards in Saint Nazaire earlier this week.

The ship is getting ready for a bon voyage during its initial trip from Barcelona to Rome in April 2016. Continue reading →

Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship Anthem of the Seas was christened in a spectacular ceremony in Southampton, U.K. last Monday. 1,950 VIP guests, travel agents and journalists attended the long-awaited event.

Emma Wilby, a 27-year-old travel agent from Sunderland, U.K., officially named Royal Caribbean International’s newest mega-ship Continue reading →