Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Catches Fire near Jamaica

Office_Fire_ExtinguisherA 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

Richard Branson Launches Virgin Cruises in Miami

RichardBransonByDavidShankboneThe 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

Royal Caribbean Newest Ship Christened

ANTHEM_OF_THE_SEAS_0310Royal 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